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caffe ladro
Caffe Ladro – Roosevelt
Description on Lighthouse Roaster’s website : One of Seattle’s original roaster cafes, Lighthouse has spent more than twenty years creating a loyal following of coffee lovers by treating the coffee buying, roasting and drink-making as a noble calli
Description on Caffe Ladro’s website : Caffe Ladro Ravenna joins a thriving neighborhood; it is situated on the corner of 65th Street and Brooklyn Avenue. Stop in for the modern vibe and enjoy amazing coffee at one of the windows, or outside in one of the Adirondack chairs. If you’re seeking excellent Ravenna coffee, sample any of Ladro’s signature drinks (Medici, Gibraltar, or Shakerato), try one of their house-baked pastries, or take some beans to brew at home.
Address:1222 NE 65th St Suite 103, Seattle, WA 98115
What we ate/drank: Gibraltar, Mocha, Bacon & Caramelized Onion Quiche, Ham and Cheese Croissant, Medici
Comments: They call it Caffe Ladro – Ravenna on their website but it’s actually located in Roosevelt. Like other new additions to the Roosevelt neighborhood, Santo Coffee and Armistice Coffee – Roosevelt, this Caffe Ladro is located on the ground floor of a brand new apartment building. This one being Brooklyn 65th.
Caffe Ladro is probably our favorite coffee purveyor in Seattle, so we were thrilled when one opened in our neighborhood. They are now up to 16 locations in the greater Seattle area, so it’s easy to get the benefits of their coffee card program where you get two free drinks for every 10 you purchase.
They have a limited amount of pastries that become half price after 4:00pm.
Here are reviews of some of the other Caffe Ladro locations:
- Caffe Ladro – Union St
- Caffe Ladro -The Jetsons Ladro
- Caffe Ladro – Fremont, The Library Ladro
- Caffe Ladro- 1800, The Amazon Ladro
The Caffe Ladro – Roosevelt location is on par with some of the smaller Ladro locations like Union Street, Lower Queen Anne and Pine Street. Although it’s small in size, it still manages to have a little living room area, an L shape counter and one 4 seat table in the middle
More than any other Caffe Ladro, the Caffe Ladro – Roosevelt location really emphasizes the use of it’s outdoor space. There’s gotta be at least 20 Adirondack chairs in front of the store as well as a bench seating. The Adirondack chair is a staple of many of the Caffe Ladro in the area -Fremont, Upper Queen Anne, Lower Queen Anne locations have them, but only a few.
The Caffe Ladro – Roosevelt is a good grab-and-go spot. It opens early at 6:00am. It’s not a place I’d stay and do work on a laptop. The way most of their seating is arranged your back is exposed and people can see what you’re working on. It shouldn’t be a big deal, but I like having my back against a wall for some privacy. They say this is why dogs often sleep against big objects or prefer enclosed places-too protect their back. I guess I’m the same way.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The over 20 adirondack chairs and outdoor space
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.75
Food Options: 4.00
Overall: 4.25
Eavesdropping Convo: None
Related:
Caffe Ladro – Fremont
Description on Caffe Ladro’s website:Visit Caffe Ladro in 15 different neighborhoods in the Seattle, Washington area. Each of our cafés is unique and built to suit the neighborhood where it makes its home. You will find the same great coffee and fresh-baked goods at any Caffe Ladro location you visit.
Neighborhood: Fremont
Address: 452 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Music Playing: It’s A Jungle Out There-Buddy Guy, Let the Good Times Roll-BB King, Bleeding Heart – Jimmy D Lane
What we ate/drank: Gibraltar
Comments: This is the 4th Caffe Ladro we’re writing about. In a previous Caffe Ladro review, we mentioned that each branch has a very distinct feel. For example the one located in downtown on Pine Street, we call, The “Jetsons Caffe Ladro”. This one in Fremont we call, “The Library Caffe Ladro”. Why? This one has three sets of long tables that have the little lamps on them that you see in university libraries.
In addition to the library style tables, there are 6 or 7 smaller marble tables and counter seating all along the front looking out on N 36th.
I’m not sure if they always play this type of music in this location, but on the morning we went they were playing the blues-Buddy Guy, BB King, Jimmy D Lane. The music definitely adds to the laid back relaxing atmosphere of this location. This location is the exact opposite of The Jetsons Ladro, which has a very futuristic feel to it. This Ladro has an old nostalgic feel-exposed wood beams, warm lighting from Edison bulbs, beautiful huge wooden window frames.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The library style lights on the bigger tables.
