Coffee shops in Los Angeles fuelling the city’s creative scene

Los Angeles’ coffee shops feel almost infinite in number, with choices ranging from speciality roasters for true coffee nerds to cool cafés suitable for all-day co-working and after-hours spots for late-night lattes and zingy caffeine-fuelled cocktails. Along with LA’s tantalising array of restaurants and slew of incredible bars, the City of Angels has managed to wrangle to coffee crown away from Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks and the US’s original caffeine capital.

As Andres Piñeros, founder of The Boy and the Bear coffee shop, says: “Right now the coffee shop scene in Los Angeles is super diverse: there are Hispanics, Central Americans, South Americans, Asians, all really into coffee. Each culture has a different way of seeing and tasting things. It makes each coffee roasting company in Los Angeles that little bit more interesting.”

We’ve tracked down the best coffee shops in each Los Angeles neighbourhood to give you a jumping-off point for exploring this energetic scene.

The best coffee shops in central Los Angeles

Maru

Los Feliz, Arts District, Beverly Hills

Best for: Your morning coffee before a hike, remote working
Location: 1936 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles (and further outposts across the city)

Maru takes its moniker from a native Korean language, San Ma Ru, which means ‘mountaintop’. The roastery and coffee shop has locations in Los Feliz, Beverly Hills and the Arts District. Locals love its calm, minimalist interiors, soothing music and friendly baristas, who are an unusually affable bunch, even for Los Angeles. It has a distinctly neighbourhood feel, which is why a trip to Maru is a really lovely way to start your day. Grab a takeout or linger with your laptop for a morning of remote working, while staying fired up with speciality espresso, cold brews, matcha lattes and tea.

Go Get ‘Em Tiger

Larchmont Village, Los Feliz, Highland Park, Santa Monica, Culver City, Grand Central Market 

Best for: Kick-in-the-pants energy to tackle your day, speciality drinks
Location: 230 N Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles (and further outposts across the city)

Founded by US Barista Champions Kyle Glanville and Charles Babinski, Go Get ‘Em Tiger has, well, go-get-em energy. It continuously rethink how consumers interact with coffee, and is also LA to its core: the Larchmont location opened in 2013, during the first wave of renewed energy being infused into a previously stale coffee scene. It is now a local stalwart, with further outposts across the city, including Los Feliz, Highland Park and an upcoming opening in Hollywood. Select from speciality roasts and iced brews – The New York Times declared the iced almond-macadamia milk latte the best in America. Can’t make your mind up? Try a Business & Pleasure, which is a flight of three drinks: a shot of espresso with a side of fizzy hoppy tea (the business) and an almond-macadamia milk cappuccino (the pleasure).

The best coffee shops in West Hollywood

Dayglow Coffee

West Hollywood

Best for: creative flavours, coffee beans from around the world
Location: 3206 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood Los Angeles

This pastel pink and neon shop on Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, is evocative of an indie romcom, in the best way possible. From the chill music to the adorable décor to the specialty drinks menu, Dayglow is a definite mood. The non-alcoholic coffee cocktails rotate in and out, but the Andy Warhol is a staple of the menu – equal parts espresso and cream with a little cinnamon, citrus, and vanilla to perk it up. Expect similar creative combinations; take one to go and channel your energy into exploring the other storefronts along Sunset. For an end-of-day drink, Dayglow stays open until 7pm, which is slightly later than its contemporaries.

Established Today

Melrose

Best for: Coffee and vinyl
Address: 7707 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Located in Melrose, Established Today is a coffee shop and listening bar that opened in late 2024. The cafe has a listening station where you are encouraged to linger while flipping through records and sipping speciality drinks. Alongside vinyl, you can pick up handcrafted items and merchandise. Every detail is considered, from the sparkling Strange Water canned coconut drinks to the er Marcel Breur-style Wassily armchairs.

Verve Coffee Roasters

Arts District, West 3rd Street, West Hollywood, Manhattan Beach

Best for: A conscious cup of coffee, outdoor seating
Location: 8925 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles (and further outposts across the city)

Originally from Santa Cruz, California, Verve opened in Los Angeles soon after, planting a flag as one of the early California specialty coffee roasters. Today, four Verve locations dot the city, infusing each neighbourhood with earnest seed-to-cup energy. Each cafe is great, but this West Hollywood location is particularly beautiful, and has a huge shaded porch perfect for lingering over a cold brew on a first date. The Cascara Spritz is particularly refreshing, with a rich tea-like flavour, while sweet lattes are accented by honey and lavender notes. The coffee program revolves around what it calls the Farmlevel Initiative, transcending boundaries of distance, language, and culture to connect coffee farmers with coffee consumers. What’s more Verve pays farmers premiums to produce great coffee with the brand in mind

