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Categories: Restaurants, Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: University DistrictMon-Thu. 6:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri. 6:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sat. 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
"The best french pastries and baguette sandwiches! Try the pesto tuna sandwich and the fruit tarte as a meal. So scrumptious! I lived right…" read more »
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My first experience with Solstice came a few years ago when one of my teachers decided that it would be a much better place for a review session than a classroom. He was right, and I've been going here ever since.
Solstice has a lot of things going for it. First, it's the closest real coffee shop to UW south campus (and my work!). Second, it has excellent coffee--they get it from Lighthouse in Fremont. Third, for when it's nice outside there is a big covered patio in the back that's a lot quieter than the tables out front. Fourth, they sell beer and wine, which is a dollar cheaper during their happy hour (4-6 PM and 9-close). Finally, there is a lot of seating: a bunch of tables, the bar, the couch, either patio, or the long table.
The thing that will make or break Solstice for most people is the music. A few reviewers have noted that it's pretty loud, which might be a problem except the music selection also happens to be pretty good. It's also more varied than most other coffee shops--I've heard everything from hip hop to the Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack. However, if I was looking for a place study quietly, I would go up the alley to Allegro's back room instead.
As far as their food goes, the cookies and pastries are pretty good. The sandwiches I've had are decent for the money, not excellent but they could be much worse.
Oh, and did I mention that they're right in front of a bus stop? It makes it kind of hard to resist stopping by on the way back from downtown...
Let me be clear, I come here when I can't go to places which take cash only, and the espresso is very good.
However I can't stand the attitude. Not my kind of vibe...
I love Cafe Solstice, grumpy older coffee barista and all! ;) Seriously, great coffee drinks, great pastries, nice artwork and good beer on tap! What more could you ask for?
I love their cheap oatmeal chocolate chip pecan cookies and I recently tried their berry mazurka bar which is so friggin good, I think there's magic baked into that bar......
The only thing I don't like is when they are so busy, the line goes straight out to the door!
Oh, Solstice! Why do you do this to me? I feel so torn about how to rate you. You start out so warm with a great atmosphere and cool music. I love your eclectic chair collection and your front AND back patios. I love that you have delicious pastries. I love that you sell beer and even have a happy hour. I feel like I could make you my third home (after my own home and my office, of course).
But then you rarely have the pastries I like, your chai is only meh-worthy(Morning Glory...again. Seriously?) and your baristas have on more than one occasion forgotten to make my drink until I ask about it.
You come on strong and then leave me in the cold. You have such a great vibe but just can't seem to pull everything else together. Sad really because I had such great hopes for us.
Great, somewhat hidden cafe on University! I wish the coffee was a bit stronger, but the vegan berry muffin was super tasty and the free wi-fi is always a plus. A great place to post up and study for a bit, but bring a sweatshirt or something comfy to put under your bum cause the chairs aren't all that comfy. The pastries and cookies, cakes, etc are all made in-house and I cannot wait to try some other goodies. The scones especially!
Oh, and fantastic music selection this morning. Kudos!
I've been at the U for over 3 years now and had only stopped by Cafe Solstice just yesterday. Friendly staff, about $3.60+ for a cup of good quality coffee (worth it!), and lots of different pastries to choose from!
I'm not sure about how good of a place this would be for studying though because it does get really crowded and loud, but definitely a fun place to meet up with a friend. Very spacious with plenty of tables!
Best Coffee in Seattle, what else do you need to know?
not sure what to order? go with the mocha.
best all around coffee house. it has a great feel, cool music (can be a bit loud but not too bad). It's warm and bright and a great place to go sit to kick the SAD in Seattle in the middle of winter. It's also RIGHT at the bus stop! (I think it's the 71)
Starbucks did not have any cookies but chocolate chip and I was having a craving. There are not many choices on The Ave for a quick cookie (before a second shift*) so I tried Cafe Solstice remembering they have baked goods.
