This place is very different but in a good way. My daughter took me here and by the looks of it would have never guessed that they sure great food. Thought it was just another coffee joint. In which they do sure coffee and very good coffee at that. Different flavor you will not see anywhere else. As food its very cali how they put organic and fresh ingredients. My suggestion is the chicken quesadilla. read more

L A Cafe - Very yummy!!! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Waterford, Michigan

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Homey dive coffee bar/shop with plenty to look at and buy! Options for vegetarians and vegans a plus! The waitstaff was very friendly and helpful with many great recommendations. Thank you Jen for the best service! read more

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I have been coming here for over 6 years now. It has always been warming and inviting - never have felt disappointed after leaving. The food is affordable, the family and staff are friendly, lots of locals come to study, meet and eat. They offer some alternatives to dairy & meat, too. The inside is creatively decorated with 'LA-vibes'. A great place to hang out and catch up with friends or get some coffee and study. Oh, make sure to go in when Heidi is cooking - she's the best! read more

Heidi and staff are just awesome! This was my first time in and I got the hot corned beef sandwich and an americano. Needless to say, I will be back! read more

L A Cafe - Hot corned beef sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Waterford, Michigan

I've been coming here since the mid-2000s for their open mic nights. I recently came back after having not been to LA Cafe in almost 10 years and I was happy to see that the quality is just as good if not better than before. There's a plethora of vegetarian and vegan options. Everything I've had has been amazing and super reasonably priced. The hummus is so delicious and I get it every time I visit. There is also a huge selection of drinks. Last time I got the cold brew coffee and the honey lavender lemonade. Both were so refreshing and yummy. The interior of the restaurant is also very chill, super reminiscent of some of the cafes I used to go to in the South Bay Area of California. They are obviously very aptly named! Come here when you're looking for a cheap delicious and healthy lunch with a relaxing atmosphere to boot! read more

L A Cafe - Hummus with Cali bean caviar. Divine. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Waterford, Michigan

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Food is simple and delicious. The staff is absolutely wonderful and obviously, environment is everything. I will be here often, swilling caffeine and making out with their rye toast....‍ read more

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I love the decor and vibe of of this place and they have plenty of GF options if you are just being trendy but they are NOT Celiac friendly. They share a grill and can't guarantee anything. Haven't been there in 11 years when they suggested we should eat somewhere else. Just tried them again hoping they had improved but sadly no. They very nicely shared they just could not be safe. So they have great coffee and tea but that is about it. read more

This is a cute place to hang out. The decor is fun and trendy, and they display local artwork. I love the banana latte! They have a huge selection of syrup flavors to add to your drinks. I do find it strange, however, that hot lattes are served with a straw. For the love of god, do not drink hot coffee through a straw, it will burn the living hell out of your tongue! Besides that, they also have a great selection of vegetarian food. I especially like the Good Earth sandwich. Service is always slow, even when it's not busy. All in all, L.A. Cafe is a good local coffee shop, and a good place to talk, work, or study. Just expect to wait for your food. read more

L A Cafe - Lattes! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Waterford, Michigan

A fun cafe with solid food... a variety of some unique dishes all made with love... breakfast is my favorite but we haven't had a bad or even average meal in 10 years... probably more of a local favorite but if your in the area, you should really put this place on your list to try in any event. read more

Cool vibe and so hip. Actually went there because it came up under a search for Vegan restaurants in the Clarkston area. Do not be misleaded. It is NOT a vegan restaurant, although there was so vegetarian chili and hummus to choose from. Otherwise it is meat as usual. I'm not vegan but my daughter who was with me is, so she just took a couple of bites from my chili and hummus. We went on a super cold day and this place was cozy and inviting. I really wanted to stay there and grab one of their books off the shelf and just read away the afternoon drinking their hot tea. read more

L A Cafe - Cool and funky vibe! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Waterford, Michigan

Great quality food healthy ingredients. Heidi the owner makes most of the baked goods herself. Try the brownies which are the best I ever had! The special menu has some innovative items that are great food items to try. read more

I can't say enough great things about the food, atmosphere and service at LA Cafe! Absolutely love this place.

