10 of the best cafes to drink coffee in Seattle

If there's one thing people know about Seattle, it’s that the city has long been a coffee lover's paradise. But the coffee scene doesn't stop at Seattle’s Best Coffee, a brand founded in Puget Sound circa 1969, or Starbucks, the brand that turned fancy coffee into a global phenomenon, and which is still headquartered here, operating the original 1971 Pike Place Market shop.

Visiting Seattle offers a chance to enjoy coffee crafted by connoisseurs who, some might say, are obsessed. The city is lined with delicious micro-roasteries, each with unique flavor profiles and different methods for making the perfect cup. There are also specialty coffee cafes making brews with fair-trade farm origins, using uncommon techniques or exploring with adaptogenic mushrooms. Here are some of the city’s top coffee purveyors.

1. Victrola Coffee Roasters

What began in 2000 as a modest café on Capitol Hill’s 15th Ave has grown into a small but mighty coffee-roasting chain with seven locations across the city. Victrola embraces a cool Jazz Age aesthetic, perked up with decidedly modern brewing techniques and ordering options. For example, would you like non-dairy milk, less or more foam, or a special flavor like orange-cardamom or lavender syrup? Buy your Cap Hill–roasted beans here and get Victrola’s top home-brewing tips.

2. Espresso Vivace

Vivace is where latte art began. But even without the flourishes, you can enjoy its Northern Italian style of espresso making and bean roasting. Founded in 1988, the name translates to “great excitement for espresso.” The brand still lives by that enthusiasm at its two locations, where you can buy your own Italian-roasted beans or unroasted ones to experiment with your own techniques. Join the single-origin club for weekly shipments of the owner’s personal selections.

3. Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Co.

One of the “three Vs” of Seattle coffee, Vita has poured some of the city’s boldest flavors since its cafe-roastery opened in 1995. From its first location at the bottom of Queen Anne Hill, the brand now operates nine locations in the Pacific Northwest, with cafes in New York and Phoenix. Vita beans are used in restaurants, bakeries and bars nationwide. Hand-roasted Vita beans are available for purchase, along with cold-brew cans and cold-shot espresso that’s perfect for creative mixed drinks.

4. Monorail Espresso

Beloved by locals since 1980, Monorail is a mainstay in the Seattle espresso scene. It started by serving aromatic Italian-inspired espresso drinks from a cart beneath the monorail and has expanded to five busy downtown locations today. All spots offer friendly window and counter service, most with outdoor seating, keeping customers returning for its celebrated custom espresso-bean blend and no-nonsense menu.

5. Ghost Alley Espresso

Whether ghost sightings attract or deter you, the robust deliciousness of Ghost Alley Espresso’s drinks makes it worth a visit. Just go to its quirky, always-busy window on the cobblestone ramp beneath Pike Place Market, near the infamous Post Alley Gum Wall, to enjoy fresh-roasted espresso made with a custom Seattle-made espresso machine. They make their own salted-nut, vanilla and other syrups, or let them surprise you with the mystery mocha of the day.

6. Boon Boona Coffee

Boon Boona celebrates coffee in a unique way by bringing Eritrean coffee traditions to the Pacific Northwest. Since 2012, Seattleite founder Efrem Fesaha has shared East Africa’s finest coffees, many of which are sourced from women-owned farms and support underserved African coffee-growing regions. The result is rich, bold coffee roasted at its Renton location and brewed to perfection in its four cafes, along with whole beans packaged for home brewing. You can also sign up for Boon Boona’s occasional coffee ceremonies, where you can learn about ancient East African coffee techniques and taste the results of pan-roasted beans brewed in a traditional clay pot.

7. Wunderground Cafe 

This airy storefront on Pike Street invites newbies and returning fanatics to sip mushroom coffee. But don’t be alarmed, this is not a psilocybin trip. It’s a familiar menu of espresso and drip coffee (plus other drinks and snacks), with the option to add Wunderground’s Brain Wash booster – a USDA-organic powder mixing four types of adaptogenic, functional mushrooms that naturally boost energy, immunity and focus, while reducing stress and anxiety. The booster pairs well with the shop’s coffee, and you can purchase it to make at home, including as instant coffee. If you missed Wunderground on Capitol Hill, visit its Seattle-Tacoma Airport location.

8. Café Allegro

In 1975, this was the place to enjoy great coffee. And while a certain global-dominant coffee brand also opened in the same decade, Café Allegro is considered the origin point of Seattle’s true café culture. The University District spot is a hub for caffeine-thirsty students hunched over books and laptops, and it’s still pouring premium espresso drinks made with house-roasted beans imported from family farms around the world. Weekly and monthly bean subscriptions are available for fans of really good coffee.

9. Fonté Coffee Roaster

There’s a certain polish to the Fonté style. Cofounded in 1992 by a pioneering Starbucks master roaster, Fonté runs nine cafés in total (some listed as Uptown Espresso). Expect fine Italian espresso with a focus on sustainable sourcing and an artisanal approach to roasting. You can also enhance your latte, cappuccino and mochas with flavors like maple syrup, cinnamon-cayenne, sage and rose water, or try Fonté’s knockout espresso martini.

10. Seattle Coffee Festival

Ready to dive into coffee in a big way? The Seattle Coffee Festival happens in October. Spend the day exploring roasting techniques and equipment, bean sourcing, coffee-flavored foods, brewing styles and even – gasp – tea! And of course, you’ll get to taste top coffee and espresso drinks from around Puget Sound, all while live bands play, so you can dance off some of that caffeinated energy.