The space at Solstice is inviting. Chairs, couches, tables, etc. Medium dark wood that reminds me of peace and sipping coffee. The selection of bread slices, cookies, scones, and others looked delicious. I ordered a ginger molasses cookie to go and a bottled water. The cookie was large, slightly crisp with a doughy center, and flavorful. Cafe Solstice does a good job with cookies :)
FYI's~
* Many tea choices
* Lighthouse coffee
* A few sandwich options
* Outdoor seating
Updated because on repeat visits the music volume was perfect. Do they read yelp?!
Ice latte with my Reuben leads to pretty darn happy me.
Why did I wait so long to go inside here?! I suppose maybe because it's always crowded and loud...… Read more »
i REALLY didn't like this place. I walked all of the way here based on reviews i read on yelp. The service was bad... there was a very very small selection of old-ish baked goods. I ordered a mocha, it wasn't great.
They were about an hour and a half from closing, but the staff had checked out. Its a cool looking place, but that's about it. I'll never go there again.
I'm glad it was by a bus stop, so i could leave in a hurry.
I think this place is great. Espresso drinks are great, ambiance is great, and you're really not going to be able to get a quality drink like these any closer to the main campus. The music is interesting, interesting visual art rotates through, and the furniture is varied, sturdy, and comfortable. I am particularly a fan of the couch in the back. The baristas are friendly and the crowd is pretty diverse -- it's not 100% hipster or student, and not a sea of laptops.
Great, great coffee. Service is good, although sometimes you get the feeling that you are intruding on the province of a demi-god if you ask for a slight deviation from what is offered.
My main problem with the coffee shop is the noise-level of the music. It is either deafening or so loud that you can't really hear yourself think, it really diminishes from the cozy coffee shop atmosphere to the point where you expect some dude on E raving past you in a trance.
I asked to have the music turned down a bit (hence the "demi-god" reference above) which was complied with, albeit grudgingly and to a degree that it really didn't make much of a difference.
They added their Hours of Operation about a year or so ago which is great because it used to be the case that they would inexplicably close at a random hour.
great atmosphere, great music (most of the time)...sometimes it's really loud obnoxious shit music and you ask them if they will change it and they don't. i love this place though! great layout, very comfortable...wifi hasn't been very reliable but i don't even care...they have AMAZING coffee and really declicious pastries. and occasionally they have live music! i just discovered their back patio...pretty cool. and they serve beer! :) this is where i come to study or just get out of the house for a while.
Cute little coffee shop near the base of the "AVE." It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's a nice place to hang out. Inside, it's got funky decor and the walls are plastered with music posters, event advertisements, and unique artwork. There's patio seating out front on the sidewalk, a large seating space inside with lots of tables, chairs, and couches, and another patio out back.
They have great coffee, espresso, and tea. Their baked goods [assorted pastries, brownies, and cookies] are all made in-house and their mac n' cheese is delicious! It's got a blend of white and cheddar cheese, red bell peppers that adds some texture, and a layer of cheese baked on top. YUM!
The one complaint I have is that it can get really loud inside. It's hard to carry on a conversation unless you're yelling. I think it's a combination of the loud music, the cafe noises, and the high ceilings. If you want to study or read a book, you'll probably want to use headphones.
The front and back patio are more laid back. I prefer the back. It's nice a private and you're not constantly being passed by the foot traffic on the sidewalk. However, most people also smoke back there (which you are completely entitled to do, it just gives me a headache after too long). A great artsy coffee place for the University District.
If I am ever back on the Ave or near UW~ I make a pit stop here...even if I have to try to find parking for 10 mins.
My favorite white chocolate americano comes from here, along w/ my white chocolate banana bread baked fresh. And they always give thick slices of it too. =)
So, over the years I have passed this place numerous times and for some reason thought it was a burger joint and never went inside. When my friend suggested we meet for coffee here recently I was in awe to find out it was a cafe!