I was really impressed with LA Cafe when I went! It's a super cute restaurant with board games and quirky decorations. Super cool vibes in here, and the food was amazing! I believe I tried their blueberry lemonade last time I went - highly recommend! read more

These people are awesome! I can't even say how many times I have gone in here and every single time the workers are nice, friendly and helpful. The food is always delicious! And the atmosphere is great. My mom ordered her birthday cheesecake from here and let me tell you it was the best cheesecake I have ever had! If you are around town this is definitely a place you should check out. read more

I love the vibe of this place! I felt welcome the first time I walked into LA Cafe Their food is delicious. There are vegan, vegetarian, and meat options. There is something for everyone. The food comes out fast and hot. Their coffees and teas are so yummy. Their baked goods are drool worthy. Some may call this a hippy restaurant like it's a bad thing.... if you don't like a warm, colorful atmosphere then maybe this isn't the place for you but it feels just right for me. My favorite table to sit at is the Audrey Hepburn table. Each table is different. Plenty of space to work while you eat. They have free WiFi. Thank you LA Cafe for everything you do! read more

A staple in the area- amazing food, great, welcoming and friendly atmosphere, with great events on the evenings. Food and drinks are ALWAYS great- have never had a bad experience. Love the culture of the place too- as an LGBT person it's an amazing place to hang out and eat. read more

I miss this place so much since I moved away. Popped in recently for a non dairy latte, amazing! Grabbed a vegan brownie and dairy free scone! Great! Many options! I miss the yummy salads and sandwiches. Next time! read more

So, I've been wanting to visit this place for a while, especially since I'm acquainted with several vegetarians and wanted to go with them to try it out. Today was the day. I was excited and hopeful. And almost completely let down in the end. We arrived on a Sunday around 12:30. Luckily there was a table available. Actually there were two, and another family came in after us and sat at the second one - which still had empty glasses and relics of the last patrons. We sat and waited. I'd guess a good 3-5 minutes before my husband decided to look around for menus. We saw the other table have some, so we thought we needed to get our own. Finally staff #1 came over and gave us menus. Since we didn't know the litany of beverages, we told her we needed to look quickly. She said she'd be back. Several minutes later staff #2 comes and asks up what we'd like to drink. (Was he even old enough to be allowed to work??) We give him our drink order. Several minutes later staff #3 brings our drinks, without the tea for my mother in law. Two pops, coffee and tea. It's not that difficult. Several minutes later we finally get to order. Two sandwich orders, one cheese quesadilla and one nacho. REALLY SIMPLE STUFF. And then, we waited. And waited. And waited. I could have gone out, walked over to Happy's Pizza, ordered, eaten and come back and still not have gotten my food. Honestly, this was the SLOWEST RESTAURANT EVER. It's a small place. At the time that we finally put in orders there were, what - 30 people total in the place? And most of them had food in front of them. Even the other family that came in after us was wondering what happened with their food. If my memory serves me right, I think we got our food somewhere around 1:15 or 1:20. Yes, 45-50 minutes after sitting down, we got some simple lunch food that should have taken about ten minutes to make. I'm horribly disappointed in the service. Perhaps there needs to be an adult or two around, because everyone we saw working there couldn't have been 21 yet. Maybe there's a manager hanging out in the kitchen. Who knows. If you want lunch, come in at breakfast and maybe you'll get served. Maybe. Let's talk food. I got the jerk chicken sandwich. It was good. Spicy. I'm not falling all over myself saying it's the best ever. The other sandwich - just a basic meat and cheese deal - was decent. The nachos - too many chips, not enough toppings. The quesadillas - nothing exciting. So - the food was adequate. But honestly, it's not worth going back for and waiting for EONS to get a meal. I suppose your best bet is to call ahead about two hours and then go pick it up. It's pointless to eat in with staff that apparently doesn't care much if people get served or not. read more

I have been driving by this place for years. I always thought it was just some hipster dive...not at all. Great salads/sandwiches. Coffee/tea. Excellent lunch stop. Better than a Panera/Jimmy Johns any day. Would be five stars if the AC worked better in the summer. It is fine for a meal, but if you want to stay and hang out on the CPU it can be a bit on the warm side in the summer. read more

This was my high school hangout. The gang and I would go get good mother sandwiches, plates of hummus, and drink our overly sugared coffee drinks. 16 or so years later, I find myself doing the same thing on occasion. However, the gang has moved away and I have transitioned to black coffee. The food is still great and the hummus is better than ever! I love the vibe of this place. The servers still look the same; hippy, hair dyed, tattooed, pierced, young adults. Sometimes the service is a little too relaxed and slow for my taste. But they are usually pretty good in keeping my coffee full and hot. read more

