Coffee shops in LA that balance craft and character

In Los Angeles, you’ll find excellent locally-roasted java alongside fastidious curations of beans from around the world. What really sets the LA coffee scene apart is the sheer diversity: Latin American, Asian and Middle Eastern diasporas all place their own unique spin on coffee craft.

Los Angeles’ coffee shops feel almost infinite in number, so let us narrow down the list, whether looking for a near-scientific brew or a sunny spot for espresso-fuelled remote working.

Maru

Los Feliz, Arts District, Beverly Hills

Best for: Korean influences in a social space
Address: Multiple locations: Los Feliz, 1936 Hillhurst Avenue, CA 90027; Arts District, 1019 S Santa Fe Avenue, CA 90021; Beverly Hills, 201 N Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Wifi: No

Maru takes its moniker from 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 distinct neighbourhood feel. Featuring single-origin coffees and house blends, their beans are roasted at the group’s Glassell Park facility. Their cream-topped espresso and matcha drinks are also a worthy order.

Dayglow Coffee

Silverlake

Best for: Non-alcoholic coffee cocktails and global beans
Address: Silver Lake, 3206 W Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Wifi: Yes

Dayglow Coffee on Sunset is recognisable by its pink milieu, evocative of an indie romcom in the best way. Its shelves hold beans from acclaimed international roasters, while the menu takes a similarly global approach, poured through Modbar taps. Totoro blends black sesame and orange blossom with coffee, while the iced Vienna Latte is topped with a sweet cream cloud, brown sugar and sea salt.

The non-alcoholic coffee cocktails rotate in and out, but the Andy Warhol is a staple – equal parts espresso and cream with a cinnamon, citrus, and vanilla. The cafe also stays open until 7pm, which is slightly later than its contemporaries. You’ll also find Dayglow in West Hollywood (with a contrasting blue interior) and beyond LA in Chicago, New York and Washington DC.

Granada

Echo Park

Best for: A coffee shop within a creative home
Address: 1451 Carroll Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Granada differs from the other picks on our list as it isn’t a coffee shop in the traditional sense. From Wednesday to Friday, 9am to 2pm, Sydney Wayser and Isaac Watters open their home as a community space for coffee and pastries. A p La Marzocco Strada S machine handles a steady flow of visitors, who flow from the kitchen to the garden.

Kumquat, Loquat and Quat

Highland Park, Cypress Park, Glassell Park, Silver Lake and Downtown LA

Best for: A coffee trifecta with house-baked pastries
Address: Multiple locations
Wifi: No

With five locations studded across LA, the Quat empire has all your coffee needs covered. Pastries come from the group’s own bakery, Fondry, and include inventive flavours like spiced lamb and yogurt Danish. The ultra serious and curious can schedule an omakase coffee tasting led by a US Brewers Cup Champion Esther Kim. These take place at Atelier Q inside Quat, an impressive complex which also houses the roasting headquarters.

Be Bright

Melrose

Best for: Unintimidating specialty coffee
Address: 7311 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Wifi: Yes

Be Bright started life as a coffee roasting company with a stand at Smorgasburg, the Sunday food market. The Melrose location offers precise pourovers and specialty drinks, including its toasted island latte with macadamia, smoked sea salt and coconut. Founded by multi-award-winning barista Frank La, Be Bright simplifies the bean-picking process by offering four categories: Dark & Bold, Rich & Smooth, Unique & Surprising and Bright & Lively. The result is an approachable way into seriously good coffee, whether you know your washed Ethiopian from your natural Colombian or not. There is also a play space for little guests – genius.

Mandarin Coffee Stand

Pasadena

Best for: Small-batch Chinese roasters
Address: 380 S Lake Avenue, #111, Pasadena, CA 91101
Wifi: Yes

This coffee stand in Old Pasadena offers beans from small-batch roasters, alongside Chinese coffee from Yunnan province. It sits in Burlington Arcade (a replica of the London namesake). Order the cinnamon-tinged “Toasty,” a signature coffee milk tea, and watch the neighbourhood stroll by.

