coffee shop Archives

July 28, 2017October 5, 2023

Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Central LA

Picky writers can’t just go to any coffee shop. We need good working spaces with comfy chairs and tables. We need decent wifi and electric outlets for our laptops. We (or at least I) need good reading light. And we like to be able to hang for a few hours without feeling like we’re overstaying our welcome.

Which is to say — I’m really putting together this best coffee shops list for me.

I often find myself stuck in a part of town I don’t know very well — usually before or after some event — because I don’t want to drive home until after rush hour ends. Now (or more accurately, soon, when I finish this 5-part guide covering most L.A. neighborhoods), whatever area of Los Angeles I happen to be in, I know where I can stop to read or get some writing done while I wait for traffic to clear.

Earlier:
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Westside
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: The Valley
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Northeast LA
___

West Hollywood: The Assembly. 634 N. Robertson Blvd.

This is a coffee shop for the minimalist writer. The clean aesthetic calms and clears the mind! Add in the little vases of succulents and the cute outside courtyard area, and The Assembly wins the award for the most photogenic cafe in the L.A. area.

A small decaf soy latte will cost you $6.50, served in a pretty ceramic cup. There are also juices and snacks for sale; the wifi and ambiance are free —

Hollywood: Insomnia. 7286 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles.

I have a real soft spot for this coffee shop because I spent so much time here in my teens and twenties, when I lived near the area. Insomnia’s pretty old school: well-worn but comfy sunken couches, cash only policy, a late midnight close time, stale day old pastries cocooned in saran wrap sold for a buck. It may also be the last coffee shop in L.A. with no website —

This place has some serious regulars, who one and all seem to be eavesdropping on conversations to add to their screenplays — even more so than most L.A. coffee shops! It has somewhat terrible reviews on Yelp due to the Korean owner who can come across as curt and impatient — but she’s always been nice to me….

Third Street: Verve Coffee Roasters

Like its downtown location, this Verve spot is a joint venture with Juice Served Here, my favorite juice shop to write in. It’s a bright, spacious place with both super-healthy raw superfood snacks and sugar-and-gluten-packed pastries.

I recommend the $8 juice flight for both variety and hydration while you write —

Larchmont: Larchmont Bungalow. 107 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles.

This popular coffee shop-restaurant is great for getting some writing done before a reading at Chevalier’s down the street. I think they’re best known for Red & Blue velvet pancakes but I got the gluten free quinoa ones — tasty but very heavy!

This is a big place with lots of indoor and outdoor seating where you can stay for hours, eating more and more things.

Koreatown: Document Coffee Bar. 3850 Wilshire Blvd. #107, Los Angeles.

Get a hojicha soy latte here! Hojicha is a roasted Japanese green tea with a lovely nutty taste — and this cute little cafe in Koreatown is the place that introduced me to it.

This is a smallish but cheerful place with a well-populated communal table in the middle where millenials sit staring into their laptops with headphones on while completely ignoring the people on either side of them. It can be a good setting for serious writing!

Downtown LA: Cognoscenti Coffee. 1118 San Julian St., Los Angeles.

I discovered this place because I needed to caffeinate right before a Soulcycle ride next door. This spacious cafe felt like a quiet, ideal spot for writing.

The cafe also doubles as a little shop of locally made goods, with soaps, candles and other little desirables. And yes, the soy latte got me through my workout!

Los Feliz: Bru. 1866 N. Vermont. Ave., Los Angeles.

Bru has the benefit of being right down the street from Skylight Books — so you can get a little writing done here before rewarding yourself by buying some books. The place has a simple aesthetic, friendly baristas, and good wifi.

Earlier:
* Juice Served Here: Best juice shop for writers in Los Angeles
* 11 best bookstores in Los Angeles for writers

April 21, 2017October 5, 2023

Deus Cafe: Best coffee shop for reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

“We’re in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it’s all gone.”

— Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

Motorcycles, matcha lattes, postmodern style, and philosophy. Combine all four by spending an afternoon at Deus Cafe with a copy of Robert M. Pirsig’s classic, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

I’d read this meditative and moving book long, long ago and loved it — then picked up a new-to-me copy a few months ago at a friend’s fashion and book swap party. And when I did, I knew exactly where I’d go to read it.

Deus Cafe is part of Deus Ex Machina: The Emporium of Postmodern Activities, a Venice shop best known for its custom built motorcycles. Browsers can also peruse unique surfboards, clothes, artwork, and accessories — before heading to the back.

