The best part about Cafe IF is probably its location. Usually, you have to brace yourself before committing to a trek out to Weho. But Cafe IF is not on Sunset. It’s not on Santa Monica or even Melrose. It’s on Fountain. Yeah, you read that right. Fountain Avenue. And that means you’re a safe block from the chaos of those bigger boulevards, and parking will be a breeze. Ok maybe not a breeze, but certainly not bad comparatively for West Hollywood.
Cafe IF is my default work session coffee shop in this part of town. It’s not big, but it usually isn’t hard to find a seat. The interior is, for lack of a better descriptor, pretty much an Asian cafe aesthetic. It’s hard to explain, it’s not any specific design choice…just a je ne sais quoi aspect of it…but if you know you know. It’s like if a K-town cafe moved west but didn’t take the students with it. Best of both worlds. They have a solid selection of coffee and tea drinks, including some specialty (ahem, Instagram-made) drinks and a bunch of pastries and light bites too.
2022 Update: Cafe IF closed as the owner moved on to new endeavors. If you need a quick fix, go to the Coffee Commissary on Fairfax.
the details
| Address | 7962 Fountain Ave, Los Angeles |
| Website | https://www.cafeif.co/ |
| Yelp | https://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-if-west-hollywood |
| @cafeif.co | |
| Hours | 7:30-18:30 everyday |
| Price | $$, standard cafe prices |
| Aesthetic | a little industrial minimalist with the concrete and dark grey walls, but also bright pops of color so still inviting |
good to know
Go here for: a quick coffee run or a long study sesh, the choice is yours
Order this: charcoal latte (because you can), or matcha latte (because you want it), and ofc a pastry
Amount of time to spend: as long as you want!
When to come: weekdays are pretty quiet, but even on a weekend afternoon it usually isn’t too bad
Parking: isn’t difficult usually, since this isn’t a commercial area. You can probably find a spot on Fountain or a neighboring street (watch out for restrictions in residential areas)
Other things to note:
- They have decent wifi and outlets too, so perfect for working. The wifi password and bathroom code are printed at the bottom of your receipt.
- They don’t really serve food but they do have some toasts for breakfast.
- They’re bilingual in Chinese (well depends on who’s working but the owner is Chinese and at least some of the people working are too)
Last visited: October 2017
Last updated: July 2018
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