G&B Coffee

Shitty and overpriced. Cool vibe. Lattes ok $ 5, but espresso sucks bad. If you’re a REAL coffee drinker, avoid this place.

I honestly wasn’t very impressed with this place. The service was subpar and I ended up leaving with the wrong order. I ordered 2 iced almond macadamia lattes. After waiting 15 minutes, the barista came over to double check that I was just waiting for an iced latte. I reminded him that it was 2 iced almond macadamia lattes and he nodded as if he understood. However, after waiting another 10 minutes, the drinks we received were regular lattes. I didn’t have time to wait around to have our order fixed, so I decided to just leave. The regular latte itself was okay, but I wish I could have tried the almond macadamia.

G&B operates like a fully staffed hive. Worker bees constantly taking orders, cleaning, steaming milk, pulling shots and creating masterpieces from their 360° accessible coffee bar. The macadamia latte on the menu grabbed my attention. The latte is expertly made and has a great taste. It’s creamy, full of body, rich, and strong; it’s the coffee counterpart to a craft stout, another one of my favorites. I unfortunately didn’t order one of their waffles with ricotta as I had ordered food at the neighboring DTLA Cheese, but I’ll definitely be returning for one.

My poison at this barista bar is their Café Latte with a splash of sweet syrup. There is something intriguing about it. You taste the bean and perfectly crafted latte… Perfect two part texture of steamed milk with foam at the top. Latte art of heart naturally formed by mastered pour technique. It isn’t a cup of coffee that you are being served here… It is art.
Nearest Metro Station: Red and Purple Lines at Pershing Square

I see G&B all the time when I walk through Grand Central Market — probably because I usually enter that way. I’m not a coffee person and G&B offers alternatives.
I ordered the coconut sweet potato milk, which has no caffeine at all. It was the comparison to milk tea that sold me. You can never pass on milk tea, you know. Or at least I can’t.
The sweet potato somehow did add a caramel tinge to the coconut milk. Quite a pleasant surprise. While I found myself liking the drink, I find the ordering process kind of confusing. You have to flag down any of the bartenders and then order your drink from them. Many of them have an iPad on them for the orders. I didn’t know at first so I just stood there, like a lost sheep. The drink also had a lot of ice, which isn’t worth that nearly five dollar price attached to it. Ask for less ice!

G&B is a hip coffee place at the Grand Central Market. I went last week and tried the sweet almond latte and I went back today to try the coconut sweet potato milk tea. Here is my verdict. The sweet almond latte was good because they use their own nut milk. And it was nice to have a non-​dairy alternative to lattes. However, it is on the pricier side so it is only something I can indulge in once in a while. The coconut sweet potato milk tea was a very different drink. You can definitely taste the sweet potato in the drink. If you are looking for a non caffeine alternative at a coffee place this is something worth trying.

I came here with my friend after our brunch. We ordered the almond macademia latte. Unfortunately, it was not our favorite. For some reason, perhaps because it used almond macademia milk, it was too acidic and too thin of a consistency for a latte.
It is very centrally located, in Grand Central Market, a great open space to people watch.
Will try out their other beverages when I am in the area again.

I loved this spot at the Grand Central Market. It’s an bar concept coffee space, so while most patrons instinctually will form a line by the register, you can actually walk up and sit anywhere around the bar and a barista will help you shortly.
I ordered a cortado for myself and my friend order their cold brew with a splash of their house made almond milk. My cortado was excellent and a perfect smooth finish. My friend’s cold brew was also pretty good, I prefer a little more body to my cold brew, but it was still really good.
Their pastries are a little overpriced, so I skipped out there, but their espresso is definitely worth the splurge!

It’s a coffee joint. Came here on a Sunday a little after lunch, the crowd was hovering around the side where the entrance is but there are signs that you could order anywhere. So we just came from the back that’s facing inside the market place and got helped right away.
Iced coffee: was iced coffee good taste and flavor for black coffee but what can I say? It’s coffee. It wasn’t horrible and it was drinkable! Their ice cubes are literally CUBES. I loved them. They were huge.
The service was very quick and fast. Friendly gals too. If I was in the area and needing a coffee pick me up, I would drop by for some coffee there but it’s not the go to.