I like the fact that they were playing hip hop, even if it was the socially conscious kind, it was better than the drab indie stuff I hear all the freaking time on the ave. The lady who rung me up was super nice. The barista was awesome. He had a handlebar mustache and when I said thank you, ignored me. We're all used to it by now. But props on the 'stache.
I had a seat at the bar while I waited for my friend and could see behind the counter. It was clean. So..yay. This guy next to me was eating this piece of blueberry cake that looked really good. Then I heard him tell his friend it WAS really good. I'll have to check it out next time. My coffee was good.
It was super packed. There was a table of boys playing a role playing game which just warmed my heart. It is a really great place to people watch.
The staff has an attitude problem, as other reviewers have noted (the customers seem to be their 'opponents'). And you can't have a meeting here (the music is too loud, and you don't dare ask them to turn it down). BUT the sandwiches, muffins, and espresso are delicious, and the natural light and rotating art are a plus.
My favorite coffee shop. I'm an Americano person (make it as strong as it gets please) and I love the flavor of their coffee. If you ever need a snack too, it's perfect. They have anything from cookies and pastries to sandwiches and juice. Last time they went in they were playing breakbeat music and I liked it so much I had to ask the barista. Everyone that works there has obviously been in the business for a while. They are fast and efficient, friendly, and always make a good beverage.
They also have large tables so it's good for studying or socializing with a few people. I also like the small outdoor patio seating when it's nice outside.
Great place to hang out, get work done, and practically on campus while still technically not on campus. So much so that this place is often packed with students and table space is scarce, so time yr visit well.
I can state that the coffee is quality and I long for sunny days so I can sit on Solstice's patio and sip some iced Americano.
It's a hangout place.
Tomorrow may be different.
People..loads of them.. talking, playing, reading, staring into space.
Coffee smells good.
Food - looks good.
Coffee tastes good.
Staff - jaded.
I shall try the food next time and likely update with 4 or 5 stars.
My favorite place for drinks in all of Seattle...well, the Lighthouse Roasters on Phinney/Fremont border is a very close second.
The so-freaking-amazing:
-TEA BLENDS ARE THE BEST. i recommend Smarty Pants and uh...Peppermint Party. I won't tell you how much I spend on their tea in an average week. It's embarrassing.
-vegan berry muffins. ohhhh snap these are tasty.
-any of the baked goods really.
The awesome:
-baristas. They're nice and chatty and they rock
-teas are mixed in-house
-food is made in-house
-cool clientele (as opposed to like....*buck$)
-heated back porch area with alley access. Filthy.
-Lighthouse coffee
-they send their teas and baked goods to Lighthouse which in turn sends its coffee to them. yay for local goods swapping!
The downright awful:
-the line in the morning! Gah I have to wait 10 minutes just to get something! Understandable since they're so good, but :(
I tend to have some time to kill between when my late class gets out and my bus home arrives, and Cafe Solstice is as good a place as any to spend it. I love that they're open late (and don't start cleaning up, putting chairs on the tables, and giving the remaining customers pointed looks half an hour before close like certain chain coffee places on the Ave). The customers here seem to be a random mix of different groups, so I've never felt out of place... with the exception of one time when the baristas had loud, angry music turned way, way to high.
The downside to patronizing later in the evening is that the tasty baked goods are usually pretty picked over, though what they do have is usually amazing. I sometimes manage to snag a pecan bar and everytime I do it's like a chorus line of buttery-nutty little angels have started to dance on my tongue. Also on the downside, and the main reason why Cafe Solstice only rates a 3 instead of a 4, is that they make terrible, terrible hot chocolate. At first I thought one of the baristas just messed it up, but after subsequent orders were also sadly lackluster I now suspect that they just need a different, richer chocolate base.
I'm not an espresso snob by any means, but I think Cafe Solstice offers good quality drinks. I'm an Americano kinda girl, and Solstice never disappoints with theirs. The espresso is rich and smooth, never bitter. I've had almost completely positive customer service interactions, with the rare "I'm too cool and indie to be friendly to anyone" service.
