Barista Society

My husband and I drove through traffic on a cool (as in 70-​degree) day to go to the Topanga Westfield mall. Our main stop was for Godiva chocolates but I was also craving a latte (which is rare for me to want to buy coffee since we just make it at home).
I found out there was this independent coffee shop and a bonus. they supposedly had skronuts. So we make the trek and the mall is super busy so we have to park in front of the Macy’s, walk across the street and find Barista Society.
We finally find it and by this time I’m a little hangry after being in traffic driving through the Valley. (It’s no wonder I don’t want to live down here!) I ask the guy at the register if they have skronuts since I only see Dunkin’ Donuts-​style donuts in the case. They’re mildly dressed up but at $ 4 each I just can’t bring myself to buy one. They don’t have skronuts because they just changed their pastry supplier. Ok… my disappointment is simmering but I’ve walked this far. My husband orders a flat white and I get a regular latte. With the 50% off from Unilocal the total is $ 6.50.
By now I’m hoping that this was worth the walk across the street since I still want to look for a place to get food. After about 6 minutes of waiting we get our coffee, grab a few sugar packets and sit down outside. BTW there are only a couple of tables right outside unless you want to be stuck waiting for your drinks in a cramped space. I’m mildly claustrophobic so I tell my husband we should wait outside.
At first taste the coffee is strong and too foamy. The foam was about half the cup. I added two sugar packets to my latte which made it taste ok. It wasn’t anything I would drive out of my way for. Getting to the bottom of the cup resulted in better, sweeter tasting coffee. Too bad the whole cup wasn’t full of the ¹⁄₆ bottom coffee that actually tasted decent. At least it didn’t taste like the bottom of a dirty coffee pot like the coffee from a different independent coffee shop in Santa Monica, but I just wouldn’t pay $ 4.50 regular price for 8 oz. of foam.
All in all the coffee was just ok. Got miffed from not getting skronuts. Plus we had to go get food from the Costco food court otherwise I’d have been hangry the ride home.

Okay so I’m new to Unilocal so go easy on me. I signed up because I bought a coffee, a latte to be specific, and I loved it.
It’s hard to find real coffee in Los Angeles. Especially in the valley.
Will come back here for delicious caffeine fixes in the future.

I am updating my review for Barista Society. Several months after my first visit, the 5 stars remain. I’ve recently developed a taste for tea, and discovered the existence of tea lattes. Barista Society makes a wonderfully mild and tasteful English Breakfast tea latte. Many coffee and tea shops add sugar to their tea lattes which I dislike… But not Barista Society! They remain classic and simple. If you’re ever in the mood for something other than coffee and espresso or iced coffee, give their hot tea lattes a sample.
P. s. The Village at Topanga is their best location. It’s outdoors and relaxing. The service is always great and they always brew the best tasting coffee and tea.

Not a lot of decaf options for me. But the boyfriend drinks here frequently and likes the coffee. Howie Mandel frequent this barista society we seen him there several times he was there the day when we were there so if you’re looking for celebrity sightings the barista society at the village is probably the place to go

And if there is more stars i will make them 10, just adore casanova iced latte, also the salted caramel doughnut was verry yummy for breakfast

My latte had a burnt taste. I like that they use Califia Barista Creamer and that the almond milk was perfectly foamed.

There’s only one barista to get and make your order. Since it’s a small location, so it can get packed very quickly. The barista was very attentive to those waiting in line to order & those waiting for their drinks.
TIP: check-​in on Unilocal to get 50% off on your first drink! Get your $ 5 drink for $ 2.50 w/​your Unilocal check-​in!
I ordered the Iced Sweet Casanova, which is a latte w/​condensed milk in it. It’s definitely much richer in sweetness, but there’s also a subtle taste of coffee with every sip.
The other popular items are the iced hazelnut & mocha lattes.

Cute place and nice girl that made my mocha. She even made a cute design with the foam. Unfortunately the mocha was overly sweet and tasted more like extra regular sugar instead of a nice chocolatey mocha. Maybe I need to try the plain coffee instead.
I didn’t get to try their pastries since I came after dinner and there were nothing but donuts and a breakfast sandwich that looked like no one should be eating that, hopefully that was just the sample.
If you check in with Unilocal you can get your drink for 50% off.

