Groundwork

The barista with the red hair is super sweet. Had the usual almond milk latte and she suggested a pastry because they’re half off after a certain hour. The pumpkin chocolate chip gluten free loaf was delicious.

Get the avocado toast. Surprisingly good for a coffee place! Oh, and the coffee is pretty good too!
I thought it’s strange that they allow dogs inside the café, but that’s probably a plus for most people.

You have to be really nice to the staff. My mom always told me to be nice to people because you never know what kind of day they’re having. The staff at Groundwork must be having sh*tty days year round so kill them with kindness. Cold, awkward, slightly rude personalities are the face of the company. This seems to be a trend in boutique LA coffee shops. I think Seinfeld calls it «hipster service». Groundwork is hipster service without the suspenders and curly mustaches. I used to come here about 4 – 5 years ago, every day, and know everyone by name. It was fantastic. I don’t know what happened (new management?) but the place really lost its charm.
There is, however, one girl working there who is absolutely delightful. She has a unique name that escapes me at the moment. So, there’s hope.
If you want really friendly service, go to the Starbucks around the corner at Lincoln and Marine. I’ve never met a friendlier staff ANYWHERE.
I do really enjoy the communal seating, though. If you can get past the sunglasses, headphones, iphones, and bored facial expressions you have a chance of meeting someone from the community and having a nice chat. If your chat is going well, you’re gonna need a refill. Now, not only do you have to experience the staff again, you have to pay full price for a refill. How nice. (Refills are free at Starbucks with the gold card)
But I suppose all of this is worth it if you want to meet people. And if you’re a single guy, the women patrons are usually muy caliente.

In the neighborhood to meet a friend for a quick coffee and stopped here first time. It almost makes you chuckle, fun, funky vintage coffee house vibe. Really nice staff and pleasantly surprised by a delicious made to order breakfast burrito that was truly amazing. I’ve been to their place on Main and Montana in Santa Monica and have never been a big fan. But my friend said they’re under new ownership? I’m a coffee snob (only Phil’s or Luxxe will do) but their cup of dark roast drip was truly delicious.
They lose a star for deciding mid morning to have a work crew install a bench by moving everyone from one side of a small room to the other and proceeding to deafen the customers with obscene drilling into a brick wall for an endless amount of time.
C’mon management, use your head and schedule that stuff when the shop is closed. Half of your customers walked out and it ended our conversation over coffee very quickly. The poor employees!
Out of your control, but some pretty unsavory characters hanging outside the store. But it’s Venice and to be expected.

Grabbed a latte just to get some work done for a few hours and had a chance to sample their in-​house made cashew milk… Amazing!
Coffee tasted really good too and they have free wifi… No holes though.

Love the coffee, the people are friendly and kind and it’s literally a few feet from the beach. Great spot for your morning cup of coffee. Great vibe, highly recommended.

BEST coffee I think I’ve ever had. I had a café latte which was just perfect. The people are beautiful, the coffeeshop is gorgeous, and I think every cup of coffee I will ever have will pale in comparison. Yum.

Great coffee, teas. Gets stupidly busy. Waited 20 minutes just for tacos once and they were cold. Spent $ 20 – 30 here on average because I always pick up some great organic ground, and tea/​espresso for the road. If you’re not from around here like me, you may find the area/​locals really creepy. Super thrilled they’re taking over Portland’s finest Kobos coffee. California capitalism will consume the country.

Unassuming little spot. Staff are nice, not overly friendly but definitely not pretentious. The coffee is GOOD!

The exact thing I needed; a great cup of coffee in an early morning in the beautiful Venice beach. Thanks for the foam work!

I thought this place might be a scene, being in the Venice area. Quite the contrary. Very relaxed, cozy vibe. I’ve driven by a million times, thinking they only served coffee and tea. Heading home from a run, I decided to stop in for an iced tea. Surprised to see such an extensive breakfast menu. Delicious black iced tea. Outside covered seating. Even parking in the back. Very friendly, accommodating staff. Many gluten-​free choices. Beware the unmarked step heading into covered area in back. Every single person tripped.

Very inviting space and the baristas are super nice. Generally feel as though coffee shops can be pretentious, but this place has great coffee without the tude. Highly recommend!

