Pouring One Out For The Homies
There were so many restaurant closures in Seattle. There were the former hot spots that we were surprised to see go – Girin, Little Uncle , Skitka & Spruce. There were some where the writing was on the wall – Sansei, Dexter Brewhouse, Il Fornaio. There just wasn’t anybody there when we visited. There were also a lot of old timers who’d been open for over 10 years and some over 20 years, so we were shocked that they closed down- Tango(19 yrs), Poppy(11 yrs) , Seattle Deli(27 yrs), Peso’s(20 yrs).
Here are some of the places we reviewed that decided to call it quits:
Junkichi Robata Izakaya– This one is really surprising. It had just opened in 2018. When we went it was packed, the food and service were great, and the location was perfect. According to some of the newer reviews on Yelp right before shutting down mentioned service issues, smaller portions and quality issues. The reason for the closure is a mystery, but the space is apparently being taken over by the owners of Suika/Tamari Bar.
Little Kitchen– Another place that just opened in 2018. According to this Seattle Times article, it just became too much work for the owners to maintain. We’re a little less surprised about the closure of Little Kitchen, but are surprised how quickly it happened. Competition is fierce both on The Ave and for Chinese dumplings.
Trove – Another surprising, but not surprising closing. Surprising in that the other Relay restaurants are super popular and successful, Joule and Revel. Not surprising in that the space that Trove was occupied was huge and in the competitive neighborhood of Capitol Hill. It must have been difficult to compete with the multitude of restaurants in the area and to fill such a huge space night after night. Also, there are so many cheaper alternative Korean BBQ places in Seattle.
BBQ Smith – They decided to focus on catering only and sold the brick and mortar after two years. Its being taken over by Don Lucho’s, a Peruvian lunch truck. It’s really a shame, because we just discovered BBQ Smith and they had an awesome happy hour deal.
The Hi Life – Strangely, this is a closure that we agree with. Not because the food was bad, it just sorta gets lost in the Seattle restaurant landscape. The space is staying in the CHOW Food(The 5 Spot, Endolyne Joe’s, TNT Taqueria) family and being changed into an Italian restaurant. We’re hoping they keep some of the old fire station details in the new space.
Ventoux Roasters –The few times we went there it was always crowded. It seemed like one of those coffee shops that would be sustained by neighborhood patrons of Ravenna, so it didn’t really need to be in a hip area or a busy main street. I couldn’t find a explanation on their website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Palomino – This is the saddest closing for sentimental reasons. We rarely came here, but it’s where my wife and I first met. Here’s an excerpt from the blog post of our favorite bars in Seattle:
Any Seattleite reading this is saying, “WTF”? The Palomino is a restaurant located in the City Centre in downtown Seattle. They do have a bar area with an actual bar that they claim is the longest in length in Seattle. Their happy hour is okay, but nothing special. Their beer selection and cocktails are ordinary. The atmosphere is a little strange because it’s open on a floor within a building kind of like a bar in a hotel or train station. So why is this our favorite bar in Seattle? This is where my wife and I first laid eyes on each other and met. She was in town for a convention. I worked downtown. It was easy to find and centrally located so that’s where we met. I guess we’re just sentimental fools.
Sadly, Ballard Loft , NW Peaks Brewing, Naked City & The Leary Traveler mentioned in our Favorite Bars post also closed down in 2019.
Sad to see these places go, but the Seattle economy is booming right now. People are eating out more than ever. If you can’t be successful in this environment, then maybe it’s best to cut your losses. I think the higher minimum wage is also having an affect on some of the smaller businesses. Sadly, we believe with such a high number of restaurant and the inevitability that the Seattle economy will slow down, we’re bound to see more closures in 2020.
Related:
This is one of the more fun blog posts to create as 2019 winds down. It allows us to review all the great dishes we’ve had throughout the year and debate which ones belong in our top 15. A list ranges from a relatively simple shaved ice to a traditionally poor man’s Hawaiian breakfast to a couple of Southern-inspired biscuit dishes to a few noodle dishes(both Italian and Asian) to Asian fusion and a few Mexican dishes.
We’ve already counted down our Best Seattle Dishes of 2019, 15 through 8.
