101 Coffee Shop

When Brian and I lived in the Hollywood Hills, the 101 Coffee Shop was our breakfast, lunch and dinner of choice. It's almost always open, reliably good, and fairly cheap. If you're into being healthy, there are a few healthy items on the menu, but not too many (go to Hugo's if you want healthy... much better for that).

But what I love most is that the place has a great kitsch about it. Formica, wood paneling, stone walls, 70's lighting... it'll definitely take you back to childhood (either as an actual child or as an adult, depending on when you were born). If you go, be sure to check out all the 70's photos lining the walls - you may even recognize a few relatives. Daily Gluttony has a great review with some photos of the 101 decor... yes, what's old will always be new and hip in Hollywood.

Time to eat.

Brian and I always seem to pick the times when it's crowded, which means two for the counter. The counter features an angled mirror near the ceiling, so you can see everything going on behind and around you. It's a great place to sit and check out the many types of people who hang out at the 101 Coffee Shop. And when I say "many types of people," I mean, "people who are in A.A." It's like the Swingers on Beverly crowd, but greasier.

I spy... Colleen Cuisine on the ceiling:


The sign for the 101 Coffee Shop boasts that it's the Last Cappucino before the 101. Well, I had the last latte... and a foamy latte at that:


101 Coffee Shop has really great diner food. Yes, there is such a thing. The food is a little bit like Fred 62, but with fewer choices, lower prices, MUCH lower music volume and (in my opinion) better food. Stick to the basics and you'll never go wrong...

Here's the huge and glorious Hamburger:

Perfectly simple - great beef, great cheese, nice bun, juicy, hot, fresh. It usually comes with fries, or you can get mashed potatoes (like Brian did) or any of their other sides.

I'm hooked on the tuna melt and onion rings:

The tuna melt is outstanding - just make sure to order it without tomatoes if you don't like tomatoes in it. The tuna salad is simple, the sourdough bread fresh, doughy and crunchy on top when cooked.

But the best part of the 101 Coffee Shop is the onion rings. Holy moly... these are good onion rings. If you're into the breaded vs. battered debate, you must know that I stand clearly on the side of battered. Breaded onion rings are just soggy, oily, flaky and gross. Battered onion rings, on the other hand, are crispy, crunchy, hot, not too oily, and delicious. SO delicious!

Check 'em out:


The onion rings were so good I could not stop taking photos of them.
OK, I know taking pictures of your food is a little weird and funny looking, but you don't have to LAUGH at me for goodness sake!

The above photo is part of a new series I'm working on: Life through the Onion Ring. It's the first in a series of about 50 photos I took, only 2 of which I'll post here (otherwise you'll be laughing at me like the guys above). Clearly you all don't see my vision.

I think I got a little too ambitious with the onion ring photos. However, I continue to believe that this would be perfect as Brian's new author photo...

He's a bit skeptical. Honey, I work in marketing, I KNOW these things!

101 Coffee Shop
6145 Franklin Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-467-1175
Hours: Daily 7AM-3AM