The Coffee Bean (NW corner Santa Monica Blvd. & Beverly Glen Blvd.)

ATMOSPHERE:  Good

CLEANLINESS:  Fair

CUSTOMER SERVICE:  Good

CLIENTELE:  Lawyers/students/housewives/writers/celebrities

COFFEE QUALITY:  Good

POWER OUTLET AVAILABILITY: Fair

FREE WI-FI:  Yes

FREE PARKING:  Yes, but shared with Walgreens and time limited to 1 hour.  Limited neighborhood street parking.

FENG SHUI:  Fair

AMPLE SEATING/TABLES? Fair.

OVERALL VIBE:  Busy

MAP:  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=10401+Santa+Monica+Blvd+%23+1+Los+Angeles,+CA+90025-6951&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=10401+Santa+Monica+Blvd,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90025&gl=us&ei=3InETYKDIpO8sQPUyqW8AQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ8gEwAA

REVIEW:
One of the largest Coffee Beans in town.  Located on the NW corner of Santa Monica and Beverly Glen, this is a favorite hangout of lawyers with nearby offices in Century City.  It is an immense store with plenty of tables and chairs...but they all get used.  During the week at peak hours (late morning-afternoon), you'll be hard pressed to find a table, much less an outlet to juice up.  The staff here, for the most part, is friendly and know what they're doing.  Quality of coffee is standard "good" as with all Coffee Beans (as opposed to Starbucks which is standard "fair").  If you do manage to grab a table, you can work here for hours.  The eye candy in this place is usually good...with the occasional celeb sighting (yes, that is Penn Gillette in one of the photos).  Parking here, though, is a problem.  I usually park in the neighborhood one block north of the intersection.  There is Thursday and Friday street cleaning so take heed of the posted parking restrictions.  The meter maids are on top of it.  Another knock on this location is the lack of cleanliness.  It's a big store thus requiring more upkeep in the sanitation department.  The bathrooms in particular become a disaster throughout the day.  Overall, if you can find a parking spot AND a table with a plug, you'll be comfortable here (for as long as your street parking restriction lasts).  It's a loud store with conversations going on everywhere so if you require library level silence, you might reconsider.  If you don't mind the constant drone of background noise, you'll be fine.  Overall, a little high maintenance getting into the store, but if you do and land a table, a good place to work.

The Coffee Bean (3rd and La Cienega)

ATMOSPHERE:  Good

CLEANLINESS:  Good

CUSTOMER SERVICE:  Good

CLIENTELE:  Out of work actors/students/housewives

COFFEE QUALITY:  Good

POWER OUTLET AVAILABILITY:  Good

FREE WI-FI:  Yes

FREE PARKING:  Yes, but parking lot is small.

FENG SHUI:  Fair

AMPLE SEATING/TABLES? Fair.  Outdoor patio with fire pit as well.

OVERALL VIBE:  Busy

MAP:   http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=300+S+La+Cienega+Blvd+at+3rd.+Los+Angeles,+CA+90048&fb=1&gl=us&hnear=San+Francisco,+CA&cid=0,0,6015036993990122729&ei=yoPETZLtJZH4sAOEmvCXAQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQnwIwAA

REVIEW:

Located on the southeast corner of the insanely busy intersection of 3rd Street and La Cienega, this Coffee Bean is not usually crowded...but it feels crowded due to the action all around.  In the shadow of the eyesore of LA (The Beverly Center), I have worked out of this store before but am never truly comfortable here.  There is a patio with a fire pit but the constant, loud stream of car traffic tends to minimize the "warm and cozy" feeling they're trying to go for.  The coffee and tea at all Coffee Beans is far superior to Starbucks and close to the level of Peet's.  They now have a frozen yogurt stand to compete with the smashing success of Pinkberry and Yogurtland.  A smart move given that frozen yogurt is an easy impulse buy.  Coffee Bean requires that you enter a daily code to access their free wi-fi.  An annoying feature of "free wi-fi" at Coffee Bean is that they automatically drop you off every two hours and force you to take a 10 minute "break".  This, I suspect is to 1) get freeloaders like myself to leave or 2) make us walk around and maybe get lured over to their frozen yogurt bar.  The staff here is quite friendly and bouncy.  Cleanliness is just fair...Coffee Beans all tend to feel a little "worn"...but that is partly due to the interior design of the stores.  Overall, not a bad store to stop in for a cup of joe, but not recommended for a marathon laptop session.