G&B never disappoints. I love coming here as their beans change everytime I visit.
I came by on a Sunday afternoon and man was it busy. took us about 5 minutes to get our order taken and it took a while for my cappuccino to come out, but I was checking out their products/​coffee beans/​new remodeling that I didn’t notice.
Our barista was really nice and very apologetic when I asked about my cappuccino, but it was no big deal to me. He burned his hand before taking our order and it was super busy. I’ve worked as a barista and have gone through the same experience so I had no problem understanding his situation. As long as I got my cappuccino, I was a happy camper.
Currently they’re using 49 parallel beans (I think?) They had other brands but since they had those beans out for customers I assume they were using it too.
Free street parking on Sunday’s, but looking for a spot can be tricky. Just be ready for the crowds at G&B and Grand Central Market!

I’m torn between 2 and 3 stars but I’m rounding down because I truly don’t understand the hype (sorry not sorry?). This place is extremely hipster and has a great ambiance towards the entrance of Grand Central Market, but that’s pretty much where the pros end for me. I had an americano which was extremely bitter with a strange tang. This is coming from someone who drinks black americanos every day and never notices the «bitterness».
My mother ordered a macadamia almond latte which was outrageous at $ 6.50 and was probably one of the blandest flavored lattes I’ve ever had. Honestly, I’m here scratching my head on how this place came to be so recommended when all I was left with was a $ 11 charge on my credit card for 2 (small) cups of disappointment.
I’m just glad we located a coffee shop that served Stumptown an hour or so later.

ICED SWEET LATTE
This is the best ICED latte I have ever had. Why?
* Not too sweet.
* Not too milky or creamy.
* Lego shaped ice cubes do not melt and therefore do not water down your coffee!
The shop itself has bar seating around the baristas, but not many people seemed to stay. However, I will definitely get their iced sweet latte again!

I’m biased when it comes to coffee. Not a barista by any means but just as I like a good whiskey or scotch, I am an appreciator. That stands for cold brew as well — my go to standard in which I can definitively say whether or not a coffee place is legit. My benchmark is Panther Coffee in Miami (maybe slightly biased) which is a roasting/​coffee house CLOSEST to Latin America. They source the beans roast them in house and deliver the best cold brew (thus far) on the planet.
I’ve been to many cities and i always seek out the best coffee house in each city and I’ve regularly been disappointed till I had G&B. It’s the closest thing to panther I’ve ever had and it was really good. Refreshing and had that nice caffeine kick to it.
I didn’t eat the food so factor that here as well but the service was on point. Harlet (sp?) took great care of me and circled around the bar a few times to make sure I was taken care of. I did some work out of there also on their wifi which was free but a little slow at times (can’t blame them. probably a thousand people accessing it being in the GCM). Overall a great experience and I needed a LA souvenir and bought one of their fitted hats to take back and rock in Miami.
Highly recommend and will be back next trip out west.

Can’t get enough of this place! The new wraparound bar is a welcome improvement. Loving the marble counter tops reminiscent of Italia and the extra bar stool seating is a plus (hehe would be nice if they had the purse/​jacket hooks underneath the bar seating=P).
In addition to their regular pastry & baked goods, they now offer waffles and toast. I have yet to try the toast, but their waffles are yum! Nice and fluffy, but with a subtle crunch after each bite. My fave is the ricotta w/​blueberry jam.mmm. Served up with my cappuccino and you’ve got the perfect pairing!
The new ginger beer option is great as well. Light and refreshing, I’d probably choose this if I wasn’t in the mood for my espresso pick me up!
Thank you G&B for continually serving top notch drinks and upping your foodie game!
If you’re in a rush, there is a quick 5min parking right in front of Grand Central Market along Hill Street — since G&B is located right at the Hill St entrance, perfect for those on the go!

