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    The Porter Junction Cafe

    4.7 (201 reviews)
    Closed 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    The Porter Junction Cafe Photos

    THE PORTER JUNCTION CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Porter Junction Cafe

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    So nice environment and enjoy my breakfast with my friend. Love it! Suggest anyone for date or private social or hang out there.
    Josue F.

    I love it!!! Food so good and fresh! Quality you can taste. Friendly and polite employees are very helpful and amazing. This cafe is one of the best places. Highly recommend it to anyone! Try spinach wrap burrito. Yummy Environment atmosphere of a place is amazing and makes me feel good. I love this place. Enjoy your meal. Support the small business.

    Inside
    Jessica H.

    Randomly found this little cafe right off the freeway exit. It's perfect if you want to grab coffee, smoothie or a grab/go item. They make deli or breakfast sandwiches. They were pretty friendly and had good conversation! I opted for the Go Greens smoothie and Garden Salad (spent about $15) everything tasted fine!

    Go green smoothie
    Lucia H.

    First time going there and omg it was so yummy the sandwiches and smoothies were so delicious and the owners were so friendly 100% recommended. Will be coming back!!

    Iced Latte with Whole Milk
    Danni C.

    Most odd location for a cafe but it's very spacious inside and service is welcoming. The iced Latte was extremely strong, but nothing wrong with that of course. The ambiance, service, location, and coffee are all a solid grade, enough for me to come back here!

    Feb 2023
    Cintia D.

    Quaint little sandwich with great prices. Located off Porter & Santa Fe across from the freeway exit/on-ramp.

    Breakfast Burrito
    Yoojin S.

    This place is like a small oasis in the middle of the arts district and freeways. The people who run this place are so nice-- honestly it's the customer service that made this review. :) It's a mom & pop shop, and they really create the food for you to enjoy. Even it's a casual place, I appreciated that they checked up on us. The food is cheap, has generous portions, & crafted with care. I had the Breakfast Burrito-- the eggs were fluffy and nice, although I thought they could be more softer (tad overcooked), I appreciated that it wasn't too salty or greasy. The food came out pretty fast and the atmosphere is relaxing and quiet.

    Tanya V.

    I found this little hidden gem on yelp and decided to give it a try. You will miss it if you drive to fast.. lol This little hidden gem is perfect for a quick healthy lunch. I ordered the turkey cranberry sandwich on wheat and it was really good. I also ordered a mint lemonade which was very refreshing on a hot summer day in Los Angeles. The inside was clean and artsy very cool. The only downside is that there is no parking so you have to find parking on the street which is not always easy to find. I will definitely come back again to try out their coffees.

    Veggie Sandwich on toasted Multigrain bread
    Dani T.

    Hidden Gem! My boyfriend lives super close to this location and his roommate told him about this place. It's quaint and cute. The variety of food is plenty but not overwhelming. The service was great, and friendly. Very welcoming and comfortable environment. I got the veggie sandwich and the Go Green Smoothie. I rate both 5/5. The sandwich was thick and delicious, very flavorful, quality ingredients. The smoothie is refreshing and sweet. My BF got the Breakfast of Champions with ham, bacon, and provolone (and egg) on a fresh croissant. He inhaled his food before I could get a picture of his breakfast sandwich. So I'm assuming it was DELICIOUS. He also got the Berry Berry smoothie which is tangy and good. He rates both items 5/5. Highly recommend!

    Pesto sandwich and Mexican mocha

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    11 months ago

    Just drove through around it. Never went inside would like to another day! Love the street art!!! It's a hard fine haha!

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    1 year ago

    Fast, yummy, decently priced, small business, what else do you need. Plenty of seating available.

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    3 years ago

    First time here and it is an amazing atmosphere and service is great! Coffee is 5 stars

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    4 years ago

    Fantastic green tea latte. Very clean and hospitable employees. Park in the back through the alley.

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    3 years ago

    Great food friendly people! Good selection of salads sandwiches coffee and smoothies.

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    4 years ago

    Fresh ingredients and delicious chicken salad sandwich. I also loved their vanilla iced coffee.

