The Semi-Tropic

Had an infuriating brunch experience here yesterday. I arrived with a friend from out of town and we were both hungry and had a precious 90 minutes to catch up. Unfortunately, most of our time and energy was spent attempting to flag down servers and asking them why we hadn’t seen any of the food we had ordered. They were not helpful, concerned, or even apologetic.
Uninterested, bothered, inattentive servers, inappropriately aggressive music for a Sunday morning, and, last but not least, we had to ask for our food four times over the course of two hours. By the end, we had received only half of what we’d ordered, no one had apologized, and they gave us a mere 30% discount. At the end a very sweet, caring server apologized and gave us a bit of food to go, but I will not be returning and would never recommend this place. Kind of ruined my day!

I so want to give this place 5 stars since the first several times I stopped in for dinner or drinks the experience was spectacular. The ambiance is perfect for Echo Park – low-​key and welcoming! Coffee is great and they have a great drink selection. Recommended all-​day food items: the sweet mole tamale and avocado toast.
Here I’d love to just say a little something about the extraordinarily slow brunch service on Sundays. It’s not packed (yet – give it a couple months and there will definitely be a wait) for Sunday brunch, so there is no reason why it should have taken an HOUR and 20 minutes for my friend and I to get our croque monsieurs yesterday… and then after all that wait time, for my sandwich to be undercooked, with cold ham. They did take it back and re-​make it, but it was still undercooked (with an undercooked egg to top it off… yeesh) and I only ate it because I was so hungry by the time it was served. It’s fine to be training new people in the kitchen, but not at the expense of the guests.
All this aside, it’s a fantastic space that plays great music – looking forward to some faster and more efficient service in the future.

Really cool space inside, but the service was super slow. Took almost an hour to get our food when other groups who came in after us got their order way before. Honestly feel like there’s a lot more hype about this place than it deserves.

Great food, great vibe, great service!
Churro waffles-​must get for those that are major sweet tooth peeps out there, we had these for dessert and it was the perfect ending to out dinner.
Spanish tortilla-​on point! It’s a egg potato frittata with avocado slices and a side salad and salsa, no frills, good portion, tasty.
Chicken tamale-​tasty and moist
Cheese plate and chacuterie plate-​love, great variety and portions to share
Love the menu variety and the prices!
Will definitely be coming back!

Wow this place amazed me… Good and healthy food!!! You have to have avocado toast and chicken tamales the spicy one… Delicious!!!

Ok so I stumbled on this place by mistake. For some reason thought I was going to a coffee place but although they serve coffee i wont consider this a coffee shop but more of a bar/​lounge chill neighborhood spot.
Enter into semi tropic and the space opens up to a large room with a good size bar to the left and loungy bench style seating against the wall to the right with tables and chairs mixed in the middle. The feel is of sexy industrial boheme with its sound proofed walls, large industrial wooden speakers down to its hand lite candles. this eclectic mix may sound bizzare. but it works.
Since my intention to come here was for coffee I did have the coffee, but unfortunately there dinner menu does not show all the coffee options they have during the day like on there lunch menu. not sure if this is intentional, maybe they dont serve lattes past six but I would inquire as to what is offered if you are going here in the evening. There online menu also seems to show the same idea. lots of coffee options during the day. drip only at night.
So after coming here for my caffenine fix I quickly forgot about that when I ordered their food and my taste buds were awaken to some amazing flavors. What I got was The chicken tamale with spicy tomatillo. to die for. The best tamale I have ever had. I thought I was lucky that night and ordered the right item on the menu but reading my fellow Unilocalers reviews now I see that there food seem to be consistant. I would definetly go back just for that tamale and to see what else they have to offer.
Service here was great throughout and stayed consistant to end, they even topped it off with the waitress opening the door for you when you leave. these simple touchs make a big difference.
Some quick other insights you might need if you are planning to visit this place. there is no parking lot. so try to get street parking. This place is hard to find since there is no visible street sign. so get siris’ cousin in your gps to help you out. It is is a bar so 21 plus only. food is served till 10pm but the place opens till 2am on weekends. Ohh and one other thing looks like they close this joint down for parties once in a while so check the website for updates.

I loved the avocado toast. And the cortado. The people who work there are helpful and friendly. would definitely go back and try the rest of the menu!

Me and my best friend went in on Saturday night Around 8 pm, she found this place through Unilocal and we were excited to check it out. We were able to sit wherever we wanted and were greeted by one of the servers, which by the way was amazing ! Super attentive. My friend and I ordered two beers (forgot the name of the beer I got but it was pineapple flavor) and she got a cider. She ordered the avocado toast, and I ordered the churro waffle and we also shared the house salad. Everything was delicious and service was amazing. We will def be coming back !

Just had excellent breakfast The Churro waffle with fresh fruit was amazing and my wife had croque Monsieur which was equally delicious. New place and we just discovered it .I would highly recommend

Now a weekly staple, Semi-​Tropic is a chic little space to stimulate your senses. I love the long list of caffeinated bevvies, and now coupled with BEER AND WINE!
All the food i’ve had here has been on point. From chicken tamales to avocado toast (NOT SORRY SANDRA V) to even their scone. it’s just that perfect bite you need with whatever you’re drinking!
Gorgeous space, incredibly friendly staff, great product, GENEROUS OUTLETS, plentiful seating. I honestly can’t say a bad thing about this place.
SO BASICALLY WHAT I’M SAYING IS DON’T GO. DON’T TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT. FORGET I SAID ANYTHING. THIS PLACE DOESN’T EVEN EXIST. CAN SEMI TROPIC JUST BE FOR ME? CAN I JUST HAVE THIS ONE THING?

