Highland Park’s Civil Coffee Rolls Into Downtown With Glossy New Plans

Score another one for Civil Coffee, the popular Highland Park coffee shop and daytime cafe that has been serving customers since 2015. Brothers Alex and Alan Morales are ready to head Downtown, taking over the short-lived Stumptown address in the Fashion District/South Park area at 120 E. 8th Street, close to the always-popular Sonoratown.

The surprise second location seems to have fallen in the Morales’s laps, as the golden-retro Stumptown space they’re taking over was finished and open for less than a year before the start of LA’s pandemic lockdowns in March 2020. The coffee shop, with its curving bar and tall glass windows (but no outdoor seating), sat silent for two years until the brothers came by to scoop it up. Now they’ll be doing daily coffee service and cafe snacks from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside.

The Morales brothers first opened up along busy Figueroa in one of LA’s most historic neighborhoods some seven years ago. Though they’ve been slow to branch out too quickly into other communities, it’s not for lack of success; Civil is widely considered one of the Eastside’s best spots for drip coffee and espresso drinks, with a light food menu that branches out into breakfast burritos, morning toast, and more. The brothers even have their own line of merchandise that calls to their pared-back aesthetic, like hats and tote bags.

The incoming Fashion District space isn’t the last expansion for the Morales brothers, either, as Alex and Alan are also heading to the Valley eventually to take up a prime location at the Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge. The redone Studio City space features big names like Uovo and HiHo Cheeseburger, so they’ll be in good company along Ventura Boulevard.

As for the Downtown version, expect that to open as soon as next week. An opening menu is below.

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