C&D’s Welcome Cafe

I had a regular cup of coffee. It was awful. It was too weak and devoid of flavor. Plus the smell… I can’t put it down what the hell the smell was but I’m certain it was a chemical of some kind. The odor really aggravates the hell out of me every time I take a whiff to prevent myself from passing out. It’s a good thing this waste of space went out of business!

I checked out C&D’s on Unilocal today because it’s closing down at the end of the year — six days away. So this is an obituary. The owner, Christina, and her husband Daniel created a warm, spic-&-span environment. One Unilocal reviewer apparently hit the place on a bad day — it happens. But I’ve been in there dozens of times and seen only friendliness that’s also extended to an occasional homeless customer. The landlord got tough on lease renewal terms, the owners pushed back, and we’ve lost another independent business with a touch of individuality and creativity. Sad.

Great coffee, great food, and ALWAYS a great laugh! It’s like walking into family at C&D. I always know I’ll be greeted with a hug, and leave with a coffee worth writing home about. Love the iced teas too.
Goodbye cookie cutter latte, hello local charm!

The all important mid afternoon coffee. Yes, you may argue that the 1^st cup in the AM is the One but arguably the afternoon cup of joe can be just as satisfying.
On a Friday afternoon, I needed to wind down from the hustle of the day and to enjoy that small window of peace before shifting into gear for a quick paced evening — you all know exactly what I mean. Welcome Café was indeed welcoming. We were served by a young apprentice barrista who made me an excellent double shot expresso. The place was chill, we sat for a while and after we were re-​engerized we left ready for an enjoyable evening, thanks Welcome Café.
Next time? Their expresso was good, what about just a regular cup of joe? I’ll find out…

Friendly people, decent coffee, small selection of food. I ordered a panini which turned out to be just a warmed up sandwich, not pressed. It was good but not what I expected. Tea was awesome — brewed from loose leaf.
The best thing at Welcome Café is the open mic nights on Wednesdays which are fun. Like American Idol’s first rounds there’s a mix of some that are really great and others that are odd and intriguing. I loved the energy of people who want to get up and perform just for the love of it. On one recent night there was an older gentleman who sang songs he wrote for himself. That was touching. There were a couple of singers who were good, some sang covers and some sang their own work. Some unique acts like two guys screaming heavy metal. I really loved their enthusiasm, even if I couldn’t understand anything they sang. One woman read her poems while her daughter played a drum. It was like a great little community.
My favorite act was Spooky and Ms. Graves, a young couple with lots of talent. Okay — I’ll admit it was my son and his girlfriend but they were still awesome. Who knew they could sing so well? Come out some Wednesday night and support the gang at the open mic night. Seating is limited and if you get there after 8 you may have to stand or bring in a chair from outside.
Parking is free in the lot in 1800 PCH. Nice bonus because you don’t have to worry about finding a street spot.

This is a nice cozy café. I actually came here for a little mini concert of an up and coming singer. There is a neat little section with couches where you can just sit down and relax.
I’d say this is a perfect place for just relaxing and sipping coffee. I could definitely see myself here on a cold afternoon sitting down with a good book and sipping a latte… ahh sounds perfect about now :).

this place is great. The workers are hard working nice and fun. The owner is a hard working woman who gives advice and attitude at the same time. I go there everyday and i tell you it is the best coffee in town.
The music on Wednesday and Saturday nights are top notch.

C&D’s deserves 5 stars for two reasons:
1) The best open mic in town. Seriously for a performer Wednesdays at C&D’s is the only place to go. If you can trek out to Portfolio in Long Beach I recommend that. C&D’s though doesn’t turn away performers and let’s them do whatever they want.
2) The quality of product. The coffee is great, and the espresso is crack strong. The food menu is made to order and tastes deliciously fresh.
This place is underrated because it is under the radar and totally ignored. Performers and patrons, I urge you to attend the open mic from 7:30−10pm on wednesdays.

How could you not love this place? This is what a small neighborhood coffee shop should be like. Warm, inviting, welcoming… for everyone.
I come here at least once a week when I’m in the area. Christina is a gem The very first time I came here, she made me feel at home. She always has engaging conversation for EVERYONE. I think she can speak like 5 different languages!!! Hello, Ciao, Guten, Chao ong, .you name it.
As far as the drinks… I’ll put it to you like this, I’m lactose intolerant and I have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) so milk products jack me up big time, however I still can not resist drinking the Chai Lattes! It’s the best.