The music is a little loud for my weekend study preference, but a pair of headphones does the trick. Cute place, good products...would definitely recommend.
Its all of two or three blocks from a university with an undergrad population of at LEAST 25,000 students (at least), henceforth, this assumption can be made: THERE WILL BE LOTS OF STUDENTS! If you come here expecting peace, quite, and little to no college students, Im afraid you're going to have to catch a bus and go to Bellevue.
I want to have an affair with the orange poppyseed coffee cafe- I love that I can look in a mirror and see way too many of those little fuc***g poppyseeds stuck in my teeth! And the coffee is consistanly good- always is better tasting than Zoka.
I love solstice. shamelessly..
i love their soup and sandwiches.. i love the loud music.. even the sometimes rude student/staff ... its all part of the experience...
Solstice is honest, its cozy, its packed with students.. wonderful people watching, a patio outback if it ever gets sunny.. the coffee ain't bad either..
so come to solstice. bring your computer or a book. sit on the couch with your pretty good coffee and watch all the commotion.
Nice outdoor area on a hot summer day. Oh, did I mention they serve beer? Relaxed atmosphere, very nice.
This is a wonderful spot to hang out and get a cup of coffee. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed, the cafe is very roomy with lots of seating, and there is usually good local artwork on the walls to look at.
The staff does not seem to suffer from much turnover, which seems to be rare for cafes in the university area, so the person making your coffee actually knows what they are doing. I am by no means a coffee snob, but I have never had a complaint about the coffee at Solstice.
On the downside, the atmosphere is perhaps a bit too much on the 'nice' side, so if you are looking for a more down by law beatnik style coffee shop you might be better off at Allegro (The good one between 42nd and 43rd in the alley). Another issue is that, like all coffee shops in the u district, this shop opens when they feel like it, which rarely has anything to do with the posted hours. If you are a morning person you may find yourself going to Starbucks because it's the only place that actually keeps it's posted hours.
I'm functioning on 3 hours of sleep so I made a pit stop at Cafe Solstice this morning and they made me a deliciously wonderful mocha and fed me white chocolate banana bread.
It was about 8:40am on a Saturday so there were only a few people inside. They have a really cozy and comfortable looking set-up and it seems like a nice place to either hang out with friends or study/read. The first time I actually realized this place was there was when one of my professors scheduled mandatory final essay meetings and the ones on Sunday were at this location. She sat in a corner with her laptop for at least a few hours and had students dropping by to discuss and nobody had any problems with it.
They also have a bunch of event fliers next to the entrance, so it's kind of nice to glance at those and see if there's anything you're interested in attending.
*Recent visit- They have some simply AMAZING pastries and I realized they also serve beer. Apparently there's also a new heated patio in the back???*
Oh.... and apparently the music can get pretty loud in there. Not a big fan of that one...
Good coffee. The Chai is decent. The desserts are amazingly good. The staff is great.
I usually come to here The Senate (a band) play. They make monthly appearances there and Solstice stays open late for them, which is really nice.
I have always liked this cafe. It feels like a place where you can hang out, by yourself, working on a project or reading or just eating their delicious tomato soup. Or macaroni and cheese. Or any of a number of tasty pastries. The coffee is good, it's generally always populated with students who are trying somewhat unsuccessfully to concentrate on some homework assignment or another, and they have outdoor seating!
I like that they serve beer! And they have bands play there in the evening!
My only problem is, I can't study here because I am too busy watching people, listening to the music that is playing (too loudly for me to concentrate), or running into a friend.
I love procrastinating.
On my most recent visit I saw they sell PBR by the can. You just earned yourself another star! Someday I would like to be their first customer-first thing in the morning-and instead of ordering a latte, I'm totally gonna order a PBR. Then I'm gonna crack it open (while still standing in front of the register), chug it, put the can down and order another one. The second one will help me wash down a cookie or scone or both. Dare me?
