Wilson's Words of Wisdom: October Round Up (Indoor-Outdoor Coffee Shops in Los Angeles)

There’s most certainly no shortage of amazing cafés and coffee shops in Los Angeles. Whether it's the ambience, the coffee itself, the pastries or some other factor, there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of places, that on any given day, can give you that perfect coffee experience.

For this monthly round up, though, I wanted to narrow down the large list and specifically focus on places with incredible spaces — both inside and out.

From the gorgeous to the out-of-the-ordinary, I'm talking about places that have patios that look like gardens or have motorcycles proudly displayed throughout. Whether ultra-modern, classic or homely, however they may differ in style, they don’t differ in offering outstanding coffee in a highly detailed ambiance.

So whenever you’re ready to engross yourself in a good book, connect with friends for a few hours or find a location for a first date, below are the coffee spots to have on your radar!

Bar Nine



If you didn’t know to look for it, you’d probably never find it. Bar Nine sits right on the corner of National Blvd. and Helms Ave., within a slightly residential, slightly industrial part of Culver City. It has a minimalist, open and airy space, with stark white walls accentuated by hints of greys and natural browns. The vibes are super casual, with a couple of metal bleachers lining some of the walls, a few barstools paired with long, thin tables and a record player accompanied by vintage speakers and records that look like they’ve been around for decades. Outside, patrons can lounge on old crates. The staff is super serious about coffee, even boasting an onsite roastery in the back (see pic below). Aside from coffee, there’s a limited menu of pastries, brunch items and other beverages like teas, which come served in mason jars.
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Deus Ex Machina



It’s an art gallery! It’s a men’s specialty store! It’s a café! Wait — no — it’s all of those — and more! Holding it down as the only location in the States, Venice’s Deus Ex Machina has one of the most unique — and coolest — coffee shop spaces I’ve ever seen. Unassuming from the outside, once inside, it’s like the millennial “man cave,” with an array of hip apparel and accessories for men in the store and motorcycles, literally everywhere — from the giant mural on the outside wall to actual bikes, poised front and center all around. Deus Ex Machina baristas take the purity of coffee extremely serious; don’t expect any additives, like sugar here (and yes, I’m speaking from personal experience; I asked a barista for a side of sweetener one time, and he looked at me as I had asked for bleach. He was literally like, “I don't understand what you mean.”). From the large communal tables to the superior coffee and tasty snacks — like toast with almond butter — Deus Ex Machina is definitely worth visiting!
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G&B Coffee @ Grand Central Market



Grand Central Market has been a #WilsonsGuide fave for years, but it’s only recently that I discovered G&B Coffee, a coffee stand located inside of the market, right next to the South Hill St. entrance. High circular barstools surround an island where baristas churn out cups — and shots — of coffee. Speaking of shots, G&B Coffee has this “Magical World of One & Ones” menu, where shots of coffee are paired with goodies like ginger beer, ice cream and cappuccinos. G&B Coffee has a quick, no frills, fast-paced ambiance and it's the perfect location to take a quick breather while checking out all of the action happening in Grand Central Market or outside, on the bustling DTLA streets. Best selling point: Its real estate, right in the heart of a historic L.A. landmark.
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Rose Cafe



Separated into several different sections — a restaurant with two patios, a deli / coffee stand and a bar section — Rose Cafe boasts a vibrant space that’s absolutely enchanting. A chic, California vibe with lots of rustic accents and shrubs and greenery permeates throughout, and I just love the hanging plants over the communal tables in the bar section (pictured above). Coffee’s bold and delicious, always served with a nice presentation. Stop by for a quick bite to eat, grabbing one of the premade sandwiches or salads / sides that change daily, or stay for a longer meal, such as the weekend brunch. And if you do decide to dine at the restaurant, go ahead and order that side of curry fries. Other fun facts: it’s popular amongst celebs, and literally every single time I’ve gone with friends, we’ve spotted some actor casually dining with friends or associates.
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Society Kitchen 



With everything from daily happy hour, weekend brunches and frequent paint nights, Santa Monica’s Society Kitchen is the quintessential neighborhood hangout spot (and very, very kid-friendly, should inquiring minds want to know). The café makes a respectable cup of coffee, but honestly, I find myself also dropping by for everything else — the sangria, the open-faced smoked salmon toast (pictured below) and the decadent desserts, like the carrot cake. Painted in blacks, whites and shades of grey, the interior has a clean, classic look and a patio that shines underneath the strings of circular nights at night.
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Urth Caffé



