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Capitol Coffee Works
Description on Capitol Coffee Works website : Capitol Coffee Works takes coffee in a new direction, delving into facets of coffee we’ve always dreamed of offering. It was conceived as a studio for Specialty Coffee, with a bright, clean, plant-filled interior that beckons to those interested in exploring lighter-roasted, fruity coffees. The space feels like an art gallery with coffee at center stage. A sleek ModBar undercounter espresso machine invites authentic interaction between baristas and customers. Our expert team provides start-to-finish table service on cozy lounge seating, elevating coffee drinking into a refined experience. They serve super-premium quality coffees – some of the best coffees in the world – made in the most exacting brewing devices available.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 907 E. Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122
Music playing: This Land is Your Land by Chicano Batman
What we ate/drank: Macchiato, Mt Bakon breakfast taco from Sunrise Tacos
Comments:
Capitol Coffee Works is the 3rd iteration of Seattle Coffee Works. The 2nd being Ballard Coffee Works and the 4th being Cascade Coffee Works. This location has more similarities to the Cascade Coffee Works than Seattle Coffee Works. Although all the branches have a no tipping policy and a slow bar, the Capitol Coffee Works is similar to Cascade Coffee Works in the modern look and brightness due to large front windows. A unique feature of Cascade Coffee Works is the 2nd floor area that allows you to see over the front portion of the café and the barista. It makes you feel like a cat observing everything from the highest point. They also have table service, which I don’t believe the other locations provide.
The location is located in Capitol Hill at the centrally located Pike & Broadway. You can’t be more centrally located in Capitol Hill than here. Although the store front faces north it still provides a ton of light. There are a few tables and chairs outside. The front portion on the inside has a long wood bench along the front window with 4 small tables. Above the barista station is a giant photograph of a bee and directly across on the other wall is another giant photograph of a coffee bean. Right in front of the barista is are a few more small tables and towards the back is a large table that seats about 6 and a few more smaller tables with leather stools. The back wall is painted with a mountain landscape. It reminds me of a painting you might see in a 70’s arcade. There’s also a seat that’s suspended from the ceiling.
Near the spiral staircase that leads to the upstairs portion is a leather sofa with a small table. On the second floor are just a few tables and chairs, but the partition is made of glass which allows a lot of light up there. Although I love being perched up there on the 2nd floor to watch the customers coming in and the baristas making the drinks, while I was up there it did get a little hot.
I really enjoyed Capital Coffee Works. I like the aesthetics here more than Seattle Coffee Works. and it’s more relaxing than the hustle and bustle of Cascade Coffee Works.
And again, I want to point you in the direction of their website, which I explained in more detail on our Seattle Coffee Works post. It’s a great resource for where their beans are sourced and the huge effort they take in making costs transparent to the customer and fair to the farmers.
Ratings(1-5)Favorite Thing: The second floor area with glass partitions that give an unobstructed view of the first floor.
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5.00
Food Options: 4.25
Overall: 4.65
Eavedropping Convo: Guy having an informal coffee with a gal before her first day on the job.
Guy-They probably won’t expect lot out of you on your first day. It’s basically getting to know you, meeting everybody, getting logins set up, badges, etc
Gal-Have you been with the company long?
Guy-Yeah, I’ve been here a little over a year. <<That’s long? For all intents and purposes Gary is your boss, but if you are uncomfortable or think this is not what I signed up for, having personal issues with colleagues, then you come to me. Since you’re a contractor you’ll be here only until the project ends, but you can contact me at any time if there’s an issue. Sometimes, it’s not a good fit for all personalities.
Gal- For sure, it’s like dating. You need to be compatible with the company and the people you work with. The last job I was at, I knew with the first few days. This is not gonna work out.
Cafe Allegro – Seattle’s Oldest “Secret” Cafe
Description on Cafe Allegro’s website : Established in Seattle’s University District in 1975, Cafe Allegro is home to Seattle’s oldest espresso bar and one of the country’s finest Seattle-style coffee roasters. Our beans are imported from family farms around the world and roasted in small batches onsite at our cafe. Whether you’re a one cup a day drinker or a true Seattlite, we guarantee you’ll enjoy every sip.
Neighborhood: University District
Address: 4214 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Music playing:
What we ate/drank: Cortado, Macchiato, Lemonade
Comments: Café Allegro has a strange dichotomy in that it’s Seattle’s oldest coffee shop in the Coffee Capital of the World, but it’s also “hidden” in an alley which makes it difficult for those “not-in-the-know” to find it. With Café Allegro being the oldest coffee shop in Seattle, you’d think it would be a really popular place among visitors, but from our perspective it’s only popular among UW students. When asking locals about their favorite coffee shops, we rarely here Café Allegro mentioned. I think it’s due to a few reasons. Number one, it’s hidden in an alley right off The Ave(University Ave) between NE 42nd and NE 43rd Ave, so it’s hard to find. Number two, it’s in the University District, which is popular among U-Dub students, but not the rest of the Seattle general population. Number three, people who know about Café Allegro and have gotten a cup to go, don’t know it has tons of space, so they dismiss it as too crowded/too small. I, myself, didn’t know how big it was when I first came here. I thought Café Allegro was comprised of just the area in which you order, which fits maybe 25 people and always packed. Some infrequent visitors, may know that there’s an adjacent seating area through a narrow walk way near the barista counter that has some individual tables, booth seating and additional counter seating. But unless you are a frequent visitor, you may not know there is also an upstairs room with seating for at least an additional 30 people and a patio that has 3 benches and a few individual seating. The upstairs portion is relatively new(from 2015?) and not accessible from the café. You have to go outside and then enter a separate door for the upstairs portion. So there are “hidden” rooms/patio within this “hidden” café. This floor also houses their roaster. In totality, if I had to guess, Cafe Allegro could seat at least 80 people conservatively.
