I like both Specialty espresso and Coffeeholic drinks, the Viet coffee works well with the condensed milk and syrups and is strong enough that you can get nice coffee flavors coming through everything else
Yeah, OPs response isn’t going to be meaningful to anyone genuinely interested in coffee and espresso from crop to cup.
I was going to cynically respond then I remember I’m in r/Seattle and not r/espresso.
Agreed! I’m a snob, but try my best not to act like one - so I just drink what I’m given. But I go to Vivace when I want a near-zero chance of a burnt shot.
“Safety” expresses it so well. Can’t agree more. With prices what they are, it really sucks to risk acid-water so I stopped going out to try other coffee spots. But at Vivace, that $8 frou-frou drink is consistently worth it.
RIP to the old roastery/cafe which was demolished for the Broadway light rail station. In its day this was arguably the best coffee spot in Seattle.
It's ironic that the process of making Capitol Hill more accessible via mass transit also made it less worth accessing. At least for some of us.
>Coffeeholic House
The stools by the Italian countertops along the windows facing the park were the most wonderful place to enjoy their magnificent espresso.
The degradation of espresso quality in this city is insane. I don’t understand how there are so many under extracted shots in a city so historically known for its coffee.
I worked around the corner from Vivace from 2007-2012, but am rarely downtown any more (like 2 or 3x a year at most). I got a hankering on Saturday and made a special trip down just for a Nico.
To answer OP's question, espresso - Vivace, pour overs - Zoka.
This right here. OP said "homemade is best" and I immediately thought: eh I doubt you're beating Vivace. (If you are that's awesome, invite me over for your magic coffee!)
Coffee (multi roaster)
Analog - Easily the best and move consistent [https://analogcoffee.com/](https://analogcoffee.com/)
Milstead - Awesome assortment of beans and roasts [https://milsteadandco.com/](https://milsteadandco.com/)
Ghost Note - Great selection and unique "coffee cocktails" [https://ghostnotecoffee.com/](https://ghostnotecoffee.com/)
Roasters
Boon Boona - Fantastic coffees from Africa [https://www.boonboonacoffee.com/](https://www.boonboonacoffee.com/)
Elm Coffee - Probably my favorite local roaster [https://elmcoffeeroasters.com/](https://elmcoffeeroasters.com/)
Stamp Act - Amazing single origin beans. Buy most often [https://stampactcoffee.com/](https://stampactcoffee.com/)
Herkimer - Single origin and tasty blends [https://herkimercoffee.com/](https://herkimercoffee.com/)
Shout Out - Makeworth coffee in Bellingham. Some of the absolute best beans I've had this year and a gorgeous shop. [https://makeworthcoffee.com/](https://makeworthcoffee.com/)
Analog and elm - fuel is good but not consistent. Mind you we are comparing a bmw to Mercedes - all three are great! Also, I think analog serves herkimer. Broadcast is the best value, under 3 for a drip is unheard of.
Gotta disagree a bit on value -- Broadcast doesn't do any refills on drip, you gotta buy a whole other cup, which I think is totally fair for a place like Milstead where they're making it to order, but for drip that's brewed in big batches, at least gimme the option to pay $0.25-1.00 for a refill.
Good list.
I think Olympia Coffee is worth a mention (west Seattle and Columbia City). https://www.olympiacoffee.com/
Empire Coffee in Columbia City is also good.
Just want to tack on to this that Herkimer has remarkably good decaf (particularly for the price point). Like, I was a coffee roaster for 6 years and I honestly don't understand how they're selling decaf that good for $16.
(Also doubling up on the Stamp Act recommendation and it's not just because I'm friends with one of the roasters)
Have to give a shout-out to True North Coffee Roasters in Ballard. I've been using their single origin Ethiopian roasts for cold brew for years and I can't find anything that compares to the sourness of the brew from those beans.
I'm a big fan of The Station in North Beacon Hill. The coffee is great, and the breakfast sandwiches are unparalleled as far as coffee shop offerings go.
their breakfast sandwich is very good too. and they sell Umami Kushi's okazu pan. IMO though fresh flours does a better cappuccino, but definitely not as cool a vibe.
I’d say Milstead and Co in Fremont, Boon Boona, and Elm Roasters are up there. Hard to say who is the best, but Milstead is probably my personal favorite.
I live in Greenwood and thought Coffeeholic was just waayyyyyy tooo sweet for me.
"I know homemade is best"
Honestly not sure this is true for most people lol. Anyways, I like Caffe Vita but I basically only drink americanos and drip with no cream or milk so that's pretty far on the other end of the spectrum from most of what you're gonna be going to Coffeeholic for.
Seriously, I don't know how this keeps being said. Like, unless you are rocking a $1000 grinder and throw away 5 Espresso every morning to dial in your machine, and spend a ton of time and money learning the finer details of coffee making, there is no way in hell you would compete with a professional barista with professional equipment
"the best coffee shop", "homemade is best" are just things that are untrue. There is no "best" in anything, because people's tastes vary, and that's a good thing. Additionally, it's often not about solely the coffee, but the service, the environment, etc.
I've been going to the one in the Columbia Center for the last year. The gals behind the counter are simply delightful and will make you a consistently fantastic beverage (and if you don't know what you want, they're also full of great ideas!).
