The hottest new LA coffee shop Granada in is in this couple’s backyard
It’s a sunny, 70-degree February afternoon in Los Angeles, and crowds are steadily pouring into the home of Sydney Wayser and Isaac Watters.
A stereo system carries music through open doors into their kitchen, dining area and backyard, where dozens of people sip coffee, chat in groups or type on laptops.
The couple isn’t just entertaining their friends and family. Wayser, 39, and Watters, 42, are the creators of Los Angeles’ hottest new cafe. GranadaThe married couple ran away from their own home in Echo Park’s Angelino Heights.
Just a month after their initiative, they say they are experiencing their busiest day yet.
As usual, they opened their doors at 9 am. Within hours, they sold out of their entire pastry selection, had to DoorDash extra milk, and invited a neighbor to go for an ice run. When I arrived it was 14.30, 30 minutes before closing and there was still a queue to order.
That the home-based café has become so popular in a town with “so many outstanding coffee shops” is still a shock to Wayser, who says they “never expected this.”
“I think people really want community,” he says. “I guess the part that feels so special is the special intimacy of being in a home.”
Granada is one of the latest small businesses to open in California. Micro Business Home Kitchen OperationMEHKO program, which allows residents to make and sell food from their homes.
Given the cafe’s instant success, more Angelenos may soon be opening their own micro-restaurants, meaning the new hottest place to hang out could literally be your own backyard.
A home-based coffee shop is taking shape
Wayser and Watters first heard about the MEHKO program last summer. KCRW And New York Times. The program was introduced in California in 2019 and authorized in LA County in 2024.
Wayser says he didn’t think much of it at first. Then it was fixed.
The couple had regularly attended family-style dinners held in a neighbor’s garage during the pandemic; Wayser says it feels like a home-based pop-up restaurant. They also designed their own home, which they purchased in 2019, specifically for entertaining.
Sydney Wayser and Isaac Watters opened Granada, a coffee shop they run from their home, in January.
Talitha Bullock
As a new mother, Wayser says she’s wondering how she’ll spend her days with her 3-year-old daughter heading to kindergarten. As a musician, artist and designer, he was keen to find a new way to use his skills, especially as his work in film and TV took off at a time when the industry was struggling.
Wayser says he’s spent his career producing shows, planning events, managing business finances and operating an LLC for his creative work. When he thinks about it, he says, “I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life.” “I couldn’t really put it together because that was always my art.”
She and her husband, a fellow musician and visual artist, have collaborated on design projects throughout their relationship, including their home. Running a coffee shop together sounded like a fun new experiment.
The couple spent months going through the process of obtaining the MEHKO permit, which includes food safety certification, a business license and inspections from the LA County Department of Public Health. they say $597 application review fee They were waived because they were among the top 1000 businesses in the program. Annual health leave covering annual inspections and sanctions for MEHKO businesses, costs $347.
The MEHKO program imposes a $100,000 cap on annual gross sales; businesses are limited to 30 meals per day or 90 meals per week. MEHKO operators may also be approved to serve as stewards for up to two food trucks; this will increase the amount of meals they can serve per week and also increase their gross annual sales to a maximum of $150,000 per year.
I can imagine there are a lot of qualified people who feel unskilled, and it’s great that it allows you to just try things [and] see how it works.
Sydney Wayser
co-founder of Granada
Throughout the fall, Wayser and Watters worked to outfit their home’s kitchen with espresso machines, additional dining and seating areas, custom ceramics by local artist Amy Louise Johnson, and new artwork fit for a modern café. They asked a friend to recommend a “coffee wizard” and teamed up with Chad Aaron to create their coffee menu; They also turned to local baker Sasha Piligian for their pastry selections.
Granada officially opened its doors in January 2026.
An up-and-coming neighborhood hot spot
Due to the limitations around MEHKO, Granada’s goal is not skyrocketing sales. Wayser said they will consider shortening hours or limiting days of service to stay in business longer throughout the year.
Wayser says they don’t expect to open a commercial coffee shop, other than potentially launching a coffee cart or two to increase the MEHKO sales cap. “When you go into a commercial space and your rent is that high, it’s not about the community anymore,” he says. “The reason this works is whether you can buy something or not. You can hang out in the garden as long as you want. We’re going to pay our mortgage no matter what.”
Granada offers a menu of classic espresso drinks, teas and pastries from local baker Sasha Piligian.
Oscar Mendoza, Talitha Bullock, Amber Canterbury
Wayser says Granada’s visibility could bring new business opportunities, such as courting customers to host private events, concerts and art shows from their homes.
He also hopes the coffee shop’s success will inspire other people to strike out on their own. Currently there are approx. 265 Operations allowed by MEHKO throughout LA County.
Wayser says the program wasn’t designed to encourage new parents, especially new mothers, to start businesses, but it did have that effect on her. “There aren’t many things you can do to start a new business in such a short period of time,” or within a condensed schedule like a typical school day, he says.
“I can imagine there are a lot of really qualified people who feel unskilled, and it’s nice that it allows you to just try things [and] see how it works,” he says, adding that the risks are lower without having to rent commercial space.
He’s already heard from an inspiring friend.
“Our neighbor said that maybe he will apply to MEHKO today and start making and serving sandwiches. [them] “He would go out his window, that would be really fun,” Wayser says. “This would be MEHKO Road.”
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