Coffee Colab

I don’t support places that hire employees who discriminate. Saw my neighbor walking his dog past this coffee shop while it was opening and a tall Black employee or possible owner called my neighbor a Black faggot. My neighbor was just walking his dog and was trying to see/​inquire if they sold hot chocolate. I’m a condo owner in the Santee village and I refuse to stand by and Ray silent about this discrimination this coffee place supports through the hiring of people like this employee. Hopefully you will see this review and think twice about patronizing this coffee place.

Great iced latte. They have soy milk and liquid sweetener. What more can u ask for? Oh yeah, service is friendly, and good music played on cassette tapes!

Not a lot to say except they are currently serving the best espresso in town.
Suits & Knives Japanese roasting technique delivers smooth but gripping espresso.
Allday Allday.

Super friendly! Got the Bruce Lee. Basically like viet coffee, yum! Friendly baristas :)

This small coffee shop is conveniently located right in between my building and my parking lot. That’s why it’s a shame that the coffee here has some weird after taste. I usually order the cold brew which used to be $ 4 but now it has been raised to $ 5… For the small. I think the older Korean lady at the shop inside the food court has better coffee. So does bronzed Aussie and so does the the newest place in the food court. So I now go out of my way every morning to save a few bucks and get coffee without a weird after taste. I love supporting local business but unfortunately I just am not a fan of this place.

Awesome little nook in the middle of downtown…
Ask for Steve, tell him what you like and he may just make you something special, which YOU WILL LOVE! If you are serious about coffee and you are SICK of Starbucks, GO HERE!!!

Dear Barista,
Thank you for making an effort with my latte art. It made me smile. I am always a fan of latte art.
I had a decafe latte with a dairy alternative and a shot of vanilla. It was decent. Prices were decent.
This was a grab and go situation.

Top notch coffee shop located in DTLA. Their brews and beans are way beyond Starbucks! Great tasting coffee. My first time I went to the shop I tried a drink called the Bruce Lee. A fantastic iced coffee that packs a punch. The only reason why this spot is not getting 5 stars is because there was no more vegan doughnuts. Maybe because the time I came to the coffee shop but I was really looking forward to some vegan doughnuts. This is a great place for locals of DTLA with tasty coffee and hang out with a friendly staff.

Awesome little shop tucked away in a courtyard of Santee. It’s small, not the type of coffee shop you’d go to get some studying done but definitely worth going by for a good cup of coffee! They also carry locally made pastries and if you can get your hands on one of the vegan donuts before they are gone, I recommend trying one of those. I tried an iced Bruce Lee and it was perfectly sweet. Be sure to check them out!

Love this place! Cute space with cool bookshelves and pretty good coffee. –1 star for being pretty small… not an ideal spot to study or stay for very long, especially if it gets busy!

This is a cool, small place to get a high end coffee and a vegan, gluten-​free donut (made by Laemke’s). There’s little indoor seating but lots of rustic wood and vintage consumer electronics. It’s on a dead end side street with lots of hipsters standing around gentrifying the place.
We got a cup of coffee and a soy cappuccino (~$ 4 each). We also had two donuts ($ 2.75 each, I think).
Great coffee, no complaints. I also love that they have vegan baked goods. How about vegan cheesecake too?
One suggestion: most other high end coffee places in LA make their own almond or other nut milks (think G&B or Go Get Em Tiger or Bar Nine Collective). If Coffee Colab added their own nut milks, they’d be on par with those. As it stands, this is a great little place to get a cup of coffee downtown.

Nice interiors, and a perfect spot to grab and go before work.
Tucked away in the Santee Village side alley, this shop is nice and secluded from the rest of DTLA.
Also, the latte art is definitely Instagram-​worthy.

Coffee Colab is my jam. Mind you, what I know about coffee is my husband brews an Americano every morning with Bustelo and a pinch of cinnamon on the stovetop in that Bialetti espresso maker, and I drink mine with almond milk and sometimes tequila. I don’t order lattes or flat whites and cappuccinos only if it’s a little Italian bakery where they can make them in their sleep.
This place is directly on my flight map if I’m going to work, and I’ll usually get an iced coffee for the bus ride to brace for a long day. What I can tell you, though, is their coffee is mellow, has that toasted marshmallow Stumptown taste that I could take or leave (coming from a tea drinker) and everyone I turn onto it becomes a fan.

I hate having to give this place an average rating because the guy is so nice and friendly and the small venue looks so rustic and surreal but the cappuccino for $ 3.75 and the latte for $ 4 were just average to us. I like my cappuccino foamy with little non-​fat milk but this one had a bit too much milk. It tasted similar, if not identical, to the latte he got. Coffee were flavorful and smooth.
Recommend this place to people who drink coffee for the taste. Not recommended for those who drink it for the kick.
No inside seating.
Street parking.
Great service.