I made the journey from the Issaquah Highlands to the U district just for a fix of this place. I… Read more »
Beautiful name.
Beautiful place.
Beautiful coffee.
Beautiful chocolate cake.
Just beautiful.
Went there to see a band who's singer is from Senegal. Ended up staying for a bit and having a Stella with the owners. What a great place. Nice stage with a brick walled background. Owners were super nice and we discussed how great it is to have a live music location in the University area without the typical "University Drunk" crowd. Beers were cheap and cold and the staff went above and beyond in the nice category. There's a front patio and a sort of hidden back smoking area which is nice. I will definitely be back. Keyword: Nice.
I am not ashamed to admit that I am overly obsessive about my espresso... sadly even snobbish at times.. and I don't hand out my stars easily, but Solstice deserves well above 5 stars. Besides the espresso being the best I have ever had, they also bake ALL of their pastries in house... and don't get me started on the most amazing mac'n'cheese... full of ooey gooey cheesy goodness with red bell peppers on top.. yumm :P The staff is friendly and they almost always have my espresso macchiato waiting before I order... now that is what I call customer service!
The coffee is pretty good and the sandwiches are quick, reasonably-priced, and fairly tasty.
Unfortunately, I come to cafes to work, and that's impossible at this place - I've never been in here when it wasn't crowded and noisy. Not only does it have those magical amplifying acoustics, they pretty consistently crank bad music. The light's also really low.
I can see it being a good place to meet a big group socially, and I'll still grab stuff to go, but I don't spend any time in the place anymore.
Four stars for good coffee and a fun, relaxed atmosphere. The vibe is definitely hipster, maybe a little TTH. Minus one star because the attitude is "we're doing you a favor." There is one guy who works the counter, with a beard, who never says anything and always looked at me like he was about to punch me in the face. Very strange. Also, the wi-fi doesn't work and there's no menu.
Addressing the bad reviews:
Yes, the staff comes off as rude, this is definitely not Starbucks. But that also keeps the line moving, which is nice when it's going out the door. The men's bathroom is fine, this isn't the Ritz Carlton (for a truly disgusting bathroom, check out Cafe on the Ave). The coffee is consistently good, and not overpriced. They do play the music very loud, but I could still study. I don't think it's dark inside; there are two big skylights that let in lots of natural light during the day.
Coffee, beer and wine, all in the same place.
Plenty of seating.
Good music.
Outdoor patio.
Tasty cookies.
Dog friendly.
This is my new favorite coffee place.
I just went in for a latte so this is just a coffee review. I paid $3.28 for a tall latte. I didn't know it was going to be a double. I would rather have had a single. Oh well. It was pretty good quality coffee. However, I was taking my latte to go, and it wasn't warm enough!!! Major disappointment since I was taking it to a class and had nowhere to microwave it. Bummer!
The atmosphere was lovely, the coffee was tasty and the food looked great. Seems like a great place to get some work done, no? No!
Cafe Solstice does not offer wireless Internet access, ever.
Maybe someone should warn them that they may be driven out of Seattle by a mob of angry netizens crazily waving laptop bags at them and chanting, "ubiquitous wireless now!" It would be ugly, and we don't want that.
On dreary autumn days when I find myself wandering the U-District in between classes with a craving for grilled cheese and hot soup, I like to stop in at Cafe Solstice. Their lunch fare is a little pricey. $8 for a whole sandwich and bowl of soup, but the cheese is some of the gooiest I have encountered and tomato basil and split pea soups will both warm you up on a cold day.
If you plan to stop by any time around normal lunching hours, be prepared to fight for a seat. Fortunately, I am usually flying solo and can take advantage of the stools at the counter. Plus, this lets me wistfully lust after the cute red head barista, Charlie Brown style.
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Seattle, WA
Neighborhood: University District
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: University District
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: University District
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: University District
Category: Coffee & Tea
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