This is one of my favorite coffee houses in Los Angeles. I like that they are a local my owned coffee business. They can hold their own in a city full of great coffee. Yum They even gave me 1/2 off of a delicious gluten free chocolate chip cookie because it was after 4:00 pm. read more

Cute little coffee shop. We bought a bag and a canister of whole beans to try some locally roasted coffee and ended up getting a beverage for free with our purchases! The Mexican mochas are delicious- a perfect pairing of sweet with a kick. The baristas were friendly and provided quick service. I'm from out of town but plan to visit this shop again when I make my way back to CA. read more

Great coffee, cool spot but very small. There is seating on the sidewalk out front and a few tables inside. Service is also wonderful. Check it out read more

I work in Santa Monica, so there are coffee shops pretty much on every block. Groundwork's is one of my favorite places to grab coffee in the morning and it's honestly never been a disappointment. The employees are really welcoming and really helpful - they're not afraid to answer any questions you may have and are more than willing to tailor your drink to the way you want it. This location is definitely quite the hole in the wall, so it can get pretty packed, pretty easily as it's kind of like a hallway. You walk straight in, order, stand slightly to the side, and walk straight out. My new favorite drink is the iced horchata with cold brew! Beware that it can be a little sweet at first so I'd either ask for another shot (or two) or maybe pour some more cold brew. You really can't go wrong with this place. It's not a super quick in-n-out like Starbucks is, considering it's a smaller place with less employees, but you'll definitely be satisfied with your experience and your order. read more

groundwork has earned another star in my book, so it's time for an update! i always get my beans from groundwork. and i always get bitches brew. everyone that's had the pleasure of having breakfast at my house has always commented on how much the coffee rocks. on my way to the farmers market on saturday i stopped in for my usual cappuccino and the guy that was working made a heart in my foam. it's the little things that make me smile all day :) great customer service! read more

See my review for the Venice boardwalk location - the verdict is the same. Tried the coffee once a busy weekend morning, and dumped it out after giving it a more than fair chance to taste good. Just tasted awful. The SM location is dirty and fly-infested also. The coffee ain't made fresh, it just sits in this thermal containers that your office catering company uses, and that is not conducive to good coffee. Two thumbs down, go across the street to Peet's or Urth instead. read more

On a hunt for Little Spoon vegan cakes, I stopped into this Groundwork location. I was told that they don't have a refrigerator, so they didn't have any cake. Should I assume they don't have soy milk either since it has to be refrigerated? Anyway, I do support the "chain" for serving organic coffee & vegan items! This is a tiny location. Seriosly it's the size of a hallway closet. This is a location you would frequent if you just needed to grab a coffee/tea/pastry and split; not a place you would come to study or gather with your friends. I like Groundwork Coffee a lot, but I will stick to the other locations. read more

"If you love the overpriced Starbucks joints or the even more expensive Dogtown coffee then you will absolutely love Groundwork Coffee on Main." This was my impression of Groundwork Coffee on Main St. last year and I gave it a 1 star rating. In all fairness and with complete respect, the manager of Groundwork invited me to sit down and speak about the details of the coffee industry. He is a very patient and knowledgable man and gave me a comprehensive update about Arabica beans, their numbers, producers, shipping, controlled cost, etc. Part of me still has a little problem with the prices of coffee and would give it 3 stars, but in all fairness I must update my review and grade and gave it 4 star status because of the cool way they handled my critique and enlightened me. Also, the muffins and loaves they have in the baked goods case at the Rose location are homemade looking and delicious. A sincere 'thank you' to Groundwork and their management for taking the time to respectfully educate the Dude of Food. read more

I recently moved "up the hill" from Main Street and have made Ground Work my go to iced coffee place. It isn't Dunkin Donuts(nod to east coast iced coffee drinkers) but it IS organic, cheap ($2 bucks for a LARGE) and the staff is friendly and accommodating. You'll also find their tasty strong coffee nestled amongst the rest of the vendors at the Sunday Farmer's market. Try something new, and walk across the street from Coffee Bean. You'll be happy you gave it a try! read more

Hands down...the BEST non-fat, vanilla latte in town!

This place has changed my entire morning routine. Not only is the coffee perfect, but the people make this place. While it may be the smallest coffee shop in terms of size, it's the biggest in terms of good impressions. After 5 trips I was a "regular" and they remembered my name. And for me personally it reminds me just a bit of NYC the way the line extends out the door and people squeeze past each other. Gotta pick one place? Go here. Two, go again. read more

Good solid cappuccino. They knew it can only come in one size (step one) and it was made well. Good service, nice little hole in the wall vibe. Food? Terrible. Tasteless croissant and the prepackaged wrap my husband and I shared was super bland. Go for the coffee, skip the food. read more

This mornings purchase an Espresso Shake & Blackberry Muffin. Always greeted by Sweet staff members. The Muffin was from Heaven I tell U!!

