Emily L.
Yelp
I loved Longfellows, the previous coffee shop in this space shared with Lamplighter Brewery, and am still a fan of Pepita, the brewery's own venture into coffee and food.
Much of the staff is the same, with the main change being a real food program in the form of breakfast tacos. The drinks remain on point, and I still quite enjoy the matcha and chai lattes (by Mem Tea) and espresso drinks (by Barrington and other local craft roasters). They no longer carry almond milk, which is a bit sad to me, but oat and soy milks are still good vegan options.
The tacos satisfy and are decently priced for a non-SoCal place. You can request corn tortillas to make them gluten free, and they are also easy to make dairy-free as well without cheese and crema. Although my tacos tend to look sparser than my friends' since they're stripped of most of their toppings (see the photos), I still find them tasty. The avocado tostada remains my favorite, with a thick slather of spiced mashed avocado accompanied by the crunch of pepitas and tartness from pickled onions (which I usually don't like, but I like them here). I've seen some gluten and dairy free
My friends have also really enjoyed the carnitas and egg taco on flour tortillas. The Tall Man often gets the cold brew flight, which you can order at the bar.
The place has kept its fun atmosphere, with lots of types of seating and board games to play. It still gets pretty crowded, especially on weekends and once Lamplighter starts serving beer (around 3pm on weekdays), so it's not the best place for groups, unless you really time it right. Getting there early with just a couple people seems to work well, though.