15 Best Cafes in Los Angeles for the Coffee Aficionado

Los Angeles is a city with no shortage of star-studded restaurants and great cafes. But what are the best cafes in Los Angeles? Which ones stand out from the crowd by bringing something unique or special to the table? If you’ve asked yourself these questions, wonder no more as we are going to explore the fifteen best cafes in Los Angeles. These places distinguish themselves by providing truly excellent brews, exceptional ambiance, and a menu of tasty snacks. 

Urth Caffe

Location: 459 South Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 

Nestled in Los Angeles’ burgeoning Arts District, Urth Caffe is a high-end business that serves premium fresh-roasted organic coffee beans and the finest teas. It is not far from the campus of the University of Southern California, making it the best place to treat yourself after a week of back-to-back classes. Urth Caffe also features a wide selection of sumptuous snacks, including healthy organic entrees and glorious European pastries. Urth Caffe also has a coffee shop in Beverly Hills if you’d rather not go downtown. 

Intelligentsia Coffee

Location: 3922 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Tracing its roots back to the Windy City of Chicago, this chic hipster haven slots right into the list of best cafes in Los Angeles. Their mission is to provide Angelinos with the best coffee, and they do this by collaborating with expert growers and engineering their beans to be of the highest possible quality. The white and blue tiled flooring and counters combined with the warm woodwork of Intelligentsia’s interior make for an inviting, upbeat atmosphere. These great qualities come together along with affordability to make Intelligentsia one of the best places to enjoy a brew and spend some downtime. 

Coffee MCO

Location: 2580 West Olympic Boulevard Unit #2, Los Angeles, CA

This minimalist cafe features a rooftop seating area overlooking Western Avenue, allowing you to people-watch while sipping the best coffee in Koreatown. Much like some of the other best cafes on this list, Coffee MCO succeeds in having a homely atmosphere in an up-and-coming LA neighborhood that is perfect for settling in and taking a breather. If you’re more work-oriented, Coffee MCO is also a great place to get in the zone and get stuff done, and their quality coffee brews are the best work fuel out there. 

Great White 

Location: 1604 Pacific Avenue, Venice, CA

Great White bills itself as an “all-day cafe.” It is not only one of the best cafes in Los Angeles but also the perfect embodiment of a coastal Californian establishment. It achieves this with a light Mediterranean interior design complete with hanging wicker lights, and earth-toned wooden benches. The cafe is walk-in only from 08:00 to 16:00 and you can make reservations after 16:00 if you’d fancy a light dinner on Great White’s open-air terrace. In addition to some flavorful coffee brews, Great White’s menu includes premium breakfast sandwiches with salmon tartine with ricotta and delicious mains such as rigatoni bolognese.  

Eightfold Coffee

Location: 1294 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Eightfold is the kind of light airy spot where the chill vibes abound and where you could spend hours watching life go by. There are few things better than a place with strong coffee and good WiFi, and Eightfold Coffee understands that better than most. They even take things one step further with a mini-library of curated books and zines so you can take a break from your phone and read something new. If you get peckish, this cafe also offers an assortment of nice brunch items, including bagel sandwiches, avocado toast, and spiced oats with fruit. 

Civil Coffee

Location: 5629 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA

Founded by two brothers who started selling coffee out of the back of their pickup truck, Civil Coffee tries to offer something for everyone. The casual atmosphere of this cafe makes it a great place to visit for anyone on a Los Angeles getaway. Their diverse menu includes the best Peruvian coffee, cold brews, and teas of all kinds. If you want something with your coffee Civil has got you covered with a wide range of delightful snacks, from cornbread to chorizo burritos. Their Highland Park location has a charming outdoor setup so you can bask in the California sun while drinking a Peruvian espresso.  

Beachwood Cafe

Location: 2695 North Beachwood Drive, Los Angeles, CA

Founded in 2012, Beachwood Cafe is one of the best cafes in Los Angeles and is located in the historic Beachwood Canyon neighborhood where the iconic Hollywood Sign is located. It’s a cute coffee shop in Los Angeles that specializes in farm-to-table fare with Asian, American, and even Scandinavian influences. It’s a nice place to stop by for a quick coffee break in a quiet place, and a small brunch like a vegan burrito or their famous French toast. 