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.50
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: As you can tell by the pictures, we ended up going here very early in the morning. This would be the perfect time to have a personal discussion with your boss outside of business hours. The weird thing is this conversation happened on a weekend morning and it was definitely a boss-underling conversation.
Boss(B): Why did you want to meet this early?
Underling(U): I just felt I needed to get some things off my chest before I made any rash decisions.
B: The floor is yours
U: I feel that some of the things promised are not being followed through on. You said you would mentor me, but it seems you are spending way more time mentoring the others and I want to know why. Is it because I’m not as pushy? Are you too busy? I want to improve, prove myself and get promoted as I’ve mentioned before, so how do I do this?
B: Sure, sure Ok. Fair enough. I’ve probably been more occupied with some of the others because they’re more outspoken. They’re go-getters and you know actions speak louder than words.
U: I don’t want you to mistake my quietness for not wanting do improve.
B: Sure, OK. But in my defense, you have never asked to meet until now. I want to give you every opportunity, but you’ve never asked for feedback.
U: I feel like, you should be the one to provide feedback to me because I don’t know.
B: Sure, sure Ok. Well, first you need to improve your grammar in your correspondences. Your use of plurals and pronouns needs work.
B always started his responses off saying, “Sure, sure OK”. Also, as you can see B got quite defensive and once that happened B went on the offensive and was painfully blunt. Not only did he say U had to improve on her grammar, but also talked about her getting to work earlier, staying later, being more outspoken in meetings, meeting deadlines that she thought were unrealistic. Once B was finished, he asked U, “How will you prove this to me”? Savage.
Related:
Caffe Ladro – Union Street
Description on the Caffe Ladro website: CHOOSE WHOLE BEAN COFFEE YOU LOVE- Your personal preferences will determine the type of roast you choose. Many coffees provide tasting notes on their labels. Tasting notes are quick guides to the aromas and flavors you will find while brewing and sipping those coffees. These descriptors are for flavors that naturally occur in coffee a result of the region in which the beans grew, the weather their harvest year, and the way the farm and miller processed the beans after harvest.
Neighborhood: Ballard
Address: 108 Union St, Seattle, WA 98101
Music playing: Helicopter by Bloc Party
What we ate/drank: Macchiato
What we ate/drank: Truthfully much like the Caffe Ladro on 1800 9th, there’s not much to report here. It’s a smaller cafe.
Comments: This review ain’t much, but I had a doozy of a eavesdropping conversation(see below).
This location has three natural wood tables all against the left wall with an upholstery bench running the length of the space . Each of these tables seats four. Then there’s one “living room” space with four chairs and a coffee table. The only other seating area are two stools at a high counter in the front of the space facing out on to Union St.
They have pastries that Caffe Ladro bakes themselves. This is a good place to come to if you are visiting Pike Place Market or the SAM(Seattle Art Museum). Due to it’s small size, I’d recommend coming here for a solo pre-work coffee or maybe a solo after lunch coffee or if you’re meeting up with a friend, but it’s not configured for a bigger group setting.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: This would be my number one choice for coffee if near the SAM(Seattle Art Museum) or Pike Place Market
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 5.0
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.0
Eavesdropping Convo: Since the review wasn’t much, I do have a doozy of a eavesdropping convo. This was definitely a recruiter for administrative roles. He was interviewing a candidate(lady in her 40s) for potential positions.
Recruiter(RR): Decaf right?
Recruitee(RE): Yes
RR: Bringing a to go cup without a sleeve for RE. I didn’t see any of those sleeve things.
RE: I don’t think they have them. I looked. I wonder if it’s due to the environment?
RR: Yeah, I don’t know why. How are you? So we talked briefly over the phone and I mentioned there are plenty of positions. We currently have 5 opening for Amazon, 4 for Microsoft and one at Starbucks.
RE: I’m really shocked that Amazon has that many openings.
RR: They are hiring like crazy. We placed 7 last week and I think 4 the previous week.
RE: I don’t know if Amazon is the right fit for me. 15 years ago I did a stint there at the front desk, so I know the environment. I want to protect myself, you know. I don’t want to be in the hot seat. I want a job that is low stress with a good life balance. Otherwise, you just think about work while you’re at home and you can’t relax. I don’t want that.
RR: No, I hear you. But at any job there’s a level of accountability and with the wage range you’re looking at there’s going to be some level of expectations and deadlines. There are lower accountability jobs that are purely admin with little to no knowledge of excel, but those are below your price range. So you did work there before?