Despite the touch and go reviews, I was hoping / wanting to really enjoy this place. But alas, my first visit today left me deflated. My son and I were on our own for the weekend so I wanted to do "local, new, and different". Been meaning to visit the LA Cafe for a number of years now and after a long stint working up an appetite at Indian Springs Metro Park, we popped in. I came ready to EAT! The initial start on the service end was not happy, smiley, or welcoming, but it got better throughout for whatever reason. Overall the pace was normal except towards the end when I wasn't sure if I was going to be brought a check so I went up to my server by the register to ask what the procedure was. The restaurant was about half full on a Saturday in the early afternoon. When you walk in there are tall glass retail cases on either side hawking kitschy / arty / cool / sticker / Michigan wares, along with a bunch of freebie mag shelves and such. Sign says to seat yourself. You can go right or left. To the right there is a small amount of counter seating, some loungy seats, and a small mix of high and low top tables. To the left was 4 or 5 high & low tops. No booths here. There is another large glass case selling more artsy stuff on the lefty side on the way to the bathroom. You can score a "super cool" COEXIST sticker and Peacefest t-shirt at the front if you're so inclined. Photo and art hanging on the walls are up for purchase as well. There is also outdoor, umbrella-ed picnic table seating across the front and towards the back there was a small gazebo and 2 uncovered picnic benches near the small body of water (a lake? river? didn't register exactly what). A peeling sign on a table said to place your order inside. Onto the food. In the name of "new and different", I started off with the house specialty of a glass of lavender infused honeyed iced tea. The tea was perfectly sweet and almost super refreshing, except that I guess I am not a fan of consuming lavender. My only real experience with it is using Yardley's Lavender Soap and, unfortunately, that's what my brain kept coming back to with every sip. I would say, if you're curious about it, see if they will let you do a sample taste 1st before investing $3 in a tall glass of it. They do have other, more normal sounding flavored teas. For my the starter I got the lemon rice soup. I said a cup, but I got a full bowl. It was an okay gut-filler. I had to add some salt. The packaged saltines it came with were on their way to stale-ville. For my main, I ordered the Hermosa sandwich ($5.95), made it a meal, and went with the Cowboy Salsa which, as another reviewer said, only had the black beans. I am not sure if the pickle that came with was part of the meal or just the sandwich, but in any event was large, whole, and pretty good. The Salsa side however was not a good value as about only 2 tablespoons of it came in one of those small dressing-on-the-side sized cups you couldn't even really dip the (too many) commercial bagged tortilla style chips that were on the plate. The actual taste was not exciting. I should give them my SO's mom recipe for Cowboy Salsa with actual black-eyed peas. I usually hate B.E.Peas, but hers is the shite! Anyway, the sandwich meal combo deal brought things up to just over $10. I asked for sour dough bread for the sandwich, but it seems I got white. Also, while the slices were thick, they were not super fresh on the way to dry stale-ville as well. I wished I would have asked for it to be toasted hot after the fact. The sandwich price/value as it related to serving size was there, the actual taste was good/decent, the lettuce was the dark green kind (yay), but it was so hard to choke down the plain, thick, dryish bread. My son had the kid stack of buttermilk pancakes (2) with chocolate chips. They were large, thick, and good. Syrup comes in another small dressing cup. The chocolate milk he wanted was the bottled Quik kind. The kids menu is on the coloring sheet they bring out with the crayons. Didn't notice it at 1st. Apparently you can create/color a version of the special house character that has a weird name for them to post up on their wall. You can also buy the actual toy version in one of the cases for about $10 or so. I would have been propelled to order one of their special coffees and/or desserts, but couldn't justify spending another several dollars after an already mediocre and semi-dissapointing meal (that totaled just over $22 before tip). They had some other interesting selections on their main and specials menu that I would like to try. There was a Jitters premium coffee drink that had something like 4 shots of espresso and cost $7(!). Again, I wanted to like this place and I appreciate what they are trying to do community/art-wise, but I wasn't jazzed. Maybe breakfast might be a better bet. Till we meet again, LA Cafe... read more

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This is a great neighborhood cafe. It is not a typical coffee shop, in that it's waited service. They offer a variety of hot and cold coffee-based beverages, a few soups, a lot of sandwiches and burgers (lots of vegetarian choices), dessert items, and brunch items. It's definitely a unique spot for the area. read more

