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Elm Coffee Roasters -South Lake Union (SLU)
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Description on Elm Coffee Roaster’s website : The world is full of incredible coffee. And we love that it’s our job to roast and share our favorites with you. Working with amazing producers and importers, we bring you vibrant coffees from all around the world.
Neighborhood: South Lake Union
Address: 230 9th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Music Playing: Cath by Death Cab For Cutie
What we ate/drank: Cortado
Comments: I’ve enjoyed the coffee at Elm Coffee Roasters in Pioneer Square, so when I found out that they opened a branch nearer to my work, I had to check it out. Little did I know that it was in the lobby of an Amazon.com building, so it’s actually more of a coffee stand then an actual cafe.
There is some seating dedicated to for Elm Coffee Roasters to the left of the coffee stands that has individual tables and a high counter, but because it’s located in the lobby of the building you can make use of the comfy chairs and sofas to enjoy your drinks. Just a bit of a warning for the seats located near the stand, I saw only one outlet in case you are thinking of working there.
I was planning on ordering one of their combos- The One & One, which is a macchiato and an espresso, but it didn’t appear to be an option here. At least it wasn’t listed.
While I was sitting there enjoying my Cortado, it dawned on me. I don’t know if this is common knowledge amongst locals and I’m just behind the times, but it appears Amazon picks local coffee purveyors to inhabit their new buildings, which explains why these places exist – Caffe Ladro (1800 9th Building)-Mystery Solved!, Cascade Coffee Works, Victrola Coffee Roasters-The Most Heavily Guarded Cafe in Seattle. I also know there’s Fonte, Zoka, Caffe Vita and Rise(Farestart) in Amazon buildings. I definitely applaud Amazon for getting local companies in their branches and not the typical Starbucks that’s in my building lobby.
Going forward, I’ll keep these coffee shop reviews within a building lobby to a minimum unless they really are stand alone cafe such as the Cascade Coffee Works and the Victrola Coffee Roaster on 3rd and Pine. It’s not really fair to grade against stand alone cafe. I mean it’s a lobby so you can’t expect a whole lot in terms of atmosphere, but in this particular case, it’s Elm Coffee Roasters, so I’m sure I’ll be coming here regularly since it’s way more convenient for me than the Pioneer Square location.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Having the option of enjoying a coffee while sitting in some luxurious chairs/sofa.
Atmosphere: 3.50
Service: 4.50
Food Options: 2.50
Overall: 3.75
Eavedropping Convo: Two guys sitting have a coffee inside when a guy passes the window rolling down the sidewalk on a Solowheel.
Guy 1(G1)- Dude, that same asshole almost ran my ass over last week.
Guy 2(G2) -Really?
G1) Yeah, by Whole Foods. There’s like a million fucking people on the sidewalk during lunch and this asshole is going full speed weaving in and out of people. Stupid fuck.
G2) This guy who used to work in my office had one. One day he came in on crutches because he munched it trying to avoid a dog.
Related:
Porchlight Coffee & Records
Description on Porchlight Coffee & Records website : Recently, Food & Wine Magazine listed us as one of their favorite cafes in Seattle, going on to deem us the least snobby on the list! We pride ourselves on offering a pleasant and genuine space to enjoy good music and good coffee.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 1517 14th Ave, Seattle WA 98122
Music playing: Shake by Sam Cooke
What we ate/drank: Macchiato
Comments: Porchlight Coffee & Records has been around since 2009. The first time I went there they were located around the corner right on Pike, but are now located on 14th between Pike and Pine on the east end of Capitol Hill.
The space really reminds me of Revolutions Coffee in terms of how big the space is, the configuration, the white walls, how it’s bright in the front, but kinda dark towards the back. And both use beans roasted by Herkimer. One difference is that Porchlight does have rotating art that is lowbrow in nature, which I like. I have to give props to Porchlight for turning me on to an artist named, Adrian Tomine and I ended up ordering a print called, “1965”. They also have a Porchblog on their website that reports about new music, events, new art.