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and taste of my iced caramel latte from Barista Society. The name is weird & it’s in a small box in the middle of the village but who cares, Its Good! That’s what matters.
My latte had the perfect amount of sweet to coffee taste. I am not into a big bold coffee flavor so I was really happy with my purchase. The staff was really friendly and added to the charm of the small box Coffee spot. Overall, I am a fan and if I feel up for a latte, I would come to Barista society over the other coffee shops in the village. I believe a 4 out of 5 is reasonable for Barista Society. Hope they stick around at the Village: D

Very friendly barista, she gave me suggestions and explained the way their system works.
They even have almond milk which sets it apart from starbucks

Great place to come and grab a quick coffee and pastry to go! Situated in the middle of the village, you can’t miss it. Their coffee selection is quite diverse and is open for you to mix and match sweeteners. I personally like adding condensed milk to my coffees! Try a buttered croissant to go with your coffee, best combo!

Great drinks, super nice baristas! The prices are pricy compared to a Starbucks, for example, but I think you get a little something extra. I love the latte art as well :)
My mom got the condensed milk latte which was amazing and sweet. Very unique. I got the hot chocolate which wasn’t too sweet and didn’t taste like it was made out of a packet.
Enjoy your drinks walking around the Village or just sit outside the store. They have a few seats right outside but then there is plenty of seating areas throughout the village too.

I used the Unilocal check in and got 50% off my almond milk latte. It was delicious. It had a strong, earthy taste with just the perfect amount of steamed milk.
I want to try the Casanova latte next time. Prices aren’t cheap, but it’s nice knowing the Valley has a good coffee place.

I normally despise sweet drinks, they just aren’t for me but when I spotted a Smores latte on the Specials menu I had to try it. I LOVE marshmallow! I don’t care for chocolate as much so I asked just how heavy the chocolate influence was. I was told it was a Mocha, which I DO NOT like under any circumstances ever, but with marshmallow added to it… We had a deal breaker moment. I asked if it was powder or liquid flavoring and was told liquid. I couldn’t resist a drink with marshmallow, so I ordered it and didn’t specify non fat milk although I don’t like to drink any form of cows milk other than non fat which this beverage may or may not have been. I asked for easy chocolate and it was smooth, creamy and fantastic! The mashmallow was soooo good!
Looking forward to returning! Awesome shopping area where you can seriously spend hours, working out, pampering yourself, shopping, dining and desserting :)

Good coffee. Courteous Staff.
A nice little place. Best thing is they are not a chain like Starbucks or Coffee Bean. A good variety of coffee available here. Happy to go here. Will visit again.

It was a Friday night and 50 degrees, to get a small latte from Barista Society was so delicious. Especially when the fire pit was on about 50 yards away. It’s a small place with no sitting but there are plenty of seating at The Village.
The latte was smooth and strong but not bitter.
I’m looking forward to going again.

Coffee is one of those things that has changed in the last decade. Long gone are the days where instant will suffice, instead this generation is looking for coffee that speaks for itself and Barista Societies beans are screaming.
Lets start about where its located, its directly in the middle of the walkway of the village. Its in this tiny little house structure and its quaint. The inside is small and cannot hold more then a couple people at a time. I have only visited during the weekday, so I can imagine this place gets packed during the weekends.
Coffee I have tried the hazelnut iced latte and it was delicious. They seem to use a type of syrup and it paired well with the espresso. The shots were spot on, and this makes me want to try their other beverages. The pastries also looked delicious and it might be worth a shot trying next time.

My coworker brought me coffee one morning with some delicious cronuts!
This was my first time having a cronut and I’m glad it was from here because it was surprisingly rich and not overly sweet as I expected.
I’m not sure what latte he ordered. When I asked him his response was «I don’t know something hipster a girl would like.» That’s Ross for you…
Anyway, I’ll definitely be going here to try out more drinks and to have a cronut or two.

The Nutella blended coffee and cronut I had here is no short of 5 stars!
Prices are really high though and they only have one size available, so it was a pretty pricey mid afternoon pick me up at over $ 5 each.
Both were amazing in taste and quality, one of the best coffees and cronuts I have had yet and therefore I will let the price issue slide.
Service was nice and had my order out quickly.
Tiny shop, take out only, but endless amounts of seating at the mall!
First stop when I make it back to the area!

After a little mishap the last time i was here, i ventured in for another fantastic cup of coffee after the manager invited me, her treat!
Once again, the coffee was just amazing and tasted perfect, as expected.
I honestly and truly appreciate the warm welcome from Cathy. She was extremely apologetic, and completely understands how important customer service is. I am so pleased with the way she handled this situation, and I have yet to see similar responses from managers/​store owners that i did here at Barista Society.
I am a customer for life and will continue to recommend this place to everyone i know!