I had very mixed feelings about this place. It's a little out of my way to go to a place like this that in my opinion the food was eh but the concept of the place was really cool. This place is more like an artists dream come true when it comes down to it since it has a lot of art feel to it and the concept is more set for someone who wants to have a cup of coffee and sit down and enjoy seeing other art. I went with the burger and chips since you know I'm more of a traditional kind a person when it to comes down to the food I like sometimes. You want to talk about the most bland burger I've ever had my entire life that had almost no flavoring or seasoning? Sautéed mushrooms that they put on my burger had no flavor to it also which was very disappointing. I'm not sure if they actually sauté the mushrooms or just throw them on the grill for a second. Of course you don't get the option of getting fries when all they have is a bag of chips which didn't bother me too much sometimes you know burger and chips is OK with me. Of course they had a giant menu for coffees and drinks like tea but for me that's just not my thing which might be why I really didn't enjoy my food here because they specialize more in the coffee and tea for the artist that come here. of course the thing I did like about this place why am still giving it a decent rating was because they had a lot of items that you could buy that we're from local artist and just in general cool things to pick up if you want to get someone a gift. The owner of this place was really cool person and the staff was very helpful and nice but for me unfortunately the food was just below average with the flavor of my burger. I feel like if they put a little bit more time and effort into the food it will probably draw a little bit more business to them. I feel like maybe they shouldn't focus on having say burgers and maybe do a little finger food and stuff like that like sliders and appetizers more since it's meant to be more of an art feel kind of place and a place to sit down and relax with some friends but not really a restaurant feel. I would for sure recommend this place to any of my friends that love to drink coffee and tea and just do a little drawing read more

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Funky and eclectic are the right words for LA Java and Cafe. From its Tinseltown interior decorations (life-size cutouts of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean are the gender cues on the bathroom doors) to a mini-me version of the Hollywood hills sign in the corner of its ample parking lot, this is an amusing and unique spot. Thankfully, the service was decidedly un-Los Angeles - friendly, prompt, and unfussed. I only stopped in to do some work and have an iced coffee (free wifi), but others in the place were ordering full meals tableside (solid looking burgers and such), so this isn't just a straight coffee shop, but the iced latte I had was on the money all the same. Why no fifth star? In a word, "heat." I believe their air-con was working as it was cooler back by the restrooms, but whether due to heat from the kitchen or just an overtaxed HVAC system (84-degrees and sunny), it was seriously warm inside - enough so that I ended up stopping work after a couple of hours and moved to a new coffee shop. Lack of cool breezes notwithstanding, this is a nice break from chain java shops, and I'll be sure to seek it out when I'm in the area again. read more

They either make their hot chocolate with water, or watered-down skim milk. Either way, when one desires a hot chocolate one expects something smooth, chocolatey, and creamy. Not Swiss Miss with whipped cream. I don't know, maybe the guy that made it was pissed that I only put my coins in his tip jar instead of a whole dollar for my two dollar order. He seemed awfully concerned about what I was tipping him. read more

Came here for breakfast on a hot and sweltering summer day. To our dismay, the restaurant did not have the A/C turned on, or just didn't have an A/C at all. In any case a cool glass of ice water kept us cool from the heat. I ended up sharing an omelet and pancakes which was good. The omelet had ham, mushrooms and cheese and was served with a hefty amount of potatoes. The pancakes were served warm with syrup. Note they also have blueberry pancakes which I also hear is good. On another note, they also do split servings if you want to share. The food was okay, nothing spectacular, but good nonetheless. The restaurant also has some neat pictures of old celebrities and lots of memorabilia giving it some personality. read more

My husband and I recently tried this place for the first time when we were feeling breakfast food for dinner. This place exceeded our expectations! Very cool atmosphere, the owner was very nice, and the coffee drinks and breakfast food were awesome (I had chocolate chip pancakes and a cinnamon latte and my husband had an omelette and a iced coffee drink). We will definitely be back! read more

L A Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Waterford, Michigan

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My favorite! "the good mother" sandwich is delish! And the hummus is so great, the tea / coffee selection is wonderful, Vegan & vegetarian selections endless, soon good, they have live entertainment on select evenings You should go.... Really just go.... read more

I went here for the first time today after hearing about so many people raving about it. I ordered the chocolate chip pancakes, along with a sugar cookie latte. my boyfriend got the farmers aid "scromlette" with a chai gingerbread coffee. Our waitress was awesome. The food and the coffee was excellent. The restaurant has a very "hippie" vibe and has tons of knick knacks scattered around available for purchase. Overall, my boyfriend and I were very impressed with our first time eating here and will be happily returning very soon! read more

L A Cafe - chocolate chip pancakes and sugar cookie latte, farmers aid "scromlette" and gingerbread chai latte. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Waterford, Michigan

