Moxie

Elite '08

93

86

Maria D.

Culver City, CA

This cafe is near the school I used to work in.
It's an adorable place with great service. Their
coffee is perfect. I tried their cuban sandwhich and was not
dissapointed.

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29

86

Salacious D.

Los Angeles, CA

This is where I go when I feel like a little kid all grown up..
or when I want to.

I love the pillows to snuggle on in the back..
but I usually end up in the booth in the front.

ANY of their grilled cheeses are awesome, and their pbj club is really a wonderful monster (AND available with or without crusts!)

Their coffee is decent, and their old fashioned soda selection ROCKS [bubble up, anyone?! How about MOXIE!] Their bagel & lox plate is loaded and cheaper than anywhere we eat (which we know, since that's what the lover gets EVERYWHERE..no, really.)

And their sides appeal to the grown-up in me: Quinoa salad,  
fancypants style.. mmmmmmmmmmmm

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1

42

Byron T.

Glendale, CA

After reading the other posts, I was anticipating a mouth watering sandwich experience and convinced two co-workers to hike over to this place. We arrived (a lovely walk, really, quite nice) and felt very comfortable with the atmosphere. The service was warm and proficient and our expectations rose a bit more. Three different sandwiches ordered and various sodas--some time for good conversation. Very soon, three plates were delivered and the presentation was mouthwatering, it was all looking really good. I had the eggplant and chaumes with the lentil side. Then hands pick up bread and first bites. Silence and second bites. Slowly sandwiches return to plates and hesitantly I ask how is their food?

The consensus was this is a nice place with quality food, originating with quality ingredients. Great atmosphere for a relaxing lunch with friends and overall quite charming. A place I will most likely return to. However, the overall take was the food while having potential for greatness was lacking any punch. Yesterday I ordered half a dozen sandwiches from Mendicino Farms and brought them back to the office for a pot-luck lunch. All agreed they were much more exciting in the flavor department.

I will return soon, need to try the coffee and sweets...

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Elite '08

54

180

Annie P.

Long Beach, CA

My girlfriend lived down Valencia and I would often stumble to Moxie in the morning for a coffee and muffin. I have been there about 5 times and every time i go there are new people there learning how to work the register, learning how to make coffee, learning how to TAKE FOREVER AND MAKE ME LATE!!

The Good
- Any coffee shop that isn't Starbucks is good in my book
- It's really a diamond in the rough (this area sucks)
- the decor is cute and fresh
- they have some seriously yummy pastries
- they have GREAT sandwiches and salads (like potato salad)

The Bad
- prices are a bit high. A sandwich, water and salad= 12+
- They have booths fit for tiny little people
- The service is often slow and unpredictable

If you're near, check it out. Its worth a look at least.

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4

4

Quinn P.

Los Angeles, CA

Moxie.

Last year I was a customer for a little while and I loved it so much I decided to work there a couple times a week. I am still there and I love it!  I am sorry for those of you who think the staff is "too cool"  because we don't. We are usually just "too busy" serving lunch.......  If you have ever spent more than a quick minute in Moxie on my shift you know how much I love everyone that walks through that heavy wood door.

We are going to be working on some new drinks,  sandwiches, and sides for summer! Love you all !!!!!!

                 -CRICKET

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0

41

bee a.

San Francisco, CA

Moxie is a little downtown oasis.  Their sandwiches are fresh and the decor is adorable.  I often walk here on my lunch break and it is so hard to just grab my order and head right back to work!  I'm always tempted to curl up in one of the wooden booths, lean back against the ugly throw pillows, and settle in with a book, a glass of lemonade, and one of their yummy over-sized oatmeal cookies.

My favorite sandwiches here are the Pretzel & Brat and the Weggie.  If you want to go in a less oily direction the Smoked Turkey is also tasty.

The only real drawback to this place, and I've been to Moxie more than half a dozen times now, is that several of the servers are less than attentive; they often give off that "I'm too cool to be pleasant to the patrons" vibe.  I still highly recommend this little cafe for a leisurely lunch (if you have the time) or a brief respite from the work day (if you don't).