RE: Yes, it was 15 years ago. What would I do? I just don’t want to put myself in a position where I’m busy and frazzled all day long.
RR: Like I said on the phone I’m the main recruiter for Amazon, but they don’t really provide details, but it’s $20/hr. Amazon is very secretive. There are some hospital admin positions, but those are on the east side and I know you wanted to be in Seattle.
RE: Do people stay?
RR: It’s hit or miss. Some, it’s not a right fit. Others, get hired or stay long term.
My Commentary: It seems like with the unemployment rate being at record lows, companies are really competing to find positions lately. It gives people who are available and looking for work getting to have their pick of the litter, so to speak. When somebody says they want a high paying job without the stress, you know the area is doing well. You can also see it in the restaurants and bars. People have money to spend right now, which is a far cry from 2008-2010 when it was a ghost town.
Related:
- Caffe Ladro- The Jetsons Coffee Place
- Caffe Ladro(1800 9th Building)-Mystery Solved!
- Caffe Vita – Where I Made a Fool of Myself
Caffe Ladro(1800 9th Building)-Mystery Solved!
Description on Caffe Ladro website: At Caffe Ladro, we strive to provide profound service.
We believe that profound service improves the world.
Neighborhood: Pioneer Square
Address: 1800 9th Ave , Seattle, WA 98101
Music playing: Wild Horses by The Sundays
What we ate/drank: Latte, Gibraltar
Comments: Debated on whether or not to even review this Caffe Ladro location. I’ve been to many of the other Ladro locations and really this is just a coffee stand in a lobby of the 1800 9th Building. It has no real cafe feel. The lobby area does have nice seating and there are three high top tables against the window right next to the Caffe Ladro counter. And of course you get the Caffe Ladro quality coffee drinks, but the atmosphere is an “eh”.
I can see coming here for a to-go cup, if you were meeting somebody in the building and arrived early or if you worked nearby, but the “Jetsons” Caffe Ladro is only a few blocks away and has a better atmosphere to kick back for awhile. If I worked in this building I’d be super stoked to have a Caffe Ladro in my lobby though. The building I work in has a Starbucks in the lobby, so I’m envious. There were the normal limited bakery goods that are made in their bakery offsite.
Mystery Really Solved: You may remember how I made a fool out of myself at Caffe Vita getting mixed up where I was and asking them about the logo of Caffe Ladro. I was then determined to get the scoop on where the name Caffe Ladro came from. When I went to visit the Jetson’s Caffe Ladro they told me the logo of the silhouetted man represented a cloaked mysterious in-the-shadows thief since Ladro is Italian for thief. Well I got the real scoop now! I don’t know if it’s real but it’s a more clever origin. When the owner of Caffe Ladro decided to open his first cafe, he opened it right next to Starbucks in Queen Anne hoping to steal it’s customers with a better quality coffee and environment, so he picked the name Caffe Ladro or “Coffee Thief”.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: How bright the space is due to having windows surrounding on all sides.
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 5.0
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.0
Eavedropping Convo: Took place on May the 4th.
Customer(C) – Have you gotten any Star Wars references today? You know, May the 4th? May the Force?
Barista(B)- Ohhh…..so that’s why I’ve seen so many Star Wars themed shirts today.
C-Are you a fan?
B- I mean I’ve seen them all. but I’m not a Star Wars nerd.
C- Yeah, I’m a fan but I couldn’t name every single character.
B- Oooooh..I should come up with a Star Wars theme drink for the day. How about the “Death Star”?
C – How about “Darth Mocha”?
Name: Caffe Ladro
Description on their web: At Caffe Ladro, we strive to provide profound service.
We believe that profound service improves the world.
Neighborhood: Downtown, but has 15 locations(9 in Seattle, 2 up north and 4 on the East Side)
Address: 801 Pine Street, Seattle, WA 98101
Music playing: What Do You Love? by YG
What we ate/drank: Medici, Gibraltar
Comments: Although each Caffe Ladro location is different, this one is way different. Some locations are inviting/homey and others are minimalist modern. I always felt like this location is straight out of the Jetsons. Even though the walls and cashier/barista station are covered with dark wood, the rest of the space looks like what one would envision as futuristic in the 60/70’s. This location is on the bottom floor of the 801 Tower, which was constructed in 1970. Most Seattlites know about this apartment building because it’s a circular building like a rocket and was one of the few high rise apartment buildings in NE part of downtown until recently. The cafe has slanted floor to ceiling windows all the way around the front and side which makes this Caffe Ladro location super bright. Another reason for the Jetson feel might be the 5 planetary-looking hanging lamps.
