California attracts visitors with sunshine, stunning scenery, and aromatic coffee in many of its popular cities, from San Diego to San Francisco (the latter, has the most expensive coffee drinks in the USA, by the way – one cup may cost you around $75).
California is a place of dreams that come true, it creates your mood in a second, and generates unforgettable feelings with its stunning multicultural cities, sandy beaches, majestic mountains, and Grove of Titans.
But today we are going to talk about where in California you can have a cup of high-quality coffee to enhance your overall impressions of this beautiful state and make your day a little more saturated. After all, the day is not nice without good coffee! Check out the list of the best coffee shops in CA below!
Harry’s Coffee Shop
7545 Girard Ave
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-7381
Open daily from 6 am to 3 pm
Since 1961, Harry’s Coffee Shop welcomes its visitors and offer exclusive coffee drinks and snacks to every La Jollan in the city. Established by Harry Rudolph, a former The Dodgers batboy, who came here from Brooklyn after his ankle injury, this place is the oldest family-owned restaurant in La Jolla, CA (Toast of the Town since 1960). The main goal of this cafe is to provide delicious coffee and welcome all population groups.
A rich menu of Harry’s Coffee Shop will not leave anyone indifferent – among many delicious drinks and foods, there are some local favorites, including B.W Benny (waffles with bacon, grilled ham, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce), Eggs Benedict, La Jolla Scramble, breakfast burritos, oatmeal and bacon pancakes, French toasts, a Belgian waffle with berries, fried-egg sandwiches, super veggie omelet, Reuben Sandwich, tuna melt, turkey melt, Baja Club Sandwich, patty melt, fish tacos, BLT sandwich, The Ringer, and Philly cheesesteak. You can expect a pet-friendly patio, free parking lots, and a friendly atmosphere.
Lisas Coffee Shop
1530 W San Bernardino Rd,
Covina, CA 91722
The next one on our list is a stylish retro diner, representing vintage design with old cars. This is a place to make you feel like you’re at home. Lisa’s Coffee Shop has high Google ratings (4.6) and always offers a good company, quick service, and classic coziness. This restaurant always treats its guests with delicious classic dishes and perfect coffee.
Here you can always choose yourself a wonderful and filling breakfast, no matter what you like – it seems they have everything an average hungry person can dream of: steaks, bacon, sausages, hamburger patties, biscuits and gravy, pork chops, chicken strips, beef, grilled cheese, home fries, garlic toasts, beans and rice, many cool sandwiches and burgers, various veggies and eggs cooked in different ways).
Apart from that, you can always order fruits, sweet hotcakes, waffles, fountain sodas, and, of course, freshly brewed coffee, including decaf. A great place with friendly service!
Old Cal Coffee
1080 W San Marcos Blvd #176
San Marcos, California 92078
(760) 744-2112
Mon-Sun: 7 am – 5 pm
It all started with one little coffee stand and an employee in San Marcos. And now this place has grown huge, with dozens of professional employees, lots of seats, and a friendly ambiance. If you prefer to eat healthy food, this is the right place to visit!
They have customized scrambles, and you can even build your own. Apart from that, Old Cal Coffee offers açaí berry bowls and banana parfaits, artisan toasts, vegetarian dishes, salads, smoothies, and, of course, various hot sandwiches, bagels, and wraps. This place always offers high-quality coffee drinks prepared from locally roasted beans and food with handpicked ingredients.
They have a multifarious menu, which also includes vegetarian (and vegan) dishes. Plus, their couches and chairs are really comfortable, and you can use Wi-Fi and play table/card games there if you want.
All in all, it’s a cozy place to meet with your family and friends, chill, and have a good time, as you talk and drink high-quality coffee and enjoy good food. A lot of regular Old Cal visitors also mention good music and an inspirational atmosphere, quite suitable for reading, studying, working, or writing poems.
Clutch and Coffee
1321 El Prado Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501
(424) 532-5444
Mon-Sun: 7 am – 4 pm
Cafe/Food: Tues-Sun: 7 am – 2:30 pm
Kitchen is closed on Mondays
Established in 2018, Clutch and Coffee opens its doors for everyone every day. If you are an off-road racer in Torrance, you probably know this place already. But if you’re new in Torrance and you love to eat good, you just have to visit this cafe with all its mouthwatering dishes and delicious coffee brews. This place offers amazing meats, including Thick Cut Bacon, Pork Shoulder Bacon, Homemade Chicken Sausage, Polish Sausage, One-Pound Ham Steak, Grilled Tri-Tip, Beef Gyro, and even Vegan Sausage.
