To fully savor Seattle’s magnificent western vistas, you need a cup of coffee worthy of the view. This city may be the birthplace of Starbucks and the broader “third-wave” coffee revolution, but many of us—your hosts at Seattle Vista West included—prefer something a touch more obsessive: lightly roasted, delicately extracted, single-origin beans, coaxed by artisanal roasters to reveal hints of bergamot, cacao nib, or whatever tasting notes the coffee gods have chosen for the season. Coffee snobbery? Certainly. A noble calling? Also yes.
On Queen Anne, you’ll find a handful of worthy stops—especially if you need to stock up on beans for your stay. Start at Moonrise Bakery on Queen Anne Ave., which partners with one of the best roasters in the region, Olympia Coffee Roasters. They carry beautifully roasted single-origin beans; the naturally processed Ethiopian offerings are my personal favorite for their bright fruit and velvety sweetness. Moonrise pulls espresso too. Results vary—it is a bakery first—but on a lucky morning, the shot sings.
If you want beans that rival the top cafés in the city, consider Kuma Coffee. They don’t have a storefront, but they roast some of the cleanest, most nuanced coffees in Seattle. You can preorder bags for same-day pickup just minutes from Vista West. If your travel plans allow the timing, it’s a fantastic—and surprisingly affordable—source for micro-lot, competition-level beans.
For a good cup within walking distance, explore Coffee Mind, which serves beautifully prepared Turkish coffee on 10th Ave W, or stroll to Café Vita at Galer and 3rd Ave W for expertly pulled espresso. Café Vita also runs the best coffee operation at SEA Airport (North Terminal), so if you need one last cappuccino before takeoff, that’s your spot.
If you’re the kind of traveler who plans days around pour-overs, hop down to Fremont (about 10 minutes from Vista West) and visit Milstead & Co. They brew exceptional single-origin coffees from a rotating lineup of elite roasters and make a remarkable AeroPress pour-over. For a classic, expertly textured cappuccino, Victrola—on Capitol Hill and now in Ballard—remains one of Seattle’s most reliable institutions.