With six locations from Santa Monica to Laguna Beach and everywhere in between, Urth Caffé has been a SoCal staple for decades. And, it’s one of those landmarks where if you’re in L.A., you have to visit at least once, because it is such a household name. It’s known for its tantalizing meals, exquisite pastries (like the fruit tart, pictured below) and assortment of coffees and teas. One of my favorites is the Spanish Latte Granita (also pictured below), a frothy, ice-blended coffee drink loaded with flavors like cinnamon and lots of caffeine. I’ve been to the DTLA and Beverly Hills locations, the latter, which I adore. It’s reminiscent of a cozy cottage, complete with a white picket fence and a fireplace inside, also with prime seating on its patio. Tip: there’s no wifi in the Beverly Hills location, so if you need the internet, bring your own hotspot.
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Verve Coffee Roasters



Verve Coffee Roasters’ patio in WeHo may be small, but it has tons of charm and character. Engulfed by overgrown shrubs and decked out with strings of hanging lights and wooden fixtures, it’s like being in an urban garden setting. There’s also a smaller patio that has just stools facing out towards Melrose Blvd. Aside from featuring coffees roasted on vintage roasters, the menu features very health-conscious options, like Chia Pudding and a Farro Beet Salad. Although personally, I’m going straight for the pastries, pictured below! Verve also has locations in Tokyo, Santa Cruz and San Fran, and two additional cafés in L.A.
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Zinc Café & Market



Situated in a somewhat obscure, but “up-and-coming” (read: gentrified) part of the Arts District near DTLA, Zinc Café is part-coffee shop, part-specialty store, part-restaurant and all kinds of cuteness. There are two patios — one that’s for the coffee shop, which isn't anything special — and one that’s affiliated with the restaurant. That patio is charming and quaint, and the place to sit, so definitely ask to sit out there, when you go. Nestled between two buildings, it has a bright feel, with leafy trees and white umbrellas providing ample shade. After a cup of joe and a pastry out there, make a quick stop at the indoor market (pictured below) before you leave, to pick up all kinds of high-end knick knacks and snacks, from cookbooks and aprons to wines and food to-go.
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Where to Eat: Judging Desserts @ The Gelato Festival America, Santa Barbara

Yours truly was invited to be a judge at the Gelato Festival America in sunny Santa Barbara this past Friday, so I headed up north for an afternoon of gelato, sorbetto and other tasty treats!

The Gelato Festival America is a brand new event that's hitting four cities in the States. Its sister festival in Europe has already been a huge success since 2010, with more than 60 renditions under its belt and drawing more than 50,000 attendees. With event organizers saying they hit it out the park with the Gelato Festival America kickoff at Boulder a couple of weeks ago, Santa Barbara was the second stop before closing out in Tucson and Scottsdale.

In Santa Barbara, ten competing gelato makers and a handful of other vendors dished out free samples to guests throughout the weekend. Technically, since all of the featured gelato were made with water and not milk, they weren’t really gelato; instead, they were sorbet, or sorbetto in Italian. Also, all options were completely vegan, fat- and dairy-free. Aside from the tastings, guests could learn all they ever wanted to know about gelato and sorbet by attending free mini-courses hosted by the Gelato University in the main tent.

While we as judges were recommended *not* to taste anything prior to the judging at 5 p.m., I couldn't help but to sample a few in advance. So I mixed, mingled and made my way around the stands where contestants showed off and shared their gelato with attendees.

What surprised me most was just how diverse the group of contestants were. Literally no one was from Santa Barbara — they came from nearby places like San Clemente and from as far away as New Jersey, Brazil, Spain and Italy. There were some, like Robert Sigona, who had been in the Gelato family-making business for years, and others, like Noël Knecht, who had aspirations to launch her own gelateria. Some contents used recipes they had perfected for years and others were literally offering recipes they hadn't tasted until right then at the festival. Others, like Bruno Couto de Matos, made a flavor specifically inspired by the Cali lifestyle; his “Fresh Love” (pictured below) featured beets, carrots, oranges and ginger.

Towards the end of the night, a panel of ten judges gathered in the main tent to do the very difficult task of sampling and rating all the different gelato. My fellow judges were other writers, journalists and bloggers, affiliated with travel, food and beverage outlets.

The process went like this: each competing chef had one minute (or two, if he didn't speak English and needed a translator) to "present" his gelato to judges, explaining the ingredients, the inspiration behind it and anything else he deemed important for us to know. Judges would then get to ask any questions as we sampled the flavor. We were asked to provide ratings based on three main qualities:

1. Presentation (max. 10 points) – how well the gelato maker described his sorbetto in 60 seconds
2. Flavor (max. 20 points) – Subjective, but how much we as judges enjoyed each sorbetto 
3. Structure (max. 10 points – The most technical aspect, such as how much the vying sorbetto truly had the right characteristics, i.e., being creamy, soft, fresh and flavorful, and having the right consistency

Voting was confidential, except for the presentation component, where we'd all write our individual scores on our own handheld whiteboards and then flip the boards towards the contestant at the same time.