Cute place. Plenty of open space, comfy seating and a cheery atmosphere. The local artwork for sale matched the café’s crisp breezy vibe too.
The barista didn’t really go with the digs. He seemed incredibly shy and uncomfortable. At 5’2, I know it’s difficult for extremely tall people to look me in the eye, but some effort is appreciated. And when I smile and say «Hey, how great is your chai?!» Try to smile back and give me a reasonable pitch. I have to give it to him though, for what he lacked in social skills he made up for in immaculate cleanliness. Once my tea was done he began cleaning, and cleaning, and cleaning, everything! Counters, shelves, display items, tables, outside and inside windows. He used all kinds of chemicals, rags and lugged around a giant hose. I’ve never seen such spic-​and-​span dedication from a kid, and without a boss looming!
The chai latte wasn’t great. It had an excellent smooth tasting, slightly frothy beginning, but as I drank on I thought it was a tad too sweet. Less emphasis on vanilla and more emphasis on spice is my humble recommendation. Since the café is local, I could see myself ordering another one, someday; no rush. I’m also kinda curious about the pumkin spice latte. Looks like I’ll be back.

I feel like one of those judging chefs on Top Chef with this statement, but bear with me. This place, I love the concept but the execution, um, not so much.
This place has bright and cheery furniture and a menu full of coffee drinks (which are just as pricey as *bucks), simple lunch meals (turkey and tuna sammies, salads and quesadillas) and smoothies. They display an ad for ‘open mike night’ on Wednesday and do have some art from local artist’s displayed in the shop. The couches are very vintage looking and there’s a rack of games and old books and some free newspapers to chill with. There’s just so much potential for this place to be a really great hang out spot!
Sadly, there’s just something missing. That energy of welcoming and the feeling that you want to go and hang out there is just not in the air. The place was clean, but really hot and a bit on the not so pleasant smelling side (the smell of stinky kitchen with cleaning supplies thrown in there). The staff were pretty status quo, I didn’t get any attitude or anything like the other Unilocalers. The coffee was tasty and hot. I’d love this place to be a little gem because the world does need more non-​corporate coffee shops. Please Welcome café… I’m begging you, find some mojo!

I DID NOT HAVE A GOOD EXPERIENCE AT THIS JOINT!
I wanted to try this place out because I like to find a good and comfortable indie coffee house where I could chill and surf the internet on occasion. I’ve noticed this place driving by and had meant to stop in and finally did so this morning. But right from the gitgo, I wasn’t very impressed with the service that I received.
Here’s what happened.
I walked up to the counter and the barista was chatting with a female patron. I actually stood there patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation before the femal customer finally waved me up to go ahead and order out of courtesy because they had been chatting a while as I waited. The barista seemed very annoyed and acted as though I had intruded or something. WTH? Ignoring her snotty attitude, I told her I’d like an Americano and asked what the sizes were like. She initially stared at me with both hands leaning on the counter and then abruptly pointed to the cups against the wall. A little taken aback by her rudeness, I asked her if something was bothering her and she said «No, I don’t like to speak my mind». She then proceeded to say that she was the owner of the place! Well, I fired back that I write reviews for a site called Unilocal which she said she never heard of. I explained we write reviews on restaurants and different businesses like that for Unilocal.She replied, «Well, we’re not a restaurant». I said «it doesn’t matter because we write up coffee places too»!
After mentioning Unilocal,her demeanor seemed to lighten up and she attempted to be «sweet» thereafter. I paid for my coffee and a blueberry muffin and proceeded to find a place to sit so I could go online. I found a place near this guy who was also online who turned to me and said «she’s not making a good impression, is she?» He had overheard our exchange and said he actually knew some people in the bay area who also wrote for Unilocal.He confided that when he first came in and ordered a coffee, he too inquired about the wifi and the owner’s response to him was «well don’t make it an extended stay because you only ordered a coffee». What in the world? You’d think she’d want people to hang out? Why bother offering wifi unless people can hang out a bit? Isn’t that the whole reason behind it? I was amazed at what he told me!
As I settled in, her attitude turned syrupy sweet as she greeted everyone with a cordial hello and proceeded to call the patrons «sweetie». Ugh! It was actually quite disgusting realizing that it was all a front and not her true character. She also seemed to be a lot more «attentive» to her female patrons which was a little funny.
As to whether or not I’ll return in the future, eh, I’ll pass! Like everyone else in the world, I too am attracted to people who have a warm and inviting spirit because after all, aren’t we all looking for love and acceptance in the world? I didn’t feel anything like that here from this lady.
Christina might consider changing the place’s name to «Un-​Welcoming Café» as that would be more fitting. I feel for her because it seems she definitely has somewhat of a chip on her shoulder about something. There seems to be some deep-​rooted pain in her life over something. I hope she can find some peace in her life somehow!

As far as neighborhood cafes go, this one is top notch. In an area saturated with Coffee Beans, Starbucks and Peets, I prefer to hit the small-​business spots. Fortunately, in South Redondo, we also have a plethora of choices in that category as well.
The Welcome Café has a relaxed, slightly bohemian feeling. They have an ever-​changing display of art by local artists. They also have free wireless internet! On occasion, they have live music.
This is a place where I can get my pumpkin lattes year round. They also make large, fresh and delicious sandwiches and paninis.
Christina, the owner, is a character! Her stories are a hoot!