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The hipster and third-wave coffee dreams combine at this picture-perfect café on the Capitol Hill's west slope. Bright, light, and with big windows onto a quiet street, it invites coffee drinkers in to sit for a spell. As per the name, the music spins on records and they stock paper newspapers, but the coffee is decidedly modern. Beans come from a variety of local roasters, and brews include the standards plus cold brew on tap, pourover, and espresso tonics.
235 Summit Ave. E, Seattle, Washington, 98102, USA
Known For
- Quality coffee
- Cold brew on tap
- Attractive decor
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Anchorhead is serious about coffee: everybody raves about their smooth roasts that need no doctoring, from pour-overs to perfectly pulled espresso. They also serve unique milk-substitute creations, like the popular creamy-green pistachio matcha and the Shy Bear Fog Latte (oolong, burnt honey, and oat milk) along with a menu of pastries and breakfast sandwiches. One of Anchorhead's star menu items is the Quaffle: a cinnamon roll made of laminated croissant dough pressed in a waffle iron. Finding seating at the industrial-chic cafe can be tricky on busy mornings so you may end up having to grab-and-go.
2003 Western Ave., Seattle, Washington, 98121, USA
Known For
- Unique flavors
- In the heart of Downtown
- Something for everyone
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Widely considered one of the best bakeries in the city, Bakery Nouveau has perfected many things, including cakes, croissants, and tarts. Their chocolate cake, in particular, might make you swoon, though twice-baked almond croissants are so good you might think you're in France when you take a bite—and owner William Leaman did lead a U.S. team to victory in France's Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie. Sandwiches, quiches, and pizzas are also on offer if you need something delicious and substantial before a banana mousse, pistachio macaron, or chocolate éclair. Artisan breads round out the offerings. If you don't make it out to West Seattle, they have Capitol Hill and Burien locations as well.
4737 California Ave. SW, Seattle, Washington, 98116, USA
Known For
- Flaky croissants
- Delicious chocolate cake
- Great savory options for lunch
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Tues.
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A popular neighborhood coffeehouse, Broadcast roasts its own ethically sourced coffee; many locals pick up bags of coffee beans here (purchase includes a free cup of drip coffee). Choose from well-made standard espresso drinks or more creative options like the Disco Pony (espresso with Perrier, half 'n' half, and a lemon twist over ice) as well as seasonal offerings. Broadcast also carries tasty pastries (try one of the croissant hybrids) from the Central District's Temple Pastries along with a few other light breakfast and lunch items. If there's no seating, check out the nice park right across the street.
1918 E. Yesler Way, Seattle, Washington, 98122, USA
Known For
- Fresh pastries
- Delicious coffee drinks
- Stylish space with A/C and decent amount of stay-awhile seating
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This rustic, brick-walled cafe is Seattle's oldest espresso bar.
4214 University Way NE, Seattle, Washington, 98105, USA
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Enjoy traditional Italian-style espresso, pastries, and paninis at this full-service wholesale roaster and flagship retail location for the local brand. Set in a historic brick building with indoor and sidewalk seating, the café also serves Italian beer and wine.
320 Occidental Ave. S, Seattle, Washington, 98104, USA
Known For
- Good people-watching
- Gelato (because it's always time for gelato)
- Expertly pulled espresso
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With a handful of locations throughout Seattle, this local roaster gets coffee just right: smooth, bold, and full of flavor. Breakfast items at the laid-back café include same-day-fresh Seattle Bagels with schmear and bagel (or pita) egg sandwiches, while the lunch menu features gyro and falafel sandwiches as well as a signature Persian rice bowl with house-made yogurt, pickled vegetables, and a choice of beef or eggplant.
2719 1st Ave., Seattle, Washington, 98121, USA
Known For
- Friendly service
- Bagels and Middle Eastern fare
- Reliably good coffee
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Cheerful two-tone drawings on the walls and blue tile on the counter both evoke the nearby waves that lap at Alki Beach in this multi-roaster cafe, demonstrating its effort to embody the spirit of the neighborhood. Between brewing coffee from local favorites Boon Boona, Dorothea, and Olympia, and serving pastries from Seawolf Bread, this spot brings together some of the city's best, while the view from the dark wood tables in the loft make it a great place to watch the rhythm of life in North Admiral.
2206B California Ave. SW, Seattle, Washington, 98116, USA
Known For
- Seawolf pastries
- Favorite local coffee beans
- Subtle nautical ambience
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Tues.
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This hypebeast destination calls itself a concept store and sells sneakers and streetwear, but the lines stretching out the door are for its popular bubble tea and soft-serve stand. Eye-catching three-color beverages, bear-shaped takeout bottles, and "designer blend" smoothies show off creative combinations of fruit, boba, syrup, and ice cream. For the full experience, order the soft-serve in the bear-shaped waffle pastry, called "bearyaki," too.
416 10th Ave., Seattle, Washington, 98122, USA
Known For
- Colorful drinks and ice cream
- Over-the-top bubble tea
- Bear-shaped bottles
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A large outpost of the famed Capitol Hill roaster, the Vivace coffee shrine in South Lake Union is right across from the REI megastore. Grab a seat, order an expertly prepared espresso beverage, and munch on a small variety of snacks—this is a perfect stop after an exhausting jaunt through REI.
227 Yale Ave. N, Seattle, Washington, 98109, USA
Known For
- Café Nico
- Great latte art
- Precisely pulled espresso
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Vivace is widely considered to be the home of Seattle's finest espresso. The long, curving bar and a colorful mural add some character to a space in the upscale Brix condo complex. The place definitely has great energy—it's lively and bustling, with Hill residents tippity-tapping on laptops and students holding study groups. Pastries are a bit lackluster, but the espresso beverages more than make up for it.
