West Hollywood Cannabis Cafe Opens for Business

The first true cannabis cafe in the U.S. — where open cannabis consumption, which includes smoking, vaping, and/or the consumption of edibles, is allowed — opened its doors today in West Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The newly opened Lowell Cafe is billed as a functional restaurant but where servers also double as budtenders, and patrons will be offered a menu of in-season cannabis flower instead of wine or other alcoholic beverages (nonalcoholic beverages, however, are perfectly allowed). The menu will include both infused and non-infused food items, and consumption is allowed both in the dining area and outside on the restaurant’s open-air back patio.

Patrons will need to present valid ID showing they are 21+ before entering. Visitors will be allowed to bring their own cannabis products, including edibles to eat or flower to smoke, if they pay a small “tokage” fee, similar to a restaurant’s corking fee for wine. Patrons can also bring their own pieces but will have the option of renting a pipe or bong from the establishment.

“We wanted to break the stigma against cannabis so we wanted to create an environment where people could comfortably consume and also enjoy a really fantastic meal.” — Lowell Cafe’s general manager Lily Estanislao, in a KABC report

The starting menu includes:

• Miso-glazed pork belly,
• Jalapeño mac and cheese bites,
• Vegan nachos,
• Sticky tamarind wings,
• House-made pickles, and
• Avocado and white bean hummus.

Each item has a recommended cannabis flower pairing.

Lowell Cafe received unanimous approval from West Hollywood city regulators after promising and delivering a sophisticated air filtration system to keep the restaurant’s air clear of smoke and vapors.