Pegasus Coffee Bar – The Smallest Coffee Shop in Seattle? 

Pegasus Coffee Bar

Description on Pegasus Coffee website: Pegasus Coffee began roasting arabica coffee beans for Bainbridge Island coffee lovers in 1979. From the beginning, we have focused on using the highest quality coffee beans from each growing region of the world and carefully roasting our coffee one batch at a time. 

Neighborhood: Downtown 

Address: 1218 3rd Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104 

Music playing:  None 

What we ate/drank:  Double Espresso from Pegasus Roaster 

Comments: I wanted to get a quick coffee before going to work and just relax. I intended to go to Caffe Migliore, but as I walked up to the door I saw somebody that I knew in there. I really wanted to just relax and I knew if I walked in, I’d have to talk and hang out. I’m anti-social that way prior to getting my coffee. I looked on Google Maps for nearby suggestions and I saw Pegasus Coffee was around the corner. I had always known about it because my bus passes by it everyday on my way to work. Off I went. 

Pegasus Coffee Bar is located in the Seattle Tower which at one point was the tallest building in Seattle. The builders decided to make it one floor taller than the more famous Smith Tower, whose bar I mentioned briefly in our Best Seattle Bars For Each Stage of Dating post.  The interesting thing is the Smith Tower from top to bottom is actually taller, but the Seattle Tower was built at a higher elevation so looking at the downtown skyline it’s taller. Both buildings are now considered small fries among the newer downtown buildings.  

I had no idea the space was this small. There are literally two single seats that look out on 3rd Ave. And they are not together, so if you stay here you’re sitting solo. 3rd Ave in downtown is a main bus lane in the morning, so they probably get a lot of traffic from people getting off the bus before going to their jobs.  It’s also right across the street from the University Street Link Light Rail station. For these two reasons, I’d say 98% of the people who come here, get their coffee to go.  

They have another location a few blocks away that’s also on 3rd Ave. Although, that location looks like something out of a strip mall. I know it’s not their fault since they probably took over the spot from another business or the building architects just built it that way, but if you have a choice between the two, come to one located in the Seattle Tower.  It’s a really charming small shop that according to the baristas used to be a cigar shop. Once they said that you can almost see the cigar shop qualities-the high ceilings, darker lighting and off course the dark mahogany wood. I really don’t think much has been done to this spot since the building opened, so it has a feeling of preserved history. I

I ordered a doppio espresso. $2! You are reading that right, only 2 bucks! I ordered it to drink there and the barista said, “Oh, thank you for drinking it here. It’s always nice to drink espresso out of a proper cup”.  Like I said, I don’t think too many people stay there to drink due to its size. There were a small case for pastries and a separate one for bagels. The choices aren’t many. There was a cooler for cold drinks and also multiple canisters of tea. Their roaster is out on Bainbridge Island.  

The place is so small you can’t help but make small talk with the two baristas if you decide to stay there to drink. The two gals there were really friendly and you could tell they enjoyed working together and had a passion for café culture. We talked about plans for the weekend and I asked when they weren’t at Pegasus Coffee working, what coffee places do they frequent(See below).   

Ratings(1-5) 

Favorite Thing:  The charming historic look of this small place and the two friendly gals working there.  

Atmosphere: 5

Service:  5 

Food Options:  2.5 

Overall:  4.25 

Eavedropping Convo: Since I was the only one there, there was no eavesdropping conversations to overhear, so I just spoke to the baristas there.   

Me-When you’re not drinking coffee here, where do you like to go? 

Barista 1(B1)- I really like La Marzocco. 

Barista 2(B2)- Oh yeah, La Marzocco. Their history, the café’s ambiance and the fact that there are only 3 La Marzocco cafes in the world….. 

B1- I really like Zeitgeist. I’m one of those people you can spend hours on my laptop so I like that place.

B2- yeah, she lives in Pioneer Square so it’s close by.  

B1- I like C&P Coffee   

Me-C&P?  Never heard of it. Where is it?  

B1-It’s in West Seattle. It’s like in somebody’s house and it’s been around forever.  

Me-I don’t get out to West Seattle much, but I’ll have to check it out. 

B1-I like Caffe Vita and Victrola, but I’ve only been to the one on 15th, not the main one.  

Couple new places to look into. I’ve passed by Zeitgeist, but have never been. And I’d never heard of C&P Coffee, but in researching the place, it seems like a much beloved place. Just earlier this month they were in danger of losing the place, but the community was able to raise $77,240 on GoFundMe to save the place!  We’ll for sure have to see for ourselves.