Curated
PLAY Coffee interior
Curated

PLAY Coffee

A cafe built ground-up from six shipping containers, pouring Tim Wendelboe and Sey on rotation.

Open
closes 8 PM
Neighborhood
Downtown Fullerton
Price
$$
Food
Coffee only

Curator’s note

Play buys instead of roasts, and Leon Wansikehian calls it one of the last multi-roasters that has not stepped into roasting itself. The wall has held Tim Wendelboe, Sey, La Cabra, April, Prolog and Gardelli, the strongest roster in Orange County, and it rotates constantly.

  • A pour-over off the guest-roaster rotation
  • Single-origin espresso
  • Beans to take home
  • A 7am open, every day

The coffee

Play does not roast; the buy list is the program, chosen for roasters that publish transparency reports, buy direct trade, and pay producers above market — Tim Wendelboe, Sey, La Cabra, Gardelli, Prolog, and Nomad have all been on the wall. The lineup rotates constantly, and no bag prints farm, varietal, or roast date.

Fullerton is a ground-up build made from six shipping containers, assembled over two years by Leon Wansikehian with his father and friends in the SoCo District. The pre-opening party landed on March 14, 2020, so two years of construction met a shut city, and the doors waited until July.

The room

The work-test
WifiFastUnverifiedFast — fine for uploads
OutletsPlentyUnverifiedAt nearly every seat
SeatingSpaciousUnverifiedLots of room to spread
NoiseLivelyUnverifiedEnergetic, lively room
LaptopsLaptop-friendlyUnverifiedWelcome anytime

The vibe

Photos

8

People

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Directions