Best Coffee Shops to Work From in Los Angeles

The bigger the city, the lonelier it can feel. Sitting in a room working away at your laptop all day doesn't do a great deal for your social life either. If you're feeling isolated and need to get out, but work has you tethered to your keyboard, going to work in a coffee shop is the best solution.

There are fantastic coffee shops in every neighborhood of Los Angeles where you can go, not just for great coffee but to chat with other digital nomads who are probably feeling just as isolated as you and get some decent food too. One word of warning, though, if you decide to eat some fresh pastries, keep them well away from your keyboard. Keyboards and crumbs really don't go well together.

Most of the best coffee shops in LA that are good for working have fast wifi and accessible power outlets. That means you can go for a long stint without having to worry your pages won't load, or your battery charge will reach its expiry date.

If you need a place to store your bags while you go to work or even your laptop if you want to go shopping in Los Angeles, you'll find Bounce luggage lockers are a convenient and economical solution. You don't need to get stressed about leaving your technology in a Bounce luggage locker either, as they're all security-tagged and fully insured.

Best Coffee Shops In Los Angeles For Work

Skid Row Coffee

At some point, you're bound to find yourself in Downtown LA, and if you've got a deadline looming and need to crack on with a job, the best place to go is Skid Row Coffee. This Downtown coffee shop is located in the Los Angeles Central Library, so there'll be lots more work-minded folk there too.

Decor-wise, it's basic, but as this is a social enterprise cafe focused on helping people to work and integrate that relies on donations, that's not surprising. The cafe is furnished with individual light wood tables that are ideal for working alone. There's also a bar and stools under the windows if you prefer to peruse the world while you're pondering what to do next.

Food is basic sandwiches, but they're freshly made and cheap. The coffee is good, too, and made by aspiring baristas, so don't complain if your coffee art isn't quite up to scratch. They're still learning.

Location:

630 West 5th Street, Los Angeles

Tilt Coffee Bar

If you're someone who likes to enjoy some of the California sunshine while working, you'll want to give the Tilt Coffee Bar a visit. This coffee shop is housed in a kiosk-style building with a couple of tables inside and a super patio with outdoor seating.

When you don't like working in noisy or very chaotic places, Tilt is a good option. There aren't any public use power outlets, but the staff here are really friendly and will charge your battery behind the coffee bar. If it's a really warm day, Tilt's iced cold latte goes down an absolute treat, so don't miss trying it.

The one catch here is that (at last check) there isn't free wifi, so you'll need to make other arrangements on that front.

Location:

Kiosk 1, 334South Main Street, Los Angeles

Verve Coffee Roasters

Verve Coffee Roasters in West Hollywood is a superb coffee shop for working with free wifi. It has lots of natural light, is spacious, has a clean contemporary industrial-style décor that won't break your concentration, and an outdoor patio if you need to grab a breath of fresh air to get your creative juices flowing.

Not only will you get excellent coffee here, but they also roast and grind their coffee in-house. You'll be able to indulge in the all-time favorite breakfast of digital nomads, avocado toast with a soft poached egg or a breakfast burrito. They prepare some super sandwiches too and baked goods that will have your mouth watering. Sadly, they don't have a lunch menu, so if you want something more substantial, you'll need to move on.

Location:

8925 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood

The Bloc

If you want to combine a work session with retail therapy, head for The Bloc in Downtown Los Angeles. The Bloc is a huge mall where you'll find half a dozen coffee shops with free wifi where you can work before or after you go shopping.

Three of the best to take a table in are:

Starbucks

You can never go wrong settling down in Starbucks to work. No one bothers you, the coffee is decent, and if you're behind on a job, it stays open until 9 pm.

DRNK

This coffee shop in The Bloc is for those who are extra particular about the coffee they drink. The coffee here is prepared by roastmasters and is really high quality. Everything on their food menu is prepared to order and not before. You won't get fresher.

District DTLA

Not so much a coffee shop as it is a restaurant that serves coffee, District DTLA has indoor and outdoor seating where you can set up a workspace. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but if you're still there working between 4 pm and 6 pm, you'll discover it's happy hour, and what better way to end a day's work is there than that?

Location:

700 West 7th Street, Downtown LA

Blue Bottle Coffee

Wherever you are in Los Angeles, there'll be one of the Blue Bottle coffee shops not too far away. This company has 18 coffee shops spread all over LA, from Downtown to the Arts District to Woodland Hills, Pasadena, and many more. They are, without a doubt, some of the best coffee shops in Los Angeles.

Each of the Blue Bottle Coffee premises is different, so it's impossible to describe them all here, but what they all have in common are exceptionally good coffee and free wifi. The coffee served at all of the coffee shops is single-origin rotated blends, with one being elected as the special of the week. These coffee shops are all about the drinks, so the food on offer is fresh pastries, cakes, and waffles, but there is no lunch menu. 

