A drive down Melrose, one can already see at least five popups as made obvious by the big dumb lines (thank you SNL for this phrase --- it has proven itself very useful in Los Angeles). Popups are not the only ones seeing time-consuming popularity in the city of Hollywood and valley girl accents. There are also lots of people waiting an excessive amount of time for coffee shops. Undiscovered no. Apparently delicious yes. I, your humble blogger, took it upon myself to stand in two of these lines to try the so-it-seems "coffee shops of Los Angeles". The ones rumored to be the best of the city. Chamberlain Coffee and Community Goods. Are they actually the best? Are they worth standing in the big dumb line? I'm here waiting (in the line) to find out.
Photo credit: https://www.volitioncapital.com/portfolio/chamberlain-coffee/
I have written about Chamberlain Coffee but before they had a physical coffee shop. I adore their cold brew, their coffee beans, all their online products you can ship to your house. So I was very curious to try their in-person selection. I got the salted caramel cold brew and my friend got Emma's Way. We also had a lemon poppyseed madeleine and a matcha donut. The lemon poppyseed madeleine was amazing --- citrusy and not overpoweringly sweet. If you are a matcha lover you will also like the donut. For the drinks, honestly, I would say they were not worth waiting in the line. My friend thought Emma's Way (which is a latte made with espresso, almond milk and a non-dairy creamer) was a bit too sweet for her. My drink was pretty good, but definitely not the best coffee I've had in LA. The taste just was not there for me, though I loveee the Chamberlain Coffee at-home cold brews. I do adore how Emma Chamberlain markets her coffee company and think the little animal critters adorning are adorable. This was fun to try, and I would grab the lemon poppyseed madeleine if there is no line and you have the chance. Otherwise, I would save your time and just order the coffee online.
This coffee shop has been on my list for the longest time --- after all it's considered LA's best and has a line around the corner 24/7 sun or rain. It was designed by Pedro Cavaliere, a Brazilian DJ. It has a homey, yet contemporary feel about it with its geometric wood ceiling and cute outdoor seating area. It feels almost like Japandi interior design. They filed people inside in small groups, so it wasn't overwhelmingly packed. I ordered the einspänner Latte and my friend ordered the spänner matcha. After doing some googling, we figured out that einspänner is a German word for one horse carriage and spänner is carriage. An einspänner latte is this special type of Viennese coffee with strong espresso and a slightly sweet whipped cream on top and cocoa powder that carriage riders used to drink. Honestly, this latte may be one of the best lattes I've had in Los Angeles and was totally worth the line though it was one of the most painful lines I've ever stood in. I also tried my friend's matcha and it was also insanely delicious. They were so creamy and unique. I don't think I would stand in the line again, but standing and waiting once to try these drinks was worth it. We also had the turkey sandwich and it was very thick --- filled with things like roasted red peppers and fontina cheese and arugula--- but everything it was filled with was very satisfying to eat. Also, a key tip if you just want like an iced tea --- across the street there is a cafe called Architecture partnered with Community Goods. It is also aesthetic as it is also a bookshop and there is lots of seating. Their drinks are limited to a cold brew, a lemonade, and an iced tea and their food is limited to an egg toast, a hot dog, zeppoles, pb&j, and a CG cookie, but it did look pretty good. If you are willing to wait in a line, I would definitely wait for Community Goods. Just once, not again. It is crazy good coffee though.