Café Allegro was established in 1975 and is located within a building built in 1909. Previous iterations of the space were a bank and funeral home/mortuary. I love that there really is no signage except for a beaten down hanging sign in which you can barely make out “Café Allegro est. 1975”. When you first enter Café Allegro you get a sense it’s part of the community because of their huge ever changing wall of Seattle event posters. Exposed brick walls and worn wood counters give you a sense of its history. They also have a wall of framed foreign currencies that always seems to catch the eye of new visitors I bring here. The aforementioned additional rooms are very nondescript, but the tables with burlap coffee sacks under glass as table tops is a nice touch.
As mentioned in our Best Seattle Bars To Impress Out of Towners, Our Seattle Coffee Shop Thoughts and Seven Coffee Roasters posts, Seattle visitors love these little hidden gems. Places they would never find without the help of a local. The latest visitors we took here were a family from Sweden. They were visiting mutual friends in Kent, WA and wanted to meet up. We suggested meeting at the University Farmers Market on a Saturday and after strolling the market, they mentioned they would love a cup of coffee. I suggested Café Allegro. Even my friend from Kent, WA who graduated from UW had never been to Café Allegro. As we walked down the alley, I started getting strange looks, but as soon as they entered, they said, “How cool!” and got out their phones and started taking pictures. Of course, the main café seating area was packed, but I mentioned the upstairs and lo and behold, we went up there and had the whole floor to ourselves. We had a group of 7 adults and one 2 year old who did not want to sit still, so this was a perfect area for us. The Swedish visitors said, “We feel like this is a very local place. We would have never have found it. That’s the advantage of having a local show you around”. They had also read about Molly Moon Ice Cream on the airplane magazine and wanted to go, but we told them we’d take them to another less known, less crowded place in walking distance from Cafe Allegro. We took them to Sweet Alchemy Ice Creamery less than a block away and they loved it. We told them to go to Molly Moon also, because it’s good, but asked them for their opinion after they tried both and take into consideration the wait time and hype and tell us which is better. Of course, Sweet Alchemy.
Café Allegro actually has it’s own Wikipedia page which tells more about its history and its founder who was instrumental in a fledgling company, called Starbucks.
The food options are mainly pastries, which were from Marsee Bakery. They also have teas and cold drinks. The signage also says they have beer and wine, but didn’t see any displayed and why would you have beer and wine at the oldest coffee shop in Seattle anyways? You come for coffee. From their website you can buy individual bags of beans and bean subscriptions.
Warning: The beans sold by Café Allegro are not the same beans you see in Whole Foods, which are their in house brand, Allegro Coffee. It can be quite confusing.
Ratings(1-5)Favorite Thing: The “secret” aspect of Seattle’s oldest coffee shop.
Atmosphere: 5 + 1(extra for ample seating and ambiance)
Service: 4.75
Food Options: 4.00
Overall: 4.75
Eavedropping Convo: None, except for the comments from our Swedish guests we took here. In place of Eavesdropping Convo, I’ll place this video about Cafe Allegro.
Evoke Coffee
Description on Evoke Coffee website : At Evoke, we strive to offer the best in food and drink. We use Heart Coffee to craft the highest quality espresso drinks, infused with a broad selection of our house-made syrups, and utilize fresh ingredients to make stunning dishes to order.
Neighborhood: South Lake Union(SLU)
Address: 235 9th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Music playing: Hate The Real Me by Future
What we ate/drank: Macchiato
Comments: Evoke Coffee reminds me of a situation we have in our own household. When we host visitors via Couchsurfing, they always mention our dog in our reviews, love to take pictures with her and try to conjole her into sleeping in their room. If we see our Couchsurfers again, they always ask how our dog is doing. Wait a minute?!? We opened up our house to you, gave you shelter, a place to sleep, a clean bathroom, use of our kitchen all for free! Don’t you remember us or want to know how we’re doin? No, it’s all about our dog. I feel that’s the same quandary that Evoke Coffee has. Everybody will remember their Bernese Mountain Dogs, Pablo and Pedro. I’m no different. If somebody asks me about Evoke Coffee, I’ll probably say, “oh yeah, the place with the dogs”. Their dogs are super friendly and well behaved and add to the enjoyment of having coffee there. And if you know anything about Seattleites they go ga-ga over dogs.