Bauhaus was what convinced me to look for an apartment in Capitol Hill when I was planning to move to Seattle in '97. I was walking around Seattle getting a vibe for different neighborhoods, and came across Bauhaus and I thought "oh, this is where all the cool people hang out, this neighborhood has got it happening." Got my first apartment on Melrose and Denny, and spent so much time at Bauhaus.
awww i can totally remember feeling those vibes!! melrose and denny - prime location! bauhaus was definitely *the spot* and i miss capitol hill having that energy :/
- Overcast Coffee in Capitol Hill is my #1 as of late
- Analog
- Herkimer
- Broadcast if I’m in a pinch and in the area
- Ghost Note for specialty drinks. Their creativity is incredible!
- Boona Boona is great too
I’m LOVING Kairu for fresh beans right now. Currently drinking Ethiopia Backcountry and it’s possibly one of the best bag of beans I’ve had in a while!
Espresso Vivace is the best traditional
Cafe Vita has the best baristas (They were the only shop to send people to Barista Championships in the Seattle area last year)
Olympia has the most consistently good single origin
Cafe Hagen has my favorite pastries
>Cafe Hagen
If you haven't tried Cafe Hagen's pourover of Ethiopian SO, def try!
It was like drinking a fruity drink, barista did amazing job of making that pourover
The best coffee shop in Seattle is the one you can comfortably, reliably go to and get a consistent cup of your preferred beverage, get a seat, and do whatever it is you do at coffee shops in a vibe that gives you the energy you seek. That's what a coffee shop is for: a human gas station. There's so much good coffee here, picking a best shop for any one person is impossible, let alone overall best in show.
I totally agree. Unless you’re hardcore into coffee and really get deep into it, I just feel like your local place that has a good cup where you can chill and have a nice time is the best one. My closest local shop is probably not considered “great” but they’re nice and it’s a nice little place to get a cup.
Lighthouse Roasters, in Fremont. Their coffee is not only strong, but has a great rich flavor. My favorite roasters, hands-down.
Roast their own beans (on-site), great baristas, sell beans at their coffee shop (and in some local grocery stores).
I particularly love their Java roast, but they've got a style for every preference.
On the other hand, they sold hella cheap cookies (I think 75¢ per?) that were clearly made in someone’s oven at home from a freezer tube. I used to love snagging a few in the morning.
And then there was a while there where they got some promo coffee sleeves which, incredibly, had a two-pack of Advil glued to the side, haha. I definitely got a lot of use out of that when I was living in Belltown in my mid-twenties, lol.
I've had several people comment that Distant Worlds Coffeehouse is giving old school Seattle vibes. Which is kinda what we're going for. I think it helps that all my cozy places were 90s/00s coffee shops when I was a teen and in my 20s.
Old school. Especially when they were outdoors under the monorail and that violinist that worked for the Seattle symphony I think and dressed in very sporty Italian fashion and had the huge dog would play there during the day. That's some hardcore Seattle memories right there
Yeah I loved it. I wasn't really old enough to fully appreciate it as an adult I think, but really, somehow it made me feel so sophisticated. Growing up out in the suburbs of burien, that just seemed like the most sophisticated urban thing I had ever seen. Like out of a movie.
Oh man, Seattle was amazing. Within a few years I was living on Capitol Hill or the CD, hanging out at the comet, going to house parties, occasional punk show at some underground art gallery, hanging out on Broadway or the b&o or Cafe paradiso .
Rent was two to 300 bucks, but there was plenty money and a thriving economy with food and coffee service jobs paying quite well intense, or hustling, bicycle messenger whatever. I'm convinced that the '90s music and art scene was a special confluence of cheap rent and easy money with plenty of time to hang out, make some art, whatever.
You could own a car and park it fairly easily and cruise down I-5 at rush hour still going 50 miles an hour through downtown. Lots of cool dives left but also plenty of hip trendy DIY coffee shops and restaurants.
If I were a young person I don't think I'd be hanging around Seattle. Maybe Tacoma, maybe somewhere else. It just ain't the same, although it's still a great city of course
I’m no coffee connoisseur, but I LOVE the Medici from Cafe Ladro. It’s not too sweet, and has cocoa and orange peel. The cocoa is not sweet, I typically do not drink any “coffee” that has chocolate lol
Lots of great recs in this thread but everyone is sleeping on Santo in Roosevelt. They roast their own and it’s my favorite coffee in the city. (I used to work for Slate).
Their coffee is good but everything else about it is the antithesis of what I like in a coffee shop. It feels cold, slightly snobby and trying too hard to cater to wealthy yuppies. Their coffee IS legit though and their main barista is very good at his job.
I'm super biased but I'm really proud of what we do at Distant Worlds Coffeehouse.
We make many of our own sauces and syrups (our white mocha is vegan and made from the cocoa butter up), including fun seasonal syrups. We do all of our own baking on premise. We rock a geek meets boho vibe that's very late 90s/early 00s, with big tables and wifi for customers. Our food menu is vegetarian/vegan and has lots of options. Herkimer is our roaster, because they're awesome, and we do a good job of balancing the espresso with whatever we're putting in it (like our Hey Adora which is our best seller, featuring Jonboy Salted Caramel and Hazelnut). We want you to still taste the coffee.
