Blank Street Coffee, the venture capital-backed chain born from a Brooklyn coffee cart in 2020, opened its first Los Angeles location on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City on Aug. 12, marking the brand's West Coast debut.

The opening at 13273 Ventura Blvd. is the chain's 106th location worldwide, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Founded by former tech entrepreneurs Vinay Menda and Issam Freiha, Blank Street has raised roughly $67 million from investors including General Catalyst and Tiger Global, and was valued at approximately $500 million last year. The Financial Times reported in April that the company was in talks to raise more than $100 million at a valuation possibly exceeding $1 billion.

The Studio City shop drew long lines in its first week, but those lines moved fast. Automatic espresso machines produce eight simultaneous shots and up to 700 per hour. Customers who order through the Blank Street app can skip the line entirely.

"The line was long, and we got these drinks in, like, three minutes," Studio City resident Angela Guice told the Los Angeles Times. "The coffee shops I love, they take a long time. Blank Street has got the efficiency down."

Not everyone is sold.

Nicolas Monroe, a Studio City resident, said he prefers independent or LA-local chains. But he noted the space had sat vacant before Blank Street moved in. "If there is some benefit that's being brought to the community, I do see that as valuable," Monroe told the Times. He said he'd continue patronizing nearby independents like Yala Coffee and Lynx Coffee. Ventura Boulevard already hosts Alfred Coffee, Philz and several other popular spots, according to LA Magazine.

The interior nods to LA's midcentury Case Study houses, with steel, glass and wood accented by the brand's signature sage green on booth textiles and terrazzo flooring that extends to an outdoor patio. Custom speakers reference the production studios in the neighborhood.

The Studio City exclusive is the Cortado Cloud, a 4-ounce espresso or matcha drink sweetened with Madagascan vanilla bean syrup and topped with thick cream. Later in 2026, the location plans to add an ice cream line developed with Zen Ong of Awan, the plant-based ice cream shop in Los Angeles.

Blank Street plans to open at least three more LA-area locations: one at Sunset Plaza in West Hollywood, one in Malibu (both targeted for late fall) and a Beverly Hills outpost in a Tudor Revival building on Bedford Drive. The Beverly Hills location was originally slated for June but has no confirmed opening date.

The Studio City location is open daily, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.