Go Get Em Tiger, Los Feliz

A classic cappuccino in a non-classic glass, along with two samples of filter coffee from Go Get Em Tiger on Hollywood Boulevard, LA.That I ended up in Los Angeles in the first place, let alone having coffee at Go Get Em Tiger, is entirely down to Lee of Silhouette, who, while I was discussing my current trip, simply would not believe that I was going to drive past Los Angeles and not call in. So, I decided to change my plans and spend a day in LA, visiting coffee shops and being a tourist (Lee, I loved it!).

Go Get Em Tiger is on Hollywood Boulevard, in the Los Feliz neighbourhood, sharing a space with McConnell’s ice cream parlour, which is on the right, with Go Get Em Tiger on the left. Long and thin, there’s no seating inside, just “standing” down the left-hand side at various broad window-sills. To sit down, you need the raised terrace in front of the shop, which is normally a good option, unless you arrive on one of the (rare) days when it’s been pouring with rain…

Go Get Em Tiger is a multi-roaster, with two options on espresso and two more on batch-brew. It also has a good range of cakes and an impressive brunch menu (7am to 4pm) cooked in the open-plan kitchen at the back on the right.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

  • A welcome sight on Hollywood Boulevard: the steps to Go Get Em Tiger.
  • Well, in fact, it's the steps up to both Go Get Em Tiger (left) & McConnell's ice cream (right).
  • There's a bench outside on the pavement, but the main action is on the raised terrace.
  • Meanwhile, this is what awaits you on the other side. Coffee or ice cream? Tough choice!
  • However, this is what we came for (although I never did get to try the food).
  • Let's go up, shall we?
  • Although before we do, this is view from the street. Check out the letters on the hillside!
  • The raised terrace, as seen from the top of the stairs.
  • To the left, the seating for Go Get Em Tiger, arranged around a tree...
  • ... while on the other side, another tree & more seating, this time for the ice cream parlour.
  • The McConnell's ice cream side as seen from the door of Go Get Em Tiger...
  • ... while this is the view of the Go Get Em Tiger side.
  • If you don't fancy all that sitting outside in the open lark, there are two sheltered tables.
  • Okay, time to go inside.
  • You enter on the left, while the counter is on the right.
  • Opposite the counter is a set of retail shelves.
  • Meanwhile, the rest of Go Get Em Tiger stretches out ahead of you.
  • There's no seating per se, but you can stand by the broad window sills.
  • At the back, on the right, is the food part of the operation, with this open-plan kitchen.
  • A view of the 'standing' as seen from the back.
  • A view of one of the smaller window sills with a light source of a different kind to the right.
  • Art drawn on the wall above the door...
  • ... and art framed and hung on the walls.
  • Nice sign above the door (on the inside).
  • More artwork, this time from the menu board behind the counter.
  • Go Get Em Tiger sellls all the coffee it serves, and then some.
  • Go Get Em Tiger also sells kit, such as these lovely, handleless earthenware mugs.
  • More coffee for sale, this time from the counter by the cakes.
  • Talking of cake, there's a decent selection from the cabinet at the front.
  • A more conventional view of the cake.
  • There's also an excellent brunch menu that, sadly, I never got to try.
  • The menu in full, which is on the wall behind the till. Sensible place for it, really.
  • The coffee part of the menu is on the left.
  • Baristas at work. There's a three-group La Marzocco with a pair of grinders...
  • ... which, while I was there, contained these two espresso blends.
  • Barista at work, singular this time.
  • My coffee, the Buzz Middle School Espresso in a cappuccino. The flowers are a nice touch.
  • I also had a couple of samples of the filter coffee, seen here in the background.
  • I returned the folllowing day for a shot of the Epic Espresso, with a tea/hops palete cleanser.
  • It was the same two coffees on espresso, so the staff put this one on for me...
  • ... which I also tried. It's 'Sweet Tooth' roasted in San Francisco by Ritual Coffee Roasters.
  • This one wasn't mine by the way: it's called 'Business & Pleasure'.
  • This one was mine though: a new filter, a Guatemalan roasted by Heart in Portland.
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One of Lee’s recommendations was Go Get Em Tiger, which just happened to be conveniently-located near my hotel (although I might have chosen the hotel for its proximity to Go Get Em Tiger…). However, what neither of us realised is that since Lee was last in LA, Go Get Em Tiger (which is part of a mini-chain that includes G & B Coffee) had opened a second branch (and is now up to four). It was this second branch I had stumbled open…

The new Go Get Em Tiger (which opened in September last year) occupies the left-hand side of a wooden-built unit, set back and raised a little from the street. Steps lead up to a large terrace which has seating on either side, each arranged around its own tree, a pleasing symmetry which I enjoyed no end.

