Sometime in 2022 or 2023.
There are about a dozen coffee shops within a three mile radius from where I live. A few are big chains, but most are independent operations that create drinks with a level of quality you won’t find at your big corporate store. Very close to downtown Fullerton, 525 Coffee Co. sits in a purple building that looks like it was originally a house. I parked in the neighborhood behind the building and strolled in.
As you walk in, you’ll instantly notice the open floor plan. It has a modern look with wooden flooring, track lighting, large wooden tables designed for engaged study groups, big chairs that envelop you as you lay back, and barstools against the walls. Pop music lightly played over the stereo. The majority of the crowd was on the younger side, with several of them studying alone, laptops and notebooks sprawled out over the tables.
The menu consists of standard coffee, espresso, and tea drinks. We ordered a latte and a lavender latte, but I can’t stop at drinks when I’m trying out a coffee house for the first time. Peering into the pastry display, I saw small round cakes, wrapped up in foil, like a Ding Dong. These cakes, or “cakewiches”, as described, are made by Cake Monkey in Beverly Hills. They come in a wide variety of flavors from confetti cake, chocolate, pumpkin, to strawberry passionfruit, which was the flavor of the month. We opted for the chocolate cake with buttercream. The cakes are covered in a thin, hard shell of frosting, which makes them even more reminiscent of a Ding Dong.
We then sat down to enjoy our drinks. The latte was well balanced. I’ve had many in which the espresso gets overpowered by the milk, but this wasn’t the case, here. It was hot and creamy, with the right amount of foam. The lavender latte had that distinctive lavender flavor, but not too sweet. I was still able to recognize that I was drinking a latte, instead of a bunch of sugar. As far as the cakewich, it was much better than a Ding Dong. Though, that’s a low bar. The moist cake had a rich chocolatey flavor that paired well with the buttercream.
525 Coffee Co. had a relaxing atmosphere. There wasn’t a large group of teens yelling nor 20 blenders going into overdrive every two minutes. It’s a great place to grab a coffee and chat with a friend. Just be prepared to spend. The two lattes and cake totaled to about $17.