Seattle Coffee Shops

Seattle Coffee Shops questions and answers

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Q: Does anyone know any coffee shops open late in Seattle?
Sometimes my boyfriend and I will be out at night, and want to go to a coffee shop or something and hang out for a while before going home. I'm talking about late as in closes at 11:30pm or later, most places we've found close at 10 or earlier. I know the obvious suggestion would be a bar or lounge type thing, but i'm only 20 so that wouldn't work. I know some clubs are 18+, but that wouldn't work because I'm not thinking of a noisy club scene.

A: Let's see... in/near the downtown area, there is: The Hurricane Cafe on 7th Ave. near the Elephant Car Wash. It's a greasy spoon diner that's open 24 hours. 13 Coins on Denny halfway up to Capital Hill. 24 hours, more expensive than most all-nighters that are open. IHOP just off of Broadway, right around Cherry (?) is 24 hours and it's your standard 24-hour IHOP. (There's another IHOP that's 24 hours in the U-Dist. on Brooklyn & 43rd [maybe 42nd]). Denny's: Let's see, there's one in Ballard on Market/45th & 15th, one in the SODO area on 4th, heck, there's a lot of Denny's and they're pretty much all 24-hour. Minnie's is on Denny right across the street from the costume shop near Queen Anne Ave. & 1st Ave. I believe they are still 24-hour. Beth's Cafe is on Aurora just north of the Aurora Bridge (pull a U-turn at the first light north of the Aurora Bridge and it's on the right). They're a lot like the Hurricane.

Q: Why does coffee in coffee shops cost so high like seattle's best or starbucks?


A: Because consumers are willing to pay for it at whatever price they set! They get away with it because they can! If people agreed that it was too high and stopped buying coffee there, guaranteed the price would go down considerably! Note to Aunt Cookie.... every other business that sells coffee has rent, utilities, supplies and employees to pay but they manage to sell it for $1 - $1.50 Tim Hortons in Canada is a huge, major coffee chain and I can get a large coffee there for $1.27 which includes taxes

Q: Which Tully's Coffee shop in Downtown Seattle?
Which Tully's coffee shop in downtown seattle do you frequent?

A: The one on 4th 1401 4th ave- Seattle

Q: How much money does a small (600sqft) coffee shop in Seattlw WA make per day?
I'm thinking of starting a coffee shop in a Seattle neighborhood that is your basic espresso, pastries, and wifi sort of setup. I'm just in the exploratory phase and am trying to get some raw numbers to work out the scale of the enterprise. Primary amongst the numbers I need is either the gross take of an average coffee shop in Seattle WA or the net profit for any given period. Thanks.

A: No one will be able to tell you that. You need to benchmark the competition... As of Oct 2, 2005, Starbucks operated 4,867 locations and employed 91,200 people in its U.S. stores, with total revenue from those stores amounting to $5.4 billion. If I am doing the math correctly, it means that the average store employs 19 people and has an annual revenue of $1.1 million, or, assuming being opened seven days a week, about $3,000 a day. Whether you will be able to exceed or even approach that benchmark depends on a variety of factors including your location, pricing, perceived quality, and attitude toward customers...

Q: Coffee shops?
If you have 3 coffee brands to choose from, which one is the best? Seattle's Best Coffee, Starbucks Coffee or Dunkin Donuts Coffee? I know you know bettrer places but let me know what you think!

A: Dunkin Donuts

Q: Starbuck's or Seattle's Best Coffee?
which coffee shop do you prefer? in terms of taste,quality and service?

A: Starbucks. I can go anywhere and my coffee will taste the same. Consistency is the deal-breaker for me. I tried supporting local shops but find their coffee tastes different depending on the barrista.

Q: What areas are safe to move into seattle washington. My roomate and I are both feamales and we are moving from?
las vegas and we need to know where in seattle is safe and transporation is available at least 20 hours. and a very diverse area with coffee shops, shops, restaurants and movies.

A: It is as safe as you make it - lock your doors, get to know your neighbors etc... The safest neighborhoods in the Seattle area are the following: Magnolia - a bit of a pain commute but fairly residential and depending on where you live quaint little shops. Queen Anne - if you can afford to live at the top of the hill or lower Queen Anne on the SPU college side - not the downtown side. Fremont / Gasworks Park area: tons of great shopping and restaurants closer to Fremont. By far the best area and priciest and most convenient bus routes is in Ballard. Amazing neighborhood - lots of personality, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, gym, movie theatre but still small town feel.