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    Ask the Community - The Porter Junction Cafe

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    Girl & The Goat

    Girl & The Goat

    4.4
    (2.4k reviews)
    1.0 mi

    We went for anniversary dinner. The ambiance and decor is very open, but intensional with the…read moreplacement of the plants and other things. It was a very intimate setting. Service was impeccable. The host and servers were attentive to us to see if everything was okay. Food was delicious and all that came out from the kitchen. It seemed intimidating when I saw chili crisp in a lot of dishes on the menu. However, that wasn't the case when we received the dishes. Each dish had other ingredients that married well with the chili crisp, allowing it to have a small hint of it there without overpowering the dish.

    I have returned! For brunch this time…read more FLAVOR (4.5/5): 1. SMOKED SALMON MOUSSE AND CRUMPETS: One of my favorite dishes that we ordered. Great sampler plate - the pickled onions and jalapeños added that kick to the mousse. I have no idea how they make the crumpets, but I could have eaten 5 of those. The tomatoes on top of the mousse were delightful. 2. POTATO CREPE: Our server said this was one of their most popular dishes and it did not disappoint. It honors the original Banh Xeo while offering a fun "brunch" twist with the crispy potato shell. Admittedly a little oily and messy, but I can get down. 3. HOUSE MAPLE SAUSAGE: We knew we needed a little bit more in our order but didn't want to commit to a full dish, so that's where the sausage came into play. Definitely should try this with the crumpet and pickled veggies. 4. OOEY GOOEY CINNABON: The cinnabon was unfortunately a bust - it honestly just reminded me of cinnabon, but with no unique twist or flair that I could note. I would skip this and maybe try the pb&j sourdough pancakes instead. SERVICE (5/5): Service was good! AMBIENCE (5/5): Fun brunch spot with options for outdoor seating. The interior is nicely decorated and feels very open. PARKING (3/5): Street parking - managed to snag something on a Sunday. TAKEAWAYS: I've had two experiences at Girl & the Goat so far - one for dinner and one for brunch - and I think I preferred the brunch experience by far. Enough so that I'm considering revisiting their dinner menu to see if they've changed or I've changed... who knows?

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    Zinc Café & Bar

    Zinc Café & Bar

    4.0
    (2.3k reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$
    Full bar
    Happy hour specials

    I want to update my review about the location of Zinc that I wrote over a decade ago. Since my…read moreinitial review, I've continued to come to this restaurant. It remains a unique addition to the neighborhood, as well as a good place to grab some interesting dishes. Since the opening of this particular business, the Zinc chain has opened in a few other locations. Those locations are much newer in not only their establishment but their design. This is not to say that this is still not an interesting, well-designed business, but, with time, it has become a little bit rundown. I hate to say it, but that is the truth. This location could really use an update and perhaps a deep cleaning. I was, in fact, kind of surprised at the condition of this business, for example, on the way towards their restrooms. From my opinion, it needs an clean up and an update. Also, the litter that surrounded some of the outdoor tables where I was sitting at my most recent visit was very surprising. This is just something to keep in mind if you're coming here for your first visit. In terms of what they offer for food, though it has evolved a bit over the years, they still have a great, heath-based menu, with some very interesting choices. For all of you vegetarians and vegans out there, you will, for sure, be able to find some tasty food to eat. Once upon a time, this restaurant was impacted with tons and tons of people. It was constantly full with people either going to the bakery and/or sitting down for table service. Shortly past their opening each day, there would be a line of people waiting for service. This seems to have changed, however. Meaning, if you're looking for an interesting place to eat, with some good dishes, at the far Southeast side of DTLA, near the lofts district, and you want a place without a long wait to get a table and/or your food, this may still be your place to go.