Porchlight also doubles as a record store, although I didn’t see a record player. Seems to be a common theme of records and coffee in Seattle. I know Convoy Coffee, Slate Coffee Roasters and Analog Coffee have record players and you also have Victrola Coffee Roasters that has the phonograph as its logo.
There are a few tables right outside the store front, there’s a brown leather couch with a couple of tree stump tables. The rest are 6 pedestal tables that each have two white wooden chairs. The record section is located in the back. And as mentioned earlier while it is quite bright in the front, towards the back it gets darker. I noticed they also have beers and a limited pastries section.
Ratings(1-5)Favorite Thing: Their Porchblog that reports about new music, events, new art
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.50
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.00
Eavedropping Convo: None. But did you know that Porchlight Coffee & Records is actually featured in an Uber video
Related:
Third Culture Coffee
Description on Third Culture Coffee website : It is our attempt to transcend borders, bring together the tradition and history of cultures with the allure and mystique of coffee, tea and wine.
Neighborhood: Bellevue (Gasp!)
Address:80 102nd Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
Music playing: Quiet by EXES
What we ate/drank: Atalia – A set of espresso, americano and macchiato. Vanilla cronut
Comments: We don’t go to the “Eastside” very often. For you out-of-towners, Seattle is on west side of Lake Washington. The east side of Lake Washington includes Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Sammamish. There’s a saying here locally that you live in Seattle when you’re young and move to the Eastside when you start a family. It’s much more suburban, has quality schools and is much safer. It’s newer, cleaner, brand name hungrier than Seattle. In reality, Bellevue is less than 10 miles away, but the Eastside seems so far in proximity(and lifestyle) when we have everything we need here in old, grimey Seattle. I even disqualified any ramen places on the Eastside for being too far to travel to in our Battle of Seattle Ramen post. Anyways, we’re taking our chances and choosing to raise our two daughters here in Seattle.
Anyways, that’s a primer for our review of Third Culture Coffee in Bellevue. It’s probably been a good 4 years since we’ve been to Bellevue, but we had a visitor staying at Hyatt House that we met up with for brunch. We had some time to kill prior to our breakfast, so we went to Bellevue Downtown Park. This is a beautiful park and if you want to see the difference between Eastside and Seattle, take a look at the playground at Bellevue Downtown Park. Our jaws dropped when seeing the various play areas and fun things for kids to do, especially the water area. And here we thought that the wading pool at Greenlake where they put two inches of stagnant water in a sloped concrete area was Da Bomb! Anyways, back on topic. We noticed Third Culture Coffee across the street so popped in.
In Bellevue the buildings are newer, so there’s not the space restrictions that you might have in some of the Seattle areas like Pioneer Square, downtown or Capitol Hill. Third Culture Coffee can seat at least 40+. Plenty of counter seating, lots of individual tables for four, a few tables for two, a community table for at least 8, sidewalk seating and a seating area with leather chairs and a coffee table. There are a couple features that indicates how big this place is-a dedicated kids area and a huge swing. Can you imagine a swing being in Victrola Coffee Roasters, Caffe Ladro or Herkimer Coffee? It would take up the entire cafe. Huge windows make it bright and tall ceilings make it feel expansive. We were able to find street parking near by, but they do offer parking validation in the building parking for 1 hour before 4:00pm and 2 hours after 4:00pm.
They also serve wine, beers, ports, sherry and cocktails and have occasional events in the evening such as live music, wine tasting and wine/chocolate pairings. They also have a big tea selection. Food selections when we went were pastries, desserts and toasts including the Seattle millennial staple, avocado toast.
We ended up getting the Alitalia, which is very similar to Elm Coffee Roaster’s One of Everything. The Alitalia is a an espresso, americano and a macchiato. We also got a vanilla cronut, which is like a churo donut with vanilla filing. I know they source from Macrina Bakery, but I don’t think it was from there. The cronut was damn good with coffee.
