Liz: My name is Elizabeth Corcoles and I am here with…
Jasmine: Jasmine
Rebecca: and Rebecca
Liz: So we recently visited America’s original cannabis cafe, as they, as it reads on their website Lowells’s Cafe. We
went on Friday on a Friday afternoon. It was a really mellow
chill vibe.
Rebecca: I think so. The secondhand smoke definitely invites you in like as soon as you walk into like the entrance
that’s all you smell. Pretty cool, I like it.
Jasmine: It’s so chill from the inside that for a second from the outside you can’t really spot it you’re like where’s this
place? Where’s all the commotion.
Rebecca: Yeah, it’s very well hidden. Usually, when you think of a weed cafe you think of like weed signs
everywhere or kind of like a medical shop but this is actually more of a fancy restaurant type ambiance. And I’m just
happy we found parking, that too.
(Jasmine laughs)
Liz: Especially on La Brea. We walked like what, five minutes?
Rebecca: Yeah it was a five-minute walk.
Liz: Yeah, it wasn’t too bad.
Liz: Yeah, it has a very discreet um, I feel like sign, like it doesn’t have like, oh Lowell’s Cafe. At least I didn’t see it
right this from the corner view of kinda just looks like any old restaurant.
Rebecca: Exactly,
Liz: Yeah, but it’s bigger than it looks. It looks kind of small I feel like when you walk in. And the photos that
actually looks pretty big and pretty like bright. Yeah, but I don’t know I think
it’s a decent size.
Jasmine: It is, and you can smell it you can smell the smoke right at the check-in area where there’s parking, but it’s
not overwhelming. It has a distinct Sage smell to it. That’s what I caught on so it’s like a mixture of sage and
cannabis. Everybody was chill greeting you on your way in and, you know, we actually stepped inside while we’re
waiting for a table, and we’re just kind of taking a glance and looking at people smoking enjoying their meals, you
know, just keeping to themselves or to the group just having a good time. .
Liz: I feel like I saw like a big range of ages like there was young people and there was like older people, like the
older man that was like standing there by himself on enjoying joint and eating.
Rebecca: Yeah
Liz: So I feel like it has a good range. I didn’t see like too many like young like really young folks, but it is 21 and
over so…
Rebecca: That’s the good part of it at least, even if you are 18 and you do have your medical rec. you have to be 21
no matter what because I think sometimes at 18 we we think we know our limit, but then we go to like a cafe like
this and we’re, it’s the, cannabis is definitely going to get you high it’s gonna, it’ll probably give us a different
reaction honestly cuz I remember like in high school, you know, you would see kids just like smoke randomly and
they were honestly just pass out from just taking one hit or one inhale of a joint or a bong or something and this is
the type of place where you have to have at least some experience
Jasmine: Some control
Rebecca: Yeah, cuz otherwise you’re just gonna get high off the secondhand smoke and the joint you know and
that’s I don’t know if that’s for everybody cuz I do really want to make the emphasize that there’s smoke everywhere.
Like smoke everywhere.
Jasmine: There’s a lot of openings a lot of like open pathways type of thing but it is pretty hazy in there.
Rebecca: Yes, I agree
Jasmine: That’s something to expect when going in and just seeing the the clouds of smoke within like the lighting
coming from the ceiling and from the doors,
Liz: At one point, I was like ‘are my contacts blurry or is it just too hazy?’
(Jasmine laughs)
Liz: and Jasmine was like ‘no it’s super hazy in here’
Jasmine: *laughs* yeah
Rebecca: I like the fact that everything was green yeah and the pictures, it makes you feel homey and it makes you
feel like you’re, you’re, like, somewhere different besides Los Angeles because usually of LA or that area off La
Brea is hustle and bustle, the traffic, of course, was hustle and bustle.
