In Quentin Tarantino's Vista Theater Café Pam's Coffy

There are numerous coffee shops in Los Angeles, but only one is owned by Quentin Tarantino.

The director's highly anticipated cafe recently opened next to the newly opened Vista Theater. Purchased by Tarantino in 2021and now Pam's Coffy serves custom-roasted coffee and retro vibes daily in Los Feliz.

The project has been in the works for around five years. The “Pulp Fiction” and “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” director initially considered opening a video rental store in the former ice cream parlor. Instead, he decided to create a casual, coffee-filled meeting place for creatives to relax and network.

The theater, that reopened in November with a mission to show only film prints of films – not digital ones – also serves food and drinks curated by Tarantino, including White Castle sliders and plastic cups of Hitching Post wines. The café's offerings are much more extensive and will soon be expanded to include dinner options.

Tarantino could not be reached for comment, but “It's all Quentin,” said Mayra Garcia, a representative for Pam's Coffy. “He has a very practical approach. I mean, it's always been a dream of his. … Ultimately, what we serve is to his liking.”

While renovating the space, the team found an alcove under a stairwell that Tarantino wanted to use as a VHS booth; The intimate compartment plays cassettes from Tarantino's own collection, including supercuts of various TV shows and musical performances that he recorded on tape. Some of his own collectibles – figurines, lunch boxes and other retro knick-knacks – can also be found in the cafe.

“He wanted to make it very casual and make it a meeting place for people who wanted to be writers and actors,” Garcia said. “He wants people to enjoy the WiFi, sit down and meet other writers and people in the industry. He wants it to feel communal and welcoming at the same time. “He just wanted to give back to the community and essentially give back his fascination with black exploitation films and Pam Grier.”

Grier is considered a pioneer of black cinema and is widely considered one of the brightest femme fatales of the 1970s. She appeared in a number of action films, including “Coffy,” “Foxy Brown,” “The Big Doll House” and Tarantino's 1997 “Jackie Brown.”

Tarantino, who also owns the New Beverly Cinema, pays homage to Grier not only with the cafe's name, merchandise and iconography, but also with its decor: original posters from the star's career are framed around the space, while Groovy, colorful murals and throwback playable table games like dominoes complete the 70s aesthetic.

The drip coffee available at the cafe is roasted specifically for Tarantino by Pasadena-based Jones Coffee Roasters, which has for years supplied Tarantino with butterscotch- and vanilla-flavored beans that he uses in a drip coffee maker at home. When it came time to open his cafe, the director wanted to not only serve these custom roasts this way, but also sell them by the bag. They're pot-brewed here, along with Bold Black Mamba — a nod to “Kill Bill” — as well as cold brew and sweetened coffee blends like lavender vanilla, raspberry mocha and butterscotch caramel.

He chose to source the cafe's baked goods from Cake Monkey Bakery, which specializes in “retro snack treats” alongside items like bacon cheddar scones and vegan muffins, all of which are offered at Pam's. Look for classic pies and cakes by the slice, as well as brown sugar “pop pies,” HoHos-style El Rollos, Snowball-style moguls, and a black-and-white “Cakewich” reminiscent of a Hostess cupcake.

The director's love of retro food continued into the large cereal selection, available by the bowl in options like peanut butter, berries and, Tarantino's favorite, Cap'n Crunch.

In the coming weeks, the team is planning later evenings and dinners such as taquitos and mac-and-cheese bites as well as wine and beer service, with items also available to be brought into the theater for screenings. Die-hard fans should keep an eye out for Tarantino's movie memorabilia throughout the room – and the director himself.

“That’s the kind of place he wants to hang out,” Garcia said. “He's in there. He'll sit in the corner and just take it all in and read his book. He loves to.”

Pam's Coffy is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with opening hours expected to later be expanded to 7 p.m 4473 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, instagram.com/pamscoffy