Q: What is there to do in Seattle or surronding area?
I like to go to coffee shops. I like art. I like to paint and draw. I love being outside. I like animals. I like people. I like anything unique. I love organic and health food. I like markets like farmer markets. I love the rain. There are some of my likes, if you think of anything in Seattle that sounds like I might enjoy it please do tell me about it. I'm not really looking for "big attractions" like amusment parks etc. But if you do know any of those let me know I might enjoy those as well.

A: Well if you like coffee, welcome to the Pacific Northwest. Seattle is home to Starbucks, and you can take a tour of the facility, and to Tully's, where you can also tour the facility. It is also home to Pike's Place Market, which is quite the attraction, known world-wide for it's "flying fish" which are fish (generally salmon) that are thrown from vendor to vendor to the customer. There is a great aquarium in Seattle, and a very nice Art Museum, though it is closed for renovation. Seattle is also the home to the Experience Music Project, and there is a wonderful tour called Seattle Underground which basically is a tour of the early portions of Seattle that has had the rest of the city built on top of it. Seattle also sports the largest ferry system in the world, so you can take a ferry ride to a number of other places, including Victoria, BC, where you can visit Butchart Gardens. Or, if you have a car, take the ferry across to Bainbridge Island, check out Old Man House (Chief Sealth's (Seattle) home), then cruise the Kitsap Peninsula, drive over the Hood Canal Bridge and work your way in to the Hoh Rain Forest (the only temperate rain forest in North America) amid the Olympic Mountains (about 60 miles from Bainbridge Island). As far as art, here in the Northwest, you will find a lot of nature inspired art, with a lot of emphasis on bears and salmon, and a lot of Northwest Native American art.

Q: Does anyone know the address for the first Starbucks coffee shop?
I am going to Seattle in a few days, and I'd love to see the world's first Starbucks coffee shop. Does anyone know the address, because there are several in Seattle...

A: Neighborhood: Downtown 1912 Pike Pl Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 448-8762 www.starbucks.com The world's very first Starbucks store opened here in 1971 as a coffee bean roasting house. It began selling retail coffee in 1983, after marketing genius Howard Shulz joined the company and traveled to Italy, where he fell in love with delicious espresso and cappuccino. He envisioned a new era of coffee culture and soon brought (and quickly expanded) the tradition of the neighborhood coffee house. Today, you can still get your favorite Starbucks drink at the Pike Place Market location.

Q: Where are the fun, and safe, places to live in Seattle?
Where there are restaurants, coffee shops that are within walking distance, but still still close enough to the freeway to get to the Eastside/Redmond area? If not in Seattle, what other area can you recommend?

A: Wallingford/Greenlake are two great neighborhoods that have lots of shopping, restaurants, and coffee shops, but they are still close to I-5. If you are looking to commute to the Eastside for work good luck. That commute is awful. My advise would be to move to the eastside or use public transportation. I have a friend who catches the bus to Microsoft from Greenlake every day.

Q: why do some call white coffee "dirty beans"?
I was home for the holidays in Spokane WA and they have white coffee in several espresso shops. You can also buy it by the pound, always already ground. My aunt loves the stuff and several people can not believe she does saying the beans are dirty and the stuff is nasty...why? I live in Seattle coffee capital of the world and we don't have it over here at all which makes me think someone might be right.

A: White coffee beans are just under-roasted coffee beans. Raw beans are greenish. To get the normal coffee beans, the raw beans are roasted for about 13-18 minutes. White coffee is roasted considerably less. Coffee connoiseurs believe roasting the beans longer brings out the full flavour of the coffee, which is why coffee lovers look down on white beans.

