A guide to L.A.’s Black-owned coffee shops, by neighborhood

This takeaway-oriented neighborhood spot off San Vicente does, in fact, make some damn good coffee. Run by Joshua Mock (of the now-closed Little Amsterdam Coffee), Dam Good Coffee offers a brief, but satisfying menu of espresso-based drinks, hot and iced tea, lemonade and even a few affordably priced toasts and pastries. Add-ons like chaga, a superb dirty chai latte and friendly, efficient staff make this Mid-City café a must-go for locals in the area—and anyone else passing through.

Anyone who drives through the intersection of Pico and Redondo can’t miss this bright yellow coffee shop, which started out as owner Vanessa Punche’s side hustle and her own decision to boycott Starbucks after its 2018 racist incident. Today, Punche’s small brick-and-mortar (and mobile coffee catering business) serves fair trade Cameroonian coffee along with iced teas, smoothies and pastries to neighborhood locals and commuters alike

This small, retro-themed Black and Filipino-owned Thai Town café offers standard coffee and drinks, plus a few, much sweeter L.A. originals, like a creamy, ube purple-tinged latte. Owned by couple Heather Knox and Joshua Oliveros, it’s named after his parents, who designed the shop’s current logo decades ago, and features wood tables with cushioned seats, a tiny assortment of retail goods and the kind of eye-catching interior design that brings all the Instagrammers (and locals, too). From time to time, Obet & Del’s also hosts small food pop-ups—check their Instagram for updates.

Lined with houseplants and black-and-white photos from the ‘60s, this Downtown L.A. coffee shop is a true hidden gem. Run by owner Farah A. Hagar, author of Blackie Bohemian: Book of Questions, this eclectic spot offers artisan chai, espresso drinks and fully vegan smoothies and light bites with a side of genuinely good vibes. The simple seating, collection of Ethiopian and Eritrean jebenas and more unique options (a camel milk cortado and caffeine-free date seed latte among them) all contribute to the cozy, free-spirited feel of Bohemian House—which has kept locals coming back since 2019.

With locations in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Playa Vista, Café Ruisseau prides itself on providing an individual, bespoke coffee experience in the face of “fast, impersonal, mass produced mediocrity.” Founded in 2005, the coffee shop offers non-dairy milk options at no additional cost and a slate of unique specialty drinks, including a butterfly pea blue latte and Ruisseau’s take on the chagachino, also known as a mushroom latte. The Playa Vista coffee stand features plenty of open-air and outdoor seating, while the larger Santa Monica outpost sports a more modern look with plenty of indoor tables.

Equal parts coffee, flower and gift shop, this laidback Venice café offers Westside locals gorgeous floral arrangements with a side of coffee. The shop carries unique home goods, personal accessories and (of course) a few crystals, with a colorful exterior floral display that brightens up its busy traffic-prone stretch of Lincoln Boulevard every day of the week. Of course, Flowerboy Project’s simple drink menu incorporates florals, with excellent lavender and rose lattes that would change any skeptic’s opinion about consuming flowers.

Named after a competitive French cycling term, this small bike-friendly coffee shop with two locations in Downtown Culver City and the Culver City Arts District offers excellent breakfast burritos, market priced single-origin matcha and a deep commitment to the surrounding community. Super Domestic's larger Washington Boulevard sister spot, Mañana Coffee, also sells a bevy of plants and other assorted artisan goods. Both coffee shops roast their own beans and make all alternative milks and syrups in-house, for quality you can taste in every sip.

Hilltop’s Eagle Rock location offers high-quality coffee and tea—including a delicious lavender latte—and a simple all-day menu of pastries, grain bowls, sandwiches and “droptops” (fully loaded toasts). Powdery beignets and weekend-only waffles round out the café’s food items, with many items on the menu substantial enough for a full-on meal. Located on the ground floor of an apartment building, Hilltop Eagle Rock’s minimalist interior and small outdoor patio area make it an excellent spot for Northeast L.A. denizens hoping for a quick cup of joe.

Run by husband-and-wife pair Laurent “Lou” and Karima Correa, this weekend-only Burbank coffee shop, patisserie and sandwich spot has been serving the Valley since 2016. All pastries, from seasonals to Lou’s wonderfully flaky daily croissant, are made using organic milk, eggs and produce, as well as French butter. The shop’s traditional espresso-based drinks also use organic milk as well, with an artisan tea selection larger than most neighborhood coffee shops. Note that the tiny storefront doesn’t have much in the way of seating, aside from a few patio tables outside—making it a better choice for takeaway drinks and snacks.

Located in Woodland Hills, Tang and Java is a Black- and Filipina-run gelato and coffee shop founded by a pair of friends in 2021. Inside the tiny strip mall spot you’ll find a sleek, modern interior with plenty of tables and counter seating. Tang and Java’s specialty gelato flavors feature uniquely L.A. creations like the Ole Ole, a mango sorbet topped with chamoy, tamarind candy and Tajin, while the drinks menu goes beyond standard coffee and tea with fruity iced drinks and several choices of non-sugar sweeteners. The woman-owned shop uses beans from L.A.-based Cafecita Coffee, which works exclusively with organic, women-run coffee farms.

This Long Beach coffee roaster and café is proudly queer Black- and Latina-owned—the product of two women who left corporate jobs to provide fresh, high-quality coffee to every kitchen and increase the visibility of women of color in the specialty coffee industry. While the fully plant-based coffee shop is only open on Sundays for now, Scary Good Coffee also sells bags of single-origin specialty coffee and house blends every day of the week online.