Civil Coffee — Studio City
Mexico City cafe culture, a courtyard, and single origins roasted just down the road.
Curator’s note
Alan and Alex Morales worked farmers markets and the Melrose Trading Post out of a red pickup truck until a 2015 Coachella pop-up gave them the money and the confidence to open a real shop. They named it Civil for the philosophy they state plainly — to be courteous, to be kind — and Studio City, opened in 2022 at the Shops at Sportsmen's Lodge, is their third.
Built on La Unión's Guerrero-and-Oaxaca espresso lot, roasted for ristretto-style extraction — honeycomb, chocolate, and orange blossom under milk.
Housemade sauce built from ancho and guajillo chiles sourced from Chihuahua, the Morales family's home state — one of the dishes called out when the Studio City kitchen opened under chef Mezraim Llanez.
The coffee
Civil Coffee
Civil Coffee roasts everything in-house, once a week on Fridays, and sources direct from small producers and co-ops in Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas rather than through outside roasters. Co-founder Alan Morales spent roughly a year building Civilian 2.0, the house everyday blend, pulling one lot each from Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Veracruz to land on a single balanced cup.
A house program built on directly sourced Mexican single origins from Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Guerrero, roasted weekly.
The Studio City room is Civil's outpost in the Sportsmen's Lodge: a CDMX-inspired bar, light coming from every side, and an outdoor courtyard built for lingering. A full made-to-order brunch kitchen runs behind it, so the room works at restaurant volume rather than coffee-bar volume.
- La Unión – Mexico Espresso
- Typica, Mundo Novo, Caturra
- 70% anaerobic natural / 30% washed
- La Unión producer group
Honeycomb · Vanilla · Chocolate · Green apple · Orange blossom
- Rio Verde – Guerrero
- Light
- Typica, Bourbon
- Natural anaerobic (36-hour sealed fermentation, sun-dried)
- Río Verde community (Bernardino Adame family)
Purple grape · Yellow fruit · Almond butter · Brown sugar
- La Unión – Rosita
- Medium
- Typica, Mundo Novo, Caturra
- 70% anaerobic natural / 30% washed
- La Unión producer group
Cantaloupe · Clementine · Honeysuckle
- Civilian 2.0
- Medium
- Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Mundo Novo
- Washed
Piloncillo · Graham cracker · Dried fruit · Chocolate
- La Angostura – Decaf
- Medium
- Bourbon, Caturra, Mundo Novo, Typica
- Mountain Water Process (chemical-free decaf)
Dry berries · Sugarcane · Cocoa · Burnt caramel · Citrus zest
- Mico de Noches
- Medium-light
- Bourbon, Caturra, Catuaí, Typica
- Washed (16–20 hr fermentation, 15–20 day patio/raised-bed dry)
Nectarine · Brown sugar · Milk chocolate
- Espresso · Pour-over · Batch drip · Cold brew
- Oat (Oatly) · Almond · Whole · Soy
- Single-origin available · Decaf available
The room
The Studio City space is built around a fully operable, floor-to-ceiling glass storefront that slides open — the first coffee bar and kitchen in Los Angeles reported to get that past the county health department. Open, the counter becomes an extension of the patio at the Shops at Sportsmen's Lodge, closer to the open-air coffee bars the Morales brothers grew up around in Mexico City than to a typical fixed-window LA cafe. There's a light-filled bar up front, a full kitchen behind it, and patio seating out where the glass wall used to be.
Power outlets · guest wifi · restrooms · food menu · patio / outdoor seating · pet friendly · kid-friendly · wheelchair accessible · locally owned
The vibe
Photos
People
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