Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Urth Caffé consistently offers high quality coffee and tea drinks, fresh and tasty meals, and desserts. The Japanese Tea Latte with almond milk and matcha green tea, steamed to perfection and topped with an intricate foam art design will bring a smile to the table. Urth Caffe offers a variety of coffee, espresso and tea drinks, including the increasingly popular boba tea. The small chewy tapioca balls add a fun flare and texture to any drink. Urth Caffe is an organic coffee company that exclusively carries its own brand of premium, fresh roasted whole bean organic coffee and hand selected fine teas sold under strict quality and ethical standards. The organic coffees and fine teas can be found online, via mail order, in fine restaurants and Urth Caffe locations in Los Angeles.
The Santa Monica location is situated in the heart of Main Street and is always jamming with customers. The baristas and servers are cheerful, eager to assist you, and fast. The drinks and food are served quickly regardless of the size of the crowd at any given time. The food is platted in generous portions and includes mostly organic ingredients with a presentation that goes well with the flavor. The salads include the finest mixture of greens and light vinaigrette with a side plate of the most delicious artisan bread and pure sweet cream butter. The Mediterranean platter transports me back to my time in Israel this summer, with homemade hummus, soft aromatic feta cheese, Israeli tabbouleh, roasted peppers, marinated olives, complimented by fresh warm pita.
My first experience having authentic Mexican tamales was at Urth Caffe. Offering chicken and cheese fillings, the polenta-like dish is served as a package, wrapped and tied in cornhusks. The meal awaiting you inside the cornhusk includes sweet stone ground cornmeal and as soon as you cut into it, the fillings seep out, so you cannot help but lick the corn husks clean. Accompanied with a tossed mixed green salad and a warm red pepper and tomato sauce, this dish offers a complete balance of festive flavor enjoyment and a full Mexican dining experience.
You definitely want to leave room for dessert or better yet, bring one home with you. As soon as you walk into the restaurant a display case of one-of-a-kind pastries, cakes and cookies captivates your eyes. The desserts are fresh, rich, moist and prepared daily. The pastry chef begins work at 1 a.m. every day. The Royal Coconut Cake is by far the best I have had anywhere. The generous portion is the perfect serving size for two paired with a fantastic hot drink of your choice.
Established in 1989, Urth Caffe is America’s first exclusively organic coffee company. To ensure compliance with its rigorous standards, it is vertically integrated; controlling its purchasing, roasting, and distribution. They work directly with a limited number of sustainable coffee growers who produce the finest organically grown coffees available today. They also offer fine teas from their own selected tea sources. In 1994, they opened their first cafe located at 8565 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood. Just four years later, Urth Caffe was awarded the “#1 Coffee Restaurant in Los Angeles” from the Los Angeles Magazine. An additional location opened in Beverly Hills in 2003 and in Santa Monica in 2005. The newest Pasadena location is set to open in winter of 2012.
We can only pray for one in Malibu. Hint hint…