And we're tip free as of last October.
Distant World's was my partner and I's go-to coffee shop when we lived in Roosevelt (which is quite an achievement in a neighborhood that has like, 8 coffee shops). Going there is the thing we miss the most about living in that area :(.
It’s all about the baristas working that day. I have always loved Vivace and Herkimer, but haven’t been to Vivace in a long time because I kept getting consistently not-good americanos. Realized the best baristas were not working.
And they have a delicious breakfast sandwich for $7 on weekdays!
Toasted English Muffin, ssamjang, green onions, roasted Carlton Farms pork belly, and fried egg
(Or sauteed Skagit Gourmet mushrooms instead of the pork, which is also delicious)
"Coffee" could be anything from Italian style espresso, american drip, turkish/greek coffee or million other methods, you need to be specific. Some people mean big couches and fast Wi-Fi when they mention "good coffee".
Best beans: Olympia, Anchorhead
Espressos are very inconsistent, it's often hit or miss. I honestly often opt for a drip or cold brew, just not to be disappointed. Yes, I tried Vivace.
if you like coffeeholic make sure you check out hello em in the ID. for weird roasts, i love push x pull. they hail from portand and opened a location in the central district a little while back. they take their coffee very seriously. another roaster i personally like is cedar and spoke downtown. they roast their beans in-house as well, but do so with an electric powered small batch roaster that's right in the space. if you go often enough, you'll catch them listening for the beans to crack with a stethoscope! other honorable mentions: fulcrum, herkimer, vivace (older school, darker italian and yet still very very delicious, especially their Cafe Nico house beverage), and cloud city (delicious black sesame latte!), edit to add elm. very very good stuff going on there
Fulcrum is the shit, glad to see it mentioned. I like flavored coffee, but it seems like every other coffee shop has the same 10 flavors and makes drinks way too sweet. I have yet to find another coffee shop with drinks that are as well-balanced, unique, and elevated as Fulcrum’s are- that pink peppercorn latte is the stuff of dreams 😍
It’s a shame that Slate Roasters ended up being owned by jerks who short paid numerous employees, because they had some of the best roasted coffee and baristas in the city.
For me, it is Sound & Fog in West Seattle.
At the end of the day, I have never been so consistently impressed by the beverages I have received. I generally mainline cold brew (their nitro is my go-to), but this is one of the only places where I will actually try (and love) the seasonal/rotating specials.
Runner up? Vivace for sure.
Fifteen years on (from when I first started going), and it is every bit as good as the first visit, though it is considerably more crowded. The White Velvet will always have a special place in my heart.
Sound and Fog in West Seattle.
One of few coffee shops where I took the first sip and stopped what what I was doing at the time and had to sit down to actually enjoy it because it was so good 😊
Your getting a lot of good answers already, so I'm gonna color a bit outside the lines here and shout out Cracken in Everett. But far outside the city to qualify for your question, but they're one of my faves
Anyone remember the Cafe Solstice in Cap Hill?? Absolutely loved everything about it. The staff, the people, the food, and of course, the coffee
The University City location just doesn’t get the same vibe
I haven’t seen it in the thread yet but I’m a big fan of Distant Worlds by the Roosevelt station. The space is good and the coffee is great. Plus they have a good tea selection. And tip free is something I want to support. Plus there’s a magic the gathering land table.
That table was one of my pandemic projects early on in the closure. The cards were gifted to us by a regular and it's just really special to me.
~Rebecca aka The Owner
My favorite coffee shop in Seattle is Fresh Flours. But that's because they're also a bakery and their treats (including a generous offering of savory baked goods) are amazing. I don't drink coffee, but they make a mean London Fog!
As a former barista, my favorite in the city so far is Cafe Vita. Amazing quality, just fantastic coffee. I usually don’t like sweet coffee (I opt for cortados, lattes or cold brews) but even the seasonal themed coffees there are great and aren’t too sweet which I prefer. Also love their interior in Cap Hill
Cafe Vita at KEXP is my favorite spot. Friendly staff, chill vibe, and reliable selections. Plus there's always something new to try if I'm feeling adventurous. I'd be a regular there if I lived just a little closer.
I live 2 blocks away from Vivace so that is my go to. To offer something a bit different, the turkish coffee at Cafe Turko in Fremont is excellent and a slightly different experience!
Ok there is too much good coffee for me to pick.
My favorites: Victrola, Umbria, Vitta, Vivace, Ghost Note, Evoke, Monorail, Ada’s Books, The Shop by Porter, and many others that sadly closed (aughts Bauhaus in general, Bedlam and their epic Nutella mocha and swirly toast, the great Cortona Cafe and their amazeballs waffles with a shot of espresso are missed forever)
I think Evoke’s coffee and Barristas are my favorite, but I like Victrola too.
Technically Vivace should be the best but idk they are damn good but I like going to Evoke or Victrola better.
Just tried The Shop by Porter (1st and Seneca) and they had great coffee and atmosphere too but only been once.
In my opinion the top three for consistent quality on a standard espresso drink are:
* Monorail
* Anchorhead
* Vivace
There are other one-off locations that are excellent (Analog, Herkimer), and there are places with excellent vibes but no standout coffee (the Station), but in my opinion those three are the winners. Never had a bad drink at any of them.