Verve Coffee Roasters

Location: 833 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA

If you’re looking for the best coffee in West Hollywood, look no further. From the NorCal metropolis of Santa Cruz comes an iconic transplant that’s proven a great hit in the LA area. Each Verve Coffee Roasters location is immediately recognizable thanks to its distinct interior decor that incorporates a lush green sea of trees and wall plants. These earthy vibes come together with amazing coffee from faraway places, including Kenya, Honduras, Ethiopia, and more, to produce a one-of-a-kind experience befitting one of the best cafes in Los Angeles. Stop by here for an amazing brew on your way to the local Helen Albert Certified Farmer’s Market on North Vista Street. 

Little Lunch Coffee + Snacks  

Location: 50 Brooks Avenue, Venice, CA

This humble little spot just a stone’s throw away from Venice Beach brings an original twist to the LA cafe scene for those looking to try something from the land down under. Little lunch is slang in Australia for recess, which hints at this cafe’s inspiration. Little Lunch brings the Australian cafe scene to LA with a cozy setup reminiscent of the classic stop n’ go food spot. You order your coffee, grab a little lunch from the open fridge, maybe get some soda water for the road, and then get on with the day.   

Espresso Profeta 

Location: 1129 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

For a slice of the Italian cafe scene in SoCal, you can’t go wrong with Espresso Profeta. With its rustic bricks, cozy back patio, and street seating, you’ll feel like you’re in a quaint Italian villa sipping a fine espresso. They may not serve trendy drinks like Horchata, but Profeta only uses the best vivace beans straight from Seattle for their espressos. Plus, their baristas are trained to make each coffee as flavorful as possible. Since the cafe is not far from UCLA’s campus, this is the perfect spot for studying or RnR, whichever one suits your fancy.  

Neighborhood 

Location: 133 South La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Although its name may be unassuming, Neighborhood is anything but your average local cafe. Instead, Neighborhood takes things to a new level with a beautiful Japandi coffee shop design that lets in plenty of the LA sun and invites customers in with its charming natural simplicity. In addition to some exceptionally good brews, Neighborhood also offers delightful little snacks or “bites,” including chia parfait and delectable pastries with vegan and GF options also available. 

Flowerboy Project 

Location: 816 Lincoln Boulevard, Venice, CA

Flowerboy is a concept shop that combines two cool things as it is a flower shop and a coffee shop in one. This makes Flowerboy one of the only places we know of where you can have your flowers and eat them, too, literally. Flowerboy Project has a host of flower-infused snacks, including matcha bowls infused with hibiscus powder and toast topped with lavender peanut butter. Plus, since it’s a flower shop, this is also a good place in Los Angeles County for anyone who needs to get a gift for that special someone.  

Rubies+Diamonds

Location: 6115 Sunset Boulevard #150, Los Angeles, CA 

This modernist coffee shop in Hollywood has a very unique look with millennial pink chevron walls and extravagant chandeliers. It’s certainly no run-of-the-mill coffee place but rather a fashionable coffee spot. Refuel with one of their trademark cold brews or try one of their nitro drinks infused with your choice of turmeric lemonade, ginger ale green tea, or classic cold brew. With their menu of veggie burritos, deluxe sandwiches, and rice bowls, Rubies+Diamonds also has something for the foodies as well.  

Dinosaur Coffee 

Location: 4334 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

In the typical Los Angeles style, Dinosaur Coffee espouses a minimalist design with plenty of gorgeous wooden accents that make the space modern yet cozy. While they may not have free WiFi, they have everything else a great coffee shop should have, including some truly divine coffees. Their Four Barrel Espresso is sure to have anyone wired and ready to meet the long day ahead, and you can even take some of their coffee to make at your own home.  

Farm Cup Coffee 

Location: 10250 Constellation Boulevard, Suite 175, Los Angeles, CA

You’ve probably heard about farm-to-table but what about farm-to-cup? Coffee does come from coffee bean plantations, after all, so it’s crucial to make sure it is sourced sustainably and fairly. As one of the best coffee shops in Los Angeles, Farm Cup Coffee’s mission is to make that ideal a reality by working with coffee producers to ensure that you always know where your fair trade coffee comes from and that it was sustainably grown. You’ve probably heard of LA’s made-to-order juice bars, but did you know coffee can also come in blends? Farm Cup offers some unique brew mixes, including a rose syrup-infused brew that is not to be missed. 

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