Pedro, the shop puppy 
Pablo, the shop dog
The location is in South Lake Union and takes industrial/minimalist to the max. It feels like it’s still under construction with black tarp as a ceiling, concrete floors and white walls with not art or pictures. Their lighting are hanging lamps with multiple Edison bulbs. Their table tops, chairs and stools are all metal and all black with the exception of two couches. The space is big with a high counter with six stools and a long bench with individual tables to the left and the aforementioned couches, a community table(with 6 outlets in the middles and USB jacks), and a high counter with 3 stools on the right. Besides their dogs, they are also known for their sign, “but first, coffee”.
They use Heart Coffee from Portland, OR which I’ve never had before. The macchiato I had had a distinct sweetness. It was quite different. I love that they use Delonghi double walled thermos glasses. Not only does this keep the drink hotter longer, but it also allows you to see the color and texture of the drink that you get in a Gibraltar glass, but not in the normal ceramic cups. For food options – construct-your-own omelettes, pastries and acai bowls. They also have sandwiches.
The weekday morning I went, there was one person taking orders and making drinks, so if you have a bunch of time consuming drinks ordered in a row in front of you, it might take awhile. This is where the two mascots definitely help. People were petting and playing with them while waiting for their drinks and even after getting their drinks, hung around to play with them some more. We enjoy industrial/minimalism, but this was a bit too industrial/minimalism. I loved the coffee, loved the Delonghi glasses and of course, loved the dogs, but it’s out of the way for us and not a “comfy” place to relax. We’d probably take visitors who love dogs and a good cup of coffee.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Loved the coffee, loved the Delonghi glasses and of course, loved the dogs, Pablo and Pedro
Atmosphere: 3.50
Service: 5
Food Options: 4.35
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: No conversations to report here. Just a lot of fawning over the dogs. A guy did come in with his dog and stayed awhile to let his dog play with Pablo and Pedro. Then he and his dog left, but came back 5 minutes later. Apparently, his dog wanted to play more. He let them play a bit more and then said to his dog, “Done with your morning social visit, buddy?” and they left for good.
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
Recommended by: Nobody. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka was the winner of our Battle of Seattle Ramen post.
Description on the Hokkaido Ramen Santouka website: We would like you to try our ramen and enjoy its delicious flavor to the last drop. This is the wish of the founder, part of every small bowl of ramen.
Neighborhood/Type: University Village
Address: 2626 NE Village Ln, Seattle, WA 98105
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: TONKOTSU MISO RAMEN-Robust miso paste and silky broth, with a hint of bonito dashi creates the gentle balance flavor. TORONIKU GOMA MISO RAMEN-Combination of savory flavors of sesame and miso in creamy tonkotsu broth.Topped with menma, kikurage mushrooms, toroniku slices and baby arugula leaves. TSUKEMEN-Thickened soy flavored tonkotsu soup has enriched flavor and umami. SHIYAKE IKURA GOHAN-Rice bowl topped with grilled salmon & salmon roe. Gyoza.
Comments: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka was the winner of our Battle of Seattle Ramen post. The post also provides a good primer with my own view on Seattle ramen history and how it’s evolved so quickly in the last few years. This location has only been open for a year and located in University Village. Their only other US locations are in Bellevue and two more in Boston. So why do we believe that Santouka is the best ramen in Seattle. Well, we go pretty often and have tried the Shio, Shoyu, Miso and Goma Miso Ramens. We’ve had the Tsukemen, gyoza, takoyaki, karaage and all are top rate. They also have “combos” where you can mix and match ramen dishes with their side dishes. And while many ramen places allow you to order larger portions by paying extra, Santouka is the only place I know of in Seattle that gives you the option to order a smaller portion for a lower price. The capper for us is that they have free ramen for kids all day, every day.
The service is quick and regardless how busy it is, we’ve never had to wait long for a seat. And it’s not a big place to begin with. I’m the type of person who likes certain foods at a certain tempature. I only like hot coffee even if it’s a 100 degrees. I like my water ice cold. There are other foods that I can eat hot or cold like pizza and fried chicken. When it comes to ramen, I always like it hot regardless if the weather is super hot. I’m not a huge fan of cold soba or somen. Taking all this into consideration, the Tsukemen at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has won my taste buds over and is my favorite and I’d say it’s one of my top 10 dishes in Seattle. For those unfamiliar with Tsukemen, it’s noodles that you dip out a soup and then eat. The soup has a very flavorful dense taste, so there’s an art to eating Tsukemen. It takes restraint to only dip 3 or 4 noodles at a time. If you try to stuff a bunch of noodles in the soup, the flavor will be too overpowering. Having the Tsukemen with the Aji-Tama(half cooked egg) takes it to another level. It’s a good dish to have in the summer for me. It’s not piping hot, but it’s not cold. The noodles are at room tempature and the dipping soup is hot. My daughter loves the shio ramen and my wife switches around every visit, but seems to like the Goma Miso Ramen with a gyoza side.
The place is not that big. There are booths on the left side that can fit 4. On the left side long bench against the wall with individual tables. In the middle are tables for two and in the middle towards the back is a large community table for singles.
If you are interested, here’s the grid from our Battle of Seattle Ramen post. I think Arashi Ramen, Ramen Danbo and Kizuki Ramen are just a notch below Santouka, but not by much.
For now, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is our favorite ramen place. It’s efficient, clean and modern, lots of parking in University Village, free kids meal and above all great tasting ramen.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 4.5
Overall: 4.85
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!
