Los Angeles has the best Korean cafe scene outside of Seoul, and it's not close. K-town alone could keep you caffeinated for a month: cream-topped einspänners in taro and black sesame, croffles with red bean, salt bread that sells out by noon, mugwort cakes that taste like nothing in a typical American bakery. A Korean cafe in Los Angeles isn't just a coffee shop with Korean owners — it's a whole menu philosophy: drinks built to be beautiful in cross-section, pastries that lean savory as often as sweet, and spaces designed for lingering. Here are eight worth your time.
8 Korean Cafes in Los Angeles Worth Visiting
1. Community Goods — West Hollywood & Hollywood
Ours, and we're proud of the Korean influence on our menu. Our head barista is Korean, and it shows in the drinks: the Matcha Einspänner — ceremonial-grade matcha under a thick layer of cream — is the one people line up for, and the classic Einspänner Latte (double espresso, sea-salt cream, cocoa dust) has its own devoted following. Find us at 8687 Melrose Ave in West Hollywood or 710 N Edinburgh Ave in Hollywood.
2. Cafe UPPER — Koreatown
If you want to understand the einspänner's LA moment, start here. Cafe UPPER (300 S Hobart Blvd, #101) pours the cream-topped classic in flavors like taro and black sesame that you won't find at a third-wave shop. The room is warm and built for lingering, and the croffle — crispy-edged, fluffy-centered, a croissant pressed in a waffle iron — is the correct afternoon order alongside your drink.
3. Cafe De Mama — Koreatown
Cafe De Mama (1102 S Western Ave) is the cozy one. The Injeolmi Mochi Latte — creamy, nutty, crowned with actual chewy mochi — is a texture experience as much as a drink. Pair it with the croffle sandwich stuffed with red bean and cream cheese. The seating is snug and the staff is friendly; it feels like a neighborhood spot that happens to make exceptional drinks.
4. Harucake — Koreatown
Harucake (3450 W 6th St) is the hangout version of a K-café — the kind of place you settle into with a latte and look up two hours later. The signature to know is the Mugwort Injeolmi cake: earthy, herbal mugwort layered with nutty roasted soybean, airy and pillowy, nothing like a standard American bakery case. Order it with something not too sweet to drink.
5. RŌK Coffee & Tea — Koreatown
The newcomer. RŌK opened a few blocks from the LINE hotel, and it's the clean-modern entry: a focused menu of coffee, tea, and specialty drinks built around flavors like black sesame, taro, yuzu, and brown sugar. It works for a quick stop or a longer sit, and it's worth knowing about before the rest of the city catches on.
6. Out of Ordi — Koreatown
Out of Ordi, on 8th, is the move for salt bread — pillowy, buttery, with a salty-sweet finish that makes stopping at one genuinely difficult. Go early; it sells out. The drinks hold their own, but let's be honest: you're coming for the bread, and you'll leave with a bag of it.
7. Matsu Matcha — Koreatown
At Matsu Matcha the question isn't whether you want matcha, it's how far you want to take it. The menu runs deep: flavored lattes, a Triple Matcha with cream top and matcha jelly, and matcha gelato in five intensity levels. Purists should stick with the plain latte; maximalists should go straight for the Triple.
8. Maru Coffee — Los Feliz
Maru deserves its flowers as the shop that arguably started LA's cream-top obsession — the long black topped with sweet cream (the Creamtop) has been the signature since the Los Feliz shop opened in 2016, back when the idea was still novel. The Korean roastery takes its sourcing seriously, with direct relationships with farms in Mexico, Guatemala, and Japan, and the minimalist space is a calm break from the K-town bustle.
What to Order at a Korean Café (If You're New)
Start with an einspänner — the cream-topped iced coffee that's the signature of the genre — then branch into the flavored versions (taro, black sesame, matcha). Add a pastry: croffle, salt bread, or an egg tart. Korean cafés reward the sweet-plus-savory combo, so don't skip the bakery case.
Quick questions
What makes a café "Korean" versus just a café in Koreatown? The menu and the design language: cream-topped and flavored drinks (black sesame, taro, injeolmi), Korean bakery items (salt bread, croffles, soboro), and interiors that lean minimal, bright, and photo-ready.
Are Korean cafés good for working? Many are — big tables, good wifi, and a lingering culture. Weekday mornings are calmest; weekends at the popular ones are a scene.
What's an einspänner? A Viennese coffee (espresso or iced coffee topped with thick cream, never stirred) that Korean cafés adopted and made their own around 2016 — iced, often over milk, with a dramatic sweetened cream layer.
Taste the Korean influence at ours
Our Matcha Einspänner is the drink we're known for — ceremonial-grade matcha under a thick cream cap. Try it at Community Goods, 8687 Melrose Ave in West Hollywood or 710 N Edinburgh Ave in Hollywood.