Xokolatl Café

I picked up sammiches from here today for my family. We all loved them! My dad and cousin had the egg salad sammich (with turkey bacon) and loved it. My mom had the veggie sammich and was raving, and I had the egg + veggie sammich and thought it was delightful. Overall, the ingredients tasted fresh and delicious.
This place is only 5 minutes from me, and I’m looking forward to going again, just to sit around, read a book, and try some of their hot chocolate.
Cute place, free wifi, quality food, great service = love.

Meh is accurate. I came here for lunch with a friend. Mainly for drinks, but we have to eat too, no? This is the first place that serves a chipotle aioli that actually packs some punch. The rest of the sandwich was decent, a good version of an ordinary sandwich. I had the hot cocoa, iced. Maybe I should have left it hot? It tasted odd, like it had bananas in it, even though it didn’t. The friend’s drink was hot and a lot better. If this place weren’t so far from anywhere I go, I would stop by and give it another go.
I appreciate how this place sticks to the authentic ingredients in their drinks. Unfortunately for me, it might have been authentic but it didn’t taste so great.
Park in the lot (they share an entrance with a credit union, Xokolatl is on the right side when you enter) or in the street.

I REALLY enjoyed this place. The atmosphere is super relaxed and neighborhood friendly. Adds a bit of trendiness to El Sereno =]
I went here for a lunch to catch up with my old friend. I ordered the grilled veggie sandwich and she ordered the Turkey sandwich. the portion was very generous and the veggies were great… the sandwich was around $ 5 and I got a lime jarito for like $ 2. it was definitely worth it.
Its a little tricky to find because its kinda behind the credit union. But its worth it to get the street parking and look for it. This local eatery supports the local school and other community restaurants. Will definitely be back =]

Xokolatl is a decent place to pick up sandwiches. I was looking for a place to pick up sandwiches that I can take to the airport prior to my trip to New York. I stumbled across this place on Unilocal.
I ordered the following:
Popocatepetl — A mocha latte with chile shot. I had to try this because it is unique. I never thought about having chile in a coffee before. It was quite good. It is not too spicy and the spice compliments the warmth well.
La Pipila — Turkey Sandwich. I was unable to try this because it was Friday and I was not able to eat meat. I bought it for my friends that were traveling with me. They seem to like the sandwich. It looked very good with fresh vegetables.
El Michin — Tuna Sandwich. This was very tasty. I got it on squaw bread served with tomato and lettuce. Everything is very fresh and it seems very close to a homemade sandwich. My friends said they liked the tuna better than the turkey.
Good place to grad a quick sandwich for travel or a picnic.

Good sandwiches and lovely, lovely people work there.
The Xokolatl (spicy hot chocolate, no milk) USED to be heavenly: rich, pure cocoa flavor with just enough sweetness. Since the fall of 2010, the recipe or ingredients must have changed. I stopped going there after two separate visits where I got a cup of hot water with tart cacao bits. Skimping on the high quality stuff? Unskilled beverage makers? What is it?
Please, some quality control! I want to love this place again.

I was really looking forward to the chile kick in the hot chocolate, but… nothing. Here are the three flavors I could taste (in the Xokolicious, recommended by the woman at the counter)
–chocolate
–cinnamon
–honey, or something similarly sweet
And at $ 4 for a medium… and it not even really being hot…
I want this place to succeed because it seems like it does a huge amount of good for the neighborhood, and sources its ingredients responsibly, but…
Its atmosphere is beautiful, its couches are comfy, and its mood is friendly, but…
I always review solely based on the food, and ignore the atmosphere and everything else. I’ve given places five stars who occupy a corner of a freezing and smelly grocery store — who don’t even have public restrooms — who have yelled at me when I didn’t order ‘right’. Unfortunately, that rule has to apply in reverse here. The drink just wasn’t impressive.
Maybe someday I will come back and try a different drink. Maybe there’s one standout, and what I had wasn’t it.

If there is any way hot chocolate should be made… hands down it should be Xokolatl (Oaxaca Mexican) style!
Their original spicy hot chocolate (cacao imported from Mexico and organic) puts packaged Nestle, and sorry to say — Abuelita (the popular LAtino chocolate mix), to shame. Trust me, I’ve had abuelita since I was a kid so im not hating, definitely a nostalgic taste!
But Im all about organic and fresh ingredients when it comes to dining out, trust me I have my «bad» days and I’ll eat some tacos and burritos and pad thai of sorts, but fresh is key! Makes all the difference (taste wise, health, economically and environmental).
Plus this spot was opened to support «Semitas» charter school down the street, so all the funds go to the kids and education!
Win, win situation.
Great place to hang as well, wi-​fi available and comfy chairs/​couches, good room and very clean!
Staff is friendly and so are the prices. I must come back for the $ 5 lunch special (soup and sandwich!)

