Touring Downtown WIFI: Lot 44 Coffee
Ed Fuentes
Sean "Java Master" Martin of Lot44 Coffee.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — This is the second in a series of stories taking a tour of Downtown's WIFI spots. Whether at coffee shops or Pershing Square, there are plenty of options -- some better than others. Learn a new spot or help out your neighbors by sharing your favorites.
Lot 44 Coffee's growth is a slow brewed cup of coffee that's worth the extra time for it to find its footing. For a while, the Spring and 3rd location was my secret hideaway, but with the opening of Coldsprings Gallery and more recently Ma Petit cafe, this coffee house will be getting busier. Despite that, it will stay on the top of my list of places to set up WIFI camp.
OVERALL PROS: Four outlets are readily available––all near tables––and the acrylic chairs are surprisingly comfortable. The WIFI is consistent and after the Lot 44 Coffee front page, runs ad free (something not the case when the shop first opened). If your battery is fully charged, you can head in the 2,500-foot atrium.
OVERALL CONS: While Lot44 opens at 6:30am Monday through Friday, they close at 7pm. So far, they are closed on weekends.
IT'S ABOUT THE COFFEE, TOO: The coffee selections are expansive and custom brewed, but priced on the higher end of Downtown’s coffee house prices. That happens when you sell organic fair trade coffee from farms that have “sustainable practices that benefit the environment.” (So says the menu). Still, the good coffee blends are comparable to Urth Café who seem to be forgiven for charging premium prices.
Four weeks ago, they began using the Brooklyn Bagel Company (located just west of Downtown) as a supplier; that's big bonus points.
THE WILD CARD: Sean Martin is the Lot44 Coffee Barista just in from the Pacific Northwest, and his Seattle coffee house pedigree helped him find this job after being in town only a few weeks. He knows his blends, and Lot 44 allows his knowledgeable and friendly java-fueled persona to come through even when he’s working the early shift. “I get to open some days 'cause I’m all sunshiny and happy,” he says with a laugh.
Lot 44 Coffee / 257 S. Spring (corner of 3rd) / Suite 115
I wish them well. on December 04, 2008, at 07:00PM – #1
I would buy more coffee from this place but it is some of the most expensive coffee I have ever bought, cup for cup, bag for bag (a bag of the house blend is about $ 15) outside of, say, London. The product has been decent but there's not much to the environment of the shop to make me want to hang out there. Maybe thats why I've never seen anyone else there when I go.
Groundwork is a block away, the quality is comparable and the price noticeably less. Sadly, the early 90s interior design of both Groundwork (on Main) and Lot44 have about the same level of charm that leaves for a rather cold environment and experience. The newly opened (and terribly named) "Blu Cafe LA" serves LA Mill coffee and the place has a feel that makes you want to hang out for a while. That said, I'm not a fan of french press coffee as I find it watery and apt to cool down too fast.
Is there enough money floating around now to support a $ 4 cup of coffee as a regular thing? I truly wish this place well.
CoffeeCheapskate on December 10, 2008, at 03:00PM – #2
Strange, "I wish them well" complains of $4 coffee, yet the menu says its $1.50.
WeDon'tNeedAnotherBrooklyn on January 19, 2009, at 10:44AM – #3
That photo perfectly illustrates why this cafe is underpopulated.
Ed Fuentes on January 19, 2009, at 02:16PM – #4
Lot 44's 12oz House Blend is $1.50 ($1.00 all day Monday); Organic 12oz is $2.75; Organic Douglas 12 oz is $2.75. The remaining special blends range from 3 to 5. So there are options.
Amanda on April 28, 2009, at 06:07PM – #5
At 7am I am half awake... all i want is coffee.. please, I want to walk into a cafe and say "a large coffee please" and get one... Not realize that I have stumbed into the Gap version of a coffee house, modern decor and all. Please dont get in my face about some coffee from New guinea that tastes like this and smells like that, that on top of everything is going to take 5 mins to brew. The baristas are nice outgoing people, but the atmosphere is very tense, like the employees are being held hostage....its okay guys someday you'll be free. Until then Ill get my coffee down the street were i can be reminded im still downtown.