By Seattle Coffeeshop Examiner Viv Weinkauf:
I grappled with whether I should let My Coffee House be anonymous, known only to the locals, or just blurt it out: this place is a mess. From the minute I pushed open the door, I realized that I was (a) in a coffee house with an identity crisis, and (b) really sorry I had made the trek to 28th & Madison for this. The chipped paint on nearly every wall, the disorganized cups of oats cereal at the front counter, and a coffee seating area that looked like Big Bird just threw up in it made me want to turn around and leave. There were massive amounts of crumbs scattered everywhere, stuffed animals, blocks and kids’ toys in random piles throughout, and a particularly depressing atmosphere for an adult (even one who usually likes kids) just wanting a decent cup of coffee.
As readers of this column know, I advocate the use of ceramic cups in lieu of paper. Hold on…not so fast. My Coffee House might just be the place that stops my rants. I would not have felt comfortable drinking from a cup that someone else had used at this shop; there was nothing to convince me that any modicum of cleanliness was used here, from the countertops to whatever might exist behind the counter…I don’t want to know.
As Mother always said, “If you can’t say something nice…” Okay, then…here it goes: the person who waited on me was exceedingly friendly. The coffee, although stored in the dreaded air pots, actually had a good flavor. And I can see a definite customer base with moms & dads who need a place to use their wireless laptops while the kids play. But My Coffee House isn’t just a “family friendly” establishment; it’s a day care that just happens to serve coffee. Big, big difference. Read more.
My Coffee House is located on Madison near Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Photo/do communications, inc.
South-End Coffee Shops:
- Both Ways Cafe (4922 S. Genesee St.) Lakewood/Seward Park
- Caffe Vita (5028 Wilson Ave. S.) Lakewood/Seward Park
- Columbia City Bakery (4865 Rainier Ave. S.) Columbia City
- Grown Folks Coffeehouse (4878 Beacon Ave. S.) Beacon Hill
- Kwik Cup Espresso (3814 S. Othello St.) NewHolly
- Mioposto (3601 S. McClellan St.) Mt. Baker
- Sweet & Savory (1418 31st Ave. S.) Mt. Baker
- Tutta Bella (4918 Rainier Ave. S.) Columbia City
- Victrola Coffee (3215 Beacon Ave. S.) Beacon Hill
What’s your favorite south-end coffee shop?
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
{ 9 comments }
You should probably add Tutta Bella in the am as a great coffeehouse. Also there is supposedly another coffee shop going in on Edmonds St just off Rainier (the newer brick building) where the mexican takeout place used to be.
“You should probably add Tutta Bella in the am as a great coffeehouse.”
You’re so right. I knew I forgot a good one. Thank you!
I really like CC Bakery coffee – but the newer staff people are so rude, I can barely stand to go there any more. So sad…it used to be such a fabulous place.
Depending on which direction I am headed, I now go to All City Cafe in Georgetown, or to Caffe Vita in Seward Park.
Tutta Bella- great espresso. The pastries are excellent. Giovanni the Barista make excellent stuff. His father owns Da Pino’s- ask him where that is and about the salami and pancetta.
Agreed on My Coffeehouse. I went there the other day and it was a mess. There were only 2 customers so there was no excuse for the mess.
I like the FareStart Cafe 2100 at 2100 24th Avenue South. Good coffee and sourdough toast with jam and it’s all for a good cause. They have decaf drip coffee which not every place does.
Here is my idea for a great coffee shop, or should I call it a reading lounge?
First, you have to serve hot, fresh coffees. The menu doesn’t have to have every variation, but it needs to have hot and iced Americanos and mochas, and tea… How about some homemade rolls or fruit pie as well? Then you have to have a good library of classic literature and maps as well– local historical maps and world maps with sea serpents on them, and even some topographical mountain maps like of the Cascades (like the Pargeter pictoral maps). I want it to be like a study lounge. Did I say study? There will be one room for quiet reading and study, and an outer area where the coffee is served for chatting and phone calls, and meeting with neighborhood folks. Of course it has free wi-fi and maybe even a couple available pc’s for customer use. And the chairs have to be comfortable enough (cushioned) that you can sit in them for an hour or two, but not so comfortable that it takes a fork lift to get you out of them. It has to be clean, but not antiseptically so. There shouldn’t be crumbs and coffee rings all over the place, but it shouldn’t smell like the cleanser aisle at the supermarket either. Okay, now somebody contact Paul Allen and get my dream coffee shop built!
My favorite Sunday morning walk is to Tutta Bella for a short cappucino and a warm cornetto. Perfect coffee, perfect pastry. Weekdays it’s a drive to Victrola on the way into work. Afternoons it’s a toss up between a walk up to Grown Folks, over to Kwik Cup or Cafe Vita, although I have to say I usually skip Cafe Vita these days (not worth the walk, although the PCC is). I love the CC Bakery, but the service lately is a crap shoot. And for me, half the coffee love is all about the service.
What are the morning hours for Tutta Bella? Had no idea they were open in the morning for coffee and pastries, need a CC Bakery alternative.
I just need someone – anyone – in the south end to serve Stumptown or Lighthouse and all will be right in the South Seattle world.
Both Ways is bad; they could be great with a tiny, weenie bit of effort. Waste of a great [and rare] location.
I am admittedly an odd one. I don’t go to coffee shops as I’m always alone. I pass Tutta Bella when going to Walgreens and having never been there or knowing anything about it, I haven’t stopped in. I’ve been tempted.
Thanks to RVP’s readers, I’ll pop in the next time I walk by. If you hear someone whispering RVP, RVP, come by and say hi.
Comments on this entry are closed.