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Where to Drink Coffee in Seattle Right Now

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Lucky Seattle. We have tried-and-true coffee industry veterans, solid neighborhood cafes, and a growing crop of newcomers pushing the scene forward. Venerable roasters Vivace and Victrola helped build Seattle's reputation as the specialty coffee center of the planet and continue to carry the torch, and they're bolstered by a fresh set of coffee companies that are breathing life into Seattle's cafe culture this very minute: Multi-roaster shops like Milstead and Co. and back-to-basics roasters including Slate are keeping the attention of the caffeinated crowd at home and well beyond the Pacific Northwest.

The Eater Seattle Coffee Heat Map has been updated to include roasters that transparently source beans and cafes that serve freshly roasted single origins. Four make the cut: Broadcast, Slate, Tin Umbrella, and Vif.

Have a suggestion for a cafe that deserves to be added to our next coffee map? Send us a message or leave a comment.


Sara Billups

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Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.

1. Analog Coffee

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235 Summit Ave E
Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 678-7443
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A quaint Summit Ave. coffee spot, Analog feels like the sort of hidden neighborhood storefront you stumble upon, even if you first became enchanted with the place from these Kinfolk pics. Owners Tim Hayden and Danny Hanlon’s well-designed interior features a central bar, a fine selection of periodicals and rags, and always-good vinyl playing in the background. Analog offers a small pour-over menu and espresso from local roaster Herkimer, with cold brew flowing on tap.
[Photo Credit]

2. Broadcast Coffee

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1918 E Yesler Way
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 322-0807
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Broadcast features beans from a rotating list of roasters, including Portland’s Stumptown, San Francisco’s Sightglass, and Seattle’s Slate. In addition to cafes in the Central District and Capitol Hill, a third Broadcast shop will launch in Roosevelt this spring.
[Photo Credit]

3. Caffe Ladro

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600 Queen Anne Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 282-1549
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In a town where most cafes are defined by the era when they got their start, Caffe Ladro owner Jack Kelly has managed to transform his coffee program into one of the best in Seattle. The more than twenty-year-old local chainlet has turned its focus to building relationships at origin and updated its roasting profiles, with a team led by head roaster (and industry celeb) Dismas Smith. The Fremont location is a best bet, with plenty of scattered tables for the laptop crowd and Adirondack chairs outside for sunny days.
[Photo Credit]

4. Herkimer Coffee

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7320 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 784-0202
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Herkimer opened the doors of its third location (pictured) in burgeoning South Lake Union in December, 2013. The roaster’s new Denny Way digs are a little more polished than the cozy interior of its original Phinney Ridge store, but no less thoughtful: You’ll find an efficient bar staffed by friendly baristas, plenty of seats, and take-home beans roasted on a vintage 22-kilo Probat.
[Photo Credit]

5. Milstead & Co.

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770 N 34th St
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 659-4814
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The odds are split that you’ll be in line behind a regular customer or a coffee pilgrim who’s journeyed to the much-hyped Milstead & Co. The hubbub over Andrew Milstead’s Fremont cafe is justified: The multi-roaster shop features a curated list of beans that can change several times a day from notable roasters near and far, including San Francisco’s Wrecking Ball and Portland’s Heart. Caffeine-phobic beware: you won’t find decaf on the menu.
[Photo Credit]

6. Slate Coffee Bar

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5413 6th Avenue Northwest
Seattle, WA 98107
First came the Airstream trailer, then the brick-and-mortar Ballard store. A new add to Eater National’s 20 Hottest Coffee Shops Across the US, Slate’s potential to scare off caramel macchiato drinkers is cancelled out by a chatty crew of well-versed baristas. The roaster nixes flavored syrups for milk-and-espresso served in stemware and prints its menu on paper instead of overhead chalkboards.
[Photo Credit]

7. Stumptown Coffee Roasters

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1115 12th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 323-1544
Visit Website
Stumptown’s bustling 12th Ave. store launched more than five years back with a cafe upstairs and a roaster and space for cuppings and coffee education in the basement. The Portland-based roaster’s hyper-organized bar is simple and elegant, with bespeckled baristas steaming and pulling endless shots on always-packed weekend mornings. The end of the order line leads to a tableless seating area that’s a best bet for people watching or reading.
[Photo Credit]

8. Tin Umbrella Coffee

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5600A Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98118
(206) 743-8802
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When Tin Umbrella opened its doors in Hillman City in 2013 the neighborhood was more than ready for a viable independent cafe. The only specialty roaster in the area is housed in a former gambling den that’s been turned into a bright, bustling storefront. Coming this March: freshly roasted beans delivered by bike.
[Photo Credit]

9. Victrola

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411 15th Ave E
Seattle, WA 98112
(206) 325-6520
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Capitol Hill’s 15th Ave. has seen its fair share of openings and shutterings in recent years, but longstanding cafe Victrola is a neighborhood anchor that’s as current as ever. Victrola cultivates regulars by serving consistently well-crafted drinks in a space carrying over the best aesthetics of the 90s and early aughts that turns old-timers sentimental and newbies instantly loyal.
[Photo Credit]

10. Vif Wine and Coffee

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4401 Fremont Ave. N
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 557-7357
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A part of the recent explosion of eateries in upper Fremont, Vif more than pulls off a dual concept that has fallen flat in the past: the coffee shop/wine bar. Owners Shawn Mead and Lauren Feldman transformed the former Hefty’s space into an airy cafe serving espresso and pour-overs from Olympia Roasting Co. alongside small plates and a curated list of wine sold by the glass and bottle.
[Photo Credit]

