Cafe Lulu

Cafe Lulu – Greenlake

Description on  Cafe Lulu’s website: A fun, cozy, welcoming atmosphere might just become a natural extension of your own home.

Neighborhood:  Greenlake

Address: 6417 Latona Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115

What we ate/drank: Doppio Espresso, Cinnamon Roll.

Comments:  It’s actually been awhile since we’d been to Café Lulu, the small little neighborhood coffee shop in between Greenlake and Roosevelt neighborhoods. They just recently did a remodel which really changed the feel of the café. Before it was a cozy colorful spot with orange walls, chalkboard menus and lots of art. Now Café Lulu has been transformed to a more modern clean café with white walls, bright lights and no artwork. Perhaps the remodel is not completely done? One thing that remains at Café Lulu is their collection of travel books. I remember coming here a few years ago and reading through a Japan travel guide right before our trip there.

Here are the before and after comparisons:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

The seating quantity is about the same as before, but the quality is much nicer.  There’s some stool seating along the front counter looking out on Latona Ave. There 5 tables of two and 1 table in the front that starts at the wall and goes perpendicular to create a table. The wood tables are quite stunning.  The counter between the customers and the barista is much more open and lower now, so you can more easily interact now. Before you could only see their heads as they were making drinks.

The coffee machine they have has a Caffe Vita sticker(yes, I finally figured out Vita vs Ladro), so I assume that’s what they’re serving.Some of the food options are yogurt, banana, oatmeal, breakfast burritos, bagels and I think some bagel sandwiches.  One other thing they added with the new remodel is the selling of wine by the glass and bottle. With the addition of wine it only makes sense that they extend their hours from 2:00 closing to 6:00 on weeknights starting in February.

I’ll be honest, even with the upgrades in lighting and outlets, I kind of miss the cozy environment prior to the remodel. Perhaps, it’s just something we need to get used to.  I give kudos to any coffee shop that’s been in business for 21 years especially with the plethora of coffee in Seattle. They’re obviously doing something right maintaining their customer base.

Ratings(1-5)

Favorite Thing: Library of travel books

Atmosphere:  3.75

Service: 4.50

Food Options: 4.25

Overall: 4.15

Eavedropping  Convo: There must be a Microsoft Connector bus stop nearby. 2 Microsoft employees waiting inside Cafe Lulu for the bus.  I think they had just figured out that both of them were both waiting for the Connector.

M1(Microsoft Employee 1): What area do you work in?

M2(Microsoft Employee 2): —-Sales. I just started two weeks ago so I’m still finding my way with the commute and the company.  Note: I couldn’t hear the exact sales dept.

M1: It takes awhile to get the lay of the land that’s for sure. It’ll get better. I promise.

M2: Yeah, I’m sure it will.

M1: Where did you come from?

M2: I moved here from Atlanta. Man, this cold weather is another thing I need to get used to.

M1: This? This ain’t nothing. It’s actually been a mild winter. Don’t worry, it’ll get colder.

M2: Gee, thanks.

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