I spied this little coffee shop next to one of my fav hole in the wall sushi cafes, Nabeeya.
Love that coffee colab has this great steampunk ambiance and serves up delicious strong coffee from suit & knives. Latte art is amazing.
I also love the location — super close to the flower market so we got to shop for flowers afterwards. :)

Me: What’s up, Leo?
Leon: Nothing much bro… when you coming by the shop?
Me: Aw, man! Hopefully soon.
That’s pretty much how exchanges begin whenever Leon (Leo) and I run into each other at various places. It has always been my intention to check out his latest collaboration with Sonny of Taza but there’s always a huge obstacle that does not permit me to do so. (Here’s a hint, if you’ve checked out my profile or are familiar with my written pieces on coffee, you’ll know why and where I’m getting spro-​ed up.)
Well my friends, the day finally arrived and I was excited to finally visit my homeboy Leo, with hopes of also seeing one of my favorite baristas, June Thornton. Sadly, Leo broke the news to me that June no longer works at Colab.
Unlike the recent iteration that is Taza, the skill set of Colab’s baristas is high, being staffed with several coffee professionals possessing modest tenure and impressive résumés.
Colab might best be described as a «grab & go» coffee stop being that they have a small space (but not as tiny as Spring For Coffee) with about 4 indoor stools and several café tables and chairs out front along sidewalk. But they defy that label by creating a warm environment, offering books and games to promote hanging out.
Despite being considered a multi-​roaster shop, it appears at the moment that Colab exclusively serves coffees from their partners over at Suits & Knives, the roasting endeavor of William Miyazaki, another former Spring For Coffee veteran. In case you were wondering, Colab’s vision is to only serve coffees sourced from local roasters.
Cappuccino (Suits & Knives «Dempsey Espresso» $ 3.75): 4.5÷5
Let me begin by stating that I’ve never had a poorly slung spro by Leo, and this visit was no different. My objective was to order One and One but I opted for a Barista’s Choice. Leo said I had to try the capp. I’ll be completely honest. Suits & Knives is not exactly high on my pecking order of coffee roasters but Leo’s capp brought new perspective with Dempsey, offering sweetness and body that I’ve never experienced of this espresso.
Cheese Danish: ⁴⁄₅
Sourced from Bread Lounge, I found this pastry to compliment my cappuccino quite well albeit a tad on the firm and crumbly side. It would have benefited from a little reanimation by heating. But what do you expect for near end of day pastries?
All in all, I’d have to say this was a very successful visit and I do look forward to visiting again sometime soon.
Free parking available but extremely limited, otherwise find metered parking along 8^th Street. Oh, the joys of parking in LA…

The cold brew was so strong and smooth I had it in the morning after having slept for only 5 hours, then I ran 5 miles at midnight (that’s when I go to the gym) and could have even kept going if I had time. No jitters or any negative effects. This coming from a guy who doesn’t normally drink coffee.
JONASAPPROVED!

Beautiful antique-​y space with dark wood furnishing.
Awesome friendly and conversational baristas — cute too!
Located in an an unsuspecting alley.
Inviting, cozy atmosphere, but with very limited seating.
SOLID COFFEE.
Definitely a grab-​n-​go place!

Coffee Colab’s Latte is now my new pre-​workout. Coffee Colab is seriously a DTLA gem hidden in the cul de sac of the Santee Alley lofts. Coffee here is better than G&B IMO and way less crowded. Why squish yourself into Grand Central when you can be at the coolest coffee joint ever?
I wish I could describe the aesthetic but I feel like this is what Hipster was (in a good way) before it came about plaid and boat shoes. Also, they have a sense of humor. Check in for a free Smile! :)
Coffee Colab carries artisanal baked goods from Bread Lounge as well as Cold Pressed Juice from JuiceLove.
They carry Suit & Knives beans (cool packaging! — boyfriend bought and tried the beans as well). This makes sense as William Miyazaki is one of the co-​founders.
LA Magazine calls Coffee Colab an LA Coffee super group (comprised of William Miyazaki of Suits & Knives Coffee Roasters, Leon Li of Humble Cup, and Sonny Mediana of Arcadia’s Taza Coffee) .guess colab is a suitable name then!

I loved everything about this coffee shop! I tried a mocha, which was strong and chocolatey. Not super sweet or syrupy, just coffee and chocolate just how it should be.
The vibe of this place is really chill with lots of different decorations that come together well in the space. Definitely appealing to the artsy creative crowd without trying to be anything too cool.
The baristas were really nice and friendly. Always helps to see a smile on the other end of the counter. They ‘give’ them away with a check-​in, but you’ll get one anyway. :)
Thumbs ups for the coffee. Thumbs up for the staff. Thumbs up for the shop all around.