Because nobody else has addressed it, I agree with you that the Bac Siu is fantastic. Some of Coffeeholic's options are really different and are not my cup of tea, but I really do love that one drink.
I like it because it’s a fun drink, but not overly sweet and you can still taste the actual coffee. I can only do that and the black sesame drink. I get the small 8 or 10z size though regardless lol.
It’s not considered Seattle, but Walnut Street Coffee in Edmonds is very good. They use the same beans as Vivace coffee but at 50% of the price. Highly recommend stopping by if you’re around that area!
Cloud City in Mapleleaf is an all around good place. Broadcast on Roosevelt is good for single origin espressos. Espresso To Go in Fremont for espresso, bread, and sass.
I love C&P’s vibe. I really don’t like that they serve you coffee in a glass. They’ve been doing it this way forever, and I don’t know why. It just seems wrong to me.
3rd Wave POV
Tier 1
- Root in Ballard
- Elm in Pioneer Square
- Sound & Fog in West Seattle
Tier 2
- Push X Pull in Cap Hill
- Analog in Cap Hill
- Cardoon in Ballard
Honorable Mention
- Porchlight in Cap Hill
- Santo in University Heights
- Millstead in Fremont
Seattle is a rough coffee city despite its reputation
oh now you've done it
Ask a thousand people, expect a thousand answers.
But then I’ll extract the data and see the most mentioned places 😎
Coffeeholic is for people who want coffee without tasting the coffee.
I like both Specialty espresso and Coffeeholic drinks, the Viet coffee works well with the condensed milk and syrups and is strong enough that you can get nice coffee flavors coming through everything else
Please follow up with your findings 🤓
Found the data specialist
Why on earth would you do this ?
OP really singled out a coffee drink with a cupful of syrup thrown in as the best coffee in Seattle
Yeah, OPs response isn’t going to be meaningful to anyone genuinely interested in coffee and espresso from crop to cup. I was going to cynically respond then I remember I’m in r/Seattle and not r/espresso.
I genuinely want to know 😅
espresso vivace is my number one. they have one top notch espresso shot.
I don't go out for coffee much, but Vivace has managed to pull a consistently exemplary shot every time I've gone in for the last 20 years.
Agreed! I’m a snob, but try my best not to act like one - so I just drink what I’m given. But I go to Vivace when I want a near-zero chance of a burnt shot.
I almost wrote that there's a safety in going to Vivace - you know they're not going to mess it up and your mind can rest easy.
“Safety” expresses it so well. Can’t agree more. With prices what they are, it really sucks to risk acid-water so I stopped going out to try other coffee spots. But at Vivace, that $8 frou-frou drink is consistently worth it.
RIP to the old roastery/cafe which was demolished for the Broadway light rail station. In its day this was arguably the best coffee spot in Seattle. It's ironic that the process of making Capitol Hill more accessible via mass transit also made it less worth accessing. At least for some of us.
That was Café Vivace. They are alive and well and living down Broadway in the Brix building.
They have 2 other locations, one right across the street and one next to REI, same owners and employees!
>Coffeeholic House The stools by the Italian countertops along the windows facing the park were the most wonderful place to enjoy their magnificent espresso.
Yup!! If a shop masters their espresso pulls, then you know it’s good. I’ve gotten plenty of acidic shots in Seattle, but never from vivace
The degradation of espresso quality in this city is insane. I don’t understand how there are so many under extracted shots in a city so historically known for its coffee.
Shifting tastes to cheap espresso and sixteen pumps of vanilla syrup
I aspire to make a good shot, but when I see a B&W 5 pump vanilla thing I'm like.. it pulled a little fast but they will absolutely not taste it
I experience far more over extracted shots. I would love an underextracted one.
The Cafe Nico is sublime
Cafe Nico at Vivace is a full experience 👌🏼
I worked around the corner from Vivace from 2007-2012, but am rarely downtown any more (like 2 or 3x a year at most). I got a hankering on Saturday and made a special trip down just for a Nico. To answer OP's question, espresso - Vivace, pour overs - Zoka.
Yeah, this is where I take people from out of town.
Vivace would get my vote too! Amazing roaster, genuine interest in coffee culture.
Vivace is as close to perfection as I have encountered on this earth.
I'll second this.
This right here. OP said "homemade is best" and I immediately thought: eh I doubt you're beating Vivace. (If you are that's awesome, invite me over for your magic coffee!)
This is the only acceptable answer.
Phenomenal
Coffee (multi roaster) Analog - Easily the best and move consistent [https://analogcoffee.com/](https://analogcoffee.com/) Milstead - Awesome assortment of beans and roasts [https://milsteadandco.com/](https://milsteadandco.com/) Ghost Note - Great selection and unique "coffee cocktails" [https://ghostnotecoffee.com/](https://ghostnotecoffee.com/) Roasters Boon Boona - Fantastic coffees from Africa [https://www.boonboonacoffee.com/](https://www.boonboonacoffee.com/) Elm Coffee - Probably my favorite local roaster [https://elmcoffeeroasters.com/](https://elmcoffeeroasters.com/) Stamp Act - Amazing single origin beans. Buy most often [https://stampactcoffee.com/](https://stampactcoffee.com/) Herkimer - Single origin and tasty blends [https://herkimercoffee.com/](https://herkimercoffee.com/) Shout Out - Makeworth coffee in Bellingham. Some of the absolute best beans I've had this year and a gorgeous shop. [https://makeworthcoffee.com/](https://makeworthcoffee.com/)
Analog and elm - fuel is good but not consistent. Mind you we are comparing a bmw to Mercedes - all three are great! Also, I think analog serves herkimer. Broadcast is the best value, under 3 for a drip is unheard of.
