la Coffee (eastside edition)
The Eastsiders' favorite pastime.
And by “coffee” I really mean “coffee shops.” There’s nothing the Eastsider in LA likes more than trying out a new coffee spot. I should know. It’s in my hinge profile and it’s the easiest way to go on a date with a rando.
When the average LA entrepreneur looks at their piles of money and thinks to themselves, “Hmmmm… What kind of business should I invest in? What hole in the market should I fill?” Then, looking at the legions of coffee shops which bejewel Sunset Boulevard and it’s crossroads, they think to themselves: “I’ve got it! I should open a cute little coffee shop.”
The question is never “should I open a coffee shop” it’s always “what kind of coffee shop should I open.” A trendy, Instagram-able and colorful spot with drinks named after famous lizards? Or perhaps it will be a calming, zen-hipster-skateboard-grunge laminated wood cool-cat spot. The world is your oyster, but the oyster is made of coffee beans.
This will be quite the undertaking since there is simply such a large volume of coffee spots. Thus, I’ll only really be covering the spots I know on the Eastside moving West to East. (And very briefly)
Directory
Bru Coffee Bar - Los Feliz
Alcove - Los Feliz
Maru Coffee - Los Feliz
Dinosaur Coffee - Silver Lake
Intelligenstia - Silver Lake
La Colombe - Silver Lake
Coffee Memes - Silver Lake
Muddy Paw - Silver Lake
Andante - Echo Park
Tierra Mia - Echo Park
Stories - Echo Park
Woodcat Coffee - Echo Park
Stereoscope - Echo Park
Canyon Coffee - Echo Park
Couplet Coffee - Echo Park
Actually, you know, first I’ll discuss what exactly makes a good coffee spot anyways. Why do people go to coffee shops? I’ve decided there are only really two cases.
1) You’re working and no longer feel like working in your house or at the office
OR
2) You’re out and about (alone or with company) and you want a place to just sit and vibe, maybe chat
In both of these scenarios, you aren’t really going for the coffee or tea. You’re going for the space. (Upcoming article about third spaces perhaps?) I mostly say this because I am not much of a coffee drinker, so at least for me, it’s really not because I think the coffee is amazing or anything. It’s actually just the price I pay for getting to sit there.
Therefore, I’ll be judging the following coffee places by their ability to fulfill the above needs, not really for the actual coffee. Hope this makes sense.
Bru Coffee Bar
Located iI’ve only been here one time, and it was probably one of the first weeks I was in LA. I was meeting up with a RISD Alumni: Sydney Mills. We had a great talk, but it was all so new to me, and I haven’t been back since. It has this interesting balcony seating which was nice. And there was free parking in the back, which is rare. I do remember it being fairly noisy though. Not ideal for talking.
Alcove
Like Bru, I’ve only been here one time, and it was to meet up with another RISD Alumni, Conner Griffith. Huh, this story is starting to repeat a little. I haven’t been back since then, and I do still cringe a little at how awkward I was when we met. There’s only street parking which is annoying but typical. The outdoor seating was nice, but I remember it being pretty hot and crowded. Maybe the coffee was a little over priced? I should go again sometime to refresh my memory.
Maru Coffee
This place was really hot, according to my sister, but when we went to check it out, I really could not see what all the fuss was about. Apparently a lot of celebs are seen here. Joe Jonas was sighted a few weeks ago. The actual coffee experience was very forgettable. The weirdest thing about this place is that there was basically nowhere to sit. How am I supposed to enjoy my six dollar coffee if there’s nowhere to sit?!
Dinosaur Coffee
Like many of these places, I’ve only been one time, and it was quite a while ago. Megan says she really doesn’t like the vibe of this place. It’s located on the most Western edge of Silver Lake, in between 4100 and Akbar. I remember the experience pretty fondly, but we also got really lucky with the parking and found a spot right in front. The layout of the cafe is pretty interesting, with the counter forming a circle right in the center. There’s plenty of seating and a tiny patio in the back.
Intelligenstia
Okay, now we’re getting into the meat of it. Also according to Megan, this was a hot spot about a year ago. I come here a lot because it’s so close to where we live. I’m talking 10-15min walking. The coffee is whatever, not a lot of indoor seating and sometimes too busy to be nice to chill at. It’s ‘okay.’
La Colombe
I’ve been here maybe twice. Once was on a ‘date’ (that’s in scare-quotes because it was aggressively mid) It’s maybe two steps away from Intelligenstia. There’s lots of seating, a patio out front and a space in the back. Both times I went, it was kinda hot. Like the store doesn’t get any air flow. Weirdly though, it’s got this corporate vibe. It’s pretty whatever.
Coffee Memes
This is maybe my least favorite place on the list. Maybe I just had a bad experience, seeing as I visited here early in my time in LA, and I went alone on top of that. The seating is very awkward since the tables are not moveable from the benches. They don’t have a covered outside area and the cafe is South facing, so it’s really pretty hot. This is also close enough to walk, so I’ve got not commentary on the parking.
Muddy Paw
This is probably my favorite place on the list. Half of that is because of the location, which is right next to the Micheltorena Stairs (which I use all the time) There’s basically no indoor seating, which is likely the one knock on this place, but then again it’s also LA, so there’s no reason to be sitting inside anyway. Five stars.
Andante
I’ve only been here a couple of times as well. I met here with Olivia to ask about the Page Program. It’s very sunny, so it can get kind of hot in the mornings. There’s no outdoor seating. Not really great parking either.
Tierra Mia
The only time I went here, which was after yoga with Megan, I didn’t stop to sit. The space seems nice though. I just know that parking is a bitch around there. The coffee was insanely sweet too (but very tasty), and it took me three days to finish one cup.
Stories
Ahh Stories, my old enemy. Funnily enough, I definitely go here more than any other place on this list. It’s just too convenient, being right next to my work. Also, the seating is really nice, and I do enjoy the patio. I met up with yet another alumni here. I have forgotten his name though…
Woodcat Coffee
I think I’ve been here twice or thrice. Yet another mostly-indoor seating place. They have a little gift shop next door that is very cute. This cafe also happens to share the same owners as Dinosaur Coffee.
Stereoscope
This is Megan’s favorite coffee place. I don’t really love it, to be honest. The chairs are very hard and geometric, and I always fall off the stools. It’s really embarrassing. No outdoor seating either. It can also get annoyingly busy.
Canyon Coffee
I still haven’t really been here, but people talk about it all the time, so it feels remiss not to at least mention it. Apparently it’s extremely overrated.
Couplet Coffee
Been here once (or twice? I can’t remember. It’s all starting to blur together) also on a date. This one went a little better, but then we literally never talked after that. Lucy Dacus did a partnership with them I think and they promoted the release of her latest album with these awesome drinks.
Coffee spots are like shells on the beach in LA. They’re every where and mostly the same. Occasionally, they’re very cool and unique and fun to look at but ultimately easily forgotten. Some of them spark something special in you that makes you decide to pick them up and take them home with you.
I don’t even drink that much coffee. It does unspeakable things to my nervous system (and my digestive system). If given the choice, I’d go with tea pretty much any day. It’s too bad we don’t have the tea equivalent of coffee shops. Warmly lit and cozy spaces, pretty much the opposite of your average boba shop (the western concept of places that mainly sell tea drinks).
Maybe those LA entrepreneurs should branch out a little.