Starbucks, Westwood (Southwest corner of Olympic and Westwood Blvds)

ATMOSPHERE:  Great

CLEANLINESS:  Good

CUSTOMER SERVICE:  Good

CLIENTELE:  Professionals/students (UCLA)/cops

COFFEE QUALITY:  Good

POWER OUTLET AVAILABILITY:  Good

FREE WI-FI:  Yes

FREE PARKING:  Yes (unlimited) ground level and underground garage

FENG SHUI:  Great

AMPLE SEATING/TABLES?  Yes

OVERALL VIBE:  Easy going/comfortable


MAP:  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2215+Westwood+Blvd.+los+angeles,+CA&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=2215+Westwood+Blvd,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90064&gl=us&ei=ZaO4TYjDJK_XiAL4x8Qx&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ8gEwAA


REVIEW:
This location has everything you need for a remote office.  Lots of free parking (there's an underground garage if ground level is full), plenty of chairs, tables and power outlets.  The barristas are typically friendly and make a good cup of coffee.  My favorite fast food Mexican joint, Poquito Mas is next door.  Next to that, Baskin & Robbins.  My bank, Chase is right next to that.  I never have to leave this strip mall....seriously.  The interior is spacious and generally clean.  Clientele is mixed but at least half students from nearby UCLA.  Interestingly, there's always LAPD cops in here shooting the breeze and doing their paperwork.  Don't worry, they're not Vic Mackey from The Shield...they're pretty cool guys.  There is one co-ed bathroom that queues up on occasion but not for long.  You can sit in here for hours and get all of your work done.  Unlike most Starbucks, it is not sub-zero degrees in the store.  Overall, a fantastic Starbucks to work, drink, hold meetings, and chit chat.  A Cafe Guru ALL STAR.

Starbucks, West LA (SE corner of Olympic and Sawtelle Blvds.)

ATMOSPHERE:  Fair

CLEANLINESS:  Fair

CUSTOMER SERVICE:  Fair

CLIENTELE:  Professionals/students (UCLA)

COFFEE QUALITY:  Fair

POWER OUTLET AVAILABILITY: Poor

FREE WI-FI:  Yes

FREE PARKING:  Yes (2 hrs in parking garage, half block down Sawtelle)

FENG SHUI:  Poor

AMPLE SEATING/TABLES?  No

OVERALL VIBE:  Fast paced/uncomfortable

MAP:  http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=11280+West+Olympic+Boulevard,+Los+Angeles,+CA&fb=1&gl=us&hnear=Kayenta,+AZ&cid=0,0,7615116069613017636&ei=VI-4TenlL4H6swPYhKiFCA&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQnwIwAA

REVIEW:

Super crowded fishbowl of a store.  Parking is in a garage half a block down Sawtelle and is free for two hours (though I suspect no one is really checking).  Not the best place to get any work done.  There is constant traffic coming in and out and the crowding of the tables and chairs makes it cramped quarters for most of the store (see above photo).  If you're lucky enough to grab one of two tables on the Olympic side, you've scored.  There are a few tables along a narrow walkway to the bathroom which are cramped and use uncomfortable padded chairs (as opposed to the standard issue wood chairs).  The single, coed bathroom requires a code key to enter.  The barristas are younger, mostly male, and slightly obnoxious.  It is a loud and busy space so don't plan on getting any good reading done in here.  There are a few outdoor, sidewalk tables that are good for people watching but the busy intersection is, well...busy and packed with honking cars.  There is a Baja Fresh and Panda Express next door, which is nice (though the Panda is one of the lower grade Panda's I've been to in LA....and I know my Panda Express).  The seating is crowded and limited.  Outlets are limited for the most part.  Overall, not bad for a quick cup of joe pick up but you're not going to want to hang out for very long.