One of the best coffee experiences I have ever had in my 26 years of existence. The Iced Almond Macadamia Milk Latte is perfect! I don’t like sweet drinks and for those lactose intolerant people (its not actually milk) so its amazing! The price of the drink is slightly steeper than a lot of places (around $ 6), but I understand because they make their milk fresh every day! I love the whole concept and ambience of the place as an open coffee bar. Highly recommend this place and Grand Central Market to anyone!

G&B coffee is on the backside of Grand Central Market. We came in the front on Broadway, but G&B is right off Hill St, so come in the backside.
It’s set up like a square bar in the middle of a club. Find a spot anywhere you can anywhere around the bar and a barista will serve you.
Coffee was delicious, but be prepared to pay $ 14 for 2 iced mochas.

Please don’t judge me!
Ok so I had bookmarked this place excited to stop by at some point. I actually made it a mission to make it here. Finally came this past weekend and at least for me, I am sorry to say it let me down.
First, so the ordering set up is a little different, the coffee shop is set up like a bar and you just walk up to the counter and order your drink in no particular order. Sorry, but I am not fond of this process but hey, not really a big deal. Well, after you order we waited easily 15 – 20 minutes for our coffees. Now I know they make it fresh etc but no coffee should take that long to make. I saw some people that came after us get their drinks so that also gave it away that the walk up process to order doesn’t work for everything.
I ordered their famous almond latte and well for me, I just didn’t enjoy it. I had to add creamer to it and then it tasted a bit better. Lets just say that it wasn’t my cup of coffee.
I would recommend people to still stop by though. Coffee is of different palates for everyone so you may enjoy this place. I wont be back by choice here but if in the area I may just give it another shot.

One of the best iced mochas I’ve ever had!
Such an awesome coffee bar (literally like a bar). You pretty much sit around the baristas as they make your drinks. It does take a while for them to make your coffee but that’s because they take their time to make it perfect.
They are located inside the grand central market. They also have food, snacks and some pastries. It does get a bit busy but they get through the line quickly.

Cute coffee counter at the Grand Central Market, every time i go to GCM i never fail to get their cold brew
great focus on quality coffee & espresso but i sadly haven’t quite developed my taste for the straight espresso
–business & pleasure: shot of espresso w/​a cup of their house almond & macadamia milk & a palette cleansing tea for afterwards! didn’t think the almond & macadamia milk was revolutionary enough to make me wanna replace the soy milk in my fridge but it’s DIFFERENT!
–cold brew: a good solid cup of joe
they don’t roast their own beans but they carry a hand-​selected assortment of LA roasters

While i was wandering around the Grand Central Market, I saw a sign that says «Looking for coffee? Not too worry, we are just 50 steps away from that way.» It only took me approximately 30 steps to get to the final destination — G&B Coffee (Charles Babinski, the B in G&B & one of the co-​owners, won the 2015 US Barista Championship and 2^nd place in the 2015 World Barista Championship. Kyle Glanville, the G in G&B, won the 2008 US Barista Championship).
You’ll find G&B Coffee on the Hill (not Broadway) side of the Grand Central Market. Menu includes espresso (macchiato, cappuccino, latte, etc), specialty drinks (chai, fizzy happy tea, turmeric + ginger w/​almond macadamia), filter, tea (black, green, white, cold brew), and pastry.
***
Almond macadamia Capp (sugar + iced, $ 6 tax included): I am no coffee connoisseur, but overall the drink tasted a bit light & I simply could not taste both almond and macadamia. Not super bitter and «acidic» (or sour), but It had this distinct and weird «bland /​metallic» aftertaste and I can’t put my finger on it.
***
Even though the staff was friendly, I still can’t convenience myself that it was a $ 6 worthy iced cappuccino (I was thinking more of $ 4 ~ $ 5 range). I am not denying its high quality coffee, but the drink isn’t something I would be craving for ²⁴⁄₇.
P. S. — According to this NY Times article, G&B’s iced almond-​macadamia milk latte is one of the best iced latte in America (
).