H Coffee House, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, has been welcoming coffee lovers into its warm, spacious interior for a little over a month. The space feels like a home, and for good reason: It is the project of “Home Restaurant” owner Aram Serobian, who has run that neighborhood favorite next-door for over sixteen years. Serobian teamed up with coffee consultant Nick Griffith, whose resume includes Intelligentsia and Tonx, on this new venture.
Griffith expressed interest in the project with Aram after being inspired by the style of 90’s coffee houses, which were cozy and inviting, but suffered from not-so-good coffee. He brought his expertise and attention to detail to the coffee menu as well as provided recommendations on bar flow and layout. The space includes comfortable armchairs and booths, a quiet meeting room and two—two!—outdoor patios. Custom woodwork and light fixtures are joined by comforting touches like board games and a working fireplace.
The coffee program at H Coffee House features offerings from Counter Culture Coffee, who are currently somewhat of a rarity on the West Coast but will soon begin roasting in San Francisco. For espresso, H Coffee uses a La Marzocco GB5 and a Mazzer Robur E grinder, and for drip coffee they’ve paired a Fetco batch brewer with a Mahlkonig EK43 grinder. They are also serving cold brewed coffee via nitrogen tap, for that foamy, Guinness-like head. Tea lovers can try the cold-brew pineapple mango iced tea. H Coffee also serves cascara, a tea made from dried coffee cherries.
H Coffee offers its own subtly sweet homemade syrups in vanilla, chocolate ganache, and cinnamon. Home Restaurant’s in-house baker serves up fresh pastries delivered daily from next-door, including a variety of muffins and scones, as well as more substantial offerings like a lavender honey bread pudding and frittata with baby kale, cherry tomato, and fresh feta.
The comfortable, spacious atmosphere invites guests to stay awhile, and to accommodate this, the coffee house opens at 7am and closes at 10pm every day. Serving quality coffees and embodying the ‘There’s no place like home’ motto of the neighboring restaurant, it seems that the dream of the ’90s is, indeed, alive in Los Feliz.
Alison Wotton is a photographer living in Los Angeles. This is her first piece for Sprudge.com