Semi Tropic opened around the corner from our place, and a more welcome addition to the neighborhood could not be imagined. Every single item I’ve had, both food and drink, has been wonderful, the employees are kind and cool, and the ambiance is amazing.
Thanks for coming, Semi Tropic. Stay a while.

The Semi-​Tropic is one of the nicest bar/​lounges you’ll find. LA, New York, anywhere.
There’s honestly nothing they don’t do well.
The place is beautifully designed, the food is amazing, the sound system and music selection is fantastic, and the owners are always there and on top of everything. Oh, and the beer and wine selection is interesting, varied and you can tell a great deal of time and thought went into it.
It’s one of the most thoughtfully curated places I’ve been to, which is one of the highest compliments I can pay.
Bravo!

Treat yourself,
Probably the best lounge cafés I’ve been to in Los Angeles. Great location, the atmosphere is calm with outstanding acoustics, and the food is amazing… I mean amazing! especially for the price. What was even more impressive was the service. My waitress was probably one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in trying out a new place. Her and the food was really reason I went back for a second time in a row. Even if you just go there for coffee and internet, I can’t see rating this place less than 5 stars. I will be eating here regularly for sure and you should too.

Great spot. I initially stopped by for coffee after having grocery shopped across the way but ended up eating.
The service is amazing, their coffee is perfectly made and served, food is awesome (fresh, well presented, perfectly prepared and tasty) and the coffee will give Inteliigencia a run for their money.

Is anyone else really weirded out by the fact that you are given plastic cutlery to eat your meal? It’s a restaurant and they’re using plastic cutlery to enjoy my not cheap salad with. I asked the waiter if they had any silverware, annoyed he said no, I asked why, you’re a nice restaurant and he said they are more focussed on being a bar. Well then why do you have a whole food menu !
I don’t think I’m old fashioned about this or being overly picky. You go out, have drinks in glasses, are served your dish on a porcelain plate and then have shitty plastic cutlery… I’m not in the middle of Texas at some BBQ joint. ALSO it’s unnecessarily wasteful. Just weird. If the waiter was a bit kinder about my confusion I would return as the food is good. But it just made me feel weird and kind of like no one gives a damn if we throw out yet another thing that doesn’t need to be disposable.

So I’ve been to Semi-​Tropic 3 days running now, and each day gets better.
Thursday we came in for the Avocado Toast and Kale and Quinoa salad and a little morning coffee. Food was delicious and service was fantastic. Only note I would give is to get the dressing for the kale salad on the side, as it’s easy to get too much, at least for my tastes.
Also the nice open room seemed perfect for working from in the day (Side note: tried this today, and it is fantastic).
The friendly serving staff also mentioned they had finally gotten through all the hoops for getting their license to serve alcohol and would be starting the following day (Though they service alcohol all day, they tend to operate more as a coffee/​food house during the day and a Beer/​Wine bar at night.
So, we came back to try out the beers. They had two fantastic IPA’s (Angel City and Stone) on tap, as well as a nice Apple/​Pear cider for the less beer inclined.
We had a great time chatting, not yelling over music or fighting for space to breathe. All while some fantastic 70’s punk played (Additional Note: The music every time I’ve come has been on point. 00’s Indie music during the day. Punk at night).
Overall, You can tell it’s still livening up, and didn’t have the opening buzz of Button Mash, but it’s also the kind of neighborhood place that you’ll enjoy swinging by for any time, and enjoy spending some of your day, as well as your night.

I’m in love with this place
Boyfriend and I work from home so we’ve started coming here for some lovely avocado toast while we get stuff done.
It’s a new bar/​café so it’s not crowded just yet, which can be nice but I do hope they get more popular!
I’m vegan and they’ve been very accommodating thus far even though their menu isn’t particularly built for vegans. Try the avo toast and the kale&quinoa salad!

Everything about this place is perfect.
I am treated as if I am the only person in the café every time I come in.
I’ve had almost every food item on the menu and have not been disappointed.
The scone has been my goto the past few times I’ve dropped in.
In addition to whatever drink you order would suggest adding the espresso tonic.

Gorgeous little jewel of a place on bustling Glendale Blvd. Still flying under the radar, and oh, how I hope it stays that way.
It’s a coffee shop in the style of a bar. Think G&B but more upscale, less hectic. It’s the only café I’ve ever been to where they ask if I’d like to keep my tab open. They serve nitro cold brew without ice (yes, please) and refreshing concoctions like espresso tonics. Is this 4^th-​wave coffee? I don’t know, but it’s delicious and innovative.
Maybe we just share the same wavelength, but this place hits all the right notes in my opinion. Sexy interior with dark wood and jungle wallpaper, free and fast Wi-​Fi and a fantastic sound system. Best of all, they just started serving beer and wine.
«Is this Echo Park?» I ask. «No, it’s Heaven.»

Walk into a lounge bar warm and cozy. Greeted by a happy barista Ebbie. Look at a menu that is well priced. The owner of course straighting And cleaning up making the place shine. A great sound of classy music with an old style music system. Sweet morning date. Excited for the beer and wine to show up. Decoration is warm and tropical lots of wood. The lamps are mixture twist of wood and brass with dim lighting. Solid cup of coffee and great citrusy avocado toast.