Alfred Coffee: Why are there so many locations?

Photo courtesy of Gabby Wong

First things first, I’m the realest. Just kidding. I mean, I am the realest, but that’s not where I’m headed. I need to start this review with a heartbreaking disclaimer: Between 49 different coffee shops and innumerable revisits, I’m starting to feel like I am extremely close to hitting my lifetime quota of vanilla lattes.

Not only am I starting to dislike both the vanilla and latte aspects of the once infallible drink, but the distinctions between each shops drinks are also slowly blending together, and very few flavored lattes can be distinguished from the last. This does not mean, however, that #JackieLikesJava is coming to a close! On the contrary, this just means I need to expand my espresso horizons and find a new standard of comparison.

Way, way, way before this devastating goodbye to the Vanillatte (no one calls them that, but I feel like I’ve said “vanilla latte” far too many times already), I went to two different Alfred Coffee locations to see if their hype was well-deserved.

Alfred Coffee has adopted three similar and unnecessarily distinct brands. We have the {Coffee & Kitchen} (they put curly braces around each location for some reason — I personally don’t get it, but it’s cute) one that sits on Melrose Place and that I have never been to on account of parking being muddled by the cars of the rich that cost more than two years at USC. Location Pro Tip: Boyband members and YouTube beauty gurus tend to favor this Alfred as their go-to.

Next in the Alfred line-up is the {In The Alley} edition. Hooray for me, I’ve been here! Surprise — it’s in an alley. Truly shocking. Anyway, parking sucks. It’s metered street parking, so sharpen up on those parallel parking skills and stock up on those quarters, fam.

Beyond that, the actual storefront might actually be one of the most stereotypically Los Angeles things I’ve ever experienced. Wooden plank benches made to look natural, black and white tiles, neon signs, Pressed Juicery and gold accents at every turn. I felt the Instagram Aesthetic Gods shine their light on me. This location is Wi-Fi friendly (though spotty) and the baristas are some of the nicest I’ve met. It’s pretty obvious that this is a popular place and the line they had at the door only supported that. However, they process orders very quickly and are super accommodating to those who need a recommendation. Location Pro Tip: Get a free iced coffee with a check in on Yelp!

Jackie Mayuga | Daily Trojan

The third Alfred location is the {Brentwood} version. This one is also highly Instagrammable and, dare I say it, the parking situation is not that bad. They don’t have Wi-Fi at all here, so I do not recommend it for work. Instead, treat it as a bougie hangout for you to bring your mom to for Mother’s Day or something. My group had a rough time finding a spot here, as it’s one of the most popular coffee spots in the immediate area and there are only a couple tables available, but there’s a pretty decent turnaround for freeing them up. Location Pro Tip: The interior is small and not as photogenic as their famous “But first, Coffee” cups.

Jackie Mayuga | Daily Trojan

In the most predictable of scenarios, I ordered vanilla lattes at the Alfred’s locations I visited. They were both pretty standard. Amazing at the time, yet forgettable in retrospect. Perhaps we can attribute this hype-less encounter to my diluted palate. Sigh. I tried really hard to fall in love with Alfred, but it just wasn’t happening. Nevertheless, their other menu items seem promising. From affogatos to espresso cones (a shot of espresso in a tiny lil chocolate ice cream cone) to the $10 Latte (a full bottle of Pressed Juicery’s chocolate or vanilla flavored almond milk with a shot of espresso over ice, which actually sounds really good right about now), there’s something for everyone. In fact, I think I might just venture into {Coffee & Kitchen} to try something new.

Take your own Instagram pictures!

{Melrose Place} 8428 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, CA 90069

{In The Alley} 8509 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90069

{Brentwood} 11908 San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Jackie Mayuga is a junior majoring in applied and computational mathematics. Her blog column,#JackieLikesJava, runs every Saturday.

Jackie Mayuga | Daily Trojan