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\u201cWe are one part of a really powerful movement to pour into this community to create commercial revitalization and beautiful spaces where we can identify ourselves,\u201d Hall said.<\/p>\n
The symbolic heartbeat of Leimert Park<\/a>, Degnan Boulevard looks different than when Harun closed its doors three years ago. Long-standing Hot and Cool Cafe has transformed into ORA, a spacious co-working oasis with coffee, slushies and all-day brunch. A few doors down is the Plant Chica<\/a>, a community-focused nursery that was forced to relocate when new development forced it out of its West Adams home. Next door to Harun, you\u2019ll now find Lore<\/a>, a Black-owned bookstore that builds on the legacy of Eso Won Books.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery community goes through peaks and valleys, and I think now we\u2019re on the verge of another peak after some really hard times,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n The new Harun Coffee focuses on African coffee traditions, with an expanded food menu led by Alta Adams chef-owner Keith Corbin and an attached speakeasy that asserts the South L.A. community as an after-dark destination.<\/p>\n \u201cLeimert [Park] is affectionately referred to as Africatown or Little Africa,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI thought it was important to reflect what\u2019s always been a part of the neighborhood.\u201d <\/p>\n The compact interior features bright lemon-lime walls and a window nook with seating that overlooks Degnan Boulevard. Push open a shelf that\u2019s lined with Harun merchandise to reveal the newly launched listening lounge awash in a rich eggplant shade, from the walls to the plush carpet and stage where local acts like musician Terrace Martin perform.<\/p>\n All of Harun\u2019s coffee drinks feature beans from Ethiopia, and a fresh selection of mocktails is designed to complement evening programming, such as a seasonal tonic with makrut lime leaf, oleo saccharum and seamoss.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about paying homage to the place that really started the phenomenon of coffee,\u201d Johnson said. He was also inspired by the coffee culture in places like Morocco and Egypt, where the beverage is consumed into the evening hours. \u201cIt\u2019s about gathering and slowing down for a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n The breakfast menu is anchored by flaky buttermilk biscuits that Corbin also offers at his West Adams restaurant, but at Harun can be topped with house-smoked salmon for a savory start to the day, or whipped cardamom butter and seasonal citrus jam for a dessert-driven take. At night, the menu switches to bar bites, including tamarind-glazed nuts and a nostalgic brown-butter coffee cake inspired by the one that\u2019s been served to students and staff of Los Angeles Unified School District since 1954.<\/p>\n Both Hall and Johnson recognize the significance of coffee shops as essential sites for community organizing and are hopeful that tradition will continue at Harun.<\/p>\n \u201cCoffee has been a spark for folks for radical thought and new ideas throughout history, whether it\u2019s musicians gathering to play music at a cafe, or politicians and local change makers and organizers coming to discuss new ideas,\u201d Hall said. \u201cThat\u2019s meant to be kind of the anchor \u2026 and then, great coffee, great food.\u201d<\/p>\n Harun Coffee is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
haruncoffee.com<\/a>, instagram.com\/harun.coffee<\/a> <\/p>\n