The Pacific Northwest is famous for rainy days, misty beaches, the Puget Sound and coffee. Seattle arguably made coffee the powerhouse that it is today in the United States. Their most famous export is THE hugest, most mass marketed coffee brand on the planet.

You’ll most likely get disapproving glances for mentioning that name to true Seattleites. Locals prefer the hundreds of quirky, small-batch roasters who tend to have, cough, better coffee. These little beaneries are spread far and wide throughout the city.

Try something new, bring your caffeine fixes elsewhere and support local business in the process.

• Caffe Umbria is located in three locations in Ballard, West Lake, and Pioneer Square. Caffe Umbria is a local and visitor favorite with some of the best coffee around. Come in and appreciate the European vibes from the good coffee to the ceramic cups they use. Large crystal chandeliers hang above the giant light-filled windows, sip and watch the world go by.
• Analog Coffee on Capitol Hill, is a cozy little neighborhood space done right along with quality coffee, you can enjoy the newspapers lining the walls and comic books scattered around the place. It’s a friendly local haunt with a record player playing vinyl over the speakers. A funky little throwback to old school Seattle.
• NEKO A Cat Cafe in Capitol Hill, if you love cats but don’t have one of your own or you’d like to cheat on your cat with another, this is your space. NEKO has a very popular cat room, reservations are needed and are charged $11 an hour to sit and pet the kitties. Ten cats wander the room while you sip your coffee. Most are adoptable, so take your time and get to know them. Maybe you’ll bring home a new friend.
• Cloud City Coffee in Maple Leaf, Cloud City is a cozy neighborhood staple that’s always busy. Its comfortable, laid-back vibes keep it the perfect place to drop by after the gym or with your kids. A large child play area will keep them happy while you catch a few relaxed minutes to yourself. Cloud City makes all of their bakery items in house and they are to die for. Homemade pies, big poufy muffins, and famous coconut bread will leave you drooling in front of the case, cravings will keep you coming back.
• Five Stones Coffee Company located in Redmond and Bellevue, this is a coffee shop worth eating at. Gaze behind the glass counter at the huge powdered sugar covered almond croissants, wide-brimmed muffins, sky-high donuts, and fluffy baking powder biscuits. All perfectly balance with a rich, soft cappuccino. Five Stones has a modern interior with subway tiles and an open kitchen concept. Dark stained wood and communal style tables make this space open and inviting. It’s a great place to bring friends, they offer a larger menu on the weekends.
• Third Culture Coffee in Bellevue, Third Culture has a great idea, they’ve taken coffee drinking styles from all over the world and combined it into one beautiful, aesthetically pleasing café. Come in and experience a coffee styled from Japan, Italy, Vietnam, India and New Orleans. Floor to ceiling windows bring in the outdoors, and large swing allows customers to swing inside on a rainy day. A large play area for kids with a great big blackboard softens the space making it more approachable and fun. Artists are hosted monthly keeping a rotation of fresh new art lining the walls.
• Convivial Café on Mercer Island, before Convivial came to town Mercer Islanders often complained about the lack of independent coffee roasters on the Island. Convivial has changed that with a simple, no-nonsense coffee list and a comfortable, bright, open space to spend time in with homemade pastries.
• Boon Boona Coffee in Renton, specializes in East African pre-roasted green coffee. You can reserve a space to watch a coffee ceremony where baristas will roast the beans for you much like they do in their homes for guests in East Africa. The space is very large, interesting and artsy, big enough to bring groups. The coffee roaster is set up right in the middle of the café, so you can watch and smell the coffee being roasted while you read.
• Anchorhead Coffee Talus is located in two locations, downtown, and Issaquah. Anchorhead has a very cool dark industrial aesthetic, with terrific coffee to boot.Impressively, all of the non-dairy nut milks are pressed in house. They source locally when possible and have a good number of vegan options available. The baked goods are made on the premises, and they have a number of interesting non-coffee drinks like pistachio matcha and an oolong drink called Shy Bear Fog.
• Issaquah Coffee Company located in Issaquah is tucked away in Gilman Village and can be a little hard to find the first time. The Coffee Company is an Issaquah favorite, you’ll see from the crowds. The coffee company makes handcrafted coffee drinks without the sad syrup found lesser coffee shops. The Coffee Company makes pumpkin lattes with real pumpkin and spices. Local drink names like Cougar Mountain Latte and Tiger Mountain Mocha are on the menu. Handmade pies, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches line the case. The walls are covered with local chalk artwork in this cozy little wood cabin coffee shop. It’s a busy place, but there’s a cordoned off section to keep your little ones happy with a few toys so you can be comfortable knowing they won’t be underfoot.

Try going on a coffee journey, use what’s left of this winter and the rainy spring to enjoy a new cup of joe at a different place each day. Though it will be over a year before you run out of coffee locations to try in Seattle!