Kape Republik is a Filipino-American coffee house and specialty bakery in Cerritos, a city in Los Angeles’ South Bay region. It opened its doors in April 2016 and is has quickly become a popular and highly rated spot in the plaza on the corner of Artesia Boulevard and Norwalk Boulevard.
Earlier this year I got the chance to sit down with the shop’s owner, Karla, who said her initial goal was to open up a Filipino-American coffeeshop. She said she used to live off a minimum of three cups of coffee per day, so it’s not surprising that that’s what she had in mind when she wanted to open up Kape Republik.
Later on, she ended up adding baked goods to the coffee house, and everything served there is pretty good.
What’s interesting is that Karla’s background is in fashion – not in hospitality or culinary arts. Yet she’s responsible for some of the recipes of the items on her menu.
Some of the items you can order from the menu at Kape Republik include:
– Crinkles
– Pandan and ube madelines
– Baked turon rolls (Karla calls this the “happiest accident of life” because it was a fluke in the cooking process – she didn’t purposely have baked turon in mind as something she would sell. Now, customers now order it by the dozens)
I’m a fan of the madelines because they come in flavors that are popular in Filipino culture. But the crinkles are really good as well.
The selection of specialty drinks is a nice size, too. There aren’t so many things that it’s overwhelming to pick something, but enough so that you can try something different every couple of visits.
One drink I liked was called purple rain, which is like an ube (purple yam) smoothie.
Apart from the food and drinks, the atmosphere at Kape Republik is bright and inviting, making it a great place to catch up with friends or get some work done. I counted seven small tables and one big one, ample outlets to plug electronic devices, and free Wi-Fi. The interior was designed by Karla, and you can really appreciate all the details and thought that went into the inside.
Another thing customers can expect from Kape Republik is a unique personal touch that Karla takes pride in. She said she knows almost all of the regular customers who come in and her baristas are also friendly – an extension of who she is. Ensuring pleasant interactions with customers is something she prioritizes and what she credits much of her success to.
One thing I have to note is that there’s no restroom available for customers, so it’s not necessarily a place where you can spend all day doing work.
Still, that shouldn’t deter you from visiting! Even without a bathroom, you can still munch on a variety of tasty Filipino-inspired desserts, sip on thoughtfully made specialty beverages, and enjoy a genuine personal touch with every interaction of the staff at Kape Republik.
Kape Republik is located at:
17206 Norwalk Blvd.
Cerritos, CA 90703
For more information on Kape Republik, click here.