North Park Cafe Brews Up Specialty Coffee and Soft Serve Ice Cream Treats

Deja Brew Lounge debuts this Friday, October 12 on University Avenue, where it will be open from noon to 10 p.m. until the end of the month; starting in November, the North Park cafe will commence regular operating hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Opened by friends Mariana Covarrubias and Vannak Seang, both alums of the The Art Institute of California, Deja Brew seats 50 across multiple rooms and an outdoor patio; from cozy nooks to neon signs, the owners have created many opportunities to capture an eye-catching shot for your Instagram feed. They’ve also crafted a menu of photo-ready desserts based on housemade soft serve ice cream in flavors ranging from vanilla to Thai tea and charcoal chai. Offered with a variety of sauces and toppings, the ice cream can be sandwiched in a doughnut or swirled into a chimney cone, a hollow cone of yeasted dough that will be available in limited quantities.

The soft serve also features in composed desserts, filling a whole young coconut along with tropical fruit or scooped into a Granny Smith apple with caramel, granola, and spiced apples. Other sweets will include Belgian waffles, croissants, creme brulee, coffee cake, and pumpkin bread.

The cafe is using Etrusca Coffee from Mexico City for its specialty coffee drinks, layered concoctions that include the Slutty Samoan, tinted red with beet juice to resemble the Samoan flag, and The LA, which combines horchata, espresso, and charcoal. Other beverages range from cold brew from local roaster Seven Seas to matcha drinks and lemonades that can be enhanced with boba or fruit jellies. The partners say that they hope to expand the menu to include savory salads and sandwiches as well as wine and beer.