Demitasse Santa Monica
A mosaic bar built from a decade of shattered cups and plates, fig tree by the counter
Curator’s note
Since 2011 this has been a roaster first, a toll-roasting service for other people's beans. The posted menu names botanicals rather than origins — fig and makrut lime off the trees growing inside — so ask, because the ceramic Walkure brewers and reusable-filter siphons are the most interesting thing on this bar.
The coffee
Demitasse has roasted its own coffee locally in LA since 2011, sourcing through personal farm visits where possible — the retail lineup runs an Ethiopia Banko Chelchele honey process alongside the Milky Way espresso blend. Brewing is paper-filter-free: pour-overs run through ceramic Walkure Bayreuth brewers and siphons fitted with reusable filters, a switch made permanent by 2022.
The bar was rebuilt around a mosaic of the shop's own broken cups, plates and gear — a decade of shattered pieces glued by staff and customers into a vine-and-leaf pattern credited to designer Lisa Delena. A pair of Modbars sit exposed on the counter, installed to remove the wall between the person pulling the shot and the person drinking it.
The room
The vibe
Photos
People
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