By day, writers, students, and patrons occupy tables dotted with specialty drinks, laptops, and notebooks. But past 6 p.m., The Night Owl cafe transforms, the sounds of live jazz, slam poetry, and book readings echoing from the cafe’s back patio and onto the lamp-lit streets of Fullerton.

Nestled on the corner of Fullerton’s Harbor Boulevard and East Amerige Avenue, The Night Owl has been a welcoming space for student study and artist interaction since its opening in 2011. 

The cafe is a prime example of a multi-functional “third space,” a place where community members can gather, converse, and belong to a greater collective. For The Night Owl, that collective centers around the arts.

While The Night Owl does feature coffee (their organic, fair-trade espresso is a highlight), what sets the coffee house apart from the other 16 cafes lining Fullerton’s university- and college-friendly streets is its commitment to elevating local artists. 

Each week, an “Upcoming Events” calendar is posted to the cafe’s Instagram account (@thenightowlfullerton), with the tagline “Supporting The Night Owl is supporting the arts.” The lineups feature a range of nightly events, from jazz, blues, and quintet performances, to acoustic artist showcases, to open mic nights for musicians and poets. 

The events spark life into North Orange County evenings by providing a platform for artists and a space for spectators to enjoy the arts. On Blues Night, for instance, that could mean nodding your head to a bassline while sipping a warm pancake latte; or on open mic night, it could mean sitting on the warmly-lit back patio and clapping for poets performing odes to coffee, love, and even wrecked Toyotas (as was the case at one recent lively reading). 

The Night Owl is a haven for local artists, but it’s also an oasis for those just looking for a space to study or socialize  — California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton College, and a few local high schools, including BOHS, are within a 15-mile radius of the cafe. Inside, there is ample seating against a backdrop of art-lined walls (much of it created by local artists), and outside, the patio invites conversation with friends. And true to its name, the cafe is open until 10 p.m., servicing the area’s “night owls.”

While its specialty lattes – cleverly inspired by everything from Elvis to speculoos cookies – deserve praise, The Night Owl’s larger value is its ability to create a thriving community through great drinks, art, poetry, and music. 

For BOHS students searching for a community of fellow artists, or just a well-crafted latte, The Night Owl awaits.

The Night Owl is located at 200 North Harbor Blvd. in Fullerton, and is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 9. p.m. on Mondays.