5 New Coffee Shops That Prove There’s Never Been a Better Time For a Caffeine Fix in LA

Over the last few months, a big new crop of caffeine-focused cafes have opened throughout Southern California. It certainly qualifies as a boom in coffee-loving Los Angeles, where locally owned cafes are often chosen over corporate chains, thanks to their creative menus that celebrate the beloved espresso bean.

Below is a quick round-up of cafes that have either recently opened, or are very close to pouring strong cups of coffee throughout Southern California.

Cypress Park gets Loquat Coffee

First up is Loquat Coffee. Loquat is the sister cafe to Highland Park’s popular Kumquat Coffee and debuted at 1201 Cypress Avenue in Cypress Park in August. Owners Scott Sohn and AJ Kim note that Loquat is a nod to South Korea’s coffee culture, though Loquat’s menu leans hard into specialty coffee that’s roasted in-house, with four choices for espresso including a Samboni Gesha blend that’s put through a 72-hour anaerobic, fermented, and oxygenated process. Hours are from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. (closed Mondays).

B.Forbrand

Expansion for Inglewood’s Sip & Sonder

Sip & Sonder’s original Inglewood location debuted in 2018, and the coffee shop now has a central spot at Macy’s at Westfield Fashion Square, located at 1400 Riverside Drive in Sherman Oaks. There, the staff brews items like rose cardamom latte and vanilla charcoal lattes, along with spritzers and tonics. Sip & Sonder Sherman Oaks operates daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays starting at 11 a.m.

Sip & Sonder

A brick-and-mortar debut for Be Bright Coffee

Starting this Saturday, Be Bright Coffee will operate from a permanent space at 7311 Melrose Avenue. Husband-and-wife team Frank and Michelle La launched Be Bright in 2020, and now sell their beans wholesale to popular cafes like Constellation Coffee, Morning Service Coffee, Little Pine, and Steelhead Coffee. The coffee shop will operate daily from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., serving favorites like the Vivid Cream Latte and Ultra Light Bean, while also maintaining a booth at Smorgasburg in Downtown LA every Sunday. (Note: The owners of Be Bright Coffee are related to Eater LA editor Matthew Kang, who has no business connection to the company and was not involved in the compilation, editing, or publication of this story.)

Stan Lee

South LA Cafe’s second location

South LA Cafe owners and South LA natives Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace opened in Exposition Park in 2019. The husband and wife team have announced a second location in the same space as the Kaiser Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Medical Offices (3782 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard), opening in late October. The Crenshaw/Baldwin Hills arm will have a massive outdoor seating area for those seeking medical service, but will undoubtedly attract locals from the adjacent residential neighborhood. Starting October 24, operating hours will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

South LA Cafe

Please Enjoy in Santa Monica

This coming Monday, coffee bar Please Enjoy makes an entrance into Santa Monica at 3008 Santa Monica Boulevard. This is the latest project by friends/partners Jared Meisler (Bar Lubitsch and The Brig) and film producer Marius Markevicius. Please Enjoy offers a bright, modern look with a large bar designed for long hangouts, along with a patio out on Santa Monica Boulevard near Stanford, while operating Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends.

Anne Fishbein