These Are Alton Brown's Favorite Coffee Shops In California

SANTA MONICA, CA – Alton Brown is a Food Network regular and culinary mastermind. Aside from his binge watch-worthy stints on Good Eats, Iron Chef America, and Cutthroat Kitchen, he's also a best-selling author of several food and cooking books. The man knows food, but he also knows coffee.

Brown published a list of his favorite coffee shops in the United States, and California coffee dominated the list. Here's 12 of the best, for the next time you want to treat yourself to an Alton Brown-certified cup of Joe:

• Cafe Smitten, Bakersfield: Brown said this spot defines Bakersfield's coffee scene.
• Portola Coffee Lab, Costa Mesa: "Why have I not combined two of my three favorite beverages, namely horchata and coffee, before? I have no excuse. Now I may introduce my third: bourbon," he said.
• Coffee Plus Food, Los Angeles: Brown suggests ordering a flat white and several of their sticky buns to-go.
• Coffee Commissary, Los Angeles: Brown says that Coffee Commissary has, "without a doubt, some of the best coffee in the city" and "out-of-this-world pastries like a raspberry and kumquat turnover (when in-season)."
• Glanville & Babinski Coffee, Los Angeles: Brown suggests their cortados.
• Two Guns Espresso, Manhattan Beach: Brown's go-to for Australian-style java in Southern California.
• Augie’s Coffee, Riverside: Brown suggests rdering the espresso and tonic.
• The WestBean, San Diego: He suggests trying the cortado or latte from WestBean and a brown butter espresso muffin.
• James Coffee Co., San Diego: Brown asked the barista to make me the one drink he thought he should have, and he got a honey cinnamon latte.
• Mazarine Coffee, San Francisco: The best way to knock off the Frisco fog is with a cup of coffee, he said. Brown started his day off with a latte from Mazarine.
• La Capra Coffee, San Francisco: Brown ordered the Gibraltar, named after a short glass that cortados are usually served in.
• Scout Coffee Co., San Luis Obispo: Scout Coffee is "scientifically perfect," the chef said. It's what he expected from Central California.

To see the full list of celebrity chef-approved coffee spots in the United States, click here.

Did Alton Brown miss one of your favorite California coffee spots? Let us know in the comments.

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