There you can hang out, caffeinate, read, and chat with friends and strangers at the cafe’s communal tables. It’s a lovely spot with both a sunny courtyard and an airy indoor space, decorated with flowers and succulents.

Besides espresso drinks, Deus Cafe offers simple good eats: chili, paninis, pastries. What the place doesn’t have: decaf coffee. If you’re trying to lay off the caffeine, go for one of the cold-pressed juices from Juice Served Here.

And yes, there is wifi, but don’t let that stop you from starting spontaneous conversations with strangers —

Deus Cafe. 1001 Venice Blvd. Venice. Monday – Friday 7am – 7pm.
__

Earlier:
* Juice Served Here: Best juice shop for writers in Los Angeles
* Bulletproof Coffee: Best coffee shop in Los Angeles for writers who love butter

April 14, 2017October 5, 2023

Top 11 coffee shops for writers in Portland

This post comes with a caveat: I’ve only been to Portland twice, and between both visits, spent like five days in the city. That said, I did a lot of wandering around — and discovered that there’s a cute indie coffee shop or two on pretty much every block. These coffee shops generally come with all the amenities a writer desires — fantastic coffee, pretty latte art, yummy nibbles, kind baristas, open tables, and usually, free wifi.

My theory as to why Portland has such a great cafe culture: People need places to duck in to escape the rain, which falls really, really often up there. These are the eleven places that I ducked into — and loved.

The Clearing Cafe. If you are in Portland visiting Tin House — and have an hour to write — walk over to this cafe, which was recommended to me by Tin House’s Lance Cleland. Nice lattes, and filling bowls that the other customers raved about. 2772 NW Thurman Street.

Coffee Time. While I was at this spacious coffee shop, a woman walked in wearing pink rain boots and holding pink bike basket after tying up her bike on which was perched a pink kid’s seat. The macha lattes are yummy but don’t get the quinoa chocolate bar. The barista will say it is delicious; it is not. 712 NW 21st Ave.

Anna Bannanas. This homey spot offers deep couches, cards to play with, and floating copies of the New York Times. The lattes are yummy — and if you’re hungry, you can order anything from acai bowls to freshly baked banana bread. 8716 North Lombard Street.

Barista. The barista recommended the Oregon hazelnut latte, which was sweet and delicious and only available for a limited time. It was delicious, so I hope they still have it when you visit! There are four locations; I went to the one in the Pearl District. 539 NW 13th Ave.

Kiva Tea Cafe. Portland weather got you feeling sniffly? Stop by this tea house for the Flu Fighter tea — a lemony, gingery concoction that’ll warm you up. They also have coffee and food of the granola-y, raw, gluten-free variety. 1533 NW 24th Avenue.

Vivace Coffee & Crepes. The obvious place to go if you like crepes with your coffee. Sweet and savory, gluteny and gluten-free — they have them all. 1400 NW 23rd Ave.

World Cup Coffee at Powell’s. At this coffee shop, you can take a writing break to shop for books in the biggest bookstore in the U.S. Say hello to bookseller Kevin Sampsell, author of This Is Between Us! 1005 W Burnside St.

Coffeehouse Northwest. I recommend getting the hot chocolate here. They have two versions, a dark one and a sweet one. Get the dark — It’s delicious, and won a local award a year or two ago according to the barista. 1951 West Burnside Street.

Fat Straw. If you like your latte with a bahn mi sandwich, go here. This place mostly serves boba drinks, but their coffee drinks were decent and their seats comfortable. 806 NW 23rd Ave.

Ristretto Roasters. Combine home goods shopping with your coffee drinking at this cafe, located inside Schoolhouse Electric. It’s a little out of the way, but it’s a modern, inviting place. 2181 NW Nicolai Street.

Portland International Airport. I realize the airport is not a coffee shop, but there are coffee shops in there — and I can make the argument that this airport is the best airport for writers. There are little study cubbies with outlets and free wifi! Plug in and pound out your next novel while waiting for your flight.

Are there other coffee shops I should visit the next time I’m in Portland? Let me know in the comments —

January 20, 2017October 6, 2023

Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: The Valley

I like to write at home in the mornings, but find I get more done in the afternoons if I’m close to espresso machines. This is true despite the fact that after noon, I drink only decaf. Basically, it’s the smell of caffeine that keeps me productive —

Picky writers can’t just go to any coffee shop though. We need good working spaces with comfy chairs and tables. We need decent wifi and electric outlets for our laptops. We (or at least I) need good reading light. And we like to be able to hang for a few hours without feeling like we’re overstaying our welcome.

