Girls Gone Wild – So Cal Coffee Tour
Life outside of Texas does exist y’all. We have started the summer with a vacation California style. Our vacation theme is Southern California coffee shops in honor of the oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation. We discovered some of the best travel-worthy coffee shops and local haunts in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. I do have to say the weather was absolutely phenomenal with a light breeze and week-long temperatures in the lower to upper seventies.
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Fun fact update: Good Land Organics, the first commercial coffee farm in the continental US is in Southern California. Read more here.
Check out this California Coffee Tour Memorabilia here.
Costa Mesa, CA is a lovely city approximately 37 miles south of Los Angeles. Our VRBO was nicely appointed and met our expectations. The city is just over 115,000 population as of the latest information we have. A wonderful central place for our stay. Day trips to LA and Laguna Beach were very convenient based on our itinerary.
Southern California Coffee Tour – Costa Mesa
Philz Coffee – Costa Mesa, CA
We started our tour with the Philz location in Costa Mesa, Orange County CA. Philz has a lovely coffee selection and a great ambiance. I had the Jacob’s Wonderbar a darker blend of coffee with aromas of dark chocolate, smoke, and nuts.
Philz Coffee has coffee shops in 52 communities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and surrounding areas. They also have locations in Chicago and D.C. Metro.
3420 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
+17144862731
Milk and Honey – Costa Mesa, CA
Lovely coffee shop with loads of ambiance, quiet, local, easy to get to, and very unique. I had a dark blend roast with cream ‘hot’ which was delish.
Located in The Camp
Ste B6 Costa Mesa, CA 92626
+17147080092
Dripp Coffee – Costa Mesa, CA
Dripp is a specialty coffee and tea bar which is directly sourced and has various locations in Southern California. Organic, lightly roasted, and blended to perfection. This location was in the South Coast Plaza Mall, level one of the Saks Fifth Avenue Wing. Shopping and coffee! What could be better than that? Coffee was great as well as the specialty drinks.
3333 Bristol St Ste 1600, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
+17144062118
Southern California Coffee Tour, Lion and Lamb Coffee Roasters – Costa Mesa, CA
Lion and Lamb is a unique, quaint coffee shop in Costa Mesa, CA with high-quality, freshly roasted coffee, and donates 100% of the profits to charity. Home of ethical coffee and charitable projects. Great coffee blends that taste phenomenal as well as wonderful aromas.
CHANGE THE WORLD, START WITH COFFEE –COSTA MESA, CA, January 14, 2020. Coffee roaster partners with nonprofits to buy coffee beans. Read more from the press release here.
3186 Pullman St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Other Mentionable Worthy Stops in Costa Mesa.
We loved The Den Café at the L.A.B. The LAB anti-mall established in 1993 has shopping, food & drinks, music & art, and a hair salon. This original, unique, indoor-outdoor hang-out is tucked away about a half-mile from the 405 on Bristol Street in Costa Mesa, CA (2930 Bristol St B102)(+17144861155).
I had the Eggs Ole which consisted of corn tortillas topped with black beans, cheddar cheese, two fried eggs, sour cream, cilantro, salsa verde, and avocado served with a mixed green salad. The mimosas were wonderful with your choice of juices. We had pineapple and grapefruit with orange and it was divine!
We also loved The Crack Shack and Playa Mesa Mexican Kitchen. The Crack Shack located at 196 E 17th St, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 had wonderful food choices and I loved the ‘gluten-free fried chicken’ option! Playa Mesa Mexican Kitchen was our last hurrah before heading home and was a great ending for our trip located at 428 E. 17th St, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.
The Playa Mesa offered authentic Mexican dishes, and great mixed drinks, along with a large selection of wines and beers that made for a great evening. Cozy and authentic with a nice ambiance offering both indoor and outdoor seating. There was a wait on a Friday night but totally doable.
The valet parking was convenient and everyone was very accommodating. I had the Mexican enchilada combo (chicken and brisket) and paired this with the Vaso De Sol a lovely blend of Los Sundays Blanco, El Silencio Mezcal, Cointreau, Green Cordial, Green Chartreuse, and lemon.