Eavesdropping Convos: None
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: Amy or Emmy, our server suggested Junkichi Robata Izakaya in Capitol Hill
- See what a 36 year old from Japan thought of Seattle
- Kokkaku
- Coffee Shops to Impress Visitors, Impress Visiting Coffee Snobs, Make Visitors Feel Like Locals.
- Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 2)
Seven Coffee Roasters Market & Cafe
Description on Seven Coffee Roasters website : Seven Coffee Roasters was started in a small cafe/roastery in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle in 2006 by Sean Lee. Seven is named after Sean’s grandmother, affectionately called “Nana” by grandkids. Nana, in Japanese, means Seven.
Neighborhood: Ravenna
Address: 2007 NE Ravenna Blvd, Seattle, WA 98105
Music playing: Summertime by Ella Fitzgerald
What we ate/drank: Macchiato, Iced Latte, Iced Mocha, Full Tilt Raspberry Popsicle.
Comments: Plopped in the middle of the Ravenna neighborhood is an old unassuming general store. Unless you are looking for it or happen to be driving through the neighborhood, you will never find it. I remember the first time we “found” Seven Coffee Roasters Market & Café. The moment we walked in, we fell in love with it. It really is just a neighborhood general store, but there are a few but very distinct differences from your usual general stores(although there aren’t many that have survived). First, you won’t find your normal name brands, but you will find local products. No Cheetos or Dorritos, but you will find Kettle and Tim’s. No Haagen Dazs ice cream, but you’ll find Full Tilt. No Sutter Home or Gallo wine, but they do have 8 Bells(located right down the street), Matthews, Januik. For the size of the store there is an amazingly wide variety of wine, beer and snacks. I also love their old school refrigerator that houses their cold drinks. I wonder if it’s the original from 1922(see below). The other thing that sets it apart is that they’re a coffee roaster, which makes their coffee drinks far, far above average for a general store. The actual roasting is done offsite. I’m not sure if due to Seven Roasters roasting their own coffee as well as having lower costs due to it’s location, but their prices are $.75 to $1 cheaper than your normal Seattle café. The first time going to Seven Coffee Roasters Market & Café was in the evening, so we just had beers. At the time, they had taps, but our latest visit only had beers in cans.
According to their website, “the store was established in 1922 and unofficially the second oldest market in Seattle, Seven Market & Cafe now sits where the former Boulevard Grocery once stood.” & “ Seven Market & Cafe sits in the quiet and charming neighborhood of Ravenna, near the University District. Ravenna Boulevard was once a main thoroughfare in Seattle for loggers hauling their goods from Green Lake to Lake Washington. The market served those loggers and others using the boulevard as a passage.”
It’s a tiny little place that might fit 12 people max inside, has a few small tables outside on the sidewalk along with a bench and an adjoining patio that maybe seat 6 or 7. The left side of the storefront has a garage style door that they open. This gives the high seating counter the prime spot to sit to enjoy both the inside and looks out on Ravenna Blvd, which I love for its median that’s lined with trees.
As mentioned in our Best Seattle Bars To Impress Out of Towners and Our Seattle Coffee Shop Thoughts posts, out of town visitors love these hidden local gems and Seven Coffee Roasters Market & Café is no different. We had friends come from out of town and they actually went to Starbucks Reserve twice. We took them to our little hidden coffee roaster, Seven Coffee Roasters Market & Café and they loved it. No crammed cafe with tourists, just laid back conversation on the patio and great coffee. I’ve even mentioned this place to locals and most have never heard of it or seen it, but even those who have driven past it and knew about it said they had no idea it was a coffee roaster. They normally say, “We just thought it was a small convenience store”. This is our normal stop when going to our dog sitter, who lives in the area. It’s also the de facto hot chocolate source when visiting Candy Cane Lane during the holidays.
Their blog is a good source for their history and a blog that profiles the rotating local artists who sell their art in the café and also provides profiles on the various local businesses who serve their coffee- Bryant Corner Café & Bakery, Honest Biscuits, Sod House Bakery and Flying Apron Bakery.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing:
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food Options: 4.75
Overall: 4.85
Eavedropping Convo: None. Only that the barista made my macchiato and when handing it to me said, “Let me know if it’s good”. It was.
Analog Coffee
Description on Analog Coffee website : Modern American coffee shop located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Serving a rotating cast of exceptional local roasters and Fresh Breeze Organic dairy.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 235 Summit Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
Music playing: 4th Chamber by GZA
What we ate/drank: Macchiato & Mighty O Sprinkled Donut
Comments: First of all, all hail the WU! When I walked in 4th Chamber by GZA/Genius was playing not on Spotify or Pandora, not from a iphone playlist, not from a CD even. It was playing on a motherfucking turntable, yo! This is the 3rd coffee shop I’ve noticed with a turntable, Slate Coffee Roasters and Convoy Coffee, being the others.
If you’re not looking for Analog Coffee, you’ll miss it. There is huge burgundy awning that wraps around this corner spot, but there’s no signage with the exception of a small wooden sign they place on the sidewalk. Because this is smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood, finding parking might be a challenge. But being on a nice quiet street away from the hustle and bustle of Broadway Ave and the Pike/Pine corridor is a major part of it’s appeal. My understanding is that it used to be an old gym, but it feels like an old general store that you might find in Mayberry.