Jasmine: ooof
Rebecca: But when you, when you actually got inside. It’s very tranquil and it’s a whole different ambiance than a
restaurant and a bar, because usually by the time you have your drinks and your food, you’re basically yelling at
each other across the table to have a conversation. And at this place, you know, you could hear the murmurs of
people enjoying the food or the cannabis or the waitress is coming and take your order, and it wasn’t overbearing
like
Jasmine: Nothing was overwhelming
Rebecca: Yeah, I felt like if I would have, you know, smoke in that place I would have had an anxiety attack
because of the amount of people that was in there but actually felt pretty good. I felt really good.
Jasmine: The person who sat next to her she was actually there on a business lunch meeting
Liz: Right
Jasmine: Her partner didn’t end up coming through
Liz and Rebecca: Her boss actually
Jasmine: invited her the first time, Miss Chloe, to actually have lunch there and to go over, over business stuff there
so I found that interesting like, you know, people are are treating it as a cafe, you know, as a cafe you go there to
work socialize have lunch. Even if by yourself too so I thought that was interesting those people, people. Yeah, I’m
very open, kinda like the normalization of smoking cannabis or ingesting cannabis while doing your work and, you
know, not letting it kind of deter you from that.
Rebecca: Yeah, I mean I felt it felt kind of weird. Being in there at first because I’m not used to be a restaurant
where you could smoke like that and one point you know when we sat down and had our do that did our thing you
know I felt a little bit more comfortable, especially like when we’re enjoying our food. It didn’t really bug me as
much as the fact that there was other people doing their thing with their gravity bong and all that. I like the fact that
it was just us and we were just focused, not what everybody else is doing because we already know what was going
on but the fact that it was normalized like how you said. Kind of like an end to prohibition, as they said on their
website right yeah so that’s one thing I did like about it.
Jasmine: What did y’all think of the food.
Rebecca: Liz?
Liz: I feel like I was really excited to try that sandwich that kept seeing it online and on their website.
Rebecca: Which sandwich did you get?
Liz: The chicken crispy sandwich. So yeah, it was, it was pretty chicken crispy chicken. Um, it was, it was really
good I just felt like it lacked in like meat and like breast. It was like I was just chewing on to like crispy parts. And it
wasn’t bad but it was just, it could have been better,
Rebecca: Like on the batter you mean the batter
Liz: Just chewing on the batter was just crisp like there’s nothing and then and it was just like, air inside. I felt like
the sauce was a little bit too vinegary for me. But everything else was good the mac and cheese, the jalapeno mac
and cheese balls. I thought could have been better I felt like the inside was a little bit.
Jasmine: Dry?
Liz: Yeah, a little dry and a little too hard but
\
Rebecca: over fried, for sure. I mean, I know, I, I felt like if you’re going to get mac and cheese balls as perfectly
fried outside, but gooey on the inside. I do see your point where it was dry especially with the pasta because it felt
like it was, it felt like they were just sitting under the light in a way, and you know i i love the siracha sauce that was
on the side because it kind of tastes like buffalo sauce to me. I didn’t really get that much jalapeno though no yeah
Jasmine: No I did not get jalapeno at all
Liz: no, at all
Rebecca: I just got straight cheese
Jasmine: There was like uh uh sprinkles of it on top
Rebecca: No, that was parsley.
Jasmine: yeah so I did not get the jalapeno
Liz: I thought it would have like a good pop like a good like spicy
Rebecca: Me too
Liz: Just like kick but it didn’t
Jasmine: Yeah much cheesiness either.
Rebecca: Yeah, it was just the pasta. Mostly it, so I mean
Jasmine: The pasta and, yeah,
Rebecca: That was that was probably the only downside, and then your probably your chicken sandwich right?
Liz: My whole food was just a flop
Rebecca and Jasmine: Aww
Jasmine: I got the black bean burger so it’s like a vegan option, and over on the menu, it sounds like a very
appetizing meal. And it was to extend but it was very messy. So anytime I try to like take a bite like the contents like
would fall out so at some point he has kind of gave up his started eating it with a knife and fork,
Rebecca: I saw that oh yeah, I was like ‘what are you doing?’
