There have been coffee shops combined with bakeries and bars, of course, and even with bike-repair shops and salons. Butย Two Kids Coffee, one of LA’s newest cafes, takes a more overtly creativeย tack: to get to itย you have to walk throughย art galleryย SPACEย and itsย paintings and multimedia works.
Patrons can walk amongย the art with their drinks or linger in the back, where there are a few seats along the bar beside a wall half-filled byย a smooth, blue bird-filled wallpaper (itย pops, but isnโt too distracting). The star attractionโbesides the stellar coffeeโis the mural painted byย Peter Vu, a friend of the owners, that takes up the other half of the wall space, a mesmerizing construction with circular swirlsย in shades of black and blueย depicting little creatures in a sea of coffee cups.
The two kids behindย Two Kids, Ryan Ramirez and Danah Mangahis, are a couple of architects who wanted to open their own cafe after falling in love with coffee culture. Given their background, it’s no surpriseย the design and final product wereย very carefully thought out and plannedย (all of which was helped along byย a successful Kickstarter campaign). He adds thatย the space is meant to โreflect our intuitive love for design that we can share with anyone and everyone.โ
Having a coffee shop behind an art gallery is a good way to doย this. The collaborative merging of two businesses is something that Ramirez and Mangahis decided they wanted to exploreย because of theirย regular travels to New York City.ย โThe whole two-in-one model is super common out there, because not only does it help amazing startup businesses get on their feet, it promotes [the]ย sharing and exchanging of ideas that can invigorate a productive and creative culture.โ
Two Kids’ coffee bar is set upย with aย La Marzocco Lineaย Classicย for espresso drinks, plusย Mazzer Konyย andย Mahlkรถnig EK 43 grinders, while the pour-overs are made with a Kalita Wave dripper. All of Two Kids’ coffee comes from Gotham Coffee Roastersย ofย Brooklyn;ย among the basic espresso variationsย and a mocha, the Kidsย also serveย a dirty chai (espresso, milk, and chai) that cuts through the hot Pasadena days.ย Two Kids’ย South Pasadena neighborhood’s small-town vibe goes well with the gallery/cafe atmosphere. โWeโve always deeply loved the charm and character of the small towns in the San Gabriel ValleyโSouth Pasadena, Monrovia, Montrose, Sierra Madre in particular,” says Ramirez. “These places reconnect us to childhood upbringings, which are very much rooted in family,โ he says. Thatย feeling of home, something that people could connect to on a personal level, is what Ramirez and Mangahis hope to create.
Coming soon will be the addition ofย pastries (made by a friendโs mom), but beyond that, the two kids just want to keep immersing themselves in the world of coffee. โWeโve always valued the simple idea that coffee touches people, whether they are aware of it or not, in so many waysโso many amazing ideas come through in coffee shops.โ
Tatiana Ernstย (@TatianaErnst) is a Sprudge staff writer based in Los Angeles. Read more Tatiana Ernst onย Sprudge.