Capitol Hill (Seattle) - Coffeehouses

Coffeehouses

Besides the large Seattle-based chains—Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee (now owned by Starbucks), and Tully's Coffee—Capitol Hill has been home to some of the city's most prominent locally owned coffeehouses. The neighborhood is considered a test market for coffee houses by Starbucks Corporation. The company has opened three unique versions of the chain at different locations on the hill. The testing being done included unique decor, differentiated food and drink menus (e.g. specialty teas) and the sales of alcohol. These three locations are: Roy Street Coffee & Tea, 15th Ave. and most prominently at E. Olive Way.

The now-defunct Cause Celebre coffeehouse and ice cream parlor on 15th Ave. E. started life as a worker-owned collective, but was eventually bought out by one of its founding members. From about 1978 until the mid-1980s, it declared itself to be "Capitol Hill's living room."

B&O Espresso (at the corner of Belmont Ave. E. and Olive Way, hence B&O: Belmont and Olive), founded 1976, could be considered one of Seattle's oldest surviving coffeehouses, except that it has transformed over the years into more of a restaurant. One of B&O's claims to fame is that the band Pearl Jam conceived of their name while at this coffeehouse.

The minuscule Coffee Messiah (early 1990s – 2006), decorated in religious kitsch, serving little but coffee and vegan pastries, was also an all-ages performance venue for several years. The crowd frequently spilled out onto the pavement. Acts ranged from punk rock to drag cabaret, including a cross between the two known as Pho Bang (which later continued at other venues).

Present-day coffeehouses on the Hill include the local chains Caffe Ladro, Caffé Vita (two locations), and Top Pot Doughnuts, as well as bauhaus books + coffee, TnT Espresso, Cafe Dharwin, Espresso Vivace Sidewalk Bar, Espresso Vivace at Brix (originally Roasteria), Faire, Fuel Coffee, Insomniax (two locations), Joe Bar, Kaladi Brothers, Uncle Elizabeth's Internet Café, Stumptown Coffee (two locations), People's Republic of Koffee, Victrola Coffee Roasters (two locations) and new arrivals Porchlight, Analog, and the locally renowned Cupcake Royale (with other locations throughout Seattle).

Espresso Vivace's primary location on 901 E. Denny Way/1512 11th Ave just a block off Broadway was closed in mid-2008 due to University Link construction, but a new location is now open in the Brix condos building further north on Broadway E. The Espresso Vivace sidewalk bar on Broadway, and Espresso Vivace Alley 24' South Lake Union location are also open for business.

Several Capitol Hill coffeehouses use mezzanines or similar architectural devices to add more seating to their relatively small spaces; some take significant advantage of nearby sidewalks for additional seating. Espresso Vivace's Broadway location has only sidewalk seating sharing a part of the lot with the bank next to it. Bauhaus takes advantage of its high ceiling not only for a massive wall of books (mostly encyclopedias and other reference books), but also to place additional seating over the food prep and serving area; it also spills out onto the sidewalk onto E. Pine Street and around the corner to Melrose, with sidewalk seats providing a higher northwestern view of downtown, including the Space Needle.