LA's specialty coffee scene sprawls as wide as the city itself — Go Get Em Tiger leads the pack, but Civil in Highland Park, Cognoscenti in Culver City, and a dozen others make the case that this is now a world-class coffee city.
Los Angeles, United States
“LA's most celebrated specialty roaster — the Larchmont flagship serves a textbook filter menu and the most approachable single-origin espresso in the city.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Abbot Kinney's specialty anchor — Intelligentsia's Venice location brought Chicago's third-wave seriousness to the most sun-drenched street in LA.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“The Arts District outpost in a converted industrial space — Blue Bottle's LA flagship proves the brand is at its best in spaces with stories.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Santa Cruz's acclaimed roastery on Melrose — the outdoor seating and impeccable filter program make it the most desirable coffee stop in WeHo.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Culver City's pop-culture café with serious coffee roots — the guest roaster program and curated soundtrack pull from the same curatorial instinct.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Little Tokyo specialty roaster with a Japanese-influenced approach to extraction — the black sesame latte is the most copied drink in the LA specialty scene.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Santa Monica's Italian-method espresso institution — the Synesso pours and the Montana Ave terrace have made this LA's benchmark for old-school technique done right.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“LA's original specialty roaster — Groundwork has been sourcing organic, direct-trade beans since before it was trendy, and the Rose Ave café shows the longevity of getting it right.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Pasadena roastery that has quietly operated at the highest level for over two decades — the single-origin Chemex in the courtyard is the best reason to come to the Eastside.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“GGET's Hillhurst location with the same obsessive pour-over program and a terrace that captures Los Feliz at its most relaxed.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“GGET's Grand Central Market stall brings LA's finest roastery to the city's most democratic food hall — the single-origin pour-overs and espresso draw every level of coffee drinker.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Verve's Silver Lake location on Sunset brings the Santa Cruz roastery's acclaimed light-roast program to the neighbourhood that arguably invented the modern LA café scene.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Silver Lake's destination specialty café serving a notably ambitious brew-method menu — the siphon service and the Sunday morning ritual have made it an LA institution.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Blue Bottle's Los Feliz café serves the neighborhood's creative class the same precision pour-overs that built the brand's reputation — the quiet street makes it unusually meditative.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Intelligentsia's Silver Lake location on the Sunset Strip — the Chemex program and the al fresco terrace make this their most characteristically LA expression.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“GGET's Pasadena café extends the roastery's award-winning single-origin program to the San Gabriel Valley — the terrace on California Blvd is a destination in itself.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Highland Park's specialty anchor — the rotating guest roasters and the neighbourhood regulars make it the best argument for making the drive to the northeast side.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Boyle Heights specialty café that has become a genuine neighbourhood institution — the community investment and the guest roaster rotation make it as important as it is delicious.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“West Hollywood's design-forward café where the rotating specialty guest roasters and the fashion-week aesthetic attract an LA crowd that takes both coffee and aesthetics with equal seriousness.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“The original Alfred on Melrose Place — the 'But First, Coffee' slogan, the pastel-pink exterior, and the industry crowd made it the most photographed café in Los Angeles before that was a category.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Alfred's Brentwood location serves the Westside's most coffee-discerning neighbourhood with the same house-roasted espresso and outdoor patio energy that made the brand essential.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Silver Lake specialty café with a loyal neighborhood following and a rotating guest roaster program — the Sunset Strip patio is LA coffee at its most unhurried.”
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Los Angeles, United States
“Santa Monica's original specialty café has been serving the Montana Avenue corridor since 2001 — the longest-tenured precision espresso program on the Westside.”
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