The old thread from last year was wiped out, along with all the information in it, but luckily, I still had Cybele's list. Let me know if there are corrections. You can also add your own coffee houses to the list, too. Just try and follow the format of the titles so it's easy to see at a glance where the business is located!
Here's an easy format to follow:
Name - weblink if they've got it
Location - not just the address, usually a description of where it is in relation to other stuff
Hours - especially useful if they're open very early or very late
Prices - as well as selection and how they serve the food/drinks (table service, counter, refills, real cups, etc.)
Ambiance[ - type of seating, do they play music, indoor/outdoor space (for smokers), clientele
Connections - are there places to plug in, WiFi, cell phone deadspots?
Parking - street parking, meters/limits, lots, prices
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2004: Land of the Dead - WON! | 2005: Gaia's Plan - WON!
2006: Mindless - WON! | 2007: Diary of a Were-Dog - WON!
51,943 / 50,000
oct. 15, 2007 - 23 39
Bourgeois Pig
5931 Franklin Ave (between Bronson & Tamarind)
Los Angeles, CA 90028-5515
(323) 464-6008
http://www.bourgeoispig.com/home.htm
Hours: 8 AM to 2 AM
Prices: $1.50 for drip coffee, $2.25 for a pot of tea (great selection - herbal, black & green - Chinese, Indian & Japanese). No refills. Real cups. Fancy drinks start at $2.75. Some pastries & small selection of sandwiches starting at $5.00.
Ambiance: they play an eclectic mix of music, sometimes loud. Tables out front for smokers (with an overhang if it's raining),
inside there are large library size tables (sometimes you have to share your table), eclectic mix of comfy chairs and some real butt-busters, back room has couches and is rather dark but cozy. Pool table.
Connections: ample inside at the large tables, no wifi
Parking: biggest drawback to this place is parking. You have to trawl. Most is free when you find it, but they usually have strictly enforced 2 hour limits.
Additional Highlight: Across the street from the Church of Scientology Celebrity Center.
51,943 / 50,000
oct. 15, 2007 - 23 31
Bean Town
45 N. Baldwin Ave. (at the corner of Sierra Madre Blvd.)
Sierra Madre, CA
(626) 355-1596
take the Baldwin exit from the 210 and head north for a while - you might think you're in the wrong place, but you're not
Hours[ - something insane like 6 AM to 10 PM
Prices - counter service - $1.25 for coffee, $2.50 + for premium coffee drinks. Full bakery with cookies, cakes & pastries.
Sandwiches, smoothies & ice cream. Honor bar for coffee refills (50 cents so bring some quarters). Served in real cups (you can even bring your own).
Ambiance - a family friendly place. There are large farmhouse tables along the walls with various chairs (you may have to trade around to find one you like) and couches, tables out on the sidewalk for smokers.
No music, but it gets rather noisy, especially on weekends because this is THE place to gather in Sierra Madre (besides the brewery). Board games.
Connections - outlets near the tables against the wall. You may need to unplug the lamp on your table to access them though. There is an internet terminal, available for free (though polite folks don't spend more than five or ten minutes on it) so you can check email or the boards.
Parking - two hours free on the street, large free lot very close by
If you're looking for a getway from Los Angeles, a place where families come by and play Monopoly for hours with their pre-teen kids, or a spot where there are far fewer tattoos and body piercings, it may be worth thedrive. This is definitely small town America.
51,943 / 50,000
oct. 15, 2007 - 23 35
CyberJava
7080 Hollywood Blvd. (at LaBrea - southeast corner)
Hollywood
(323) 466-5600
http://www.cyberjava.com/
Hours: their website doesn't say
Prices: counter service, decent prices ($1.75 for regular drip coffee, premium drinks start at $2.25) Sandwiches start at $6. Good selection of pastries (though no chocolate croissants the past two times I've stopped by).
Ambiance: Not so comfy on the inside, but decent. Great outdoor space right on Hollywood Blvd. with some decent greenery. The pigeons are a little demanding. Some outdoor space is covered by an overhang for those hazy, rainy days.
Connections: Lots and lots. Inside and out. But there aren't many tables inside. Computer rental by the hour (in 15 minute increments - $6/hour: this might have changed, double-check!)
Parking: They'll validate for their lot if you buy $5 worth of food/drinks. Otherwise trawl around on the side streets. Sunday is free street parking.
51,943 / 50,000
oct. 15, 2007 - 23 38
The Novel Cafe
212 Pier Avenue
Santa Monica
(310) 396-8566
http://www.novelcafe.com/ (this might be hopelessly out of date)
Hours: 24 Hours a day - a wrimo's dream come true!
Prices: if their website is accurate, they've got a good selection of teas, coffee drinks and other sandwiches/snacks (good writing food like humus and rollups). Coffee starts at $1.60.
Ambiance: Funky space, multi-level. Can get warm inside, especially on the little balcony, don’t be afraid to experiment with the chairs.
Parking: street parking with meters and be sure to keep an eye on them, nearby lots, too.