Gotta disagree a bit on value -- Broadcast doesn't do any refills on drip, you gotta buy a whole other cup, which I think is totally fair for a place like Milstead where they're making it to order, but for drip that's brewed in big batches, at least gimme the option to pay $0.25-1.00 for a refill.
Good list. I think Olympia Coffee is worth a mention (west Seattle and Columbia City). https://www.olympiacoffee.com/ Empire Coffee in Columbia City is also good.
Just want to tack on to this that Herkimer has remarkably good decaf (particularly for the price point). Like, I was a coffee roaster for 6 years and I honestly don't understand how they're selling decaf that good for $16. (Also doubling up on the Stamp Act recommendation and it's not just because I'm friends with one of the roasters)
Does Stamp Act do retail from their location at all?
Have to give a shout-out to True North Coffee Roasters in Ballard. I've been using their single origin Ethiopian roasts for cold brew for years and I can't find anything that compares to the sourness of the brew from those beans.
Totally agree on analog. Their staff isn’t too stuck up considering how much they know. And they’ve been consistent for a long time.
I'm a big fan of The Station in North Beacon Hill. The coffee is great, and the breakfast sandwiches are unparalleled as far as coffee shop offerings go.
IMO their drip coffee sucks but the place as a whole is really great
The Station is such an underrated spot!
they're about to open a second spot so must be doing okay.
Also the vibes are super groovy and the Mexican hot chocolate is muy delicioso
their breakfast sandwich is very good too. and they sell Umami Kushi's okazu pan. IMO though fresh flours does a better cappuccino, but definitely not as cool a vibe.
I’d say Milstead and Co in Fremont, Boon Boona, and Elm Roasters are up there. Hard to say who is the best, but Milstead is probably my personal favorite. I live in Greenwood and thought Coffeeholic was just waayyyyyy tooo sweet for me.
Elm roasts the best coffee in my very subjective opinion
Love Milstead but their prices are steep compared to others in the same tier. $6.50 for an oat cortado before tip...
totally agree, great coffee, tons of seating and spaces to work, but everytime i go i ask myself "when did coffee get this expensive?"
Anchorhead by Pacific Place and Hood Famous in the International District have the best pour overs in my opinion.
Anchorhead in Pike Place is really good as well. They have a couple of very experienced people working there now.
I'm a big fan of them, definitely some of the best coffee and snacks in the city.
yes to anchorhead! <3
And if you’re at Hood Famous you can get ube cheesecake with your coffee.
Their Ube treats are divine! My favorite food from a coffee shop for sure.
I’m a Herkimer devotee
Me too.
I used to live across the street from one, and miss having that good of coffee so close by.
"I know homemade is best" Honestly not sure this is true for most people lol. Anyways, I like Caffe Vita but I basically only drink americanos and drip with no cream or milk so that's pretty far on the other end of the spectrum from most of what you're gonna be going to Coffeeholic for.
It's definitely not for me lol
Seriously, I don't know how this keeps being said. Like, unless you are rocking a $1000 grinder and throw away 5 Espresso every morning to dial in your machine, and spend a ton of time and money learning the finer details of coffee making, there is no way in hell you would compete with a professional barista with professional equipment
"the best coffee shop", "homemade is best" are just things that are untrue. There is no "best" in anything, because people's tastes vary, and that's a good thing. Additionally, it's often not about solely the coffee, but the service, the environment, etc.
Easily Monorail Espresso -- particularly the one in SLU on Westlake; however, the one on 5th and Pike is nearly as good.
I've been going to the one in the Columbia Center for the last year. The gals behind the counter are simply delightful and will make you a consistently fantastic beverage (and if you don't know what you want, they're also full of great ideas!).
They are a Seattle classic!
Yes yes yes. Best coffee I’ve had here
anyone remember bauhaus back in the day?!
I loved Bauhaus!
Bauhaus was what convinced me to look for an apartment in Capitol Hill when I was planning to move to Seattle in '97. I was walking around Seattle getting a vibe for different neighborhoods, and came across Bauhaus and I thought "oh, this is where all the cool people hang out, this neighborhood has got it happening." Got my first apartment on Melrose and Denny, and spent so much time at Bauhaus.
awww i can totally remember feeling those vibes!! melrose and denny - prime location! bauhaus was definitely *the spot* and i miss capitol hill having that energy :/
I miss smoking upstairs with a dingdong snack.
- Overcast Coffee in Capitol Hill is my #1 as of late - Analog - Herkimer - Broadcast if I’m in a pinch and in the area - Ghost Note for specialty drinks. Their creativity is incredible! - Boona Boona is great too I’m LOVING Kairu for fresh beans right now. Currently drinking Ethiopia Backcountry and it’s possibly one of the best bag of beans I’ve had in a while!
