You’ve landed in LA either on holidays or to catch your break and move here. LA–the US in fact–is not known for its coffee so you’re in search of a good cup of coffee. Maybe you’ve lived in LA for five years and are still searching. Where to get the best coffee in LA? Just ask an Aussie. And Discover Los Angeles who put together a great round up of Aussie institutions. I shared it on my Facebook page but I thought it was time I did my little summary here for you.
The Great Aussie Invasion
The great Aussie invasion of LA is not a new thing, nor is it a phenomenon that’s going anywhere anytime soon. From Olivia Newton-John’s Koala Blue stores to G’day LA (now G’day USA) to the Hemsworth brothers (Mel Gibson before that) Australians have made their mark.
Doing the Rounds: where to get the best coffee in LA?
This Blog might seem cutting edge and up with the trends … well we are but we’re never first with the breaking news. It might have taken me a little while to support my fellow Aussies but thanks to a fellow Countryperson (shoutout to you Chris!) one weekend at a time we are carefully but surely doing the rounds of some great Aussie cafes and restaurants.
Bluestone Lane
Long live Bluestone Lane and thank you for opening up in Studio City (although truth be told I would have preferred you open up in walking distance to me).
A small joint (place) with great coffee, welcoming smiles and lots of happy, beautiful people hanging around.
The Avo toast is great (of course) and the banana (on) toast was not at all what I expected (ie not banana toast) but so so yummy. The coffee is good and the Aussie style iced coffee is my absolute fave.
There’s also a location in Santa Monica and one in La Brea and a full-on cafe offering dinner now in Venice if you’re a tourist or live that way. Either way, good coffee = Bluestone Lane.
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12186 Ventura Blvd, Studio City
176 South La Brea Ave, LA
31 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica
523 Rose Ave, Venice
Little Ripper Coffee
I love this place. In Australia we get coffee shops scattered on every second street corner all pumping out fabulous coffee–none of that Frappuccino stuff (well OK maybe now they are succumbing to culture blending and adding it to their menus). Little Ripper reminds me of said Aussie coffee shop (minus the Frappuccino–thankfully). And, a must on every Aussie coffee shop menu is the Babyccino (a cappuccino sans coffee–ie the froth) and the Little Ripper ones look like”little rippers”.
Little Ripper has a loyal following and we’ll hope they’ll be here for many years to come.
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4155 Verdugo Road, Los Angleles (Glassell Park)
Bondi Harvest
Also love this place although my daughter and her friends have been here far more than I have. The vibe here is Aussie meets LA with healthy dishes and my favourite Aussie-inspired-Middle-East-influenced food. I had the Avo Toast with Halloumi and Dukka. The kale salad was also very yum and actually makes you like kale rather than hate it.
Tucked away in a groovy part of Santa Monica parking can be tough on the weekends but it’s worth the trip imho (in my humble opinion).
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1814 Berkeley Street, Santa Monica 90404
Pollen
This place reminded me of growing up with the kids in Sydney. Every weekend we’d go out for breakfast with equal parts of joy and stress.
Pollen reminds me of some of the neighbourhood eating establishments we’d frequent during this time. Set in a fabulously hipster part of LA Pollen has a great menu that is nicely tweaked to be LA friendly without drawing gasps of horror from us Aussie expats.
Brunch is great but I want to come back for Happy Hour (Thursday to Sunday).
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2100 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles 90026
Little Ruby
This is another place my daughter frequents more than I do now. Little Ruby deserves to be right on the beach in Santa Monica Aussie style then you’ll feel like you’re truly transported home.
Seating is first-come-first-serve so time it right!
While this place serves up a great coffee and breakfast it also offers all-day dining.
Little Ruby’s is the real deal with a menu that suits everyone (read not so much LA’d, aka they serve pasta!).
The bowls are great, the burgers look fab and the sweet potato fries with sweet chilli sauce are a hit.
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109 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Red Window Coffee Bar
Studio City’s first hole-in-the-wall go-to coffee place. If it’s good coffee you’re after here is the place to go. It serves up good coffee from its little window.
This place would be even better if it offered an in-car delivery service. Pre-pay, wind down your window and drive on through–how good would that be?
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12953 Ventura Blvd, Studio City
Great White
Not far from the Venice pier is the hipster, uber popular joint Great White. We got there early to avoid the wait yet it was packed–a testament to its charm and great food (& coffee).
The food is fresh and California healthy and best of all you get this feeling that home ain’t too far away with a bit of Aussie accent spotting.
Perfect location for Venice tourists–your food choices doesn’t have to be overpriced side-alley fried food!
Paramount Coffee Project
In the hipster shopping district of Melrose and Fairfax you’ll find one of the original Aussie coffee joints Paramount Coffee Project. In fact it is an Aussie coffee shop with the original. Ring in Surry Hills, Sydney . It’s staffed with young Aussies just hanging out and (some anyway) doing the LA thing of having a few projects on the go. It’s a cute place and the day I was there (Mid week around (late) lunchtime) there was a decent crowd of meetingers, writers and WiFi suckers. I went for the coffee but couldn’t go past the lumpia sausage roll. It was so yummy and hit the spot perfectly.
Well positioned for those of you put shopping for street wear or breaking the bank on that one-off pair of runners that puts the price of your Louboutin collection to shame this is the place to go. You can order and eat inside or order from the coffee window outside so you don’t waste that valuable shopping time.
Psst. There’s also a branch downtown.
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So that’s it for now. Will keep you posted on more places to enjoy a good coffee Aussie style. Even in LA coffee doesn’t have to be bad or from a large chain. Just saying.
xx It Started in LA xx
Next trip: Miss Melbourne Coffee
PS: Here’s my inspiration and great reviews by Discover Los Angeles for more info.
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