The caffeine scene is seriously raging around Los Angeles, with a growing amount of local roasters, pour overs, and coffeehouses popping up in every other corner of town. Coffee is more of a lifestyle than a caffeinated craving.
If you are a Southern California dweller, here’s a list of ten of my favorite stops for getting the finest drink of the heavens and the best cups of cozy.
Copa Vida | Old Pasadena
This, my friends, is everything good and right in the world. Hip, modern, fresh, classic, and bold, Copa Vida is a Pasadena all time favorite. This cafe is approachable and welcoming, authentic and transparent. Their highly skilled barista team includes (regional Latte Art and Barista Cup winners) as well as a tea expert certified by the World Tea Expo and veteran in the food services industry.
Caffe Luxxe | Brentwood\Santa Monica
Caffe Luxxe is all about luxury and artistry. Cheers to its celebration of European caffe culture, and its philosophy in socializing with friends and family shared over a good cup o’ joe. Luxxe embodies a whole new meaning for hand-crafter artisanal espresso.
Dinosaur Coffee | Silver Lake
Dear coffee crazed evolutionists, dinosaurs and coffee are alive and well, and we think you would dig this place. This bright, blond-wood-everywhere coffee house is a thrill. Not to mention who the co-owner is -- Ben Hantoot (aka the guy who came up with Cards Against Humanity).
Intelligentsia | Old Pasadena
This is the type of place that makes you feel alive and doing something important and that your life is way cooler than is really is. The lights here are everything; interior designer inside of me is screaming whenever I walk into this coffeehouse. Its coffee bar boasts remarkable coffee and the atmosphere is hip to a T.
Lavender & Honey | Pasadena
This place is absolutely delightful. L&H lends charm in the coffee world with perfectly crafted lattes and an atmosphere that exudes beauty. It’s interior is utterly sweet and wonderfully charming. Time Out Los Angeles stated about this lovely café, “A drink and a slice of toast outside, among old brick buildings and the stately San Gabriel mountains, is one of those moments that reminds us that living here can be so wonderful.”
Verve Coffee | DTLA (Downtown Los Angeles)
A little NorCal flair gets interwoven with Los Angeles Arts District prestige at this coffeehouse. With roots from Santa Cruz, they believe coffee is a craft, a ritual, a passion, that drives and inspires them to bridge the gap from Farmlevel to Streetlevel and to offer quality from seed to cup.
Mantra | Azusa
Brand stinking new and build from the ground up rooted from APU alumni, Mantra brims with freshness and originality. Perfectly designed and snuggled within a neighborhood house, this place is gleaming and glistening with promise and innovation. I am obsessed with the intricate floor (check it out).
Coffee Commissary | Hollywood, Fairfax
With multiple locations around Los Angeles, your perfect cup of coffee is right around the corner. With stellar tunes and food to back it up, this is winner hands down.
Stumptown LA | Downtown Los Angeles
A prime and prestige chain, this place never disappoints. It has everything you need to brew the perfect cup. Stumptown brewers and roasters are a skilled bunch. They have perfected the artistry of bringing out the best of every bean, and ensures that you every sip you take is perfect. Their cold brew is killer.
Alfred Coffee & Kitchen | West Hollywood
Hip. Hip. Hippity hip. This place is precisely that. Located on charming, tree-lined Melrose Place, this place preaches distinct design aesthetic and all around chill vibes. Remember folks, “But first, coffee.”