I have visited this lovely café 3 times now and absolutely luv it! Their coffee beverages are always made to perfection = consistent. I have had the XOKOLICIOUS and the POPOCATEPETL and enjoyed every last drop. The temperature is always right.
I have also enjoyed their Happy Hour lunch special. I can’t remember the soup of the day, but whatever the name is… it’s delish! I have also tried the lentil soup and that is very tasty as well. As for sandwiches, I have tried LA PIPILA (Turkey) and EL MICHIN (Tuna) – both packed with flavor and fresh ingredients.
The café has great energy. I met Maria, which I think is the owner/​manager and every time I come in, she is cheerful, friendly and you can see the passion she has for the café. Gotta’ luv it!

Mexican Chocolate every way ! not only do they have a fresh little café that makes you feel like you are right in the Mayas somewhere but the combinations are delightful one of my fave’s is the Mexican cacao and Chile latte with real Chile it has a warm spicy effect and just the proper amount of chocolate and also gives you this soothing effect perfect for cold weather even though i make a stop at this place all year long.
They also have yummy baked goods and service is great make you feel right at home .
Traditional Friendly Delicious five stars

This place always came up on my Unilocal application on my phone as a close place to eat when I’m at school so today I decided to try it with my sister.
Unfortunately we didn’t get there until 3PM so the lunch special was over (11−1PM). We got the turkey sandwich on artisan bread. The sandwich was huge and well worth $ 5. My sister got the spicy hot chocolate (XOKOLICIOUS) while I got the chile latte (POPOCATEPETL). My drink was delicious, just a hint of chile but the rich chocolatey espresso taste was just right.
We finished our meal with the mango mousse cake which was really good as well. I’ll definitely try to make it here for the lunch special, it’s def worth it if the sandwich itself is $ 5 and the soup by itself is $ 3.

I have to admit, I have only gone for the drinks, but I think I can add some perspective here.
Xocolatl serves honest-​to-​gosh Mexican spiced cacao drinks that I routinely crave. To date, I have gone through the trouble of trying to brew them on my own, even blanching cornmeal in an attempt to make honest-​to-​gosh pinole. But it’s been a lot of work and my results aren’t always the best.
Along with the high-​end traditional Mexican drinks, Xocolatl has managed to come up with some tasty experimental variants. One of my favorites is the Pinoy, a vanilla-​soy pinole that hits the spot on a cold morning, and I also recommend the many iced cacao drinks on warmer days. Everything I’ve tried tastes sophisticatedly authentic.
Now maybe one of these days I’ll have the time to try some of the food. ..

I was so impressed with this establishment one random Saturday that I actually found myself there again on Sunday… just to try a different chocolate drink and sammie.
If you have a soft spot in your heart for «community» and «education”– you will find it rather difficult to not fall in love with Xokolatl. Seriously. Like even before you try their deliciously authentic chocolate drinks. The story and purpose behind this eatery is very moving.
That aside, I didn’t quite «get» some of the negative reviews about feeling like an outsider. I don’t know if that sort of experience became a non-​issue for me just by showing up with my Spanish speaking hubby, but I certainly did not feel unwelcome. On the contrary, the service was quite friendly and helpful.
The drinks are amazing. Just be sure to get a full description of what you’re getting so as not to be «surprised» by your own order. The spiciness factor is so relative/​subjective, just try to give the barista as close a description as you can of what you can tolerate. For me, the «spicy» hot choc’s actual spiciness was *barely* discernible.
The sammies are substantial and the ingredients are fresh. The bread very tasty. Their brunch menu changes constantly, so make sure you call ahead for info.
Think about doing take out if you’re going during peak times (particularly Sunday brunch). There isn’t a lot of seating to choose from. And large parties would not work too well there.