Locations In Central Los Angeles:

• 300 South Broadway, 300
• 582 Mateo Street
• 8301 Beverly Boulevard
• 555 South Alexandria Avenue
• 2066 Hillhurst Avenue
• 116 Plaza B, North Robinson Boulevard
• 830 North Fairfax Avenue
• 12105 East Waterfront Drive
• 10250Santa Monica Boulevard
• 13050 San Vicente Boulevard

Eightfold Coffee

Eightfold Coffee is an eclectic coffee shop in the Los Angeles Arts District that looks more like the children's section in a public library. Don't be fooled by the appearance, though; those box-shaped tables are perfect for working at, and many have power outlets right next to them, which is pretty convenient. There is some outdoor seating, but it's the Mediterranean metal kind, so not ideal for balancing your laptop.

Here they serve one coffee and one coffee only, and that's Heart's from Portland in Oregon. They do serve it in a variety of different ways, so no problem if you're into lattes or espressos or whatever else rocks your coffee boat. Once again, this coffee shop is a little limited food-wise, but you will be able to get a sugar rush from the cakes and pastries to keep you going.

Location:

1294 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles

Nimbus Coffee

Working online can sometimes get decidedly boring. Head to Nimbus Coffee, and it definitely won't be. It'll be what can only be described as a magical experience. The Nimbus is a unique coffee shop that has a fantasy witches and wizards theme that is, for want of a better word, enchanting.

The décor at the Nimbus is everything any lover of fantasy could possibly desire, stuffed owls and bats included. Reading the drink and food menu here will brighten your day and take your mind off your work completely. The food menu is small but has super versions of avocado toast and a breakfast burrito, as well as a couple of interesting vegan options.

This really is a fantastic coffee shop with free wifi to sit and work for a few hours, although you might want to think twice about making Zoom business calls from here.

Location:

1115 South Hope Street, Los Angeles

G&B Coffee

G&B Coffee is an enormous coffee shop in Grand Central Market with a décor that's a fusion between industrial chic and the Las Vegas Strip. If you get bored looking at your laptop screen, have a glance around, and you won't be bored for long. You can always watch the Angels Flight funicular car trundle past if the neon wall art starts to get tiresome.

At G&B, instead of pastries, you can choose to nibble on empanadas while sipping an almond macadamia latte. Yes, they are really into their specialty drinks at this coffee bar. If you want a change from coffee, try the milkshakes. They come highly recommended.

Location:

C19, 317 South Broadway, Los Angeles

Chimney Coffee House

If you appreciate superb coffee, great food, free wifi, and a comfortable co-working space, then you should check out the Chimney Coffee House. This coffee shop is one of the few in Los Angeles that has advocated for long bench tables. The tables, the bare concrete floor, and bare brick walls give this coffee shop a rustic but sophisticated look that has a lot of eye appeal.

Here, they roast beans in small batches to maintain the quality of the beans they source from countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia. Food is a little more substantial here than in other Los Angeles coffee shops, so if you've a good appetite, you'll be pleased to see chicken and waffles, pancake stacks, and their special house burger on the lunch menu.

Location:

1100 North Main Street, Los Angeles

Philz Coffee

Philz Coffee is a coffee shop chain with a couple of branches in central Los Angeles as well as on the outskirts in places like Culver City and Santa Monica. Philz Coffee premises offer a laid-back work environment with both individual tables and co-working space, so the choice is yours. The fast wifi is also an added bonus.

No frills and no fuss is pretty much the motto of this coffee shop company, although they do concentrate on custom blend coffee of a very high quality which sets them a couple of notches above several other Los Angeles coffee shops. For something a little different that will put a zing in your day, try the iced mint mojito coffee; it's unique and totally delicious.

Locations:

Unit A, 801 South Hope Street, Los Angeles

6430 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

If you're prone to overworking, you can easily get that under control if you go to work at the Stumptown Coffee Roasters coffee shop on Santa Fe Avenue. Why? They close at 5 pm on the dot every afternoon, so you won't be sitting there working any later than that. If you like an early caffeine-fueled start to your day, you'll be pleased to know they're open from 6:30 am.

This LA coffee shop is decorated in a minimalist way that evokes thoughts of Japanese décor. It's fresh and has a sort of zen ambiance to it, so you should get some good vibes working here. If you don't, you can make up for it with a couple of cups of their better-than-good brews.

Location:

806 South Santa Fe Avenue, Los Angeles

Conclusion

Now you've read through this guide, you should be under the impression that the coffee shops in Los Angeles welcome digital nomads and those that want to work online from their premises because they do. In some cases, the coffee shops have been specially furnished with creatives in mind. If you didn't get that impression, pour yourself an extra strong coffee, go back to the beginning and read it over again.