Breakfast Beat: A Hidden Gem in Glendale

Each week, we review a different breakfast spot in town, highlighting culinary offerings, brunchability, and the overall vibe as you sip your morning joe. Whether the restaurant in question is grab-and-go or stay-and-play, each offers a unique breakfast buzz that might be just what you need for the most important meal of the day.

The Spot: Dapper & Stout Coffee Company
6409 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale
623-934-1226

The Scene: It’s easy to drive past Dapper & Stout. The coffee stand is no more than a window, a countertop, and two patio tables. Most customers drive up, park five feet from the espresso machine, pick up their order and go; and who could blame them? There is no indoor seating to speak of, and sitting outside with a view of Glendale Avenue isn’t exactly the Champs-Élysées. But if you stick around, a friendly staff will treat you to great food and coffee from Dapper's snazzy, vintage Hollywood-looking cubicle.

The Goods: Dapper & Stout’s matchbox size means there isn't a kitchen of 10 chefs working on your order in the back. Food here is ready-made. The menu is limited to sandwiches and pastries. You'll get no complaints from us on either of these counts. The “breakfast bagel,” which features scrambled eggs, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and a delicious pesto mayo, is excellent. And a banana-Nutella panini was exactly what you dream it will be: a gooey, delicious mess of hot hazelnut spread on toast. Add to that an espresso menu that feels more West Hollywood than West Side (cold brew, butter coffee, and almond milk all make cameos), and we’ll totally be fine with hitting this place on the reg.

The Bottom Line: This is your new go-to coffee shop in Glendale. It’s not the place to park and work all day (unless you are literally parked. Like, in your car). Dapper & Stout is unapologetically grab-and-go. But if trendy, tasty coffee and a quick bite are what you’re after, look no further than this shady strip mall gem.

Special Something: Owner Aaron Lopo and his now-ex-business partner originally conceived of the venue as “Braistas,” a bikini coffee bar …a genre that, if it ever existed as such, has surely jumped the shark by now. Thankfully, cooler (and less sexist) heads prevailed to give us the stand in its current form. The west side is better for it.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price: $
Coffee Options: Loads of them. The blend is an original from local roasters Passport Coffee & Tea, and Dapper & Stout hopes to sell it by the bag soon.
Fresh-squeezed juice: No fresh-squeezed juice, but the place offers refreshing smoothies and unique creams – some of them based on your favorite childhood cereal.
Drinking Before Noon: Nope. But if you’re looking to improve rather than impair brain function, the bar has a version of bulletproof coffee that will have you buzzing all day.