Features: Not far from the beach if you need to take a little walk and clear your head (or fill it up, as the case may be). It's quite a gathering spot for the locals and some uppity Westside folks at times, but mostly a great place for writers to feel in their element.
51,943 / 50,000
oct. 15, 2007 - 23 42
Literati Cafe
12081 Wilshire Blvd. (Corner of Bundy)
Brentwood, California
(310) 231-7484
http://www.literaticafe.com/
Hours - Open Monday - Friday 7am - 11pm.
Saturday-Sunday 8am - 11pm.
Prices - Complete menu on website (no prices listed)
Ambiance - Comfortable space, bright, well-lit. Tables well-spaced, enough for privacy but still conducive to chatting. Only downside: Only one bathroom. Now requests a 45 minute sitting limit during peak hours. Some table are for 3+ people.
Connection - Some power outlets but no Wi-Fi.
Parking - A small lot in the back, usually full. Meters out front on Wilshire but plenty of parking in the side streets behind the
place. Never had a problem finding a spot.
50,002 / 50,000
oct. 16, 2007 - 08 36
Karma Coffeehouse
1544 N Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
http://www.karmacoffeehouse.com
Location - On the corner of Selma and Cahuenga, in the little shopping center that also houses Big Wangs. (There is another coffee shop across the street, Cafe Etc., but it's nowhere near as pleasant as Karma and the service is awful there.)
Hours - Weekdays 8 am to Midnight; Saturday and Sunday 9 am to Midnight
Prices - Typical L.A. coffee shop, but a bit on the cheaper side.
Ambience - Good for writers. It's colorful and hippie style, unobtrusive music, relaxed. There is a piano in there and occasionally someone plays it. There are some tables outside for the smokers. Most of the clientele looks like unproduced screenwriters.
Connections - Places to plug up and free WiFi.
Parking - In the daytime you can park in the lot; at night it's valet. Street parking is reasonable to find within a block or two.
0 / 50,000
oct. 18, 2007 - 12 06
Cafe Valentino
5145 E. LA Avenue #A9
Simi Valley, CA 93063
http://www.cafevalentino.us
Location: If you head west on the 118 into Simi Valley from SFV, exit Stearns and head south. It's on the eastern side of the shopping center at the corner of Stearns and Los Angeles Ave (about a mile and a half or so south of the freeway). There's an Albertsons, Baskin Robbins, and Chi Chi's Italian Restaurant in the same center.
Hours: It's been a little while since I've been there, and I didn't see the time on their website, but they close relatively early (8 or 9 pm, I believe).
Prices: Reasonable. Not more than you would spend in a Starbucks.
Ambience: One of the main selling points of this little cafe. The seats are relatively comfortable, and it is pretty quiet in there even at the busiest of times. Indoor and outdoor seating, as well as free Wi-Fi.
Parking: Ample. There's a supermarket, a video store, and a restaurant all in close quarters. You should be able to find a parking spot regardless of how busy it is. It may not be very close, though.
95,228 / 50,000
oct. 19, 2007 - 09 11
Okay, so both of these are pretty small. If I had to make an estimate, neither of them will be much good for BIG things.
The Talking Stick:
1630 Ocean Park Boulevard,
Santa Monica, CA 90405
phone: 310.450.6052
website: Here
This is a nice coffeeshop, light fare for a reasonable price. Rather small. Coffee runs about 1.70 for a cup of coffee, and there're coffee drinks available. Check their calendar to make sure that they don't have an event already going on, since they have a lot of events going on most nights.
House Of Brews:
231 N. Maclay Ave.,
San Fernando, CA 91340
phone: 818.365.8788
website: here
again, nice little coffeeshop. Light fare available, and it's pretty good food at that too. There is a menu available on the website. Free wifi. Again, I'd suggest to check if they have something going on when you want to plan a meetup, and possibly even call them. Nice ambiance, folky sort of music.
For both of these, there are no "parking lots". You have to go on the streets to find parking, but neither of them are in neighbourhoods where that'd be bad. The farthest my father and I have had to park is about 1.5 blocks from the Talking Stick, and around the corner from the House Of Brews.
19,447 / 50,000
oct. 24, 2007 - 19 20
For the sake of having one in Burbank, I decided to add my own. (I'm afraid all of your suggestions are too far for me.)
Krust
1723 W. Verdugo Ave.
Burbank
No website, but their Yelp Page is helpful. It's right by John Burroughs High School, and is off Olive Ave. The nearest FWY's would probably be the 5 and the 134. As for hours, I know they close pretty early, even if I don't know exact times. Street parking, but if you can sneak a parking space from the cops, there's plenty across the street. There is free wifi, I'm pretty sure. And there are big, comfy chairs by the window (where you get a pretty view of McDonald's!), but their plush pillows make up for the view. The food itself is decent though it's a little pricey (but oh boy, do their red velvet cupcakes make me happy).
