Coffee, Tamales & Muffins in West Adams — Roseland Cafe

Reddit is such a great way to connect with like-minded individuals and keep your finger on the pulse. That’s why I want to thank Redditor @360FlipKicks for sharing on the Food Los Angeles thread this gem in West Adams. 

Owned and operated by Gaudencio Martinez, Roseland Cafe is a small food stand where quality takes center stage; turning out fresh coffee, handmade tamales, and muffins. Although the menu may seem pretty straightforward, Gaudencio always ensures to offer a plethora of options to please everyone. His impressive selection of crowd-pleaser coffee drinks includes frappuccinos, lattes, espresso shots, and even hot chocolate! 

In order to create the customer’s desired blend, Gaudencio’s coffee station is equipped with a bevy of syrup bottles and different types of milk: oat milk, whole milk, almond milk, and even half-and-half creamer. It’s a mobile coffee shop!

Sometimes his son Juan helps Gaudencio at the stand, like the day I went. Juan jokingly said that at first, he begrudgingly tasted the coffee his dad made him try. Now, he has a deeper appreciation for it.

Gaudencio said: “We’re trying to be different from other food stands. Everything you’ll find here is homemade. We want the quality to speak for itself. Everyone is welcome here. We started the business about a year and three months ago and we’re very thankful for our clients. Everything is very delicious. Roseland is the name of the street, that’s where the name comes from, so it’s easier for people to locate.” 

At Roseland, Gaudencio is able to flex his impressive 30-year background as a coffee roaster. His love and appreciation for coffee is very palpable, even in the meticulous way he pours the coffee. Gaudencio’s favorite is mocha, a blend of espresso and chocolate. If you love coffee, Roseland is every coffee lover’s dream: affordable, business-operated, and most importantly, wonderfully nuanced coffee beverages. 

When I took the first sip of his regular coffee without milk, it transported me to my mom’s coffee. It had a delightful aroma with and a very distinct flavor profile: nutty and slightly sweet. It had been a minute since I had had coffee like that! She’s from the Dominican Republic, where coffee is a big part of their culture. 

Before I left, I had the vanilla iced latte, Gaudencio’s most popular drink. The strong taste of the coffee paired very well with the hints of sweetness from the vanilla, and the ice made it exceptionally refreshing. Wow! As I was eating, he showed me this beautiful latte he’d just crafted for himself.

Tamales

Gaudencio offers four types of tamales: chicken, pork, beef, and cheese with jalapeno. 

I had the chicken, which comes with salsa verde, and the beef, which comes with a dry chili sauce. These two are the only non-spicy tamales. 

They were out of the pork, which Gaudencio told me is their most popular. 

I started with the chicken tamal. The first thing that struck me was the incredibly moist and fluffy masa; very soft yet firm to the touch. This, combined with perfectly cooked shredded chicken and the bright, zesty salsa verde made this tamal so irresistible that I ordered another one. It was delicious! 

The beef tamal followed the same streamlined cooking technique as the chicken: A moist, fluffy masa and a very tender filling. Even though the chili was non-spicy, it was very robust. However, if I had to choose between these two tamales, especially if I’m pairing it with my morning coffee, it would be the chicken. 

I asked Gaudencio what made his tamales different from other food stands. “It’s definitely the texture. As I’m making them, I try them to make sure the texture is perfect. In some places, the texture is very different. It’s not just me that says this, people tell me about it too. We’re very happy because we need customer feedback. My favorite is the jalapeno with cheese”

Muffins

Many muffins made at commercial kitchens are dry, too crumbly, and the first thing you can taste is the sugar. That’s why I rarely eat them when I go out.

Gaudencio explained to me his seven muffin offerings: “I have blueberry, orange zest, coffee cake, chocolate chip with banana, chocolate chip, banana with walnut and banana.”

He said, “My favorite is banana and walnut, but the blueberry and orange zest are the most popular. We try to keep a nice variety. Sometimes I do lemon poppy seed and pumpkin.”

I had the blueberry muffin, which was a sheer delight to eat: fluffy and brimming with luscious blueberries. The first thing I noticed was that this muffin wasn’t overly sweet. The batter was all about the soft texture and the moisture. I was halfway done eating it when I realized that I wasn’t feeling heavy at all! The nicely browned exterior contrasted nicely with the moist batter and the tartness of the blueberries. 

When I told Gaudencio about the concealed sweetness in the batter, he said: “I know. It’s a special recipe where I modify the sweetness level. Each muffin has its own unique texture. I work very hard on that to make sure everyone likes it. If you try different muffins, you’ll notice the difference.”

The following day, I thought I should have gotten another one to go but I knew that I would be seeing Gerancio and Juan very very soon. I’m hooked! 

There’s nothing more comforting than a freshly baked pastry and a hot cup of coffee in the morning, especially if you’re listening to the chirping birds outside. I was in such blissful state! 

Needless to say, my taste buds were fully satisfied that day. Are you hungry yet? 

Roseland Cafe is a beautiful representation of Los Angeles’ vibrant Hispanic culture. It’s also a great reminder of how their intrinsic contribution since colonial times has influenced Los Angeles in nearly every facet. Although West Adams is already being gentrified, there is still a predominant tight-knit community of Hispanic working-class families that have lived in the area for many generations. As I was eating my tamales, Gaudencio greeted his neighbors who walked by. 

I used to work just a few blocks away from Roseland in 2023 for nearly a year out of a home office. My boss’ neighbors were a Hispanic family that lived in a one-story multigenerational household. I loved taking work breaks on that beautiful palm tree-lined street.

When Gaudencio moved to LA from Oaxaca in 1980, he worked at an American restaurant prepping meat and vegetables. A few years later, he moved up the ladder as a cook. In 1993, the restaurant went under new ownership and that’s when Gaudencio started brewing coffee and preparing muffins from scratch. When the last owner moved to a new state, Gaudencio saw this as an opportunity to quit his decades-long job and finally launch his own business.

In 2004, Gaudencio and his family moved from Santa Monica to West Adams. When I asked Gaudencio what he liked about living in West Adams, he said: “I love it here. We all take care of each other. There’s a lot of respect and communication between us. People in this area are very grateful for this business because it’s convenient for them. We are very proud to serve our community of West Adams.”

Roseland Cafe currently operates three days a week: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 6:30 am until 12:30 pm. However, given the positive response, Gaudencio is currently working on adding another day. If you liked the article, please support this hard-working man and tell him how you found out about Roseland! He and his son Juan will really appreciate it. 

When I told Gaudencio about the Redditor who shared Roseland Cafe, Juan said that this person had stopped by earlier that day to pick up tamales. He also said that since the Redditor mentioned them, not only has their Instagram following grown exponentially, but their demand has also skyrocketed.

If you’re asking yourself why Gaudencio doesn’t expand his hours, it is because later in the day around 1 pm, people usually gravitate towards more substantial foods, like a taco or a burrito.

During the weekends, Gaudencio and his wife sometimes cater for parties and events. If you’re interested, please contact him!

Address: 5242 Roseland St. Los Angeles, CA 90046

Instagram: @roseland_cafe