Caffe Ladro is known for their Medici. And though I’m normally an espresso/americano person, when in Rome….
The Medici is a doppio esprseso poured over chocolate syrup and orange peel, with whipped cream on top. I thought it would be super sweet but it wasn’t and quite good. The Medici was actually created in Seattle at an espresso bar no longer in existence, Last Exit on Brooklyn, which was located in the University District near UW.
They have some limited pastries
As for the seating options. There’s only a short bar with stools facing out on Pine, a few individual leather seats and few small tables with stools. There’s also a small bar near the cashier that seats three and a very small patio section.
The grand Hyatt hotel is one block away, so all the taxi drivers line up on the street right next to Caffe Ladro. One thing I noticed is the number of taxi drivers who come in for their cup of joe at Caffe Ladro while waiting for the hotel to call them to pick up a fare.
Mystery Solved– I asked the workers what the logo of the silhouetted man represented(Got the coffee place right this time). They said Ladro is Italian for thief, so the figure is supposed to be a cloaked mysterious in-the-shadows thief. Ah-ha…..
Mystery Really Solved– See review of Caffe Ladro(1800 9th Building)
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: The unconventional “Jetsons” architecture.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.25
Overall: 4.25
Eavesdropping Convos: A regular comes in…
Barista(B)- Hey, haven’t seen you in a while. Normal macchiato?
Customer(C) –You got it. How’s your morning so far?
B-So far, so good. Does it feel hot in here? *Waves her hand at her face to cool off* I’m feeling hot.
C-And I’m a heating seeking missile. **laughs**
Related Articles:
Name: Caffe Vita
Description on their web: By creating an environment where the customer can see, touch, and taste the coffee they purchase, we provide a unique learning opportunity that allows our coffee to speak for itself. Caffe Vita is always fresh, imported directly from the farm and roasted on-site.
Neighborhood: Pioneer Square
Address: 125 Prefontaine Pl South, Seattle, WA 98104
Music playing: Conventional Wisdom by Built to Spill
What we ate/drank: Americano, Frosted Apple Fritter from Mighty-O
Comments: Unlike Caffe Ladro, that seems to have a different vibe per location, Caffe Vita locations all seem to have the same vibe-warm and comfortable. Of all the Caffe Vita locations, this is by far my favorite. Some thing to be aware of — this location is not open on the weekends, but all their other locations are. I guess Pioneer Square is generally a ghost town on the weekends. Another thing I didn’t realize is the Capitol Hill location is open until 11:00pm for all you night owls. They also have locations outside Seattle in Portland, NY and LA.
This particular location has an industrial look with huge steel supports, a huge metal staircase and bar stools made from camshafts. Because of it’s size, it’s good for groups. A huge community table is located in the front along with 3 or 4 tables for two. In the back is more bar seating. That’s not all. They have an upstairs area with a leather couch and a few more table seatings with a really interesting glass coffee table that have a huge cut section of a tree trunk surrounded by a steel mechanism.The ceilings have to be at least 25 feet high, which means the huge windows allow in a lot of light.
For all you vegans out there, you’ll be happy to know that their pastries are from Mighty-O Donuts. I had a huge apple fritter that had an unusually large portion of frosting(see pic above) with my Americano. The cashier said, “Looks like they put extra frosting on this one for you”
People call me a Looker. I don’t mean that as in, “wow, that guy’s a looker!” but more like “wow, that guy likes to look at things a lot.” This Caffe Vita location has a lot of cool things to look at-the coffee grinder in the front window, the coffee table pictured above, their huge siphon, and even the floor tiles, which are definitely original.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: All the cool things to look at-the coffee grinder in the front window, the coffee table pictured above, their huge siphon, and even the floor tiles,
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5 + 1 extra point(see below)
Food Options: 3
Overall: 4.5
Eavesdropping My Convo: Let me preface the story below. I’ve always been interested in Caffe Vita’s logo. It’s dude who looks like a court jester who is offering up a cup of coffee. I was trying to make small talk with the cashier and asked about the origin of of the logo for “Caffe Ladro“. Yes, I asked her about the logo of a different cafe. As you can see from the two logos below side by side, there is nothing in common except both are humans and both are wearing hats.
Anyways, here’s how it went down. I had just put in my order.
Me-You know the logo for Caffe Ladro, the guy with the trench coat? What’s the origin? What does it represent? Remember, my dumbass is in Caffe Vita.
