Marie B.
Yelp
Cafe Hagen atop Queen Anne at Boston is part of an indie cafe/bakery/roastery family with six Seattle locations: Queen Anne (2), Ballard (Nordic Museum), Pike Place Market (Freya), South Lake Union and on Dexter.
Their signature niche "brings the casual yet refined, elegant yet subtle charm of Copenhagen to Seattle" and "a passion to share the best elements of hygge - the cozy contentment and well-being you feel from enjoying the simple things in life." Fascinating Scandinavian mission statements.
I am late to the hygge scene and had the opportunity to check it out on 12/26/23 to meet the effervescent Yelp Elite friend, Dawne F, visiting from Florida. After a rainy Christmas, she definitely brought her signature ray of sunshine the day after. Queen Anne neighborhood was bustling with pedestrian traffic soaking in the bright rays.
This particular intersection has Cafe Hagen, a long time Starbucks and a Seattle OG from 1994, Caffe Ladro. This location used to be Teacup, Sorrentino's, Firefly, Luminette, Storyville Coffee, and now Cafe Hagen. The popular cafe was packed and the line looked daunting when I arrived.
I admired the pastry case, all freshly baked from their production bakery, Freya at Pike Place Market. Many of the laminated pastries are gigantic, as I noted the larger sized pain au chocolat. Thankfully, no uppity hipster barista attitude. Both women handled the customer volume with finesse. I was surprised though that the largest sized espresso beverage was 12 ounces, not 16 ounces. My mocha was on the pricey side, but had lovely latte art, spot on temperature and balanced flavor.
I ended up sharing a table with bar seating with two other patrons while awaiting Dawne's arrival. It was a great cafe environment where it was not exclusively a sea of laptops, but definitely with pairs and upward, including family groups enjoying lively conversation. I enjoyed the interior aesthetic and plentiful natural light.
Dawne and I enjoyed our two hour meet up with our mocha and iced chai, respectively, at Cafe Hagen.