The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Will Close In Brentwood On…

Posted on March 21, 2025 by toddrickallen

To The Good People of Brentwood comes this unhappy news: I’ve confirmed that beloved local institution, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, at 11698 San Vicente Blvd, will permanently close this Sunday, March 23rd. While many disheartened fans have written to tell me this news, one reader (Thanks Steve!) reminded me that CBTL actually began in Brentwood, albeit not at this location. He also informed me that this address was previously home to the All American Burger featured in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. You have just a few hours left to drop by and grab one last oat milk latte… and contemplate the historic neighborhood loss.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Opening A New Santa Monica Location

Posted on October 4, 2023 by toddrickallen

I’ve been reporting on the closure of many local The Coffee Bean & Tea Leafs in recent years. All the closures seemed to be a pattern and I was afraid that that didn’t bode well for the java franchise. But lo and behold, a brand new CBTL is moving into the old deli space in the medical building at 2021 Santa Monica Blvd (corner of 20th St.). Could this begin a refresh for the storied SoCal coffee chain?

Dunkin’ Donuts Comes To Westwood Village

Posted on July 22, 2022 by toddrickallen

The troubled corner space at 1001 Gayley in Westwood Village was most recently and briefly the home to juice shop Qwench, and before that it was a branch of Coffee Bean. Now a reader (Thanks Kiko!) wrote to tell me that a new coffee joint is taking over to location. It appears that national chain Dunkin’ Donuts will soon be dishing breakfast pastries and sugary coffee drinks to the good people of Westwood.

Philz Coffee Coming To Beverly Hills

Posted on November 7, 2021 by toddrickallen

Congratulations Good People of Beverly Hills, mojito mint coffee is heading your way… Beverly Hills lost its branches of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the company’s mass extinction event that occurred over a year ago when multiple SoCal locations closed (there are still a smattering of branches around). But the chain’s previous address at 233 S Beverly Dr. is destined to be a java joint once more. According to window paper, the Bay Area’s third wave darling, Philz Coffee, will be replacing the second wave CBTL at this location.

Randy’s Donuts Coming To Santa Monica

Posted on April 15, 2021 by toddrickallen

I heard from many distraught people when The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf closed last year at 829 Wilshire Blvd. (corner of 9th). But the free-standing building isn’t destined to be empty for long. Signs are up indicating that this will be a branch of expanding chain Randy’s Donuts.

Jinky’s Coffee Coming To Downtown Santa Monica

Posted on February 20, 2021 by toddrickallen

It looks like popular breakfast/lunch spot Jinky’s Cafe is expanding into the world of coffee and grab-and-go. You may recall that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on the corner of Second St. and Santa Monica Blvd. disappeared in last year’s mass extinction event that saw so many closures for the beloved SoCal chain. Now there’s a banner on the location, at 200 Santa Monica Blvd., announcing a new java joint: Jinky’s Coffee. We are promised a chai and coffee bar, bakery, sandwiches, wraps, and “empanads and samosas”.

Yet Another CBTL Gone…

Posted on July 15, 2020 by toddrickallen

The story that has garnered the most interest on this blog recently has been the disappearance of neighborhood coffee shops, and in particular, the mass extinction of SoCal’s beloved The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Thank you to all the readers who sent me news that the CBTL at 9th and Wilshire in Santa Monica has now also succumbed. There is still one extant Coffee Bean in the Third St. Promenade, and I went in today to have a look. The lack of customers, and low inventory of food left me wondering what its future may be… What’s going on? I’m not certain, but perhaps there’s a clue here.

Bluestone Lane Checking Out Of Beverly Hills

Posted on July 12, 2020 by toddrickallen

As you know if you read this blog, coffee shops are getting hammered right now. Peets, The Coffee Bean, and even Starbucks have all been closing locations recently. And now it looks like the newish Bluestone Lane is leaving its location at 9523 S. Santa Monica, in the Golden Triangle. The large for lease sign in the window appears to confirm it.

Even More CBTL Losses!

Posted on June 27, 2020 by toddrickallen

Yikes! Ever since I first started telling you about the mass extinction of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf from the Westside, I’ve been hearing from horrified fans mourning the loss of even more neighborhood CBTLs. The Coffee Bean on the corner of Second and Santa Monica Blvd. is now gone. The CBTL on the corner of Wilshire and Federal has disappeared. And, while I haven’t checked it out personally, readers are telling me that The Coffee Bean on the corner of Lincoln and Manchester is now caput. Lots of you have been sending me theories on why this is happening, but if you have definite information, please let us know… CBTL2

Yet Another CBTL Gone?

Posted on May 31, 2020 by toddrickallen

I’ve been watching the mass extinction of The Westside’s beloved Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. It appears yet another one may have bitten the dust. The popular CBTL at 2901 Main St. in Santa Monica appears to be closed. While it doesn’t have the poster announcing the closure as the other ones have had, the windows are papered over and the equipment has been removed. What is going on?

CBTL

Another Coffee Bean Gone From The Westside…

Posted on May 17, 2020 by toddrickallen

Earlier this week, I told you about the permanent closure of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on S Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills. I reader was quick to point out that the CBTL that anchors the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and S Beverly Glen Blvd. was also closing as of Sunday, May 17th. I went by the coffee shop and checked it out: A notice in the window confirms that this branch is now permanently closed. What’s going on with CBTL?