The concept I found most intriguing that I’ve not seen anywhere else is the coffee preparation from various different cultures. There’s an Indian Filter Coffee and a Tumeric Latte(Haldi Doodh), Vietnamese prepared via phin, a Spanish Bombon, a Japanese iced pour over and a New Orleans Iced Coffee that include chicory. They even have a kids drink called the Babychino. I like trying various types of coffee drinks from around world, so it’s nice to be able to try them in one spot. Normally if you want a Vietnamese style coffee drink, you have to go to a Vietnamese restaurant. If you want a Turkish coffee, you have to go to a Turkish restaurant. There’s the other side of the coin though that if you’re a jack of all trades, you’re a master of none. So will the drinks really be a true representation of each culture if each process has to be mastered by each worker? I admire the attempt though and would love if a Seattle café would try this concept. Cheers.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The different cultural variations of coffee preparations
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 4.75
Food Options: 4.25
Overall: 4.65
Eavedropping Convo: No convos to report, but I noticed something peculiar. When we were at the park and decided to look for a coffee place in the near vicinity, I looked on yelp. Third Culture Coffee came up and I decided to read a couple of the reviews before going there. I noticed a couple of comments that I was surprised about. They were complaining about having to bus their own dishes/cups. This is standard practice for coffee places in Seattle. You order, get your drink/food, when done you bus your dishes/cups to a bin. This is supposed to keep costs down because it’s one less task that a worker has to do and so less workers need to be hired. Is this not a thing in Bellevue? Bussing your own dishes/cups?
Related:
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.
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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:
Espresso Vivace – Alley 24
Description on Espresso Vivace website: Our charter is to research, develop, and prepare caffe espresso as a new culinary art. “Espresso Vivace” translates loosely as great enthusiasm and excitement for espresso, the new world coffee.
Neighborhood: South Lake Union
Address: 227 Yale Ave, Seattle, WA 98109
Music playing: Paris Latino- Bandolero
What we ate/drank: Americano, Glazed Sprinkle Donut from Mighty O
Comments: One of the surprising things about Espresso Vivace is that it only has two cafes(Capitol Hill and South Lake Union) and a cart(Capitol Hill). You hear so many people talk about Espresso Vivace and how it’s their favorite that you start to think there must be many other branches around town, but there’s not. To learn about the founder and the importance of Espresso Vivace on the Seattle coffee scene read this article:
They were also featured on the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations episode when they highlighted Seattle. And Emeril Lagasse of the Food Network said, “Probably the best coffee I ever had in the United States if not close into the world… I gotta tell ‘ta, one of the best coffees I ever had in my life…they kicked coffee up into an art form… To see a place like the quality of Vivace is unbelievable.” So Espresso Vivace definitely has a fan base.
And just like Caffe Umbria and Victrola Coffee Roasters, they have a very robust Education section on their website and like Broadcast Coffee and Caffe Vita they offer training. They take it one step further by offering both professional barista training and home barista training.
This is the South Lake Union(SLU) location that’s right across the street from the Flagship REI store. It’s not quite in the heart of South Lake Union and away from Capitol Hill and Downtown, so it never seems to be crowded. It also might have to do with the place being so big for a café. I believe it easily fits 50+ people with all sorts of seating. I counted at least 5 group seating areas-standard tables, long high top tables, a couple leather couches. It even has a separate room. I noticed they have two stations to make any rush hour move quickly. The café has dark brown wood walls, dark table tops and dark chairs, exposed vents are even painted dark brown and the ceiling appears to be dark granite (brown of course). There’s even ample outside seating for nice days.
The vibe is relaxing and for me a place where I’d order a coffee, find a secluded area and read a book. This is also a candidate to meet up with bigger groups along with Cherry Street Public House in Pioneer Square and La Marzocco Cafe
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Big space for large group meet up.
Atmosphere: 4.5
Service: 4.5
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: I guy and two gals were talking. I could only hear snippets, but the guy wasn’t whispering and it seemed like they were talking about a lot of sensitive subjects. I’m not a tech person, so a lot of the terms they were using was Latin to me-OEM, Linux, Qualcomm, CDA, GPU inventory,
He was referring to a well-known local CEO by his first name as if they were on a first name basis. Some comments he made:
- I’ve made that guy so much money!
