mu.sō coffee

By far THE best matcha I’ve ever had in LA so far. I’ve been so countless and this one tastes so fresh, not watered down, high quality. The place is gorgeous too, better than others I’ve been to. It sucks it’s so far away but definitely worth the hype

This is my absolute favorite café. I discovered it 6–7 months ago by chance when I came to a ping pong party, and since then I’ve been going there about 2–3 times a week. It’s the perfect place to work and try unusual signature drinks. Their drinks are simply magical. There are lots of alternative options if you don’t drink coffee, just like me. But their coffee is also amazing, with so many different and delicious options All in all, it’s in my heart forever, 11 out of 10

TL;DR matcha is premade, and they have a ping-pong table by the restroom. Table is out back and downstairs! Cute community coffee place. Servers know some faces by name. Quick service, always a crowd. Not bad on a Saturday afternoon. Dog-friendly, especially in the outdoor patio. Building architecture looks designed by architecture student, I could see it being part of a college, tasteful and modern with a unique shape. Wood/concrete combination, glass coffee shop. Matcha is premade and solid. Nothing special, not bad at all. Partner got the lychee nectar matcha cream top, very sweet, 6/10. Avoid straw and sip with matcha foam for full flavor. Matcha flavor is faint, it’s more like a sweet drink than a typical tea. Fun place to stop by. Especially to play a round of pong beneath the shop. They have paddles and balls just lying around, at least when I went. They host ping pong events too? (See posters downstairs.) Cute place to chat, sip, walk along West Adams Blvd. A little pricey for what it is, but the welcoming atmosphere and amenities might make up for it.

mu.so stands for MUsic SOciety. I read their About page on their website and love their passion for music, community, and coffee. I'm always skeptical of aesthetic cafes in LA with $7 drinks, but mu.so actually delivered. It's a gorgeous industrial chic space. Indoor seating is a row of cafe tables by the floor-to-ceiling windows, and outdoor is a patio furniture spread that's perfect with the breezy LA weather. The coffee menu is less minimalist than you'd think, and the barista did a great job explaining recs for different drinks. Matcha is surprisingly quite concentrated and good quality. Cups are small but the drink size felt fine, since there wasn't a lot of ice and the matcha was so strong. I really liked their guava matcha ($7.50) which featured a jammy guava puree and wasn't too sweet. The regular matcha latte ($6.50) can be a go-to, although it was made blended and I would have liked the layers for the 'gram for this price. - Bathrooms are downstairs in a bike storage area, spacious and clean - Free wifi with password next to the menu - Menu has several narrow columns but I kept reading across as if all the drinks had long names - Tables had some crumbs, could use more regular wiping - I wish they turned up the speakers during the day, i would love to experience this as a hi-fi listening cafe - 2h free street parking right up front although one of my tire hub caps got stolen during my 30-minute visit here :') but that's not something that the cafe can control I hope they keep the quality up and the prices reasonable! I'll be back when I'm in LA, since it's close to a music studio that I practice drums at. Definitely one of my current favorite coffee shops.

LOVE this coffee shop!! Cozy, modern, and the matcha latte with almond milk was perfection. Wow smooth, creamy, and just the right amount of umami. Great seating and overall vibe whether you’re studying, catching up with friends, or just vibing solo. This spot ate. 💚