10 Best Coffee Shops in Seattle

10 Best Coffee Shops in Seattle, the Coffee Capital of the United StatesHow to best experience the best beans in city that invented latte art—and why you won't find them at the original Starbucks.Day Made KaffeSeattle could probably coast on its coffee reputation for another half-century, but visitors who equate the Emerald City with the green mermaid miss out on its world-class selection of bright and bold brews. Those live in the independent shops and local roasters that keep Seattle awake for the longest of summer days, and perky through the dark, damp winters. Whether you’re on a pilgrimage to this birthplace of American latte art (at Espresso Vivace), looking to be transported to the cutting edge of specialty coffee (at Slow Day Coffee), or you just want drip and a breakfast sandwich while you get your bike fixed (at Peloton Bicycle Shop & Cafe), this city has the perfect cup for you—here's where to find the best coffee shops in Seattle.Read our full Seattle travel guide here, which includes:The Best Things to Do in SeattleThe Best Hotels in SeattleThe Best Restaurants in SeattleThe Best Bars in SeattleHow we choose the best coffee shops in SeattleEvery bar on this list has been selected independently by Condé Nast Traveler editors and reviewed by a local contributor who has visited that coffee shop. Our editors consider both high-end and affordable cafés, and weigh stand-out dishes, location, and service—as well as inclusivity and sustainability credentials. We update this list as new bars open and existing ones evolve.Boon Boona CoffeeThe local chain that started in a suburb now sits in a prime downtown spot overlooking Seattle’s recently remodeled waterfront. The sleek space sits along the park and walkway connecting the Pike Place Market with the playground, aquarium, and piers below, with art reflecting the owner’s Eritrean heritage. Boon Boona was founded by an Eritrean American to honor the coffee culture of his homeland, so the coffee is all from Africa, with a focus on overlooked markets and women-owned farms. You’re here for the view, the space, the mission, and the coffee. In that order. This is the spot for looking out at the waterfront, people-watching, and peacefully fueling up before or after hitting the city’s major tourist spots.Read Full ReviewGloom CoffeeHigh ceilings and a bright, squiggly paint job create welcoming vibes. Combined with the working roastery in the rear, it confirms this spot is serious about its coffee, but it doesn’t need customers to be. Most of the morning crowd is coffee devotees coming for a daily fix or to settle in with a laptop, but later in the day, the tables host friends looking for a spot to gossip over N/A cocktails—with and without coffee. This spot is a serious roastery from industry vets and it shows in the beans, from the house blend Doom up to the single-origin Costa Rican black diamond natural. Fun and funky Maddy’s Bakeshop provides a selection of pastries worth a nibble, like turkey romesco or smokey chocolate and pepita croissants. These folks are experts—they’ll take your order and get you set in a second if that’s the vibe you’re giving, but if you’re down to talk nuance or flavor, they know what they’re talking about.Read Full ReviewSlow Day CoffeeIt’s tiny, it’s minimalist, and everything is completely focused on one thing: producing the ultimate cup of coffee. The small space means it’s unlikely you’ll share the space with another customer, but if you do, it’s probably another coffee nerd of the highest order. The coffee here is a work of art. If McDonald’s is the McDonald’s of coffee, this is the Le Bernadin (complete with MP as price for some items). The best beans are sourced from around the world, ground and hand-brewed to order. There’s no cream, no sugar, no fancy drinks, and no standard drip. Despite the inherent pretentiousness of the set-up, these folks are true professionals and are happy to chat through the nuances, processes, and origins of each bean or style.Read Full ReviewDay Made Kaffe BarThe yellow smiley faces on the mugs here remind you that nothing’s really that serious, the sun pouring in the big front windows reminds you that you need an affogato, and the Scandinavian blonde wood and white-on-white color scheme reminds you this spot aims to transport guests to Copenhagen. Seattle has a lot of good espresso, but Day Made shows us what a great espresso tastes like—smooth and bright—using coffee from Copenhagen’s Coffee Collective and similar global names. The pastries are good, sourced from some of the best bakeries in town, but the real must-order is the milk soft serve ice cream (best as an affogato, naturally). Lovers of light-roast coffees and anyone who misses their Copenhagen vacation will find happiness here.Read Full ReviewPhêEven on busy weekends, the minimalist décor keeps things feeling quite calm. The warm gray of the walls is oddly comforting, interrupted