Cloud City Coffee
Description on their web: At Cloud City Coffee, you will find locally roasted, specialty coffee, freshly baked pastries, and delicious breakfast and lunch items prepared in-house by a top-notch culinary team. We offer free Wi-Fi, comfy couches, a lending library, newspapers, games and a kid’s play area, all in accord with a staff that is sincerely happy you’re here. Cloud City Coffee is not simply a café, it’s a community.
Neighborhood: Maple Leaf
Address: 8801 Roosevelt Ave, Seattle WA 98115
Music playing: Gone For Good by The Shins
What we ate/drank: #1 muffin(cheddar, bacon, egg), Double espresso, Mexican Mocha. Oatmeal w/fruit toppings
Comments: In Our Seattle Coffee Shop Thoughts post we named Cloud City Coffee our Favorite Cozy Coffee Shop in Seattle. Unlike modern or minimalistic coffee shops like Broadcast Coffee, Revolutions Coffee or Elm Coffee Roasters, where I tend to get work done, Cloud City Coffee is more of a place to relax and meet up with friends and family. Their motto is “Community and Café” and there are a lot of things going on at Cloud City Coffee that fosters a community feel like a community library, a dedicated kids area with toys, and pay-on-your-honor section for brewed coffee($2) and day old bagels/pastries($1).
This is the type of place where we’d choose to meet up with friends or families that we’d hadn’t seen in awhile. They have something for everybody with their food options from pastries, to sandwiches, salads, soups and even quiche. I believe everything is made in house, which is pretty impressive. They also have multiple drink options in addition to coffee drinks with tea and smoothies available. The coffee they use is from Tony’s Coffee up in Bellingham. The last few times I’ve been, my doppio has been Ganesha Espresso and brew was Café Camelita and Sophia’s Blend.
A warning, this place is always packed, which means their small parking lot is always packed. There are multiple tables that seat six, but you’ll most likely be sharing. They have a small outdoor seating area and when weather permits they have garage style doors that are opened facing south and east that let’s in a lot of light.
In Our Seattle Bar Thoughts post we wrote about our love of neighborhood bars because they tend to be relaxing, chill and have a good cross section of the folks from the community. This is the same reason we enjoy Cloud City Coffee. I wouldn’t say their coffee is the best, nor would I say their food is the best, but there’s an intangible value on how a place makes you feel. These types of neighborhood coffee shops make you feel like you’re in your living room, but away from the distractions of home. It’s a place to escape for awhile and feel comfortable. When I think of a neighborhood coffee shop, this is what I picture.
I see a lot of people working and studying there. In this environment I’d be too tempted to just relax and enjoy my coffee. I’d recommend Cloud City as a place to meet up with friends/family to talk and relax. Or if you are headed to Maple Leaf Reservoir Park a block away take a to go coffee and meal and have a picnic. Or take visitors from out of town who can experience a one-of-a-kind true neighborhood spot with lots of drink and food options.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The on-your-honor section really feels like a trust factor that can only exist in a community coffee shop.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 4
Food Options: 5
Overall: 4.75
Eavesdropping Convos: My one yr old daugther was eating a muffin and staring at woman with her family(husband and daughter?) at a community table. The woman notices and smiles back at my daughter. My wife notices the woman smiling.
My wife- Sorry, she’s in the staring phase.
Woman- She’s probably staring, thinking who’s that weird looking person.
My wife- No.…. She likes staring at beautiful things.
Woman- Aww…… thank you.
Woman’s teenage daughter- Yeah, right.
Her daughter’s delivery was kinda like this:
Caffe Umbria – Westlake
Description on the Caffe Umbria website: For over three generations, the Bizzarri family has been evolving and improving on the enduring craft of Italian espresso, combining the harmonious artistry of the blend with the precise science of the roast to create signature blends that reflect the passion and personality at the heart of the Italian caffè experience..