Jasmine: but as far as seasoning goes I feel like it could have been season, a little better, but the overall experience
with having that meal was well I like it sat well in my stomach it wasn’t too heavy it was light so I appreciate that.
Rebecca: Did you like the ranch that they served with?
Jasmine: Oh yeah, their ranch was good.
Rebecca: I thought it was too peppery
Jasmine: Oh really?
Rebecca: Like it tasted different to me. Like when I think of ranch I like it thick and creamy. With a lot of seasoning
in it but this tastes like. It was vinegaretty already like it tasted like a little bit of Italian like it was really watery but I
mean you get all types of ranches but that’s how I felt with it. I’m picky with my ranch. (laughs)
Jasmine: I actually liked that ranch, how it went with the fries too. I think the fries are the best part. (laughs)
Rebecca: I think, the fries are awesome. I totally agree with that the crunchyness
Jasmine: The baked Alaska for dessert (laughs)
Liz: oh my gosh that was so good
Jasmine: The baked salmon (laughs)
Liz: I was close
Rebecca: I had the smash burger and I got it medium rare. I loved it. Like I thought it was better than in an hour.
Honestly, I like the pickles I like the onions on a grilled onions. My meaT was perfectly cooked what I wanted the
brioche bun was really really crisp and it wasn’t messy at all. But, towards the end, it kind of was like a little bit too
bloody for me, but I ended up liking it a little bit more than usual and I ended up eating the whole thing. For one
thing for sure. I would get it again. I would definitely get it again.
Jasmine: The vegan nachos,
Rebecca: oh my god
Jasmine: I just seen those fly around and next time for sure we’re getting those..
Liz; I forgot about them, I just saw mac and cheese and jalapenos
Jasmine: At some Liz was like “get them, get them”
Liz: No, I didn’t say get them,
Jasmine: Yeah, you did
Liz: Did I? Oh, I don’t know because he kept talking about them so I was like just get them, you really want them.
Jasmine: Naw, they were huge.
Rebecca: They were really big and the picture that they show they look the portions look small but then when you
actually get it here, your table, it’s actually bigger Yeah, big bigger than expected. I love how they hook you up with
the fries. They already put a side of ketchup for you you don’t really gotta ask if you want barbecue sauce or ranch
obviously you ask but I had a good experience with it but I do agree with you it is kind of pricey. That’s one thing I
do have to say like if it’s if it’s your first time you want to experience it then you know for you know for sure go
indulge in it but I don’t think it’s recommended to be as an everyday thing where you want to buy your cannabis.
Liz and Jasmine: Yeah.
Yeah, by all means, if you have money, and you will you will like the quality that they serve. Go for it. Have fun
Spark your joint there you know but for me, as a cannabis user, user, I felt that goes a little too pricey for me. Yeah,
but I did the job, I feel like the joint did its job though correctly like I, I loved it. It tasted good. Usually when you
get pre rolls like that in your, your packaging. Do they usually been sitting in there or it’s the last of like the we that
are the cannabis that’s available and it just doesn’t taste good. It’s super dry or it gives me a headache, for sure. And
this honestly didn’t taste dry it tasted good and it’s well my food so that’s one thing I do have to say about that.
Liz: Yeah, I feel like the joint really enhanced our food, and I felt like it made it better than it actually was I think
looking back, I was just like, it could have been better but yeah, then in there. It was great.
Rebecca: The Baked Alaska though.
Liz: Dude, I am thinking about that still. That was really good.
Rebecca: You want to describe what it was.
Liz: So, essentially the outside is marshmallow cream, cream marshmallow it’s toasted it has a cherry on top, the
inside has what’s the ice cream?
Rebecca: Neapolitan ice cream so it’s three scoops vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, and the bottom of it was this
brownie I don’t know how would you describe
Liz: the brownie it was moist but it was also like not dry yeah and then it had caramel inside.
Rebecca: feel like I feel like it’s balanced but well.
