Why Menotti's? The origins of our name are born out of the history of our first location in Venice Beach, CA. Located on the vibrant Windward avenue, the building was once owned by the famed Cesar Menotti, known for opening one of the first speakeasy bars in Los Angeles during the prohibition era of the 1920s. Menotti's was originally the grocery shop entrance to the bar, where trap doors escorted two guests at a time down to the hidden basement. Today the bar still thrives in the neighborhood, known as Townhouse, with Menotti's as the first of our three coffee stop locations.