- When we were colleagues coming up through the ranks, I always used to give him advise. Now he’s where he is and all credit to him. <<He didn’t seem jealous of the CEO. I think he was more just name dropping.
Comment made about a colleague either applying for a job or a consultant who’s starting a new project:
- He’s very childish. He’s dealing with Oracle. Larry’s(Ellison) issuing 20 million of company stock to himself.
Another comment:
- She’s a female CEO trying to make it in man’s world. Good luck to her. I got a give her credit she’s tough as nails, but my god, the drama there is off the charts.
Battle of Seattle Doughnuts(or Donuts?)- Top Shop vs Mighty O
Coming from Los Angeles, there seems to be a donut shop on every corner. When I arrived in Seattle in the 90’s, I was shocked how little donut shops there were. My go to was Winchell’s on 45th in Wallingford, but it went out of business and is now currently Rancho Bravo Tacos. There are now a few mom and pop doughnut shops, but for the last few years, Top Pot and Mighty O have ruled over the Seattle doughnut landscape.
I don’t like cake, pies, cookies or most pastries, but I love donuts. I can’t say i’m a connoisseur of many things, but I definitely feel I can speak to the quality of donuts.
Let’s get to it. In this corner….
Mighty-O: Mighty-O’s distinction is that they make their donuts with certified organic ingredients, they contain no cholesterol because there are no chemical preservatives, no animal derived ingredients, no colorings or artificial flavors.
And in this corner….
Top Pot: From their website-“With over 40 different types of donuts, Top Pot Doughnuts invites you to join us on our delicious journey of good taste. From our uniquely designed cafés to our hand-roasted coffee and hand-forged gourmet doughnuts, we’re committed to doing things the old fashioned way—beautifully, warmly, and with unfailing attention to details. Our exceptional quality, vintage aesthetic, and personal customer service offers a fresh take on the old “coffee and doughnuts” routine “
Here’s the tale of the tape:
- Spelling: Mighty O Donut vs Top Pot Doughnut. The first thing you notice is that each spells donut/doughnut differently.
- Distance from our house: Mighty O: 1.2 miles vs Top Pot: 1.6 miles
- Locations:
Mighty O: 4 locations: Ballard, Green Lake, Capitol Hill, Denny Triangle
Top Pot:23 locations: Including Capitol Hill, Downtown x 3, Wedgewood, Queen Anne, Ballard, South Lake Union, First Hill
- Price for half dozen( Sprinkles, Maple Bar, Apple Fritter, Glazed, Chocolate, Jelly Filled):
Mighty O: $12,99
Top Pot : $15.39
- Pick Up/Delivery Options:
Mighty O: Order online and pick up option. Also Amazon Delivery and Caviar Delivery
Top Pot: No ordering online option. Postmates will deliver.
- Claim to Fame:
Mighty O: Creating certified organic, non-GMO, cholesterol-free donuts, without chemical preservatives, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial coloring, or flavors. Also cornering the market on supplying local coffee shops-Broadcast, Vivace, Victrola, Vita, Elm Coffee Roasters, Analog Coffee, Zeitgeist. Also Mighty O won a Donut Challenge on Food Network:
Top Pot: Golden Tate(former : Wide Receiver) breaking into a Bellevue Top Pot because he had a hankering for a maple bar. “They’re irresistible” quoted Mr Tate to the Seattle Times. (link https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/the-great-maple-bar-caper-seahawks-golden-tate-caught-in-3-am-visit-to-top-pot-doughnuts/). Also, Pres Obama got his fill at Top Pot:
- Donuts – To be fair we ordered the same 6 donuts from each place to make sure we were comparing apples to apples. We got a maple bar, sprinkle, jelly filled, glazed, apple fritter, and chocolate. We decided to grade each donut on the following criteria.
1) Appetizing/Appearance
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting
3) The dough
4) Filling(when appropriate)
5) Taste
Maple Bar
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -Top Pot
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – Top Pot
Winner-Top Pot
Sprinkles
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -Top Pot
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – Mighty O
Winner- Mighty O. Taste as tie breaker.