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1

24

Andrew T.

Los Angeles, CA

Big sandwiches, quality ingredients, generous sides.  My favorite is the eggplant and chaumes sandwich, but everything I've had there has been good including the caprese, the funghi, and a few of their weekly specials.

My three favorite places in this area (Moxie, Langer's, Mama's) all close way too early.

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4

84

Anna B.

Los Angeles, CA

As much as I appreciate Max M's quirky writing style, please don't let his references to Mexican gangsters and the like deter you from visiting Moxie.  It is a quaint, sunny, little shop with plenty of seating and a vibe that rivals anything in a hipper, Caucasian-infested neighborhood.  The food (sandwiches, salads, and baked goods) is fresh and delicious and the coffee and tea are high quality.  Extra points for cute staff, looseleaf tea, and free wifi!  The only thing I don't like about Moxie is that it's only open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, because I'm more of a night/weekend person!

Free parking is easily found on the side streets, and it's in close proximity to the downtown businesses. Kudos to the owners for opening a place like this down here before gentrification has fully taken over... go enjoy Moxie before a Starbucks opens up across the street.

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I'm a writer who has trouble working in her own home. In my quest for the perfect coffee shop, I have devised my own star rating system for the shops I review on this site. Each attribute below is worth one star, which makes it possible for a shop to lack desirable attributes yet still receive a perfect Yelp rating.  Anything with a perfect Yelp rating is a place in which I am happy to sit for hours on end.

* well lit
* cozy atmosphere with comfortable seating
* wifi (free or not)
* open late
* serves loose leaf tea
* variety of affordable food and beverages
* interesting people-watching, whether it be out the window or in the shop
* not too crowded (I hardly ever go on the weekends because I know the odds would be against me)

I understand that my rating system is unique to my own needs but hopefully I will be able to highlight qualities that others may be interested in.

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17

123

grace j.

Los Angeles, CA

I really have mixed feelings about this place, mainly because it gives off the facade of being a mom-and-pop shop when in fact it is owned by one of the downtown conglomerates (those companies/developers
who are buying out every builiding in downtown and trying to make a bar each time). But here's my review...

The good:  Sandwiches are good, especially the pressed sandwiches; ambience is cute, trying to preserve the old building; plenty of parking; discounts for local students; and wi-fi.

The bad:  Menu is very limited; litle pricey for sandwiches; workers are not very friendly, in that i'm-too-cool-for-everything hipster type of unfriendly.

Overall, I can see myself going there in the future.

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5

5

Brian C.

Playa del Rey, CA

This designer deli has a bohemian feel with a healthy dose of boutique European cheeses topped with a heirloom tomatoes. The sandwich ingredients feature an ersatz mix of fine cheeses, artisan breads and tasty salads. I had the Cubano, a pressed panini with gruyere, pork and cornichons. Good times. Side salad choices included couscous and chich curry salad, but I went with this tasty pasta salad with cherry tomotoes and was impressed. My dining companion had a brat on a pretzel bun and was equally impressed.

If you go, come with cheese confidence and try the iced tea. My only disappoinment: The desserts. I had the brownie, which tasted a tad on the stale side.

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5

6

Heather L.

San Diego, CA

This place is great.  Interesting location and I would have driven by it if I didn't know it was there.
I had their sandwich of the week and it was awesome, the cheese, lettuce, tomato combo was perfection.  The red velvet cake wasn't really velvety but it was pretty good.
The feel of the place was really inviting and the service was great.  I'm thrilled to be adding this place to my list of places to eat during work.

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3

5

Patrick J.

CA

Here's to adding a little character to our meager little city! This lonely stretch of road between Koreatown and Downtown may be the last place one might expect to find such a gem of a shop. Serving excellent drip coffee and featuring a well-curated menu of cheeses, sandwiches, and salads, Moxie and it's farmhouse-chic aesthetic receive a smackin' high five from this Yelper.