Neighborhood: Westlake
Address: 1201 Westlake Ave N, Seattle WA 98109
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Doppio Espresso, Spinach/Cheese pastry
Comments: They also have Ballard and Pioneer Square locations and all are very different styles.The Westlake location has a few tables with four seats to the left, some individual seating along their front window and a two booths on the right side. They also have a standing bar area facing the barista that even has a foot rest. I don’t know if this is common in other coffee places but it’s the first time I’ve noticed it. They have a few sweet and savory food items to munch on. We had a spinach/cheese pastry. One of the things that stood out to me was their Monocle Guide to Drinking and Dining book. I’m a huge fan of the Monocle periodical, but it’s so damn expensive. It was fun looking through the book while drinking my espresso. The other thing that stood out was the handles on their espresso cups. The handle is inverted with a small hole which makes gripping in with your thumb and finger really easy. I’ve not seen these anywhere else. Overall, the décor is pretty minimalist and atmosphere is bright and airy due to the huge windows on the front and south of the location and open floor plan. It’s way different from their Ballard location that had leather couches, comfy seats and big wood community table. The Pioneer Square location is also different with exposed brick walls, really airy and dark wood chairs and tables and what seems like way more variety of food options.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: Caffe Umbria’s education section on their website teaches you the proper way to brew your coffee using a Aeropress, French Press, Moka Pot, Chemex and Hario V60. I definitely used it to fine tune my brewing using my Bialetti. It gives the educational videos from Victrola Coffee Roasters‘ website a run for it’s money.
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 5
Food Options: 4
Overall: 4.25
Eavesdropping Convo:
Gal 1) Guess what?
Gal 2) What?
G1) I spent $674 eating out last month.
G2) Shut up! G1, you really need to stop going out to eat for all three meals!
G1) I don’t. I swear. Maybe two times a day at most, but most of the time just once. It’s hard for me to eat leftovers and you know my neighborhood has a new restaurant open every week. The real problem is all my friends are foodies. I seriously need to move out of Cap Hill.
The foodie struggle is real, yo.
Battle of Seattle Ramen Restaurants (or The Seattle Ramen March Madness Tournament)
My recollection of Seattle Ramen History
We love ramen!! So we’ve kept a close eye on how ramen has evolved and became more of a Seattle staple in the last few years. Thank you, God!
When I first moved to Seattle, I was shocked that there weren’t any ramen shops to speak of. Coming from Southern California, which has a plethora of ramen shops, I thought that ramen would be the perfect meal for the cold Seattle weather. I always told my friends that if I had an entrepreneurial spirit and a good ramen broth recipe, that would be the business I’d open in Seattle. I had neither, so it never happened. But I thought whoever did, would make money hand over fist.
This is my recollection of ramen shops in Seattle. I think at the time Tsukushinbo was the only one that had ramen and it was only on Fridays, which I believe is still their practice today. Then Samurai Ramen opened in the International District in 2007 and Aloha Ramen opened in Greenwood in 2009. In 2012, Yoroshiku opened, although they’re not strictly a ramen place. Around the same time Ramen Man opened down the street in Wallingford. The real influx of Japanese ramen chains opening up branches in Seattle happened with Kukai Ramen(now Kizuki) in 2014. This is when the ramen scene in Seattle finally exploded with branches from Japan ramen shops and local ramen places opening seemingly every week –Ooink, Betsutenjin, Teinei, Ramen Danbo, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka , Tentenyu, Arashi Ramen.
Choosing the Field in Our Seattle Ramen March Madness
With the NCAA Tournament going on, I thought it be fun to have a Seattle Ramen Battle tournament style. So what’s the best way to rate all the ramen places? We knew we would not rate these places on atmosphere of the restaurants since ramen in Japan is basically eaten at outdoor stalls or little hole in the wall places. We thought it was more fair to compare apples to apples. So we had three choices. Most ramen places have a shio(salt) based, a shoyu(soy sauce) based and miso(fermented soy bean) based broth. Problem was some places didn’t have any of these common ramen broths. For example Tentenyu doesn’t have a simple shio, shoyu or miso ramen. In the end, we just picked what ramen bowl we wanted and based our ratings on what we ordered. I did try to ask each server what was their most popular ramen and ordered that.
