fbpx

From macchiatos to cold brews, lattes to espressos, here’s where to score your next cup.

Certainly, these aren’t the only ways to get your coffee on in DTLB but they certainly are some of the best.

And now in no particular order…

****

Recreational Coffee’s Sea Salt Affogato (237 Long Beach Blvd.)

This wonder is not just one of the best but what we feel is the best affogato in the city. A wonderful shot of single-origin espresso blend—one that is typically bright and elegant, depending on their bean of choice for the week—is poured over Strauss’ organic vanilla bean coffee ice cream and then topped with a generous sprinkling of salt and finely ground coffee dust. The result? Your new favorite dessert. Or lunch. Or breakfast. It’s all up to your regard for the definition of a meal.

****

[Pictured at top]

Berlin Bistro’s Stumptown Cold Brew on Nitro (420 E 4th St.)

Still the only place to offer this creamy delight, when Berlin first started offering Stumptown’s famed cold brew on nitro, supply couldn’t keep up with demand. This was DTLB’s first cold brew coffee tap and to this day, offers a wonderfully clean, complex, chocolatey experience that is unique in our ci ty and served by one of our favorite local joints. Now go, be cold, drink brew. And praise the Coffee Gods.

****

Beachwood BBQ & Brewing’s Mocha Machine (210 E. 3rd St.)

When two of our favorite things combine—beer and coffee—the result is sometimes wondrous. Take our favorite brewery’s imperial porter Mocha Machine. Not only is this coffee-chocolate porter insanely delectable, it’s the 2016 Gold Medal Winner at the World Beer Cup for best coffee beer. That’s right: DTLB is home to the world’s best coffee beer. National Coffee Day never looked so hoppy.

****

Aroma di Roma Centro’s S’mores Lava Cake with a Macchiato (444 W Ocean Blvd.)

Photo courtesy of Aroma di Roma.

Not only does Aroma di Roma have one of the coolest patios in DTLB, they also make some of the best desserts paired with coffee. Take their S’mores Lava Cake. We’re talkin’ chocolate on chocolate on chocolate with a fluffy marshmallow topping. And when you order it with a shot of espresso or a macchiato, the chocolatey notes of the espresso explode. Win, win.

****

Sweet Dixie Kitchen’s French-Pressed Coffee (401 E 3rd St.)

Photo by Mark Magdaleno.

One of our favorite bakeries also serves some pretty impressive French-pressed coffees. This old-school method of serving up coffee—one that we feel is being lost—is the precise opposite of the in-trend pour-over method. This version uses a metal filter and allows much of the oils to remain in the brew, giving French-pressed coffees a distinctly rich, heavy feel that is preferred by, well, the French since French roasts are usually deeper and less bright than their lighter counterparts.