Mini Sneak Peek Of L.A.'s Best Coffee App: 4 Coffee Bars

T. Nguyen

Espresso Cielo in Santa Monica

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If you read our interview with Mark Lamberton earlier today, you'd know that the London-based younger brother of Blue Crow Media's Derek Lamberton was recently dispatched to Los Angeles to swig untold cups of coffee as research for their upcoming L.A.'s Best Coffee app. Which made us wonder: Why wait until July? Why not pry a few suggestions out of Mark and get an early start on our quality coffee drinking? Below he gives up four cafés (listed alphabetically) that impressed him. Turn the page...

4. Café de Leche: "Real hipster café located in Highland Park near Occidental College. Serves Stumptown (Portland)." 5000 York Blvd, Los Angeles; (323) 551-6828.

3. Drip Bar: "Fun coffee cart that only serves drip coffee (as opposed to espresso-based coffee). They bounce around different locations during the week. One of the few in L.A. serving Blue Bottle Coffee (S.F.)." Space 15 Twenty, 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles.

2. Espresso Cielo: "Only café in California serving up delicious 49th Parallel coffee (of Vancouver)." 3101 Main St # D, Santa Monica; (310) 314-9999.

1. Gelato Bar: "I've been to the one in Studio City and had an excellent Gibralter. I was very excited because the son of the owner -- Nik Krankl -- came second in the U.S. in the U.S. National Barista championships but he wasn't there. But obviously if that kind of quality is around, other baristas are going to pick up off of it." [Full disclosure: Gelato Bar owner, Gail Silverton, and this writer grew up together, a fact that Lamberton won't know until reading this sentence.] 4342 1/2 Tujunga Ave, Studio City; (818) 487-1717.