Coffee.jpg — Restaurant in Sierra Madre

I think this coffee shop is aesthetically pleasing, typical Instagram-centric design. The shop has lots of seating, both indoors and out when the weather permits. Not a whole lot of outlets (I counted three), so if you're there to study, you might be out of luck if it's busy.

They serve Klatch coffee, which is awesome. You hear that, coffee snobs? They got your coffee! I've been here twice and both times, they didn't have several things available that we wanted. The first time it was the cold brew. I don't know how you're a coffee shop with no cold brew in the morning too. It's not like you had the opportunity to sell out before we came in because you weren't open for more than a couple hours. This second time was today when I wanted their Blueberry Toast (freaking delicious, BTW- can't believe that's part of their kids' menu) and they didn't have cream cheese. Later the same day, a couple different customers came in wanting to order things and I overheard the same, "Sorry, we're out" or "We don't have that right now." As a consumer, that's a little frustrating.

I was surprised to find that their Blueberry Toast was as tasty as it was beautiful. It is described with a "hint of mint." I'm not sure if they intended on that to mean the little bit of fresh mint leaves they stuck in it or there was supposed to be a light, minty taste to it (there was none). Either way, absolutely delectable. I know I got lucky because blueberries aren't always such but when I got my toast, the berries were humungous and plentiful (unfortunately it doesn't show up that way in my photo) and super sweet.

I was also pleasantly surprised by their Mango Habanero Roasted Beef. I'm not usually impressed by sandwiches I get from most places but this one was perfectly balanced with the delicious lightly toasted bread, thinly sliced beef, the sweet and spicy mango jam, the Swiss and arugula. It was hearty without being heavy.

Their Matcha Latte was so weak. Pale and nearly flavorless. I was so disappointed by it. My daughter loved their London Fog, although she had to tell them to cut the vanilla in half because it would've been too much for her otherwise.

I like that you're greeted immediately when you come in but it's never by that girl with the short pixie cut hair. She's not very friendly and I don't particularly like dealing with her. Look, I get it it- I don't like people either but if you choose a job where you know the description includes people interaction, then fake it. Smile, pretend that you're nice and friendly. Just having to place an order with her feels like you're bothering her to do her job and coming from a restaurant management and customer service background, I don't appreciate that sort of tired attitude.

The vibe of this place bothers me. The perfect example was that there was a middle-aged couple at a table next to us. You could see they were one of those slightly hoity-toity, fussy people, total WASP vibe. They ordered a bunch of stuff between the two of them, sending one thing back to be remade because the lady didn't want the cheese, blah blah blah. They ate and left, leaving a mess on the table, which again, coming from a restaurant background, is a non-issue. It's an eatery; people are going to make a mess, deal with it. However, when the two female employees came over to clean the table, they were clearly displeased about the mess (which wasn't terrible, trust me; I've seen a hell of a lot worse). The one with the short pixie cut goes, "OMG, really?" with the Asian one laughing and nodding in agreement, "I know, right?" Pixie Cut follows up with, "What? Were these people raised in a barn?" O-KAY, TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR THERE, BUDDIES. That was not all right. My table was right next to that one. I could clearly hear the comments without even having to try.

If not for the weak matcha and even weaker customer rapport, I'd give this place a...

If I had to describe this place in a phrase, it'd be: coffee first, customers second. By default they only have one coffee size, 12 oz., for both hot and cold drinks (though it looks like you can explicitly ask for a different size, but the menu does not reflect that). Drip/batch brew is $4, cold brew is $5.50, espresso is $4, and lattes/coffee drinks range from $5.50-6.75. I don't know what the coffee prices are like around this area, and I'm from out of town (Seattle), but these are among the most expensive coffee prices I've seen outside of Las Vegas.

However, I'd be lying if I said their coffee wasn't good. If you like light roast, third wave, and artisan-type coffees, you'll like this place. The drip brew today was a bright and flavorful washed Mexican coffee, well extracted with no hint of astringency. They have different coffees on rotation for pourover (which is priced at "market price"), but today it was one of their small batch coffees roasted by a local friend. This is one of the only places I've seen that sell bags of Gesha coffee in-store (usually I only find these online because of rarity).

They had coffees from 3 different roasters at their store for sale at this time. The bags ranged from $16-50 a bag (typically 12 oz. of whole beans), so I'd say there's something for everyone, especially if you're looking to pick up something interesting. I really liked the El Paraiso Peach they had from Insomnia Coffee Lab ($33 for 12 oz.). They offer a free cup of drip or cold brew coffee with a purchase of a bag.

Drinks: their seasonal strawberry latte is really good. Not too sweet, but kind of tastes like cereal milk after eating cereal with dried strawberries in it (in a good way - I recommend it if you're looking for something different!). See earlier for my notes on the drip coffee. They didn't offer the coffee with a sleeve on it and it was piping hot, so it was a bit uncomfortable to hold (though they probably would have given me one had I asked). Interestingly, they poured the coffee in an unlabeled, generic cup instead of one with a stamp or any other indication of this shop like many other stores do.

Miscellaneous: the baristas were friendly and the service was fairly quick. There are about 6 small tables that could seat 2 people each and a bench area. There was a dog there, so it looks like it's a dog friendly place. The place is fairly modern with little clutter and reasonable music volume, so it might be a good, distraction-free place to work. However, there is a Starbucks and 3 other bakeries in the local area that serve coffee as well, if this place...

I'd say this place is one of the better and consistent coffee shops in LA area. During my first visit, I tried the Spanish latte and Vietnamese one. Both were very tasty. Not too sweet with smooth, balanced flavors. I'm very particular about my espresso as I don't enjoy it when it's too dark nor too light as it usually becomes too acidic.

I went for a second visit couple of days later. This time I got the plain iced latte. I have to say they also did a fantastic job with it.

So far I have tried several of their food options (toasts and sandwiches). I'd highly recommend them to go with your coffee. The prosciutto is very good, the avocado toast is well balanced, and the blueberry toast is very refreshing. I also had a chance to try the Italian sandwich. It was basically the prosciutto with another bread on top.

All in all, I'm glad there's a place like this within the area. I'd be visiting here a...