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9/20 Update: The opening date of Lowell Farms café, previously set to launch on September 24, has been rescheduled; this story has been updated accordingly.
We've been waiting for West Hollywood's cannabis café since the start of the year, and finally, on October 1, we can take our high food sky-high.
While we've still got weeks to wait for the launch of Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe, we've got great news: Starting today at noon, you can book your reservation for the country's first "farm-to-table experience for both cuisine and cannabis"—and now waiting a few more weeks doesn't seem so unbearable, does it?
Marijuana retail giants Lowell Farms landed a prime WeHo rooftop space for their first combination cannabis café, lounge and shop, and if the renderings are any indication, the green isn't just for smoking: Design elements include lush hanging plants both indoors and out.
Unfortunately the food won't directly involve cannabis, as previously planned. The original concept intended a full food and beverage menu with the option of adding CBD or THC, but due to health code regulation, you'll only be able to imbibe via smoking—but the café menu, helmed by executive chef Andrea Drummer, is "meant to compliment the heightened senses from cannabis consumption."
Photograph: Courtesy Lowell Farms
To help you pick your products, there'll be "doting ‘Flower Hosts’" for tableside service, where the sommelier-adjacent guides will explain each strain and its potency and effects, all while rolling your smoke for you. Looking for something a little more, uh, advanced? There's also a "Dab Bar," which is where you'll find stronger strains for the experienced consumer.
If you usually get hungry after smoking, you'll want to check out Drummer's work. The few dishes we've seen from a sample menu lean California gastropub, involving grilled peaches with burrata, arugula, toasted walnuts and a balsamic glaze; a fried chicken sandwich featuring a kale-and-Brussels sprout slaw, heirloom tomatoes and house-made pickles; crispy Brussels sprouts with white turnips; and white-bean–and–avocado hummus with pickled seasonal veggies.
If you're the type who craves something sweet after smoking, there'll be sampler board of sugary baked desserts, including caramel popcorn with Thai chili almonds; peanut butter cookies; a milk-and-cereal ice cream sandwich; sweet potato beignets; s'mores; and a matcha-and-black–sesame cake.
Photograph: Courtesy Lowell Farms
There'll even be a few mocktails on hand, each offering their own sort of non-cannabis buzz: The Momilani, a sort of lychee spritz, comes garnished with an orchid that gives your tongue a tingling sensation, while the Fountain of Youth—a blend of rose water, rosemary syrup, cold-pressed lime juice and soda—gets topped by a rose petal that's been coated in a hibiscus and cinnamon-bitters blend.
Because this business is the first of its kind anywhere in the U.S., it's got a few new rules you should know. The all-day café and lounge will run until 2am nightly with a last call for cannabis products at 9:50pm, unless you've pre-ordered—once they've paid, guests can enjoy their already-purchased product until close. Additionally, the space is 21+, and speaking of purchased product, in order to partake, you'll need to bring a drivers license or a passport and plenty of green, yourself: Payment for cannabis will only be accepted in cash (though you can order food and drink with credit or debit cards).
Should you want to take a bit of the café home with you, there's even a dispensary-esque area that'll be outfitted with edibles, vapes, concentrates and buds.
Ready for your first visit? Starting today at noon, Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe will offer reservations via its website. (Our advice? Set an alarm reminder.)
The restaurant is the most recent arm of Lowell Farms’ rapid expansion in a growing market. Lowell’s pre-rolled products can already be found in more than 250 dispensaries across California, while its one-off items have included weed flower crowns for Coachella, and eight-variety Hanukkah gift sets to light up more than a menorah. What can we say? It looks like Lowell Farms gets marijuana marketing; now let's see if it gets the restaurant industry.
Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe opens on October 1 at 1201 N La Brea Ave, with hours of 10am-2am daily.