Why go
Espresso on one side of the counter, ceremonial-grade matcha on the other, and one drink that puts them in the same glass. That drink is the Vienna, and it is the reason to stop at this small Silver Lake shop rather than any of the other coffee bars on the strip.
The Vienna, and the two halves it joins
Picnic Coffee opened in 2024 around a narrow brief: specialty coffee and Japanese green tea, held to the same standard. The matcha comes from Fukuoka, a growing region associated with tea prepared for ceremony, so the green side of the board is not an afterthought bolted onto an espresso bar. The Vienna combines espresso and matcha in one cup and is the most distinctive thing the menu does.
That pairing is also the quickest way to read the place. Matcha drinkers get a named origin to anchor the cup. Espresso drinkers get a specialty programme rather than a hotel-lobby pour. Anyone undecided has the Vienna sitting exactly between the two, which is where the shop wants you.
A small Silver Lake counter
The shop is compact and beverage-led. There is a little seating inside and a little more outside, but the footprint keeps the emphasis on the drink and the queue rather than on settling in for an afternoon. It works as a stop on the way somewhere, and the room is honest about being exactly that.
Silver Lake suits it. The surrounding blocks run to independent coffee, small boutiques and a resident creative crowd, so Picnic reads as a neighbourhood fixture rather than a destination that pulls people across the city. Eater picked it up for its 2025 coffee guide, which is the recognition worth knowing about and a fair one for a shop this size.
What to order after the Vienna
If the Vienna is already ordered, split the difference the other way and take the matcha on its own, where the Fukuoka sourcing shows most clearly. Straight espresso is the other useful test and the honest read on the coffee side of the counter.
Beyond those, keep expectations matched to the format. This is a beverage-led shop with a short board rather than a cafe with a kitchen behind it, and it is better for the discipline. Pick the drink, take the outdoor seat if one is free, and carry the rest of it into the neighbourhood.
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Frequently asked questions
What should I order first at Picnic Coffee?
The Vienna, which combines espresso and ceremonial-grade matcha in a single cup and is the most distinctive thing on the board. If you would rather taste the two halves separately, order the matcha on its own to judge the Fukuoka sourcing, then a straight espresso to read the coffee side of the counter.
Where does the matcha at Picnic Coffee come from?
Fukuoka, in southern Japan, and it is ceremonial grade rather than the culinary powder most cafes use in milk drinks. That sourcing is why the tea side of the menu carries as much weight as the espresso side, and why the matcha is worth ordering on its own at least once.
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