Zephyr Coffee House & Art Gallery

I wrote a review about Zephyr a long time ago. IIRC, in my review I gave them a couple stars, noting their nice coffee but remarking on their anti-​wifi policy which made them a non-​option for me since I needed a place to work.
I just got a notice that Unilocal has removed my review because it «fell outside our Content Guidelines as it did not appear to describe a customer experience». My review did indeed describe my customer experience, so I can only assume I got this message because they were trying to whitewash their rating.
I haven’t been back in a long time and they’ve changed ownership since then so it’s probably different now but this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I really like the hooka. It’s very good. And the service is great. Definitely recommended!

Horrible Horrible Horrible .
Avoid Avoid Avoid .
They have the worst customer sevice ever. after 25mins I finally got my hookah with a big hole in the hose. took them 30mins to fix it. they totally forget to bring you New charcoal. at the time the owner doesn’t give a shit about what’s going on .he’s always sitting on his laptop and smoking with his special hookah him and his friends .
Thays my last time I go to that place .
Avvvooooiiiiddddd.

The place is cute and we were sitting outside doing homework. I don’t mind the hookah smell, but I all of the sudden smelt cigarettes on the patio which I thought was weird. I look over and see a table of older men all smoking cigarettes. I let it go and then those same old men turned on the tv and the volume all the way up. It seems like this man is the owner. It is disappointing that an owner of a café would smoke on the patio (isn’t that illegal at a restaurant?) and then also use the patio as his own sports watching living room. I ended up leaving because it got loud and was hard to focus. Cool place as long as the owner isn’t there

Really nice place to study during the day time. Granted the occasional chatter can get a little noisy but nothing some headphones can’t handle. The coffee’s on par but was a bit overpriced I think. All in all, a great place to chill and catch up for friends. Its a house that has been gutted with nothing but sofas, chairs, coffee tables and that’s it. Its like going to someone’s house to chill.

This place is so-​so. They don’t start selling hookah until 3, which is one of the big reasons that I don’t come often. Their food is kind of expensive too. One drink minimum per person. The outdoor seating is pretty nice if its a nice day (or night).

Not exactly satisfied with this first experience here. Looking for a small coffee shop to grab an iced latte or bite around this area. Ordered a «large» iced vanilla late for approx «$ 5» and its about the size of a grande iced coffee from Starbucks…
Also got the House name salad for $ 8 and was given a bed of mixed greens with canned mushrooms, some heart artichokes and chunks of mozzarella cheese. Seriously. I can make better salads at my apartment. Dressing thick like wishbone brand balsamic. Gross. Overpriced.
Only thing this place has going for them is their set up, cool patio and vintage dark rooms for privacy. Sad waste of about $ 15. Never again.

This place is a favorite hangout for me and my fiancé. Their outside patio is relaxing to sit with a simple coffee and hookah.

Horrible, Horrible, HORRIBLE. Where do I begin?
I’ll start off with the crazy rule of «only 2 people per hookah,» excuse me? I thought this was a joke at first but it’s not. If they’re «busy» they’ll request you to purchase another hookah because they’re limited on space.
I liked going here to study because it was quiet. I usually go to study with 3 other friends so their small tables wouldn’t fit us so this last time we got another table and combined them. The waiter came up to us (per the owner’s request) and told us we can’t do that. We questioned why? And his response was that they might (MIGHTTTTTTTT) get busy. Excuse me but «might» is not a valid reason to ask me to squish my ass next to 3 of my other friends just to make your owner happy. If you «might» get busy maybe your owner should give up his table that he sits on every night smoking his hookah. It is clear that all this guy wants to do is make money but let me tell you asking your customers to squish on a table and giving them shitty, rude service isn’t going to bring you money.
Thirdly the food and waiting staff. Food is bland af and not cheap either. $ 11 for a panini with a «salad» (it’s literally lettuce and spinach thrown on the plate). Also, the plate it self is a plastic plate borrowed from the closest prison. I’ve paid $ 2 for fries and received it in a nicer dinnerware. The waiter also chucked a hookah tip at my friend. (clearly he thought he was the next Kobe Bryant) Very rude. Never returning to this place. I’d rather go study at a night club then come back here and be belittled and treated like shit.

I love that I can sit all by myself in a room in the middle of the day, and stuff a grilled cheese panini in my face without fear of judgement. Perhaps the occasional person will walk in and sip coffee on the couch like this one dude in here right now. His face is buried in a phone though so I can continue navigating this delicious melty mess in peace. ;)

Came here on a Sunday afternoon and the place was pretty empty. Walked in and waited a good 5 minutes for someone to show up behind the counter to take our order. Despite a pretty extensive coffee drink menu, they had no decaf available and I was told all they had was the coffee that was on the counter behind us. There were 3 coffees available. 2 of them were out completely so lukewarm Vanilla Nut was the only option. Service was awful, selection was non-​existent. Go somewhere else.

I almost don’t want to write this review because I like how this place isn’t busy. But I also want them to stay in business for a long time so I’ll do what I can. So, I don’t get a long very well with my girlfriend’s roommate (there’s a point to this, don’t worry). And I live half an hour away and we don’t always want to go to my place.
This place is built in what looks like a repurposed house so there are different «living rooms» with couches and small tables where you can pretty much make yourself at home. It’s great for snuggling up to a dessert crêpe or just hanging out for hours reading a book together or catching up on paperwork.
It’s one of the only places I’ve been where we completely had a living room type feel all to ourselves. The Bourgeois Pig in silver lake comes close and IKEA fake living rooms are always fun to invade for hours on end, but this is truly the perfect place to get away from the moody roommate and still be able to snuggle on a couch.