It has an intimate feel, but it doesn’t feel crowded. The walls, ceilings, stools are all white and there’s art/posters hanging on the walls, but the linoleum floors and weathered counter sure does make it feel like an old general store. Outside, there are a bunch of chairs out front and also around the corner. There’s a high counter with stools that run all the way from the door to the back of the café. Along the wall above the counter are the days paper and some magazines clipped to a cable for your reading enjoyment. On the left near the front is a L-shaped wooden bench with a coffee table stacked with comic books. My nerdy jr high school self would be jumping for joy. The very back has a community table that fits about 8, which would be the best place to work on a computer if you needed to. Also in the back is a standing counter if you want to watch the barista do his thing. I also noticed they have a projector so they could show videos/tv on the white walls if they ever wanted/needed to.
The food selection was pastries. Unfortunately, I didn’t peruse the selections once I saw one last sprinkled donut from Mighty O and ordered it. Add Analog Coffee to the long list of coffee places that carry Mighty O. On the day I visited they had two brews from Herkimer(Honduras Benigno Mejia, Ethiopia Kochere) and Camber(Honduras El Tanque & Ethipoia Guji Uraga) each, but I ended up getting a macchiato. They also sold beans from each of the roasters.
To me, the vibe is definitely a relaxing-coffee-in-the morning place, but not really a working/studying place. I don’t know it just has a relaxing nature about it that would make me not want to work/study. We just love these neighborhood cafes that are right in the middle of neighborhoods and not on main streets like most coffee places we review. I understand that putting cafes on or near main streets get volume customers, but there’s something to be said for these neighborhood cafes that either rely on the people who live in the neighborhood or have such great drinks or atmosphere that people will travel from outside the neighborhood to patronize the spot. I’m talking about places like Seven Coffee Roasters, Lighthouse Roasters and to a lesser extent, Zoka in Tangletown. Add Analog to the list.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: What makes Analog Coffee different-The comics, the newspaper/magazines hanging from the wall, the fresh tunes on the turntable, the neighborhoody reel.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.5
Eavedropping Convo: Two guys having a coffee. It appears they hadn’t seen each other in a while and may have been ex-coworkers catching up.
Dude 1(D1) – I’m been consistently working over 40 hours a week and every two weeks I have to turn in a timecard, so if I have over 80 hours worked in a two week period I leave early, so that it comes out to an even 80 hours a week. So I worked 83 hours the last two weeks and so I told my boss that I was leaving 3 hours early on Friday.
Dude 2(D2) –Ok
D1- He told me I needed to deduct 3 hours from my time card and report 77 hours!! I explained to him that I worked an extra 3 hours and because he didn’t want me to go over 80 hours I was leaving 3 hours early. He just couldn’t understand and insisted I deduct 3 hours if I left early, so I just stayed and worked til 5:00. Then on Monday I submit my timecard with 83 hours, but I didn’t send it to Human Resources, I only sent it to him because I knew he’d blow up. Sure enough, he came to me and said, “I thought I told you that I didn’t want you working more than 80 hours every two weeks?” I told him, “yeah, but you wouldn’t let me leave early and told me if I left early I needed to deduct 3 hours. You can’t have it both ways. You either pay me for the hours worked or you let me leave early so my two weeks come out to an even 80 hours worked.” He knows he was wrong, but was trying to scare me into working longer. I’m one of the top salesman in the company. I just saved this company millions by talking a customer out of leaving us and to come back when they already made the decision to leave us!
D2-You really need to tell this to Rick to make sure he knows.
D1- Oh, I did. Another thing my new boss wants me to do. If I make a sale, he wants me to double check with him before agreeing on the terms and price. I’m not gonna act like a used car salesman, where I have to pretend to check with my boss to make the deal final. I told him if he wants me to check in with him before finalizing a deal with a customer, he’d better call them himself and explain the situation. I’ll look like a spineless dumbass if I don’t have the authority to seal the deal with a handshake right there on the spot.
Stone Way Cafe
Recommended by: Nobody. We found it on our own.
Description on their web: A family owned Cafe in the heart of Fremont offering the finest in quality hand crafted coffee & espresso, pastries & food, craft beer, cider & wine. Relax and enjoy the good vibes of local performing artists, family, friends and neighbors. Our warm, friendly staff aim to please and are here to ensure a most pleasant stop at the Stone.
Neighborhood/Type: Wallingford / Breakfast
Address: 3510 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA 98103
Music playing: Lovers’ Carvings by Bibio
What we’ve eaten:
- Sandra’s Special-Eggs, Pork, Poblano Peppers, Onions with Potatoes & Toast.
- Pulled Pork Cheesesteak-pulled pork, provolone, caramelized onions, grilled poblano peppers, and aioli sauce on a cuban roll.
- Breakfast Burrito- eggs, 3 cheese combo, choice of bacon/ham/sausage/pulled pork/chorizo/veggies, pico de gallo, chipotle lime sauce, and home fries.