You also can order a special breakfast plate – Biscuits and Gravy, Loaded Breakfast Potatoes (with bacon, sausage, onions, peppers, cheddar cheese, and garlic), Greek Yogurt and Fruit Bowl, or Wheat Berry & Oats Hot Cereal (with honey). They also have some incredibly delicious open toasts with fried eggs, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and bacon – they go really good with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee in the morning.
But that’s not all! You can choose from various clutch benedicts (all served with home potatoes and, of course, high-quality eggs) – the menu offers options like Country Benedict (smoke sausage, gravy), Sopes Benedict (chorizo, black beans, and crispy sopes shapes), Chicken Sausage Florentine (grilled tomatoes, homemade sausage, and spinach), and everyone’s favorite The Eldon Classic Benedict (pork shoulder bacon, toasted English muffin, and home-made hollandaise). Apart from that, you always have great premium burgers, omelets, pancakes, sandwiches, salads, and various sides.
This place may not have a lot of coffee options (which doesn’t mean their coffee is bad in any way) but if you’re hungry and you plant to have the most filling breakfast in your life – you don’t think – just visit Clutch and Coffee!
Verve Coffee Roasters
104 Bronson Street, Suite 19
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Main Office: (831) 464-8141
Mon-Fri: 8:30 am – 5 pm
This is a place where you can order a bag of truly delicious, high-quality seasonal coffee blends. Santa Cruz’s finest coffee is here! Founded in 2007 by Ryan and Colby, Verve was at first a small cafe on 41st Ave in Santa Cruz, CA.
Today Verve is spread across California (LA, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Palo Alto) and Japan. They have dozens of coffee bags to choose from, including new and rare limited options like Larrea Seasonal Blend (Papua New Guinea & Ethiopia), Juan Benitez (Honduras), Kinni Village (Rwanda), Ruarai (Kenya), and Valle De Pavon (Colombia). You can order a blend sampler box or choose your bestseller. Verve also has nitro Flash Brews, Instant Craft Coffees, Decaf Coffee, and Cascara Coffee Cherry Tea from Costa Rica.
All their cafes, no matter the city, look amazing and clean, with friendly staff and diverse menus, and you can make your order ahead. Verve is very passionate about its coffee, taking responsibility for every bean. Coffee preparation is a real ritual here, and you can virtually feel that in every cup. On their official website, you can also order branded custom tees, tanks, totes, sweatshirts, hats, filters, mugs, grinders, brewers, drippers, kettles, keychains, and even scales.
Brot Coffee
316 S Main St, Orange, California 92868
MON-FRI: 6 am – 7 pm
SAT: 7 am -7 pm
SUN: 8 am – 6 pm
This beautiful coffee shop was established in 2016 with one goal – to connect people through high-quality coffee, maintain good relationships with people and partners. They are focused on three things – community, craftsmanship, and consistency. A great place to put your busy life on a short pause, feel the atmosphere, share your stories, and listen to your loved ones, as you drink high-quality coffee and eat delicious toasts with variable toppings.
You can choose from Brazil Sitio Do Turvo (Cocoa, Strawberry), Costa Rica Del Fuego (Cinnamon, Raspberry Jam, Sweet Red Wine), Brazil Rancho Grande (Milk Chocolate, Orange Zest), Ethiopia Godicho (Tropical Fruit, Lemon), Colombia Huila (Dark Chocolate, Dried Fruit), Guatemala Asodiett (Baker’s Cocoa, Floral), etc.
They have amazing hot and cold beverages, many different organic teas, syrups, organic milk options, pastries, and loaves. This is more sort of a true coffee shop (not a diner or breakfast cafe), you can have a good brunch here with good coffee
Peets Coffee
800-999-2132
Mon – Fri: 6 am – 6 pm
If you want to get a black mask with a coffee cup on it, you can get Peet’s Face Mask here! Apart from that, Peets offers great coffee blends. The following customer favorites are very popular: 2020 Holiday Blend, Vina & Walnut | An Autumn Blend, Ethiopia Biftu Gudina, etc.
You can order high-quality dark/medium/light coffee beans in a bag, espresso capsules, K-Cup pods, blended coffees, iced espressos, seasonal beverages, Coffee of the Day offers, brewed coffees, cold brews, frozen & coffee-free beverages, etc.