Our votes were only part of a larger process to find a gelato winner; our top scores were combined with the top scores from Saturday's kids jury. 50% of votes will come from these two juries and 50% will come from festival attendees' votes.

While one contestant in particular did come out victorious — Maurizio Melani’s“Sicily Orange Sunshine” took home the prize — here are a few of the noteworthy competing sorbetto that most certainly caught my attention and why: 

Best presentation: “Shade of Roses”
There’s no doubt of the passion that Salvatore Bonomo exuded when he talked about his “Shade of Roses” sorbetto, aptly named after his grandmother Rose. He was moved to tears as talked about how she was born in Pittsburgh in the 1940s and then moved to Italy, where she met his grandfather (and now, Salvatore runs a gelato shop with his grandfather!). Salvatore explained how he infused water with a blend of different roses and ginger and added orange and lemon, before mixing it all together with “wild, big ugly” peaches to make this super sweet sorbetto.

Best flavor: “Sicily Orange Sunshine”
Maurizio Melani’s sorbetto only comprised three main ingredients: blood oranges, the Indian spice cardamom and fresh peppermint. He shared that the sorbetto was meant to take us on a journey, starting with the sweet taste of the oranges and finishing with a lingering scent of mint. I immediately tasted the fragrant peppermint, which added a surprisingly delightful kick to the creamy sweetness of the sorbetto. 

Best scent: “Tropical Blast”
Smell might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about sorbetto, but the crisp, clean, fragrant scent of cucumber can’t be denied in Spin Mlynarik’s “Tropical Blast,” which also includes pineapple, apple and ginger. This flavor was refreshing and light, and was reminiscent of a palate cleanser. Spin shared how getting the right flavor is all about timing — the ripeness of the pineapples and the softness of the cucumbers. 

Best backstory: “Ode to Autumn”
Noël Knecht’s sorbetto certainly had one of the most detailed backstories and it was evident that a lot of thought had been put in everything from the names to the source of ingredients. It’s named after John Keats’ poem, “To Autumn,” and has a medley of fall-friendly foods like pears, cinnamon and cranberries. Speaking of cranberries, she sourced them from a Wisconsin farm for their flavor and even included homemade candied ginger. She likened making gelato to being “like a choreographed dance, bringing everything together.” The result was a very texturized sorbetto with a fragrant smell of autumn spices. 

Best overall sorbetto: “Roasted Green Tea with Crunchy Mango”
Hands down, my favorite sorbetto of the evening was Michele Brown’s “Roasted Green Tea with Crunchy Mango.” It excelled at everything — from presentation, to texture, creativity and taste. Michele made not one but two sorbettos — mango and green tea — that she blended together to create a colorful, creamy swirl of yellows and greens. She topped it off with a puffed rice garnish, sprinkled with chili lime salt. Ingredients like green tea and chili can be extremely strong on their own, but she managed to find the perfect balance between sweet and spicy. She shared that she typically makes more traditional flavors at the exclusive country club in Dallas where she works, but I love how different and fun this flavor is. There’s literally nothing like it!

Below is the entire list of competitors, their locations and entries:

1. Maurizio Melani [Véneta Gelato Italiano, Spain] “Sicily Orange Sunshine” - WINNER
2. Mattia Ortelli [Gelato-go, Miami Beach] “Spicy Green Paradise”
3. Spin Mlynarik [Black Market Gelato, North Hollywood] “Tropical Blast”
4. Noël Knecht [Colibri Gelato, San Clemente] “Ode to Autumn”
5. Macello Mennone [Gelati Gioia, Tampa Bay] “Maiz Dulce Borracho”
6. Bruno Cuto de Matos [Frio Gostoso, Brazil] “Fresh Love”
7. Salvatore Bonomo [Nonna Rosa, Italy] “Shade of Rose”
8. Robert Sigona [Gelotti Inc, New Jersey] “Blood Orange”
9. Michele Brown [Brook Hollow Golf Club, Dallas] “Roasted Green Tea with Crunchy Mango”
10. Antonio Carrozza [Latteria Italiana, Miami] “Vegan Pink Pear & Ginger”

So the next time you find the Gelato Festival in your city, make sure to stop by and try some of the flavors. See you at the next one!

For more information:

Gelato Festival America, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

“Vegan Pink Pear & Ginger”

“Spicy Green Paradise”