This review is for Groundwork coffee as a whole. I contacted there company to find a replacement mug I had lost of my roommates. The mug kept the coffee hot for 5+ hours!! The mug I needed was discontinued, a Terri was beyond helpful and responsive. She helped source a replacement from one of their warehouses and even threw in some bags of coffee. Didn't even charge shipping. I was not even familiar with the company before as I'm a new transplant, and now I have a new go-to for coffee! Great service and product! read more

This is my preferred coffee chain! They have many milk options ranging from house made cashew to hemp milk. The baristas are always friendly and seem to recognize their locals. Loved the baked goods just a little too steep for my liking, the cowboy cookie is crazy good but crazy expensive. If you're near by definetly worth trying! read more

Groundwork has THE best coffee, and I drink a lot of coffee. This location is nice, but can get a little cramped, but it's totally worth it! The one on Rose is great too and has a bit more space. This is a great place to grab a cup on your way to the beach. read more

Walked in here, cute little down to earth place with some stools and small tables. Lots of good smelling beans. I had to take a work call, and the lady who was working there, Melissa was super polite! She did the opposite of "snobby coffee shop barista," she was awesome! After I jumped off the call she recommended some light roast beans, the Ethiopia blend, and made some other good recommendations like the Angel City blend. She was so nice, it made me love this place. Also she had pretty rad pink hair. Will definitely come back for more beans and a cuppa. read more

I was warned to not come here and of course I didn't listen. I should have! I walked in to this dingy little cave and was appalled at just how dirty it is. Maybe its cool to be a bit grungy but I cant see past the fact that it looked like the entire place hadn't been cleaned in a while. Either way I thought I would give it shot. There were 2 people in line (including me!) and two employees behind the counter. I figured, if anything at least i'll be in and out. I could not have been more wrong. I stood there for a few minutes after the other customer left as the two employees continued with their conversation. I was ignored the entire time. This place is tiny and there are not places to hide so its not like they didn't see me. The two people "working" actually had to go out of their way to ignore me. After I realized that I wasn't cool enough to be waited on (or whatever) i started to turn around and head toward the door. At this point I heard a voice coming from the direction of the counter. "Can I help you?" said the male employee. At this point it was too little too late. I headed over to Espresso Cielo where the idea of clean cafe and friendly service hasn't been lost... not to mention the exquisite drinks. See my review for Espresso Cielo if you like. Do yourself a favor and skip this hole on the wall. read more

I lOVE This place!! They have the best chai lattes! I usually get a tiger chai or a dirty chai and I've yet to be disappointed. Their staff is friendly and they know how to make a great latte! read more

I really like Groundwork for their quality products and the ability to choose whatever milk you want included in your drinks. The space itself is very tiny, however there is outdoor communal seating for the neighboring businesses. The staff was very friendly and my chai tea was delicious, I just wish it was more of a bang for your buck. read more

Hard to find organic coffee this good at these prices, and on the west side to boot. Got an iced cappuccino. Friendly folks and lots of charm in the location. read more

This is the best coffee shop in LA. Their coffee and lattes are fantastic, they make them with such great care and you can tell. Angie and Logan and every other staff member we have met so far is so kind, accommodating, and knowledgable. I buy coffee as gifts for my coffee snob friends. The staff always takes the time to help me pick the perfect beans, every person I have given coffee to from here absolutely loves it. Thanks main st Groundwork! read more

Had a dirty chai latte. Reasonably priced at $3.75 for the quality. Its not a drink I order often, but I thought it was very good. Friendly service. No complaints whatsoever read more

No thanks! Was there this morning when the Kindergartner girl was crying bc she asked parents what "Bitches Brew" meant, as she waited for her morning muffin. In 2014, one does not expect sexist language. It is one thing to be in 1970 and in a smoky jazz club. To be on Montana Ave in 2014, next to FRANKLIN SCHOOL, one expects more. MUCH more. Grow up Groundwork. Do right by the kids, and the women who had them. Update your menu, or risk being left behind. Montana is a community. We respond to each others needs. If you want to join us, join us. We are a family-community. Please rid yourselves of the sexist-named brew, and live up to your "Fair-trade" marketing! It's NOT fair for a child to read profanity while buying a muffin. It's NOT fair for women to endure sexist language when buying a latte. It's NOT fair for boyfriend's/father's to have to console their children and spouse/girlfriend about the SEXIST language they encountered while buying a morning muffin. Please, grow up! read more

Solid organicky one cup at a time coffee. Yum yum. Not Philz, but who cares?

