I first went to Antigua Cultural Coffeehouse in El Sereno near it’s opening. I liked the space, the colors, the environment, and I also liked that it was so close to my house. A nice cup of coffee would only be a short bike ride away. I came in with high hopes but after my first cup I was thoroughly underwhelmed. I was told they even roast their own beans, and on one occasion I actually got to hear it roaring in the back.
I returned a month or so later to only find that coffee was still not good. It didn’t really much matter whether it was an Americano, a regular drip-coffee, or even a Mexican Mocha: it all either lacked taste or just tasted burned. Now yes, I am a coffee-snob (or aficionado) and am not contented with an ice blended mocha with whip cream and chocolate syrup. That’s just a coffee-drink not coffee. I like coffee. The black stuff: earthy, rich, and flavorful.
Now for the good part: I recently returned on a whim to see if anything had changed in the year or so since I was last there. Lo and behold the double espresso I had was great (they even served it in a glass with a metal handle so that you would not scald your hands, fancy!). Feeling a bit hungry, I ordered a vegetarian sandwich. I’ve had many of these sandwiches and they’re usually pretty boring and bland: this one was not at all.
The clientele is still mainly locals with a few folks that seem to drive from around town to sponge off the free WiFi. I am not a big fan of free WiFi because it seems to create any space into LAPPIE-LAND, where no one speaks to each other or even acknowledges each other. All this said this spot has been become my recent haunt.
