Café Review: The Coffee Commissary, Los Angeles

I recently visited the Coffee Commissary in Los Angeles (West Hollywood), and decided to give it the Business Meeting Test by meeting a client here.

My latte was excellent. I also enjoyed a very good vegetable turnover. Counter service was friendly and quick.

Penina’s Ratings
Coffee: Excellent
Food: Excellent
Wifi: Effortless, solid
Ambience/Decor: Airy; a combination of cozy and open seating arrangements
Ambience/Business: Good for solo work and small meetings
Service: Friendly, quick
Clientele: Locals, young professionals
Bathroom: Clean, a table for your stuff

All the indoor seats were occupied by wifiers and book readers, which was a great sign: people can come here to simply relax with a cup of coffee. Since the weather was Southern California Perfect, we sat outdoors. There are no outside plugs and it was a little confusing to discover we’d strayed into the seating area of the neighboring café, but we weren’t pressured to move. It could be because we were between the busiest times. I loved that the patio is effectively and comfortably separated from Fairfax Blvd.’s noise and dust by a landscaped divider.

Coffee Commissary
801 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
info (at) coffeecommissary dot com (no telephone number provided)

Penina’s Wifi Etiquette

1. Buy stuff. Do I really need to say this? After seeing otherwise with my own eyes, it turns out I do. My rule of thumb is to buy something about every two hours.
2. Be gracious. Your two coffees and a scone aren’t doing all that much to pay the rent for the hours you spend in a café. Help make it a friendly, welcoming place so they can attract and keep more customers.
3. Follow the rules. Busy urban areas limit wifi use because higher costs require them to generate quicker turnover. Sometimes plug placement is limited: if your power cord is a tripping hazard, then don’t use it (or negotiate with the wifier closer in to swap locations so you can charge up).
4. Be considerate. Go outside to make phone calls.
5. Be very considerate. Your laptop should not make a sound—not even little beeps: use headphones. Same for the radio you brought to follow the game.
6. Tip generously. And tip again if you’re there through a shift change.