St. James Espresso

Grabbed a breakfast sandwich here while my son was at a play across the street and while the sandwich was good, it took forever to get it. It took somewhere between 10 – 15 min to get it. I’d give the sandwich 4 stars but 2 stars for the wait time.

My favorite coffee shop of the ~10 in walking distance of downtown Kirkland.
Plenty of food choices (also red bull!), there is always a place to sit, nice music, nice folks run the shop, good wifi and plenty of power. The seats are the most comfortable and there are many options, from medium-​high bar to leather chairs to tables.
The coffee is good, they know how to make a flat white, a gibraltar, and can approximate other weird hipster recipes pretty well.
This is also the place that large parties can meet, sit, and chat for awhile.
I wrote this place off after my first visit, not sure why — but after a month at other joints and then giving St James a 2^nd shot, this became the obvious #1 spot for me. Now I’m back daily and for good.

Great place to stop in and do some work. Quiet, dim atmosphere if you just want to mind your own business. Coffee is pretty decent although it tends to be colder than I like.

To step into a café, not a Starbucks is usually a specific experience– warm, cozy, café ambiance. Not here. The baristas seem snarky, like I’m annoying them with my questions about what kind of chai they use, or if their soy milk is flavored… Typical coffee jargon. I order a double y’all vanilla latte. It’s $ 7, and terrible. The shots taste dead, like she ran them and then steamed my milk, it has zero balance of flavor. The worst part is this isn’t the first time, but I try to support small business… But although convenient, I’d rather get Starbucks :/

Solid coffee and great place to work. Lots of tables and chairs. Friendly staff as well

I used to really like this place. In the last year or so, it’s changed quite a bit and I was pretty surprised that my 12oz mocha was over $ 6, with no additions or added syrups, etc. The wifi was incredibly slow, I’m not sure if it was just that particular day. I also liked the seating arrangement in the past a lot better. Now, it looks like they tried to cram as many tables in there as possible. The coffee is good but should definitely not cost that much.

Great affogato with homemade gelato! Went a few days later and enjoyed their iced chai tea latte with 2 shots. Next up will be a smoothie.
I’ve walked right by many times — just across from the Kirkland Performance center and Peter Kirk Pool. Looks dark from outside, but actually quite bright and nice inside. Surprised how much space there is. Unassuming place with lots of options: coffee drinks, lemonade, pastries, sandwiches… (would be nice if prices were posted).

Very comfortable place to meet friends. The Café Americano was very good and so was the ham and cheese croissant. It was pressed panini style. We came to meet here because it is spacious and quiet and you don’t feel rushed. We liked the table service… what a treat! Definitely will be back.

Cute little coffee shop near downtown Kirkland. Coffee is decent. They are never too busy, but I feel the service is a little slow. This is not the place to stop if you are in a hurry. They have open mic night on Wednesdays and they serve beer. Also have wi-​fi and plenty of places to sit. So that’s cool.

I love a coffee shop I can meet a friend at and know they’re going to have everything we need to chat for an hour or two — great coffee, a wide variety of food options worth eating, comfortable seats, comfortable temperature, and a clean bathroom. This place aces it. I’ve never had a bad experience at St. James, and I’m not even going to knock on wood. ;)

Pros:
1. Ambience. Ideal for a business meeting or a study session. Calm and cozy.
2. Good sandwich selection
3. The three sofas :)
4. Ample parking available in the public parking right next to the Kirkland Library.
Cons:
1. The Baristas change often. So the odds of having your favorite Barista whom you share a rapport with may be low

Located in a part of the main drag I’ve not walked by in all my times in Kirkland, I found this gem on Unilocal.Ordered a latte to go and would rate it a solid 7 (hot but not burn your tongue off), well done espresso (not that I’m an expert but I am an expert at how I like my coffee) and a nice location.

The coffee was very good and I found parking on the curb right in front of the café. There is a lot of space inside, although the place was pretty empty. The coffee was spot on.

The biggest downside of St. James, for me personally, is their location. I do not frequent this section of downtown enough when wanting coffee, I cannot get here in a reasonable way as part of my commute past, and most of the events nearby I attend the heaviest (arts center, KTUB, etc) tend to be shows and events that are night – either too late for coffee or too late because they’ve closed. If i’m walking around downtown, I just know I’ll go to Rococco or Zoka first before I ever even made it far enough out of the core of Kirkland to find St. James. Sad.
When I have visited, I will say they are one of the better places around. The seating is better than Zoka, but not as good as Rococco. The space is as well appointed as both. The baristas are in the top tier of groups and important to me – especially given my non-​regular visits– consistent.
Price wise, I feel like their hip little downtown spot comes into play. They tend to run on the higher end of the various establishments I frequent the most and in the area overall.
Solid shop, worthy local business, with good coffee.

A little dark from the outside, but don’t let that deter you. The baristas here are darling and happy to accommodate your thirsty whims. They are excellent at making suggestions and they have almond milk! The café itself is sizable and welcoming to any size crowd, including chatty sisters and energetic children and aunties who laugh loudly and make up noisy games. Okay, so we were one of only a few families in the place while we were there, but I like to think it’s this friendly all the time.

Solid four stars from me. The cappuccinos are good and the place has a good ambiance for various things: loner laptop work, change of scenery work meetings, board games, book clubs, etc,
The baristas are very friendly and try to make sure you get everything you need. Fun fact: they have a tip poll. I get very vested in these and I still can’t believe video games won over board games!

St. James Espresso does not stand out as a coffee shop that has a welcoming personality to it. The seating area feels more like a dinning room at a fast food establishments with lots of larger tables and chairs. There is no uniqueness to the establishment.
The pastries look very unappetizing and the counter area has a cluttered feel. The coffee was an OK value with the Pirq discount, but nothing exceptional.
The service was slow and it would help to have the young man use a belt or wear pants that stayed snug on his waist. this is a food establishment after all…
Overall a disappointing visit and a place I will not return.

Cappuccino, latte, mocha? Get whatever your little caffeinated heart desires! This place is awesome at making a mean coffee type of drink. I don’t like my drinks to be too sweet, so but I’m also not G enough to take it with no sugar… As a result, these ladies are able to create the most perfect drink that adds just a bit of sweetness (hazelnut flavoring in my case).
The pasteries are nothing to be excited about. Typically on the weekend mornings of our mother/​daughter strolls, we will go to The French Bakery to pick up a few delectable baked items, then mosey on over to St. James for a drink!

This is a typical coffee place. The quality of the coffee is very dependent on who is making it. There are some baristas that take care and at those times the coffee is good. There are some who do not give a damn and at those times the coffee is mediocre-​tending-​to-​disappointing. That coupled with the cost (it is slightly more expensive than Zoka’s downtown) makes this a hit-​and-​miss kind of place.
The wifi works well though, I’ve worked comfortably from here through rainy mornings when I haven’t wanted to go to work. There’s always a place to sit. So overall, I guess I’ll keep coming here.
tl;dr: Good place to sit and work, not overcrowded most of the time. Go to Zoka’s for a more consistent and better coffee.

Plenty of places to sit? Check.
Wifi that works? Check.
Delicious coffee? Check.
Why is it not perfect?
The first part was the barista that did a great job making some good coffee, but couldn’t quite get the cashier bit of her job down. It was a bit awkward and she forgot an order seconds after it was spoken.
The second part was… all the people talking on the phone. I was okay with the guy that took a brief call, but there was another person that was taking personal and business calls the whole time I was there. Not the café’s fault, but… I’m not excited about having that experience again, so I’ll probably be tempted to find a different coffee shop next time (or skip the coffee and work in a quiet section of the library).