Q: MY SEATTLE TRIP: Please help organize my itinerary?
Hello, Thanks for reading and responding. I've been planning a trip to Seattle, but I need help organizing it. My interests are outdoor activities & sights----including hiking, biking, and kayaking; seeing cool neighborhoods; hanging out at coffee houses/bookstores/jazz clubs. So here's a list of activities and sights I am interested in so far for my nine day stay in Seattle (Sept. 2 - 11). I'm trying to organize all these activities and sights into a feasible itinerary, one in which I economize my time and energy. Please, while I understand that much of how it could be organized depends on many factors, such as my preferences, I could use your guidance! By the way, I will have a car. And on a couple of these days, I'll be hiking with a friend, a long-term resident of Seattle. I would appreciate your suggestions as to how I might make the most of my time and do as many of these as possible. How might you organize the following? Here's my very rough itinerary so far, all of which can be altered, including the particular day I do certain activities: Starting Sunday, Sept. 2; final day, Mon., Sept. 10: Day 1, Sun, Sept. 2: Bumbershoot Festival (I arrive from Korea on this day, early morning----not sure if I'll be too tired to get out. I hope not!) Day 2, Mon., Sept. 3: Bumbershoot Festival (?) I'm not sure if I'm going to do two days of this festival. Maybe just one. Are two days worth it or is one day enough? Day 3 & 4, Tues., Sept. 4 & Wed, Sept 5: I'd like to get an overview of the city by renting a bike and doing the Burke-Gilman Trail. If it helps me get around better than a car, I'd consider renting a bike for two days. While I want to see as much as possible, I'd like to stop and do things along the way. I realize that I can't do all of these in one day. But here are sctivities/sights I'd like to do, at some point, whether on this day of biking or on some other day: Neighborhoods: I like cool neighborhoods with interesting architecture and/or quaint stores/coffee shops * Fremont * University District * Capitol Hill * Queen Ann * Ballard Locks *West Seattle (? not sure---is it worth it?) * Green Lake (? not sure---is it worth it?) *Pike's Place Market (I know, not a neighborhood, but a place I could bike to on one of these days?) CITY PARKS: There seem to be so many good ones----for amazing views & beauty----that I'm confused. Which are really worth going to? It seems that most people agree on: Kerry Park (at night?), Olympic Sculpture Park, Volunteer, and Golden Gardens. Do you agree? I'm not sure about Carkeek or Gas Works though. Are these "duplicates experiences" of other parks? GARDENS/NATURE CENTERS: I don't need to see ALL gardens/nature centers of Seattle, just the most significant/beautiful. If they all are worth it, however, then let me know. Which ones? It seems: * Washington Park Arboretum * Kubota Garden * Woodland Park Rose Garden (? "duplicate"?) * Univ. of Washington Botanical Gardens (? again, "duplicate" of others?) Day 5, Thursday, Sept. 6: I must take do some shopping for an upcoming backpacking trip. Any suggestions for a good outdoors/backpacking store? Day 6, Friday, Sept. 7: Kayaking-----on Lake Union? Lake Washington? Also, on this day, the Bainbridge ferry to Bremerton----unless this is a day unto itself. Day 7, Saturday, Sept. 8: hiking----Mt. St. Helen's Day 8, Sunday, Sept. 9: hiking----Mt. Rainier (or some place my friend knows) Day 9, Monday, Sept. 10: A museum (any "musts-sees"?) Relax at some coffee shops? Definitely see a Mariners game that night. As you can see, I want to stay ACTIVE, but don't get me wrong: I want to have some down time along the way, such as enjoying a meal, hanging out at some cool cafes, coffee houses, and jazz club, not to mention parks. "Must-visit" Coffee Houses that are COMFORTABLE and w/ATMOSPHERE: * It seems people are saying: Uptown Espresso, Vivace, Coffee Messiah. Agree? "Must-visit" restaurants, especially seafood: * Only got one so far: Ray's "Must-visit" jazz clubs, especially for "After-hours lounge jazz": * depends on schedule, I know, but people are talking about The Triple Door. Notice I'm leaving out many tourist attractions, like the Space Needle and the zoo. These don't seem to be important compared to my priorities. Am I wrong? Have I missed anything? Thanks so much for any information and/or suggestions which might help me better define my itinerary. Cheers

