Appealing to bicycle culture on the Westside, this Calabasas and Santa Monica cafe does well-crafted espresso drinks and a light menu of teas and tonics to help cyclists to continue their routes. Otherwise, the Santa Monica shop is a light-filled oasis to work or host in-person meetings or just get out of the house.

Venice’s popular Menotti’s has become a beachside favorite, serving exacting espresso drinks with a creative flair, all coupled with curated tunes from the record player. Enjoy coffees out on the sun-soaked patio that’s taken over the street.

Culver City’s outpost of Goodboybob does a fantastic job with its house-roasted beans and craveworthy chapatis served right at the entrance to Citizen Public Market. Goodboybob has a flagship shop in Santa Monica and another smaller outlet in Manhattan Beach, all with house-made pastries.

Culver City's modernist coffee bar is the perfect place for a late morning or early afternoon pick-me-up, with espresso and single brews prepared by affable baristas. With a wide selection of beans from roasters around the country, it's a coffee geek's paradise. Cognoscenti also has locations in Fashion District and Downtown LA.

It’s easy to see why Hilltop has settled in so nicely to its South LA neighborhood of View Park-Windsor Hill. The drinks, everything from the house brew to the lavender latte, are prepared with care while the food, like the bowls and toasts, are simple but effective.  

Basecamp can feel a world away from the city some mornings, as horse riders trot down the foggy AM streets in search of nearby trails. Thankfully the coffee menu isn’t lost in the woods, opting instead to focus up on traditional espresso drinks, East Coast-style frappes, and teas. This is the cozy Valley spot for hunkering down with a warm up and a book that you’ve been searching for.

This second outpost of a popular Koreatown coffee bar is quite the scene during the week, placed in the middle of the neighborhood and bustling with those seeking caffeine. The cafe serves Onyx Coffee from Arkansas and always makes sure the latte art is top-notch.

An exercise in Korean minimalist design, Maru’s two locations in Los Feliz and the Arts District are incredibly pleasant places to enjoy coffee in Los Angeles, with coffee roasted at their larger Arts District space.

This bright espresso bar and coffee shop in Glendale sits on the prime corner of an historic building in Glendale pulling strong shots and pouring beautiful lattes. Over the past year, Highlight expanded to a standalone building in Pasadena serving coffees from a variety of roasters.

This ultra-minimalist space in Chinatown has settled in nicely to Far East Plaza. The rotating roaster selection gives coffee enthusiasts something new to try on every visit. Try some of the Southeast Asian-influenced shaken ice drinks.

This delightful minimalist coffee bar in Highland Park serves beans from a variety of roasters, with an eye for pleasing latte art and proper brewing techniques.

Long Beach’s 16-year-old Viento y Agua keeps things simple, by working with a limited food menu to accommodate the tiniest kitchen. But this neighborhood cafe also makes a spectacular cafe con leche or Mexican chocolate mocha. Both are worth ordering before settling into a cozy chair or one of the many spots to open a laptop.

Oaxacan-inpired drinks reign here at Café Santo, a window and budding cafe from Pilar Casteñeda and Marlon Gonzalez, who used to operate in farmers markets. Try the memelas and the Oaxacan iced mocha for a proper late morning refreshment.