Doubting Thomas

Hands down best brunch/lunch I have had in LA. Worth a line if there is one. Was even more impressed after reading about the head chef, her dedication to using locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. We had a crispy tuna rice dish, the cast iron herbed chicken sandwich and a diplomat pastry (with mulberry). All superb. the coffee is really good too.

I will note the lack of plentiful seating: on a Sat/Sunday it's pretty hard to find a spot indoors and outdoors, lots of laptop surfers taking up spots I think. I also wish they were open for dinner but c'est la vie.

I really liked this coffee shop in historic Filipinotown. The main issue is parking is hard to find. The streets are busy, so jay-walking takes patience.

I wish I got a pastry, but this just means I need to make another visit. I got the doubtless breakfast burrito $16, and it was so so good. I got it take away, so they packed the salsa in a separate little container. I thoroughly enjoyed this burrito.

The coffee I got was the fig leaf cream cold brew. The fig leaf smelled so good, but I think I would rather enjoy cold brew without heavy cream.

I would come back! The server was really nice. He was smiling a lot.

I saw a lot of people working on laptops and maybe spotted a few outlets here and there.

Today’s goals, drink iced coffee and be merry. Because it’s bloody 85 degree in LA. Without further ado let’s tango. :D lol

Doubting Thomas is a nice local coffee shop nestled below an apartment building in the Historic Filipinotown. They serve handcrafted pastries, pour over specialty coffee, tea, fresh squeezed drinks and breakfast/brunch food.

Its contemporary architectural design in a spacious layout was well conceived: interior has abundant of natural light thanks to their large front glass windows. Furthermore, their mix ‘n match seats and tables were robustly comfortable.

I arrived today to grab lunch and coffee. I was warmly greeted by a young male staff. I adroitly grabbed their quaint menu and ordered an Iced Coffee and Chicken Katsu bowl. The cold drink was smooth and refreshing; food was bloody amazing. It’s very flavorful, crisp and delightful. I dig the rice & dipping sauce that came with it. By far it’s the BEST chicken katsu I have ever tasted.

I had a Butter Croissant to go. It was good especially when warmed up; it’s flaky on top and soft on the inside. From the moment I stepped inside, I sensed a good vibe as well as the service staff. Service was spot. Prices were competitive. Tax well it’s LA (9.75%) lol. Free street parking is available as well as wifi. Collectively, it’s a good coffee shop with amazing products and service. And on top of it I had a missed connection with a cute woman in red tank top x jeans shorts with a bunch of books.

Overall, I had a joyful dine-in experience and loved the food/coffee drink. At the end, I have no doubt Doubting Thomas.
I profoundly recommend you visit.

You will love this place, especially when you need a break from your office. They don't mind if you take your laptop in and work while you eat. I don't do that, but I see a lot of people doing it at Doubting Thomas.

They are only open for breakfast and lunch and their menu is geared toward that.

This is woman owned -breakfast, brunch, lunch hideout. The staff is wonderful and seem to enjoy working there. They are very friendly and they are fast. You order from a counter and they will being you the most delicious meals. You will love it.

You can sit in the dining room that has floor to ceiling windows or outside on Temple Street. It can get busy with lots of people eating and on their computers. There are plug ins everywhere. We are always inside so I don't know if the outdoor seating has plug ins.

The menu has something for everyone. A vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or someone like me, a meat lover can and will find something they love.

All of their food is fresh and locally sourced. They have the best eggs with the most yummy orange yokes. Just the best. The Thomas breakfast is great with wonderful bacon, eggs and a biscuit. Their avocado toast is amazing with smashed avocado, shallots, chive oil, lemon, radish all on sprouted rye. Amazing.

For lunch try the pork belly rice bowl filled with pork, fresh from the market greens, champagne mustard, yummy house pickles, one sunny side up egg, and cilantro. It is magical.

The coffee is perfect and never old tasting. It is just great.

Their pastries are all out for display in a pastry case. They are all great. They also have fresh pies and cakes and that changes, but all are good. I would order a cake from them (you can on their website) but they are a tad pricey for my budget.

The area is always clean and everyone is nice. Have fun.

I want to give this place more stars (honestly would rate closer to 3.78, but can’t on google) because they’re so close to me and the vibes are IMMACULATE, but unless I’m getting an iced tea, I’ve struck out every time drink wise.

I really think it’s the price to quality ratio for me more than anything. I’m not a huge coffee drinker, but a matcha enthusiast for sure. Have tried it multiple times. Disliked it so much. I’m gluten free and have tried some of the gluten free pastry options in the past (which again were in my opinion way overpriced) and literally couldn’t even finish the baked good.

Sigh. I keep coming because working their is a delight. The atmosphere and it being so close— I can’t beat it, I just really wish the quality of the cafe good was better or the price was lower. $2+ for homemade almond milk that just tastes like bland blended almonds just doesn’t make sense to me?

Anyway, the staff is sweet and I don’t want to be a hater, because I desperately want to love it, but I’ll just stick to what I know is good 😭

Probably one of the best cappuccinos I've had, Cappucino Catalana along with a blueberry whole wheat coffee cake. Honestly just made my morning.

Only issue I had is that there is not too many outlets to charge your electronics so I couldn't stay long and try out other foods unless I had gotten there earlier and snagged a spot.

Theres plenty of street parking but just be aware of the street cleaning times. Love the pet friendly vibe and I'll be coming back here again to try the food with a fully charged laptop next time.

Doubting Thomas has always been my favorite cafe (adore their passion fruit pie and food), but the way they handled their Labor Day lunch rush honestly left a bad taste in my mouth. Implementing a no work policy in the middle of the day isn’t fair to customers who have already paid with the expectation that they can enjoy their food and drink while getting things done. Start a lunch hours or holiday policy, or have a time limit on tables per item, fine, but don’t shame your customers into leaving after the fact, especially when most hadn’t even been there a full hour. I know cafes don’t love laptop users, but they are consistent clientele that should be treated like other customers.

What an absolute gem this place is. The food is out of this world, and don’t get me started on the pastries.. insanely delicious. The service was fast and friendly, and we really enjoyed working here. Great atmosphere, delicious bites, and of course- excellent coffee. If I lived in LA, I would be here every week.