Jelly Filled -Sugar on Top Pot, glaze on Mighty
1) Appetizing/Appearance – Mighty O
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting – Mighty O
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – Mighty O
5) Taste – Mighty O
Winner – Mighty O
Glazed- Old Fashioned Glazed vs Good O’l Glazed
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -Top Pot
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – Top Pot
Winner-Top Pot
Apple Fritter
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -MIghty O
3) The dough – Top Pot
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – Mighty O
Winner-Mighty O. Taste as tie breaker.
Chocolate-Double trouble vs Lots O’ chocolate
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -MIghty O
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – MIghty O
Winner- Mighty O
Summary: So by a score of 4 to 2, Mighty O is the Winner!!! One of the amazing things about Mighty O is that with the use of specific ingredients, you’d think that it would sacrifice taste or texture of the donut, but their donuts are near perfect. We consistently felt that Top Pot donuts look very appetizing both in overall appearance and glaze/toppings. And we also consistently felt that Mighty O won in the texture of the donut and taste. Truthfully you can’t go wrong with either one and when visitors come to town we often get a dozen from either one to show them some local flavor.
Related Articles:
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Seattle Coffee Shops
- Morsel vs Biscuit & Bean – The Battle of Seattle’s Best Biscuit Sandwich
- Ezell’s vs Heaven Sent – Battle of Seattle’s Best Fried Chicken
- Battle of the Best Caribbean Sandwiches-Paseo vs Un Bien
- Battle of the Best Seattle Ramen Restaurants
Pegasus Coffee Bar
Description on Pegasus Coffee website: Pegasus Coffee began roasting arabica coffee beans for Bainbridge Island coffee lovers in 1979. From the beginning, we have focused on using the highest quality coffee beans from each growing region of the world and carefully roasting our coffee one batch at a time.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 1218 3rd Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Double Espresso from Pegasus Roaster
Comments: I wanted to get a quick coffee before going to work and just relax. I intended to go to Caffe Migliore, but as I walked up to the door I saw somebody that I knew in there. I really wanted to just relax and I knew if I walked in, I’d have to talk and hang out. I’m anti-social that way prior to getting my coffee. I looked on Google Maps for nearby suggestions and I saw Pegasus Coffee was around the corner. I had always known about it because my bus passes by it everyday on my way to work. Off I went.
Pegasus Coffee Bar is located in the Seattle Tower which at one point was the tallest building in Seattle. The builders decided to make it one floor taller than the more famous Smith Tower, whose bar I mentioned briefly in our Best Seattle Bars For Each Stage of Dating post. The interesting thing is the Smith Tower from top to bottom is actually taller, but the Seattle Tower was built at a higher elevation so looking at the downtown skyline it’s taller. Both buildings are now considered small fries among the newer downtown buildings.
I had no idea the space was this small. There are literally two single seats that look out on 3rd Ave. And they are not together, so if you stay here you’re sitting solo. 3rd Ave in downtown is a main bus lane in the morning, so they probably get a lot of traffic from people getting off the bus before going to their jobs. It’s also right across the street from the University Street Link Light Rail station. For these two reasons, I’d say 98% of the people who come here, get their coffee to go.
They have another location a few blocks away that’s also on 3rd Ave. Although, that location looks like something out of a strip mall. I know it’s not their fault since they probably took over the spot from another business or the building architects just built it that way, but if you have a choice between the two, come to one located in the Seattle Tower. It’s a really charming small shop that according to the baristas used to be a cigar shop. Once they said that you can almost see the cigar shop qualities-the high ceilings, darker lighting and off course the dark mahogany wood. I really don’t think much has been done to this spot since the building opened, so it has a feeling of preserved history. I
I ordered a doppio espresso. $2! You are reading that right, only 2 bucks! I ordered it to drink there and the barista said, “Oh, thank you for drinking it here. It’s always nice to drink espresso out of a proper cup”. Like I said, I don’t think too many people stay there to drink due to its size. There were a small case for pastries and a separate one for bagels. The choices aren’t many. There was a cooler for cold drinks and also multiple canisters of tea. Their roaster is out on Bainbridge Island.