Liz: Might just go back just for that (laughs)
Jasmine: Yeah, I’m not a big sweets person at all. I admit the marshmallows a little too much me when I first like
that it was like oh this is too sweet like without my forte, but once I got to the brownie and the ice cream like that
was like a cold pazooki
Rebecca: so that’s basically it a cold pazooki yeah.
Liz: That can be another way to describe it. I do like sweets, I prefer more than like actual food. So I’d rather have
like ice cream or something like that but yeah that was actually very good.
Rebecca: What do you guys think about the waitresses?
Jasmine: Oh they’re super chill. Yeah, very friendly, like not, like doing their jobs well yeah not being hindered by,
Liz: Even though it says like that you do have like a 90 Minute, You know, time slot per table. lLike I didn’t feel
rushed at all. Right. I think they did a good job to like, I don’t think they ever reminded us though like hey you have,
you know, so and so time left or whatever, right, but when we did get seated the, the host did let us know like ‘hey
there is a time frame.’ Yeah.
But
Rebecca: Which we were concerned about in the first place because we didn’t know how long you could stay there.
Because usually you know when you do your thing you know you you
Jasmine: 90 minutes
Rebecca: Okay cool I thought it was like two hours or something because some people like to hang out and, you
know,
Liz: Chat chit chat
Rebecca: and smoke a joint. Usually when that happens, you don’t really think about time. And this, you know, we
were on a short time circuit but it didn’t even feel like like you said we weren’t rushed at all the way trusted income
multiple times to warn us here 20 minutes, or you only have 30 minutes or 40 minutes you know it didn’t feel like
that at all. It was very easy going. Like I kept thinking there was something bad going to happen
Liz: Oh nooo (laughs)
Rebecca: or the bill or the or the bill I don’t know it’s just I’ve had that experience you’re something like where you
want to enjoy something or you want to go to something so bad. I feel like either one you get there late to you can’t
find parking three the weights too long, or for the food doesn’t come out as expected, and I’ll for you guys the food
didn’t come out as you thought it was gonna be, but for me I thought it was like the whole package. So just the
pricey cannabis that’s it.
Liz: I don’t know if I go again I don’t know if I’d make it like my go to place like yeah I’m gonna go back to
Lowell’s cafe yeah take everyone that I know but I mean it was a fun first experience. And don’t think I would go
again anytime soon
Jasmine: I feel like it’s still very new.
Liz: Yeah
Jasmine: So I think once it’s adopted more into the culture and maybe even more shops start popping up maybe it
can be like a different experience. Yeah, it’s still very new. I feel like, at least at least here in the United States.
Rebecca: Who went to the bathroom?
Liz: me.
Rebecca: How did you like the bathroom or the entrance right there?
(All laugh)
Liz: Um, I felt like I don’t know why but I felt like the bathroom was so far away. I just I felt like I just kept
walking, walking and walking but maybe I was just, yeah. He.
Rebecca: Was the back sketchy?
Liz: Um, it was!
Rebecca: It was?
Liz: So, they have cars parked in the back, their garbage, is in the back as well. And as I looked on like towards the
back there’s like a gate. And there was someone just sitting there squatting by the garbage.
Rebecca: Are you serious?
Liz: I’m serious and I was just like, okay, so as I turned into the hallway to the bathroom there’s you know men’s and
women’s.So I went into the ladies room, all the way up the wallpaper is essentially like celebrities or films or
whatnot of them smoking so I saw Hyde from that 70 show. Cher and can’t remember her name, but I saw a lot of
Snoop Dogg. Yes, Snoop Dogg from Clueless.
Rebecca: Oh and Miley Cyrus too. Yeah, Miley Cyrus for sure I think she’s one of the. What do you call the
investors, one of the few investors that actually tried to help open
Liz: There’s a lot of celebrity investors actually, I know the girl that was before me was like taking pictures of the
wallpapers. Pretty cool. I mean, it was like, all just photos. Yeah, it was pretty clean but it wasn’t like anything
spectacular besides the wallpaper.
Rebecca: What do you give it out of five stars, Liz.
