Seeking stunning scenery? Seattle‘s got your back.
Of course, visiting all those picturesque vistas can help you work up quite a thirst. Not to worry – The Emerald City has you covered there as well.
From morning cups of coffee to late-night cocktails, Seattle has plenty of ways to wet your whistle. Maybe that’s why it made our 2017 Travel Hacker list of top-10 most popular destinations.
Now allow some Seattleites to point you in the direction of the best drinks in Seattle.
Cool city, hot beverages
Seattle has what you might call a “reputation” when it comes to coffee. But hey, you don’t get ranked as the #1 U.S. city for coffee fanatics without earning it. The question is, where do you start among Seattle’s 1,600-plus cafés and coffee shops?
If you’re Alix Hernandez, the blogger behind Alix Rose, it’s hard to pick just one spot.
“I’m a big fan of Broadcast Coffee Roasters; their Ravenna location has big windows, great coffee and it’s the perfect place to get some work done,” she said. “I also enjoy the KEXP La Marzocco café – great coffee and great music. A new, fun coffee and food favorite is the Cherry Street Public House. It’s beautiful inside and opens up to the main Pioneer Square courtyard.”
Not everyone in Seattle has coffee beans in their bloodstreams, however. Just ask Alyson Andrews, proprietor of blog Circa 1988.
“Even though I’m a born-and-raised Seattleite, I don’t drink coffee – gasp!” she joked. “But I do love to grab some tea and work from Zoka Coffee in Green Lake since I used to live right across the street.”
Brittany Streissguth, who blogs at Pumps & Plaid, is also on the tea train.
“Matcha and I are having a thing right now, and Mr. West downtown is one of my favorite places to go for it,” she said. “Preserve and Gather in Greenwood also has great matcha as well as coffee, and it’s a great space to hang out in.”
Luxurious libations
Now that you’re good and caffeinated, it’s time to start thinking about how you can take the edge off during your stay in Seattle. Yes, the city’s just as passionate about wine glasses as it is about coffee cups.
“If you ask my friends where I love to go to happy hour, they’d say I enjoy grabbing a Moscow mule at Black Bottle,” Alyson said. “I also fancy a glass of rosé on Motif’s rooftop patio when it’s nice out. For beer, it’s so fun to explore all the microbreweries in Ballard. Bad Jimmy’s Brewing Co. in particular has some really delicious ones, and I love the atmosphere of Peddler Brewing Company.”
Brittany is also a big fan of Ballard’s brewing scene.
“Ballard Beer Company always has a great rotating selection,” she said. “And Stoup Brewing in Ballard also has great beer, and is a great indoor-outdoor space for beautiful summer days.”
If you’re tired of the standard bar setup, you can always order a book along with your beverage. Seattle is pioneering the new trend of bar-slash-bookstores with locales like Ada’s Technical Books, Third Place Books and Elliott Bay Book Company. Hemingway would be proud.
Now that your thirst(s) have been quenched, it’s time to get some grub. Luckily for you, we know just the place.