    This was, without a doubt, the worst experience I've ever had at Zinc. I've been coming here on and…read moreoff for the past four years and have never experienced customer service this bad. We started with coffee. My boyfriend ordered a mocha, and I ordered a salted caramel latte. His drink was fine, but mine had absolutely no flavoring. As a former barista, I could immediately tell it was just a plain iced latte. I politely asked the waitress if they had forgotten the syrup, and she insisted, "There is syrup in it, but I can ask them to add more." I knew there wasn't any syrup, but I didn't want to argue, so I said, "Sure, please add more." A few minutes later, the manager came over and told me they actually didn't have salted caramel. So I asked if I could just get a regular caramel latte instead. She then told me they couldn't make that either because they were out of caramel sauce, the very reason they couldn't make the salted caramel in the first place. So why hand me a plain iced latte and tell me it had syrup when you knew you didn't even have the ingredients? Why not simply come back and let me know you were out and ask if I'd like something else? Instead, I was given a regular latte at the price of a flavored one (plus they later charged me for the syrup they never even added). For context, I had originally ordered a dirty chai, which they also couldn't make. So that's two drinks they didn't have, yet no one thought to communicate that before serving me something completely different. When I told the manager I'd look back at the menu for another option, she responded, "Okay... are you going to tell the waitress what drink you want?" I just looked at her, confused, and said, "Well... yeah?" How else was I supposed to order a replacement? The interaction came across as unnecessarily rude. Then it was time to order food. My boyfriend ordered the truffle burger, and I ordered the French toast. The waitress came back a few minutes later and said they couldn't make the French toast. No problem, I told her I'd also have the truffle burger. She acknowledged it, wrote it down, asked how I wanted it cooked, and what side I wanted. I ordered it medium-well with fries. So both burger orders were sent in at the same time. About 20 minutes later, the food arrived, but only my boyfriend's burger and an extra side of fries that we never ordered. At that point, we didn't even bother saying anything about the fries because we were trying to avoid making things more difficult. We waited another 20 minutes (even though it was so slow). My boyfriend finished eating, and my burger still hadn't come out. Finally, we asked for the check and requested that my burger be removed since it never arrived. That's when the waitress told us I had never ordered a second burger. I was honestly speechless. I reminded her that she had taken my order after telling me they couldn't make the French toast. She had written it down, asked how I wanted it cooked, and asked what side I wanted. Her response was that she thought I meant only my boyfriend's burger. That explanation made no sense because my boyfriend's order had already been taken before she took mine. It honestly felt like we were being gaslit over something as simple as ordering a burger. To make matters worse, after we paid and were finally leaving, I looked at the receipt and realized I had been charged for the salted caramel latte that I never actually received. We had to go back yet again. Thankfully, a different employee, not the waitress or the manager helped us. They were friendly, understanding, and quickly corrected the charge. I'm not sure if management has changed, but this entire experience was unnecessarily frustrating from beginning to end. Everything that could have gone wrong did. Honestly, I should've taken the "B" health grade posted on the window as a warning. We ended up walking over to Blue Bottle next door for coffee instead, and I'd absolutely recommend going there if you're looking for a place that actually values customer service. After four years of coming to Zinc, this experience has me seriously questioning whether I'll ever be back.

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    Zinc Café & Bar
    Zinc Café & Bar

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    Prank

    Prank

    4.1
    (1.1k reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    This is one of my favorite spots to meet up with friends for a casual get together when in the…read moreDowntown LA area! It's conveniently located to the LA Convention Center, Crytpo.com arena, and LA Live which makes it a must visit before or after an event! I am obsessed with their happy hour, which offers healthy items at discounted prices with generous portions! I have been here so many times throughout the years but most recently found myself here during a busy World Cup match! Regardless, the service and quality of food was not sacrificed! I was greeted as soon as I got there and the bartenders were overwhelmed but still friendly and helpful. I was so tempted to get a margarita, since theirs are amazing, but decided to keep it dry and just get their vegan nachos. I was able to score a table outside on their lovely patio, which felt secluded enough from the main street. My food was brought out quicker than I thought and I was delighted, as I was famished! The vegan nachos here are fantastic and the happy price is only $10, which is a steal for what you get! They are costed in the most magical concoction of a bean puree, cashew cheese sauce, and guacamole which all have the most creamy, luscious and savory flavors. It's so hearty and well seasoned and not only filling, but you feel great after. Parking is pretty easy, as there are usually ample meters available nearby. I cannot wait to return again soon the next time I'm in Downtown LA! I am hoping to try more of their vegan options and next time I will for sure get a drink to go along with their delicious food!

