But First....Coffee.

Welcome to the colorful land of coffee. Alfred's Coffee & Kitchen the creators of the now household phrase "But first, coffee." Alfred's was my second stop on my L.A. excursion, but my first taste of the L.A. coffee scene.

I had planned the day in town to visit with a friend who was on business for New York Magazine in Los Angeles. I, myself was happy for an excuse to explore the city. I ended up driving up early to meet my best high school friend to celebrate her birthday in Central City.

Her lunch break was only an hour and I wasn't to meet my New York mate until evening, I was left to explore Los Angeles the rest of the day. So of course I had to make a coffee stop. The closest to me was Alfred's on Melrose Ave, a small block of high end shops with cheap parking (score).

I am not sure if it was the hour, but I walked into the shop to find a line reaching from the stairs to the bar.

I have to say that the staff know how to keep things running. It took me about five minutes in line and the girl at the register was willing to put up with my questions and indecisiveness, despite the crowd.

I splurged on a nitrogen cold brew and was very glad I did. It was perfect after a heavy meal , refreshing my palate with its smooth brew.

Alfred's offers an assortment of items outside the land of coffee. Their fare ranges from local juices to healthy food items that offer a local worker a healthy, tasty option on their break.

The most impressive or unexpected aspect of my experience was the whimsical Disney-like atheistic and souvenir portion of the shop. Almost all free space is covered in Alfred ware or food items, you almost feel you need a t-shirt to commemorate the experience.

The largest down-side to Alfred's Coffee is that they are a single-roaster coffee shop, featuring Stumpton Roasters whom are used by a number of shops in Orange County. My personal preference is for multi-roaster shops that use local roasters. I find they tend to offer a bit more variety in beans and often a better quality. Therefore, my overall score for dear Alfred is a decent 6.5.

Overall Score: 6.5

Pros: Fast Service, fun environment, and an Instagram worthy slogan.

Cons: Due to location they have higher prices, they are a single-roaster shop, and the fame kills the potential to find a laid back atmosphere the introvert in me prefers when I loiter in a coffee shop for a few hours.

#losangeles #coffee #nitrobrew #AlfredsCoffee