Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, 3922 W. Sunset Blvd., © Phillip Kim
Hollywood
Westside
Beach Cities
San Fernando Valley
If you’re exploring Los Angeles, coffee shops are the perfect place to relax and take in the vibe of our many great regions and neighborhoods. But as any traveler worth their laptop knows, the only thing better than a coffee shop is one with free Wi-Fi Internet access. For visitors wondering where to begin, we’ve pulled together this list of LA’s best coffee shops with free Wi-Fi, sorted by region.
Arda’s Café (418 W. 6th St., www.ardascafe.com) serves more than just espresso drinks and drip coffee. You’ll also get gourmet sandwiches and an extensive menu of breakfast items at reasonable prices.
Located near the USC campus, Café Corsa (2238 S. Figueroa St., www.cafecorsala.com) specializes in direct-trade coffee, European pastries and espresso drinks. It’s got a genuine neighborhood feel that’s hard to beat.
It’s not strictly a coffee shop (they serve all three meals), but Chop Suey Café & Lounge (347 E. 1st St., www.chopsueycafeandlounge.com) is a great place to relax with your laptop and enjoy an eclectic menu filled with Asian specialties. There’s also a great patio.
Fresh sandwiches, the finest coffee and a kids menu make Cycleway Coffee (5526 Monterey Rd., www.cyclewaycoffee.net) the place to go when you’ve got a group of people and need a place to meet. A hip yet cozy interior welcomes coffee lovers and provides a great place to relax with a book or computer. Though it's not quite in Downtown, we'll consider Hermon (Highland Park) to be part of the region.
Tucked away in a Downtown alley, Lost Souls Café (124 W. 4th St., www.lostsouls.com) is slightly more edgy than some of the other shops on the list, but its dedication to great coffee is no less sincere. In the evenings, it doubles as a live music venue.
Funny name aside, Bourgeois Pig (5931 Franklin Ave.) is nothing if not serious about its coffee. The interior? That’s another story. You have to see the playful décor for yourself to believe the creativity involved — a forest room with live elm trees and the strangely attractive campfire room.
Excellent crepes don’t make a great coffee shop, but they sure help. Solar de Cahuenga (1847 N. Cahuenga Blvd., www.sdchollywood.com) also has good coffee drinks and plenty of places to relax and take advantage of the free Internet. There’s an attractive outdoor patio and World Market-style furniture.
You won’t find any old couches or dusty recliners at Loft Café (3882 W. 6th St.). Instead, you’ll get service at your table, an extensive menu and a sleek setting that makes the place feel like it’s a coffee shop for the rich and fabulous.
One of the first roasters in Southern California to be certified organic, Groundwork Coffee (1501 N. Cahuenga Blvd., lacoffee.com) is dedicated to earth-friendly products that also taste great. With locations in Venice, Santa Monica and Downtown, it’s a bit of an LA institution — minus the monotony of your typical coffee shop chain.
Other Hollywood Coffee Shops include LA Mill Coffee Boutique (1636 Silver Lake Blvd., www.lamillcoffee.com), Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea (3922 W. Sunset Blvd., www.intelligentsiacoffee.com), Swork Coffee (2160 Colorado Blvd., www.swork.com) and Tribal Café (1651 W. Temple St., www.tribalcafe.com).
You really do have to enter through a back door to experience Yuko Kitchen (5484 Wilshire Blvd.), located in an alley across from Kinko’s. They’ve got coffee and smoothies as well as full-on entrees with Asian, Cajun and Italian flavors.
Every coffee shop is a good place for people watching, but for some reason Buzz Coffee (7623 Beverly Blvd.) seems to reflect LA’s diverse and eclectic local population. This makes it the perfect place to camp out for a while and soak in the scene with a strong cup of coffee and some breakfast snacks.
There are several locations of Coral Tree Café (11645 San Vicente Blvd., www.coraltreecafe.net) in Los Angeles, but we’re partial to the one in Brentwood. It’s got all three meals covered with its extensive menu, and you can feel good about the certified organic coffee.
C&D’s Welcome Café (1808 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., www.myspace.com/welcomecafe) is one of the most approachable coffee shops on our list. After all, how can you feel anything but comfortable at a place with the word “welcome” in its name? The place hosts open mic nights, so stop by for some free entertainment to go with your free Wi-Fi.
What goes with coffee better than bread products? Not much, if you ask us. So head to Manhattan Bread & Bagel (1812 N. Sepulveda Blvd., www.manhattanbread.com) for some “Marvelous Muffins,” “Sinful Scones” and other fantastic baked goods. You can also grab a boxed lunch to go, but we think you’ll want to stay for a while and enjoy a sandwich at one of the many comfy tables.
This is probably the only coffee shop on our list that tries to position itself as serving coffee with health benefits. Healthy Bean (23211 Hawthorne Blvd., www.thehealthybean.com) infuses its coffee with antioxidants to replace the nutrients lost during the roasting process. So order another cup and relax knowing that you’re doing right by your body.
Other Beach Cities coffee shops with Wi-Fi include Havana Sandwich Company (229 Main St., www.havanasandwich.com), Cacao Coffee House (11609 Santa Monica Blvd., www.cacaocoffeehouse.com) and Coffee Attic (3901 Inglewood Ave., Ste. 102).
With a stage for live performances, hookahs and plenty of comfy couches, Café Amsterdam (10905 Magnolia Blvd., www.amsterdamcafe.us) is a great place to kick back and enjoy a lengthy and mellow caffeine buzz. Located in NoHo (North Hollywood) Arts District, it also has an outdoor patio known as the Red Light District.
This is what coffee shops can be when they’re done right. Ciao Coffee & Tea (4566 Van Nuys Blvd.) serves no-nonsense drinks in a setting that’s as comfortable, clean and welcoming as anything in LA. The free Wi-Fi is just another reason to spend your morning getting lost in a cup of coffee.
The emphasis is definitely on the eco-friendly aspects of serving and enjoying coffee at M Street Coffee (13251 Moorpark St., www.mstreetcoffee.com). Check out the artwork by local artists, enjoy a smoothie or just savor some freshly roasted organic coffee.
We love coffee shops that feel like home, and Tanner’s Coffee Co. (4342 Sepulveda Blvd.) definitely fits the bill — assuming your home is decorated with treasures from second-hand surf shops and vintage stores. Enjoy LA’s great weather on the outdoor patio or grab one of the used books on hand if you don’t feel like surfing the web.
Other Valley coffee shops with Wi-Fi include Gayle’s Perks (9028 Balboa Blvd., www.gaylesperks.com), Pagliacci’s Café (3990 Vantage Ave.) and Urartu Coffee (119 N. Maryland Ave., www.urartucoffee.com).
Want to share your favorite local coffee shop with free Wi-Fi? Visit our Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/losangelesfan
Other Wi-Fi Hotspots in LA:
- Pershing Square in Downtown LA
- Downtown Culver City
- Van Nuys Civic Center
- Hermosa Beach
- Los Angeles Public Library branches
