In a very crowded landscape of local (and regional, national) coffee shops in LA, there are a lot of very solid coffee options out there and many (but not all) do pass the test of true coffee snobs. Cognoscenti passes with flying colors. Without the loud brand recognition of Alfred, the signature drinks list of Philz or even the elite minimalist design of Maru, Cognoscenti has grown to be a trusted presence in the coffee community of the city. Founder Yeekai Lim spent years working as an architect before he doubled down in the coffee world. Cognoscenti began as a pop up, or rather pop in cafe teaming up with Proof for a few years before opening up the first brick and mortar in what used to be a very quiet part of Culver City (which has now been branded as the Culver City Arts District and is a growing hot spot).

Cognoscenti is for people who are care for the coffee not the vibes, though the vibes are a perfectly sleek backdrop for coffee making — Lim designed the space himself. Rather, it is coffee-first in that the menu sticks to the classics, coffee, milk, little more to distract from the quality of product itself, and expert baristas behind the bar to craft the perfect cup. Over the years, they’ve built up a network of farmers and producers, emphasizing high quality, sustainable and ethical buying as they expand to home brewing products as well.