5 Frou-Frou Coffee Drinks Worth Ordering

There's been a bit of backlash on fancy coffee drinks since the start of the craft coffee movement here in L.A. But not all sweetened sips are created equal. While we'd hardly endorse drinking a Frappuccino, there are some worthy frou-frou coffee drinks out there. And no, they don't involve caramel syrup or double skinny anything. They're balanced and delicious, and just the right amount of wrong.

Here are the 5 worth trying.

Business and Pleasure at Go Get 'Em Tiger

Kyle Glanville and Charles Babinski's Larchmont Village coffee bar not only makes a wicked cheddar corn bread waffle with honey, but they also have a really fun coffee menu. Alongside single origin brews and purist applications, you'll find the Business and Pleasure—a shot of single origin espresso served with a back of a slightly sweetened almond macadamia nut latte. It's naughty in the best of ways.

Go Get Em Tiger is located at 230 N. Larchmont Avenue, Los Angeles, 90036

Mocha Mexicano at Tierra Mia

Tierra Mia's four locations throughout the city focus on direct trade coffees from Latin American countries like Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia and Peru. Their pour overs are fantastic too, but you'd be crazy to miss their signature drinks: Mocha Mexicano, Horchata Latte, Coco Loco Latte, Cubano con Leche and the Horchata Frappe. Try them with a guava cheese pastry and you'll forget about all that high-and-mighty coffee business.

Tierra Mia is located at 653 S Spring Street, Downtown, (213) 895-6000

The Tuscan Latte at Sycamore Kitchen (Photo by Krista Simmons/LAist)
Tuscan Latte at Sycamore Kitchen

We usually reserve our sweets intake for Karen Hatfield's outrageously good pastries at Sycamore Kitchen (the sticky, caramelized babka rolls and house made glazed donuts topped with pistachio crumbles will make your head spin), but if you want to balance out a savory option like the chicken zatar bowl with something sweet, the Tuscan Latte is right up your alley. Stumptown espresso is infused with rosemary simple syrup, honey and caramel to make for an aromatic brew. It's really something special.

Sycamore Kitchen is located at 143 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, (323) 939-0151

Milkshake at G & B

Also owned by Babinski and Glanville, this coffee bar is located inside the ever-evolving Grand Central Market. The service is designed to be more like a bar than a coffee shop, which makes for a great socialization with the baristas and downtown denizens alike. Try as you might, it's hard deny the deliciousness of their ultimate milkshake made with Straus Family Creamery vanilla bean ice cream, two double shots of espresso and whole milk. If you're a lightweight when it comes to caffeine, try their refreshing carbonated citra hop tea.

G&B is located at 324 S. Hill Street, Los Angeles, (312) 555-5555

Hello Kitty Latte Art at Urth Caffe

We realize it's not the same skills that Nicely (aka Christopher Abel Alameda, barista at Minoti's) has with making rosettes, but the Hello Kitty-adorned lattes at Urth Caffe are just too darn cute to pass up. Their organic brews make for an excellent pick-me-up that will instantly make even the most stone cold curmudgeon smile. If anyone gives you guff for digging on it, just tell them that the company has been roasting their own beans since 1994 here in L.A.—long before the third wave movement really took hold here—making them an institution in the scene. So there.

Urth Caffe is located at 8565 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (310) 659-0628