The coffee nerds of L.A. are well familiar with Demitasse, the coffee shop that started in Little Tokyo but now has outposts in Santa Monica and Mid-City. We here at L.A. Weekly are slightly obsessed with their hot chocolate (pictured above), their Kyoto-style iced coffee and just about every other caffeinated thing to come from behind their coffee counters. Last summer, owner Bobby Roshan told the L.A. Times he was planning a location in Hollywood, one that would have an expanded food program. 

This week that plan comes to fruition, with Demitasse Roastery & Kitchen opening on Wednesday on Cahuenga Boulevard. 

While other Demitasse locations have been slowly expanding their food offerings (the Santa Monica location offers sandwiches and salads from Fundamental L.A.), this larger space will serve more as a full-fledged restaurant. There will still be a strong focus on hand-roasted coffee, which will be done in-house. But this Hollywood location will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

They've brought on chef Jeff Lustre, who worked for a while at the sadly departed Alumette in Echo Park. Lustre has been holding pop-up dinners at other Demitasse locations for more than a year, usually leaning on his Filipino heritage for inspiration. The “globally inspired” menu at the new Hollywood Demitasse will likewise have Filipino flavors, as well as touches of Spain and other international influences. The menu sounds incredibly ambitious, with dishes such as hearts of palm with beets, Cara Cara orange, an egg steeped in black tea and mousseline vinaigrette; or a whole red sea bream served with thin pancakes and black garlic. 

There will also be a beer and wine program, focusing on natural wines and local beers. A “special signature Demitasse shim menu” is promised as well, “shim” being a low-alcohol cocktail. For this purpose they've brought on cocktail consultant Marissa Grasmick, who works full-time at Aestus in Santa Monica. 

Demitasse Roastery & Kitchen is located at 1542 N. Cahuenga Blvd., just north of Sunset. They'll be open daily for breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m,, lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m.You can see detailed photos of Lustre's pop-up dinners over at the Tasty Chronicles, which might give us an idea of what to expect from him here.

 

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