Cashier – Looking perplexed. You mean……..
Me- You know the silhouette of the guy in a trench coat.
Cashier- Well different coffee places have different logos, but Cafe Ladro’s owners probably had their logo of what they envisioned a typical Seattle person looking like, bundled up in a hat and trench coat. She even physically showed me how a bundled up person looks similar to the logo!
Me- Ahhh…. Ok.
Cashier- Yeah, no problem.
I sat at a table and waited for my drink. I started thinking of the conversation. By the way she phrased her answer, it finally dawned on me. I was mortified when I realized I had asked her about another cafe’s logo.
After I realized what I had done, my first thought was, wow I can’t believe she was so nice and actually tried to explain a another cafe’s logo. She was not condescending in any way and was genuinely trying to answer my question. I never did find out about Cafe Vita’s logo, but I did find out about the Cafe Ladro’s logo from Cafe Ladro, which I’ll write about next.
When I do find out about the Vita logo, I’ll report back.
Related Articles:
It’s been about two years since we published our original “Seattle Coffee Shop Thoughts” post. Things change a lot in two years. New coffee shops open, we revisit shops and gain new perspectives, our own tastes change, so we’d thought we’d update this post.
One thing has not changed. Per our earlier post, according to Bustle, Seattle was ranked #1 for The Best City for Coffee Fanatics. And just earlier this year Wallet Hub ranked Seattle the #1 Coffee City in America.
So we can once again confirm that Seattlites having the stereotype of being coffee drinking fools is no stereotype, we take our coffee seriously. We can also confirm as before, if you ask 20 different locals what their favorite coffee place is, you’ll most likely get 20 different answers.
When it comes to price there’s not much differentiation between cafes. We would also say that the places we’ve decided to review all have quality coffee. Although we did visit some cafes where the coffee was subpar(and we choose not to review for that reason), we don’t think a coffee shop can survive for very long in Seattle with the abundance of quality choices.
In our previous post we pointed out there were two types of coffee shops, the cozy and the modern minimalist, but we’ve refined it to 3 types of coffee shops:
1. The Neighborhood /Community Coffee Shop – We’re not saying the quality of the coffee is not a priority in these shops, but there really is an effort to make you feel comfortable(warm lighting and colors, comfy seating) and creating an environment that makes you want to stay awhile and come back. There’s a steady stream of regulars and interacting/small talk with the baristas who know your name and drink before you even walk in the door is common. Locals meet up here to talk and catch up, read a paper or book or just relax.
Examples: Analog Coffee, Lighthouse Roasters, Seven Coffee Roasters , El Diablo Coffee(RIP), Preserve and Gather, Cloud City Coffee, Café Allegro, Zeitgeist Coffee, Anchored Ship Coffee, Bauhaus, Venture Coffee, Mabel Coffee, Eastern Cafe, Fuel, Kaladi Brothers Coffee, Realfine Coffee, Armistice Coffee – Roosevelt, Santo Coffee, Ada’s Technical Books Cafe, Vif Wine | Coffee
Our Favorite: Analog Coffee
2.The Coffee-Centric Shops – It’s all about the coffee first and foremost. Sparse walls, minimal and simple décor and knowledegable baristas are the norm. The baristas want to engage with the customer about the beans and it’s origin. They’ve got options-Chemex, Moka Pot, French Press, Aeropress, Hario V60, Pour Over. They’ll have their own theories on perfect espresso extraction. This is a craft, a way of life and they are serious. You’ll be assured of a very nuanced espresso tasting.
Examples: Slate Coffee Roasters, Elm Coffee Roasters , Broadcast Coffee, Milstead & Co., Ghost Note Coffee
Our Favorite: Broadcast Coffee,
3. The Seattle-Based Roasters – They all have multiple locations around Seattle and no matter what neighborhood you’re in, you’re likely to find one of their branches. When searching for coffee, there’s a sense of relief when spotting one of these roasters due to our familiarity with them. We know we’re getting fresh batch beans and it’s nice to support our local roasters.
Examples: Espresso Vivace , Caffé Vita, Caffe Ladro, Caffe Umbria, Herkimer Coffee, Storyville Coffee Co , Victrola Coffee Roasters, Coffee Works(Seattle Coffee Works, Capitol Coffee Works, Cascade Coffee Works, Ballard Coffee Works), Zoka Coffee Roasters , Cherry Street Coffee.
Our Favorite: Caffe Ladro
The Outliers – They don’t fit in any of the categories, but are still quality coffee shops. Most are not in neighborhood areas and located in places like downtown/Belltown/Pioneer Square.
