Gen Z's weekend plans? Wait an hour for a $6 matcha in your most expensive hoodie

Come for the matcha latte, stay for a potential sighting of Justin and Hailey Bieber. Or is it the other way around? No matter the time or day, Community Goods, a petite coffee shop in Beverly Grove, draws the early-20s crowd for a line that stretches down the block.

Since opening in February 2023, the cafe’s cups with square logos have made an appearance in thousands of Instagram and TikTok posts. While overly posed photos of lattes feel reminiscent of a now-cringey, millennial Instagram, a flash of the Community Goods cup has become something of a Gen Z status symbol. For $6, it’s more attainable than other photos taken only to be shared: a manicure in a luxury car, a peek of a designer shoe or a recognizable dish at an impossible-to-get-into restaurant. Yet it still implies (or at least attempts to imply) a leisurely, influencer-adjacent lifestyle.

The line at Community Goods on this Sunday morning features a range of Los Angeles styles. Two friends match in designer sneakers, black leggings and Chrome Hearts hoodies (if authentic, $600-plus each). There is every version of Ugg boot and lip filler galore. The odd industrial goth breaks up neutral-toned athleisure. In a line this long, it’ll take 40 minutes to get to the register and another 20 to get an order. There are lines for coffee elsewhere in Los Angeles, like at Los Feliz’s Maru Coffee and Echo Park’s Canyon Coffee, but Community Goods loyalists seem to be excited, not frustrated, by the waiting around. Standing in the sun off Melrose Avenue in a curated outfit is part of the day’s plans. Online preorder is available, but no one here is in a rush.

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Many in the crowd swear they’re not just there to see and be seen but for the quality product. The cafe is known for its iced matcha, vanilla lattes and breakfast sandwich sliders on King's Hawaiian rolls. The menu has a few funkier items, like an ice salted maple cappuccino and a Hojicha Spänner (cream top). Drinks range from $4 to $7, sliders start at $10 before adding bacon or avocado — prices comparable to the competition.

“I think about the line as a group effort. We’re all waiting and we all get a reward in the end with our coffee,” says Shima Rable, 21, who is on vacation from Toronto. She and her friend Sasha Grub, 19, have stopped by Community Goods multiple times while visiting L.A., and this is Rable’s second day in a row there. “I found out about Community Goods through my queen Hailey [Bieber]. She’s my fashion inspiration,” says Rable. Even though the line was too long, the space was too small and her expectations went unmet, Grub says she’d still be back.

Ibraheem Agaba, 26, is waiting for his date to arrive at Community Goods. He was skeptical at first after hearing about the cafe from a friend. The crowd leaned a bit “basic” for his liking. But after trying the food and drinks, he was hooked. “So I guess I’ll be basic all day long,” he laughs. The line inspires him to be on his fashion A-game. “People try to bring their best as far as style goes when they come here, and I appreciate that. That's not something I see a lot of in L.A. It's kind of dead. I think Community Goods is one of the only establishments that's holding that expectation up, and that's why I'm here this morning.”

Julius Woods, 24, and Niki Zahedi, 25, are seated on the cramped back patio at a table overflowing with sliders, cookies and drinks. “Community Goods is the new era of Soho House for young creatives. There’s always that one spot in L.A. that’s popping, and this is the current one,” says Woods, who runs the music magazine Lucid Monday. When asked if he has ever networked or done any work at the cafe — the alleged purpose of Soho House — he clarifies that he prefers to people watch.

“There's so many cafes but this one really stood out to me because I love their logo. I’m a graphic designer and I really love their branding and overall aesthetic,” says Sierra Lee, 24. She first heard about it because of the Biebers but also approves of the matcha.

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With no marketing or publicity budget, co-owner Pedro Cavaliere, 30, attributes the cafe’s initial success to a decade of banked favors. “I worked my entire life for very influential people and never asked for anything in return. They saw me literally building the cafe with my own hands during lockdown and were ready to support. … I never expected it to become what it is,” says the Brazilian immigrant, who once was a personal assistant for musician A-Trak and a tour DJ for Rihanna.

Austin Quire, 20, and Andrew Tabak, 24, recognize the cafe feels like what transplants and TikTok users associate with Los Angeles. “There’s a lot of copy and paste. … If you took a picture of this place, without context you would be able to tell it’s in L.A.,” says Quire, who, like other customers, is wearing a Chrome Hearts hoodie.

Los Angeles’ layout and car culture reduce spontaneous interaction and leave room for a coffee shop line to be a place for which you plan outfits. An 18-year-old fan and an A-lister enjoying the same latte creates the illusion of access to a version of Los Angeles reserved for the rich and famous. It’s enticing enough that a year in, the line is as long as ever and a second location in West Hollywood is in the works. Paparazzi haven’t caught Hailey Bieber at the cafe since November, but according to its 20-something fans, the matcha is still worth waiting for.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.