Coffee Commissary
Coffee Commissary is located off Fairfax Blvd, conveniently located near the Melrose shopping district of West Hollywood. It's conveniently placed in a shopping area/loft residence that includes a bar, a Pitfire Pizza restaurant, and other stores that are convenient to the nearby Hollywood residences. I used to come here for coffee after my hikes at Runyon Canyon or even to study if I'm in the area. Unlike the Korean cafes I'm used to, Coffee Commissary is only open until 8pm, but it's perfect for a morning or afternoon cup of Joe for pre- or post-shopping fuel, and they have delicious baked desserts that make for a perfect pairing. Frankly, I love the espresso they use in their lattes and other specialty drinks. They have a small menu, but the Baristas are talented and if you get an iced latte like I usually do, you'll be wondering why the drink didn't last more than 5 minutes. They also offer cold brew at this location, and I'm a huge fan of that so basically, there isn't anything that I didn't like at this place.
They offer three different coffee companies at Coffee Commissary: Victrola Coffee based in Seattle, Washington, Coava Coffee from Portland, Oregon and Temple Coffee from Sacramento, CA. All of these roasters produce delicious blends all ranging from mild to strong, beautifully highlighted in a simple cup of coffee or in their espresso. On this trip, I had a simple Vanilla latte and my husband ordered a Gibraltar, which is also commonly called a Cortado. It's basically smaller than a latte but bigger than a macchiato, served in a cup called a "Gibraltar".
We also had some pastries to share: I had the Chocolate Chip almond cookie, and he had the Ricotta Cheese and Berry pastry.
Only downside to their pastries were that they weren't hot, but I'm a fiend for hot pastries but never the less, they were delicious. I love cookies, but the Ricotta pastry won over my cookie, the Ricotta was so soft and cheesy, and the bursts of juice from the blackberries and peaches made for a refreshing but savory snack, which I loved! Their hours are 7am to 8pm, and they have another location of Sunset that's open from 7am to 5pm, so go check them out! (also, they have their own parking garage that's free!)
Alfred Coffee and Kitchen
Alfred Coffee and Kitchen was recommended to me by a friend of mine who has been following their Instagram page for a long time and never got to go. So me, her, and a couple of my other friends decided to make it a trip and made our way to their Melrose Place location in West Hollywood, right behind the Diane Von Furstenburg retailer and down the street for the Marc by Marc Jacobs stores. Super kitsch right?! Their coffee house is cute, sandwiched in between designer houses that I'm not familiar with, but within walking distance of the residences that line Melrose Place. Parking is street only, and as always with parking in Beverly Hills and it's surrounding areas, ALWAYS READ THE SIGNS. They're confusing I know, but trust me, you don't want to get a ticket in Beverly Hills. Anyway, they have an outdoor patio area and also an open seating area inside the building with stairs on the side that lead down to the bar area itself. They serve juices from Pressed Juicery and their signature drink is a $10 (yes $10) latte featuring Pressed Juicery's fresh Almond Milk. I opted for an iced latte again because it was hot, and my friend got the $10 latte. They also sell local jams from SQIRL and chocolate from one of my favorite chocolatiers, Compartes Chocolates in Brentwood! Alfred also has a wide array of sandwiches, salads, and baked goods that seemed to have been raided by the time that we arrived in the late afternoon, but I managed to grab me a Kale and Feta cheese Pan De Sal. Yes folks, they used PAN DE SAL which is delicious Filipino Sweet Bread that is a staple during breakfast, so I just had to try it!
Alfred's latte was strong and delicious, the Macchiato was smooth and silky, and their $10 latte (not pictured) actually tasted like there were almonds in it! If you have the spare change for the $10 latte and are a big fan of almond milk, by all means go for it. Otherwise, their other drinks are delicious, and that Kale and Feta cheese Pan De Sal did not last at all. This place is really into their hashtags and slogan, "But first, coffee" and it works. So thanks Instagram, I found a new coffee shop to love!
Cafe Korobokgur
Oh Koreatown, your little coffee shops that are open until the wee hours of the night are my places of relaxation, productivity, and of course favorite coffees, teas, and desserts! There's not much more that can make me happy other than going to a cafe in K-town with my friends or just by myself and a laptop, because where else can I spend the entire day just studying, sipping coffee while listening to Kpop?!
Although I already have my staples in Ktown such as Haus by Coffee Hunter, Yellowhouse Cafe, Iota Brew and Cafe, and of course Cafe Bene (which I will post about on another day), today I'll be talking about a new place that I went to that lives off of 8th street, away from the standard Western/Wilshire coffee houses. Yes, I agree, this place is a mouthful in terms of telling people what this quaint little cafe in Koreatown is named, but luckily they have a cute little gnome mascot for us to identify them with!
Cafe Korobogkur's setup is perfect if you want to hang out with friends after dinner or throughout the day for a cup of coffee and good conversation. They have tables of four in the middle of the cafe with coffee tables with mismatched chairs placed low for comfortable lounging. The far side of the cafe has higher tables made for studying or having a meal. There is also a large community table in front of the bar if you want to roll solo with your laptop or hang out with a large group of friends and conveniently, there are outlets located right under the table! My friends and I were that large party that took over the community table after dinner to have dessert and chat about future plans so we ordered a series of lattes and desserts.
Their adorable petite house waffle was paired with vanilla ice cream, butter, and my favorite, Nutella. Warm and fluffy, it was perfect to melt the butter and the Nutella together while scooping a good amount of ice cream on top. I loved the little gnome powdered stencil that accented the plate, and as you can see, their utensils are simply too cute for words! How can you not be happy eating this little waffle!!
The most unique thing that was served here that I haven't seen at many other Korean Cafes are these dessert jars by Jarming. They are special to Cafe Korobokgur and they are simply delicious and sweet. On the left is the Panna Cotta, and on the right is a layered Chocolate cake, which were both so rich and creamy. Plus the layers make it easy to taste everything in one scoop! It makes everything that much better when the flavors just meld together in your mouth. These jars are a little bit more pricey than the average dessert, but you get to keep the mason jar that it comes in and if you don't finish it, the jars make it easy for you to save it for later and reuse; making the packaging very Eco-friendly!
Cafe Korobokgur is open everyday until midnight, so it's easy to keep ordering food, drinks, and what not until your heart and stomach is content. The staff is very friendly and accommodating, especially for the large group that I was with, but the only downside was that the WiFi connection wasn't strong at all and we had to tether our laptops to one of our hot spots to get internet. It might have been just a problem for that day, but other than that, this place is great!
So there you have it, and old favorite spot for gourmet coffee in Hollywood, and two new but equally great cafes on Melrose and in Koreatown. There will definitely be more coffee posts in the future, but for now, I'll leave you with these three to try and see for yourself!
Coffee Commissary
801 N Fairfax Ave #106, Los Angeles, CA 90046
8428 Melrose Place A, Los Angeles, CA 90069
323 944 0811
Cafe Korobokgur
3464 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90005 213 388 8818
Follow Jarming on Instagram @jarming_j