2,876 / 50,000
oct. 25, 2007 - 16 42
Name:
Indoor Cafe Starbucks
www.myspace.com/indoorcafeburbank
Location:
the Starbucks connected to The Great Indoors in the Empire Center
1301 N. Victory Place
Burbank, CA 91502
(818) 847-1451
Hours:
M-F 7:30am to 9:00pm
Sa 8:30am to 9:00pm
Sn 8:30am to 7:00pm
Prices:
I'm the manager. We serve the usual Starbucks drinks and prices. However, we will be offering FREE REFILLS on any drink to all NaNoWriMo participants during the month of November (same visit only). That includes your venti triple 1 pump toffeenut 2 pumps caramel lattes or whatever it is that gets your creative juices going.
Ambiance:
There's free WiFi, good lighting, access to outlets, an outdoor patio, a laid-back atmosphere, and a friendly staff. The Great Indoors plays music. It's not too loud and doesn't bother me, but you may want to bring headphones just in case.
Connections:
free WiFi, access to outlets, no cell phone dead spots
Parking:
free and ample
95,228 / 50,000
oct. 27, 2007 - 01 08
But the real question is whether or not you mind typewriters being used.
2,876 / 50,000
oct. 27, 2007 - 10 56
If it doesn't bother other customers or novel-writers, it's fine by me.
50,171 / 50,000
oct. 27, 2007 - 11 49
The Coffee Table on Rowena in Silverlake
2930 Rowena Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 644-8111
Never been, so can't personally vouch, but have read reviews that say it has great atmosphere/no atmosphere; good food/not-so-good food; great coffee/awful coffee; is inexpensive/pricey; has lots of tables inside and out/is crowded on the weekends.
Service is universally felt to be slow, but you can hang for hours without being hassled. Small parking lot and some street parking. Not enough electrical outlets (some apparently don't work). No wi-fi.
Another WriMo (Eloisabel) and I are going to meet for a write-in at the Coffee Table on Sunday November 4 at 10 a.m., and I'll edit this post to add any other pertinent info, plus my own first-person review. Please join us if you can.
Mary w/a Storeetllr
0 / 50,000
oct. 27, 2007 - 14 09
The Rumor Mill
www.therumormill.org
11739 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 397-5400
Open Daily - 6:00am - 10:00 pm
It's a small place right next to their coin laundry place - it's cute, quiet and the food is good. It's in the middle of the street - across from LEAF, between Inglewood Blvd and McLaughlin. FREE Internet. There are plugs, mostly tables and chairs and two comfy chairs. It's not very big.
You pay at the counter and a medium cup of coffee is $1.85, a sandwich ranges from $5.95-$7.95. There are sandwiches, salads, pastries, specials coffee drinks - decent prices.
Parking is on the street - if you go just around the corner you can usually find plenty of parking.
95,228 / 50,000
oct. 27, 2007 - 17 30
That's a heck of a lot better than most places in the valley. The places near where I live ask me to leave before I even take it out, although I try and go to a back corner for sound reduction, or a fuzzy chair.
19,447 / 50,000
oct. 28, 2007 - 12 07
Thank you for a good place in Burbank! (Yes!)
52,574 / 50,000
nov. 2, 2007 - 19 02
I'm glad this list is back because I didn't realize that the place where I did most of my write-ins last year, T on Fairfax, shut down just two months later! :-(
50,063 / 50,000
nov. 5, 2007 - 17 28
Abbot's Habit (http://www.yelp.com/biz/dYWJmdmZmUe48X2-15TapA)
Location - Hollywood - 7554 Sunset Blvd. (cross street is Sierra Bonita, between La Brea and Fairfax, across the street from Cheebo)
Hours - not sure. Definitely not open late - this is a good morning place.
Prices - average
Ambience - relaxed, friendly vibe. Indoor & outdoor (smoking) seating, dog-friendly outside, counter service
Connections - plugs and sometimes wifi
Parking - there are a few spots in a lot in back, plus plenty of street parking.
This place just has the friendliest aura - no attitude whatsoever. The counter guy is amazingly nice, and they play happy Grateful Dead music, and the chai is awesome. Also not too much bustle - it's more a steady trickle of customers than big waves of people who will talk loudly and bump into you.
51,369 / 50,000
nov. 24, 2007 - 20 44
Even though we're close to the end, I am adding in a great little coffee house called The Coffee Barrel in Pasadena. The owners are friendly, love to have people come and write. They have great sandwiches, pastries, and coffee drinks. They also have a very good Music Choice sound system and the owners are willing to turn it to your favorite music when there aren't many in the shop. It's small, but it's homey and clean.
Coffee Barrel
2982 E Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 844-0177
Cheers,
50,141 / 50,000
nov. 27, 2007 - 00 51
I keep meaning to comment, but forget--Lizbetann and I have hit up your shop twice now to novel our little hearts out. (We're the really tall redhead and the really short brunette ;-) Your barristas have been a joy (confused but amused by us, I think) and the free refills are much appreciated!
So, anyone needing a spot for last-minute cramming (or just a nice roomy Starbucks with free WiFi in the future) I highly recommend it! ;-)