I. Love. This. Place. I wish they had one like it where I live now! If I ever meet up with friends in the the Pasadena area, I always suggest this place.
I found this gem driving by during my days at PCC. I had a 2 – 3 hour break between class & work and needed a quiet place to study (that Starbuck across the street from PCC is ALWAYS packed, and I kept running into people I knew when I tried to study on campus). Zephyr did the trick!
It’s an old house that has been converted into a coffeehouse, so there are separate rooms with couches/​sofa chairs & coffee tables, perfect for relaxing, having conversations with friends, and studying/​working. They also have art for sale displayed on all of the walls. There is also a huge patio that wraps around from the front to the side of the building. It’s a covered patio on the side.
They have all the drinks a typical coffeehouse has, and they can give it to you in a to-​go cup or a ceramic cup. They have a very limited food menu, but what they do have is very tasty.

It’s a great place to go to if you are looking for a quiet and less crowded place to spend your day. There’s plenty of seats indoor and at the outdoor patio. Ordered a muffin and sparking juice at a reasonable price, service is good. However, the parking entrance is very confusing, took me a while to find that tiny little entrance for my car to drive in. They should have a bigger and much obvious sign to direct customers to the private parking lot.

Adorable atmosphere and SUPER nice barista (Shawna)!
I got a chai latte with a shot of espresso and sat on a comfy couch with my laptop. They don’t blast music or scream names like Starbucks so it’s actually a proper atmosphere to work in without headphones. Great food choices, I got a turkey artichoke panini on rosemary olive bread (so so so good).
Hookah smoking starts at 3. I might hang around just so I can get in on that. Highly recommend this place!

Ok, I’ve let this one slide for too long.
This is my «go to» café in Pasadena — great place for a meetup and to get some work done. Not a hookah smoker myself but plenty of folks love it here for that.
I love to tip their friendly staff because they never make you feel like a nuisance. They will go the extra mile to take care of you, whenever they can. Try the sajouk panini for a spicy twist on a classic. Their crepes (savory or sweet) are nice treats as well.

After class at PCC one day my girlfriends and I decided to come here to hang out and have a good girl talk. It was my first time and I love it! The lady who rang us up was really friendly and helpful! The atmosphere inside the house is cozy and comfy but no smoking is allowed. Another rule is that everyone who is there in your group has to purchase a drink and only 1 to 3 people per hookah.
Outside there were plenty of tables. My girlfriends and I chose a table by an outlet towards the back.
When we got seated they brought out our drinks right away but our hookah within about 20 minutes.
Our drinks were :
1 — Iced vanilla caramel latte (3.5 stars)
1 — Caramel iced coffee (4.5 stars)
1 — Iced Chai Latte (4.5 stars)
We were there from 3pm to about 8pm
At first the person who would gave us coals was very good at always giving us coals then after about 6pm the person stopped giving us or any of the other customers coals. I repeatedly asked for coals from 6 to 8. We had to use the coals from the table next to us that people left.
Other than that every other time that I have gone it’s been great!
Honestly though, the hookahs here don’t hit as hard as Boba Bear’s hookah but the atmosphere and communication between the staff and customer here is much better. I would pick Zephyr’s over Boba Bear as a place to talk and hang out. It’s such a relaxing area atmosphere.

Zephyr is a great place to go if you need a quiet, peaceful place to catch up with friends. The place offers food, drinks and hookah in a casual, café environment. The décor is very shabby chic, and inviting. The only qualm I would have with this place would be that the parking is a little confusing.
I haven’t had the food here, but I heard the Sujuk sandwich is pretty good! I just had a smoothie during my visit, but it was mostly ice and not very well blended.
There are PLENTY of seats available here, both indoor and out. I would definitely be back here for any future meetings with friends.

Zephyr is basically my second home especially when I’m going to school.
Parking is easy, there is street parking and parking in the back. You would think it’s busy outside, but sometimes there are parking spots in the back. Do not park in the plaza next door, it’s not allowed.
They have food like pannins, baked goods and hummus. I snack on hummus and pita bread if I know I will be there awhile. Tip! Extra pit bread for a dollar. They also have coffee and smoothies. I usually get a soy chai, it’s perfect for a cold night. They also have tee-​hehe which is good and only a buck for a refill. They also now serve flavored sodas.
The hookah is good here. It lasts a long time, especially now that they offer fruit heads like apple, orange and pineapple. They come around with coals often. House mix is good but sometimes I do mint, white peach and guava. You pay about 12 for regular hookah and 18 to 24 for fruit head. You pay, they give you a number and they will come find you with your food, drinks and hookah.
There is free wifii, which is great. There are heaters, in case it’s a chilly night. You don’t have to smoke hookah, you could just come here to study. It’s a perfect meet up for group projects. Though, you probably have to order a drink. It’s a business, not your friends house. The patio seating is nice, most covered to protect you from sun or rain. They also have big screen tvs that usually play sports.
I have been going here a few years now and they are always improving. Upgraded their hoses and their tips. If there was at anytime a problem, they were always very cool about fixing it. Once a soy chai tasted more like water than chai and they fixed it right away. All you gotta do is ask.
If you smoke hookah, it’s a great atmosphere to talk and catch up with a friend or study. I like it because I can always find a seat and people here are really chill. Smoking cigarettes are not allowed, which doesn’t bother me because I don’t smoke cigarettes. Just thought it would be a nice heads up for people to know. I like that when you are ready to go, you can just leave. You dont have to wait for a check. Be kind and tip up front, because this place does not charge a bogus gratuity fee because it is a hookah place. Love it! ;)

This review is for the daytime experience at Zephyr as I have not visited there at night.
I enjoy studying and working at Zephyr. It is cozy with large couches, comfy chairs, tables in good order, etc. The girls who work there have all been really nice and the crepes are good in addition to good drink options.
Parking can be a pain sometimes since the lot is small but the trade off is worth it.