Better Luck Next Year
These are Ramen Shops that did not make the field of 8 for various reasons. Like the NCAA Tournament, there are some teams that just don’t make the cut. Could be due to not enough quality wins ramen dishes, strength of schedule broth, not enough film time to properly evaluate or just stronger competition. Maybe next year, fellas.
- Tsukushinbo(International District)-Definitely tournament worthy, but only serves ramen on Friday. This is the equivalent of why pitchers shouldn’t be MVPs since they only pitch every 5 days.
- Yoroshiku(Wallingford)-Also tournament worthy, but they really are a Japanese restaurant that happens to serve really good ramen.
- Betsutenjin(Capitol Hill)-Haven’t made in there yet.
- Nuna Ramen(Fremont)
- Samurai Noodle(University and ID)
- Kiki Ramen(SLU)
- Teinei(SLU)
- Any Ramen Place on the East Side-Too far. Sorry
This Year’s Participants in the Seattle Ramen March Madness
- West Region-Arashi Ramen(Ballard) vs Ramen Man(Wallingford)
Out of the West Region comes Arashi Ramen from Ballard, known for it’s spicy miso tonkatsu ramen. They’ve dominated the Ballard neighborhood for close to 4 years. No new ramen shop dare enter their domain. They will match up with Ramen Man out of Wallingford. We all know old veteran Ramen Man will be tough to beat with it’s unlimited boiled eggs. Their campus is small but their Original Tori Paitan Ramen is mighty.
2. North Region–Aloha Ramen(Lake City) vs Santouka Ramen(University District)
The old stalwart meets the new kid on the block. Aloha Ramen is formerly out of Greenwood, but transferred to Lake City. They’ve been around since 2009 and have a wicked combo of garlic fried rice and their Katsu Tan Ramen. Aloha hopes to beat the Moana out of Santouka, home of the powerful Tsukemen. Santouka has been in Seattle for less than a year, so you know they’ve had a strong season to make the field with such a limited resume. Their dinner sets and membership perks make this Rookie of the Year a possible MVP candidate.
3. Capitol Hill Region #1– Kizuki Ramen vs Tentenyu Ramen
Kizuki Ramen formerly known as Kukai, which means “crap” in Hawaiian, has been multiplying all over Seattle and Bellevue trying to overpower the competition by kicking the “kukai” out them through pure number of locations. Facing Kizuki in the Capitol Hill Region #1 is Tentenyu, another newcomer to Seattle, but honing it’s skills in Kyoto for over 40 years. They keep their style of play simple-only 4 bowls of ramen, but they have a secret weapon off the bench, black garlic oil! They are hoping to beat Kizuki by tenten points.
4. Capitol Hill Region #2–Ramen Danbo vs Ooink
Closing out the field are two more competitors from Capitol Hill. Yet another newcomer to the field, Ramen Danbo is not only known for it’s Tonkatsu Broth Ramen, but also it’s aresnal of weapons(choices of noodles thickness, noodle firmness, broth thickness, lard amount and spicy factor). Ramen Danbo hopes to go Rambo on Ooink. Ooink –Don’t let the looks of their campus fool you. This could be the Cinderella story of the tournament. Their unconventional style might be enough to trip up their opponent. Spicy reigns supreme on this menu, but their Kotteri Ramen might be their best player. Ooink hopes to go hog-wild on Ramen Danbo.
We’re not going to go into a lot of detail why one ramen won over the other, but suffice to say it can be chalked up to simply, “we just liked one ramen over the other”.
