Thank you, Santa Cruz, for gifting us with this gem of a coffee roaster coffee shop. For the uninitiated, Verve may seem like just another third wave coffee snob gathering place, yet another hipster addition to the ever-growing coffee landscape in California. And that’s not wrong…but Verve is so much more. With a “farm level to street level” philosophy, Verve is committed to being the bridge between consumers and farmers and every hand that touches the coffee in between, a direct trade practice that goes above and beyond fair trade. Whether you’re on their website on in the stores, this is a highly visible part of their business (no seriously they even have a pretty coffee table magazine called Farm Level).
Since opening in 2007, Verve has expanded far beyond its origins in Santa Cruz, all over California and even to Japan). Each of the cafe locations is beautifully designed in a way that invites visitors to enjoy their cup of coffee and hang around for a bit. And most of the time, people do just that. It seems no matter what time of day and what day of the week, the “street level” cafes are filled with coffee drinkers and coffee shop lurkers.
the details
| Address | SF: 2101 Market St, San Francisco LA (WeHo): 8925 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood LA (West 3rd): 8051 W 3rd St, Los Angeles LA (DTLA Spring Street): 833 S Spring St, Los Angeles LA (DTLA Arts District): 500 Mateo St #102, Los Angeles Tokyo: Roppongi, Shinjuku, Kamakura All locations listed here |
| Website | https://www.vervecoffee.com/ |
| @vervecoffee | |
| Hours | vary by location but generally open at 7 or 8am and close at 5 or 6pm |
| Price | $$ – pretty much as expected, $4-6 for drinks |
| Aesthetic | $$ – pretty much as expected, $4-6 for drinks |
good to know
Go here for: morning coffee, afternoon coffee, coffee beans, etc etc etc
Order this: their flash brew (aka nitro cold brew), it’s addicting
Amount of time to spend: great for grabbing to go, or for sitting and working for a bit (it’s a popular place for laptoppers)
When to come: anytime, but earlier in the day if you want pastries, generally there’s fewer people after 4ish.
Parking:
- Weho: Unless you are here early in the morning, this location can be a bit of a nightmare for parking. Your best bet would be to try to get a meter on Almont or La Peer. The nearby residential streets are restricted.
- West 3rd: This one is ok. There are a couple spots out front, and meters on West 3rd and Laurel. Note that most of the residential streets are restricted (a recent development…)
- DTLA Spring Street: Downtown is always annoying but it usually isn’t too hard to find a meter on Main Street, Los Angeles or 9th.
- DTLA Arts District: Parking is pretty free around here, but you may need to circle around some. Santa Fe, E 4th and Mateo should all have options.
Other things to note:
- The Arts District location in LA has a craft coffee bar and serves food (light breakfast and lunch fare), while other locations have a generous selection of pastries.
- Most locations have free wifi and are pretty good for working.
- The Melrose and Spring Street locations in LA have ample outdoor seating.
Last visited: December 2020
Last updated: January 2021
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