Inside DTLA’s Newest Coffee Bar, The Classic

The Classic coffee bar in downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Amparo Rios.

The Classic coffee bar has opened in the fashion district in downtown Los Angeles, with bow-tied baristas serving coffees from Intelligentsia. It is the latest in a series of high-profile retail openings — including that of Tyler Wells’ Blacktop Espresso Bar and Coffee Colab — that has surely cemented DTLA as one of the most exciting coffee destinations in the United States.

(related: Life & Thyme Journeys Through Morning Coffee in Los Angeles)

According to California Apparel News, the coffee bar at the corner of S. Main and E. 9th (862 South Main St.) is being run by a new fashion company called LATS, which refurbished and designed the building, including an upstairs showroom. The immediately notable element in the shop itself is the living plant wall, while floor-to-ceiling windows illuminate the bar.

The menu includes pour over coffees, standard espresso drinks and specialty drinks, including the “Fashionista:” a concoction of espresso, simple syrup and 2% milk. Pastries come from the Bread Lounge.

(all photos by Los Angeles-based Amparo Rios)