Reading the Dregs

I am gaga about coffee. Not in a snobbish way. More in the traditional do not speak to me before my first cup of coffee way. Every morning, I stumble into my kitchen and brew a pot of Peet’s Major Dickason’s in my trusty Cuisinart drip pot. Then I lift my head, look at my phone and plan my day. Sometimes I even meet a friend for breakfast and drink more. It’s hard to agree on a place since where I live, coffee, like air or water, is a renewable resource.

Within walking distance of my Los Feliz home at this moment, seven establishments, not including restaurants, are serving coffee tailored to a specific segment of our hipster, caffeine-addled population. It wasn’t always like this. Back in early ‘90s when we bought our house, the eastside was a coffee desert. When our realtor told us that the donut shop on the corner made a decent cup of cappuccino, we decided to close the deal. The neighborhood was sketchy, but we had an instinct that cappuccino was a harbinger of good things to come.

Gentrification swiftly followed, along with better public schools, a gourmet butcher, and Pilates studios. Recently, I did a caffeine crawl up the nearby commercial strip, Hillhurst Avenue, from Franklin Avenue to Los Feliz Boulevard. Sipping coffee in these parts is never simply about getting a cup of Joe. It’s about having a curated experience with like-minded aficionados. Like high schoolers, us coffee drinkers prefer to gather with our own kind.

Sipping coffee in these parts is never simply about getting a cup of Joe. It’s about having a curated experience with like-minded aficionados.

First up was the Alcove, a renovated bungalow set in a pretty garden with uncomfortable tables and chairs and giant refillable coffee mugs. Great for people-watching, this charming spot made the street a destination, back when times were simpler. These days I go for the cakes, stay for the cocktails, and avoid the coffee. It sits around too long.

Directly across the street, however, is a small pale wooden temple called Maru. A minimalist coffee stand, this place is like Cartier. If you have to ask why everything is so precious, it’s not for you. These days, and every day during the pandemic, men in droopy beanies and cute fashion influencers stand in line with their doodly dogs to order single origin pour overs, a few select espresso drinks, and a secret ingredient iced coffee that is divine. No seats, no tables, no food—just pure caffeine. Drink it in your car and consider yourself lucky to have scored a cup.

Moving north on Hillhurst, recognizable names pop up. Brands like Blue Bottle, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and Starbucks got the data on Los Feliz and invested.

Blue Bottle is a tasteful Bay Area chain that keeps the choices simple and the décor Instagramable. This is the place to go for sitting in Zen-like tranquility while sipping your perfect coffee in a ceramic cup—sans zany add-ins or garish signage. I realized how much I did not belong on my last visit, when I asked for milk and the barista looked lost. “The kind that comes from a cow,” I patiently explained.

Like any respectable neighborhood, we have our Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, dowdy home of the Original Ice Blended. Situated in the parking lot of an old Albertsons, the Bean is decidedly not chic. But their coffee is still good and it’s a cozy spot for older residents who don’t want to learn another language to get a cup of coffee. Or be self-conscious about their aging bodies.

My favorite chain store, the big Kahuna, Starbucks is last on this coffee tour. On Hillhurst we have one of the urban, indoor-outdoor locations with comfortable leather sofas, modernist wooden tables, a big clean bathroom, and friendly baristas who all wear hats. I have no idea why.

I must admit to brand loyalty where Starbucks is concerned. From the moment it opened in LA, I was thrilled. No more driving to Westwood for a macchiato! The company even promised to “nurture the human spirit, one person, one cup, one neighborhood at a time.” A bit grandiose perhaps, but they give rewards!

Friends who are more politically correct than me may take a stand against Starbucks, but that’s overdoing it. As much as I support small businesses, how can you not love a company that serves the exact same cup of coffee in Los Feliz, Ho Chi Minh City, and Istanbul? Not to mention the joy of finding one in a hotel lobby early in the morning when everything else is closed.

Meanwhile I wonder whether my LA neighborhood has reached a tipping point. In between the coffee shops, stores are popping up selling healing crystals, upscale baby booties, and fringy cushions. Can that be the sound of espresso machines hissing in Echo Park, Highland Park and Eagle Rock? Advice to residents: hold on to your houses.

Los Angeles food writer Helene Siegel is the author of 40 cookbooks, including the “Totally Cookbook” series and “Pure Chocolate.” She runs the Pastry Session blog.