Without further ado, here are our Best Seattle Dishes of 2019, 7 through 1:
7. Seattle Biscuit Co. —$14. The End – Cheese grits, collards, pulled pork, pickled red onion, comeback sauce, fried bologna, over-easy egg, biscuits
Excerpt from our blog post:
The Ed N‘ Diane(END) is named after the owner’s parents. I don’t usually order grits, but this was a winner and is definitely a contender for Seattle Best Dishes of 2019. The pulled pork, fried bologna and collards were perfect complements to the grits. The grits were not overly cheesy and the slight kick of the pork, the saltiness of the bologna and tart of the collards were a great spoonful of flavor. Our daughter devoured the thick fried bologna chunks and mini biscuit. We’re used to the sliced thin baloney, so when she saw the thick chunks, she seemed a bit surprised. Add the over easy egg with runny yolk and you’ve got a near perfect dish.
6. D’La Santa – $31.99. Tacoarte -Platter filled with a variety of delicious taco fillings: carne asada, pollo asado, cochinita pibil, pastor & refried pinto beans. Tortillas served on the side. (serves 2 people)
Tacoarte $31.99 Platter filled with a variety of delicious taco fillings: carne asada, pollo asado, cochinita pibil, pastor & refried pinto beans. Tortillas served on the side. (serves 2 people)
Tacoarte topping-cilantro, onions, pico de gallo, radishes, pickled red onion, salsa.
Excerpt from our blog post:
Another thing that makes this a perfect date spot is the dish that literally every table we saw ordered. That dish was the Tacoarte, which comes as two platters. One filled with a variety of taco fillings: carne asada, pollo asado, cochinita pibil, pastor, pork chorizo & refried pinto beans. For those keeping track at home that’s one steak, one chicken and three pork. The price of this dish is $31.99, but it serves two people, which we feel is totally reasonable. You can definitely fill up 3 people with this dish. Along with the meat fillings, came another platter of toppings, which included onions, cilantro, salsa, pico de gallo, radishes and pickled red onions. The refried beans are really creamy, not lumpy like what you see in most restaurants. This is the perfect date dish because you’re interacting, sharing, you can discuss your favorite fillings, topping and combinations. We quickly ran out of tortillas since the fillings and toppings will easily make 15 tacos minimum. We were asked if we needed extra tortillas, which we did. Every single table had ordered this dish and if when we go back, we’d definitely order it again.
The filling rankings:
1) Carne Asada (my favorite)
2) Al Pastor (wife’s favorite)
3) Pork Chorizo
4) Conchinita Pibil
5) Pollo Asado
5. Fremont Bowl — $14.95. Chirashi Bowl-tuna, chopped fatty tuna, salmon, yellowtail, albacore, shrimp, fresh water eel, masago with fresh wasabi + yuzu kosho (pepper)
Excerpt from our blog post:
The cashier advised the Chirashi Bowl is their most popular and it’s easy to understand when seeing the dish. The different cuts of fish make for a colorful presentation that makes it one of the most photogenic dishes in Seattle. What separates chirashi from poke is that poke marinated in sauce with a bunch of different toppings. This can mask the quality of fish as well as the quantity of fish. Chirashi is just pure raw fish, so the fish quality and quantity is apparent.
The Chirashi Bowl is not only a beautiful dish, but the quality of the fish is superb and the price is a bargain.
4. Tamari Bar – Shoka-do Bento Box
Excerpt from our blog post:
Next up was the Shoka-do Bento Box, which is limited to a certain count every evening. This was surely the highlight of the night. There are a total of nine squares with each being the perfect size for two bites, making it the perfect date night dish. You get nine different dishes, nine different flavors. It’s fun having so many choices at once and then discussing which are your favorites. Or both of you can try each grid at the same time and discuss after each tasting.
From the top and left to right with scores out of 5:
- Fried Crispy Salmon(4.25), Wagyu Beef Tataki(4.5) , Potato Salad (4.0)
- Aburi Scallop Carpaccio(4.5), Tamari Bar Sushi Roll(4.5), Aburi Salmon(4.5)
- Fried Oyster(5.0), Zuke Maguro(marinated)-(3.0), Tuna Tatsuta(fried)-(5.0)
Each appetizer was beautifully presented and each had at least 5 different ingredients and it was a good mixture of fried and raw. We just really enjoyed this concept.
