“Sabor y Cultura”means “flavor and culture”. Stepping into the spacious, mellow cafe, it certainly looked like the kind of place that hosts a healthy attempt at “culture”: Local art hangs casually on the rich purple and light pumpkin colored walls, a local “community board” advertises local happenings, while relaxed, youthful Hollywood types tap quietly away at their laptops.
I loved the wide open windows that let in the cloudy-day light along with the calm created by some classic jazz music, but like a lot of cafes, Sabor y Cultura sells a little more than I personally think a coffee house needs to: A rack of snack-pack nuts, a glass case of jewelery and other odds n’ ends tend to ruin the aesthetic cohesiveness of a what could otherwise be a nicely concentrated local hangout.
Citybean supplies their coffee and espresso beans but since the barista made me a Mexican Mocha, I wasn’t able to test the flavor of the espresso on it’s own. Freshly ground from blocks of Mexican chocolate, the mocha had that really warm, spicy edge that makes Mexican chocolate so damn good, but it tasted like a light hot chocolate more than an indulgent espresso drink. As the milk cooled the chocolate grew warm and more intense, but the espresso was still not very noticeable. I tried some of the drip coffee that my boyfriend bought and, how can I say this…? It tasted sort of like cigarette butts without being gross at all…seriously! Hearty but smooth with a very odd, brisk and bitter-caramel type of curve to it - Citybean’s House Blend. Sort of like Sabor y Cultura itself, which, although it sits on a slightly grungy corner of Hollywood Blvd. blocks away from Western, is still a very calming, comfortable little cafe.
Is Sabor Y Culture your favorite hang-out spot? Then leave a comment saying why they deserve to win our LA Coffee Competition and you could win a $30 gift certificate to their cafe. Then go vote in our LA Coffee Competition Now!
5625 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 466 0481
Photos by Jamie
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4 responses so far ↓
1 Coffee Competition: Quest for the Best Bean | LA.CityZine.com - Los Angeles // Jun 13, 2008 at 10:34 am
[...] Sabor y Cultura, Hollywood [...]
2 Emberly Modine // Jun 15, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Wow, how did I never notice that place before?
3 Barry Morrill // Jun 20, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I have been coming here every Saturday morning since working part-time at the camera store 1/2 a blcok away. The Mexican Mocha is my favorite. But there was a change of ownership just a few months ago (March). While nice the flavors that made this shop my favorite are no there. I do hope the atmosphere and taste that made this shop a favorite return
4 Blanca Montoya // Jul 8, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Love this place! amazing employees amazing drinks
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