Farm Cup Coffee

West Hollywood, Echo Park, Century City

Best for: An uplifting takeaway coffee
Location: 7748 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood (and further outposts across the city)

Farm Cup Coffee isn’t quite a coffee shop, but a bright yellow vintage 1964 Citroën van parked permanently on Santa Monica Boulevard, with a loyal following. Founders Tony and Emerson work directly with farmers in Mexico, as well as local LA roasters to craft an array of delicious brews. Signature drinks include The Daydreamer turmeric latte, with ginger, cinnamon and honey, or Pistachio Rose Matcha, mixed with rose syrup and pistachio milk, served hot or iced. Pair your cup with a sweet or savoury pastry, or breakfast sandwich.

The best coffee shops in Highland Park

Kumquat Coffee Co

Highland Park

Best for: True coffee nerds, remote working
Location:  4936 York Boulevard, Los Angeles 

Nestled on a busy street in Highland Park, Kumquat Coffee Co is a coffee and tea bar founded by Q-graders (the accreditation for grading coffee) Andres Jinhan Kim and Scott Sohn. Their dedication to serving excellent coffee is obvious in every perfectly brewed cup – a pilgrimage to Kumquat is a must for anyone dedicated to the best beans around. Visitors can stock up on bags of beans from all round the world, as far-flung as Maryland or Korea. Limited outdoor seating is snapped up quickly, but inside is light and airy, with plenty of room for laptops. Pair your cup of coffee with a breakfast burrito, with fillings including turkey, bacon and turmeric tofu.

Café De Leche

Highland Park, Altadena, Hollywood, Pasadena

Best for: Latin American flavour, remote working
Location: 5000 York Boulevard, Los Angeles (and further outposts across the city)

Owned by Anya and Matthew Schodorf, Café De Leche is a laidback corner coffee shop and roastery, which specialises in handcrafted, small batch coffee. Anya, a native of Nicaragua, grew up in San José, Costa Rica, and a Latin American influence runs through the menu. Join locals sipping on signature horchata con espresso (a blend of Mexican horchata and coffee), a creamy cold brew or hibiscus lemonade.

The best coffee shops in downtown Los Angeles

Eightfold Coffee

Arts District, Echo Park

Best for: A reliable cup of joe, remote working 
Location: Suite 313, 555 Mateo Street, Los Angeles (and further outposts across the city)

The Arts District Eightfold location is the perfect place to take a meeting. Seating is more comfortable than an average shop, so you won’t be squirming an hour in. Plus, unlike some other more experimental menus, Eightfold focuses on the basics, crafting perfect lattes, black coffee and iced matchas to meet any palate. Drinks are accompanied by a menu of equally reliable breakfast burritos, filled bagels and pastries. Though it exclusively serves the famously flavourful Heart Roasters coffee out of Portland, Oregon, Eightfold is otherwise fairly dedicated to LA local businesses. Stop by on a weekend for occasional pop-up partnerships, where local flower shops or cheesecakes are sold alongside the great coffee.

The best coffee shops in Culver City

Equator Coffees

Culver City, Fairfax District

Best for: Sustainably minded, inclusive vibe
Location: 8900 Venice Boulevard, #105, Culver City

Founded by partners Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell, Equator Coffees is a stalwart of the Californian coffee scene, with locations across the Bay Area. Its first Southern Californian spot opened in Culver City in 2022, with futuristic interiors by Kellie Patry and a bright, spacious layout that lends itself to remote working. Equator Coffees was the first California roaster to receive B Corp certification and is renowned for its Fair Trade organic blends and inclusive vibe. Expert pours are accompanied by pastries and bread by Los Angeles favourite Bub & Grandmas.

The Boy and the Bear

Redondo Beach, Culver City, Westchester, Pasadena, Sherman Oaks

Best for: Colombian-Nordic style coffee, remote working
Location: 2712 W. Washington Boulevard, Culver City, Los Angeles (and further outposts across the city)

The Boy and the Bear founder, Andres Piñeros, hails from Colombia and his warm and convivial coffee shops focus on Columbian coffee and culture. Rich and chocolatey coffees are brewed closer to the way Colombian farmers take it than the way US baristas normally do. The Redondo Beach outpost remains the flagship, while the concrete-clad Culver City cafe is light and spacious for co-working. Watch our exclusive interview with Piñeros over on Instagram.

For something a little stronger, explore the Roadbook insider guide to the best bars in Los Angeles.