Without further ado, here are the winners round by round:
Round 1 Results
- West Region Winner-Arashi Ramen
Arashi Ramen - North Region Winner-Santouka Ramen
Santouka - Capitol Hill Region #1 Winner-Kizuki Ramen
Kizuki Ramen - Capitol Hill Region #2 Winner-Ramen Danbo
Ramen Danbo
The Final Four
West Region Winner-Arashi Ramen vs North Region Winner-Santouka Ramen
Capitol Hill Region #1 Winner-Kizuki Ramen vs Capitol Hill Region #2 Winner-Kizuki Ramen
The Championship
Santouka Ramen vs Kizuki Ramen
The Winner-Hokkaido Santouka Ramen!
Note: We’ll be sure to review each place in detail in a separate blog posts.
Related Articles:
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:
Recommended by: Lara(?) at Kona Kitchen
Name: Varisty Inn
Description on their web: They don’t have a website
Neighborhood: Wallingford
Address: 1801 N 34th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Type: Brunch
Packed?: Was not busy when we arrived shortly after opening, but was almost full when leaving around 9:00 am on a Saturday
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Beef Fajita Omelette, Carnitas in Tomatillo sauce with corn tortilla and hash brown. Side order of cinammon roll.
Comments: From the outside and from appearances as you first walk in, you’d think this is a greasy spoon diner, that isn’t always the cleanest, but I’ve got to say, the place is dated but immaculate. Varsity Inn is only open for breakfast and lunch. It appears there are a lot of regulars that frequent the place due to many customers being greeted by name as they walk in the door. Where most popular Seattle brunch places are packed with youngsters and young families, Varsity Inn seems to cater to regulars who have been coming here for years and years. They have your typical diner fare, but truthfully we’ve never had any of those dishes. Then why do we go here?
This is listed as a secret but what is the secret? You can see a copy of their menu online and you’ll notice it looks like your standard diner breakfast go to’s. The secret is that they have Mexican specials that are not listed on the menu that are just as good or better than nearby Pablo y Pablo, Senor Moose or Barrio, but cheaper. The portions are huge and you’ll surely need a box for leftovers. Take a gander at these….
We’ve read their Yelp and Google reviews and we’re flabbergasted that most people do not order these dishes. We ask our friends about their favorite places for Mexican and nobody ever mentions Varsity Inn. I think it’s one of those things where people who want normal American diner food go here specifically for that and people who may want Mexican have no idea Varsity Inn serves it nor would they have any reason to know they serve it unless they were tipped off or happened upon it by accident.
The staff is always nice and engage in small talk. I don’t know if they have a bin of toys, but the first time we came in, our server provided out daughter a toy cell phone to play with while we waited for our meals to come out. There is a small parking lot, but street parking can be a bitch especially lately due to the new construction of condo/apts in the neighborhood.Good recommendation, Lara!
Note: This is not to be confused with Ravenna Varsity Restaurant, which is a totally different restaurant.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Atmosphere: 3.0
Service: 5.0
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.75
Overall: 4.40
Locals Only Rating: Locals “in the know” know about it.
Server recommendations to visit in the future: The staff was pretty busy, but a customer sitting next to us made small talk with us since our daughter just started walking. He mentioned a Mojito as a place we’d might want to try.
Related Articles:
Voxx Coffee
Description on Voxx website: We start with our own custom blend of premium beans sourced through farmers in the world’s best coffee growing regions. We are proud to partner with Lighthouse Roasters, a Seattle pioneer in roasting since 1995. We are believers in doing what you love and loving what you do. And we make coffee for people who love coffee.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 1200 6th Ave, Seattle WA 98101
Music playing: Lake Superior- The Arcs
What we ate/drank: Americano and White Knuckle Obrien breakfast burrito(eggs, potatoes, onions, bell peppers, and cheddar)
Comments:
Voxx Coffee is on the bottom floor of the Park Place Building right near the entrance. It’s also near the Convention Center so it’s a good option if you happen to be there. First thing I noticed are two phone booth sized express work stations meant for less than 20 minute increments. Good if you need some privacy. Towards the back is a narrow bar meant for enjoying your coffee while standing, but near the front area is a wider bar along the front window with four seats.