I’m not sure how to rate this place. I like it, and want to really like it. But there are things I don’t like.
The Bad:
1. The man who took my order and wrote the drink name on my cup – he kept putting the entire rim of the cup against his palm. At least twice. Hey, I am going to drink from that cup. I know he did that unconsciously, and he was so friendly, I didn’t want to say anything, but I couldn’t stop thinking about his palm on the cup rim.
2. The woman who made my hot chocolate, the one made with water and a shot of chili. She asked me, not once, but twice, whether it was too spicy for me. That thing was barely spicy. It was just a tiny tickle. Her asking me was so incredibly annoying. But okay, okay. It’s probably that they’ve had some customers who couldn’t handle the mildness.
3. The vibe. Look, everyone who works there was very friendly, each time I went. But there was some strange undertones of discomfort in it. Some level of unnaturalness.
The Good:
I’ve tried the mocha and that hot chocolate made with water, and really liked them both. There was supposed to be some chili in the mocha, but I couldn’t taste it at all. I want to try a lot more of their coffees and hot chocolates.
The roasted veggies sandwich was very good. Lots of roasted veggies. But the tomato was just sliced raw. I wish they had grilled that a little. I got the sandwich w/​egg, and I couldn’t even recognize the egg at first, because it was nuked! Microwaved scrambled egg. Huh? Don’t they have burners back there? But it was fine. The bread was great. And the price was fantastic. $ 5.25 for a really good sandwich, and they don’t skimp either.
To reiterate, everyone was really friendly, and laid back in a good way. The place is casual, comfortable, clean. I do wish they would clean off the tables better.
The I don’t really understand:
They have real cups, but everyone was served with paper cups for dine-​in. Wonder if the dishwasher may not be working? I suppose at some point those real cups will be used, and that will be nice.
Seems like they’re still getting their footing, and it could be a really fantastic place in the neighborhood. So far, it’s promising. And I want to go back again, and try a different drink, and something else from the menu to eat.

This place looked pretty cool from the outside, so I decided to head over there with a friend for some chat time.
Walking in, it felt like it was a nice ambiance. I liked that they promote local events and places and that they had a conference room for meetings. If it’s open to the public is another thing… At first glance, the menu looks like it would be great. But upon ordering, I got a weird vibe… Anyway, I finally got my drink and was greatly disappointed. Too sweet and all this grainy chocolate everywhere… not in the description at all.
I say I’m going to try this place one more time, but I’m not going in with great expectations.

I love me some Xokolatl… in fact after writing this gonna need to go get me some. I mean where else can you get a good sandwich, chocolate café and also help the community and children… really now!
I started with always getting the xocoliscious, now for summer I love the lemonade concoctions they’re dreaming up and as a 20 yr. veggie… i have options here! Please support… you won’t regret it.

Not to sound cliché, but I am foodie who has grown bored with foodie establishments and this place has reignited the simple pleasures of the vegetable sandwich and a hot chocolate. Oooh… chipotle, chili, spices… everything is a little bit spicy but not at all hot. The chocolate coffee drinks are incredible, the positive community vibe, the orange walls and the music are awesome… and let me tell you about the sweet potato fries with chipotle ketchup… better than pricey bistro fries hands-​down.
This place is like the next generation MEChA hangout (v. 2.0), but I came with a bunch of South Pas haoles and everybody was so nice, so welcoming, so uncontrived. My dubious friends were at first a little confused that there was no carne asada (what, did you trick us into a vegetarian place?) but they were totally won over by the quality and prices of the food. and for a bunch of 6 foot guys, everybody was stuffed on a $ 5 half sandwich and soup.

It gets 5 starts just for having free Internet access. big plus and also since I can walk from my apt to this place is a perk too. The place has been open since Nov of 2009 I did not even know it was there until the walls outside were painted a cool eye catching Red.
This is one of my new hang outs where I can just relax. cool vibe, cool service and great coffee. I am here once or twice a week. Its so much better then Starbucks… :)

You like chocolate. You like spicy. Okay, i’m sorry…
You LOVE chocolate. You LOVE spicy.
So, if you haven’t been here yet, what are you waiting for?
i’m serious.
I don’t live all that close to El Sereno, but so what — we’re in L.A., folks — explore the loveliness!
And that would include a Popocatepetl with soy, for me.
Chocolatey Chile-​y goodness.
I like to buy a large to go, drink some and refrigerate the rest for later… and then i try to sip it and make it last for a day or two (i try very, very hard to make it last… aahhhh).
i will return to this review once i’ve tried pastries and sandwiches — but for now, trust me, this is all you need.

LOOOVE THIS PLACE! I first heard about this unique coffeshop on the Vista LA Sunday morning tv program. I couldn’t believe that I had been driving past this place on my way to work and never actually seen it!
I love the fact that I am helping to fund much needed monies for
Semillas Community Schools, a non-​profit organization that reengages students with indigenous cultures.
I tried the popocatepetl (mocha latte with chile) and it was DELICIOUS! They serve breakfast and lunch — of which I will try and review later

This little treasure has been open for just awhile, and had there grand opening recently.
It is a great little festive spot full of art and great people.
The menu is pretty decent too, with a selection of Antigua coffee and chocolate drinks.
But the main reason this place is super cool is simple…
it helps the Semillas Community Schools, which if you’re in the know is a wonderful wonderful cause.