Best Coffee Shops for a Date in Highland Park in Los Angeles

Highly Likely gives a date a choice of settings: a patio of olive trees and greenery with its own outdoor bar, or a U-shaped indoor bar. Casual date nights suit it after dark, when the lights go low and dinner takes over.

Natural wine, beer, tea or espresso: Highly Likely has all four to offer. The backyard patio is among the best in the neighborhood to enjoy their fig negroni. Dinner includes pappardelle bolognese, chicken schnitzel and a steak au poivre.

Modu Cafe is a cozy, intimate coffee shop in Highland Park that makes a lovely setting for a first date. Settle in over coffee and get to know each other in the warm, inviting space, then take a stroll through the neighborhood to explore the nearby shops and galleries together.

The pastries are Korean-influenced and light, such as a lime tart and a hojicha mochi muffin, while the drinks include a cream top latte and a coffee flight.

Comet Over Delphi is a calm, cozy cafe at the Mount Washington edge of Highland Park. The moody interior, with warm lighting and brown leather couches, gives a pair a cozy spot to settle into. We recommend The Magic, the signature drink pulled on an Aremde espresso machine, or one of the espresso sodas, such as the Kalamansi Soda.

Two patios make Go Get Em Tiger an easy place to take a coffee date outside, with indoor seating and a full food and drink menu if you would rather stay in. The Highland Park shop is the third location, known for creative espresso drinks. It is on Figueroa next to Triple Beam Pizza, Hippo and Highland Park Wine. The shop is open daily 7am to 3pm.

Kumquat Coffee is a calm Highland Park coffee shop where the drinks are livelier than the room, with peanut butter foam lattes among them. The calm room leaves space for conversation, and the lively drinks give you something to compare. Milk tea espresso pulls, matcha tonics, dirty chais and cold brews fill a menu that is technical and carefully curated. It is open daily 7am to 5pm.

Café de Leche puts Latin twists on familiar drinks, and is best known for its horchata con espresso. The Highland Park shop is the original location, with a small-batch roastery, and the coffee is hand-roasted.

The space is modern and bright, with room to settle in with a book or a sketchpad. A toy corner in the back draws families, so the room can get busy.

The shaded outdoor patio is a second seating option, while tall ceilings keep the indoor room bright and airy. An hour over a latte passes easily here. The cafe is open daily 7am to 5pm, and the kitchen runs 7am to 2pm.

Collage Coffee is marked by a turquoise, Mexico City-style tiled storefront with two doors that stay open, an easy landmark for meeting up. It opened in 2017 in a tiny 200-square-foot former studio and retail space, started by Phill Kim, Eric Pfleeger and Kevin Hockin.

Back in 2017, the opening menu poured cold brew on tap and hibiscus lemonade, plus a vegan, gluten-free waffle on a stick made for splitting.

Tierra Mia is a Latin-inspired coffee shop known for its frappes and pastries. The signature is the Coco Loco frappe, and the menu also has horchata drinks and a tres leches muffin. The room is small, with few tables and shaded outdoor seating, and it feels lively and social more than quiet.

The founders come from Yerevan, Armenia, and started Lumen Coffee hoping to lift coffee culture back in their hometown. Beans are roasted in-house in Azusa, CA, with profiles tuned to its Armenian coffee. Espresso, freddos, cappuccinos and special drinks are its calling cards, and each season brings a new drink, roses and cardamom or passion fruit among them, giving you something new to try together. The Highland Park shop is open daily 7:30am to 3pm.