The best cup of coffee on my vacation was had here. I really wanted to go on again, but it never worked out. I loved the ambiance and the quirky tiny location.

So I really try loving this place because the coffee is Amazing but for whatever reason they can NEVER get our food order right 4 different times they have forgotten about our order… Like completely FORGOTTEN so yes this is my last time here!

The short rib & smashed potato hash was really good. Also the mocha was perfect. Everything on their menu looks fresh and organic.

They overcharged us, but then continued to fix it after I complained. Great customer service and integral management.

«If you love the overpriced Starbucks joints or the even more expensive Dogtown coffee then you will absolutely love Groundwork Coffee on Main.» This was my impression of Groundwork Coffee on Main St. last year and I gave it a 1 star rating.
In all fairness and with complete respect, the manager of Groundwork invited me to sit down and speak about the details of the coffee industry. He is a very patient and knowledgable man and gave me a comprehensive update about Arabica beans, their numbers, producers, shipping, controlled cost, etc.
Part of me still has a little problem with the prices of coffee and would give it 3 stars, but in all fairness I must update my review and grade and gave it 4 star status because of the cool way they handled my critique and enlightened me.
Also, the muffins and loaves they have in the baked goods case at the Rose location are homemade looking and delicious.
A sincere ‘thank you’ to Groundwork and their management for taking the time to respectfully educate the Dude of Food.

This place has totally stepped up their food game. The coffee is always great but their new food menu is awesome!

When it comes to coffee shops (other than Blue Bottle) I typically don’t give to much fuss. Give me my caffeine, inject it directly into my arm if you have to. But Groundwork is just… better. Everything has better taste, no bitter, even at the Farmers market it is great.
I’m a bit fan of their Vietnamese iced coffee. Secret is in the brand of condensed milk they use. That’s all I can say, or they may have me killed.

Solid place.
I really like their almond milk lattes! They aren’t watered down like other places I’ve had. Also, they don’t charge for soy which is a double thumbs up! currently sipping on their spiced cashew milk latte and am in LOVE. its made with all natural ingredients (actual cashews are blended into this drink — like i can see the pieces) and its sooo friggen good. Give this place a chance! definitely on my list for fave coffee shops!

Amazing coffees and even better food ! The poached eggs for breakfast with a side of bacon hit the spot. Such a quirky little café with a great menu !

chai latte = 3 stars
espresso = 3 stars
fruit and yogurt parfait = 3 stars
seating = 3 stars
street parking = very limited depending on time of day

Decent menu, decent prices, and decent service.
I ordered the grilled cheese and substituted the olive bread for sourdough. I was a bit disappointed because the bread was really hard and the mustard was overwhelming and ruined my sandwich. The side salad was mediocre. I ordered a rooibus tea for my meal and the tea bags they use are large. So large that the tea was overwhelming within minutes. So overall, my meal was not a hit, 1 star.
The reason my rating is higher is because I liked the ambiance. It got a bit crowded by the time I left but I felt comfortable and would have probably loved the place if the food had been better. I may return for another shot since the menu looks appetizing and the prices are reasonable.

I’ve been back a few times since my last review, always after the lunch rush, and found the ordering/​purchasing process much easier, and more timely than my previous review.
My one grumble: I wish I could take advantage of the freebie that’s supposed to come with pound purchases, but I can only drink cold brew (virtually no acid), which they have (Groundworks predecessor is how I learned about the concept of cold brewed coffee), but it’s not available for the pound purchase offer.
How bout 1 cold brew drink for every other pound purchased, Groundworks?
Outstanding beans and beverages.

Groundwork has a casual vibe and a friendly attitude. Employees were helpful and kind. Coffee is strong and organic. Food is organic and pretty tasty.
I left my purse there and went back 2 hours later thinking there was no way it would have been retrieved. A friendly young woman greeted me as I walked in, panicked, and said «Here’s your purse!» I could not have been more grateful.

I have never had their coffee. This review is for the food. I ordered the breakfast burrito. It was not good. It was not bad either. Just bland and the egg was overcooked. The «sausage» that was in it was more like ground beef. It didn’t have a sausage flavor, which is very distinct. The green salsa it came with was WAY TOO SPICY. Blow your mouth off spicy. Why would they make it so spicy? Yeah, some people like that, but there are a lot that don’t.
Anyhow, I will have to come back for something else. The ambiance is pretty cool. Nice crowd. The employees are nice as well.

