"As Seattle’s oldest continually operating coffee shop (circa 1975), Cafe Allegro offers a historical local coffee experience far more accurate than standing in a line to crowd into a cafe at Pike Place Market. Allegro is generally serene, with a main seating area consisting of warm-toned wooden tables and chairs, local art set against exposed brick, and an overall collegiate bookstore-adjacent atmosphere that’s equal parts people studying and chatting. True to its historical origins, the coffee style here is pretty true to the so-called “second wave”: dark roasts (Allegro roasts its own beans) and an emphasis on blends rather than single-origin coffee. It’s not particularly hip, but it is homey as a frayed flannel shirt." - Harry Cheadle