Alfred Coffee + Kitchen
But first, coffee. That is the tag line for the hipster coffee joint known as Alfred Coffee + Kitchen on Melrose Place in West Hollywood. Alfred represents everything that is hip in Los Angeles - great coffee, instagrammable artwork and space, and local support (they serve pastries and food from local favorites and partner with the next door neighbors Compartes Chocolate to offer unique desserts).
Alfred can get pretty busy on Sundays with the local farmers market on Melrose taking up the whole block, but the space has plenty of seating inside and outside on the patio.
Alfred’s favorite items are the waffle cone espresso shot and the cold brew you can take to go in a branded growler. The espresso shot comes in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone, which adds the perfect amount of sweetness to jump start your day. The cold brew is extremely popular as locals can just keep refilling it every time they come in for a discounted price (as long as they have the branded growler). Alfred’s has even started offering more tea selections, with a whole new boba section. Come here if you want to feel the local vibe and see the Los Angeles hipster scene.
Alfred Coffee + Kitchen (8428 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, CA 90069) 323-944-0811
Alfred Tea Room
Alfred Tea Room is an extension of Alfred Coffee + Kitchen. The tea room sits across the street from the coffee shop in a little trendy shopping center. The aesthetic is a classic tea room with pink tile and pink florals. Alfred really sits on a gold mine of clean, consistent aesthetics when it comes to their places and products. Their designer should win awards, seriously.
Alfred Tea Room offers 30 different rare artisanal teas from all over, including rosy white (a favorite). They also offer several types of matcha (green tea) from ceremonial to traditional. To top it all off, you can get any of these with milk and/or boba (tapioca pearls). Boba is actually rarely perfected, and the tea room does a pretty good job. Their boba is soft yet firm with a bouncy texture and light sweetness and warmth to compliment the cold tea. You can get boba in hot tea as well, but most prefer iced milk tea with boba.
I honestly can't even say I have one favorite here. I love the rosy white iced milk tea with boba, but I also love the ceremonial matcha iced milk tea with boba. Or the rosy white tea plain with light sugar on a really hot day to cool me down. I can't decide!
Finally, they have delectable pastries to pair as well, such as the matcha almond croissant. This croissant is filled with matcha paste and covered in sweet almonds. Get this and the matcha iced milk tea with boba. Then take a picture with them against their outside pink wall that says "I love you so matcha". Perfection.
Alfred Tea Room (705 N. Alfred St., Los Angeles, CA 90069) 323-592-3465