Starbucks, Cahuenga Pass (Cahuenga just north of Barham)

 ATMOSPHERE:  Good

CLEANLINESS: Good

CUSTOMER SERVICE: Good

CLIENTELE:  Professionals/entertainment/occasional celebrities

COFFEE QUALITY: Good

POWER OUTLET AVAILABILITY: Great (remember to look up at the ceiling too)

FREE WI-FI:  Yes

FREE PARKING:  Yes (unlimited)

FENG SHUI: Good

AMPLE SEATING/TABLES? Yes

OVERALL VIBE: Great

MAP:  http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=3242+West+Cahuenga+Blvd.+LOS+ANGELES&fb=1&gl=us&hnear=Honolulu&cid=0,0,1701747209162786056&ei=W1a3TdHmHYmisAPo94yqAQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQnwIwAA


REVIEW:
My home Starbucks.  And I say one of the best in LA.  Conveniently located by the entrance to the 101 freeway in the Cahuenga Pass (between Hollywood and Universal City), this shop is "sneaky big".  There is free, unlimited parking, good Wi-Fi, plenty of outlets, plenty of tables both inside and outside on the patio, and a usually perky/friendly staff.  Store manager Samantha runs a great ship here.  They have recently hired some newbies and they're still got the "deer in headlights" about them, but give them another month, they'll know my name ;).  The clientele here is young, entertainment types.  Writers, production folks, and the occasional celeb (yes, that is Mena Suvari in pink in the top photo).  There is one bathroom however that has an occasional queue and is sometimes messy.  Also, this is not exclusive to this Starbucks...the air conditioning is sometimes freezing and sometimes boiling.  Can they find a happy medium at any of them?  Next door, there is 161st Pizza which, in my humble opinion, is one of the best pies in LA.  There is also a couple of more cafes, dry cleaners, a tanning salon and a great bar in the same strip mall.  Overall, one of my faves.

Starbucks, Beverly Hills (257 S. La Cienega, just south of Wilshire)

ATMOSPHERE:  Average

CLEANLINESS:  Average

CUSTOMER SERVICE:  Poor

CLIENTELE:  Professionals/housewives/occasional celebrities

COFFEE QUALITY:  Average

POWER OUTLET AVAILABILITY:  Poor

FREE WI-FI:  Yes

FREE PARKING:  Yes (1 hour behind store)

FENG SHUI:  Poor

AMPLE SEATING/TABLES?  No

OVERALL VIBE:  Average

MAP:  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=257+S+La+Cienega+Blvd+Beverly+Hills,+CA+90211&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=257+S+La+Cienega+Blvd,+Beverly+Hills,+CA+90211&gl=us&ei=OrqrTeCFMKbgiALj0anvDA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ8gEwAA

REVIEW:
Nestled in the shadow of the Larry Flynt building, this little STARBUCKS is only serviceable for a quick stop by.  There is a small parking lot in the back which is free for one hour.  But one hour is about 55 minutes longer than you'd want to stay in this poor representation of Mr. Schultz's empire.  There are a limited amount of outlets (4), 2 for the 5 seat counter along the window facing the street, one along the south side wall and one by the entrance.  Not many tables (5) and no individual padded chairs or sofas.  There's simply not enough room in the store.  The barristas here, for the most part, are unfriendly, immature, and more interested in their own conversations amongst themselves or on their smartphones.  Also, they keep the temperature at near freezing, especially if you're sitting at the counter facing the window.  There is usually a transient occupying one of the three sidewalk tables out front and it is not desirable to sit out there anyways due to the traffic noise of La Cienega Blvd.  The one saving grace of this Starbucks is there are two bathrooms, male and female, that are typically clean and attended to.  Oh, and an occasional celebrity sighting.  The guy in the picture is Alex Rodriguez (really!).
Overall assessment:  Okay if you're in a pinch or in need of a bathroom break.