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Useless LA Coffee Poll: Who’s Got The Best?

By Ryan - Tuesday September 25th 2007

Cafe Tropical, Sunset

TIME TO VOTE

(a) Cafe Tropical (Either) (Silverlake pictured)
(b) King’s Road (Beverly)
(c) Groundworks (Any)
(d) Peet’s For Life, Brah (Any)
(e) Lost Souls (Downtown)
(f) Insomnia (Beverly)
(g) Urth (Any)
(h) Stella (Silverlake)
(i) Buzz (Beverly)
(j) Koffea (Ktown)
(k) Newsroom (Either)
(l) Nandarang (Ktown)
(m) Mr Coffee (Ktown)
(n) The Cow’s End (Venice Pier)
(o) The Griddle (Sunset/Fairfax)
(p) Stir Crazy (Melrose)
(q) One O’Them South Pasadena Joints (South Pasadena)
(r) Fucking Denny’s, Man
(s) Fucking Starbucks, Stop Hating
(t) Psychobabble (Los Feliz)
(u) Sabor Y Cultura (Armeniawood)
(v) Casa de Sousa (Olvera) (Downtown)
(w) The Coffee Table (Either)
(x) Cofftea (SG Valley)
(y) Casbah (Silverlake)
(z) The Pantry Goddammit (Downtown)
(aa) Whats-its-name, Studio City (Studio City)
(bb) MaGee’s Donuts, Duh! (Tranny Central)
(cc) Bob’s Donuts (farmer’s market, 3rd/fairfax)
(dd) My buddy Bjorn’s kitchen (redacted)
(ee) Silverlake Coffee Co (Where the fuck might you suppose)
(ff) Casa Blue (Highland Park)
(gg) Chango (Echo Park)
(hh) Intelligentsia (Silverlake)
(ii) That one joint on Fountain (Fountain)
(jj) The Scientology Celebrity Centre (Celeb Centre/BeHo)
(kk) UnUrban (Stallone’s Fave) (Santa Monica)
(ll) Portfolio (Long Beach)
(mm) Write-in:
(nn) Write-in #2:
(oo) Write-in #3:

This list is by no means exhaustive. Vote for no more than five. Criteria to consider: available coffees, crowd, waitstaff, clientele, comfort, wifi, couches, ambience, entertainment, readability, parking, # dogs, # writers, # bums, restrooms (free/25cents/fuckoff none here). Criteria will add weight to to your tally if provided. No login required to comment. No real name required to comment. Generally speaking you will not be humiliated or ostracized for whatever the fuck you decide to comment. Get out the vote.




What now?

55 Responses to “Useless LA Coffee Poll: Who’s Got The Best?”

  1. pam : 9/25/07 at 11:18 pm

    after drinking like 8 cups a day for the past few years, i had to stop drinking coffee so the voices would go away. but back in the day, i would have voted for:

    1) king’s road
    2) peets
    3) starbucks french roast

  2. Chris : 9/25/07 at 11:33 pm

    1) Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (any) — best iced coffee
    2) Panera (Santa Clarita, Studio City, Santa Monica, and soon Northridge) — decent brewed coffee, but the baristas are nothing special. Great food, free wireless, and very comfy.
    3) Muddhouse Coffee (two in the Valley…Reseda and Canoga Park, I think) — coffee’s okay, seating’s marginal, free wireless…last time I checked, these losers were closed on Sunday…must be run by Xtians or something.

    And, of course, 4) Starbucks, if necessary. I like the $.50 refills on venti iced coffee…and occasionally a nice barista will hook it up for free. But I have to put soy milk in it ’cause otherwise the stuff tastes funky.

    We sometimes make Peet’s at work for special occasions, and I’ve enjoyed it, but I’ve never been into one of their stores. I’ll get ’round to it. I’ve only been in LA for a little over a year now. Good topic, though.

  3. Andreas Roedl : 9/26/07 at 2:52 am

    1) Sabor Y Cultura
    2) Cafe Tropical (but I don’t like the sandwiches)
    3) Yonni’s at Wilcox

  4. Jenn : 9/26/07 at 8:03 am

    Swork (Eagle Rock)

  5. Scott : 9/26/07 at 8:22 am

    Cora’s Coffeeshop – Santa Monica
    Malibu Kitchen – Malibu (they use Peets, but I swear it’s 1000x stronger)

  6. droot : 9/26/07 at 9:55 am

    Anywhere but Stir Crazy! The coffee is meh, the folks behind the counter are pure asswipes! Get over yourself, you sling coffee! I spent many a year supporting myself by “barista-ing”, either wearing a green apron or working at local, independant bean brewer, and I always managed to be pleasant to my customers. Crazy, I know.
    That said, I heart Cafe Tropical, and Peets. There’s a newer place on SM in Weho called Cafe Europe (Europa?) and it rocks, too.