- Fried Chicken & Waffles w/sausage gravy and pure maple syrup
- Pulled Pork Breakfast Sandwich-egg, mixed greens, savory herb tomato sauce, pulled pork on a brioche bun
- Special-Pulled pork scramble
- Rosalia’s Biscocho-cheddar & jalapeno biscuit, egg, avocado, tomato, mango aioli, mixed greens served with home fries
- Steak & Egg Breakfast Sandwich- Steak, egg, caramelized onion, tomato with home fries.
-
Sandra’s Special-Eggs, Pork, Poblano Peppers, Onions with Potatoes & Toast 
Pulled Pork Sandwiches 
Breakfast Burrito-toasted on the outside. 
Fried Chicken & Waffles w/gravy
Comments: Caveat: This review is only for breakfasts. Why? Well about 2 years ago our daughter was born. Before she arrived, whenever driving down Stone Way we’d pass by Stone Way Café and see people hanging out on the small little patio. I would say to myself, “What a cute little café. We should go check it out some day”. Well, we never did.
Until…….our daughter was born. She would wake up super early and we’d check for places that were open early so we could get some breakfast. I remember searching for a place and reminding my wife about Stone Way Café since it opened at 7:00am. It’s now become our go-to breakfast place. We probably go there once a month. There are times where we go 3 times a month, so we’re very familiar with their breakfast offerings.
The first time going to Stone Way Cafe I was shocked how big the place actually is. From the outside it looks very small due to the small patio, but on the inside it’s huge. The second thing that shocked us was the type of food they were serving. We were expecting a few pastry items and if they did serve “real” meals, it would be standard eggs and bacon or pancakes and waffles.
They actually have friend chicken and waffles, breakfast burritos, Cajun benedict, enchilada stacks, cheddar & jalapeno biscuits and gravy and much more. The coffee they serve is from Victrola Coffee Roasters. There is no server. You look at the menu on the wall, order and pay the cashier and then grab your dish at the kitchen counter when they call out your number.
Stone Way Café checks all the boxes for us. It’s close to where we live, ample parking early in the morning, quality dishes for every craving, good local coffee, opens early on the weekends, and a very casual, family friendly atmosphere.
From the outside, Stone Way Café is in a nondescript square building painted entirely black. The inside is the exact opposite, a airy bright space with revolving works of art, a huge warehouse-like seating area with counter seating, normal individual tables, leather seats and a bigger table for groups and a massive wall painting with the state of Washington. If you sit at some of the tables you have a nice view of the 99 bridge.
Because we only go for breakfast, we’re missing out on a lot Stone Way Café has to offer. Almost every night there is either live music or an open mic night. I’ve mentioned some of the breakfast menu, but they also have salads, tacos, sandwiches, wraps and even a muffuletta. They also have a very impressive beer menu stocked with local breweries-Popluxe, Stoup, Lowercase, Reuben’s, Machine House, Fremont Brewing to name a few. They also have ciders, wine and kombucha.
The thing we like about Stone Way Café is that it’s the type a place we can bring any visitor or meet any friend and feel confident that they’ll like the food and atmosphere. We can bring our parents who just want a simple traditional breakfast, our out of town foodie friend or our friends with kids who want a relaxed family friendly environment. We’ve brought out of towners, new-to-Seattle friends and longtime Seattle folks and they’ve all enjoyed their experience here.
Ratings:Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 4.5
Overall: 4.85
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is
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- 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!
Eavesdropping Convos: None
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: The cashier at Stone Way Cafe suggested Northlake Tavern & Pizza for what she called the “best pizza in town”
Related:
Zeitgeist Coffee – Pioneer Square
Description on Zeitgeist Coffee website : Designed different. We work hard to present a warm, pleasing place that is more in keeping with a traditional coffee house—a place for the exchange of ideas and a meeting place for the community.
Neighborhood: Pioneer Square
Address: 171 S. Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104
Music playing: Mean Streets by Tennis
What we ate/drank: Macchiato and a Top Pot glazed doughnut
Macchiato & Top Pot Doughnut
Comments: It’s become apparent to us that Pioneer Square has become the epicenter of quality coffee shops. Cherry Street Public House, Caffé Vita, Slate Coffee Roasters, in our opinion, have their best cafes here. Convoy Coffee and Elm Coffee Roasters have their only brick and mortar locations here. Now add Zeitgeist to the list.
I’d been to Zeitgeist before, but because it’s rather far from my work, it’s normally packed and there are so many other choices in the area, I don’t come here often. In talking to the baristas at Pegasus Coffee Bar about their favorite cafes to go to once they are off the clock, one of them mentioned Zeitgeist, so I’d thought I’d stop by.
There are a couple things I noticed right off the bat when ordering. This is the first cafe I’ve seen that offers both Mighty O and Top Pot(see Fun Fact below) doughnuts. The doughnuts are showcased side by side! Most places offer up one or the other and in most cases it’s Mighty O. You notice I never really talk about prices when doing these cafe reviews, but the second thing I noticed is that their drinks are on average about $.75 -1.00 cheaper than most cafes in Seattle. For non-coffee drinkers they had juice, a large selection of teas(15ish) and even bottled beers. For food options they have breakfast sandwiches, eggs, fruits(bananas,apples) and dedicated menu for sandwiches, soup and salads.
