50 Best Cafes near Lake Balboa

“First time coming here & I will definitely be back! Came in at 11am on a rainy Sunday. Surprisingly the wait was 10 mins for 2 people but that might have been due to the weather. The food was incredible! I ordered the strawberry French toast while my fiancé ordered the omelette and both were amazing! It took a while for our food to come out but the service was otherwise great so I didn't mind. I'm coming back to try the rest of the menu!“

“This cute place in Del-taco plaza. Plenty of free parking. My go to for AMAZING & UNIQUE DRINKS! I got the Vietnamese iced coffee with coffee noodles and UBE foam get it half sweet!!! Kids liked theirs as well. Don't forget to ask for stamp card!“

“We arrived on a Friday at around 11:00am and got seated right away. The restaurant has outdoor seating with heaters which I thought was really nice. Our food was great!! I order the chicken and waffles with a side of bacon and egg. Everything was delicious and por portions was plenty. My husband ordered the Mexican omelette with a side of has browns and toast and he too enjoyed his food very well. The ranchero salsa was delicious.The service was quick and very efficient. On top of that everyone was very friendly and helpful.The star of the meal was the cafe de olla! This is a must if you try out this place.The only thing is parking can be a little tricky and may have to park on the street or nearby neighborhood. Highly recommend this place.“

“I have been going to Porto's since the 1980's..the one in Glendale. How elated I was with having them being in Northridge where I live. The food is terrific and the lines go fast due to a tremendous quick system they have. The catering for parties has never let us down and people you have invited that never have experienced Portos are thrilled. The cakes are delicious. What I do miss is not having the individual cake slices for purchase so you can experience the taste. They only have the neapolitan, Parisian, and carrot for slices. I've seen the menu change over time and do miss some of the items.“

“Brought the pups to Dialog Cafe for the first time on a sunny Sunday morning. They were busy but the line moved quickly and everyone from the staff to the other patrons were super nice and friendly. We had the brisket and wish me luck breakfast burritos and both were excellent. Lattes also on point. Good food, great atmosphere, will definitely be back!“

“Not sure why the incredibly high reviews. I would do 3.5 if I could but the atmosphere was really nice so bumped it up. It’s a cozy cafe in a cute area, seating is great. Food was fine— not super expensive, but for what it was, a little more costly than I’d prefer. Definitely not memorable, but tasted fine; cappuccino was meh. However, I’d come back just for the vibes since it’s a good place to catch up with friends etc. and I’d be interested to try a different menu item!“

“My favorite little Argentine cafe in the Valley ! This hidden gem has the best coffee and iced mate. It's so refreshing . My fave is the hibiscus iced mate . The pastries are brought in fresh daily and the empanadas are delish . Caprese and spinach are my fave . The owner makes you feel like family and at home . Lots of mate sets for purchase as well .“

“Came across this restaurant on yelp and decided to stop by because of their great reviews. Im glad i did because now it makes sense why they have such good reviews. Amazing 10/10 service and food. Extremely nice ambiance to whole another level. I would say Their food is the best mediterranean food in not only entire valley but entire california. Trust my words and you wont be disappointed to come and check them out. Thank you and ill be back for sure .“

“This place is a hidden gem! It's conveniently located with plenty of street parking and a small parking lot. From the moment we walked up to the ordering/pickup window, a super friendly and helpful employee greeted us. He gave us awesome recommendations for their popular smoothies and toast. We couldn't wait to try the Pink Dragon and PB + Banana smoothies, and let me tell you, they were absolutely delicious! The cup size was just right, and we couldn't get enough of the Garden Toast with its flavorful feta and zesty lemon. They even have a seating area where we enjoyed our fantastic experience. We're already looking forward to going back!“

“Discovered this place on rainy Sunday morning. wasn't quite sure what to expect from an American Mexican Ethiopian restaurant. It's a cozy and clean place with good breakfast. Very family-friendly. But what makes this place is the lovely lady running the restaurant she is so pleasant and accommodating. A consummate professional, who provides excellent customer service.“

