Urth Caffé Beverly Hills—A Home Away from Home
Urth Caffé Beverly Hills—A Home Away from Home
Urth Caffé Beverly Hills is a home away from home. A neighborhood place to come meet with family and friends. Have one of Urth's signature heirloom organic coffee drinks, fine tea, a nutritious and delicious meal, and enjoy the comforting warmth and inviting ambiance. Opened in 2003, the building was originally built in 1936 and has a home/cottage-like feel. This history and nuance shines through even today and is what lends Urth Beverly Hills its authenticity and cozy ambiance.
Urth Co-Founders Shallom & Jilla Berkman in front of Urth Caffé Beverly Hills.
A fire is lit in the main dining room during the winter months. And there is an outdoor fountain that is not only aesthetically beautiful but also holds a very special and treasured meaning, which I will touch on later.
Co-Owners Shallom & Jilla Berkman chose this location and building because of its quaint charm and historic nature. Says lead architect, Victor Corona, "They liked the brick exterior and the fact that it looked like a French cottage, which made it unique to all the other buildings on Beverly Boulevard. And being that it was already an existing restaurant, they did not want to change too much of it. They really wanted to preserve as much of the actual building as possible."
The space was taken over from the previous restaurant, Chadwick's—helmed by Ben Ford (the son of Harrison Ford). Originally it was more enclosed and resembled a French chateau. Most of the original architecture and design—with its exterior red brick and tiled roof—was kept to preserve the historic nature of the building. The roof gable window (which is the triangular shaped window at the upper edge of the building along the roof) was increased and clerestory windows were added. Thus, creating a light-filled, airy, bright space.
Left: Exterior - Urth Caffé Beverly Hills, with its original bricked exterior.
Right: Notice the clerestory windows added to the roof to bring light into the interior of the café.
Each piece that you see when you are ordering at the main counter was hand crafted, custom made and inlaid with Calacatta Gold marble—a beautiful, luxurious golden-veined marble which originates from quarries in Italy near the town of Carrara. These same marble slabs can be found along the entire length of the bottom of the counter, the baseboards, along the bar area, the tea display area, and on the tabletop/counter of the online/to-go pick-up area.
Beautiful. Unique. The little touches. Each marble slab and design detail hand chosen by Jilla Berkman. Beautiful quartz marble and Calacatta Gold tile accents were even added to the restrooms, to continue the theme throughout all aspects of the café. Updated light fixtures, mirrors and accessories were also added.
A russet wood finish along the sides of the wood paneling in the counter area accents the gold of the countertops. The original wood floors were kept in the interior. Deep mahogany and warm wood. Worn by the footsteps of many and echoing the memory of wonderful meals conversations and moments in this very special space. Additional small, exquisite details like the hand-crafted raised panel wood underneath the dessert bar and all along the counter, is what makes this location truly special and unique. Exemplifying an extraordinary attention to design detail, exceptional quality and superb craftmanship.
"These are not things you just buy off the shelf. Each piece was hand crafted.
That's one thing I learned from Jilla and Shallom from the beginning.
They wouldn't go with anything that was not high quality. It had to be the original.
And that's what made it exceptional."
~Victor Corona, Urth Caffé VP of Architecture
The wood paneling of the fireplace in the main dining room was replaced with brick, which is an architectural theme found in many of its locations. Thus, adding a warmth and special ambiance to the room. Above the fireplace is a hand-designed tile mosaic, with accents of yellow, blue, gold and white laced throughout, which was inspired and designed by Jilla.
The Mosaic above the fireplace in the main dining room, designed by Urth Co-Founder Jilla Berkman.
Flanking the back wall, in the main dining area, adjacent to the fireplace, there is a mural—serene and still—that instantly transports you to peaceful moments in Japan. Cherry blossom trees—their pink buds blooming in the height of spring, stand majestic above a still and reflective river. A traditional Japanese tea house sits quietly on a hill. The rolling green hills of the Entsu Estate green tea farm in Wazuka, Uji District, Japan beckon. A living landscape that reflects centuries of craftsmanship, patience, and a deep respect for the land.
