On a warm summer day back in 2017 as I scrolled through the Explore feature on Instagram, an image of a concha ice cream sandwich caught my attention. I pressed on the image hoping that the eatery was somewhere in Los Angeles so I could visit it. Indeed, the mesmerizing treat was from Horchatería Rio Luna, a Mexican American owned dessert and coffee shop in the Southeast Los Angeles community of Paramount. I shared Horchateria’s profile with a friend hoping that she would find the coffee shop as exciting as I thought it was. Within minutes, she replied asking if we could visit Horchatería that same day. That evening, we indulged in ice cold creamy horchata Frappuccinos and we shared a delicious concha ice cream sandwich.
Since that day in 2017, I began my search for other Latino-owned and inspired coffee shops in Southern California. As a daughter of Mexican immigrants, I loved this quest so much that I created a research project for my PhD studies based on these coffee shops. It was the most enjoyable way that I could imagine studying Latino entrepreneurship, millennial-influenced culture, regional Latino identities, and community “third spaces” or places that were neither home nor work. Since I was curious about these distinctive coffee shops, I thought others might be too.
I have spent the past two years interviewing Latino coffee shop owners in Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region to learn about how and why they enter the coffee business. What stands out from these interviews is the pride that these coffee shop owners have in their Latino identities—whether that be Mexican, Mexican American, Guatemalan American, Salvadoran American, or others—and their desire to form community spaces where they could innovatively infuse familiar ingredients in coffee shop drinks and treats.
By providing coffee options that incorporate flavors like horchata, mazapan, cajeta, tamarindo, and chocolate Abuelita, these Latino coffee shops provide customers, especially Latinos, with a delicious and more relatable alternative to major chain stores. In this way, these 10 coffee shops I highlight here brew so much more than just coffee. They brew cultura in a way that speaks to Los Angeles and for Los Angeles.
While this list is far from comprehensive, it should get you started on your journey to find your favorite Latino-owned coffee shops in Los Angeles.