Like many of the Pioneer Square cafes, the location has exposed brick walls and wooden beams. Wow, these are some massive columns! The space has very tall ceilings(25-30 feet high), big windows for lots of natural light. The place is already big for Pioneer Square standards but the ceilings and windows make it seem massive. The natural rich colors of the wood used on the walls, counters and furniture add to the brightness of the space.
The space is divided by the front door and counter into two seating sections. There are two L-shaped high counters with stools that seat about 8 people each that look upon Jackson Street. Every few minutes you can watch the First Hill Street Car go by. The rest of the cafe has individual tables and chairs.
I’d say 1/4 of the people who come Zeitgeist Coffee have come from the King Street Station getting a cup of coffee while they wait to board their train. The other 3/4 are locals/regulars. There always seems to be a line as I mentioned up above, which is one of the reasons I don’t often come here, but I have to say the line moved pretty quickly considering most people are not ordering a quick brewed coffee, but an espresso based drink.
It reminds me of the Pioneer Square Caffé Vita in that there are lots of “things to look at”. As mentioned in a previous blog post, 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.” The things at Zeitgeist I really enjoyed looking at:
- Their collection of old percolators that line their back wall from one end to the other. The way they have them displayed make it almost invisible. They’re all about the same size and all silver, so they almost all blend together, but it’s such a cool collection. At least, I think so.
- The old features/décor
- The art deco clock above the cashier/barista
- The old fan hanging from the wall
- The vintage percolator signage right behind the cashier
- The massive hanging lights
- The old school newspaper/magazine stand
- The ornate steel partition above the magazine stand. Remnants of a bank teller?
- The dictionary displayed above a map drawer that contain all sorts of little goodies.
- The small little counter in the middle of the space that has a banker’s lamp on it. It’s so out of place, but it’s not.
- Even the toaster near the coffee station is an older model.
Zeitgeist also closes relatively late at 7:00pm. Even though Zeigeist has gotten one of our highest scores, I’m still not sure how frequently we’ll come due to it’s location and that it’s always packed(for good reason). We will probably come if we are waiting to pick up somebody from the train station, First Thursday Art Walk or any other instance where we are in the area either super early in the morning or in the evening, when it’s more likely to be less crowded.
Fun Fact: One of the original founders of Zeitgeist, Michael Klebeck, went on to become the founder of Top Pot Doughnuts.
Fun Fact #2: Where did the name Zeitgeist come from? According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer(RIP), Founder Brian Yeck put the focus of the shop on art. “We always strive to show interesting, challenging and thought-provoking works,” he said. Zeitgeist means “spirit of the times,” and Yeck felt it fit.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: All the little “things to look at” mentioned above.
Atmosphere: 5.00
Service: 4.75
Food Options: 5.00
Overall: 4.85
Eavedropping Convo: Guy ordered his 16 oz Americano and waited at the hand off for the barista to make it. Gal after him also ordered a 16 oz Americano, but with 4 shots instead of 2. Barista calls out, “16 oz Americano”! Guy goes to grab it and is about to put in cream.
Gal calls out to the guy: Hey, I think that’s mine. I ordered a 16 oz American with 4 shots. Did you order 4 shots or a regular? I think you grabbed my drink.
Guy: Oh… sorry. I just ordered a regular Americano.
Gal: Yeah, I think that’s mine.
Guy: She just called out 16 oz Americano and I was next so I assumed it was mine. Sorry.
Gal: Yeah, no that’s mine. Goes to grab the drink from the guy.
Barista calls out: 16 oz Americano, 4 shots!!
Gal: Oh, There’s mine. Hands back the drink she just grabbed from the guy back to the guy. Grabs her drink and heads straight for the door. Didn’t even say, “Sorry for the mix up”. Really surprised how rude people are. The guy just took in stride.
*****Seattle Coffee Works has moved to 108 Pine Street. See our updated review here.*****
Description on Seattle Coffee Works website : Seattle Coffee Works is a place to experience and experiment with coffee in its richly diverse forms and varieties. Wine connoisseurs have tasting rooms; beer aficionados have brewery tap rooms; fine dining enthusiasts have five-star restaurants. Our goal is to create a dedicated tasting space for specialty coffee. All of our locations commit unrelentingly to making coffee better and providing resources to help our customers make and explore better coffee.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 107 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
Music playing: The General by Dispatch
What we ate/drank: Macchiato
Comments: Seattle Coffee Works first started a few yards down the block as a pop up in the touristy T-Shirt store on the corner of 1st and Pike back in 2006. It then moved into the old Johnny Rockets location where it remains today.
If you’ve ever been to Pike Place Market, you’ve most likely seen Seattle Coffee Works since you literally there when you step out the door. The first thing you’ll notice is that there is outdoor seating looking right on Pike Place Market. I’ve never sat there, but although you’ll have a great view, us locals know that it’s also a street that attracts a lot of, how should I put it, crazy people. Although I’ve got to admit it is 10 times better than it used to be now that Target and Hard Rock are there. It used to be a bunch of strip joints.
