Category: Foodie Friday

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Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: The Valley

Romancing the Bean in Burbank

I like to write at home in the mornings, but find I get more done in the afternoons if I’m close to espresso machines. This is true despite the fact that after noon, I drink only decaf. Basically, it’s the smell of caffeine that keeps me productive —

Picky writers can’t just go to any coffee shop though. We need good working spaces with comfy chairs and tables. We need decent wifi and electric outlets for our laptops. We (or at least I) need good reading light. And we like to be able to hang for a few hours without feeling like we’re overstaying our welcome.

Which is to say — I’m really putting together this best coffee shops list for me. I often find myself stuck in a part of town I don’t know very well — usually before or after some event — because I don’t want to drive home until after rush hour ends. Now (or more accurately, soon, when I finish this 5-part guide covering most L.A. neighborhoods), whatever area of Los Angeles I happen to be in, I know where I can stop to read or get some writing done while I wait for traffic to clear.

More:
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Central LA
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Westside
* Best coffee shops for writers in Los Angeles: Northeast LA

Burbank: Romancing the Bean

Romancing the Bean in Burbank

This coffee shop has a lovely, light-filled interior with lots of tables for two as well as a bigger communal table that invites friendly conversations with fellow coffee drinkers. The coffee’s organic, the staff very friendly, the slices of cake gigantic.

Romancing the Bean in Burbank Cold Nicoise Salad

Do arrive with your laptop fully charged, because while the wifi is strong the outlets are not plentiful. In addition to coffee, tea, and pastries, Romancing the Bean offers a local, organic sandwiches-and-salads menu. I recommend the cold nicoise salad!

North Hollywood: TeaPop

TeaPop in North Hollywood

Tea lovers will especially like this place, which offers a whole bunch of different loose leaf teas as well as tea lattes and milk teas (as far as I can tell, the milk teas are basically tea lattes on ice). If you’re as picky about your lattes as I am though, you might want to ask some questions before you order. I asked for the Soy Matcha — a matcha-soy milk-honey combo — sans the honey, only to discover that their matcha itself was super-sweetened.

The staff here is also sweet though — and made me a Buck Roo instead. Enjoy the little piece of fake lawn on each of the wooden communal tables, the sunlight streaming in from the windows, and the spacious outside courtyard. Don’t miss the mural on the north wall, with its many crazy tea pots! Thanks to Rachael Warecki for introducing me to this place.

Sherman Oaks: M Street Coffee

M Street Cafe in Sherman Oaks

This coffee shop is one of those places that gives you a unique wifi code when you make a purchase; the code’s good for two hours. Despite that time limit, M Street is a nice writing spot that packs a lot of people into its smallish space! Last time I stopped by, all the tables were taken — but I found a friendly latte drinker willing to share hers. We balanced our laptops and lattes precariously on the tiny table — and luckily nothing spilled —

A couple things to keep in mind: M Street closes rather early — at 6 pm on weekdays. And about the picture above: I found out the hard way that they can’t do latte art for tea lattes! If you want a heart on your drink, get a real latte — They’re yummier too. Thanks to Zach Behrens for introducing me to this place.

Earlier:
* 7 Best public libraries in Los Angeles for writers
* 3 Los Angeles writing meetups where you can write in company

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Best place for oysters after shopping at Alias Books: Plan Check

Oysters on the half shell at Plan Check Los Angeles Sawtelle

Savvy shoppers for pre-loved books know that Alias Books on Sawtelle is a great spot to browse for unexpected finds. Post-spree, I recommend walking a block south to Plan Check. There, you can take a load off and enjoy oysters al fresco.

Oysters on the half shell at Plan Check Los Angeles Sawtelle

I like to get three oysters on the half shell — with yuzukosho cocktail sauce. They go nicely with Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels! Totally unrelated, I discovered via Google this Ferrante Night Fever with Free Oysters event that happened in Richmond, Virginia. Should someone in L.A. want to organize a similar fun event and invite me, Plan Check would be a good place to plan it!

With four locations around L.A., Plan Check’s probably best known for its PCB (Plan Check Burger) topped with something they call “ketchup leather.” The burger isn’t bad, but after oysters I usually go for more seafood. Try the spicy tuna salad — yellow frisee, black radish, and avocado topped with nori and sriracha vinaigrette (I asked for the item without the usual puffed rice).

spicy tuna salad at Plan Check Los Angeles Sawtelle

The Sawtelle location can get crowded at dinner and weekends. But on weekday afternoons, it’s lazy enough that you can hang out a while browsing your bookstore finds.

Plan Check. 4 locations. Sawtelle: 1800 Sawtelle Blvd. Fairfax District: 351 N. Fairfax Ave. Downtown: 1111 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica: 1401 Ocean Ave.

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Best spot for raw writing: Poke Shack

The Poke Shack Melrose

I love poke bowls and acai bowls — and I’ve found a restaurant that offers both!