11. Espresso Vivace

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227 Yale Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 388-5164
Visit Website
Driven by a single man’s mad obsession with making the best espresso possible, David Schomer founded Vivace 25 years ago and continues to follow his own inner compass instead of the trends. It’s working: Vivace has captured the well-earned devotion of many a Seattle coffee fiend, with a crew of baristas at its venerable sidewalk bar that manage to be painstakingly precise and exceptionally friendly at once.
[Photo Credit]

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1. Analog Coffee

235 Summit Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
A quaint Summit Ave. coffee spot, Analog feels like the sort of hidden neighborhood storefront you stumble upon, even if you first became enchanted with the place from these Kinfolk pics. Owners Tim Hayden and Danny Hanlon’s well-designed interior features a central bar, a fine selection of periodicals and rags, and always-good vinyl playing in the background. Analog offers a small pour-over menu and espresso from local roaster Herkimer, with cold brew flowing on tap.
[Photo Credit]
235 Summit Ave E
Seattle, WA 98102

2. Broadcast Coffee

1918 E Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122
Broadcast features beans from a rotating list of roasters, including Portland’s Stumptown, San Francisco’s Sightglass, and Seattle’s Slate. In addition to cafes in the Central District and Capitol Hill, a third Broadcast shop will launch in Roosevelt this spring.
[Photo Credit]
1918 E Yesler Way
Seattle, WA 98122

3. Caffe Ladro

600 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
In a town where most cafes are defined by the era when they got their start, Caffe Ladro owner Jack Kelly has managed to transform his coffee program into one of the best in Seattle. The more than twenty-year-old local chainlet has turned its focus to building relationships at origin and updated its roasting profiles, with a team led by head roaster (and industry celeb) Dismas Smith. The Fremont location is a best bet, with plenty of scattered tables for the laptop crowd and Adirondack chairs outside for sunny days.
[Photo Credit]
600 Queen Anne Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109

4. Herkimer Coffee

7320 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Herkimer opened the doors of its third location (pictured) in burgeoning South Lake Union in December, 2013. The roaster’s new Denny Way digs are a little more polished than the cozy interior of its original Phinney Ridge store, but no less thoughtful: You’ll find an efficient bar staffed by friendly baristas, plenty of seats, and take-home beans roasted on a vintage 22-kilo Probat.
[Photo Credit]
7320 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103

5. Milstead & Co.

770 N 34th St, Seattle, WA 98103
The odds are split that you’ll be in line behind a regular customer or a coffee pilgrim who’s journeyed to the much-hyped Milstead & Co. The hubbub over Andrew Milstead’s Fremont cafe is justified: The multi-roaster shop features a curated list of beans that can change several times a day from notable roasters near and far, including San Francisco’s Wrecking Ball and Portland’s Heart. Caffeine-phobic beware: you won’t find decaf on the menu.
[Photo Credit]
770 N 34th St
Seattle, WA 98103

6. Slate Coffee Bar

5413 6th Avenue Northwest, Seattle, WA 98107
First came the Airstream trailer, then the brick-and-mortar Ballard store. A new add to Eater National’s 20 Hottest Coffee Shops Across the US, Slate’s potential to scare off caramel macchiato drinkers is cancelled out by a chatty crew of well-versed baristas. The roaster nixes flavored syrups for milk-and-espresso served in stemware and prints its menu on paper instead of overhead chalkboards.
[Photo Credit]
5413 6th Avenue Northwest
Seattle, WA 98107

7. Stumptown Coffee Roasters

1115 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Stumptown’s bustling 12th Ave. store launched more than five years back with a cafe upstairs and a roaster and space for cuppings and coffee education in the basement. The Portland-based roaster’s hyper-organized bar is simple and elegant, with bespeckled baristas steaming and pulling endless shots on always-packed weekend mornings. The end of the order line leads to a tableless seating area that’s a best bet for people watching or reading.
[Photo Credit]
1115 12th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122

8. Tin Umbrella Coffee

5600A Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
When Tin Umbrella opened its doors in Hillman City in 2013 the neighborhood was more than ready for a viable independent cafe. The only specialty roaster in the area is housed in a former gambling den that’s been turned into a bright, bustling storefront. Coming this March: freshly roasted beans delivered by bike.
[Photo Credit]
5600A Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98118

9. Victrola

411 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
Capitol Hill’s 15th Ave. has seen its fair share of openings and shutterings in recent years, but longstanding cafe Victrola is a neighborhood anchor that’s as current as ever. Victrola cultivates regulars by serving consistently well-crafted drinks in a space carrying over the best aesthetics of the 90s and early aughts that turns old-timers sentimental and newbies instantly loyal.
[Photo Credit]
411 15th Ave E
Seattle, WA 98112

10. Vif Wine and Coffee

4401 Fremont Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98103
A part of the recent explosion of eateries in upper Fremont, Vif more than pulls off a dual concept that has fallen flat in the past: the coffee shop/wine bar. Owners Shawn Mead and Lauren Feldman transformed the former Hefty’s space into an airy cafe serving espresso and pour-overs from Olympia Roasting Co. alongside small plates and a curated list of wine sold by the glass and bottle.
[Photo Credit]
4401 Fremont Ave. N
Seattle, WA 98103

11. Espresso Vivace

227 Yale Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Driven by a single man’s mad obsession with making the best espresso possible, David Schomer founded Vivace 25 years ago and continues to follow his own inner compass instead of the trends. It’s working: Vivace has captured the well-earned devotion of many a Seattle coffee fiend, with a crew of baristas at its venerable sidewalk bar that manage to be painstakingly precise and exceptionally friendly at once.
[Photo Credit]
227 Yale Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109

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