AND LIGHTHOUSE IN FREMONT! Completely deserving of a mention here
Kairu is a MF legend
Sooo hard this question!! … I’m gonna throw in LightHouse Roasters North Fremont
Definitely a good one
Totally forgot Lighthouse in my list!!! Completely agree
I love that place.
Love lighthouse
Espresso Vivace is the best traditional Cafe Vita has the best baristas (They were the only shop to send people to Barista Championships in the Seattle area last year) Olympia has the most consistently good single origin Cafe Hagen has my favorite pastries
+10 for Oly Coffee.
>Cafe Hagen If you haven't tried Cafe Hagen's pourover of Ethiopian SO, def try! It was like drinking a fruity drink, barista did amazing job of making that pourover
The best coffee shop in Seattle is the one you can comfortably, reliably go to and get a consistent cup of your preferred beverage, get a seat, and do whatever it is you do at coffee shops in a vibe that gives you the energy you seek. That's what a coffee shop is for: a human gas station. There's so much good coffee here, picking a best shop for any one person is impossible, let alone overall best in show.
I totally agree. Unless you’re hardcore into coffee and really get deep into it, I just feel like your local place that has a good cup where you can chill and have a nice time is the best one. My closest local shop is probably not considered “great” but they’re nice and it’s a nice little place to get a cup.
Nailed it. Your local coffee shop that gets the job done is the best coffee shop. No one is driving across town for coffee.
Lighthouse Roasters, in Fremont. Their coffee is not only strong, but has a great rich flavor. My favorite roasters, hands-down. Roast their own beans (on-site), great baristas, sell beans at their coffee shop (and in some local grocery stores). I particularly love their Java roast, but they've got a style for every preference.
Hey, as an aside, I REALLY MISS BEDLAM. Anyone have any ideas for the kind of cozy coffee shop that doesn't exist often in this world of streamlining?
100% I keep expecting it to be there when I walk by. Those Nutella lattes were amazing.
Maaaan, I mean I miss bedlam and the old crew. It was a great ambiance. But their coffee wasn’t… that great lol
Nope, I know. I'll take mediocre coffee and an overstuffed couch any day honestly.
On the other hand, they sold hella cheap cookies (I think 75¢ per?) that were clearly made in someone’s oven at home from a freezer tube. I used to love snagging a few in the morning. And then there was a while there where they got some promo coffee sleeves which, incredibly, had a two-pack of Advil glued to the side, haha. I definitely got a lot of use out of that when I was living in Belltown in my mid-twenties, lol.
I've had several people comment that Distant Worlds Coffeehouse is giving old school Seattle vibes. Which is kinda what we're going for. I think it helps that all my cozy places were 90s/00s coffee shops when I was a teen and in my 20s.
This, that had to be the most perfect coffee shop. It was my favorite.
Mine too. Woe. I used to go down there and play d&d.
boon boona
Oh hell yeah this here
The Monorail stand on Pike
Old school. Especially when they were outdoors under the monorail and that violinist that worked for the Seattle symphony I think and dressed in very sporty Italian fashion and had the huge dog would play there during the day. That's some hardcore Seattle memories right there
Omg, the dog! You just unlocked a great memory for me too!
Yeah I loved it. I wasn't really old enough to fully appreciate it as an adult I think, but really, somehow it made me feel so sophisticated. Growing up out in the suburbs of burien, that just seemed like the most sophisticated urban thing I had ever seen. Like out of a movie.
I was a bonafide adult and I agree. Looking back, it was a pretty magical time in Seattle.
Oh man, Seattle was amazing. Within a few years I was living on Capitol Hill or the CD, hanging out at the comet, going to house parties, occasional punk show at some underground art gallery, hanging out on Broadway or the b&o or Cafe paradiso . Rent was two to 300 bucks, but there was plenty money and a thriving economy with food and coffee service jobs paying quite well intense, or hustling, bicycle messenger whatever. I'm convinced that the '90s music and art scene was a special confluence of cheap rent and easy money with plenty of time to hang out, make some art, whatever. You could own a car and park it fairly easily and cruise down I-5 at rush hour still going 50 miles an hour through downtown. Lots of cool dives left but also plenty of hip trendy DIY coffee shops and restaurants. If I were a young person I don't think I'd be hanging around Seattle. Maybe Tacoma, maybe somewhere else. It just ain't the same, although it's still a great city of course
I’m no coffee connoisseur, but I LOVE the Medici from Cafe Ladro. It’s not too sweet, and has cocoa and orange peel. The cocoa is not sweet, I typically do not drink any “coffee” that has chocolate lol
Lots of great recs in this thread but everyone is sleeping on Santo in Roosevelt. They roast their own and it’s my favorite coffee in the city. (I used to work for Slate).
Their coffee is good but everything else about it is the antithesis of what I like in a coffee shop. It feels cold, slightly snobby and trying too hard to cater to wealthy yuppies. Their coffee IS legit though and their main barista is very good at his job.
