Menotti’s Coffee Stop has been the neighbourhood coffee stop by the Venice Beach boardwalk since 2013, where skaters, cyclists and walkers pass all day. The team picks the vinyl that plays while you wait, there is a spacious patio outside, and a secret menu for those who find it. The signature menu runs to the O.G. Vegan Spanish Latte made with coconut condensed milk and cinnamon, the Espresso and Tonic with a citrus-zested rim, the Praline Latte, The Bees Knees with lavender honey, a cortado, a Venice Beach cappuccino and drinks on Rocky’s ceremonial matcha, with house-made syrups and cold brew ice cubes for any iced drink. The Windward Punch is a herbal tea blended in Venice by Sister Herb.
The Culver City café, a fifteen-minute drive away, is the larger room, with outdoor seating and Shokupan toast from Ginza Nishikawa with toppings from the sister restaurant Hatchet Hall. The West LA café sits between Santa Monica and Sawtelle, with pastries baked daily. In Tokyo, Menotti’s looks the same from outside but is curated by the owners’ friend Tada and his partner Saori, with a Matcha Float and milk bread toast of its own. Menotti’s trucks cater film sets, weddings and events across Los Angeles with a La Marzocco on board, and pour at Coachella; a stand appears at the Venice Farmers’ Market on Fridays.
Its own bags cover the V.S.E.B. signature blend of Ethiopia Shakiso and Mexico Jaguar, the three-origin Tokyo Blend, the Best Friends Blend of Honduran Parainema and Ethiopian Guji lots that gives a dollar per pound back to the growers, the dark Night Shift and After Party, a water-processed Ethiopian decaf, and single origins from Guji, Colombia’s Valle del Cauca and Brazil.
Photograph: Menotti's Coffee Stop