There’s a “living room area” with a couch, corner table, seat and coffee table. And along the side are long benches and 6 tables for two. Although it’s a small space, they’ve maxed the areas to enjoy your stay. It would definitely be difficult to find seating if you came with a bigger group. The front area with the “living room area” and benches has warm lighting. The other side of the space with the express work stations seems like a different place with plain exposed concrete walls and darker lighting.
Food options are various Macrina Bakery pastries and White Knuckle sandwiches and burritos. In watching the three folks working the morning I went, they were making a concerted effort to keep the line moving in an efficient manner without being pushy, cognizant of the morning folks trying to get to work. When I ordered an Americano and burrito, the cashier rung me up, a 2nd person filled the cup with hot water and handed off to the barista and the burrito was put in the panini press before I was finished paying. It’s the first time I’ve seen a burrito warmed with a panini press which made it toasty on the outside.
Ratings
This is more of a coffee shop that I’d go to if I was only in the area. I mean their coffee is good and the service is great, but it’s just not the type of space where I’d want to relax and spend some time. On the other hand, their location in Eastlake is bright, airy and more inviting.
Favorite Thing:
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 5
Food Options: 4.0
Overall: 4.25
Eavesdropping Convos:
I heard you’re looking for a house this weekend?
Noooo, looking to rent. Renting. Renting. We thought about buying, but some things are out of your control like if the owner wants to sell to you or not versus renting where I have more control over how much I want to pay, distance of commute or if I want to stay longterm. If we could stay in our little one bedroom apartment with a two minute commute to downtown, I would.
Related Articles:
Broadcast Coffee
Description on their web: We source high quality coffee, roast it carefully, and get excited to share it with you.
Neighborhood: Roosevelt
Address: 6515 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle WA 98115
Music playing: Said So What by French Kicks
What we ate/drank: Americano or double espresso. Mighty-O Old Fashioned glazed doughnut
Comments: We mentioned in Our Seattle Coffee Shop Thoughts post that Broadcast Coffee was our Favorite Modern-Style Coffee Shop. I’ve never been to their Central District location, but the Roosevelt location is my go-to coffee shop when I need to concentrate and get some work done.They have lots of seating and outlets, but it doesn’t feel cluttered due to the big open space in the middle and because everything is white. The walls, their mugs, to go cups, even the exposed vents and pipes on the ceiling are white. Food options are limited to mainly Mighty-O pastries, various instant oatmeals and yogurts.
I also mentioned how that previous post how they really take pride in their quality and the story of a barista here remaking my espresso 3 times, because somebody left the front door open as they were leaving and she felt it affected the taste of the espresso due to the change in pressure. It’s not the type of place I suggest when I want to catch up with somebody and shoot the breeze, because it’s normally quiet and due to its minimalist decor, conversations carry. Although when I think about it, I have conducted interviews and met up with our doulas there. It seems that the majority of people who go there are UW students, Roosevelt High students, yoga goers from next door and people who work remotely.
It’s one of the few places I buy coffee beans from. I normally just get coffee outside and rarely brew my own, but I’m a big fan of their Crossfade Blend and so I have some at home. One other thing that sets Broadcast coffee apart from the rest, is that they stay open late for a coffee shop, closing at 8:00pm everyday. Broadcast also goes one step further than Caffe Umbria that has a great resource on their website on how to brew using different devices with video and pictures. Broadcast has a service where you actually bring in your brewing device and for $40 they’ll make sure you’re using your device properly, grinding properly, using best choice of coffee and even the type of water. I’ve not heard of this type of service before. And also like Mr West Café Bar, they have what I believe to have a great music selection that I Shazam often.