3. Joule– $13. Bone marrow, spicy anchovy butter, leek
Excerpt from our blog post:
This was a home run! I don’t know if there is always this much marrow on their bones or if I just hit the jackpot, but usually there’s not much marrow whenever I order . This dish had so much marrow, I couldn’t believe it. Served with bread the marrow was perfect turning into a rich pudding that tasted like beef flavored butter. Add in the generous topping of leeks and you’ve got FIRE!
2. Watson’s Counter — $18. Loco Moco – Fresh ground house-blend of chuck, short-rib, and pork belly atop a bed of rice, house-made gravy, and a fried egg on top.
Excerpt from our blog post:
My wife got the Loco Moco. I know it’s early in the year, but this dish is a contender to be on our Top Dishes of 2019. We’ve had our fair share of Loco Mocos in Hawaii and around town at Kona Kitchen, Maono, Cheeky Café. This is the best we’ve had. The patty is made with a blend of chuck, short-rib, and pork belly and you have the rice and egg, but the showstopper is the house-made gravy. It’s a thick peppery flavorful smack in the mouth. Mixed with the egg yolk, generous sized patty and topped with sesame seeds and green onions = Broke Da Mouth!
1. Revel– $17. Rice w/Egg yolk -Albacore tuna, fennel kimchi, escarole
A
Excerpt from our blog post:
Not sure how we missed this one for our favorite dishes of 2018. We ALWAYS order this. The char on the escarole, the large toppings of kim chee, the sear on the albacore and off course one of my favorite foods, a raw egg yolk.
We were watching them prepare this dish and I see that the raw egg yolk is marinated in what appears to be soy sauce. This gives some additional flavor to the yolk, so when you mix it altogether it creates it’s own sauce. The combination of the 5 ingredients make for a perfect bite.
Perhaps, because we order this dish all the time we took it for granted last year, but we need to give this dish it’s due.
This was our Favorite Seattle Dish of 2019.
After reviewing the various dishes we had in 2019 and finally landing on a top 15, we really feel grateful that Seattle has such a wide variety of great restaurants in such a condensed area that. The exciting thing is that there are so many more restaurants that we have on our list to visit. Here’s to a great 2019 and an even better 2020!
Related:
- Our 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 1)
- Our 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 2)
- Watson’s Counter
- Revel
This is one of the more fun blog posts to create as 2019 winds down. It provides us an opportunity to review all the great dishes we’ve had throughout the year and debate which ones belong in our top 15.
The list ranges from a relatively simple shaved ice to a traditionally poor man’s Hawaiian breakfast to a couple of Southern-inspired biscuit dishes to a few noodle dishes(both Italian and Asian) to Asian fusion and a few Mexican dishes.
Without further ado, here are our Best Seattle Dishes of 2019, 15 through 8:
- Xi’an Noodles – $9.95. Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles
As mentioned in our Xi’an Noodles post, this is our main take out spot and this happens to be the first item on their menu. They specialize in biang biang house-made noodles and while they are all good, the Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles is our constant repeat order. The noodles are wide, thick and hand ripped that allows sauce to stick to the noodles. In addition to the chewy noodles you have pepper and cumin to spice and onions and cilantro as garnish. The dish is not overpoweringly spicy, but is flavorful. It’s also a reasonable $9.95.
- Dough Zone Dumpling House – Beef Stew Noodle $5.95
This is our daughter’s contribution to the list. Our two year old eats a least half of this dish whenever we go to Dough Zone Dumpling House. At $5.95 the portion is on the smaller size, so you might want to order two. The dish comes with tender fatty portions of beefs, thin noodles topped with green onions and cilantro. As she turns 3, I’m sure she’ll eat the entire portion.
- Sazon Kitchen – Grain Casserole $18.00. Mix of grains in criolla sauce, braised tri-tip and eggs. Toppings include chicharron, cilantro and pickled red onions + greens and bread.
