Endorffeine Brings Cappuccinos and Palm Sugar Whiskey Lattes to Chinatown

Jack Benchakul’s Endorffeine coffee shop is officially open in Chinatown. The longtime Cognoscenti Coffee modbar operator has spent years working various pop-up coffee stops in places like Scoops Chinatown and Good Girl Dinette in Highland Park, but of late has been focusing on his own project in the Far East Plaza.

After a short soft-open over the weekend, Benchakul’s Endorffeine shop is now ready to serve — as it will be every day this month. The longtime former biochemist plans to keep the place open every single day through the entire month of September as he gauges the public’s demand for his specialty Heart Coffee-roasted brews and sweetened lattes. That means daily hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., day in and day out. After that, he’ll be tweaking the timing as necessary.

Inside, Endorffeine is still only about 95% of the way there — artwork needs to be hung, and a semi-transparent back wall is currently wrapped in butcher paper, which well-wishers have taken to signing in support of the new shop. In a nod to his science-y past, Benchakul also took to reformatting some erlenmeyer flasks as pendant lighting, which hangs over the front of the bar.

The rest of the room is open and spare, but that's largely by design. Benchakul has worked up a nearly in-the-round theater of coffee, with modbar features up front and seating around both sides.

Eventually, Endorffeine also hopes to expand on its currently limited food menu (it’s all toasts at the moment) with a series of monthly pop-up dinners from chefs around town. They’ll bring in some induction burners and whatever else is needed, and set up shop — just like Benchakul and his current coffee layout —right in the middle of all the action.

Endorffeine is open daily in September from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. inside Chinatown’s Far East Plaza.

Endorffeine
727 N. Broadway #127
Los Angeles, CA 90012