“I stumbled across this place because I was craving a vegan quesadilla and wasn’t sure where to go. It was phenomenal! Very nice staff and delicious vegan food. I’m not much of a vegan sausage person, but it was so tasty. The vegan cheese was amazing too. Definitely coming back to try the rest of the vegan menu! Yum!Vegetarian options: Entire vegan menuDietary restrictions: Great for dairy free people and vegans!“

“Every time I'm in Studio City I always have to stop by this spot. Service: Amazing, fast, friendly and very helpful. Seating: it's actually decent considering the exterior is small. Positive atmosphere inside, and some outside seating. Overall a very enjoyable vibe. Coffee/Pastry: You. Must. Try. Everything. If you have questions don't hesitate to ask. The obvious question: Is it better than Starbucks? Oh yeah! If you're in the area this is a must stop for coffee lovers.“

“H3 Fam here, I was finally able to purchase some this week and WOW. Some of the best chocolates I have ever had! &Sons is leaps and bounds above some other comPARTitors we have seen recently. Genuine people creating genuinely good chocolate. Thank you Markjeff, BrotherUnseen & ChefSandy for the experience <3Ps. Plz don’t ever change. You can taste the time and effort put into crafting these things. And please don’t ever consider putting freeze dried corn in your chocolate. Or lucky charms. It doesn’t work.Pss. if you ever decide to do a tropical fruit box just let me know and I will send you whatever money I have left.“

“For my birthday, I wanted to treat myself and my boyfriend to a nice afternoon tea. We decided to try the Living Room, located in the Peninsula hotel of Beverly Hills. The restaurant is beautiful, with huge glass windows and glimmering chandeliers. The attentive and friendly service definitely made me feel special. The tea came with a strawberries and cream starter, two scones, savory sandwiches, and sweet pastries. Everything was delicious. My favorite savory sandwich was the cucumber. All the sweets were very yummy too. The teas were delicious, and I felt like my cup was never empty. By the end of our meal, the servers all sang happy birthday and offered their white chocolate birthday dessert, which was just ok. For the price to quality ratio, the experience was a bit overpriced in my opinion. However, it was a very fun and classy meal with great service.“

“My FAVORITE place to go for breakfast!! The brekafast sandwich on a crossint is my absolute favorite!! Never a time where I will go there without getting one. The house made sauce in it is SO delicious. There are no words. MUST TRY. Everything is delicious, you can't go wrong with anything they have. Love the bakery and love the friendly staff.“

“Cool atmosphere, the coffee was strong lol. I got the butter beer latte half sweet with almond milk and it was not too bad. I’ll probably try something else next time though. For food I got a banana loaf but was hoping they had breakfast sandwiches Overall I think I would go back if I’m on that side of the valley!“

“This is just a godsend for me! I’m so glad that you exist ?‍↔️ I’ve been to this place a couple of times, everything was delicious and fresh, the staff is polite, I love Uzbek and Korean cuisine so I’m glad you’re there, thank you!! Oh yes, they really work from 3 pm to 9 pm“

“Excellent service and enjoyed the St. Patrick’s Day Menu! Thank you for a great experience.“

“If I can give this place more than 5 stars I would. The food, and the people here are so incredibly special. Compared to other bakeries in the area, this is by far one of the best locations I have ever been to for pastries and coffee. This little gem has been serving the Valley for years, and has not received the credit it surely deserves. My family and myself have been coming here for years and they stay on point! Their pastries are made freshly and you can tell it is definitely made with care. Ms Vanessa and her team are amazing!!“

“Most dishes were delicious (i.e. the bourekas plate and shakshuka)! However, some items were busts (i.e. the mushroom soup which tasted more like over salted garlic bits soup with hardly any actual mushrooms and the soggy vegetable quinoa which had more eggplant chunks than quinoa). Also, the lox & bagel plate could be improved with a bakery caliber type bagel vs one that resembles a grocery store Sarah Lee bagel. The pictured items were yummy.“

