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Espresso Cielo has opened a second café in Santa Monica.

A few years back while walking in my hood of north Venice Beach, I noticed that on the corner of Main and Marine Street a small coffee shop called Espresso Cielo had opened in a relatively new, mixed-use building. At that time, there was a much larger Starbucks (now a Bulletproof Coffee) across the street, the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf a few blocks away as well as the multi-level, old-school Cafe 212 Pier on the next corner. Although smaller compared to the other coffee joints, this cozy corner location distinguished itself with bold, European aesthetics that included a large clock face on one of its interior walls.  

As a follow-up act, Espresso Cielo has opened a much larger location in downtown Santa Monica located at 1431C 2nd St. which is part of the street level façade of the recently constructed, Parking Structure 6 that offers 90-minute free parking. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, from 6 p.m. to  9 p.m., the official grand opening celebration took place to invited guests and press who were treated to selections by Cielo, Malibu Wine and a pale wheat beer from Santa Monica Brew Works.

With a much taller and transparent profile, the new location includes more seating space, a larger counter for display and service, extensive lighting as well as bold accents such as a big wall-hung, antique-looking mirror to complement their trademark giant wall clock. The countertops follow the classic European look with white Carrara marble, while the floor features wide, distressed wood planks in a white wash color.

The evening’s appetizers included crostini bread with guacamole, squash soup, thin crust mozzarella pizza, delicious brownies and flavored small meringue cookies which were one of the highlights. The eclectic crowd was vibrant and talkative throughout the evening as passersby gawked at the activity within. Given that the recently opened Expo Line (aka “the Subway to the Sea”) has become one of the busiest of the L.A. rail line system, you can bet that this second location of Espresso Cielo is heaven sent for locals and visitors alike.

Espresso Cielo is located at 1431C 2nd St. and 3101 Main St., Santa Monica. For more information, visit espressocielo.com.

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