    Prank has a fun atmosphere and a great location in DTLA, but my experience was a bit mixed. The…read morecocktails didn't quite live up to expectations. I ordered the Espresso Martini, and it tasted pretty watered down and lacked the bold coffee flavor I was hoping for. On the bright side, the food was definitely the highlight. The mussels were flavorful, the calamari was crispy and cooked well, and the fries were delicious. Those dishes really saved the experience . Overall, I'd come back for the food, but I'd probably steer clear from cocktails and order a real drink. Prank is a convenient place for dtla residents in surrounding apartments to come get some quick bites and drinks and catch a live game

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    Distrito Catorce

    Distrito Catorce

    4.2
    (46 reviews)
    1.6 mi

    Distrito Catorce is a gem in Boyle Heights that delivers on all fronts. The food was outstanding!…read moreFresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Every dish felt thoughtfully prepared, with authentic flavors and quality ingredients that stood out from the first bite to the last. The ambiance was welcoming and the art was tasteful. What truly elevated the experience was the service. The staff were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, making us feel genuinely welcomed throughout the meal. They were quick to offer recommendations and ensured everything was perfect without being intrusive. We ordered the tostaditas de atún agua chile negro, beet salad, carne asada taco and Al pastor taco and watched the World Cup game. Distrito Catorce combines exceptional food, a great atmosphere, and top-notch service. It's the kind of place that leaves you planning your next visit before you've even finished your meal. Definitely plan on coming back to watch more World Cup games.

    I knew heading into Distrito Catorce that I wanted to see three things . The closing art exhibit,…read morehear the live band, and finally try Chef Jonathan's menu. It was basically a grand slam. To be honest, I was already biased because his Smorgasburg pop-ups were consistently good. But Distrito Catorce is different , it's like art. My favorite dish was the tacos de papa with salsa macha. The crunch of the potato taco riding into the salsa macha and crema felt like home, but with some extra pop. His salsa game is on point. The scallion salsa on the ribeye taco was also gas. Lastly, I really dug the tostadita de atún. It hit perfectly on these hot summer days. Low-key, I still want to try the El Rey de Noche. Tacos de beef trompo are starting to hit LA, and dude was ahead of the curve making picanha-brisket tacos de trompo. Service is smooth too. The servers are helpful, and solid at the bar. Overall, it's a cool spot with a menu that feels unique to LA.

    Photos
    Art counter entrance a safe space   Paint & Brunch at Distrito Catorce  Facilitated by Liliflor Art
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    Manuela

    Manuela

    4.2
    (2.3k reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$

    We were going to the Obscure Bar in the Arts District for the 6 cocktail we had no clue what at 8pm…read moreand while I had walked past this beautiful restaurant a few times roaming around the DTLA arts district, I had never actually eaten at Manuela's. This restaurant is set in the Hauser and Wirth art Gallery complex and since we got there early we toured the front gallery with an incredible assist from a docent named Michael who pointed out the most incredible pieces and steered us to the gallery at the back of the complex behind Manuela's. Both galleries are worth exploring. However, back to Manuela's. Our very friendly server sat us on the large wraparound patio and after my explaining my celiac issues and getting some guidance on their incredible menu, we shared the following after my friend ordered a delicious Sangria while knowing as a lightweight and cheap date I would be having 6 cocktails later, I ordered the Ta Ta Tatiana- Watermelon, ginger, honey, lemon, mint, bitters: Cast iron cornbread, cultured butter, wildflower honey Kusshi oysters, Nantes carrot mignonette Arugula, emerald beauty plum, goat cheese, spiced pecans, aged balsamic Hokkaido scallops, brown butter-bacon vinaigrette, mustard greens The oysters came out first and had a delightful and unusual carrot mignonette. Small and not like Louisiana Gulf Oysters, they were fresh and delicious. Next came the Arugula salad that was tart and tasty as well as a generous portion. The cast iron cornbread was ridiculously so good I joked that I would just order two of them next time. This joint actually makes their cornbread without flour which is sadly rare for me so not only was this a gluten free treat, it was light and just melted in blissful corn flavor. Last came the scallops in a brown butter bacon vinaigrette with mustard greens that was so perfectly prepared these might be the best scallops I've ever eaten, which can sometimes be dicey. With the sauce they could have served blackened, sautéed asphalt and it would have tasted good. Well done to Manuela's all around.

    First time there for brunch with my friends. It was ok very limited in vegetarian options. Food…read moreis good. And the seating area is pretty cool . Over it's ok Service was good.

    Photos
    Now offering Wine & Beer for takeaway and delivery.  Visit our website for more details.  manuela-la.com
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    Cast Iron Cornbread, Steen's Butter
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    The Porter Junction Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated July 2026

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