With study season in full swing at Cal Lutheran, college students everywhere have started to look for a fun place to study with friends. While Thousand Oaks and the greater Los Angeles area are home to many cute coffee corners (can you say Coffee Bean anyone?), I’ve found my favorite “creative spot” to be about five minutes from my campus at Five07.
According to their website, Five07 started when Sean and Amber McCarthy decided to open a coffee shop that operated later than the typical Thousand Oaks curfew of 8pm. The couple wanted to “allow all generations the communal shop that Thousand Oaks needed” when they opened the space, and local college students (and other people looking for a chill place to hangout at) seem to be grateful ever since. They also preach the visions of: “Inspiration, Build-Up, Resistance, Overcoming, and Collaboration” to their customers and exist to be a “social and creative community space”.
In honor of impending coffee-drinking season, I’d like to share a few of my favorite parts of the space that help fuel my own creativity:
1. Hot Vanilla Latte with Oat Milk:
While Five07 offers their coffee and teas in both hot and iced varieties, I typically go for a hot drink during my late nights of studying in order to “cozy in” for the night. But fear not, dairy free friends! They also offer a variety of milk substitutes with their coffees (at no extra charge, aside from the Oatley oat milk) including almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, macadamia milk, and their two types of oat milk. I usually get my vanilla latte with the Pacific Oat Milk to keep things simple and slurp on guilt free.
(Vanilla Latte with Oat Milk pictured above)
2. Anything from the Toast Selection:
While most coffee shops do not offer a large range of pastries, Five07 offers multiple different types of baked goods/food items in order to accompany your drink. While I’m a sucker for their Gibran panini, if I’m feeling a toast I’ll usually order their Classic Toast because it comes with fruit and nutella or their popular Avocado Toast with pepper flakes on top. Last time I went, however, I stepped out of my comfort zone and got their Lavender Toast (which has goat cheese, lavender and local honey) and was really surprised with my love of the flavors! If you’ve got a sweet tooth though, the Classic Toast is your best bet.
(Hot Chocolate and Lavendar Toast from my last visit)
3. The Art in the Space:
Although I really love the food and drinks at Five07, I think my favorite part of the space is its art and environment. Five07 displays and rotates different art pieces (be it paintings, photographs, or drawings) in the space to help foster creative growth among all their customers entering the space, and currently my favorite piece of artwork hanging there (for now) is displayed below. They also hold open mic nights monthly to musicians and writers and switch up their musical playlists frequently. Overall, I would argue that the creative environment they maintain is the main reason that I keep going back, although the drinks are amazing!
(Art pictured at TheFive07)
Just make sure you try to find a seat! This place is popular and seating fills up FAST. Cheers and happy studying!
*Want to give these items a try? Don’t forget that ASCLUG is hosting a Five07 Drop-in on November 20th between 7-9pm. The first 450 students can get a free drink, just bring your Cal Lutheran ID!*
All Photos Courtesy of the Author