"Greater Echo Park’s already-prodigious caffeine scene gets another jolt this weekend with the arrival of Laveta, a sleek new coffee shop and cafe from the Andante Coffee crew. That team, led by co-owner Steve Hyun, already has an Andante Coffee proper up on Sunset Boulevard. Laveta takes over the former Bernie’s Teriyaki address, which had existed along traffic-heavy Glendale Boulevard for more than 40 years. The slightly elevated restaurant space sits across the street from Echo Park Village, the reformatted development that houses yoga studio One Down Dog and the long-awaited Clark Street Bread. The area sits just below the 101 freeway at the confluence of Downtown, Historic Filipinotown, and Echo Park proper, and is becoming a hotbed of new activity thanks to places like Bloom & Plume and the upcoming Chainsaw around the corner. The new Laveta space has been completely pared down and peeled back. The quirky triangular location offers loads of poured cement, blonde woods, funky light fixtures, and touches of greenery. There’s some seating inside near the ordering counter and the La Marzocco espresso machine, but most diners will likely gravitate to the shady patio that overlooks Glendale Boulevard. On the food and drinks front, expect the usual slew of toasts, egg dishes, waffles, and lattes and other drinks. The restaurant is plotting for daily hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but will open with limited hours to start this weekend, and with food only from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m." - Farley Elliott