A: Skip the 2nd day of Bumbershoot, unless there's some band you absolutely want to see. It's do-able in one day. The Burke-Gilman trail is pretty but won't give you an "overview of the city". It's really more rural. If you want to rent a bike for a day you can get one at Play It Again Sports on Stewart St. downtown. Green Lake is fun to ride around but, you know, it's really just a big lake. Nothing too exciting there. Fremont is a very cool neighborhood and you could check out stores / coffee houses / restaurants there. Don't miss the Fremont Troll under the Aurora Ave bridge. Nothing special about the University District, unless you are interested in checking out the campus. I would skip that. Ditto for Queen Anne. The Ballard Locks are neat and you could do that on the same day you see Fremont. It's fun to watch the locks in action. Check out the salmon ladder too, although there may not be many fish in it this time of year. The locks have a beautiful park that would be nice for a picnic. If you like the beach head to Alki Beach in West Seattle, otherwise I'd skip West Seattle. Ditto for Golden Gardens (although it's very close to the locks, so you could go there afterwards if you want to). You absolutely must see Pike Place Market. You could spend a whole day there. I would do that and the Seattle Art Museum on the same day, then have dinner at Wild Ginger. Best restaurant in town. You could also add Olympic Sculpture Garden on the same day. I think the WA Park Arboretum and Univ of WA Botanical Garden are the same thing. Beautiful place...I got married there! It's pretty big and you probably want to save 1/2 day for that. Great place for bike-riding. Kubota Gardens are incredible. I take all my out-of-town guests there. The Triple Door is great; also check out Jazz Alley if they have any live shows while you're here. Skip the zoo. A zoo is a zoo is a zoo. I agree with the previous poster that said REI is the place to get your backpacking gear. It's on the corner of Eastlake and Stewart, just a couple of blocks from the place where I said to rent a bike. As far as the coffee houses, I'd go to Uptown Espresso on Westlake. Or really, any place downtown. I know it's the biggest chain in the universe but I really do like Starbucks. They're consistent, friendly, and you don't have to walk more than 2 feet in this town to find one. :-) Don't go to Vivace...they're total snobs and unless you like a bad attitude with your coffee, I'd never set foot in that place. So, blah, blah, blah, here's what I would do if I were you: Day 1: Bumbershoot Day 2: Fremont, Ballard Locks, maybe Golden Gardens beach. Day 3: Olympic Sculpture Garden, Pike Place Market (have lunch there too), Seattle Art Museum, dinner at Wild Ginger. Day 4: REI, then rent a bike and ride up to Capitol Hill and the arboretum. Dinner on Broadway in Capitol Hill (whatever restaurant strikes your fancy). I'd try to stay out of downtown Seattle on the bike. Day 5: Take the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge then check out Fort Ward State Park. Neat place. Take a bike instead of driving and you'll save a bunch of money. Bainbride is very bike friendly. Day 6: Relax, see Pioneer Square, spend an afternoon in Elliot Bay Bookstore. Go see some jazz music that night. Day 7-8: Hiking w/ your friend. Day 9: Open for anything you want to do. Mariners game at night. Buy snacks outside the stadium and bring them in with you to save a bunch of money. Hope that helps! Have fun in our BEAUTIFUL city!!!

Q: Fun things to do in Seattle and Vancouver, Canada?
I'm going to Seattle and Vancouver in the beginning of August and was wondering what fun things there are to do there. I've been looking at some things online, and besides Pike place market, some hiking, and some coffee shops in vancouver im having trouble finding activites. Keep in mind that I am in college right now. Specific hiking trails? Is it safe to stay in a hostel in Vancouver? Specific neighborhoods I should go to?

A: well in Vancouver, Granville Island is nice, Stanley Park (you can bring a picnic basket, a good book and just enjoy the sun and the sights), English Bay, Capilano Suspension, Queen Elizabeth Park. Stroll along Robson St. if you're into shopping. PNE have great rides and August they've got tons of activities (just remember to buy the tickets from 7-11 since it's a lot cheaper than buying it at the gates. Most hostels in Vancouver are pretty decent, stay away from East Hastings (tons of addicts and low-lifes). You can try the Grouse Grind (a trail in North Vancouver). Use the transit if you can coz it's a lot cheaper, buy the daily bus pass which is 8 CAD which you can use all day and will save you tons of money. Nightlife? Robson street got the best bars.

Q: What shops has the best coffee?
Starbucks, McDonald's, Seattle Best, Burger King, Cariboul, etc...?

A: Starbucks.