Examples: Mr West Café Bar, Pegasus Coffee, Caffe Senso Unico, Tempesta Coffee (RIP),Street Bean Coffee Roasters – Belltown, Evoke Coffee, La Marzocco Café & Showroom, Convoy Coffee.
Our Favorite: Mr West Café Bar
Our favorite coffee shops by neighborhood:
Ballard-Anchored Ship Coffee, Bauhaus, Venture Coffee, Mabel Coffee
Belltown-Tempesta Coffee.
Capitol Hill-Victrola Coffee, Ghost Note Coffee, Analog Coffee, Capitol Coffee Works, Kaladi Brothers Coffee, Realfine Coffee, Ada’s Technical Books Cafe
Downtown-Mr West Café Bar, Anchorhead Coffee Co, Pegasus Coffee, Caffe Senso Unico, Café Magliore, Cafe Hitchcock, Victrola Coffee Roasters – Downtown , Seattle Coffee Works **New Location**
Pike Place-Storyville Coffee Co
Eastlake- Armistice Coffee
Fremont-Milstead & Co., Lighthouse Roasters
Georgetown – Brother Joe
Green Lake-Kitanda Espresso, Revolutions Coffee
Greenwood-Preserve and Gather
International District – Eastern Cafe
Maple Leaf-Cloud City Coffee
Pioneer Square-Convoy Coffee, Cherry Street Public House, Caffé Vita, Slate Coffee Roasters, Elm Coffee Roasters, Zeitgeist Coffee , Caffe Umbria
Queen Anne- La Marzocco Café & Showroom, El Diablo Coffee
Ravenna- Seven Coffee Roasters
Roosevelt-Broadcast Coffee, Armistice Coffee – Roosevelt, Santo Coffee, Caffe Ladro – Roosevelt
South Lake Union-Espresso Vivace , Evoke Coffee, Cascade Coffee Works
Tangletown-Zoka Coffee Roasters
University-Café Allegro(Seattle’s oldest coffee shop), Herkimer Coffee
Wallingford-Fuel
Westlake-Caffe Umbria
Related:
- Part 1 – Best Coffee Neighborhood, Most Popular, Most Underrated
- Part 2 – Best Coffee Shops for Groups or You Want To Be Alone.
- Part 3 – Best Seattle Coffee Drink Sets, Best Views
- Part 4 – Best Seattle Coffee Shops to Impress Visitors, Impress Visiting Coffee Snobs, Make Visitors Feel Like Locals.
- Part 5 – Best Seattle Coffee Shops for Food Options, Friendliest Service
- Part 6 – Seattle Coffee With Most Character, Best Seattle Coffee Shops Overall.
Since bestowing our various Coffee Shop Awards on a variety of coffee shops earlier this year(see below), we’ve discovered 15 more coffee shops that were not up for consideration for these awards.
- Part 1 – Best Coffee Neighborhood, Most Popular, Most Underrated
- Part 2 – Best Coffee Shops for Groups or You Want To Be Alone.
- Part 3 – Best Seattle Coffee Drink Sets, Best Views
- Part 4 – Best Seattle Coffee Shops to Impress Visitors, Impress Visiting Coffee Snobs, Make Visitors Feel Like Locals.
- Part 5 – Best Seattle Coffee Shops for Food Options, Friendliest Service
- Part 6 – Seattle Coffee With Most Character, Best Seattle Coffee Shops Overall.
These are the newly discovered coffee shops we were most impressed with and try to determine if they would have cracked the rankings in any of the categories.
Mabel Coffee – This travel themed cafe in Ballard is deceivingly large and perfect for group coffee meet ups and even has a separate room that you can reserve. Mabel Coffee definitely has a community feel to it – the community travel journal, the large community board, the unpretentious nature of their mish mosh of tables and seatings, doggy treats, dedicated kids area.
Coffee Award Consideration: Best Coffee Shops for Groups, Best Coffee Shop to Make Visitors Feel Like a Local
Venture Coffee – Is actually right down the street from Mabel Coffee and was formerly a place called, Java Bean. Venture Coffee definitely has that neighborhood hangout vibe. While we were there, it seems most of the patrons are regulars and on a first name basis with the workers. There were people reading on their kindles, people reading newspapers, two people having a business meeting and two fellows conversing in sign language. The word that comes to mind is comfort. They also have great food options. The Hot Mama is one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve had. We never hear anybody talk about Venture Coffee, but it’s definitely worth a visit.