With bottomless cups o' coffee and a wifi connection to keep me booted up, I have spent hours here working away while local ladies, businessmen, construction workers, and hip li'l hipsters have made a visit for a pick-me-up or light lunch.

The workers are still getting used to the gradually increasing crowds, so don't worry much if your to-go is a little long in coming. With more and more lovin', though, the Moxie staff will be sure to keep us all coming back for more.

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267

199

Kit S.

Los Angeles, CA

love moxie. the sandwiches are bigger than my face and which genius thought of putting olives in grilled cheese? plus, ugly farm-theme pillows!

kinda on the pricey side, but the food is worth it. Try the lentils, but get someone else to get the coleslaw so you can take a few bites w/o the commitment (sides are HUGE).

I even love the punky-gothy staff wearing skinny jeans (must not be comfy in 100 degree weather).

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0

3

natasi g.

Los Angeles, CA

Moxie is a kewl little hip coffee house/eatery. A nice little selection of food with quality ingredients. The house coffee is good and inexpensive and by downtown standards, the food there is not expensive. The service is good, the staff pleasant and attentive. A gem and nice contrast to the corporate own coffee power houses of SB and CBTL that infest the downtown area...although they are surely in part responsible for the urban renewal/revival occurring in downtown. Have had the ham and cheese croissant and the caprese sandwich. Both were yummy. The slaw is also yummy.

There is plenty of street parking. There is a parking lot behind the building, but i am not sure if that is for the apartment tenants above only.

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Elite '08

59

196

Max M.

Culver City, CA

The last time I was in this neighborhood I was hightailing it to the Pacific Dining Car, making sure not to get shot, carjacked, or accosted  by Mexican gangsters. Let's face it, this neighborhood isn't "up and coming", it's an absolute shithole. It's in Rampart division, the local hospital is Good Samaritan (a place that has to envy King/Drew's death rate), by day people run to their office buildings with lunches in hand, and by night you're lucky if you just get stabbed. Sure, there's some lovely new apartments and condos being built, but the local denizens are just happy to have new steel to make their shivs.

That's why a place like Moxie is such a shocking gem in the middle of a landscape Hamas would drive around. A charming hipster feel with an outstanding menu of sandwiches and salads with an emphasis on delicious cheese. In fact, I'd load up the bullet proof car with their smoked mozzarella regularly, if my car insurance didn't prohibit me from driving my car through the area more than once a month.

The coffee was perfectly roasted, and they keep real cream behind the counter. Nothing tastes like good coffee with real cream. I ordered the "Cubano", which was listed as pork with pickles and gruyere and mojo sauce. My wife had the "weggie", roast vegetables with pesto and smoked mozzarella. Besides using the smoked mozzarella in their sandwiches, Moxie also sells this amazing cheese. It's a level of pleasure that others in the area have to get from Jack the Ripper-style slaughter of prostitutes. My sandwich turned out to be a glorified ham and cheese, "pork" being a playful bait-and-switch with "ham". But it was absolutely delicious nevertheless. The bread on both our sandwiches was spectacular; perfect sandwich bread full of flavor and yielding with the perfect crunch. Because I am in full glutton mode I had to try the desserts, made by their own baker. I was briefly tempted by the red velvet cupcakes, and let me take a moment to rant about a current fad:

As good as people might tell you they are, a cupcake is still a worthless dessert. Cupcake lovers probably watch "Little People Big World" and think it's high drama. The dwarfs on that show are insipid rural farmdolts one step away from homeschooling their spawn into religious nuts. Pint sized Jesus freaks are still freaks - regardless of their height. It's not the dwarfism that makes you obnoxious, you're six feet of obnoxious in a parallel universe. So don't try and tell me that a cupcake merits any special attention. It's a deformed, squat, fire hydrant of a dessert that in a parallel universe is a crappy cake.

So I had the bread pudding. Yum!

My wife now works walking distance from Moxie, and after I equip her with a titanium chastity belt, automatic mace dispensers on her forearms, and instruct her on Bruce Lee's deadly one-inch punch I'll come out for lunch more often to Moxie.

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