When you walk in you’ll notice two seating areas One is their ‘Slow bar”, which is where the manually brewed coffee drinks are concocted. Check out the cool syphon in the picture below. This area is comprised of high counters and about 8 stools. The other seating area is just a general seating that has a long bench with five individual tables. There are a few stand alone tables and your coffee shop commonplace leather seats. One thing I want to note about the benches. They are unusually high. My feet were dangling off the floor and the tables, which are normal height were up to my knees due to the bench being so high.
Food options are packaged sandwiches from Molly’s, yogurt and pastries locally sourced from Standard and Macrina Bakery. They also have other drinks besides coffee -juices/water/carbonated drinks/cider/tea/chai.
There are lots of tourist due to proximity to the Market, but if you come early in the morning on a work day it’s nice a peaceful. While there on a Tuesday morning, I’d say most people were not locals/regulars, which is to be expected due to the location near downtown hotels, Pike Place Market, the aquarium, SAM, waterfront, cruise ship terminals, etc.
I can’t really put my finger on why I don’t find it a place I’d like to hang out at regularly or suggest it as a place to meet up. Maybe it’s the weird bench proportions/height, maybe just my mood on this particular day, maybe I like a sense of community, while this location seems to have a more transient vibe. I didn’t think that stuff really mattered to me, but maybe it does.
The coffee was great, cashier and barista helpful and cheerful, convenient location, definitely have the people watching factor, but…… I don’t know. I’m just not feeling it. In comparison, I really enjoy their other locations. Bright and airy Cascade Coffee Works and Capitol Coffee Works. Maybe it’s not fair to compare this location with those being relative new locations and probably without the space and building restrictions this location has. The Ballard Coffee Works has a neighborhood feel, is bigger and has a cool Brew Bar area.
Website: I love their Authenticity Reports that shows transparency of how much they paid and how much they ordered from each of their farms. They also go into great detail about their employee benefits. I don’t know if Second Pay is an industry standard, but I think it’s a really fair policy in which Seattle Coffee Works will pay a little extra to the farm if they determine the quality of the coffee is better than expected after the coffee has already been purchased! If it’s less than expected Seattle Coffee Works admits it’s their mistake an honors the original negotiated price of the coffee beans.
I also really enjoyed the short biogarphies of the farms they source from and their locations.
Super detailed Brew Guides on their website that gives measurements to the gram and timing to the second for Aeropress, Chemex, Hario, Kalita Wave and even a Syphon.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The above mentioned Authenticy Reports and Second Pay policy.
Atmosphere: 3.75
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.75
Extra Credit: +1.25 for Authenticity Report and Second Pay
Overall: 4.50
Eavedropping Convo: No conversations to report here, but Duh! I just realized after all these years that the Seattle Coffee Works logo of the guy drinking coffee is a play on the Hammering Man in front of the SAM(Seattle Art Museum)
Source: SeattleCoffeeScene.com
Source: Dazzling Places.com
Caffe Ladro(1800 9th Building)-Mystery Solved!
Description on Caffe Ladro website: At Caffe Ladro, we strive to provide profound service.
We believe that profound service improves the world.
Neighborhood: Pioneer Square
Address: 1800 9th Ave , Seattle, WA 98101
Music playing: Wild Horses by The Sundays
What we ate/drank: Latte, Gibraltar
Comments: Debated on whether or not to even review this Caffe Ladro location. I’ve been to many of the other Ladro locations and really this is just a coffee stand in a lobby of the 1800 9th Building. It has no real cafe feel. The lobby area does have nice seating and there are three high top tables against the window right next to the Caffe Ladro counter. And of course you get the Caffe Ladro quality coffee drinks, but the atmosphere is an “eh”.
I can see coming here for a to-go cup, if you were meeting somebody in the building and arrived early or if you worked nearby, but the “Jetsons” Caffe Ladro is only a few blocks away and has a better atmosphere to kick back for awhile. If I worked in this building I’d be super stoked to have a Caffe Ladro in my lobby though. The building I work in has a Starbucks in the lobby, so I’m envious. There were the normal limited bakery goods that are made in their bakery offsite.
Mystery Really Solved: You may remember how I made a fool out of myself at Caffe Vita getting mixed up where I was and asking them about the logo of Caffe Ladro. I was then determined to get the scoop on where the name Caffe Ladro came from. When I went to visit the Jetson’s Caffe Ladro they told me the logo of the silhouetted man represented a cloaked mysterious in-the-shadows thief since Ladro is Italian for thief. Well I got the real scoop now! I don’t know if it’s real but it’s a more clever origin. When the owner of Caffe Ladro decided to open his first cafe, he opened it right next to Starbucks in Queen Anne hoping to steal it’s customers with a better quality coffee and environment, so he picked the name Caffe Ladro or “Coffee Thief”.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: How bright the space is due to having windows surrounding on all sides.
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 5.0
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.0
Eavedropping Convo: Took place on May the 4th.
Customer(C) – Have you gotten any Star Wars references today? You know, May the 4th? May the Force?
Barista(B)- Ohhh…..so that’s why I’ve seen so many Star Wars themed shirts today.
C-Are you a fan?
B- I mean I’ve seen them all. but I’m not a Star Wars nerd.
C- Yeah, I’m a fan but I couldn’t name every single character.
B- Oooooh..I should come up with a Star Wars theme drink for the day. How about the “Death Star”?
C – How about “Darth Mocha”?