Did not disappoint. Although my order was done wrong and the Barista seemed super grumpy the coffee still came out delicious. Lots of surfer bums at this location if you’re scared of dudes and gals with hairy everything it’s not the place for you

TL;DR– Great coffee in the area, but the service was kinda off. Obviously there are a ton of people who enjoy this location, but being a outsider from the Venice beach community, this was just my personal experience. So… no hate, ok? :D
Saturday mornings pretty much require at least one latte. Normally I go to my usual spot, but this morning had me on the west side. I saw this place as we drove by on our way to Flake. I heard good things and wanted to try it out.
First of all. The line was ridiculous. A couple people «holding» spots for their friends and all placing separate orders. So… a short line actually is ridiculously long. But that’s nothing management can control.
My main issue was the service. I guess there are a lot of regulars. Some other customers got smiles and greetings and genuine interest, while all I got was what did you want to order?
The chaotic mornings are also full of chaotic service. I heard the staff joking around with (regular) customers and dropping f bombs. I’m not opposed to swearing, but its not professional in the work place, especially when its busy.
The food kitchen is separated from the barista stations so if you order food, be prepared to wait and wait as they bring out your food in batches. I waited about 10 minutes for a bagel… while the woman who got her order with mine, only waited 2 minutes.
If FoH and BoH could just work better together, there would be basically no lines since most of the people standing around were waiting for food. speaking of food, I got the bagel with kale, tomato, egg, and prosciutto and it was super salty. Meh.
On the bright side, the baristas are amazingly talented and the espresso here is really great! The latte was so smooth and full bodied.

Coffe addicts… pay attention !
Venice is full of charming cafes and one of my favorites right now is Groundworks.
Venue:
It is a small spot. There are a couple tables with bar stools. There is a communal table — perfect place to meet the eccentric array of regulars. There a bench outside if you’d rather sit an people watch.
I usually drop in early mornings on my way to work. There is street parking on rose and on Bernard. There is usually no problem finding a parking spot in the morning.
Legend has it that this turn-​of-​the-​century brick building was constructed with a horse stable to accommodate L.A.‘s thriving carriage trade. In the ‘50s, the Wolff family purchased the property and started a catering business. In 1991, Groundwork leased the building and installed its first coffee roaster under an old oven hood. For the next ten years, we continued to roast coffee in the space.
The décor is charming. Wood floors, wood furniture. It’s all very raw.
Food:
I come here #1 for the coffee. Groundworks coffee is fair trade organic coffee. Fancy Shmancy! The important thing is that their coffee tastes good. They have the soy milk, hemp milk, and almond milk option.
Personally, I go for the café latte with almond milk. I add a dash (or two) of cinnamon on a cold day. If it’s hot, and Iced Coffee with Almond Milk and Cinnamon does the trick.
For breakfast they offer the usual coffee shop pastries, BUT they are so delish! Depending on my workout for the day, or lack thereof, I decide what to eat. Usually, I wind up ordering the Oatmeal with dried apples, dried apricots, dried cranberries, dried pears made with hot water. They always make it just right. It’s nice and sticky. It comes in a to-​go cup that makes it perfect for those of us on the go.
Service:
What truly sets groundworks apart from the rest is their service. It’s nice to see familiar faces. The morning crew is amazing. They are friendly and understanding, when I’m half asleep and discombobulated.
Please stop by and let me know what you think.

This place embodies everything one thinks about when they think Venice.
Old wooden building, tattered by the ocean breeze.
Local micro-​roasted coffee in an eco-​friendly cup.
Pastries made with organically sourced ingredients and displayed in a case.
Little trinkets to display a hip and laid back atmosphere.
Area is surrounded by homeless aka surfers with a crack habit, so when you leave your car you don’t know if it’ll get broken into… right next to a Whole Foods.
Daaaaanng.
Groundwork is pretty good, I like their brews. I used to get them at the Santa Monica Place mall before my pastry class would start. I’d be dishonest if I didn’t admit that the stars would be lower if my car had been broken into while obtaining that sweet brown nectar, though.