MIlstead & Co.
Description on Milstead & Co.’s website: A Rocket. Lenin. The Troll. Fremont has a unique personality all its own. For Fremonsters and visitors alike, every day in Fremont offers something new and different. And that’s why we’re here too.
Neighborhood: Fremont
Address: 754 N 34th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Music Playing: Let’s Get Physical by Olivia Newton John
What we ate/drank: Macchiato, Apple Pecan Muffin from Macrina Bakery
Comments: Milstead & Co. is a clean modern industrial café in the same vein as Elm Coffee Roasters, Broadcast Coffee, or Slate Coffee Roasters. It’s a multiroaster, which means they carry a variety of beans from a rotating list of roasters. I believe Convoy Coffee has a similar model. It’s been open since 2011 and is named after the owner, whose last name is Milstead.
They had a few pastry items from Macrina Bakery. I got the Apple Pecan Muffin.
The space is a big cube with a massive beam in the middle of the space, concrete floors and exposed venting. There’s plenty of seating, but the best seating is the high counter at the front of the store, that has you looking right onto Lake Union. Even with it’s industrial features, Milstead & Co. has a warm feeling about it due to the numerous hanging globe lightings. There are also floor to ceiling windows that keep the space bright and airy. We went in the winter, but I’m sure when the garage door located on the east wall is opened it would make for a nice breezy atmosphere that would be great in the summer. The opening would give access to the big patio that’s located right on Troll Ave, which means if you wanted to take a break, you can go up the hill to visit The Troll.
There’s a few things that stood out to me when visiting Milstead & Co.:
- They have two La Marzocco stations. The only other place I can recall that has two stations is Espresso Vivace . This must keep the line moving pretty quickly when busy.
- They had 3 people working on a Saturday morning at 7:30!
- I’ve got to think a little harder, but Milstead & Co has got to have the best view of any café in Seattle. Lake Union right under the 99 Overpass.
Back in 2014, Food and Wine, listed their favorite Seattle Coffee Shops, one of which was Milstead & Co. They had a Coffee Snob Factor for each coffee shop listed. Milstead & Co. was the only coffee shop to get a perfect score of 5/5. They don’t really explain why Milstead & Co. garnered this snobby score, but I really don’t get that vibe here. It seems they’re really serious about the quality of their drinks, but that doesn’t make them snobs in my book. Perhaps it’s because they don’t offer decaf options?
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Dat View!
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 4.50
Food Options: 4.00
Overall: 4.40
Eavedropping Convo: None
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