coffee house heyri

Ever wondered where to go at 3am in K-Town for coffee, cake, a snack, a smoke and free wifi?

Now ya know.

Easily mistaken for a club from the music and crowds out front, the latest Korean style late night coffee shop to open in the area offers everything you'd expect to find including an extensive selection of coffees, teas, cakes, pastries, fresh fruit smoothies, bingsu (shaved ice), and savories, like udon, sushi and tempura. Oh, and, of course, sandwiches. How could I forget sandwiches?


The converted house makes for plenty of seating options. There's a narrow, modern space inside on the first level facing the long glass service counter and pastry case, as well as very traditional, cozy, homey rooms upstairs. What was once a backyard with a tall palm protruding from its center is now an expanse of fairy light lit outdoor seating complete with music (of the K-pop variety the night we were there) piped in, plenty of heating lamps (if you're still chilly, the requisite blankets are available too) and large, private tented areas along the perimeter for groups. Feel free to hide out in one of the hidden corners - buzzer service at each table will get the attention of a server when you need one. Some of the round tables appeared to have firepits, but none were ablaze the night we were there.



There's a small lot out front as well as valet, so parking is a non-issue.



This is the perfect way to end an evening in K-Town. According to the owners, there'll soon be live music on weekends, too. And for the night owls they're open until the wee hours at 4am!





755 S Hobart Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 389-6138

www.cafeheyri.com

swingers

This is the neighborhood place we tend to go when Beer is in the mood for what he calls "real" brek. In other words bacon, runny eggs and toast.

Everything about this Swingers is ... ok. I hate to say it's a great bastion of mediocrity, but in many respects, it is. Typical diner vibe with striped vinyl booths and an LA'fied menu. Read: virtually everything is made with organic produce, they offer many reduced fat/carb options, and have numerous options for the vegan/veg crowd.

The servers are a mix of too cool for school over-dyed rockabilly girls in their fishnet, combat boot, pleated mini uniforms and out of work actor/model types who seem to run a room temp iq. Case in point - this morning I had to ask for water three times, and when I finally got it, it was tap sloshing out of the glass like it was poured for one of the dogs on the patio, as opposed to the large tumblers of water, ice and lemon every other table seemed to have.

The food is good. Not great, not bad, just ... ok. For some reason they can never seem to keep hot foods, hot, and cold foods, cold, but it's all reasonably good and definitely edible. For what you get, the prices are relatively fair. (As an aside, the food at the SaMo Swingers in fantastic).

Only thing I've ever found remarkable about this place is their music selection ... it's eclectic and never fails to hit the spot. This morning, a mix of Joy Division, Led Zeppelin, The Cure and Frank Sinatra.

Something about the place always feels kinda dirty to me, but I will say the counter service is good. And, of course, there's the signature moo cow wallpaper you can't help but love.

There are numerous other (better) options in the area imho, but if you're looking for a late night meal when everything else is closed or just feel like a little local diner love, Swingers will do the trick.

Tip: If you're someone who actually likes the food here, they do local delivery for a few hours in the am and pm.

8020 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 653-5858

Photo courtesy of Andre H.