Ondo

East Hollywood

Best for: Precise pourovers and remote working
Address: 710 Heliotrope Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90029
Wifi: Yes

Located in East Hollywood, Ondo boasts coffee from all over the world, alongside its own in-house roasts. The narrow, two-storey spot is perfect for die-hard coffee geeks and those looking to get a little work done, if you can snag a seat. A dedicated ‘slow bar’ spotlights experimental single-origin brews and teas, best sipped slowly. Also look out for seasonal specials, like a Guinness butterscotch cream latte or lavender Earl Grey milk tea, depending on the time of year.

Endorffeine

Chinatown

Best for: A scientific approach to brewing
Address: 727 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Wifi: No

A portmanteau of “endorphine” and “caffeine,” Endorffeine in Chinatown is the minimalist shop of former biochemist Jack Benchakul, who has every cup he brews dialed down to the details – and he brews all of them. His concise menu reflects his near scientific attention to detail, from the water used for each preparation to the decision to forgo sweeteners (milk is available). Endorffine is the place to go to geek out, so come to this Chinatown shop with your patience and curiosity.

NAM

East Hollywood

Best for: Vietnamese traditions and dessert-like drinks
Address: Two locations: East Hollywood, 4876 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029; Chinatown, 304 Ord Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Wifi: Yes

With outposts in East Hollywood and Chinatown, NAM champions bold, robusta coffee sourced directly from Vietnam’s Central Highlands and roasted in Los Angeles. Its menu of specialty drinks draws on Vietnamese coffee traditions while exploring playful flavours. Order Vietnamese egg coffee, a desert-like brew made with egg yolks and condensed milk and topped with cream. Other options bring pandan, ube and strawberry into the mix.

Harun Coffee

Leimert Park

Best for: Community space for coffee, music and art shows
Address: 4336 Degnan Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90008
Wifi: Yes

Harun Coffee is both a coffee house and a community space in the heart of Leimert Park, often affectionately known as Little Africa. Harun honors African coffee traditions, with beans sourced from Ethiopia and Tanzania. Chef Keith Corbin is behind a menu of sweet and savory biscuit sandwiches and matcha hazelnut waffles followed by bar bites and nonalcoholic cocktails in the evening. A bookshelf-fronted door leads to a comfy aubergine-hued lounge for events and art shows. Founded by former music executive Chace Johnson, music is also central to the programme, with a comprehensive Hi-Fi system and regular live performances.

Aquarela

Downtown LA

Best for: Brazilian flavour in a landmark Art Deco setting
Address: CalEdison Building, 601 W 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Wifi: Sluggish

Head to the lobby of the Art Deco CalEdison Building to find Aquarela. A monumental mural by artist Hugo Ballin looms large as you sip coffee roasted in LA from beans sourced directly from a Brazilian farm. Try the aúde latte: espresso extracted over fresh-peeled orange skin, with a touch of cinnamon, along with a few pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread).

Chainsaw

Melrose Hill

Best for: Venezuelan recipes and rustic charm
Address: 5022 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Wifi: No

This warm and rustic cafe evolved from a pandemic-era dinner series by chef Karla Subero Pittol. Grab an outdoor seat for sumptuous Venezuelan fare including empanadas, delectable pies and inventive ice creams. Coffee is sourced from Post Era, using beans from Guatemala that are roasted in LA. Try the café quesillo, a flan latte, or the Karlita, a grapefruit tonic.

Yala

Studio City

Best for: Iraqi hot-sand coffee and sweet lattes
Address: Two locations: Silver Lake, 3814 W Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026; Studio City, 11824 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604
Wifi: Yes

With locations in Silver Lake and Studio City, Yala brings Middle Eastern influences to LA. The name combines ‘yallah’, an Arabic expression meaning ‘let’s go”, and Los Angeles, a nod to the founders’ Iraqi heritage and LA upbringing. Find traditional sand-brewed coffee, made with extra fine grounds in small pots, as well as sweet salted honey pistachio lattes and an espresso tonic sweetened with apricot preserves.

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