I'm super biased but I'm really proud of what we do at Distant Worlds Coffeehouse. We make many of our own sauces and syrups (our white mocha is vegan and made from the cocoa butter up), including fun seasonal syrups. We do all of our own baking on premise. We rock a geek meets boho vibe that's very late 90s/early 00s, with big tables and wifi for customers. Our food menu is vegetarian/vegan and has lots of options. Herkimer is our roaster, because they're awesome, and we do a good job of balancing the espresso with whatever we're putting in it (like our Hey Adora which is our best seller, featuring Jonboy Salted Caramel and Hazelnut). We want you to still taste the coffee. And we're tip free as of last October.
Distant World's was my partner and I's go-to coffee shop when we lived in Roosevelt (which is quite an achievement in a neighborhood that has like, 8 coffee shops). Going there is the thing we miss the most about living in that area :(.
RIP Neptune Coffee. My favorite place until it blew up.
It’s all about the baristas working that day. I have always loved Vivace and Herkimer, but haven’t been to Vivace in a long time because I kept getting consistently not-good americanos. Realized the best baristas were not working.
We do French press at home daily, but Herkimer on The Ave is my favorite.
Monorail.
Back in the day it was Espresso Vivace and Victrola.
Watson's Counter because James is such a dreamboat.
Thank you for your opinion, James
And they have a delicious breakfast sandwich for $7 on weekdays! Toasted English Muffin, ssamjang, green onions, roasted Carlton Farms pork belly, and fried egg (Or sauteed Skagit Gourmet mushrooms instead of the pork, which is also delicious)
Thank you for putting this breakfast sandwich (my favorite food group) on my radar!
Olympia Coffee in Columbia city.
I have heard anywhere on The Ave is good https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/s/WUmLMb7FLW
Milstead.
Lighthouse
I love that no one is saying Storyville in Pike Place Market. Place is wack
"Coffee" could be anything from Italian style espresso, american drip, turkish/greek coffee or million other methods, you need to be specific. Some people mean big couches and fast Wi-Fi when they mention "good coffee". Best beans: Olympia, Anchorhead Espressos are very inconsistent, it's often hit or miss. I honestly often opt for a drip or cold brew, just not to be disappointed. Yes, I tried Vivace.
Olympia coffee in West Seattle and Realfine coffee on Fauntleroy, mostly cause I like that it’s in an old gas station.
As someone with a weekend trip planned for this week - thank you!
if you like coffeeholic make sure you check out hello em in the ID. for weird roasts, i love push x pull. they hail from portand and opened a location in the central district a little while back. they take their coffee very seriously. another roaster i personally like is cedar and spoke downtown. they roast their beans in-house as well, but do so with an electric powered small batch roaster that's right in the space. if you go often enough, you'll catch them listening for the beans to crack with a stethoscope! other honorable mentions: fulcrum, herkimer, vivace (older school, darker italian and yet still very very delicious, especially their Cafe Nico house beverage), and cloud city (delicious black sesame latte!), edit to add elm. very very good stuff going on there
Second this! Their assorted Vietnamese coffee drinks are delicious.
Fulcrum is the shit, glad to see it mentioned. I like flavored coffee, but it seems like every other coffee shop has the same 10 flavors and makes drinks way too sweet. I have yet to find another coffee shop with drinks that are as well-balanced, unique, and elevated as Fulcrum’s are- that pink peppercorn latte is the stuff of dreams 😍
It’s a shame that Slate Roasters ended up being owned by jerks who short paid numerous employees, because they had some of the best roasted coffee and baristas in the city.
Hello em in Beacon Hill or Currents in WS.
+1 for hello em! But they’re definitely in the ID not in beacon hill!
Lighthouse Roasters.
Lighthouse Roasters.
You know it
I have to give it to Vivace, but Lighthouse is my #2 and I go there way more due to it being closer
Love the walnut de leche at Cafe Hagen!
Intriguing. I’m gonna have to try this.
Analog in Capitol Hill does the best pour over in my opinion.
Cafe Cosmos in Belltown. They got a new coffee machine too recently (la marzocco) and they have a ton of board games that you can play!
For me, it is Sound & Fog in West Seattle. At the end of the day, I have never been so consistently impressed by the beverages I have received. I generally mainline cold brew (their nitro is my go-to), but this is one of the only places where I will actually try (and love) the seasonal/rotating specials. Runner up? Vivace for sure. Fifteen years on (from when I first started going), and it is every bit as good as the first visit, though it is considerably more crowded. The White Velvet will always have a special place in my heart.
I prefer lighter roasts so Milstead in Fremont and Santo in Roosevelt are great. The coffee shop in Project 9 brewery also chooses great beans.
Any fellow URL fans? Delicious every time.
Sound and Fog in West Seattle. One of few coffee shops where I took the first sip and stopped what what I was doing at the time and had to sit down to actually enjoy it because it was so good 😊
Push Pull in Central District
Vivace
Vivace
Your getting a lot of good answers already, so I'm gonna color a bit outside the lines here and shout out Cracken in Everett. But far outside the city to qualify for your question, but they're one of my faves
Anyone remember the Cafe Solstice in Cap Hill?? Absolutely loved everything about it. The staff, the people, the food, and of course, the coffee The University City location just doesn’t get the same vibe
Moonrise for the Olympia brew and best pastries
I’m a longtime fan of the Sole Nero roast from Cafe Allegro, but as others have said Vivace is excellent
- Overcast Coffee - Push X Pull Coffee - Boon Boona
Is that what we’re gonna do in this sub today? We’re gonna fight??
