Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea
(323) 663-6173
3922 Sunset Blvd
(at Hyperion Avenue)
Los Angeles,
CA
90026
34.0918
-118.28
Neighborhoods: Silver Lake, East LA
Hours:
Sun-Wed 6am-8pm
Thu-Sat 6am-11pm
Price:
$
Parking:
Street
Last updated 1.30.09
What People Are Saying About Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
In Short
Silver Lake locals who snub chains and welcome sophisticated culinary experiences jibe with this eco-friendly, top-quality coffeehouse that neighbors the famed Silver Lake Cheese Store. Well-versed baristas recall the fervor of sommeliers, serving brewed beans purchased from growers all over the world, including Kenya, Peru, Columbia, El Salvador and Bolivia. Aside from espresso and lattes, the menu offers drip java prepped from highly stylized Clover machines that brew single cups at a time.
User Reviews
wonderlily
October 01, 2008
Possibly the best coffee in Los Angeles. It is incredibly high in quality, rich and prepared to perfection. You could give the barrister a list of 30 specifications and they will nod their head without taking your order down and prepare it exactly as you wished after making 7 other orders previous to yours like it was a piece of cake! The atmosphere and design is chic. The interior is finished with Moroccan inspired tiling, wooden paneling, local artist's work set for display and sale and their bathroom is probably one of the coolest ones I've ever seen. The staff reek of coolness without effort and are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. Over the weekend and during lunch hours seating can be scarce, especially tables in the shade. Lines do tend to get long, but they pass by quickly. Parking can be annoying, seeing as the junction parking lot is now closed off to valet parking only, or reserved for 15 minute only visits to stores like the cheese store. There is metered parking on Sunset which is often not available at all, on Hyperion and or on Sanborn (read the signs carefully, it's often for residents only after 5 pm-ish and not available at all over the weekend); you'll have to park far and walk. Even with all the parking inconveniences, the coffee keeps you coming back time and time again.
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lagirl90210
August 14, 2008
i was once a resident of seattle, the mecca of coffee and i have to say that these guys got it RIGHT ! ! ! great cafe feel, perfect cup EVERY time!!! i love that neighborhood too!
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pansonly
June 24, 2008
Intelligentsia is a great coffee store, but only a decent coffee shop. The reason I make the distinction is that they roast the best beans in town, and fair- or even direct-trade offerings are available for $15-17/pound, which is completely reasonable considering the high quality. On the coffee shop side: the baristas are friendly and very well-informed, and their coffee and espresso drinks are hands down the best in LA, but are egregiously overpriced. Used to be you could get a $2 Clover, with more upscale selections for $2.75 or $3.25. Now, their cheapest cup of coffee - plain, albeit Clovered, coffee - is $3 or more. And why? Two words: Silver Lake. Prices like that don't prevent the line from reaching the curb at Sunset on a weekend morning, so there's no incentive to lower them. Except to please people who don't mind spending $17 on a pound of great beans, but do object to spending $3.50 for a cup that they were spending $2 on a few months ago. On top of that, a $3 cup and a $5 cup are made from beans that are around the same price per pound, so how to justify such a wide disparity in per cup price? It's a shame that Intelligentsia is pricing out connoisseurs of modest means like myself, and even more so that people who have yet to experience the revelation of their coffee may never take the chance. Intelligentsia could do for LA what Stumptown has done for Portland, but will have a hard time reaching the people at their prices.
read full reviewThe Details on Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea
Fun Fact:
Intelligentsia roasts are also served at L.A. favorites including Blair's in Silver Lake, Sona on La Cienega and the Hungry Cat in Hollywood.
Parking:
The rear lot fills up quickly, especially on weekends. You can opt for a metered spot on Sunset or look for space on a nearby residential street and walk.