Excerpt from our blog post:
The best of the bunch is another dish you won’t find anywhere else. It’s the Grain Casserole. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is the dish I’d order again on return visits. It was braised trip tip and some peppers and onions over a bed of various grains- I think lentils, beans, long rice and regular rice? I’m not sure, truthfully, but with the sauce and generous topping of protein and veggies, it was so delicious. The one minor thing, I’d prefer is tortillas instead of bread accompanying this dish. Perhaps the abundance of grains wouldn’t be a good match with tortillas? At $18, I was a bit hesitant since it’s bit on the high side, but after tasting it, I’d get it again.
- Snowy Village– Mango or Strawberry Bingsoo $11.95.
How can a simple shaved ice make our Top 15 list? The fruit bingsoos, specifically the mango and strawberry at Snowy Village are that damn good. There’s a reason there’s a long wait every time we visit? The fruit is fresh and the real distinction is that their ice is 100% milk, not water like most shaved ice. So you don’t have to worry about the bingsoo getting “watered down” as it melts. This is the perfect dessert for summers. Our family salivates the moment we decide to take a trip to Snowy Village.
- Seattle Fish Guys– $15.99. Garlic Cajun Shrimp Plate – Sweet Kauai Shrimp, cajun spices, garlic, butter, rice w/mac salad
Honestly you can pick any of the poke bowls at Seattle Fish Guys for the our Top 15 Dishes. We know poke is what they are known for, but we’ve chosen the Garlic Cajun Shrimp Plate. This place is actually a seafood market, but have a little seating section for meals. When we ordered the plate, we also got macaroni salad and rice with furikake. Lastly is the star of the show, mounds of sweet Kauai shrimp seasoned and cooked just right with cajun spices, butter and garlic. Warning: bring some breath mints.
The Wandering Goose–(RIP 2020) $13.00. The Sawmill- fried chicken, sawmill gravy, cheese add poached eggs in between house made biscuits.
before cutting. 
<<After cutting into it
Excerpt from our post:
The Sawmill Biscuit Sandwich-fried chicken, sawmill gravy, cheese, poached eggs. Like the Fried Chicken Plate, The Sawmill may give another Seattle Food War a new combatant. Wandering Goose may give Morsel and Bean & Biscuit a run for their money for Best Seattle Biscuit Sandwich. Take a gander at the pictures of The Sawmill below! Your mouth is salivating, ain’t it? I opted for the addition of a poached egg for extra. How could I not have some runny yoke with this bad boy?
Chicken is crispy on the outside and moist on inside. The gravy is the star of this dish. So savory. The biscuit adds a good counterbalance. As you can guess, this is a heavy meal. Get ready for a nap.
- Joule – $29.00. Peppered wagyu steak, ramp, maitake mushroom larb, 6oz
Excerpt from our post:
This was another home run albeit a rather expensive one($29). It’s one of those dishes where you may cringe at the price, but once the first bite is in your mouth, you understand why and say to yourself, “i would’ve paid double”. Tender, just the right amount of char and spice and coupled with the mushroom larb( w/ fish sauce?) was perfect.
8 (Tie) Tavolata – $11.00(happy hour). Pappardelle – beef and pork ragu, mint, chili,grana padano. & Il Corvo -$9.95. Pappardelle ala Bolongnese
<<Tavolata
<<<Il Corvo
Excerpt from our blog post:
Tavlolata-The papardelle was my favorite. It had a pork/beef ragu sauce with a hint of mint. I probably ate 2/3 of it. Sorry to the other folks at the table for hogging it!
Il Corvo- The Pappardelle ala Bolongnese was my favorite and gets a five out of five rating from me. Served with flat broad pappardelle, the meat in the Bolognese sauce is blended into a gooey paste. Bon Appetit actually published the recipe for this gravy back in 2015, but I’d much rather have it prepared and cooked by a pasta Jedi.
Stay tuned for our top 7 Favorite Seattle Dishes of 2019.
