Camel Coffee, a popular chain of cafes from South Korea, is opening its first U.S. location in Silver Lake in the former Cafe Caravan space at 4459 Sunset Boulevard this May. “Camel focuses on superior interior design, exciting collaborations, and amazing coffee,” Joshua Park, the operations manager of the Los Angeles flagship location, tells Eater. Park and his wife, Alice Kim, met Camel’s founder, Kanghyun Park (not related to Joshua Park), through a partnership in 2020 and began working on opening the U.S. location in 2022. There are currently 11 Camel Coffee shops in Seoul and one in Busan.
The 2,000-square-foot Silver Lake space will seat 30 or so patrons across two floors and an outdoor patio. Many of Camel’s most popular drinks will be served, including its signature Camel Coffee made with a double espresso shot and milk and topped with a proprietary cream. Also on the drinks menu are milk tea and a popular multi-grain drink called misugaru. To nibble alongside the drinks are standard pastries like croissants, along with a specialty from the South Korean stores called “le tigre” which is shaped like a madeleine and made with hazelnut butter and caramelized sugar.
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In congee we trust
LA’s beloved Hong Kong cafe chain Delicious Food Corner recently launched a loyalty program. In addition to offering mobile ordering and tracking order progress, the Apple– and Android-compatible app rewards users for frequent usage with promises of rewards that can be redeemed for free food. Use the code “LOCAL” at checkout for 20 percent off the first online order placed on the app.
The latest Erewhon celeb smoothie
Erewhon is teaming up with ‘90s supermodel Molly Sims on its latest smoothie available from now until the end of April. The “beauty elixir smoothie,” which features almond milk, plant-based protein powder, coconut whip, almond butter, banana, dates, sea moss, and more, supposedly “supports skin health.”
Trends in cookbook writing
The Culinary Historians of Southern California are hosting a free, in-person lecture all about how cookbooks have evolved from 1970 until now — “from straightforward recipe guides to books more reflective of the personalities, ethnicities, and foods that shape our diverse culture.” The event with author Joan Nathan and former Bon Appétit editor Barbara Fairchild takes place on Saturday, April 20 at 10:30 a.m. at the Los Angeles Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium (630 W. Fifth Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071). Reservations are recommended.
Long live chains
New York Times’ critic at large, Tejal Rao, recently wrote about Chain in Virgil Village, the periodic pop-up founded by Otium chef Tim Hollingsworth and actor-comedian B.J. Novak that pays homage to some of America’s most iconic fast-food brands. “It’s a different kind of illusion: a restaurant that isn’t really a restaurant, selling fast food that isn’t really fast food? And it sent me — a person who isn’t really a person? — into a spiral,” Rao writes.