Nam Coffee Shop

This compact East Hollywood coffee shop serves a drink you can't find anywhere else in Los Angeles—Northern Vietnamese-style egg coffee. Made with whipped egg yolks and condensed milk, the creamy, custard-like top dates back to 1946, when a bartender invented the drink in Hanoi during a milk shortage caused by the First Indochina War. Owner Vince Nguyen adds sugar and dusts the drink with cocoa powder for extra drama. For those who prefer their coffee taken black or with a little milk, what'll surprise you the most about Nam Coffee's drinks is just how even-keeled they are—the caffeine levels of Nguyen's carefully blended roasts tend to uplift, rather than jolt you awake.