Top 5 Coffee Shops in LA
So I thought I would start this blog out with a little refreshment. After living on four continents, I have been exposed to a large sample set of coffee and user expectations. So far, I must say that Oslo has the best espresso I have ever had the privilege of having. It was religious. Big ups to Tim Wendelboe. Sydney, in general, has the best espressos. Walk into any coffee joint and 9 out of ten, it will do justice. Plus, a flat white is a glorious invention if done correctly. The States, however, has been a bit of a let down when it comes to espresso. However, they do drip coffee better than most places on this planet. Most countries ignore a good cup o drip but its a staple here.
After living in LA for three years and now proud to call it my home, I want to share a few good spots to get a good espresso or espresso & cow juice drink.
#1 Gelato Bar & Espresso Caffe Great espresso, not snobby and pretty friendly. I saw a Sam Rockwell in there once so it has to be good! If you go, ask for a Gibraltar.
#2 Intellligentsia Look, there coffee is really good but the snobbery is a bit of a turn off to me. any coffee shop needs to deal with people just needing a fix to a connoisseur.
#3 Conservatory for Coffee, Tea & Cocoa With a roaster right in the doorway, you know these guys and gals know what they are doing. Really cool peeps and super friendly. Ask the barista what they have just roasted and usually you can get an espresso fresh from the roaster.
#4 Jones Good stuff but you really have to push them to make a good strong latte. If you don’t want to be disappointed, make sure you double your espressos.
#5 Groundwork Coffee Company I can only speak for the ones in Hollywood and Venice but on the whole, always good. Make sure to chat to your barista, they want to make you what you want and are eager to please. One thing, their yoghurt parfait’s are the bomb! They told me their their secret once but I wont divulge it on the internet. That and a good four shot medium latte is hangover medicine.
Next time you are in town, hit one of these up. Or feel free to hit me up to take you there so we can talk game dev while sipping a good cuppa. This is an open topic and I would love nothing more for someone to give me a new location to do “research” on. How else are we supposed to make good games if we are not suitably caffeinated!
–UPDATE–
So I knew this post would never be complete because there are always amazing things starting up and closing down. Here is a quick list of amendments. I am not going to put them in order because there really isn’t one. You cant make me choose between awesome and awesome!