Which is to say — I’m really putting together this best coffee shops list for me. I often find myself stuck in a part of town I don’t know very well — usually before or after some event — because I don’t want to drive home until after rush hour ends. Now (or more accurately, soon, when I finish this 5-part guide covering most L.A. neighborhoods), whatever area of Los Angeles I happen to be in, I know where I can stop to read or get some writing done while I wait for traffic to clear.

More:
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Central LA
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Westside
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Northeast LA

Burbank: Romancing the Bean

This coffee shop has a lovely, light-filled interior with lots of tables for two as well as a bigger communal table that invites friendly conversations with fellow coffee drinkers. The coffee’s organic, the staff very friendly, the slices of cake gigantic.

Do arrive with your laptop fully charged, because while the wifi is strong the outlets are not plentiful. In addition to coffee, tea, and pastries, Romancing the Bean offers a local, organic sandwiches-and-salads menu. I recommend the cold nicoise salad!

North Hollywood: TeaPop

Tea lovers will especially like this place, which offers a whole bunch of different loose leaf teas as well as tea lattes and milk teas (as far as I can tell, the milk teas are basically tea lattes on ice). If you’re as picky about your lattes as I am though, you might want to ask some questions before you order. I asked for the Soy Matcha — a matcha-soy milk-honey combo — sans the honey, only to discover that their matcha itself was super-sweetened.

The staff here is also sweet though — and made me a Buck Roo instead. Enjoy the little piece of fake lawn on each of the wooden communal tables, the sunlight streaming in from the windows, and the spacious outside courtyard. Don’t miss the mural on the north wall, with its many crazy tea pots! Thanks to Rachael Warecki for introducing me to this place.

Sherman Oaks: M Street Coffee

This coffee shop is one of those places that gives you a unique wifi code when you make a purchase; the code’s good for two hours. Despite that time limit, M Street is a nice writing spot that packs a lot of people into its smallish space! Last time I stopped by, all the tables were taken — but I found a friendly latte drinker willing to share hers. We balanced our laptops and lattes precariously on the tiny table — and luckily nothing spilled —

A couple things to keep in mind: M Street closes rather early — at 6 pm on weekdays. And about the picture above: I found out the hard way that they can’t do latte art for tea lattes! If you want a heart on your drink, get a real latte — They’re yummier too. Thanks to Zach Behrens for introducing me to this place.

Earlier:
* 7 Best public libraries in Los Angeles for writers
* 3 Los Angeles writing meetups where you can write in company

October 28, 2016October 6, 2023

Best coffee shop in Los Angeles for writers who love butter

You love writing in coffee shops. But you don’t love the constant temptation of pastries and sugary frappes at said coffee shops. If you’re on a paleo, ketogenic, whole food diet — or are just trying to eat less sugar and processed foods in general — take your novel-in-progress to Bulletproof Coffee, where the brew is buttery and the food sugar-free.

The bulletproof diet has a growing fandom (as well as detractors), who swear on its high fat, lower carb way of eating — with an emphasis on healthy ingredients and upgraded supplements — for everything from weight loss to mental clarity to serious productivity. At the heart of this diet is bulletproof coffee — clean coffee blended with grass-fed butter and MCT oil — which many diet adherents drink in lieu of eating breakfast.

I’m one of these bulletproof coffee drinkers on some days. Buttery coffee is yummy, and the stuff really does give you a focus that lasts for hours! If you’ve never tried MCT oil before though, I’d recommend getting a small and maybe not drinking the whole cup. Otherwise you might get super jittery!

The Venice coffee shop also have a full menu of high quality foods. We’re talking grass-fed meats and fats, pasture-raised organic eggs, and organic, local veggies. Here’s the delicious steak and eggs breakfast I enjoyed this morning:

Then I sat down at the communal table and started writing with fellow bulletproofers. There’s indoor and outdoor seating and speedy wifi. One wall of the coffee shop features shelves full of upgraded whey protein and collagelatin and other bulletproof diet products — as well as The Bulletproof Diet book and cookbook for newbies to browse through and buy.

There’s a cafe in the Arts District of Los Angeles too. I think this one just serves drinks, though I haven’t been to that location yet. Stop by and see if bulletproof coffee helps you focus on your writing —

Bulletproof Coffee. Santa Monica: 3110 Main St. #116. LA Arts District: 300 S Santa Fe Ave.