I have been coming here for awhile. A wonderful lay back environment in Korea Town. Very unique and relaxing. I look forward to seeing Ben when I come in. He is a true testament to this establishment and how to treat customers, to make them feel at home. I have also brought colleagues in to experience the service and atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Bob Smith
This place is huge with tons of seating and late hours — perfect for students and creatives. The coffee is strong and they also serve full Korean meals if you’re hungry. I had the kimchi fried rice and a hazelnut latte. Dim lighting, cool music, and a real 2000s cafe atmosphere. Always feels like a secret hangout spot. Not pretentious at all
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
yesenia aguilar
We are a group of students who visit this establishment regularly—usually 2–3 times a week—and often spend over $160 each visit. While we’ve always appreciated the welcoming atmosphere provided by the owner, Adriana, who is consistently kind and professional, we’ve had repeated negative experiences with one particular waitress that we feel compelled to address.
Unfortunately, this server on July 26 of 2025 , has been consistently rude and disrespectful during our visits. She frequently enters our private room without knocking and questions why we keep the lights dim. As students, we often study during our time here, and the lower lighting helps us focus and prevents headaches from prolonged screen time. This is we will stop coming here even though the place is beautiful to study .
More concerning is the feeling that we’re being treated differently because we are Hispanic. The tone and attitude directed toward us stand in stark contrast to how others seem to be treated, which is deeply disappointing and unacceptable in a professional and inclusive environment.
Additionally, we’ve noticed a pattern of overcharging, particularly with the tip percentage. We’ve been charged 20% gratuity for parties of six, even though the policy clearly posted on the wall states that 20% is added only for groups of eight or more. This has created confusion and frustration during payment on several occasions.
We hope this feedback is taken seriously, as we truly enjoy coming here and would love to continue doing so ideally in a space where all guests are treated with respect and fairness.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 1
Nick Johnson
10/10 atmosphere, great place to work late
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
T. Oscar
Been here since college, great atmosphere for gathering and reading book to kill some times!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
stefano kang
Great service and ambiance. Their desserts are a must try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nana
Great spot for group study sessions or even solo. The atompshere is very homey and rustic. I usually get hot green/black tea and its always delcious. Plenty of parking in back and prices are decent!
Nicholas Ferguson
Cafe Mak is great for many reasons. Free parking in K-town. Spacious. Service is always great. But $7 for an Americano is shocking, considering it’s not particularly special coffee.
Phillip Lanos
Great place to stop by if you’re in Koreatown.
Everyone was polite, professional and the options were good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Inkhaus L
Every drink and food item has A LOT of dairy in it. But they have games, books, relaxed college dorm like environment with lots of students doing homework or working from here between meals. Desserts, coffee and booze are bestsellers. The hours of operation are great for people looking to have a “office cafe” experience. Huge location, some parking, responsive staff at the push of a button. I hope they introduce more options for people w lactose intolerance.
I came here to study with a couple friends during finals. We arrived at around 7 pm. I sat at a very wobbly table and to make matters worse I was sent outside to finish eating my salad I had got from Trader Joes right before. Ok, all good thats justified (there was in fact a sign outside that said no outside food allowed). Anywho, we were sitting in the patio area at first because there was nothing available inside. Terrible idea. Yes, summer is starting to roll around, but I was bit by several mosquitos making me itch the entire duration of my lock-in session. Maybe the food will make up for it, I thought. So I looked at the menu and decided to be different. Instead of ordering my typical matcha or coffee, I chose the iced banana milk. Now the drink almost costed me 9 dollars, but the only two ingredients were banana and milk. Nothing special. Yes, I did finish it in maybe under 2 minutes. But it was not worth the price. Despite this, I needed to lock in for my two midterms rapidly approaching. And so I tried. But the dim lighting made me so tired. I felt like I was at a candle lit dinner, not an environment at all suitable for studying. At this point, my college student mind has been dissatisfied on two counts. I wasted my money, and I was being inefficient because of the poor atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Bailey Vogt
Cozy as all get out coffee shop with great coffee and an immaculate playlist. Fantastic access to the Metro for you carless freaks too (I'm one of them.) If you're looking for a great community space... this is it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ms. Syes's / Adventures \u0026 Fruits
Seems like a little bit of a secret; for quiet pursuits.
SH K
Piece of advice: DO NOT COME HERE HUNGRY. Order the BARE MINIMUM if even that. Pesto Panini — very thin layer of pesto that you cannot taste, dry chicken, sad portion of side salad, overall like eating grass panini. Trio platter — undercooked mozzarella sticks, fries were crispy, chicken was okay. Strawberry Milk — Major disappointment. The blend ratio is off that it is not smooth and tastes low quality. Iced Misugaru — Total miss. Sooo bland it was like drinking protein powder. I have never spent this much money on bad food. Whoever is making the food should be retrained… Cafe Mak, you’re fired. Not returning.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
b pineda
Great place to study Cool ambiance to catch up with friends without consuming alcohol.