Medium Latte and Chai for $7! Friendly service, great balance of flavors, no complaints!

This is a great place! I didn't actually try the coffee, but my sister got a chai latte and it was delish! I'm sure the coffee is superb though! Both my sis and I also bought hot drink jackets to keep your drink warm and your fingers cool! They were handmade in Nicaragua by a young girl there and half the proceeds went back to their country and effort. They are super cute and I love how much better they are for the environment than the cardboard ones. Love it! read more

This is only a review of their coffee, since I have yet to frequent their storefront on Main. Every Sunday, I sprint to Groundwork's stand at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. It's only $2 for a rather large cup of hot or iced coffee and there's so many different brews to choose from. I'd have to say, while I have no idea what Tiger Chai is, I'm not asking any questions b/c it's sooo tasty--hot or iced. My boyfriend likes their hot Bitches Brew blend. The guys are always super friendly, the service is quick even among the disorganized, crowding market shoppers, all the materials they use are recyclable, and you can even return to the stand and get a refill for $1. read more

These guys are great. Every morning they've got 3 fresh roasts ready to pour. Small place, but great vibe. Definitely the best coffee on Main St by far. Cup of coffee and a quick walk down Ashland to the beach can make any day brighter! read more

I like groundwork a lot, but I feel like in the future I have to specific less syrup or powder flavoring (not sure which they use) because I've found the flavoring to be a bit intense. My fiance considers this a huge plus, so it's definitely not a negative, just something to consider when ordering there. read more

They have brunch and breakfast items now that look delicious! Chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, burritos, fried egg sandwiches. The pastries look good too although I have not tried them yet :) coffee is good and I appreciate that they use organic milk. read more

Logan was awesome. Small place across from coffee bean feels like a Small town place. I'll def be stopping by here for my liquid people tolerance juice aka espresso shots more often. read more

I went here with my mom and dad because I wanted to try this place. I had a cup of their dark roast coffee and a bag of coffee beans. It tasted strong and delicious. I gave it a low rating because this place was really small and the customer service was not really friendly. read more

Got food poisoning. I think their cream was bad and it wasn't pleasant. I hope this will influence them to check on this more.

These people know how to make a wicked coffee . It's a very tiny dark place but it's worth the shortcomings. The staff and manager are great and friendly, unlike the passively aggressive borderline hostile manager in the Rose Ave location in Venice who is selectively hostile to some people while she is being overtly overly friendly to others to exaggerate her bullying behavior and is such an ineffective manager that she cannot seem to ensure her staff make good coffee. If she isn't there the rest of staff is friendly and their coffee excellent suggesting the manager lowers staff morale . So go to this one on Main Street and avoid one in Rose if the manager is there like the plague. Other good coffee places are Balconi in Japantown if you are in West LA or Cafe Luxxe In Brentwood and Santa Monica, all with consistently wonderful friendly staff and managers and owners read more

So much more things to chase at the beach, birds, lizards, leaves, anymeow , very nice people at Groundworks. They made a canario(sweetened condensed milk and a double) on request. They didn't know what it was but our barista was very accommodating. The coffee drinks were amazefurrballs. read more

Groundworks on Main Street is a truly amazing place. It's like stepping into a walk-in closet that's been transformed into a small coffee shop. It's about five feet wide. On your right is a wall of cubbies, each containing a different kind of coffee. All of it is fresh roasted. There's even a laminated menu you can flip through which provides descriptions of the various coffees. I'm a fan of their Angel City Brew and their Bitches' Brew. I buy it whole bean, take it home, and brew it up. You can't get quality like this from anywhere else--and the prices are fantastic. Forget Peet's, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and the others (maybe not Urth--Urth is about as good). This is it. The best. If you're into buying fresh whole bean coffee and it has to be really amazing (ie. you're a coffee snob), look no further. If you're into Starbucks, you'll hate it. And it'll hate you. read more

Excellent coffee and friendly service. I got lucky because there was no line. It can get crowded if there are a lot of people because the room is very narrow. But the fun thing is that you feel like everyone is your neighbor, it's a community thing. These guys know there coffee. read more

Very small location but offers great, fast drinks! Just wish they had more breakfast options read more

Man, I love their cold brew!! And, don't get me started on those mini breakfast burritos! So cute and YUMMY.