  7. Frank the Tank : 9/26/07 at 10:48 am

    Urth!!!!
    I like a stronger cup of coffee.

    and on a brief side note (this site is full of minutia) TiGeorge’s also brews a killer cup of coffee. Legend has it that he was raised by a wild coffee bean back in Haiti.

    I am going to try Cafe Tropical tonight… More on that later.

  8. wenona : 9/26/07 at 11:00 am

    The Conservatory should be up at the top. They roast their own coffee on site. Great service too. (Culver City) And if Balcony Cafe is still open, they should also be amoung the best. They love coffee and it shows.(Santa Monica/Brentwood)

  9. benchristen : 9/26/07 at 11:55 am

    Intelligentsia for best overall coffee, espresso and beans – especially the almighty cortado (aka gibraltor) – my favorite coffee drink EVAR

    Groundwork Coffee for best beans (my personal fav – the Black Gold) and very good for everything else

    Urth Cafe for best strong-ass coffee that is delicious – the caffe quadra

    Coffee Bean for best iced-blended (otherwise, they have jumped the shark (when they started appearing in Ralph’s))

  10. Low Impact Development : 9/26/07 at 12:55 pm

    Sabor Y Cultura. Followed closely by Denny’s ;) .

  11. Santa Monican : 9/26/07 at 1:00 pm

    No contest. Caffe Luxxe (http://www.caffeluxxe.com/) wins by a mile.

  12. charlie : 9/26/07 at 2:16 pm

    i’m totally blah about the food and the hype over the griddle but the french press coffee there is fucking good. really fucking good.

  13. A : 9/26/07 at 2:42 pm

    living in HP i havent been to Casa Blue–so I have to agree with Jenn on Swork in Eagle Rock

  14. Will Campbell : 9/26/07 at 3:13 pm

    My first date with the woman who became my wife was at Cafe Tropical so, while not the best, they are near and dear to my heart.

    Here’s my fave three from the list:

    1) The Pantry Godammit
    2) Intelligentsia
    3) The Coffee Table (silver lake)

  15. Jon : 9/26/07 at 3:34 pm

    1. Intelligentsia
    2. Caffe Luxxe (terrible lack of seating, though)
    3. Aroma Cafe (Studio City)
    4. Sabor y Cultura

  16. blackmistressdiva : 9/26/07 at 3:37 pm

    I’m an Eastside girl so I gotta go with:
    Intelligentsia
    Stella
    Silverlake Coffee Co

    If I HAVE to venture to the Westside, the UnUrban Cafe is my pick.

  17. KRogg : 9/26/07 at 3:44 pm

    Intelligentsia by a mile. No contest.

    Friendliest staff EVAR and they actually know what they’re doing. All of their beans are super fresh. They buy coffee in small lots direct from growers at better than “fair trade” prices. They understand what a real cappuccino is.

  18. yo : 9/26/07 at 4:12 pm

    My vote is for
    (c) Groundworks; and
    (oo) Kaldi Coffee in Atwater as a close second.

    the dog to bum ratio (many to none) is ideal at kaldi and parking is a dream. plus, theres a fancy coffin store next door that can’t be beat. the only reason kaldi comes in second is because its a cash only joint.

    also, (nn) swork is terrible. the coffee is mediocre, but what’s terrible is the fact that its always too loud in there and that they have these weird headache inducing metallic tables and a kids playplace.

  19. superdeens : 9/26/07 at 7:14 pm

    EZ New Web Laundromat and cafe in downtown Culver (Washington and McManus) is the best. Tons of free parking, never crowded, internet, AND A LAUNDROMAT NEXT DOOR.

  20. Jenn : 9/26/07 at 7:46 pm

    Well shit, I didn’t know we were supposed to vote for places we DON’T like. I happen to like Swork’s playplace, I’m all for family-friendliness. The coffee I’ve had there is no different from the Groundworks in Little Tokyo, which is sometimes inconsistent, but I didn’t want to bring that up…. Also as wi-fi is sometimes unreliable living up in the mountains I find their free wi-fi somewhat of a lifesaver esp if there are ticket sales going on — it’s the only place in the area with free wi-fi.

