Where Is the Best Cup of Joe in NoHo, Toluca Lake?

Angelinos love coffee and they love to socialize. In the 1950s, the hippie generation invented the concept of the coffeehouse, a neighborhood hangout where friends could gather to relax and drink coffee and tea. Today, coffeehouses are still going strong. offering free Wi-Fi, live music, and artisan espresso beverages. Here are some local spots where you can snag the best brews. 

4150 West Riverside Drive

This cozy coffeehouse has a homey atmosphere, offering indoor and outdoor seating under a shade of canopied trees on Riverside Drive in Burbank just over the border from Toluca Lake. Coffee lovers can use the walk up window for ordering on the go brews or opt to savor imported gourmet blended flavored and decaffeinated coffees inside amidst the shabby-chic interior. In addition to cappuccinos and lattes, this local favorite also serves up sandwiches, homemade breads and smoothies.

10905 Magnolia Boulevard

This small, narrow café with a quaint back patio is perfect for java junkies, hookah lovers and writers seeking a quiet refuge from crowded big chain coffeehouses.   Inside, comfy couches and small tables add to the intimate atmosphere, while the outside patio houses a fountain and rustic tables. In addition to coffee drinks and hookah, guests can enjoy sandwiches and a wide variety of teas, as well as live entertainment with open mic nights, poetry readings, and an occasional jazz band. 

Supreme Bean Coffee Roasters

5457 Cleon Avenue

This NoHo roasting company produces and supplies artisan quality coffee to local restaurants, cafes and neighboring studios.  n addition to seventy flavored coffees, Supreme Bean offers eight varieties of espressos, tonics and hot and iced tea blends.  Though they primarily provide java beverages and beans in large quantities to corporations and restaurants, coffee aficionados can pop in to their warehouse and buy a pound of their organic beans.

Throughout NoHo/Toluca Lake 

This mega coffee company has many (five at last count) locations throughout the NoHo and Toluca Lake area, as well as a small retail space at . What began 40 years ago in Seattle as a simple small store to grab a cup of coffee at has grown into a chain that now has over 16,000 locations in 50 countries. The NoHo locations are similar to other Starbucks, with tables and banquettes for seating, Starbucks merchandise and coffee products, and lots of plugs for the dozens of laptop residents. Offering every type of coffee drink including lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, Americanos, and mochas, Starbucks also offers frappuccinos, ciders, chai lattes and killer hot cocoa in their signature short, tall, grande and venti sizes.   The also occasionally offer special seasonal drinks, as well as pastries, muffins, scones and pre-made sandwiches.

Throughout NoHo/Toluca Lake

Although relatively small compared to Starbucks, the California based Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf chain is one of the largest privately owned coffee producers in the world. In addition to providing a wide variety of coffee drinks and teas, the Coffee Bean introduced their famous Ice Blended Mocha drink over 20 years ago. Toluca Lake also houses the Octabean on Riverside and Lankershim, the only eight-sided outlet of the chain that I’ve seen.