When I went to high school, the cool thing was to hang out at Starbucks and order strawberry Frappuccinos while having serious discussions about how Jennifer dating Aaron was probably the worst idea ever and why having a 4.24 GPA was not good enough for Stanford. My, how times have changed. The high schoolers are still there but now we are embracing latte art and nobody does it better than Sambalatte.
The cafe is cozy, the baristas are genuine, and of course, the coffee is as gorgeous as it tastes! Grad students huddle over textbooks in the corner, wizened retirees chat about the meaning of life at the counter near the bar, and suburban couples sit outside with their canines.
My friends from LA that I bring here when they want the "local experience," (you know, the same people who ask you to please hook them up at a nightclub later that day) tell me it's just like Urth Caffe. I've never been to the latter, but I can assume that ours is a step up because the parking is free and the traffic is nonexistent. Win.