  21. cate : 9/26/07 at 8:37 pm

    i loved yesterday’s in redondo beach. i hate what it has become. i’ve been chasing that for the last seven or so years…

    now, i’ll just take anywhere that has a quiet place for me to sit and watch people. sometimes, it’s 7-eleven.

  22. m : 9/26/07 at 9:29 pm

    hh
    intelligentsia

  23. irish : 9/26/07 at 10:09 pm

    my kitchen. i got an awesome expresso machine. just have to wake up and stumble to the kitchen. what more can you ask for. its almost free – the price of the beans.

  24. Westsiderider : 9/27/07 at 9:46 am

    Without a doubt, I’d have to go with Urth for their strong, but not too acidic coffee. Coming in at a close second, I’d have to go with Nandarang in Ktown, but only b/c it was a huge underage drinking establishment when I was in highschool.

  25. Sarah : 9/27/07 at 12:08 pm

    1. Cafe Tropical – those Napoleons are pretty fucking awesome. And the pumpkin pie. And the egg n cheese croissantwich. Mmmmmmm. Always cute dogs around, and I saw Parker Posey there one time!

    2. Coffee Factory at Figueroa and 30th by USC… the best blended coffee drinks in the area PLUS they have punch cards (your 7th coffee is free!) PLUS pretty cheap PLUS wireless PLUS they’re next to Chano’s, the best greasy Mexican joint in the area. Five stars. They only lose to Tropical because their pastries are more wizened than the puppets in The Dark Crystal.

    3. Coffee Table… either one I guess… Silverlake has a better atmosphere but Eagle Rock has cupcakes so it’s a draw.

    4. Psychobabble because their tea selection is “off the chain”

    5. 7-11… their coffee is all upscale now, and have you tried those Sprinklicious donuts? They are not only sugar-filled but sugar-coated, then sugar-iced, then covered in sprinkles. Mmmm, diabetes. And did you know that for a brief, shining moment they had Full Throttle slurpees?

  26. Josh : 9/27/07 at 12:50 pm

    I vote for the Coffee Bean in Santa Monica (downtown) on Lincoln… totally dirty, gross and the clientele there are really rude as a rule. the staff is nice, but… no.

  27. Josh : 9/27/07 at 12:52 pm

    wait, this was a vote for the most useless coffee shop or the best? my vote, above, is for the most useless.

  28. david : 9/27/07 at 2:04 pm

    The Apple Pan has the best coffee in the world.

  29. Ryan : 9/27/07 at 2:08 pm

    Methinks I should have added Phillippe’s famous NINE CENT CUP OF COFFEE to that list

  30. Carlos Salazar : 9/27/07 at 2:33 pm

    The Apple Pan, they have real cream there. They don’t believe in half-n-half…

  31. James : 9/27/07 at 4:38 pm

    Not in LA, but while we are on the topic of great coffee… when in San Diego and in PB/La Jolla… Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is as good as it gets in my opinion.
    http://www.birdrockcoffeeroasters.com/

  32. monica : 9/27/07 at 6:43 pm

    that south pasadena vote better be for Kaldi, holla.

  33. Greg Samsa : 9/27/07 at 10:45 pm

    Cafe Tropical? Really? Sometimes I feel like Iced Tea instead of coffee but they don’t even make it. Only gross stuff in bottles. I personally think Intelligesta is way overhyped. I’ve tried their drip coffee twice and both times it was lukewarm and watery. No thanks. I vote for Urth.

  34. Browne : 9/29/07 at 8:11 am

    1. Figaro (yeah I know the Onyx used to be there, locals get over it.) Figaro has Cafe Mochas to die for. Perfect foam, nice cups thick cubs, friendly waitstaff, not break into a sweat distance walk from my house.

    2. Coffee Table. It’s one of the last old school “eastside” places, so out of loyalty Coffee Table. The one in Silver Lake. Also great place if you want to be by yourself and work and read.

    3. Chain vote goes to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, particularly the one on Hillhurst. Who would have thought that would have happened to the old Hughes, now Albertsons, now the quickly being redesigned Albertsons parking lot. It’s completely stupid that people hang out there all day long, especially kids, but I’ve been going there since they opened. They know my name. They hook me up, so while it’s a chain I have give that my number three vote.

  35. Lauren : 9/30/07 at 2:21 pm

    Yes, yes, yes, Coffee Factory by USC is marvelous. Mmmm toffee chunks. Also, The Conservatory in Culver City has signage which reads: Kansas? The Conservatory. Genius. Plus they draw hearts in my milk foam.

