No Gimmicks--Just the Taste of Home

The chewy granola squares are made from scratch. The cream that tops off the coffee drinks is whipped by hand as each drink is ordered. The oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies are all homemade.

There’s nothing better than having all the comforts of home when you’re out on the town and no one knows that better than Java Man, a quaint little Hermosa Beach coffeehouse located in a 1920s Victorian beach house that overlooks the Strand.

While most coffeehouses are serving up more than latte and mocha by offering entertainment and intellectualism, Java Man is serving up desserts and coffee just like Mom makes.

“Nothing here is streamlined,� says general manager Paul Brockschlager. “We know that there are about five different places in a short radius that people can go to, but they come here because its homey.�

Painted red with black-and-white trim, Java Man looks much like an old firehouse. Though regulars are still getting used to the new paint job--it was green with red trim until a month ago--the ambience inside has remained a constant.

Folks here go by first names. So regular are the regulars, that an exhibit of photographs of those who frequent Java Man daily has been erected by, who else, a regular, Mark Kuba. There are photos of cigar-smoking, double-latte drinking Russell before he cut his long hair and Bryce, the guy who owns the furniture store up the street and comes in during the morning and evening.

Night-shift clerks Robert Ayala and Timothy O’Connor can’t remember the names of the fireman or the female body builder pictured since they get their cup of joe in the mornings. And they’re not too sure about the picture of the older guy, shot from the street through the French windows that overlook Pier Avenue.

“Isn’t he the single mocha?� O’Connor asks Ayala. “You know, he comes in the afternoon. It’s Ned, right?�

Ayala says the morning crew caters to a more on-the-go crowd of people who stop at Java Man on the way to work for sugar-free, fat-free muffins and caffeinated concoctions. The evening attracts a mostly Gen X social scene along with some patrons of all ages.

From the French windows there is an always-changing panorama for people watchers and mere background for the patron who is lost in a book.

Suzanne Peterson, 32, of Hermosa Beach, pops in during the mornings for a peach muffin and coffee and in the evenings to study or read. “You can come in here and plunk your nose in a book and no one bothers you or you can talk with people,� Peterson says. “It’s just a funky little local spot.�

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Where: Java Man, 147 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach. (310) 379-7209.

When: Sunday to Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to midnight; Friday and Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Cost: Granola squares, $2.25; banana cake with chocolate frosting, $2.25; chocolate raspberry truffle (steamed hot chocolate, two shots espresso, raspberry syrup, whipped cream), $3; Delorean (five shots espresso and whipped cream), $3.