The place is so small you can’t help but make small talk with the two baristas if you decide to stay there to drink. The two gals there were really friendly and you could tell they enjoyed working together and had a passion for café culture. We talked about plans for the weekend and I asked when they weren’t at Pegasus Coffee working, what coffee places do they frequent(See below).
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The charming historic look of this small place and the two friendly gals working there.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food Options: 2.5
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: Since I was the only one there, there was no eavesdropping conversations to overhear, so I just spoke to the baristas there.
Me-When you’re not drinking coffee here, where do you like to go?
Barista 1(B1)- I really like La Marzocco.
Barista 2(B2)- Oh yeah, La Marzocco. Their history, the café’s ambiance and the fact that there are only 3 La Marzocco cafes in the world…..
B1- I really like Zeitgeist. I’m one of those people you can spend hours on my laptop so I like that place.
B2- yeah, she lives in Pioneer Square so it’s close by.
B1- I like C&P Coffee
Me-C&P? Never heard of it. Where is it?
B1-It’s in West Seattle. It’s like in somebody’s house and it’s been around forever.
Me-I don’t get out to West Seattle much, but I’ll have to check it out.
B1-I like Caffe Vita and Victrola, but I’ve only been to the one on 15th, not the main one.
Couple new places to look into. I’ve passed by Zeitgeist, but have never been. And I’d never heard of C&P Coffee, but in researching the place, it seems like a much beloved place. Just earlier this month they were in danger of losing the place, but the community was able to raise $77,240 on GoFundMe to save the place! We’ll for sure have to see for ourselves.
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.
***1/19/20- NOTE: This blog post has been updated with more information HERE***
As you know Seattlites have the stereotype of being coffee drinking fools. This is no stereotype, we take our coffee seriously. And if you ask 20 different locals what their favorite coffee place is, you’ll most likely get 20 different answers. According to Bustle, there are close to 1700 coffee shops in Seattle and ranked #1 for coffee fanatics:
We wanted to provide some context on what we value in a coffee shop and our recommendations. The below are not hard and fast rules, but I think it provides a pretty accurate picture of what we enjoy about our favorite coffee shops. First of all, in Seattle when it comes to price and quality of coffee, in our opinion there’s not much differentiation. The quality of coffee in all the places we mention is great. I don’t think a coffee shop could survive in Seattle if it just had average coffee. So how we choose our favorite coffee places is really based on the following in this order:
Atmosphere-There are two types of coffee places in our opinion:
- The cozy coffee shops typically have mismatched comfy chairs and sofas, warm lighting and areas set up for conversation. You normally see friends catching up, people reading books or surfing the net. These places are normally buzzing with chatter. The walls are normally plastered with upcoming event posters, concert posters and community announcements.
Favorites: Café Allegro(University District), 7 Coffee Roasters (Ravenna), Zoka(Tangletown), Cloud City(Maple Leaf)
And
- The modern minimalist coffee shops with huge windows to let in the sunlight and/or bright lights condusive to working/studying. It usually has expensive looking chairs and tables, which aren’t always the most comfortable, and has tons of electrical outlets for laptops. It’s normally very quiet and might have a few works of abstract art on the walls . Their main clientele are students and people working remotely.
Favorites: Broadcast Coffee(Roosevelt), Milstead & Co.(Fremont), Slate(Pioneer Square)
Customer Service-If you go there often enough they remember your name and drink. They’re cheerful and attempt to make genuine small talk. And say things like, “Thanks for coming in” as you leave. One of the stereotypes of a barista from popular coffee shops is that they are coffee snobs, snooty, work at their own pace and look down their nose at drinkers who order complicated concoctions. If we come across this breed of barista, of course their shop is disqualified from our list of coffee shops we frequent.
Food options-We like places with a variety of food options. Most places will have pastries, but I really appreciate it if they have something savory too.
Speed-We understand that good coffee takes time and not about just pressing a button(sorry Starbucks), but be cognizant when there is a line out the door and maybe just pretend to show a sense of urgency.