They also have various teas (black, green, white, oolong, herbal, matcha, pu’er), tea shakers (berry hibiscus, wild berry, tropical, citrus hibiscus, etc) gift sets, and coffee equipment (brewers and other kitchen utensils designed for brewing amazing coffee at home).
As for the food, they offer various warm breakfasts, artisan baked goods, and Grab & Go snacks (burritos, quiches, sandwiches, flatbreads, brioches, oatmeal, etc.). Peets takes the job very seriously – the staff will not pre-roast your beans until you place your order, to keep them fresh and flavorful. They also offer free shipping with no delivery fees and 30% off for new subscribers.
Saint Frank Coffee
1081 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA
94103
(415) 881-8062
Another good place on our list with great coffee and an interesting story about a saint, who preferred to be called Frank. A simple man with a big heart and passion for life and coffee. Everything is important to him, just like for Saint Frank Coffee, who pays special attention to service and spreads valuable experience around new communities.
Apart from excellent coffee (delivered from the best suppliers in the mountains of Honduras, Burundi, etc.) amazing merch and equipment, including unique brew gear (scales, kettles, brewers, decanters, grinders, etc.), exquisite tumblers, coffee canisters, stylish totes, mugs, and sweatshirts.
You can choose from the following coffee blends:
- BOLIVIA GOLONDRINA GESHA
- MIIR X TANAMACHI, COLOMBIA LA FLORIDA
- LITTLE BROTHER ESPRESSO
- BOLIVIA CAFÉ ORO
- BOLIVIA DON PANCHO
- BOLIVIA SIETE ESTRELLAS
- FRIAR MINOR: BOLD & DEEP
And you can always order a sample box to try them all at once! Saint Frank cafes are mostly designed as comfortable places to drink coffee and work during the week.
Abalona Coffee
1861 North Topanga Canyon Boulevard,
Topanga, CA, 90290,
949-205-9005
If you want to make your days brighter and more extraordinary you should definitely get yourself a cup of high-quality coffee in this coffee shop. Abalona Coffee was established by Geoffrey Fiala that simply loved to share his roasted coffee with family and friends in the neighborhood. Due to high demands, his hobby soon turned in to a rapidly growing business. The motto of the company is “Hold Fast”, which means “staying true to your convictions.” Abalona coffee charges you with passion while establishing new standards of freshness and quality.
Everything is shining with professionalism in this coffee shop, starting with service and ending with their weekly tests and adjustments. Abalona never stops evolving and discovering new roast methods and combinations. You should definitely try their all-organic coffees and feel the exceptional depth and character of each of their 4 main coffee regions/origins (Ethiopia (Masha), Nicaragua (Wilwili), Peru (La Florida), and Honduras (Gea Sgh Ep). can choose from various collaborative blends, roasts, and subscriptions and order online whenever you want.
The Coffee Company
8751 La Tijera Blvd
Westchester, CA 90045
310-645-7315
Mon – Fri: 7:00am – 3:00pm
Sat & Sun: 7:30am – 3:00pm
The Coffee Company is a family-owned business, established in 1978, that aims at serving delicious breakfasts and lunches all day long until 3 pm. They are located not far from the LA International Airport (LAX) so you can hop in there right from your plane. This cozy place is shining with a friendly and kind atmosphere, and the staff will serve you fast so you don’t have to waste your time waiting. It’s all about great food and the company here!
They always have something to surprise you with, no doubts about that! You can choose from 3 menus: Weekday Menu, Weekend Menu, and Kids Menu. These menus are truly rich: you can order house blend coffee or daily featured flavor, different teas, cold beverages, various omelets, lite breakfasts, starters (bagels, muffins, biscuits, toasts, sausage gravy, fruit plate, crepes, skillets with buttermilk biscuits, oatmeal, grits, pancakes, etc.), house specialties, grilled cheese, chicken breast, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, desserts, and other unique food sets.
They also have daily specials which you don’t want to miss! By the way, they are open every day for usual working hours, 363 days of the year (except for Thanksgiving and X-mas), plus the place is surrounded by many free parking lots.
This place takes the pandemic seriously and even has a special dining protocol on their website. You can order a table in this beautiful and clean coffee restaurant and enjoy your time safely after you join a waitlist via Yelp. The Coffee Company is mindful and responsible.
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