Chris L.
Yelp
Well, I don't always give 5-STARS, but I have to admit this is one of my favorite coffee places of all time! It is located right in the historical section of Ballard, near all the funky shops. It's really a great place to hang-out and chat with friends. Whilst my wife and I were here, we saw a lot of locals come in for a visit and coffee. Everyone was really friendly, but maybe that's how all Ballardians are.
There's a fabric/sewing shop in the rear, and offices beyond that. There's also a small "lending library" that patrons can use to trade good books. I submitted a copy of Joel Osteen's, "Become a Better You," and checked-out some poetry book by Donald Miller.
Anyway, whenever we're in town from Dublin, we make it a point to stop here and stay a while. The last time I was here there was a wild "Geocaching" convention in town, and the place was swarming with all kinds of really geeky people, thirsty for brews.
Just this past weekend, we were in town again, and even though it hailed on us, we were determined to stop here again. We were so drenched when we came through the door, that all the other customers just stared at us, as though we were troglodytes. (Several of the locals kept telling us how unusual the weather was, but we were skeptical.)
On our last visit, my wife and I each had a cappuccino. Very promptly made, and the price was more than reasonable. (Much cheaper, and much fewer calories than that fun chocolate store across the street.)
There's one barista (the tall guy with the wild beard) who is really knowledgeable. I asked him a lot of questions about how coffee is made, and he knew all the answers! Incredible! He even explained to me how the roasting process works. He looked a little familiar to me, but I can't quite place him, and I was too shy to ask him his name. Perhaps someone else can figure it out. (Maybe he's been in movies?)
There's also a Wi-fi that I was able to use. (I admit I just guessed the password.) This saved me a few minutes on my chintzy data plan. so that's a plus.
Finally, I have to mention the cozy upstairs nook. There's several seats and small tables up there. On cold days, it stays nice and warm! I stayed up there a while later on when the weather got really cold. In fact, I'm up there right now, reading that book by Donald Miller. Hmmm... interesting ...