The Finest Coconut Water in L.A.

Here's where to enjoy nature's ultra-hydrating elixir straight out of the fruit.

I used to hate coconut water because my first exposure to it was Vita Coco, which is disgusting. Now I love it. Can’t get enough. I keep my fridge stocked with Harmless Harvest, the best widely available bottled coconut water on the market, for smoothies and whatnot. The finest way to enjoy coconut water, however, is straight out of the fruit. Lucky for us, there are many opportunities to do so within the city limits of Los Angeles. These are the places I like to frequent for the fresh stuff.

I hope this list serves you well, and that it’s particularly useful for those suffering from a hangover. (Coconut water is high in electrolytes like potassium and calcium, and is very hydrating!)

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Photographs by David Gurzhiev

Sapp Coffee Shop

This venerable Thai Town spot for beef boat noodles and chicken pad kra pao serves my favorite coconut water in town. It does not arrive at your table inside of a coconut shell, but what you get is just as good, if not better. Instead, Sapp serves coconut water in a plastic cup over silky hunks of fresh coconut meat and a pile of shaved iced. It’s refreshing, it’s textural, and it’s delicious. I’ll often stop in just for a coconut water to go.

Sapp’s coconut water, to go.

Ditroit

Ditroit is the back alley taqueria of Mexican chef Enrique Olvera’s excellent Arts District restaurant Damian. It’s open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, for suadero tacos, fish flautas, seasonal paletas, and fresh coconuts full of juice that tastes like brown sugar. At almost $10, a coconut here isn’t cheap, but it is served with a stainless steel spoon straw that enables you to scoop up its interior meat. That added value, plus Ditroit’s chic environs, make this coconut water a worthy splurge.

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H Mart

Pull up to any H Mart and look for the cold fruit section stocked with varying-sized whole coconuts. This titan Korean grocery chain prepares coconuts in a manner that retains freshness and allows for immediate juice consumption: encased in netted styrofoam and saran wrap, with holes punched in their tops and wide plastic straws stickered to their shells. Grab one for the road.

Bhan Kanom Thai

The fridge at this Thai dessert shop, best known for its mango sticky rice and kanom krok, is stocked with daily-made puddings and cold drinks, like pandan custard and Thai tea with boba. Top-notch coconut water is also available, packaged with chunks of fresh meat in to-go cups sealed with laminated tops. If you ask nicely when you check out, Bhan Kanom Thai will pour it over ice for you.

Coconut water perched among snacks at Bhan Kanom Thai.

Thai Angel

Perhaps you know Thai Angel as a party bar for late nights. It is indeed a very fun place for that. But whether you’re here at 7 p.m. for pad thai or 1 a.m. for shots of ya dong, I implore you to look beyond the low boys stocked with Beerlaos and peruse the creative, tropical-minded cocktail menu. On it, you’ll notice they sell whole fresh coconuts. Order one with tequila or rum.

Side of the road in Malibu

If you’ve been to Malibu, you’ve seen the trucks parked on the side of the PCH that advertise coconuts. Next time you go to the beach, make sure you have cash on hand so you can pull over and buy one. (It’ll likely be overpriced, as you are in Malibu.) The vendor will slice off its top and hand it to you with a straw. Then, get back in your car, roll down your windows, and let the ocean breeze run across your face as you drive home with one hand on the wheel, the other grasping your coconut. Sip until empty.

A Malibu coconut.

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