The Butcher's Daughter

the butcher's daughter sits on abbot kinney like it's been there forever, though it hasn't. 2,497 google reviewers can't all be wrong about their 4.4-star rating, and they aren't. this venice spot does what good independents do best: makes you want to stay longer than you planned. the baristas actually taste their shots before serving them. wild concept, right? regulars know to come early before the weekend crowds discover what locals already figured out. there's something about the way they pull espresso here that makes starbucks taste like burnt water in comparison. maybe it's the attention to extraction time. maybe it's just giving a damn. the name suggests something carnivorous, but the coffee ritual here feels more like communion. mornings move slower when the coffee's this good.