A Bro-y New Motorcycle Cafe Tries to Take Hold in Busy Arts District

The 7th Street stretch of the Arts District is now just a little bit busier thanks to the arrival of Clutch, a casual new coffee bar and cafe open inside the House of Machines. The whole branded motorcycle shop/events space/lifestyle storefront sits on what has become a truly heavy block for food, opening just feet from Pearl’s BBQ, Tony’s, ERB, and Guerrilla Tacos, with Bestia around the corner.

For the uninitiated, the House of Machines comes to Los Angeles by way of Cape Town, South Africa. The company mostly traffics in punk rock aesthetics like music and motorcycles, though their South Africa location does also double as a cafe.

Up until now, the House of Machines Los Angeles space has been used mostly just as an event space, though there have always been plans to add daily coffee and food. Former Union and Top Chef contestant Bruce Kalman was even attached to the space for a bit, saying at the time that he would be helping the company to expand its Stateside footprint. That was at the beginning of the year though, and Kalman has now confirmed to Eater that he is not involved, despite his face still showing up on the website.

Farley Elliott

Beyond the restaurants already named above, there’s still a lot more coming to the southern side of the Arts District. Not only is Enrique Olvera of Cosme fame opening up down that way, but Soho Warehouse is getting ready to come online soon with its own food and beverage plans soon. Add in RVCC Intersect, Stumptown, and Maru Coffee all on the same Santa Fe drag, and it’s safe to say that Clutch certainly has more than a fair share of competition.

Clutch is open now inside the House of Machines. The coffee bar keeps hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, though the food menu continues on until 10 p.m. The opening menu is below.

The House of Machines. 2808 E. 7th St., Los Angeles, CA.

• A Tall, Sunny New Coffee Bar Hits the Arts District’s Busiest Block [ELA]