And as you are facing the mural, on your right, you will see Urth's Co-Founder and Tea Master, Jilla Berkman, with Entsu Estate's owner and founder, Akihiro Nakai, amidst the lush green of the regenerative and sustainably farmed tea fields. A harmonious blend of nature and cultivation, stretching across hillsides in neat, undulating rows. The overall effect is one of peaceful order and natural beauty.
Urth's organic ceremonial grade Wazuka Matcha has been sourced exclusively from Entsu Estate since 2002. This gorgeous, eco-responsible farm boasts acres and acres of lush green tea, cultivated with a great respect for the land using ancient sustainable and regenerative farming techniques that go back to the 13th Century. Jilla and Shallom Berkman, Urth's Co-Founders, travel often to Wazuka to harvest matcha with Akihiro and his family for Urth Caffé. And Jilla and Nakai-san hold the same deep connection and reverence for this land and the superior matcha it provides—the purest, cleanest, and most exquisite matcha available on Earth. Untouched by chemicals and harvested in harmony with nature's rhythms and cycles.
The Berkmans and Urth Caffé were honored to recently host Akihiro Nakai-san and his family at this very special Beverly Hills location for an ancient Japanese Tea Ceremony. The photo below reflects not only that recent visit, but also one of Jilla's earlier visits to Entsu Estate. There is more than a 20-year time lapse between these two photos of Nakai and Jilla shaking hands—and the two photos beautifully represent the long-standing commitment and relationship between the families. Says Shallom, "This photo holds much emotional significance to both Jilla and I."
You can read more about Urth's Wazuka Matcha and Entsu Estate here and here.
Urth Co-Founder and Tea Master, Jilla Berkman & Entsu Estate's Owner & Founder Akihiro Nakai san in front of the mural in the main dining room
at Urth Caffé Beverly Hills. The mural behind them depicts Entsu Estate's green tea fields in Wazuka, Japan.
Throughout the café the original historic divided light windows and all of the original doors were kept. These authentic divided light windows were created using separate pieces of glass bordered and divided by a separate division piece (as opposed to the border division being placed upon the glass to mimic a division). The windows and doors are painted a cheery white and really add to the historic nature and home-like feel of the café.
Urth Beverly Hills is not only wonderful to enjoy during the light of day, but it is a lovely place to visit in the evening as well. It is not unusual to find families and neighbors gathered together, drinking tea or coffee, or enjoying a bite and chit-chatting with each other. Kids sitting at one table—their parents at another. Like their living room. Truly a home away from home.
Left: Exterior Urth Caffé Beverly Hils in the evening. A warm and cozy place to be. Urth Caffé Beverly Hills also has ample indoor seating in the evening as well.
Right: The one and only Urth Caffé sign with a tea cup as its logo! Notice the heart within.
A final fun fact: The Urth sign outside of the Beverly Hills location is unique and differs from all the other Urth Caffé signs. Designed with wrought iron, gooseneck lighting, it has an oval shape and is the only sign that has a teacup with a heart at its center, instead of the usual coffee cup. And of course, that heart—The Heart of Urth Caffé—you will find throughout many of Urth's locations—weaved within the tilework, mosaics, interiors, patios, and many other aspects of each café. It can be a fun treasure hunt to find them!
Day View: Urth Caffé Beverly Hills' sign with a teacup instead of a coffee cup - designed with wrought iron and gooseneck lighting.
And now, back to that very special meaning that the outdoor fountain has.
There is a dedication on that fountain adorning the back wall of the outside patio. The fountain is serene and lends a meditative air to the side patio dining area. Water gently cascades down an exposed wall of bricked stone. The soft trickle, a gentle echo against the soft music playing on the overhead. The stone is wet; worn—heralding the passage of time. On the upper right side of the fountain is a plaque, nestled within the stone. It is a dedication to Jilla's mother.
It reads:
In honor of my beloved mother and mentor,
May her unconditional love, intelligence,
happiness, kindness and charitable nature
always be my inspiration and guiding light.
A tribute to the legacy of family, our connections. And what we wish to pass along and have inherited from the bonds of those we have loved, those who have come before, and the generations that are yet to come.
Our home is your home—always.❤️
Written by: Lisa Mouhibian