Coffee Award Consideration: Most Underrated, Best Coffee Shop to Make Visitors Feel Like a Local. Best Coffee Shop For Food Options.
Armistice Coffee- Roosevelt – has a wide variety of seating areas -fire pit patio, another more secluded patio area, community table and lots of indoor seating. The space is in the running for most stunning in the city. Armistice also sells alcoholic drinks- wine, beer, sipping tequilla, whiskeys and a few simple mixed drinks. They also have croissants, muffins, scones, quiches, and a few pre-made sandwiches and salads from White Knuckle.
Coffee Award Consideration: Best Coffee Shops for Groups, Best Coffee Shops for Food Options, Best Overall
Santo Coffee – You can tell great care and meticulous detail was put into the design of the shop. The place is beautiful and has such a high end feel that we felt a little guilty bringing our little ones here. They serve Devocion Coffee, which is unique in that they roast their beans from Colombia, harvest to cup in the range of 10 to 30 days versus the industry standard of 6 months. You can read more about them here. Having this unique roast definitely gives Santo Coffee a something no other coffee shop in Seattle has.
Coffee Award Consideration: Best Coffee Shop to Impress Visiting Coffee Snob
Mr West Cafe – University Village – Mr West Cafe in downtown is our #1 overall favorite coffee shop in Seattle, so when we heard that they were opening a 2nd location in University Village, which only had 3 Starbucks for coffee options, we were giddy. This has the same feel, but much bigger than the downtown branch. It hasn’t been open long, but the place is always packed with shoppers taking a break.
Coffee Award Consideration: For the same reason as the downtown location -Most Popular, Best Coffee Shop to Impress Visitors.
The Roosevelt Neighborhood has Broadcast Coffee, Armistice Coffee-Roosevelt, Santo Coffee, Caffe Ladro – Roosevelt in a half mile radius. Not to mention a Starbucks, Wayward Coffeehouse, Bus Stop Espresso, Urban Luxe Cafe and a Whole Foods where you can get Bulletproof Coffee. The neighborhood has seemingly become a hot spot for cafes in anticipation of the new Link Light rail station due to open in 2021. Armistice, Santo and Ladro all just opened up just this year.
Coffee Award Consideration: Best Coffee Neighborhood
Find out about Seattle coffee shops here.
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Seattle Coffee Shops
- Best Seattle Coffee Shops For Each Stage of Dating
Santo Coffee – Roosevelt
Description on Santo Coffee’s website: We are a startup shop formed by a family of driven people with a passion for the craft, palates for quality, and love for community. We have worked to create an experience for our guests where every detail is thoughtfully and intentionally considered.
Neighborhood:Roosevelt
Address: 1325 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115
What we ate/drank: Cortado, Raspberry Brioche from Sémillon Bakery, Devocion espresso
Comments: Finally, Santo Coffee is open!
We’ve honestly been waiting to write this review for close to a year. We go to Rising Sun Produce, located down the street, quite often. One day when walking past the newly built Mio Apartments on the way to Rising Sun, we saw a sign that Santo Coffee was opening in the Fall of 2018. We were happy to have another coffee shop in walking distance to our house. I think the first time we saw the sign was June or July of 2018.
The Fall came, then Winter, then Spring and no sign of any opening. Meanwhile Caffe Ladro moved in right across the street and Armistice Coffee Roasters opened up down the street, but no sign of Santo Coffee.
Santo Coffee is now open and you can tell great care and meticulous detail was put into the design of the shop. The place is beautiful and has such a high end feel that we felt a little guilty bringing our little ones here.
One of the owners of Santo Coffee is former Seattle Sounders star, Fredy Montero. I believe we spoke to one of the other owners of Santo Coffee, Jessica. We made some small talk and she mentioned their pastries are made by Sémillon Bakery & Café in Capitol Hill and their coffee is from Devocion, a roaster based in New York.
Devocion Coffee is unique in that they roast their beans from Colombia, harvest to cup in the range of 10 to 30 days versus the industry standard of 6 months. You can read more about them here. Having this unique roast definitely gives Santo Coffee a something no other coffee shop in Seattle has.
As mentioned it seems like no detail was missed. Santo Coffee is easily the “fanciest” space in Seattle. Check out the green sectional, the floor to ceiling windows all the way around, the glass doors that open up to the outside, black marble counter and the most unique feature, a bar that runs along the window that becomes a bench.