Laguna Beach, CA
We spent a couple of afternoons in this great community located on the SoCal coast. The water was wonderful and the town is absolutely charming with a laid-back, casual ambiance. The shops scattered throughout were fun to browse and the parking was convenient. The beach was scenic and beautiful. What better way to spend an afternoon than breathing in the sea air and listening to waves come in?
Southern California Coffee Tour – Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood
We spent time in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and City Walk at Universal Studios.In Los Angeles, we cruised Sunset Boulevard, the Arts District, the Fashion District, and Koreatown. The following day we went to City Walk at Universal and Beverly Hills. It was pleasant and overall we had good luck with parking.Most areas were completely open but dine-in was limited in some of the eateries and most of the coffee shops in the city. We did not get to do ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios as planned due to limited access but we did browse the shops and ate lunch at City Walk.
Urth Caffé – Downtown LA – Arts District
Located in the LA Arts District this iconic European-styleCaffé will win your heart. Loved the drink Rude Awakening and the mushroom omelet. Wonderful ambiance and close public parking. We had a blast visiting from Texas! Urth has locations throughout Southern California and one at the Wynn in Las Vegas, NV.
459 S Hewitt St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
+12137974534
Nimbus Coffee – Downtown Los Angeles – Fashion District
Nimbus boasts coffee beans from Stumptown (small batch) Coffee Roasters and the brew is truly magical tasting. Try their other drink combos for awesome flavor enlightenment. I love their tagline ‘Coffee First Mischief Later’. Located in Downtown LA’s Fashion District it is easy to find and public parking is very convenient.
@Nimbus_Coffee_LA
1115 South Hope St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Alchemist Coffee Project – Koreatown, Los Angeles
Loved this coffee shop! Parking spots if available in the shopping center and if not public parking is just behind the building (they validate for discount). Delicious coffee, pastries, and other delights.
698 S Vermont Ave Ste 103 Los Angeles, CA 90005
Wilshire Center, Koreatown
+12133888767
More Southern California Coffee Tour 2021
Carrera Cafe on Melrose in Hollywood
Carrera Cafe is a charming European-style Cafe in the heart of West Hollywood. Fine espresso-based drinks, latte artwork, ripples, and lovely people. Be sure to take a selfie at the wall mural before you go!
8251 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046
+13238523337
Alfred Coffee – Beverly Hills, CA
Alfred Coffee established in 2013 with locations in the greater Los Angeles area as well as Tokyo and Austin, TX saw the need for local coffee shops that provide a great customer experience. This location in Beverly Hills was no exception and the coffee was awesome.
490 N Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
+14243350170
Just a side note #alfredcoffeeaustin Austin, TX location – Alfred at the LINE Austin – 111 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701 #shoutout is my next coffee stop!
One Last Mention for our Lunch is Ubatuba Açaí
The Ubatuba Açaí location we visited is in Koreatown located at 549 S. Western Ave Los Angeles, CA – 90020. We had theAçaí California bowl with extra toppings. It was very tasty and looked to be quite healthy as well.
The bowls are based on theAçaí berry from the Amazon in Brazil which is said to be one of the tastiest and healthiest fruits on earth. It was very tasty and filling making it a perfect lunch choice.Ubatuba Açaí has eighteen locations in Southern California.
This location had shopping center parking but at the time we visited it was not open to dining. One of the neighboring businesses asked us to leave before we were through eating our bowls in our car. So be forewarned if you are not taking it home to eat parking may be limited, although we felt this should not have been an issue as we did do business in the center.
In Conclusion, Southern California Coffee Tour
In conclusion, our SoCal Coffee Tour 2021 was a hit! The variety of scenery, beaches, and city sights was invigorating and the weather was awesome. The only cons were limited parking, overcrowding in certain areas and of course traffic. No, you cannot drive up to the water on the beach like you can on the Gulf Coast of Texas but since the climate is cooler walking was not that bad. We had a blast!
Read about Best Places to Retire in Texas here.
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Many Americans have developed a taste for high-quality coffee due to the popularity of specialty coffee shops and a growing interest in the nuances of flavor and brewing techniques. Additionally, the availability of a wider range of specialty coffee beans and brewing equipment has made it easier for people to explore and appreciate different coffee styles. The “coffee snob” culture has also been fueled by a desire for unique and artisanal experiences, as well as a growing appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into producing great coffee.
