Coffee Commissary — Fairfax
Fast wifi, a patio, and a honey latte the whole block runs on.
Curator’s note
Tyler King left real estate in 2009 to run a coffee bar out of the ground floor at 801 N. Fairfax, the first specialty coffee shop in West Hollywood, built around other people's roasts rather than its own. Coffee Commissary didn't start roasting and sourcing its own coffee until 2020, eleven years later.
Fairfax's coffee-nerd draw: Time Out singles out its single-origin pour-overs, and the live Fairfax ordering menu lists filter coffee ($4) plus a rotating single-origin drip. Replaces the 'Spiced Honey Latte' previously on file, which was struck as unverifiable (only on the myreservetable.com aggregator; absent from the live Fairfax menu).
Soft scrambled eggs, bacon, cheddar and queso Oaxaca, tater tots, and guacamole in a Sonoran flour tortilla ($14.50); press adds micro cilantro, habanero hot sauce, and a side of chips and salsa. Confirmed on the live Fairfax/Waring ordering menu. Culinary director Travis Garcia calls it the brand's standout item and 'one of the best breakfast burritos in the city.'
The coffee
Coffee Commissary
Coffee Commissary now roasts everything in-house in Los Angeles, a shift made in 2020 after over a decade running cafes on other roasters' beans. The current lineup runs on direct grower relationships — a two-manzana family farm in Chalatenango, a Cup of Excellence winner in Huila, a Kenyan estate that only started wet-milling its own cherry in 2018 — with most single origins offered in a choice of light, medium, or dark roast rather than one fixed profile. Pour-over is on the bar at Fairfax alongside cold brew.
Roasted locally off relationships with growers, with a guest roaster rotating through every few weeks.
The espresso is consistent and the service is easy, pitched at an everyday neighborhood crowd rather than the tasting-flight set.
- Commissary Blend
- Medium
50/50 pre-blend of green coffees · everyday espresso, built for daily sipping straight or with milk
- Decaf Cauca
- natural decaffeination, ethyl acetate (E.A.), via Cafe Imports
offered in light, medium, or dark roast · caffeine content 0.01-0.03%
- Finca San Antonio
- Pacamara, Geisha
- washed
- Finca San Antonio (Martha Yaneth Lemus, with Jonny and Carlos Lemus)
butterscotch · grapefruit · wildflower nectar · offered in light, medium, or dark roast · microlots as small as a single bag
- Johny's Natural Pacamara
- Pacamara
- natural, likely anaerobic tank fermentation before raised-bed drying
- Finca San Antonio (Johny Lemus)
vibrant, sweet, fruity · grown under old-growth pine shade · offered in light, medium, or dark roast
- Yinyini Avilez Panela Process
- Bourbon, Caturra, Pink Fruits
- panela co-fermentation (depulped, then fermented with homemade panela in GrainPro bags 24-48hrs, then washed)
- Yinyini Avilez
intensely sweet, syrupy body, clean finish · roaster's second year working this lot/process · offered in light, medium, or dark roast
- Aurelio Especial
- anaerobic washed (GrainPro fermentation, then pulped, fermented again, washed, raised-bed dried in shaded warehouse)
- Villatoro family farm
boozy tropical character · high-end microlot · Villatoro family's second special lot this year · offered in light, medium, or dark roast
- Privem Estate AB
- SL varieties, Batian
- wet mill (estate-owned mill since 2018)
- Privem Estate (Patrick and Rita Makundi)
23-acre family estate across two generations · offered in light, medium, or dark roast
- Finca La Primavera
- Light
- Sidra
- washed
- Finca La Primavera (Arnulfo and Diego)
expressive florals, vibrant sweetness · producer won 1st place, 2011 Cup of Excellence
- Patio Bonito
- Typica
- washed, with thermal shock processing, controlled inoculation, and precision drying
- Patio Bonito (Carlos Trujillo and Paola Trujillo)
offered in light, medium, or dark roast · farm noted for biodiversity
- Espresso · Pour-over · Batch drip · Cold brew
- Oat (Oatly) · Almond · Soy · Whole
- Single-origin available · Decaf available
The room
Power outlets · guest wifi · restrooms · food menu · patio / outdoor seating · pet friendly · kid-friendly · wheelchair accessible · locally owned · reusable-cup discount
The vibe
Photos
People
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