Menotti's Coffee Stop

Menotti's Coffee Stop—emphasis on the "stop"—feels like a friendly refuge from the neighboring Venice Boardwalk. The interior is welcoming but spartan, with most of the attention focused on the bean selection and, behind it, a stack of vinyl and a taxidermy armadillo. You won't really find much seating; there's a bench, a sinigle table and a narrow wooden bar that barely fits a coffee cup and a tasty, croissant-like cinnamon roll. Consider your almond milk latte to go ($5) a dose of tranquility to tote along the Boardwalk. But there are occasional opportunities to linger inside, namely during coffee tasting sessions of San Francisco-based Four Barrel Coffee.