If the weekend line is too long, there's also a Vivace sidewalk stand just south of here at Broadway and Harrison Street.
532 Broadway Ave. E, Seattle, Washington, 98102, USA
Known For
- Classic coffeeshop feel
- Lively space
- Excellent espresso
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Herkimer Coffee's Greenwood outpost is a favorite of coffee connoisseurs, with baristas who know their stuff but won't give you side-eye for dumping sweetener in their creations. The coffee shop has some seating, but it's also a great spot to grab a cup to go.
7320 Greenwood Ave. N, Seattle, Washington, 98103, USA
Known For
- Perfectly pulled espresso
- Knowledgeable baristas
- Locally roasted beans
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Autumn Martin, formerly head chocolatier at Theo Chocolate, specializes in creative, high-quality desserts (including vegan options) such as a s'mores molten chocolate cake with house-made marshmallows and caramel, and cookies with house-smoked chocolate chips. Thick, rich milkshakes come in gourmet seasonal flavors like Meyer lemon with lavender, or grownup boozy shakes like smoked chocolate and scotch. Hot Cakes is open late night, too. A few long communal tables make for casual dining. The company's take-and-bake mason-jar desserts make a great gift.
For a lighter bite, head north to Martin's plant-based ice cream shop, Frankie & Jo's at 1411 NW 70th St.
5427 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, Washington, 98107, USA
Known For
- Molten chocolate cakes
- Take-and-bake desserts
- Extravagant shakes
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Just stepping in to this cozy corner coffeehouse awakens the senses. Lighthouse Roasters roasts its beans on-site in a vintage cast-iron roaster, filling the space with a heady aroma. Appreciated for dark chocolate flavors, hints of sweet toffee, and just the right amount of bite, the full-bodied coffee tastes as good as it smells here. The neighborhood spot, which has a small counter lined with red swivel bar stools, opened in 1993, giving it three decades of Seattle coffee cred.
400 N. 43rd St., Seattle, Washington, 98103, USA
Known For
- Plenty of seating
- Beloved neighborhood spot
- Freshly roasted coffee
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Seattle’s premier multiroaster café would be a parody of coffee culture if it weren’t so good at what it does: curate a lineup of the country’s best coffees and pour them expertly in a variety of methods. Baristas here coach customers through the process of picking a bean (origin, type, and roast) and method, so this is not the place to come for a quick caffeine hit. For people looking to learn about coffee and find the brew best matched to their tastes, it’s worth the time to stop here.
754 N. 34th St., Seattle, Washington, 98103, USA
Known For
- "snobby" in the best way
- Helpful and knowledgeable baristas
- Lots of choices
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Modern, hip Miro Tea is the place to go for a wide variety of interesting, high-quality teas, fascinating people-watching, and artisan Japanese pastries. A serious tea shop with well-sourced leaves and informed staff, Miro is also a product of its location—a pleasant seating area looking out on Ballard Avenue makes it a bit of a hipster hang out.
5405 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, Washington, 98107, USA
Known For
- Japanese pastries
- Long list of high-quality loose leaf teas
- Nice seating area
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Cozy leather bar seats surround the wide wood bar at the stylish, modern Mr. West Cafe Bar, where they’ve got you covered from morning pick-me-up to early-evening imbibing. The coffee menu offers the usuals, from drips and cortados to cappuccinos and lattes, as well as creative espresso-based options like coffee soda, coffee egg cream, and a cardamom tonic. There’s also a separate tea drinks menu, as well as breakfast and lunch fare, and a solid wine, beer, and cocktails list.
720 Olive Way, Seattle, Washington, 98101, USA
Known For
- Tasty breakfast and lunch options
- Creative coffee and tea beverages
- Stylish digs
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The flavors of Morocco come together with the Seattle coffee scene at this small High Point café. The white walls ringed at the top by a shelf of plants give it a lush, green feeling, shared by the spiced coffees and mint teas (though the menu also includes all the espresso and drip standards). The bright, colorful space and tiled counter welcome guests coming for breakfast pastries from nearby Patrick's or for the Moroccan lunch options, such as harissa tuna or kefta (meatball) sandwiches.
6080 35th Ave. SW, Seattle, Washington, 98126, USA
Known For
- Good picnic options
- Plant-crowned space
- Moroccan spiced beverages
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You could call it a coffee amusement park for its many ways to keep audiences entertained, but the sprawling combination café and showroom is deadly serious about its beans. Fans of the chain, and the coffee curious, will find lots to taste and explore here in 15,000 square feet of coffee culture. The main floor holds the latest model of Starbucks café, a gallery of Starbucks Reserve coffees—the rarest and finest the brand offers—including an outlet of Princi, the company's Italian-style bakery. As visitors walk around the space, they get a glimpse of the coffee roasting operation. Downstairs, you’ll find a smaller coffee bar where baristas show off the latest and trendiest brewing methods.
1124 Pike St., Seattle, Washington, 98101, USA
Known For
- Educational signage
- Variety of drinks
- Brewing and roasting methods on display
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In addition to perfectly pulled espresso drinks, Storyville offers fresh pastries, light lunch items, and beer and wine in a welcoming space with ample comfy seating and Elliott Bay views.
94 Pike St. #34, Seattle, Washington, 98101, USA
Known For
- Skilled baristas
- Housemade ingredients like chocolate syrup
- Cashew and other alt-milks