Ratings
Favorite Thing: It’s bright due to the massive front windows. It’s normally very quiet, which makes it my go-to spot for working.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.5
Overall: 4.75
Eavesdropping Convos: Some quips from a very loud talking real estate agent
Real Estate Agent(REA)-May I ask what you do for a living?
Home Buyer(HB)- I work for Zillow as a software engineer manager.
REA-I have a love-hate relationship with Zillow. They gouge us on advertising. For me, it doesn’t matter because I’ve got a reputation and so many referrals where I don’t need Zillow’s help anymore. Are you feeling secure there?
HB-Yes, I’m pretty secure. Watch, now that I’ve said that I’ll get fired on Monday.
******
REA-Just to prove how long I’ve been doing this, I got my first 2nd generation home buyer from a certain family I’ve been doing business with for ages. When I first worked with this family, this kid was 14. Now I just got him into a house after he graduated college. One day I’m buying him condoms for his 18th birthday, the next I’m selling him a house. Time flies, huh? **laughs heartily***
*******
REA-I’m at your beck and call 24 hours. In this market you need access to houses within 24 hours of being put on the market. If you wait for the open house on the weekend, you’re too late. I can get you to see these houses weekday or weeknight. That’s what it takes right now. Seriously!
Related Articles:
Anchorhead Coffee Co
Description on their web: We are believers in doing what you love and loving what you do. And we make coffee for people who love coffee.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 1600 7th Ave, Seattle WA 98101
Music playing: It Is Not Meant To Be-Tame Imapla
What we ate/drank: Americano
Comments: In our post, Seattle Bars For Each Stage of Dating, we talked about Suite 410 as being the bar where you’d take a date to impress. It had to be quiet, chill and have dark lighting to set the mood for romance. Anchorhead Coffee Co is the coffee shop equivalent of Suite 410. First of all, Anchorhead is located on the bottom floor of an office building so it would normally be hard to spot from the street, but you can’t miss it because of the word, “COFFEE”(see below) in huge letters in the window. First thing I noticed is how dark it is there, which makes it more conducive to a relaxed, winding down from a hard day at work feel. It’s the perfect place to grab a coffee before seeing an evening movie or a show down the street at the Paramount. It does get busy in the morning with all the Nordstrom employees in the building getting their caffiene intake.
There are leather industrial stools along the front glass window facing the street. The same stools are also placed at the opposite end of the space along two long tables. In the middle of the space are two turquoise leather chairs and leather sofa with a narrow wood coffee table between them. Along the side are more traditional tables but with leather rolling office chairs. There’s also some limited outdoor seating when the weather is warmer.
The food choices are above average. They had berry banana oat muffins, banana loaves, bacon cheddar chive scones and croissant breakfast sandwiches with bacon, egg and cheese. All were huge. They have your normal espresso drinks as well as a pretty extensive pour over menu and nitro cold brew. In the winter they also have seasonal drinks like pumpkin latte, mulled apple ciders and mochas with mint. They have a few beers on tap. Bale Breaker, one of my favorites, among them.
There’s definitely a lot of competition in the area. Anchorhead Coffee Co is surrounded by Caffe Senso Unico, Mr West Cafe, Caffe Ladro, Made Coffee and of course, Starbucks, but they more than hold their own.
Note: When I first saw a sign saying Anchorhead Coffee Co was opening, I thought that Anchored Ship Coffee, a place in Ballard was opening another branch. The similar name and very similar logo really tripped me up.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: Our choice for a nice relaxing romantic atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 4.5
Service: 5
Food Options: 4.75
Overall: 4.75
Eavesdropping Convos:
Gal 1(G1)- Have you ever been to Baltic Room?
Gal 2(G2) – Yeah
G1-I was there the other night with friends and there was this guy there. Super cute. This girl goes right up to him and starts flirting with him. I aspire to be that girl someday. You know, just doesn’t care and just goes after what she wants.
