Touring Downtown WIFI: Infusion Cafe
Ed Fuentes
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — It's a good sign that Infusion Cafe has regulars even before it had an official ribbon cutting––which it did last week. Located at 808 S. Spring, the coffee shop and eatery makes great use of its space and offers a balanced menu. Most importantly, it has WIFI, making it eligible for a place on our list of spots to grab a connection on the go.
OVERALL PROS: The menu is varied and carries light breakfast items (the smoked salmon platter is ambitious) as well as a choice of salads, paninis, wraps, and crepes. Items are made fresh and the pastries are made on site.
They serve illy coffee, plus carry a choice of iced blended drinks and fruit drinks called "infusions."
With its high ceilings and comfy chairs, Infusion feels more like a loft living room than a cafe. The counter along the window allows you watch people walking by, and is deep enough for a larger laptop -- an all-too-often ignored plus when you're carrying a 17-incher.
OVERALL CONS: The few outlets may limit your seating choices. Other than that, not really much to not like. The hours are being tested as they work at getting more regular customers in. The service seems overwhelmed during lunch with take-out orders, however they still manage to get dishes out in a timely manner.
THE WILD CARD: For now, Infusion is open Monday through Friday from 7am to 7pm. On Saturday and Sunday the cafe is open from 9am to 4pm, but ownership is thinking of changing Sunday's hours to be noon to 8pm. Not too many places are open until 8pm on a Sunday, so that may be worth considering. Unless of course, they start serving brunch.
Students get 10% off, and that offer is extended to Downtown residents with a proof of address.
_ Infusion Cafe / 808 S. Spring / 213.327.2255_
Rich Alossi on March 23, 2009, at 06:22PM – #1
Infusion is a good little place and should serve local residents well now that surrounding buildings are opening up and the area between the Fashion District and Historic Core gets stitched together a bit more.
Food options are a little on the pricey side for the neighborhood, but not too bad.
My main issue is the seating. It gets a little crowded in the rear seating area because the tables and chairs are wide.
I went with several friends last weekend and even though they say they close at 4:00pm on Saturdays, they were ready to close up at 3:00.
The manager told us that they will stay open as long as people keep coming in (though by 4:00 they were ready to shut it down), which could be a problem for anyone looking for any sense of stability in restaurant hours. That seems to be a big problem in that section of town overall.
Mark on March 24, 2009, at 02:21PM – #2
I didn't like the food or the coffee and am hoping both improve.
Also disappointing to see yet another restaurant with flat screen TVs -- a horrible trend in restaurant design. Sounds awful, looks awful and it discourages conversation.