Two Guns Espresso opens a kiosk in downtown L.A.

Two Guns Espresso, one of the best specialty coffee shops in the South Bay, and certainly one of the best places in town for a flat white, opened in the Financial District of downtown on Monday, in a small walk-up kiosk in the plaza of the Figueroa at Wilshire building.

As there are enough Starbucks locations around here to set the scene for a Christopher Guest joke, Two Guns’s opening is especially welcome for the many lawyers, accountants and other folks who work nearby and love buying coffee as much as they love billing in tenths of the hour.

Two Guns owner Andrew “Stan” Stanisich decided to open here after he was approached by Brookfield Office Properties, the real estate company that owns Figueroa at Wilshire and several other buildings downtown.

”Downtown wasn’t on our radar,” Stanisich says, noting that Two Guns’ other two shops are considerably closer to the ocean, in Manhattan Beach. But after walking around the neighborhood and getting a feel for the downtown bustle, he decided to give it a go.

And so Two Guns is now slinging coffee in this small stand, which most recently housed Border Grill Stop. Inside, there’s just enough elbow room for a few baristas, a La Marzocco machine, grinders and, of course, coffee.

Two Guns uses its own brand of beans roasted by Caffe Luxxe, and its menu includes the same brewed coffee and espresso drinks that you’ll find at its shops in Manhattan Beach. And similar to the shops in Manhattan Beach, there are a few drinks here that nod to Stanisich’s Kiwi roots, such as long blacks and lovely flat whites, which mingle Two Guns’ chocolatey espresso with steamed milk.

There are also non-coffee drinks (Brew Dr. Kombucha, juices) available; baked goods and sandwiches are provided by Breadbar. For those who like to take their coffee breaks under the sun, there’s generous seating in the plaza.

And though the stand has only been open a few days, Stanisich already is thinking about what fun things he could do here in the future — like perhaps taking out a few pourover cones or Chemexes to brew select coffees when the afternoon rolls around.

More broadly, Stanisich says, if all goes well, Two Guns may expand its neighborhood presence and open locations in other Brookfield properties downtown.

Two Guns Espresso is open Mondays through Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Two Guns Espresso, 601 S Figueroa St., Los Angeles; (213) 628-3445.