OUR STORY

A Little Cafe in Little Tokyo

Founded in 2011, Cafe Dulce is where third-wave coffee meets Japanese craftsmanship — a quiet corner of Japanese Village Plaza serving the neighborhood one slow-baked donut at a time.

Made by hand, every day

Our baristas pull every shot on Verve Coffee Roasters beans. Our bakers laminate every croissant and glaze every donut from scratch — there are no pre-mixes here.

From the legendary Green Tea Roti to the seasonal Sausage Donut at NISEI Week, every recipe is the result of years of careful tinkering, family recipes, and a love for the neighborhood that raised us.

#feelgood #enjoyslowly

A FEW CHAPTERS

How we got here

  1. 2011

    Cafe Dulce opens a tiny doorway in Japanese Village Plaza with one espresso machine and a dream of better donuts.

  2. 2014

    The Green Tea Roti goes viral. Lines around the block become a Saturday tradition.

  3. 2017

    We start the seasonal Sausage Donut for Nisei Week — it sells out by 11AM every single year.

  4. 2020

    We get through the hard year with the help of our regulars. Coffee deliveries to nurses become a Sunday ritual.

  5. Today

    Still hand-rolling donuts at 5AM. Still pulling shots through close. Still grateful you stopped by.

What we stand for

Slow Baked

Nothing rushed. Doughs proofed overnight; pastries laminated by hand the morning of service.

Hand Crafted

Glazes, fillings, syrups — everything is made in-house, in small batches, the way it should be.

Community First

Little Tokyo raised us. We give back through partnerships with local artists, schools, and Nisei Week.

Come say hi.

134 Japanese Village Plaza Mall — we’ll save you a seat.