Finding good coffee up here was a challenge. Wedgwood had offered several serviceable options, two of which either opened or had just barely opened during the time we lived there. These are Grateful Bread (long time favorite in da 'hood), Top Pot (which took residence right across the street from GB), and Javasti just north of the 85th 'heart' of Wedgwood.
Well, things were not nearly as easy once we were residents of Pinehurst. The immediately apparent coffee options included several Starschmucks (both inside and outside other stores, which are not the topic here), a place at 123rd and 15th saddled with a bad reputation, a drive-through shack tucked behind a short strip mall at 125th & 15th, and a decent but overly grandmotherly place around 130th & Lake City Way.
Things have improved somewhat with new options, changes in ownership, and discoveries a bit farther afield. Here are the ones worth your time, in order of proximity to where I live:
This place had several former incarnations. At one time it was a hair salon, then a few years ago the first coffee shop opened up. It was called Scooter's Espresso Cafe before Il Bacio. Though the place had WiFi and a few adherents, apparently the owner managed to piss-off and estrange most of his clientele over a period of months, then sold the crippled coffee shop to a Moroccan fellow, followed by saddling him with months and months of unpaid Seattle City Light bills after the fact. So, Il Bacio struggled under the ruined reputation of Scooter's, and after a stab at being both a coffee shop and a Moroccan food restaurant, threw in the towel. The place stayed shuttered for a couple of months before re-opening recently as Cafe Aroma. To my knowledge, there's no relationship between this one and a very similarly named Cafe Aroma on 165th & 5th.
At any rate, in its newest incarnation it's just as small as before, but now has a comfy couch on one side, kickass coffee, crepes (I think...) and an interesting selection of Vietnamese-themed sandwiches.
Cactus Coffee & Tea, 330 Northgate Way NE
I had planned to avoid noting places here that didn't have significant sit-down options, like drive-in shacks. This place is more of a walk-up shack though, and they do so well with coffee that I had to mention them. Technically, during the better months of the year, they have seating - they have one small patio table right next to their shack, and because of a cooperative agreement with the Quizno's next door, one is also allowed to populate the Quizno's tables. The little shack in located in the pedestrian passage between the gargantuan center of consumption that is the chainstores of Northgate North, and the parking garage / Ross department store. Nice if you're into what they did with concrete in the 1990s, but really this is a great place to stop for a good coffee on your way to catch the bus or look for cheap shoes at Shoe Pavilion (eek, did I say that?)
Cafe Aroma, 509 NE 165th St.
An interesting coffee joint setup inside an old service station. It's kitty-corner from The Crest movie theater, has a drive-through (seems to be a necessity to stay alive as a small coffee shop in this area), and makes decent drinks. However, they have little in the way of ambience, relying on concrete floors and plastic outdoor furniture for sit-down customers. Nice if you're in the neighborhood, but by no means a 'destination'.
Hotwire Online Coffee, 17551 15th Ave. NE
Absolutely the best coffee place anywhere north of 85th, and probably north of the U. District for that matter. These people are serious about coffee, and the space is well-appointed, open, with nice light and full technological support for those who come with or without a computer of their own. The older sandy-haired female duo that own it are also friendly and real characters.
Did I mention I won 2nd place in a pumpkin carving contest there last Halloween?! $25 gift certificate - w00t!
No Sympathy for The Devil Mall Honorable Mention: the Nordstrom's eBar
Pros: Big Train chai, which is a passable alternative when what you really want is a Trabant Chaiwalla. People watching. Seating in the best (I say this with generosity) ambience the mall has to offer.
Cons: People watching. Seating in the best (I say this with generosity) ambience the mall has to offer.
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