“Annie is such a kind hearted women and i I greatly appreciated her hospitality. I went over to ask if i could place a sticker not thinking anything of it, but left feeling thankful for her offerings of water and such. Not to mention that her cookies are absolutely delicious! Will definitely come again in the future for more! Thank You Annie!“

“I love G&G, know most of the staff by name, have gotten to know some other regulars. Everyone is incredibly nice, usually open for games, even with strangers, and I've met quite a few people through the café. I get tons of work done there, albeit with welcome stops for board games. The place is just wonderful, a really friendly environment, I often stay there from opening to closing.Food is fairly cheap, the café doesn't partake in toxic American tipping culture, and the board games are competitively priced with online retailers.Parking: There's a tiny lot out back, mostly, people park down a nearby residential road, short walk (1-2 mins)“

“Really good seating! Great pesto sandwich. Wonderful new chill coffee shop. Staff was eager to please. Once they iron out a few things (like having iced tea for non-coffee drinkers and hot days), they're gonna have lines out the door to get a table. I'm an NYC expat and I do my best work on my laptop at a coffee shop. Can't wait to come back and try the coffee!“

“Discovered this gem on a trip to the Hollywood Bowl. Came in on Friday morning and the place was pretty busy but we were seated right away. Great selection on menu and lots of things sounded good like the scramble bowl and the chicken fried chicken breakfast. Loved our server who pointed out the Good Neighbor combo: 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, and choice of bacon or sausage. Delicious and good value at $11 because pancakes where huge and sausage was fullsized links. Lots of leftovers. We would be regulars at this place if we lived closer!“

“jasmine is a seasoned bobarista for sure, you can tell she knows how to keep flavors balanced in harmony with the exact sweetness/ice levels you ask for! ! ! the owners really care about their customers, they even made sure to consider my opinions since they had time to ask about my meal :D overall, Honey Krush is super chill and clean but still very cute--very K-cafe vibes, I'll be doing work here from time to time :3“

“My husband and I both agreed that the breakfast burrito they serve here is one of the best meals we’ve EVER had. Everything is so flavorful, ever bite is proportionate, just enough “grease”, and great portion to. The nata pastry is so delicious, we’ve had some in Portugal before and was even better than there! Overall, great experience and amazing food.“

“Wonderful service from barista this morning I love it! Love coming to this when ever in the area. Cheap and wonderful coffee always. Humble and simple setting. I spent $10 on a quad shot Americano and a triple shot oat latte. Couldn't ask for me!“

“This place is has nice and simple food when I just want a soup and sandwich. You can order from either side. Pay first, take a number and find yourself a seat. Servers bring the order out to you. It can be hard to track one of them down if you need a box to go, especially if it's busy. The inside seems overwhelming because other than the ordinary menu choices they have other foods and baked goods as well.“

“4.4 out of 5.0 overall.We had excellent service when we were there from the greeting, ordering, coffee refills, delivering of food and clearing.Liked the vibe of the cafe, very clean (it was morning before the rush) throughout, bright & cheery with nice decor.Overall food was good but I wouldn't say excellent. All generally tasty and while they are creative in their combinations I'd say it lacked that next level. Still, good prices and good food meant for value. Coffee was great. Nice kids menu for good prices and healthy options. Tons of great baked goods they make 'in-house' from their san diego location and deliver daily.Lots of good reasons to come back againVegetarian options: Plenty of GF and vegan options.Parking: mostly paid parking on our adjacent to Beverly. You can go a few streets over and find free parking in neighborhoodsKid-friendliness: great little kids menu for good prices, plenty of kid friendly seating and space for strollers“

“Neighborhood gem. Wine is great and they strive to give you a wine they love. Wines change periodically. If you love what you are drinking, you can buy a bottle to bring home. Their food is also great. Great place for a casual date night to get some great wine and food.“

