Fuel Coffee – Wallingford
Fuel Coffee
Breaking News-5/21/20: Ada’s Technical Books Cafe has acquired the three Fuel Coffee branches including the one reviewed below. You can read about the details here.
Description on Fuel Coffee’s website : We are committed to perfectly caffeinating each customer with the highest quality coffee and to redefine the standards of customer service in a unique, friendly, and comfortable atmosphere.
Neighborhood: Wallingford
Address: 1705 N 45th St 98103
Music playing: Boys Don’t Cry by The Cure
What we ate/drank: Doppio espresso, mocha, macchiato.
Comments: People often call coffee fuel for the body, especially for us non-morning folks. So I guess it’s an appropriate name for this local vintage road trip-themed coffee shop with locations in Wallingford, Montlake and Capitol Hill. This location on the main street of N 45th Ave is right in the middle of the Wallingford neighborhood. 
We had birthing classes a few years ago in Wallingford, so this was our go-to coffee place during this time. Because these classes were in the morning, we normally had no problems finding parking right on N. 45th Ave, but these do have a small parking lot in the back.
When entering you’ll notice about 5 high counter stools facing out to the main street. There are also a few tables/chairs in the front area, which is where all the sunlight is. You’ll notice the first of their vintage décor, an old fashioned gas pump, which is right next the refrigerator of cold drinks. In the middle is the barista station/cashier with pastries and a few savory foods, such as quiche. The pasties are locally sourced from Standard Bakery, Macrina and La Toscanella. There are times when there is one person manning both the cash register and making the drinks, which could make for a longer wait. When there are two people working, it goes much more quickly.
The vintage road trip-theme continues with a shelf displaying old tire rims, travel books, old Rand McNally road maps vintage coffee cans, soda bottles, spark plug boxes and drinking water. The largest part of the location is in the back, which has a combination of regular tables, coffee tables and high counters with stools. This area can easily seat 20+ people. Although we really dig the painted brick wall with the giant coffee mug and the vintage signage for pies, this area is really dark and has no windows. There are some smaller lamps that provide a bit of light and probably not a big deal during the dark winter months, but not ideal in the sunny summer days. Speaking of signage, we do dig their store front signage, a bright orange circle with “Fuel” and a circular neon arrow pointing to the store.
Surprisingly, there aren’t a lot of coffee options in Wallingford with the exception of Starbucks and a few smaller cafes, but Fuel Coffee, in our opinion, is really the only true option in Wallingford when it comes to really good coffee. According to their website they source their coffee from Caffe Vita.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Vintage props and signage, which give it a lot of character
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4.5
Food Options: 4.25
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: None
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