A square bench runs around the trunk of each tree, while there is another bench along the front and side of both sections of the terrace. There are also a couple of other tables with bar stools. Elsewhere, bar stools are used as tables for those sitting on the benches. Finally, if you don’t like sitting out in the open, or you’ve arrived in LA just as it’s being lashed by the last of a sequence of winter storms with rain of Biblical proportions, there is some sheltered seating outside. A small, recessed area (housing what I take to be the original front doors of the building) sits between Go Get Em Tiger and McConnell’s, directly opposite the stairs. This has two small, round tables, each seating two to three, and providing welcome relief from the rain.

You’ll need to go inside to order and collect your coffee (the food is brought out to you). The front of Go Get Em Tiger is all glass, with the door on the left and a three-part window to the right which can be fully opened, concertina style. This connects the interior with the exterior when it’s warmer. And not raining.

Inside, a long counter dominates the right-hand side, while on the left, starting opposite the espresso machine, is a window-bar with deep, recessed window sills which you can stand at to take your coffee (and eat your food). There’s a pleasingly large gap between the “standing” and the counter, so you don’t feel hassled by people waiting for their coffee.

The counter has a small section facing the window, which houses the cake. Next, down the counter’s long side, comes the till/ordering point (with menus on the wall behind it), then the espresso machine, a modest three-group La Marzocco, with a pair of grinders for the two espresso options. The batch-brew set-up is behind this, up against the wall, with its own EK43 grinder. Finally, a large, open-range kitchen stretches all the way to the back of the store.

Go Get Em Tiger is a multi-roaster, with the likes of 49th Parallel, Heart and Ritual all making an appearance while I was there. Go Get Em Tiger will put on a coffee on and, when it’s gone, move onto the next, usually running through the coffee in a day or so.

I visited on both days I was in Los Angeles. On the first morning, 49th Parallel was on all four options: Ethiopian and Honduran on batch-brew and Buzz Middle School and Epic (both blends) on espresso. I had a cappuccino using the Buzz Middle School, a slightly darker roast than the Epic. This was excellent, a classic cappuccino, very smooth and with distinct chocolate/biscuit notes. The baristas also gave me samples of the two batch-brews and both were excellent, a million miles from my (now out-of-date) stereotypical expectations of batch-brew. The Ethiopian was very smooth, while the Honduran, which I preferred, had a little more body and was a little fruiter, but both were as good as anything I could brew for myself at home.

On my return, the following day, all four coffees were still on, so I tried a shot of the Epic. The staff then felt guilty, putting a new espresso on, Sweet Tooth, a single-origin Ethiopian from Ritual and also brewing a new batch of filter using a Guatemalan from Heart, all of which were very good indeed!


December 2017: Go Get Em Tiger was a runner-up for the 2017 Most Passionate About Coffee Award.

April 2019: You can see what I made of G & B Coffee, which I visited on my return to Los Angeles.

4630 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD • LOS ANGELES • CA 90027 • USA
http://gandb.coffee +1 323-543-4438
Monday 06:00 – 18:00 Roaster Guests (espresso + batch-brew filter)
Tuesday 06:00 – 18:00 Seating Tables, Benches (outside), Standing Bar (inside)
Wednesday 06:00 – 18:00 Food Brunch, Cake
Thursday 06:00 – 18:00 Service Counter (Order at Counter for food)
Friday 06:00 – 18:00 Payment Cards + Cash
Saturday 06:00 – 18:00 Wifi No
Sunday 06:00 – 18:00 Power No
Chain Local Visits 23rd January 2017

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5 thoughts on “Go Get Em Tiger, Los Feliz

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