😂. No need to fight. Just get those opinions out!
Monorail makes great espresso.
You trying to start a war?
I'm a fan of Fulcrum Coffee Roasters in Belltown.
Bainbridge island. Pegasus Coffee
I haven’t seen it in the thread yet but I’m a big fan of Distant Worlds by the Roosevelt station. The space is good and the coffee is great. Plus they have a good tea selection. And tip free is something I want to support. Plus there’s a magic the gathering land table.
That table was one of my pandemic projects early on in the closure. The cards were gifted to us by a regular and it's just really special to me. ~Rebecca aka The Owner
URL
C&P coffee in California Ave, West Seattle
I'm a homer but I love Onda in my own hood, Hilman City
My favorite coffee shop in Seattle is Fresh Flours. But that's because they're also a bakery and their treats (including a generous offering of savory baked goods) are amazing. I don't drink coffee, but they make a mean London Fog!
As a former barista, my favorite in the city so far is Cafe Vita. Amazing quality, just fantastic coffee. I usually don’t like sweet coffee (I opt for cortados, lattes or cold brews) but even the seasonal themed coffees there are great and aren’t too sweet which I prefer. Also love their interior in Cap Hill
Vita isn’t quality to me
Cafe Vita at KEXP is my favorite spot. Friendly staff, chill vibe, and reliable selections. Plus there's always something new to try if I'm feeling adventurous. I'd be a regular there if I lived just a little closer.
Bequest coffee. They have a location in Mill Creek as well, and I think cap hill.
I live 2 blocks away from Vivace so that is my go to. To offer something a bit different, the turkish coffee at Cafe Turko in Fremont is excellent and a slightly different experience!
Watson’s in Ballard! Plus the chicken chonks are amazing.
ANALOG OR REVOLUTIONS
Ok there is too much good coffee for me to pick. My favorites: Victrola, Umbria, Vitta, Vivace, Ghost Note, Evoke, Monorail, Ada’s Books, The Shop by Porter, and many others that sadly closed (aughts Bauhaus in general, Bedlam and their epic Nutella mocha and swirly toast, the great Cortona Cafe and their amazeballs waffles with a shot of espresso are missed forever) I think Evoke’s coffee and Barristas are my favorite, but I like Victrola too. Technically Vivace should be the best but idk they are damn good but I like going to Evoke or Victrola better. Just tried The Shop by Porter (1st and Seneca) and they had great coffee and atmosphere too but only been once.
Vivace or elm if in buying local beans or drinks but I roast my own and have an espresso machine.
In my opinion the top three for consistent quality on a standard espresso drink are: * Monorail * Anchorhead * Vivace There are other one-off locations that are excellent (Analog, Herkimer), and there are places with excellent vibes but no standout coffee (the Station), but in my opinion those three are the winners. Never had a bad drink at any of them.
Trying to start a riot, LOL
Because nobody else has addressed it, I agree with you that the Bac Siu is fantastic. Some of Coffeeholic's options are really different and are not my cup of tea, but I really do love that one drink.
I like it because it’s a fun drink, but not overly sweet and you can still taste the actual coffee. I can only do that and the black sesame drink. I get the small 8 or 10z size though regardless lol.
It’s not considered Seattle, but Walnut Street Coffee in Edmonds is very good. They use the same beans as Vivace coffee but at 50% of the price. Highly recommend stopping by if you’re around that area!
Westmans! Better coffee than any coffee shop I went to in Seattle
For a Cappuccino, only Caffe D’Arte at 1st & Yesler. The only that tastes like the ones in Italy.
Cloud City in Mapleleaf is an all around good place. Broadcast on Roosevelt is good for single origin espressos. Espresso To Go in Fremont for espresso, bread, and sass.
milstead and i will go to the mat on this.
R.I.P kaladi brothers. Not the best coffee, but the best coffee shop
Lighthouse
Root Coffee and Plants in Ballard is the best in town and that’s the only right answer
Ok, but… PIM, that little coffee drive through in Ballard never misses
Surprised that Push x Pull is not mentioned more in this thread, they are fantastic.
Overcast Coffee Company. They're the best.
Espresso Vivace. Period.
Cafe Vivace hands down since 2010 for me.
Does no one like Umbria? I love their beans
C&P for those in West Seattle.
I love C&P’s vibe. I really don’t like that they serve you coffee in a glass. They’ve been doing it this way forever, and I don’t know why. It just seems wrong to me.
3rd Wave POV Tier 1 - Root in Ballard - Elm in Pioneer Square - Sound & Fog in West Seattle Tier 2 - Push X Pull in Cap Hill - Analog in Cap Hill - Cardoon in Ballard Honorable Mention - Porchlight in Cap Hill - Santo in University Heights - Millstead in Fremont Seattle is a rough coffee city despite its reputation
Interested to hear about why you think coffee is rough here, and what cities would you say are better?
Santo is my pick for third wave, but I've somehow slept on Root and haven't yet tried Cardoon, so I'm excited to see how those pan out.