Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea

Recommends

Brittney b.

Joined 1 year ago

Intelligentsia has the best mocha in town. The lines are unparalleled but so is the quality of he coffee

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Sevanne

Joined 2 years ago

good coffee good pasta!. had the ravioli there the other day with a latte....very good and light pasta. salad was also very fresh and clean. Latte was great too and its a good price for how nice it is in there. Great atmosphere! AAAA

definitely recommend this place. Sounds system is awesome. I believe Solutions in Los Angeles (nextdoor) did it. That makes me like it more haha.

Recommends

Amanda Grace

Joined 2 years ago

My favorite coffee spot. I truly believe that Intelligentsia makes the best cup of coffee in Los Angeles. If I want a real afternoon treat/pick me up, I'll definitely stop in for a large cup of iced coffee.

Sometimes it can take a bit to get your specialty coffee drink, but it's always worth the wait.

Recommends

Kika Davis 2

Joined 5 years ago

Pricey, But Worth It. Hands-down the best coffee in Los Angeles. Intelligentsia puts a lot of work into making each individual cup, and it shows in the taste, and price. Be sure, it's not the type of coffee you drink four times a day (leave that to Dunkin' Donuts), but it's a nice treat for yourself on those days you need that extra kick.

Doesn't Recommend

chishirtfactory

Joined 5 years ago

Extremely rude. I went to Intelligentsia yesterday for a meeting. It was my 1st time there so I did not know how the line worked. I got what I can only describe as a dirty look when I walked up to the assembly like line to ask a question about their blended type drinks. This annoyed the person I was speaking to as I did not know the menu. OK, fine.

Then I pay the $5.50 for my regular size iced coffee with vanilla (I guess syrup? looked like coffee with ice but had a hint of vanilla). As I had waited almost 15 minutes to place my order I figured it would take a few minutes for it to come up so I went to sit with the person I was meeting with.

About 3 minutes later, 4 TOPS, a man came outside and practically pushed my drink it my face. He said in a VERY rude tone- "In the future you need to wait for your drink. We do NOT do table service here". I said "I'm sorry! I was going to come pick it up". He reiterated I needed to wait at the counter and added that my drink was just sitting there.

I swear not more than 4 minutes went by. I frequent Coffee Bean and Solar de Cahuenga often, both of which also do not offer table service. It is OK however if you go speak to someone, use the restroom, what have you. This guy spoke to me in such a way (and not a quiet tone might I add) that I felt like I had offended him and the entire establishment. Had I not been there for a meeting I would have left.

The guy was tall, skinny, close to bald head with a sneer. Steer clear on him if you would like to be treated with a smile.

I have read the reviews here that it is a super cool place with great coffee (my coffee was indeed good) but I just cannot spend another dime there after being talked to like I has an infectious disease.. b/c I sat down before retrieving my coffee.

Recommends

Michael Fran

Joined 4 years ago

Best Coffee on the East Side. It lives completely up to its Chicago reputation. The staff takes their coffee making very seriously. Not taking it to go? They'll be quick to tell you porcelain makes all the difference in taste. Go for the drip coffees of the day, brewed on the spot one cup at a time. The lattes are pretty damn good too. It's pet friendly for those curious.

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wonderlily

Joined 6 years ago

Excellent coffee, knowledgeable staff and neighborhood!. The best coffee I’ve had in Los Angeles. High in quality and richly prepared to perfection by highly knowledgeable and skilled baristas. You can give the barista a list of 30 specifications and they will nod their head without taking down your order and prepare it exactly the way you wanted after making seven orders previous to yours.

The atmosphere and design is chic, minimal and clean. The interior is finished with Moroccan print tiling, coffee inspired graphics, granite counter tops with gleaming espresso machines coupled with local artist's works set for display and sale.

The staff reek of coolness without effort; don’t let their Iaid back image fool you; they are by far the best coffee makers in Los Angeles and take their coffee very seriously.

Over the weekends and during lunch hours seating can be scarce. Lines do tend to get long, but move quickly. You'll find the clientèle varies among locals, hipsters, down town crowds, parents with strollers and children to people waiting for their kids to finish a session next door at the music conservatory.

Parking can be annoying, seeing as the junction parking lot is now closed off for valet parking only and reserved for 15 minute interval visits to stores like The Cheese Store and Kicks. There is metered parking on Sunset which is often not available, on Hyperion and Sanborn (read the signs carefully; often for residents only after 5 pm-ish and not available at all over the weekend); you'll have to park far and walk. I always have the best luck finding a spot on Hyperion between Fountain and Sunset.

Even with the parking inconveniences and the annoying hipsters you have to deal with, the coffee keeps you coming back time and time again.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Famed Chicago bean roaster perks up Sunset Junction with a cool outdoor scene and haute coffee experience.. 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.

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lagirl90210

Joined 5 years ago

BEST COFFEE IN L.A. ! ! !. 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

Joined 5 years ago

Outstanding, and yet still overpriced. 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.