The founder of Lux and Lola Tapas, Daniel Wayne, has re-entered the coffee trade (he sold Lux several years ago).
The new Lola Café is just north of Lux at Highland and Central. I can’t figure out why he is so close to Lux and why he did not start this new venture near my office. Clearly, he forgot the rule about checking with Ken before making major business decisions.
Daniel made a breakthrough in coffee when he opened Lux 8 years ago. He made a cup of coffee which had a high level of craftsmanship to it. You simply could not find that downtown back then. He put a lot of thought in to what goes in to his drinks, for instance Ghirardelli chocolate and whipped cream made on the spot with vanilla and a shot of espresso.
Lola Café has everything that Lux used to have: great coffee, fantastic atmosphere, incredible pastries, etc. Not that Lux doesn’t have that, but the drawback to Lux nowadays is the crowd and the noise.
So, until Lola Café gets to be as crowded as Lux (I give them two weeks), I may favor Lola over Lux for meetings, work and the odd occasional book reading.
The Good: The consistently incredible coffee and food.
The Bad: Not too far in the future, it will be too crowded and noisy for this old curmudgeon.
The Ugly: None
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