    Also, Tanner’s in Culver has good drinks and smooshy couches. And the Ragazzi Room by ‘SC has Connect Four.

  36. Lotusville : 10/1/07 at 6:04 pm

    Swork in Eagle Rock! Game Over.

  37. Matthew : 10/2/07 at 12:10 pm

    Intelligentsia for straight up coffee (drip)
    Swork in Eagle Rock for interior + Wifi
    Figaro for weekend morning coffee + pastries/brunch

  38. Casey : 10/2/07 at 3:03 pm

    Black Dog Coffee on the Miracle Mile. End of contest.

  39. riley : 10/3/07 at 4:41 pm

    what, no chango? no bourgeois pig?

  40. Ryan : 10/3/07 at 4:52 pm

    Chango is “gg” … vote dammit

  41. Browne : 10/3/07 at 7:40 pm

    While I appreciate the Bourgeois Pig the parking there is insane, yes you could valet park, but at times that is also insane.

    (Think it has to do with lots of people trying to save their thetans…)

    Bourgeois Pig gets an honorable mention. It’s perfectly ok if you get that friend that doesn’t know how to say no to drive, if you can get that person to drive it’s great.

    Browne

  42. esther : 10/5/07 at 6:17 pm

    i like a plain cup at the Toasted Bun

    If we’re going for a coffee coffee place, I’d say Intelligentsia since I am buds with some former roasters–I’ve been to the plant in Chicago… they seem pretty darn serious about their coffee.

    My favorite place for a latte? Amandine on Wilshire just west of Bundy. Amazing pastries (they are a bakery) to go with the good coffee.

  43. esther : 10/5/07 at 6:17 pm

    i like a plain cup at the Toasted Bun

    (hh)

    If we’re going for a coffee coffee place, I’d say Intelligentsia since I am buds with some former roasters–I’ve been to the plant in Chicago… they seem pretty darn serious about their coffee.

    (mm)
    My favorite place for a latte? Amandine on Wilshire just west of Bundy. Amazing pastries (they are a bakery) to go with the good coffee.

  44. Steenky Boy : 10/11/07 at 4:37 pm

    Super Fredneckdo’s on Venice at La Brea–very nice

  45. sherrie : 10/12/07 at 3:32 pm

    Auntie Em’s, Eagle Rock serves INTELLIGENTSIA coffee
    Intelligentsia, Silverlake
    Swork, Eagle Rock
    Coffee Table, Silverlake
    Phillipes!, Downtown LA

    Mmmmmmm all eastsidey goodness.

  46. jl : 10/17/07 at 2:27 pm

    Funnel Mill, Santa Monica. Easily.

  47. the water cooler : 10/20/07 at 3:52 pm

    My vote’s with Nandarang. Mmmm..

  48. sara : 10/22/07 at 10:36 am

    Intelligentsia, Silverlake. By leaps, bounds, and by the pound.

  49. Anonymous : 12/19/07 at 2:30 pm

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  50. Reader Picks ‘07: Your Favorite Cup of Coffee : 12/21/07 at 12:34 pm

    [...] during calendar year 2007? Vote below! Confused? We asked this verysame question not long ago; refer to this page for inspiration. Who had the best cup of coffee in [...]

  51. John Frank : 12/24/07 at 11:33 am

    Caffe Luxxe in Santa Monica: great baristas, great machines (Synessos), great coffee = great espresso and great milk drinks.

  52. Hollywood Coffee Price Hike Advisory : 4/10/08 at 9:29 am

    [...] King’s Road Cafe has raised the price of its signature house cup of coffee (arguably the best in the city) from $2 per cup to an astonishing $2.25 per cup. The raise in price is precisely the same amount [...]

  53. robert : 4/13/08 at 10:46 pm

    Peets coffee
    casbah cafe

  54. Tigeorges : 8/17/08 at 7:16 pm

    The mountanious northwest region of Haiti produces one of the world’s best coffees: shade-grown, using natural fertilizers, hand piked and slow roasted the old fashioned way…at tigeorges’chicken in echo park…Coffee tasting every saturday 9AM-12PM

  55. Jonathan Gold (Digger) : 8/18/08 at 10:25 pm

    La Mill on Silver lake Blvd down the street from Spaceland.
    Great for enemas too. Oh and the Starbuck next on Beverly next to Sugar Plum. Get a venti and dump it in your arse. Sugar and cream not recommended.

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