Related Articles:
Name: Storyville Coffee Company
Description on their web: A Simple Pleasure. A Desperate Need. A Beautiful Dream
Neighborhood: Downtown-Pike Place Market
Address: 94 Pike Street, #34, Seattle WA 98101
Music playing: Some type of new agey jazzy instrumental spa like music.
What we ate/drank: Doppio Espresso, Frosted Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Cake, Mocha
Comments: As we mentioned in our Coffee Shop Thoughts, this is the coffee place that most impresses our visitors to Seattle. First of all you will normally end up near Storyville Coffee Company if you have visitors in town since it’s located in Pike Place Market. What seems to impress our visitors is that it’d hard to find, so unless you are looking for it, you won’t come across it unlike some of the other coffee places in Pike Place Market, such as the first Starbucks, Local Color or Ghost Alley Expresso, which you’ll stumble across if walking the market or going to the gum wall. Visitors feel like their in on a local secret spot. Storyville Coffee Company is in the building on the NW corner of Pike and 1st. You walk up the stairs and it’s on the top floor.
The other thing that impresses visitors is the place itself. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite coffee place, but you will not find a more gorgeous coffee shop in all of Seattle. First thing you notice is the huge semi-circle ordering bar with warm lighting. There are two stations for making the drinks and if you look right behind the cashier and baristas you can see all their pastries. The next thing you’ll notice are their huge semi-circle windows that look down on the market and it’s famous Public Market Center sign and if you look straight ahead, the view of Puget Sound. There’s a huge fireplace and lots of comfy leather seats and sofa. There are a pair of long repurposed wood tables with stools. The hardwoods look original like some of the other spots in the market. They also have another location down the street on 1st and Madison and a location in Queen Anne, but neither comes close to replicating the experience of the Pike Place Market location for your visitors. I’ll make the bold statement that when it comes to both the inside space and the views, there is no other place in Seattle like it.
Apart from the normal expresso and brewed coffee(including cold brew), there are tea options, hot chocolate and Italian sodas. The food options are a kale salad, homemade tomato soup, oatmeal and a breakfast sandwich, but the real goodness are their baked goods. I’m partial to the Frosted Cinnamon Roll. I have a tradition of visiting Storyville for an espresso and cinnamon roll after visiting my dentist, who is also located in the market. What, no cavities? Give me a sugary cinnamon roll then! You’ll pay Pike Place Market prices, but the beautiful space makes it worth it.
They have a subscription service that ships coffee beans the same day it’s roasted out of their Roasting Studio on Bainbridge Island. They claim that by subscribing the cost comes to 65 cent per cup. Not bad. They also have an admiral mission to stop human trafficking by donating a portion of every cup sold to organizations fighting human trafficking. One quirky thing is that they don’t open at 7:00 or 8:00, they open at 6:59 and 7:59. I’m also curious about their logo, a child playing with a toy airplane. The next time I’m there, I’ll ask and report back.
Ratings
Favorite Thing: The frosted cinnamon roll and gorgeous space.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 4.5
Food Options: 4
Overall: 4.5
Eavesdropping Convos:
Girl 1(G1)-So we visited a financial advisor last week and he says we’re way behind in saving for our retirement. All this time I thought that our company automatically puts money for our retirement in the 401k, but it looks like you have to sign up for it. I had no clue. How am I supposed to know? All these years I thought the company put money in this account for us. I wondered why I never got a statement. I told Gary(her husband?) that I had a 401k, but I guess I don’t. He was pretty pissed.
Girl 2(G2)-Yeah you have to opt in. I try to contribute at least the company match since they match it 100%. It can add up super quick.
G1-What!? What does that mean?!
G2-If you contribute 4% of your paycheck, the company puts in another 4%. It’s kinda like free money.
G1-Are you serious?! 8 years I could have been doing this? Why didn’t HR tell me!!!
Related Articles:
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Seattle Coffee Shops
- Storyville – 1st Ave
- Caffe Ladro -Jetsons
- Mr West Café Bar,