Coffee Shop Superlatives:
Favorite Coffee Shop(Overall): Mr West Café Bar. It’s a mix of cozy and modern. They have great food options, both sweet-doughnuts, cookies, pastries and savory-avacado toast and sandwiches. They have this Apple Fagotinni that is Uh May Zing. The layout of the furniture is set up for both private working/studying along their front window, meetings for groups with some bench seatings, seating at the bar to watch the baristas and food prep and secluded areas to catch up with friends. They have music playing in which I’m always pulling Shazam out to see what obscure band it is. They also serve both beer and wine if it’s too late in the evening for coffee.
Favorite Cozy Coffee Shop: Cloud City Coffee(Maple Leaf) – When I think of a neighborhood coffee shop, this is what I picture. Their motto is “Community and Café” and it’s very much a gathering place for Maple Leaf. Expansive breakfast/lunch menu. I love their cinnamon rolls. A warning, this place 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. There’s a small couched area with toys and books for kids and they also have a pay-on-your-honor section for coffee refills and day old pastries.
Favorite Modern Coffee Shop: Broadcast Coffee(Roosevelt) – If I want to get work done or need a place to read while enjoying quality coffee, this is my place. It has a business-like vibe. It has ample seating, tons of outlets and bright due to their huge windows. They take pride in their coffee. I once had a barista here remake my espresso 3 times because somebody left the door open as they were leaving and she felt it affected the taste of the espresso. I probably couldn’t tell but I appreciate her commitment to her craft. They even have a Coffee Roasting 101 class where they teach you how to roast coffee at home.
Favorite Coffee Drink: 1) Brazillian Latte at Kitanda Expresso(Green Lake). I’m normally a dopio espresso lover and not a real big fan of sweets in general, but for some reason I really love the Brazilian Latte. It’s a regular latte with sweet condensed milk and a cinnamon stick. It kind of reminds me of the traditional Vietnamese iced coffees that use the phin, but a hot stronger espresso version.
2) This is a bit of a cheat, because this coffee is not from a coffee shop but from Cafe Turko in Fremont. It’s their Turkish Coffee. Turkish coffee is unfiltered and has the coffee grounds freely floating around in the coffee. You’re supposed to periodically swirl your coffee so the grounds don’t settle at the bottom of the cup. Regardless, you’ll still have a layer of coffee grounds that look like mud when you finish. Because the it’s so finely ground, it’s hard to replicate at home. Check out the cool coffee presentation!
Coffee Shops that Impresses Our Out of Towners: Storyville Coffee Co in Pike Place Market and Café Allegro in the University District. Both these places would never be found if we hadn’t taken our visitors since they are both “hidden”. I think it makes our visitors feel they’re in on a little local secret. 7 Roasters also falls into this category because although it’s not hidden, it has a very local feel to it. Like a general store that you’d find in a small town in the middle of a neighborhood.
Note: I think the new La Marzocco Café and Showroom located in the Seattle Center will become a favorite of out of towners. It’s located in very touristed area, it’s huge with lots of seating, has really cool displays of all the La Marzoccos for coffee nerds, has a record shop and attached to a radio station, our beloved KEXP, a non-profit radio station kept alive by donors and supporters.
Our favorite coffee shops by neighborhood:
Downtown-Mr West Café Bar, Anchorhead Coffee Co, Pegasus Coffee, Caffe Senso Unico, Café Magliore, Cafe Hitchcock
Pike Place-Storyville Coffee Co
Ballard-Anchored Ship Coffee, Bauhaus, Mabel Coffee, Venture Coffee, Caffe Umbria
Belltown-Tempesta Coffee.
Capitol Hill-Victrola Coffee, Ghost Note Coffee, Analog Coffee, Capitol Coffee Works, Kaladi Brothers Coffee, Realfine Coffee
Eastlake-Voxx (linked review is for downtown location)
Fremont-Milstead & Co., Light House 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
South Lake Union-Espresso Vivace , Evoke Coffee, Cascade Coffee Works
Tangletown-Zoka
University-Café Allegro(Seattle’s oldest coffee shop), Herkimer Coffee
Wallingford-Fuel
Westlake-Caffe Umbria
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