Upside Down

I LOVE THIS PLACE! the concept is so cool and the cappuccino I ordered was also really good. The idea that everything is a donation is really special and I've never encountered anything really like this place before. The baristas were exceptionally nice and warm which contributed to the atmosphere even more. I hope that I can come back here again once I'm in the area. I'd recommend everyone check this cafe out.

Cool concept as a donation cafe - didn’t feel pressured at all to pick a high vs low number for my drinks. Excellent service with genuine, friendly baristas and great cup of coffee - and loved the Banana Pecan Muffin. Didn’t stay in but the space was a good size to sit in and saw a few larger groups have meet-ups as well.

Great space, great energy, gratuitous seating. Super friendly barista, creative drinks. The coffee looks and smells amazing though I got a hot chai and it tasted so authentic - not the syrupy nonsense you’ll get from chains. Solid pastry selection, the morning glory loaf was delicious. Prices are based on donation.

This coffee shop is perfect for studying and for hanging out with friends. I had a drip coffee, medium roast. They took the time to allow for the coffee to bloom as they incrementally passed hot water through the grounds. That's how you know they care about their coffee and process.

And just like everyone else said, you choose how much to pay for your drink.

I drive very far to go to UCLA oncology. Coming here for coffee brings we joy in my dreary visits. The specialty coffee are soooo good. The staff fill the cafe with an energy of love. I just wish the lines weren't so long since I have a tight schedule for my appointments.

Very nice. I arrived here around 10 am and almost all seats were taken and the line was long (though it's fast). So get here as early as possible! I'm first time here and the lady told me I can get it free. Nice vibe. Good for studying. Most customers are ucla students. They have free WiFi (no password and it's fast). Two clean and big restrooms. Definitely will come here again!

Always a good experience here. Coffee is wonderful- more people should be coming here. The hours are limited, but it’s worth making time to come. This photo of a beautiful latte is from back when indoor seating was available.

The matcha latte was perfect! Not too sweet.

Loved adding to the puzzle available. Great space and friendly folk.

Amazing coffee, super friendly staff, nice location and interior. The only negative thing about upside down is that you can't go every day because of the opening hours ;)

Wow. I couldn’t pull up yelp on my way, so all I saw was the five-star review, not the details, and the place was a surprise. It’s donation based, so you order and they ask what you want to pay. If you’re staying in, they serve cold drinks in mason jars. The staff are friendly. My iced latte was good, decently strong. They have a nice espresso machine. It was full on a weekday mid-afternoon, but still pretty quiet, even though there was clearly some group work going on. It was a comfortable, low hum of friendly conversation, and lots of people working solo. It’s a big, spartan space. They have a variety of seating, hard chairs and soft, solo areas and bigger tables or ones that can be pushed together for groups. There are social justice-related photos on the walls. I don’t know how long it’s been around, or how the business model works, but it’s a pretty cool idea and I hope they stick around!

Nearly perfect coffee shop hitting my top tier requirements of well priced (well, it’s pay what you want), tasty, study vibes, seating and outlet options. If there were good parking in this area it would be the Creme de la Creme of cafes.

such an awesome place! a donation-based model makes places super inclusive to people of different economic levels. the employees are generally delightful, and the drinks are higher quality than starbucks as well as having a great variety. and their sustainable model is the cherry on top!

only con is that tables are usually taken, but if you wait for a while you can snag a spot as someone leaves.

overall one of my favorite study spots - please never close down <3

Upside Down is a donation based coffee shop: you name whatever price you find reasonable for the drink, and that's how much you pay. The space is also a community space that exhibit art pieces and host events.

Upside Down is a coffee shop, so of course you could get an americano or cappuccino here, but what their menu features most prominently is a series of signature drinks, from Tiramisu Latte to Lavender London Fog. It's almost amusing that a simple drip coffee or cappuccino would be in the secret menu. Upside Down also carries pastries and they do have a price of $3.5 each.

Of the four drinks I had, I like my first one the most. Cafe Hafookh is a latte served in a glass mug with a thick layer of foam and topped off with cinnamon powder. It looked nice and tasted better than I expected, not syrupy nor overpowered by cinnamon. I went back to Upside Down a few more times, and tried their Tiramisu Latte, L'Chaim (Chai Mocha), and an iced Rose Matcha Latte. They were a mixed bag, somehow gave me a starbucks vibe, but I also didn't pay outrageous $$$ for these specialty drinks. Service was generally good, and in particular Kyle who took my order once was super friendly and definitely deserves a shout out!

Upside Down is located right outside UCLA's campus in Westwood village, with a strong college cafe vibe during the academic semesters. Students would line up in front of the shop and rush in to claim seats when the doors open at 9am. Sometimes you may not be able to find a seat even though the shop has plenty. On the positive side, going to Upside Down makes me feel young, haha.

A roomy, bright cafe ran by a non-profit (Jews for Jesus). A bit tucked away but keep your eyes open for "Jews for Jesus on the building alongside tinted floor to ceiling windows.

Drinks are pay what you like -- love that aspect of giving back to the community. Soft upbeat music, free wifi, and a variety of seating is great for work/study or just a catch up with friends.

Only downside is that there are not too many outlets and the seating is spread out, making outlets harder to reach for some guests.

Didn't realize that it's a non profit and pay whatever you want cafe. It has strange names for their drinks so the server patiently explained it all to me. UCLA students working there were super friendly and helpful. I don't drink coffee but husband said coffee was not bad.

Very spacious cafe! Pretty decent amount of seating and the match latte was the best out of all the matcha drinks I’ve tried in Westwood. It was sweet but not too sweet, just how I like it!

Upside Down opened today in Westwood offering a clean and open space to enjoy an assortment of espresso drinks. The ambiance: art gallery meets coffee shop with an elegant yet simple feeling decor. I had a latte made by Lucy and it was delicious. The coffee roast sits between a light and medium. Creative pricing....there's none. It's donation based! Be generous and kind to the friendly folks of Upside Down.

Super friendly baristas and chill vibe. Great place to get work done.

Super cute atmosphere and ambiance. Coffee is great. It's all donation based, so you pay what you want (but it goes to great rotating charities!). Highly recommend. I wish they were open longer hours.

Awesome study and hang out spot. You pay what you want, and they change your coffee if you think it was weird (they're a bit experimental). I think most people pay $5 from casual observation, maybe more for fancy drinks, maybe less for those on a budget. Really nice staff.