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If you like waiting well over 40 minutes for a sandwich, when only two guests are in the building, this place is for you. Waitress was a nice girl, but was extremely inattentive. Everyone was more concerned with sitting at the coffee bar and chatting with each other then they were with working. The restaurant does have a cool 90's/hippie theme which is why I've given 2 stars. Ordered the chips and hummus, chips were stale and hummus had zero flavor and was runny like water, also took more then 20 minutes to get an appetizer to us. Had the "Huntington" for lunch and it was less then appeasing. Chicken had a funny texture and sandwich basically fell apart. The side of fruit was warm from a jar. Completely unimpressed and won't be returning to this place ever again. read more

This is my absolute favorite place to frequent when I am in the area! I decided to introduce my father to L.A. Cafe yesterday and the parking lot was practically empty and he was immediately turned off by the somewhat rundown appearance on the outside. The atmosphere and the food inside, however, quickly turned is attitude around. This is a great place if you like a menu with selection from the drinks to the food. They have several varieties of smoothies to choose from as well as different syrup mixes to add to your drink of choice. You can choose several different patties to make up your "burger" including turkey, beef or bean as well as the type of bun. The pizzas also come in unique and delicious styles. I always have the hummus to start and some ice cream or a delicious treat from their bakers display to end. read more

The food is alright, but the place is clearly not dusted or cleaned regularly and some of the staff are very forgetful - for example, forgetting to put my order in to the kitchen. I love the concept of the restaurant however! read more

This is only a breakfast review, so I won't rate too poorly, although I have no reason to return. LA Cafe is a little different and maybe tries too hard to be a little too hip. It's not clean, the bathrooms included. The coffee isn't great. The pancakes taste like... pancakes. A pretty simple mix no matter what you get in them. Odd that you can only order three or six. Also odd that you can't get over-easy eggs on the side. I'm sure their lunch is better. But... eh. read more

I love this place. The staff are really kind and they always have a nice selection of bakery items and specialty coffees. Their sandwiches are good as well and can be subbed with GF bread which I really appreciate. Such an eclectic and fun environment :) read more

Enjoyed another breakfast at LA Cafe. You probably wouldnt look twice when driving by this place on Dixie Hwy, but it is a nice stop for lunch or breakfast. I have been twice for breakfast but they seem to have a very selective lunch menu. Pancakes have always been a good choice, also enjoy their house potatoes a lot. This time i got the special pancakes, you can either order 3 or 6. Dont let your eyes be bigger then your stomach, the pancakes are big and fluffy, and 3 has always been enough for me, i did get the side of turkey sausage too because i remember liking that the last time I visited. my husband and i split a side of potatoes and sausage but we remembered getting a bigger side of p otatoes last time we came. I would recommend this place to anyone in the area. This time i noticed the awesome playlist they had going too while we ate, enjoyed the music and service, we will be back. read more

L A Cafe - Banana but oat brain pancakes with pecans - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Waterford, Michigan

Great find for food libations and conversation! I'm back here again 8-20-2914, this time for lunch w Ethyl Rivera for Macomb County Commissioner, and I'm loving it from home made ginger ale to a vegetarian sandwich much like Seva's old Persia (per-see-ah) sandwich plus there's an outdoor eating area by the water outback. read more

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Update I posted this in a message on Facebook and they blocked my messages and deleted my post on their Facebook page). READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO WASTE YOUR DAY. Waited 20 minutes before someone took our order. Ordered an appetizer and waited another 30 minutes for two sandwich and the chips w/hummus "appetizer." Canceled the app (which should have prompted them to hurry up or at least go check on our food, didn't do that nor did they issue an apology) waitress never even came to refill water or coffee or to even check on us. Ended up leaving without food, didn't want to spend our afternoon waiting around. The waitress yelled over the counter that they were busy and everything was homemade (there were 6 people in the place) Will never be going back. Call ahead if you want food. read more

We love the food, service, and cafe. Great atmosphere! A ton of vegetarian and vegan options.

Decent sandwiches and ice cream. Coffee is average. In an area where there are not many independent, and good restaurants, this place offers some sanctuary. read more

The real strength of L A Diner based on my first visit is the kitschy atmosphere and friendliness. It's the kind of spot where I could sit and get some work done mid- afternoon without feeling rushed, enjoying great music all the while. I'm reserving comment on the food until my second visit - not because anything was wrong with my whole grain pancakes (yes they really are whole grain, and BIG!) - but I wasn't hungry enough to eat more than one. Next trip, I'll try a sandwich or hummus and update with more comments on the food itself! read more