Related Articles:
- Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 1)
- Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 2)
- Tavolata – Best Happy Hour in Seattle
- D’La Santa
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
Snowy Village
Recommended by: When we asked the cashier, Eldon at Xi’an Noodles, if he could recommend another place that he enjoys eating at, he advised he doesn’t go out to eat much, but the place across the street, Snowy Village, has really good shaved ice(bingsoo) desserts. We can’t pass that up.
Description on the Snowy Village’s website: Snowy Village USA only uses the freshest ingredients available. This keeps customers coming back for more and enjoying our product again and again.
Neighborhood/Type: University District
Address: 5264 The Ave, Seattle, WA 98105
What we ate/drank: Strawberry Bingsoo, Mango Bingsoo, Green Tea Bingsoo, Espresso Bingsoo
Comments: Very similar to when Cinnaholic and The Donut Factory opened, if you looked on Instagram the first week that Snowy Village was open all you saw was photo after photo of food shots coming out of Snowy Village.
Snowy Village is a chain from Korea that specializes in Bingsoo and Taiyaki. Bingsoo is the Koran version of shaved ice. It’s typically flavored with milk, chocolate or green tea and topped with fresh fruit, red beans, cookies, cake crumbs and rice cakes. It also typically comes with condensed milk that’s poured over the shaved ice. Taiyaki is a Japanese cake normally bought on the streets and in the shape of a fish. There’s normally a filling of azuki beans, but can also include chocolate, custard or sweet potato.
This is Seattle Snowy Village location is only the 4th in the US. The others being in LA, San Diego and Houston.
First thing you need to know is that Snowy Village is located at the northern end of The Ave(University Ave) near UW and it’s always packed. They opened in May of this year and waited for the hype to die down. Whenever we went there we always ordered our Bingsoo to go and ate it at home because there was always a line for seats. They have seating for maybe 25 people? Don’t come here expecting to get a seat anytime soon if you have a party of more than 4.
All throughout the summer we took our Bingsoo to go and thought when autumn comes around and the tempature goes down, we’ll then be able to eat inside since the crowds have all tried it and people wouldn’t want Bingsoo when it’s cold. We were wrong. Even now as the tempatures get down to the 30’s, we’ve been able to eat inside exactly one time. They do have an ipad to check in, so the process for waiting is at least automated.
Another thing you should know is that they make everything from scratch. You can actually see them peeling mangos and cutting strawberries. This means it will take some time to make your bingsoo. My friend told me she brought her family there and when they saw how crowded it was and ordered 3 bingsoo to go. They made one bingsoo and she took it to her family who were waiting in the car. IT was taking so long to make the second bingsoo , the first one was melting and they had to furiously eat it in the car. They finally finished making the 2nd bingsoo and took that one to the car and her family had to do the same thing because the third one also took a long time to make. She was not too pleased, but we thought it was hilarious. Rookie mistake. She thought 3 workers would be making the 3 bingsoos simultaneously, but apparently how their system works is that one worker completes the entire order, so the same worker made all three bingsoo one after the other.
If you look at the pictures of the bingsoo, you can tell why it takes so long to make and why it’s so photogenic for Instagram.
The real distinction is that the ice in the bingsoo at Snowy Village is 100% milk, not water like most shaved ice.
You can see the variations of bingsoo from their website up top. That’s not even all of them. There’s more than that. Some of the choices are seasonal like watermelon or honey dew melon, so it may not be available in the fall/winter.
They have 3 different sizes single($5.95 fruit/ $5.45 other) for one person, regular($8.95 fruit/$7.95 other) for 2-3 people and large($11.95 fruit/$10.95 other) for 4-5 people.
For our family, Snowy Village is synonymous with bingsoo. We jumped for joy when we heard Snowy Village was coming to Seattle. And now, our entire family gets excited when we decide to come here on a whim. We’re so lucky to live nearby so when ordering one large bingsoo to go, we don’t have to worry about it melting. The fruit based Bingsoos are the showstoppers and the most popular amongst our family. The Green Tea Bingsoo isn’t really my cup of tea, but the rest of the family likes. The Espresso Bingsoo is Snowy Village’s version of the affagato. It’s a perfect dessert choice.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 5.00
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
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: A reader advised us of a new challenger to Snowy Village called, Kakigori that also specializes in Instagramable bingsoo.
Related Articles: