Venice Beach is about 3 square miles. The spots are organized alphabetically.
These reviews focus less on coffee quality and more on how the space works for getting your shit done, through the eyes of a chef turned food photographer that's been living here 7 years. Looking at Wi-Fi speed, outlet situation, seating comfort, and whether they want you working there or not. Consent matters.
Buy something every two hours — that's the rule. One hour if they don't have Wi-Fi. Some rules are meant to be broken. Not this one. Don't be that asshole.
Alfred Coffee
– Abbot Kinney
An iconic LA brand rooted in design-forward, grab-and-go energy rather than traditional neighborhood coffee shop built for lingering – and the seating situation shows it.
Cute more than comfy, charming rather than cozy. Password-protected Wi-Fi, no outlets. Minimal seating – a handful of indoor tables, a step/wall seating area made from wood and what looks like bath tile to me, and outdoor planters apparently spiked with succulents to deter loitering. Noted: do not be that asshole who stays here all day. They don't want you.
Coffee is sourced from around the world, and the menu's filled with cult favorites, pastries, and breakfast burritos. I always get the espresso cloud with extra cream on top.
For a coffee brand identifying as design-forward, the space feels a bit sterile and generic to me. My fav part is the epic vintage neighborhood wall art, which I thoroughly appreciate.
Alfred's — may I kindly suggest some sidewalk seating or a bench? You've got a prime people-watching spot on AK. For calling yourself "the neighborhood coffee shop," the space could be a bit more inviting...
Not a home-away-from-home vibe at all – think grab-and-go pit stop with limited seating, not a grind-all-day workspace.
*This review is only for the AK location, opened in 2021. I've never been to the OG Melrose location, opened in 2013, and understand different locations lean into completely different vibes.
Blue Bottle Coffee
- Abbot Kinney
Joining the Abbot Kinney coffee shop party in 2014, there's no Wi-Fi (and no outlets), which means it's not intended to be a workspace. And it's tiny – 650 square feet small.
Most of the seating is outdoors, sidewalk/street seating right on AK. The indoor bar seating with stools has a table too narrow to fit a computer, and I've rarely seen anyone sitting there.
More like a window than an entire café – small, sleek, futuristic, minimalist design with a polished, contemporary aesthetic. Despite its roots in artisan coffee, it exudes a corporate vibe.
The coffee is sourced globally from sustainable farms, cooperatives, and estates. The menu features pastries from Sugarbloom Bakery.
While you'll def see a few folks grinding away on laptops outside, the no Wi-Fi and limited seating mean it's more café than workspace – think grab-and-go or a short stop rather than a long remote-work session.
Chamberlain Coffee
– Abbot Kinney
The newest coffee shop on Abbot Kinney, opening in 2026, is cute, eccentric, extremely Instagrammable, and there's no Wi-Fi.
Cozy and inviting – think vintage-hotel-inspired decor with quirky hand-painted art on the walls, green tile, warm wood, marble, Chamberlain blue, retro light boxes, mismatched handmade ceramic mugs. The stated inspiration was nostalgic San Francisco coffee shops, Parisian cafés, and Emma's own morning rituals.
Seating is limited – a few tables outside and indoor counter seating. The menu features coffee, creative specialty drinks, and pastries.
While the space is intentionally designed for hanging and accommodates casual laptop work, the purposeful omission of Wi-Fi means it's not your entire-day workspace – so don't be that asshole who stays all day.
Deus Ex Machina Venice
- coming this week
Flō Coffee Bar
- coming this week
Groundwork Coffee
- Rose Ave
Founded on this Rose Ave spot in 1991, there's open Wi-Fi, abundant outdoor seating, and really good food and coffee.
This pioneering brand was roasting its own organic coffee, at this site, long before the practice was mainstream (currently roasting in north Hollywood and Portland). They source their organic coffee from smallholder farms around the world and serve a deliciously Cali-style breakfast and lunch menu – think salads, sandwiches, burritos and freshly baked pastries.
