Summer Coffee in Los Angeles' "Towns"

My coffee house visits this summer had me exploring numerous "towns" in Los Angeles. For example, I never knew there was a Japantown in LA aside from Little Tokyo. See below:

Japantown

Balconi Coffee Company

11301 Olympic Blvd. #124

Los Angeles, CA 90064

Balconi is a small quaint coffee shop in the revitalized Sawtelle Japantown area. Just off the 405, this 4-block stretch on Sawtelle near Olympic has numerous Japanese and Korean restaurants and stores. I enjoyed a delicious Almond Essence Latte. They sell almost equal amounts of coffees and teas as well as a small selection of pastries. There is plenty of free parking on the side streets of the 1- to 2-hour variety. Just make sure you check the street signs as those time limits are strictly enforced. Both when I left my car and when I came back, I saw parking enforcement officers patrolling the neighborhood.

Beantown

45 N.  Baldwin Ave.

Sierra Madre, CA 91024

Beantown has a laid-back community atmosphere with lots of coffee choices as well as smoothies, ice cream, and an array of sandwiches - everything one needs to spend a day getting work done. Lots of space. On the record hot day I came here, their iced cherry latte really hit the spot.

Koreatown

LaB Coffee & Roasters

429 N. Western Ave. #5

Los Angeles, CA 90004

My mocha had a very strong coffee flavor that would keep me humming for the next few hours. The diverse crowd was comprised of a few Koreans, a few Latinos and a couple of Caucasians. The current demographics of the neighborhood. Bags of coffee beans were used as décor and plaques on the wall discussed the sourcing of their coffee beans. LaB Roasters was a nice find. Having been born and raised in Koreatown, before it was known as Koreatown, it was nice to see a legitimate coffeehouse open in my old neighborhood.  It is small, but large enough for a number of tables, including communal tables with people working on laptops.

Tinseltown

Coffee + Food

5630 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

From the few tables out front you can see the world sitting atop Paramount Studios and iconic Astro Burgers. Quite a few people who work at or want to work at the studios come by here. One woman getting out of her old beat up car had headshots in hand. Drinking my mocha, I had a really good lunch while people watching.

Zweeting Roasted Vegan Dinosaur - LA Coffee Shops In May

Four coffee houses to try this month: one with outstanding mochas, another with amazing pies, another created for writers, and one with horchata lattes.


 Best Mocha

Stamp Fine Foods

4500 Los Feliz Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90027
One of the best mochas I ever had. Very creamy. This coffee shop in the Los Feliz area also has a pretty large breakfast and lunch  menu. The décor has lots of wood giving the place an old timey feel. I couldn't resist ordering a meal here seeing the customer's plates around me. I had the vegan banana buckwheat pancakes. Good stuff.

Best Pies

Dinosaur Coffee

4334 Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90029
Yes, there is a dinosaur in the bathroom. Hearing about this is one of the reasons why this coffeehouse piqued my interest. Another was the excellent reviews on the coffee. The reviews were correct, the coffee is good. They also have a pie or two brought in daily by Nicole Rucker. I had a delicious slice of blueberry pie. Also across the street is the LA County Store - all things made locally. It is where I purchased my coffee cash wallet.

Writer's Paradise

Zweet Café

4682 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
While I enjoyed my mocha here, I really liked the vibe. When I walked in, there was a writers group meeting at one table, a black board field with "inspirational" coffee quotes, and many interesting items to gaze at as you think about the next line in your novel. An added bonus was that after 3:00, a number of pastries are priced at a dollar for that little extra sugar push to get you over the edge.

All Types Here
Jameson Brown Coffee Roasters
260 Allen Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91107
This coffee shop has a special drink menu. On the day in May I went in, they had a creamy iced horchata latte which had lots of yummy cinnamon in it. Jameson's had a good flow of people coming and going from students to professionals to firefighters. I liked their cool mood music and the fact that they had a rewards program with specials on your birthday. It is also away from the hustle and bustle of Old Town and PCC.