only by the green of a few plants. The low stools in the front area give people a place to wait for their drinks without blocking the natural light streaming through the garage-style front. This is where the cool kids come for their fancy matcha drinks, so expect a lot of 20-somethings sipping colorful and elaborate drinks. Most people are here in small groups—a friend makes the long weekend lines more fun. The phin-brewed Vietnamese-style coffee is dark and strong on its own, beautifully balanced with condensed milk in the phê nâu, and simply fascinating when prepared with sweet corn or pho spice cream. The small food menu holds its own in Seattle’s excellent Vietnamese cuisine scene, sticking to Vietnamese tradition a little more than the drinks. The xôi mặn, a sticky rice bowl with five kinds of meat is a highlight, and, surprisingly, also available as vegan.Read Full ReviewVictrola Coffee RoastersThe only things that have changed since I used to come do homework here more than a decade ago is the addition of pour-over coffee and kombucha on tap. There's still mediocre art on the walls of this otherwise very tasteful and timeless space. The 15th Ave location is a longtime favorite of locals, though more of them have their face in a laptop than a book these days (plenty of outlets). I still go for an Americano over the drip coffee. The peach caramel strudel is a standout, but they have an assortment of pastries and pre-made sandwiches and salads, too. These are coffee professionals, and the latte art is always nice. It's a good place to set up camp with your laptop or textbooks, or sit out on the sidewalk on a sunny day.Read Full ReviewPeloton Bicycle Shop & CafeBike shop cafés are a thing in Seattle, and it's pretty much what you'd expect: repairs on one side, coffee and food on the other, and some tables to chill at. You'll spot the little shop by the world champion stripes painted across the front. Even though it comes from an air pot, the coffee is brewed often enough to be fresh and good. Breakfast sandwiches are solid and burritos are big enough to power a serious bicycle adventure, or whatever you have planned for the day. It's just such a Seattle thing—a bike shop café—and the food and coffee is good.Read Full ReviewMilstead & Co.The freshly painted industrial chic interior is a far cry from the funky Fremont of yore. The laptop crowd is happy to settle in with plenty of outlets, wifi, and some tables high enough to use as a standing desk. This place is a pilgrimage site for coffee nerds, with its rotation of coffee from the best roasteries around the state and country, brewed by Aeropress or V60, and La Marzocco espresso machine. Pastries are stale by 10 a.m., so get there early for a croissant, or stick to the cookies. If you need a coffee on your way to take pictures with the Fremont Troll, this is your spot.Read Full ReviewAnalog CoffeeHip and perfect, photogenic and famous, it still looks unassuming as you approach its quiet corner of Capitol Hill. The warm sound of music played from a record pours into the bright little space, and they have real newspapers (on paper!) for you to read. Beautiful people work quietly on their laptops or read in the window. Coffee is straightforward and flawless. A rotation of special beans are dripped with care into colorful Fire-King mugs, and there's cold brew on tap you can take home in growlers. I love a mini donut with a late morning or afternoon coffee, but there'e a nice selection of pastries to choose from if you want more than one bite. Service is charming, sincere about coffee (and good looking.) You might want to hate it, but you won’t. Come here for a cup of coffee that won't disappoint, in a sweet little space.Read Full ReviewEspresso VivaceThis place first opened as a cart in 1988, going on to popularize latte art. It starts trends, but doesn't bend to them. Not as many self-proclaimed freaks frequent the Capitol Hill location as they used to (back when I had a pink mohawk), but great espresso draws a wide audience. A sip of a cafe nico, a double espresso with shots of vanilla and orange and steamed half and half, served with an orange twist, is like a time machine back to the late '90s, but in a good way. A range of pastries from local bakeries (with GF and vegan options) are a good foil to deep dark espresso. Starbucks got all the credit, but shops like Vivace were essential to bringing good espresso to America, and they're still going strong.Read Full ReviewThis gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.Award-winning food and travel writer Naomi Tomky explores the world with a hungry eye. As a freelancer for more than a decade, she delights in digging into the intersections of cuisine and culture. The Seattle-based writer has received awards from the Society of American Travel Writers, Association of Food Journalist, ... Read MoreOysters and craft beer so good you won’t notice it’s drizzling