The space is a turn-of-the-century brick building (originally a horse stable). High-beam ceiling, vintage-industrial vibe, exposed brick walls, a few high-top tables with stools and wall seating inside, a few cheery yellow tables right out front, and most of the seating in a huge area next to it, filled with individual and picnic tables. Seating is abundant, Wi-Fi is open, and I've always seen folks here grinding away.
If ya wanna grind away in a historical brick building (or right outside it), at one of SoCal's earliest organic coffee pioneers, this is your spot.
Intelligentsia Coffee
– Abbot Kinney
Deeply beloved in Venice and an icon of Abbot Kinney opened in ‘09 – also the best spot on the street for getting shit done.
Public, no-password Wi-Fi, no outlets, indoor and outdoor seating, filled with folks socializing and on laptops.
That said, I wouldn't think of this as your sit-and-work-all-day coworking café. The space is a big, airy, minimalist industrial warehouse vibe with huge rotating pieces of local artwork. Bustling, high-energy spot filled with locals and tourists. Seating is abundant, albeit not super comfy — bar stools with people balancing laptops on their laps, wall seating and an elevated step sitting situation in back. The outdoor seating is in the front walkway, which feels more like an alleyway, lined with bleacher-style benches and tables, prime spot for AK people watching.
Beans are sourced globally through direct-trade relationships, and the menu's mostly sweet pastries with a few savory ones.
All about the craft of the coffee, built for the linger.
If you’re set on grinding away literally on Abbot Kinney, this is your spot.
Menotti's Coffee Stop
- Windward Circle
The Venice brand, at this iconic Windward spot between the Pacific Ocean and the Venice sign, has no Wi-Fi, no outlets, and no bathroom.
The space pays tribute to its location, a place that's literally created culture – the vibe is retro beach chic, with vinyl and the most stunning, solid wood custom-built coffee counter I've ever seen.
Menotti's launched using Four Barrel Coffee from SF and now sources through Cat & Cloud in Santa Cruz, and the food consists of pastries.
There's more outdoor seating than indoor – just a handful of small individual tables inside, and quite a bit of outdoor seating right on Windward with a view to the ocean.
Opened in 2013 by the same owners of Townhouse next door, and named after its original Prohibition-era owner, Cesar Menotti, and originally run by coffee legend Christopher "Nicely" Alameda (currently at Hooked).
If ya wanna get some casual work done under the Venice sign looking at the ocean, this is your spot. Fyi, there's a public beach bathroom 5-10 min away.
The Cow's End Cafe
– Washington Blvd
The oldest coffee shop in town, a beloved neighborhood institution, with a full menu, Wi-Fi, and outlets.
Half a block from the beach, it's a one-off family-owned local spot, not part of a chain.
The space feels casual and unpretentious, like an old-school neighborhood café with a beach/surf vibe.
Plenty of seating – indoors is two stories, the seating upstairs is quieter, more secluded, seems meant for grinding away. Solid amount of sidewalk on Washington Blvd too, where you can even see the ccean.
Biggest menu of any coffee shop in town – think all-day beach café with a smoothie and juice bar, deli, sandwiches, salads, and more, including some of the very best sandwiches in town, thinks me (you can customize your own too).
If ya wanna grind away at a local hangout with an old-school Venice vibe, one that's resisted the techie/bougie transformation of so many surrounding coffee shops, this is your spot.
Venice Beach Coffee Shops Conclusion
Biggest takeaways from spending time in Venice Beach coffee shops: two notable coffee brands were born here, Groundwork and Menotti's, and Venice has been a coffeehouse town since the Beat Generation – treating the café as a cultural gathering place long before "third wave" was even a thang.
The three-mile stretch of coast I currently call home contributed a whole lot to coffee culture – so when ya visit their shops, remember: Buy something every two hours. That's the rule. Don't be that asshole.
More pics coming super soon!
Trying to get shit done in San Francisco? Check out my guide to the best SF coffee shops for doing so.
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