
Brian Kendall
At this very moment, there’s a line outside of La La Land. I can report this with near certainty because, since last Wednesday, there’s been a perpetual row of cars and foot traffic waiting patiently outside the new brick-and-mortar on Camp Bowie Boulevard. The cars seeking drive-thru service begin near the intersection of Halloran Street and Camp Bowie and wrap around Curzon Avenue. And dozens of people, most wearing athleisure, wait for a man to usher them inside, ensuring the building doesn’t exceed its maximum capacity.
As my colleague said after driving by the building previously occupied by a Smoothie King, it’s craziness. No doubt assisted by nice weather, the lines are akin to a ride at Disney World.
Now, if you’re reading this and wondering what the hell La La Land is and how it could receive enough hype to draw such a large, adoring crowd, let us fill you in.
La La Land (officially called La La Land Kind Café) is a coffee shop that specializes in iced lattes and handsome fruity beverages served in cute plastic cups with yellow tops. They also sell pastries and make incredibly delicious and filling avocado toasts — I suspect each slice contains enough spread to account for an avocado and a half. But one of La La Land’s key differentiators is the white, minimalist aesthetic that calls to mind a legitimate Paris café. It’s clean, modern, and pretty; everything about the space is clearly made with the Instagram generation in mind.
But there’s more at play here than meets the eye. La La Land began as a nonprofit called La La Land Foundation, which, according to their website, “provides valuable support and opportunities for fostering youth and individuals in need.” In 2019, they opened their first café in Dallas that offered paid internships to young adults who had been in foster care. These internships serve as a support system for their transition into adulthood, where they gain access to housing assistance and mental health services.
And in only five years, they’ve grown exponentially. The new La La Land on Camp Bowie marks the chain’s 20th location. Other cities sporting La La Land Kind Cafes include Plano, Houston, and Los Angeles. A new store in Austin is set to open later in 2025.
Concerning the long lines, subsequent traffic jams, and the manager of Edwin Watts Golf on watch to ensure no one parks in his store’s lot, it will likely die down following La La Land’s official grand opening this Saturday, Feb. 8.
You see, during La La Land’s soft opening, which kicked off last Wednesday and is running through the remainder of this week, they’re offering 50% off all beverages through Feb. 7. And when a latte will set you back $7, that’s not a savings at which to scoff.
Like many, my curiosity couldn’t resist giving it a shot. Electing to do the whole walk-in-customer thing after seeing the long line of cars awaiting drive-thru service, the wait wasn’t anything atrocious. The café clearly has plenty of people on staff, so things moved quickly. I ordered an espresso La La Latte — an iced vanilla latte that comes with a matcha variant — and the La La Dream Toast, which includes burrata, pesto, chili oil, and chili flakes on a healthy serving of avocado spread.
While it’s admittedly difficult to mess up such an order, the results were no doubt delicious. And given the store’s proximity to our offices, I’ll be back, but maybe after the newness factor dies down a tad. Over the next several weeks, one should still expect long waits and plenty of La La Land content on their Instagram feeds.
La La Land, 5733 Camp Bowie Blvd., lalalandkindcafe.com