Cafe Balcony

Parking: Street
Live Performances Laid Back Casual Cafe / Coffee House Moderately noisy

You might miss this tiny storefront cafe tucked into a nook just off Santa Monica Boulevard if you're not among the initiated or if you come too early, as the shop doesn't open until noon. This is intentional, says owner Ray Sato, who likes the slower pace of the night crowd—students, architects, the inevitable screenwriters with laptops, and says Sato, "a lot of acupuncturists." The little spot is laid out like a bar and has the feel of a place where you might strike up a conversation with a stranger. You can play it safe and order a cappuccino, but if you need a conversation starter, order the siphon coffee, a cup brewed in a striking Teutonic contraption (invented in Berlin in the 1830s) that looks like a cross between a Chemex and a particle accelerator. A burner heats a vacuum chamber, which then pushes water up through the freshly ground beans and brews them at around 200 degrees. Whatever you choose—Sumatran, Indian Malabar, Guatemalan and AA Kenyan and specials, such as Kona or Jamaican Blue Mountain—it'll be phenomenal with the body and flavor of a French-press cup, but with a much cleaner taste.

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