Located near the corner of Fairfax and Melrose, Coffee Commissary is truly a breath of fresh air in the LA coffee scene. Thus far, I haven't found many other places that use Victrola (out of Seattle, Washington) or Sightglass (one of my favorites out of San Fran) in the Los Angeles area. For espresso at the time that I visited on Sunday they had just switched to  Victrola's Guatemala Huehuetenango for some single origin goodness. It tasted like dark chocolate and was pulled basically perfectly. Aside from the great espresso, Coffee Commissary is in a great location and on Sunday is right around the corner from the Melrose Trading Post (check it out--so awesome!!). Although I wouldn't necessarily study inside there because of the loud-ish music, their outdoor seating is perfect for reading a book on a nice day. If you're feelin' meaty, grab some meat at Lindy & Grundy next door! Overall, awesome coffee shop and I wish it was located closer to me *sigh*. 

Recommend: Go on a sunny day and sit outside! Or go on a Sunday and hit up the Melrose Trading post after (http://melrosetradingpost.org/)!

Note: Music is pretty loud inside usually so unless you have some good headphones, it's not ideal for studying.

Updates: There are two other Coffee Commissary locations in North Hollywood and Burbank. The Burbank location has equally good espresso and great food (make sure to try the french toast)!

Price: $$ 

Vibe: Modern, cool, coffee nerd

Espresso Rating: 8/10

Overall Rating: 9/10

Hours:  Mon-Sun 7 am - 8 pm

Website: http://www.coffeecommissary.com/