The Poke Shack Melrose

The Hawaiian-themed Poke Shack makes both sweet and savory bowls — as well as a spacious outdoor courtyard with wifi at the Melrose location. Writers can get an acai bowl for a late breakfast, write a few hours, then order up a poke bowl for lunch and dinner — making for a healthy and productive day —

The Poke Shack Melrose

At first I wondered what acai bowls and poke bowls had in common — then realized from this neon sign that they’re both raw! Well, the poke bowls are raw if you make them raw, with either a seaweed salad or kale base. If you’d rather go cooked, you can choose a brown or white rice base.

The Poke Shack Melrose

I went with brown rice, topped with half salmon-half tuna, plus some seaweed salad, colorful veggies, and a spicy sesame seed topping. It was tough making my choices from all the toppings — There’s everything from kimchi to charred pineapples!

Poke Shack also offers smoothies, salads and Hawaiian drinks. And at the Melrose location, there’s a wall painted with fishy “wings” — where you can take angelic author photos.

The Poke Shack Melrose

The Poke Shack. Three locations: 7257 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. 1425 Ocean Front Walk, Venice. 79 Windward Ave., Venice.

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Best coffee shop in Los Angeles for writers who love butter

bulletproof coffee steak and eggs

Bulletproof coffee santa monica

You love writing in coffee shops. But you don’t love the constant temptation of pastries and sugary frappes at said coffee shops. If you’re on a paleo, ketogenic, whole food diet — or are just trying to eat less sugar and processed foods in general — take your novel-in-progress to Bulletproof Coffee, where the brew is buttery and the food sugar-free.

The bulletproof diet has a growing fandom (as well as detractors), who swear on its high fat, lower carb way of eating — with an emphasis on healthy ingredients and upgraded supplements — for everything from weight loss to mental clarity to serious productivity. At the heart of this diet is bulletproof coffee — clean coffee blended with grass-fed butter and MCT oil — which many diet adherents drink in lieu of eating breakfast.

bulletproof coffee

I’m one of these bulletproof coffee drinkers on some days. Buttery coffee is yummy, and the stuff really does give you a focus that lasts for hours! If you’ve never tried MCT oil before though, I’d recommend getting a small and maybe not drinking the whole cup. Otherwise you might get super jittery!

The Venice coffee shop also have a full menu of high quality foods. We’re talking grass-fed meats and fats, pasture-raised organic eggs, and organic, local veggies. Here’s the delicious steak and eggs breakfast I enjoyed this morning:

bulletproof coffee steak and eggs

Then I sat down at the communal table and started writing with fellow bulletproofers. There’s indoor and outdoor seating and speedy wifi. One wall of the coffee shop features shelves full of upgraded whey protein and collagelatin and other bulletproof diet products — as well as The Bulletproof Diet book and cookbook for newbies to browse through and buy.

There’s a cafe in the Arts District of Los Angeles too. I think this one just serves drinks, though I haven’t been to that location yet. Stop by and see if bulletproof coffee helps you focus on your writing —

Bulletproof Coffee. Santa Monica: 3110 Main St. #116. LA Arts District: 300 S Santa Fe Ave.

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Best juice shop for writers in Los Angeles

Once, writers haunted coffee shops. Now, they seek out raw, cold pressed green juice — or at least they do in L.A. Or at least I do!

Juice Served Here flight

And my favorite spot is Juice Served Here — specifically, the Venice location. A breezy, open spot with lots of natural light, free wifi, your choice of seating, and lots and lots of organic raw juices.

Juice Served Here juice

The best deal’s the juice flight. For $8, you can get 10 shots of different juices — from the Field of Greens (grassy!) to Super Choc (chocolatey!). Some of my favorites are Tropic Thunder (Pineapple, Orange, Passion fruit plus greens) and The Roots (it sounds like a roasted veggies medley but tastes surprisingly decadent). Sometimes it’s tough to make a choice from all the options —

Siel Ju at Juice Served Here

And yes, there’s cold brew coffee too — that can be latte’d up with Cream Party (the most delicious raw coconut milk ever) or a nut milk of your choice. If you’re hungry, go for a raw bar (below) or other healthy-ish sweet treat — or get one of the prepackaged vegan meals, delivered here from Cafe Gratitude.

Raw Bar at Juice Served Here

The downtown LA location’s great too, if significantly more crowded. You’ll see as many Macbooks open there as at an Apple store! This spot shares the space with Verve Coffee Roasters, so you have the option here to get hot espresso drinks — as well as the usual gluten-y coffee shop pastry fare — before walking up two blocks to shop at The Last Bookstore.

Juice Served Here juice flight

I’ve been to the Santa Monica and West Hollywood locations too, but they’re not quite as spacious and pleasant to linger in. Some of the locations — like the one in Westfield Century Mall — are just quick-stop to-go shops. But if you find yourself in Venice or downtown LA with your laptop or book, you know where to go.

Charcoal Lemonade at Juice Served Here

I realize the distinction between a juice and coffee shop has become thin these days. There’s nary a coffee shop in town that doesn’t offer bottled cold pressed juice. Even Starbucks offers Evolution green juice in all their stores! Still, Juice Served Here makes for a great spot to read and write all day — all while staying on your juice cleanse.

Juice Served Here. Venice: 609 S. Lincoln Blvd. Downtown LA: 833 S Spring St., Los Angeles. Other locations all over LA.