Liz: For me, overall experience will probably be the four, the food we’re probably like a three and a half. And as far
as the joint, a four and a half.
Liz: Jasmine.
Jasmine: I feel like I concur with Liz.
Rebecca: I give my experience with the whole thing with food included probably like a 4.5 4.5 cuz my food was
good, the joint was good, everything was good for me.
Liz: So why is it not a five?
Rebecca: Just the price.
Liz: Okay,
Rebecca: it’s a bit pricey. I wanted to get more but it’s like hmm, a joint or my budget so it’s like a $20 joint and
where I could just roll one at home for free that it’s like, I’d rather do that then you know spend another $20 added to
that bill so that’s only one thing. I think they update their prices on their website also. Yeah, that’s one thing that’s
kind of very misleading, because at one point it says $30. If you wanted to bring your own cannabis and the change
before it was $20 took a tree. Yeah, tockage it’s free so if you, if you really want to bring your own cannabis there is
a fee I think it’s for each person that brings their own cannabis or for you, it kind of is. It’s a lot of money that’s
capitalism at its finest.
Jasmine: Is it per person in the group?
Rebecca: I think so I’m not, it doesn’t really, it was vague
Liz: It’s very vague
Rebecca: because it just says 30 or $30 per person if you want to tockage. And then it doesn’t really say anything
else. Yeah, so that’s one thing that’s kind of confusing because I would like to bring my own cannabis but I don’t
want to pay $30 because I just mean I am paid extra for my weed, you know,
Jasmine: to, to smoke your own weed
(All laugh)
Liz: That’s like a meal!
Rebecca: Yeah, I’d rather pay 30 bucks for that gravity bong that they had their or one of their house bongd you
know or anything like that it’s just I think that’s kind of unfair, like if you want to have bring your own way it should
be like a $10 charge you know or $15 charge, but like $30 that’s, I think that’s way too much, way too much.
Liz: Yeah, I agree. But yeah, their website does need updating because when I had read up on it and I had looked at
reviews like other places that have reviewed them before the open or whatnot so there was like a $20 tokage tree.
And, yeah, their prices were extremely different so going in I think I expected something else but I mean I’m not too
mad about the pricing of the area and knowing that it was going to be prepared.
Jasmine: I feel like I kind of prepared for it and kind of budget in advance because I knew it was going to be pricey.
Rebecca: Oh, big time. Big time big I’m, I’m just happy we got our reservations at a good time to. I feel like when
we were leaving. A lot of people were coming in for a walk ins.
Liz: Yeah
Rebecca: And there was still a whole bunch of people inside, even at the bar stools or the cafe stool so that’s, that’s
kind of cool though, at least you can walk in. Yeah, but it’s gonna be like a time, a long way time.
Liz: It was good experience for the first time we did get good reservations, we would recommend doing a
reservation the wait time was
Rebecca: with the reservation like 10 minutes. Yeah, 10 minute wait, that’s it.
Jasmine: We got there little early too so yeah.
Liz: So yeah, get there a little early find parking they also do valet which I would have probably done
Rebecca: Valet parking was full were left though. Yeah, it was full.
Jasmine: Don’t smoking drive.
Rebecca: Definitely not smoking drive,
Jasmine: but if you have social anxiety he can’t smoke in public places like that, I recommend going a bit slow.
Rebecca: Yeah, for sure.
Jasmine: Take it easy.
Liz: Take an Uber, have a friend drop you off, have a DD, something, but if you would like to go it is on North La
Brea.
Jasmine: Don’t get on the electric scooters *laughing*
Liz: Our overall rating would probably be a four right
All in unison: A four
Liz: a strong four yeah so
Rebecca: Solid
Liz: solid four, check it out if you’re into that kind of stuff and we’ll catch you next time. My name is Liz
Jasmine: I’m Jasmine
Rebecca: I’m Rebecca.
Liz: And we’re editors at Talon Marks.

Transcription by: Elizabeth Corcoles