although seattle is known as the “coffee city”, i found most of the coffee in portland difficult to match. La Marzocco was the only cafe in Seattle I visited where the coffee really stood out; they were actually using stumptown coffee, which is a portland based roaster.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
here is a list of my best coffee spots in the pacific northwest. There are definitely some places I didn’t get a chance to visit, so I’ll be sure to check them out the next time I’m in town.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
i think the best thing about coffee in portland was that the baristas really loved (and were very knowledgeable about) coffee. The coffee scene is huge in Portland and while there is still a Starbucks on every corner, it really does put the rest of America to shame.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
1. heart cafe, portland
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Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
Heart Coffee was ranked 14th on the “50 Best Coffee Shops” list for everyday dining in 2014. If you get a chance to visit Heart, be sure to order their almond and cashew milk. it’s homemade and the cashew nut makes it so much tastier and smoother than regular almond milk. there are some really cool outdoor tables and chairs, with plenty of space inside as well. It’s just a nice, clean, bright coffee shop with great tasting coffee.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
the best: homemade almond milk and excellent baristas
Cons: Limited selection of bakery items and snacks. no wifi on weekends
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Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
location: 537 sw 12th ave, portland, or 97205, united states
Opening hours: Mon-Fri: 7am-6pm; Saturday-Sunday 8am-6pm
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
2. La Marzocco, Seattle
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Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
I wrote a short article about the Marzocco which you can find here. I was amazed at what these guys have created. there’s a great vibe in the huge open space located right next to the key arena. I think it will become a very popular place in Seattle, particularly with the rotation of different roasters every month or so. I think the Marzocco also does training days at the cafe, as well as music nights with the kexp radio station located next door.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
the best: the interior design is impressive. so much space to relax and sit
cons: nothing to criticize yet!
Location: 472 1st av. north seattle
See also: 12 Best Coffee Shops in Providence RI
opening hours: Mon – Sat: 7am – 8pm; sun: unknown
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
3. good life cafe, portland
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Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
not only the good life has a good coffee, but it is the atmosphere of the coffee shop that I like the most. it’s one of the smaller cafes i visited in portland and i believe there are two, both on the east side. good people, good coffee. What more could you want? this is also the place to go if you are a big tea drinker, with a great selection of specialty and herbal drinks. being on the east side, prices are also marginally cheaper.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
the best: excellent baristas and a great selection of teas
cons: expect a bit of a queue if it’s busy
Location: 4747 se division st, portland
opening hours: Mon-Sun: 7am-7pm
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
4. coava cafe, portland
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Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
coava is great! if you get a chance to visit portland i 100% recommend you go to coava and take a look. it is a really unique place. real coffee is very aesthetically pleasing and the coffee tastes great. There is not much in the way of food, but there is really only one thing to visit Coava and that is coffee. try to go to se grand ave if you can.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
the best: their cold beer is particularly tasty.
Cons: Limited seating even though it’s such a large space. They could fit an extra 20 tables inside, but I guess the beauty is in the open space.
location: 1300 se grand ave, portland, or 97214, united states
Opening hours: Monday-Friday: 6am-6pm; Saturday-Sunday: 7am-6pm
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
5. Stumptown Cafe, Portland
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Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
stumptown coffee is a great place in downtown portland. In fact, they supply coffee to a large number of cafes in the Pacific Northwest, making them one of the most famous roasters in the United States. The music can be a bit loud for work in Stumptown, but there is a good amount of space inside the store that I have listed. You really can’t fault the coffee, I guess the success of each coffee will come down to the skill of the barista! It’s not everyone’s atmosphere, but nice nonetheless.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
Best thing: Lots of seating in a really nice layout with a great bar area to sit and people watch.
cons: the wooden interior makes the interior quite dark and the music can also be quite loud.
Location: 128 sw 3rd ave, portland or 97204
Opening hours: Monday-Friday: 6am-6pm; Saturday-Sunday: 7am-6pm
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
6. milstead cafe, seattle
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Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
milstead was great! It’s located in Fremont, so if you’re looking for the ‘troll under the bridge,’ definitely stop by (not sure what the deal is with that yet). there is a wide variety of alternative drinks, so if coffee is not your thing, you will be very happy here. very good cakes, nice people. I can definitely recommend the rhubarb ginger drink and all of their food looks exceptionally good. milstead is just a few blocks from the google offices, so don’t be surprised to see various “creatives” getting their morning caffeine fix.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
the best: the staff is super friendly and welcoming. early opening hours make it an ideal spot for morning coffee.
cons: it can be a bit dark inside. not much to complain about here!
Location: 900 N 34th St, Seattle, WA 98103, United States
Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 6 am-6 pm; Saturday-Sunday: 7am-6pm
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
These were definitely my favorite places in the Pacific Northwest. Other cafes I visited that are worth mentioning are Barista and Sterling Coffee, both in Portland.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
thanks for reading and if you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch the portland and seattle ‘coffee vlog’ by heading over to my youtube channel: dancarternow. i had the best time exploring washington and oregon. both are stunningly beautiful and totally unique. you can drive only a couple of hours and arrive in a totally different landscape and climate. many thanks to pan pacific and visit seattle for their generosity and hospitality. For now, I’m back home for a few weeks to catch up on my last few weeks of training before heading to Durban to find my comrades.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
if you’re heading to portland or seattle, stop by some of these cafes and let me know what you think. it would be great to hear your thoughts.
See also: 10 Charming Upper West Side Cafes Guaranteed to Satisfy
Reading: Best coffee in seattle 2016
thanks for reading.
Until next time!
if you want to see our road trip around washington and oregon, check out george’s daily vlogs here.
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