“I decided to eat here with my family for breakfast after the first day of Hanukkah and the owners communiciated with me that it will be around 35-45 minute wait for food due to high number of customers ordering on site and online. Sat outside but decided to walk inside to order latte's and bake goods meanwhile. Inside is DEVINE. It was full of customers waiting to buy the Chanukah donuts (seasonal only, I was told) and we ended up taking to our table all 14 flavors of delicious mouthful. and took another 12 special assorted flavors to go to gift to our family friend. Time went by quickly shared with my good company and inside this family-oriented environment. Everybody was working hard, and the food was worth the anticipation. My family and I walked out pleased and impressed by their quality. We will all be coming back in again.“

“The breakfast burritos are HUGE and SUPER tasty! We ordered a bacon burrito and a halal beef burrito. The bacon was smokey and cut thick, the halal beef was seasoned very well! Fluffy potatoes, excellent house sauce, they cook it fresh and it's worth the wait!“

“My Persian friend Neda came to visit and wants me to try Persian food. She found Vanak online and we are trying it for the first time. It's located in the El Pollo Loco shopping center. This place looks nice and clean, they got a A grade. It has a nice ambience. I'm sure it looks a lot better in the evening. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The parking was ok. Saied took our order and was very patient and helpful. He wore a great smile and eye contact is a plus We had tons of questions about the food. He explained all about the food so patiently. The price is a bit high but they have good portions. They have such great customer service which is such a plus.. They let us sample a freshly made dessert. Usually with the amount of questions my friend had they would have been annoyed already. They were in the middle of a very big order and still tended to our tiny order. I'll definitely recommend and will be back.“

“Claudine's is a local gem! It's the perfect neighborhood cafe and restaurant. Breakfast, lunch, treats - it's delicious, the variety of options is perfect, it's consistently great quality and the service is top notch. We've brought family when they're visiting, friends, babies, toddlers, it's the perfect spot when you're with a group or catching up with a friend. Thank you for being a staple in our family!“

“I hadn't visited Yonder in a minute but saw them promoting their new cereal latte on Instagram and knew I had to try it! This drink is made with Chobani cereal oat milk and topped with crushed cinnamon toast crunch which makes the perfect pairing. I've already come back two more times to order it again! I'm hoping Chobani doesn't discontinue the cereal oat milk that way this drink can become a permanent menu item. Fingers crossed! Besides their great seasonal drinks, Yonder is a beloved Northridge cafe for their abundance of seating, outlets, free wifi and attentive staff. For anyone who hasn't visited before, you'll be delighted by their private outdoor patio, which is both dog and student friendly. I myself have sat in on a few of my Zoom classes from Yonder's patio because their oasis is that relaxing and their wifi is that reliable. Although I'm not on a first name basis with any of the baristas, it's still always nice to see a familiar face when I walk in, and it's clear that Yonder has created their own community in the area by their abundance of after-hours events-- they're known for hosting a night market or two! The only thing to note about Yonder is that, while they do have a bathroom, you have to walk outside along the back end of the other businesses to reach it. It's a bit of a trek (and maybe confusing if you've never been there before), but everything else that Yonder offers makes it worth it.“

“Everyone should try Baked It Myself. I tried their beet burger ordering on doordash a couple weeks ago, and it was incredible. I can't stop ordering their bim bowl, and they always listen to my modifications which showcases their incredible customer service. Nonetheless, the food here is high quality, affordable and delicious, making this an incredible restaurant to consider in your weekly rotation.“

“Stopped in at this boba shop while I was visiting CSUN and it didn't disappoint. I got their passion fruit green tea with boba and it totally hit the spot! The drink came out pretty fast after I ordered.The food also smelled great, but I was in a rush, so I only got the drink. I'll have to try the food next time!“

“Came here on a Sunday morning to study. Very cute and cozy inside! They have a couple of outlets too which my geriatric laptop was thankful for. We got the rose london fog and the lavender lemonade. I'm very easily swayed by floral flavors, they were yummy! Not too overpowering. Overall a great study session!“

“This is an adorable little coffee shop with a lovely patio, nice patrons, and the cherry danish is oh-so-delicious! I felt unhurried and people and some dogs congregate congenially due to the overall ambience there. Coffee's are excellent too!“