I have been coming here for awhile. A wonderful lay back environment in Korea Town. Very unique and relaxing. I look forward to seeing Ben when I come in. He is a true testament to this establishment and how to treat customers, to make them feel at home. I have also brought colleagues in to experience the service and atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
This place is huge with tons of seating and late hours — perfect for students and creatives. The coffee is strong and they also serve full Korean meals if you’re hungry. I had the kimchi fried rice and a hazelnut latte. Dim lighting, cool music, and a real 2000s cafe atmosphere. Always feels like a secret hangout spot. Not pretentious at all
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We are a group of students who visit this establishment regularly—usually 2–3 times a week—and often spend over $160 each visit. While we’ve always appreciated the welcoming atmosphere provided by the owner, Adriana, who is consistently kind and professional, we’ve had repeated negative experiences with one particular waitress that we feel compelled to address.
Unfortunately, this server on July 26 of 2025 , has been consistently rude and disrespectful during our visits. She frequently enters our private room without knocking and questions why we keep the lights dim. As students, we often study during our time here, and the lower lighting helps us focus and prevents headaches from prolonged screen time. This is we will stop coming here even though the place is beautiful to study .
More concerning is the feeling that we’re being treated differently because we are Hispanic. The tone and attitude directed toward us stand in stark contrast to how others seem to be treated, which is deeply disappointing and unacceptable in a professional and inclusive environment.
Additionally, we’ve noticed a pattern of overcharging, particularly with the tip percentage. We’ve been charged 20% gratuity for parties of six, even though the policy clearly posted on the wall states that 20% is added only for groups of eight or more. This has created confusion and frustration during payment on several occasions.
We hope this feedback is taken seriously, as we truly enjoy coming here and would love to continue doing so ideally in a space where all guests are treated with respect and fairness.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 1
10/10 atmosphere, great place to work late
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Been here since college, great atmosphere for gathering and reading book to kill some times!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service and ambiance. Their desserts are a must try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great spot for group study sessions or even solo. The atompshere is very homey and rustic. I usually get hot green/black tea and its always delcious. Plenty of parking in back and prices are decent!
Cafe Mak is great for many reasons. Free parking in K-town. Spacious. Service is always great. But $7 for an Americano is shocking, considering it’s not particularly special coffee.
Great place to stop by if you’re in Koreatown.
Everyone was polite, professional and the options were good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Every drink and food item has A LOT of dairy in it. But they have games, books, relaxed college dorm like environment with lots of students doing homework or working from here between meals. Desserts, coffee and booze are bestsellers. The hours of operation are great for people looking to have a “office cafe” experience. Huge location, some parking, responsive staff at the push of a button. I hope they introduce more options for people w lactose intolerance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I came here to study with a couple friends during finals. We arrived at around 7 pm. I sat at a very wobbly table and to make matters worse I was sent outside to finish eating my salad I had got from Trader Joes right before. Ok, all good thats justified (there was in fact a sign outside that said no outside food allowed). Anywho, we were sitting in the patio area at first because there was nothing available inside. Terrible idea. Yes, summer is starting to roll around, but I was bit by several mosquitos making me itch the entire duration of my lock-in session. Maybe the food will make up for it, I thought. So I looked at the menu and decided to be different. Instead of ordering my typical matcha or coffee, I chose the iced banana milk. Now the drink almost costed me 9 dollars, but the only two ingredients were banana and milk. Nothing special. Yes, I did finish it in maybe under 2 minutes. But it was not worth the price. Despite this, I needed to lock in for my two midterms rapidly approaching. And so I tried. But the dim lighting made me so tired. I felt like I was at a candle lit dinner, not an environment at all suitable for studying. At this point, my college student mind has been dissatisfied on two counts. I wasted my money, and I was being inefficient because of the poor atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Cozy as all get out coffee shop with great coffee and an immaculate playlist. Fantastic access to the Metro for you carless freaks too (I'm one of them.) If you're looking for a great community space... this is it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Seems like a little bit of a secret; for quiet pursuits.
Piece of advice: DO NOT COME HERE HUNGRY. Order the BARE MINIMUM if even that. Pesto Panini — very thin layer of pesto that you cannot taste, dry chicken, sad portion of side salad, overall like eating grass panini. Trio platter — undercooked mozzarella sticks, fries were crispy, chicken was okay. Strawberry Milk — Major disappointment. The blend ratio is off that it is not smooth and tastes low quality. Iced Misugaru — Total miss. Sooo bland it was like drinking protein powder. I have never spent this much money on bad food. Whoever is making the food should be retrained… Cafe Mak, you’re fired. Not returning.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Great place to study
Cool ambiance to catch up with friends without consuming alcohol.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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