We love having Santo Coffee in the neighborhood and we’ll be frequent visitors. It’s a perfect place to bring our out-of-town visitors who enjoy “the finer things”. Santo Coffee feels a bit out of place in our quaint little neighborhood. It feels like it should be in hipper neighborhood Capitol Hill or Belltown, but we’re glad they’re finally here.
Ratings(1-5)
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 4.75
Food Options: 4.00
Overall: 4.50
Eavesdropping Convo: A guy and a gal talking next to us. They were talking about the Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen video .
Guy: You know that Dancing in the Dark video has Courtney Cox in it.
Gal: says nothing
Guy: Yeah, they want you to believe that she was a regular fan and that she was randomly picked by Bruce Springsteen to come up on stage and dance. You can toooootally tell by the camera angles that it was not random. It was planned for the video. It’s Courtney Cox for God’s sake. It’s totally staged
Girl: says nothing
Guy: It’s soooo obvious. But yeah, that’s Courtney Cox in that video. Little known fact most people don’t know. This is before Friends, so she wasn’t famous. But yeah, that’s her.
I thought it was common knowledge that Courtney Cox was in that video and never thought it wasn’t staged as part of the video.
Related:
**********Unfortunately, This Restaurant Has Closed Down**********
Recommended by: Not a server, but a customer eating next to us at Porkchop & Co. made small talk and mentioned the Hi Life down the street is another great option for brunches and is a bigger space, so there’s less of a wait.
Description on the Hi-Life’s website: Located in the 106 year old historic Firehouse No. 18 built in 1911, we serve up a rotating menu that features the best of our four seasons here in the Pacific Northwest. With an emphasis on our grilled and brick oven roasted dishes, our line turns out tasty, full flavored food for breakfast, lunch and dinner each and every day.
Neighborhood/Type: Ballard
Address: 5425 Russell Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
What we ate/drank: Ballard Barrio Breakfast Burrito- A burrito full of chorizo, black beans, eggs, and cheese, topped with salsa and served patatas del desayuno, Chorizo Scramble-Green onion, avocado, tomato, parmesan cheese with crispy potatoes and toast. 2 x Caffe Ladro drip coffee.
Comment: We’d never been to this establishment as the Hi-Life, but I did come here when it was a concert venue known as The Ballard Firehouse. In fact, I remember seeing The Fixx and The Alarm play here one weekday night many years ago. Bands such as The Kinks, Blue Oyster Cult, Anthrax, Motorhead and Modest Mouse also played here.
Well now this former firehouse is The Hi-Life, part of CHOW Food, which also includes one of our other favorite breakfast restaurants, The 5 Spot.
Based on the pic above of the Hi-Life you can definitely see the remnants such as the huge doors and open space that this building has been reincarnated from a previous life of a firehouse. It was built in 1911 and the horses were kept in stables where the kitchen is now. You can actually see one of the original fire poles from the old sleeping quarters right over the current bar. The building was in use as a firehouse until 1975 and has been the Hi-Life since 2004. The exposed beams and brick walls give the feel from yesteryear.
Like the The 5 Spot, you enter a huge space with a bar area on the right and the dining area on the left. Many of the dishes harken back to the firehouse, such as the Firehouse Benedict, Station House #18(short stack of pancakes with bacon and two eggs) and Firehouse Mac & Cheese.
One of the better deals you can get here are the meals on the “Not-So-Early-Bird-Breakfast” menu, which is served from 8am-11am on weekdays for $7.75. Can’t beat that. One of the dishes we got off this menu was the Ballard Barrio Breakfast Burrito, which had chorizo, black beans, egg and cheese and served with potatoes and salsa. The burrito was toasted on the outside just how we like it. We were thinking that because it was on this special priced menu, it might be on the smaller size, but that was not the case. It was huge and we took half of it home with us.
The other meal was a special of the day, a Chorizo Scramble with green onion, avocado, tomato, parmesan cheese with crispy potatoes and toast. We had originally ordered another dish and after our server left to put in the order with the kitchen I noticed the special on their black board. We flagged down our server and she graciously went to the kitchen to change the order without issue.
The Hi Life is a good place for groups and in a historical building with a fun history.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.25
Bang for the Buck: 4.75 especially off the “Not-So-Early-Bird-Breakfast” menu.
Overall: 4.50
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: Our server, a recent transplant to Seattle, was really friendly and engaging. She tried to give suggestions on where some of her favorite restaurants in Seattle were, but she was so new to the area she hadn’t gone to a lot of places and then ones she mentioned, we’d already been to. She actually went to a co-worker who suggested Toulouse Petit.
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