“I love this cafe so much, my favorite spot to hang in Topanga for the true canyon experience. So many interesting locals to meet and chat with. Claire, the owner is an angel! She is french and has brought the beautiful french cafe vibes but has combined them with the quirky, fun Topanga vibes. Get the breakfast burrito!Vegetarian options: Love all the veggie options!“

“Series A is really great. You can just sit there and play super smash Brothers if you want, there's board games. It feels like Central perk, but they have like good coffee. Like legitimately good coffee. I enjoy going there, just get the cold brew black it's really strong and chocolatey and great. The staff is really nice remembers me all the time. I couldn't recommend it more. Free dog treats too!I mean for my dog, I do not eat the free dog treats.“

“lovely place“

“Wow wow wow! This place is unreal. Probably the most gourmet brunch in the valley you can get. Gasolina is a Spanish inspired brunch restaurant in the valley. I ordered the skillet breakfast which makes me think of shakshuka, a Mediterranean egg dish cooked in tomatoes and onions. This is their take on that dish, but amplified with meat and a different inspiration of flavors. It doesn't look like it will fill you up but trust me, you will be very satisfied. My girlfriend ordered the burger and we split the patatas bravas. Both very good and cooked to perfection. The wait staff was also very friendly and gave us good recommendations! Highly recommend this place for a former brunch in the valley.“

“A friend was visiting from NZ and was missing meat pies. Took her and the fam for a nice little treat.We all enjoyed our meat pies. They are very filing and very delicious! The sausage roll was my fav!It's a cute little spot with great service!“

“Everything that we ordered was delicious and freshly prepared. Carne Asada wrap, chicken quesadilla. Both excellent. My Dad said the smoothie was the best he's ever had! Just go here , it's the best food north of Oaxaca. Gracias, “

“Let's start with this is a new resturant. Located on a corner it has very limited parking behind the Resturant. The interior makes you feel like your in a garden outside If you could not see the building next door you would feel like your in the country We had excellent service and the food was very good I had two chicken kabobs on a salad it was moist. We had a pastry for dessert which was made with fresh blueberries very good.“

“This is specifically for Cynthia the hostess at the front. She was so kind and had such a great energy to her. She sat us down outside and when we asked if we could move inside due to the cold weather, she took care of us right away. My boyfriend was bleeding a bit from a small cut on his finger and Cynthia noticed and without even asking, brought over a disinfectant wipe and a bandaid. Such a sweet, kind gesture. I appreciate people that go out of their way to make the experience so great. Thank you, Cynthia!“

“I love Ube so I was excited to see there was a cafe nearby that made ube desserts and drinks. So far I've tried the ube bars and ube cheesecake. Both were absolutely delicious and I am excited to try the other desserts in the future. Recently I tried their ube boba tea and it was so good even my girlfriend had to take a few sips. The staff were really friendly and helpful with ordering. The inside is big enough for a few tables and chairs and would be a great place to hangout if I weren't in a rush.“

“The menu selections are limited. The ambience is great, and we love this restaurant location. However, the food is only so so. For example, the French toast is served using baguette bread, and it is somewhat hard and crusty. For the children's menu, they have macaroni with cheese or macaroni with Parmesan and butter. Possibly adding marinara sauce could be a possibility to enhance the two item children's menu. However, the location is amazing. The Getty center is gorgeous. Great views of the city which are free. You only have to pay for the parking. They increase the price to $25. However, if you have the time you can also go to the Getty Villa in Malibu and park for free on the same day. “

“My go to smoothie and smoothie bowl place! They make their smoothies with fresh vegetables and fruits (no added sugar or juices). They also have lots of unique and healthy options to choose from. Even their food is delicious! My favorite is the turkey avocado panini. Additionally, they have freshly made and refrigerated shots each for a different purpose such as detox, wheatgrass, turmeric, collagen, etc. I highly recommend this place I’ve never had a bad experience, always a quick and healthy option for a morning or mid afternoon boost!“