Pop-Up Couplet Coffee Goes Opens a Permanent Location in Westlake | Eater LA
"Opened January 17, 2025, in the former Bloom & Plume space in Westlake on the border of Echo Park, this café grew out of two years of pop-ups and a specialty-bean brand Gefen Skolnick launched in 2022, sourcing beans directly from co-ops and family-run farms in Nicaragua, Brazil, and Peru. Known for custom cow-print moka pots, heart-motif French presses, and other coffee-themed products, the pop-ups popularized creative caffeinated classics such as the Gulab, made with espresso, saffron, rose, and cardamon, and helped Skolnick amass a large social-media following—she is often referred to as the coffee industry’s "chief gay officer." The permanent menu carries pop-up favorites and new items like the Choco Banana, a mocha composed of homemade chocolate ganache topped with banana cream, Filipino banana chips, and cinnamon; the Coke n’ Cream Spro, made with Coke, espresso, and vanilla cream and topped with a glistening maraschino cherry; plus drinks that nod to Jamaican, Filipino, and Iranian flavor profiles such as the Banana Bread chai and the Iced Rosella (a tea of hibiscus, lemongrass, and licorice root). Baristas contributed creations like the Rosemary Passion Fruit Tonic (made with espresso or matcha, passion fruit, and honey), and the menu also offers a full suite of classics from espresso, cold brews, drip coffee, and Americanos to lattes, cortados, and cappuccinos. On the non-coffee side there are loose-leaf teas and tea lattes, a kids menu with hot chocolate and the Banooney (a homemade Filipino banana syrup and steamed milk beverage), and single-origin ceremonial-grade matcha from Ise, Japan—sourced through Matcha Freak and described by Skolnick as having tasting notes of lemon and marzipan; both the beans and matcha powder are available to purchase by the bag alongside hand-selected teas, coffee pots, and merchandise. The pastry case features classic croissants and colorful conchas from Cafe Tropical, gluten-free cookies from Pips, and cinnamon rolls from Gooey Center, and starting in March the café will add a four-item sandwich menu (tuna melt, mortadella melt, egg salad sandwich, and turkey sandwich). Design details—checkered tile flooring, subtle purple lighting, and murals by Nicole Lulinski Weill intended to evoke "the inside of the beans’ holographic packaging: chaotic, effervescent, kaleidoscopic"—include hand-painted panels with whimsical characters (Echo Park swans, a French press serving side eye, a roller-skating mug with a handle piercing), a curated upbeat playlist (Brandi Carlile, Chappell Roan, Sophie), a few indoor flower-shaped tables but mostly outdoor seating, and a decal above the entrance reading, "Gr8 Coffee is for Everyone." Skolnick used the coffee cart and pop-ups to build community—queer art nights with live music, visual arts, poetry readings, and stand-up comedy—and continues to host sober events such as Sapphic Reads and Socials while likely absorbing many pop-ups from the recently closed Ruby Fruit; she also opened the space to people needing a quiet escape or filtered water during fire evacuations and power outages. A former software engineer at Hulu and Tesla, Skolnick says the tech world influences her approach: "They are both so methodical and fast-paced," she says, noting how much both require one to "think in steps." On audience and culture she adds, "I want people from all backgrounds to feel like they belong here." - Olivia Leadbetter
