Tully’s Coffee

A long time since I stepped into a Tully’s — and had forgotten what a nice, friendly, efficient coffee shop was like. Enjoyed a Chocolate Espresso Milkshake, free wifi and a large, semi-​quiet table where I could actually have a conversation.
And an even longer time since I visited Mercer Island — what an easy-​going community that seems to be.

Julie the lead barista is a very cold nasty person. It isn’t the customers fault you get the order wrong. Thank god this isn’t the Tullys I usually go to.

I’m not sure how their food is, but I definitely prefer Tully’s coffee products to Starbucks’s coffee, hands down. And they have an outstanding pumpkin latte. So glad I found this place when I moved here! =)

This shop is friendly and clean. Nice environment and wonderful coffee.

Cute little shop (building wise) not far off of I-​90 and where the busses run on Mercer Island. Coffee itself is not bad, but for some reason I’ve just never been a big Tully’s fan. If someone wants to go there, or it is the most convenient (read: least busy) I will go for it, but other than that I don’t go often. My experiences with the staff have been good, and the drinks have been just… okay, when I actually do go. Which hasn’t been much, so I’m not sure I am the best source for a regular user. The triangular plot it is seated on is a little strange, but there is usually parking. If you really LOATHE the wait at the Starbucks near this area of Mercer Island, this could be an option for you. But I still think the Bux makes a better drink, which is not generally a statement I make.

I really like this Tully’s. It’s located on a weird little triangle of land, but they make the most of the space and I didn’t have any trouble getting in or parking.
The coffee is good — no raves or complaints. The barista was very friendly and took time to chat while he made my drink. Even though it was busy, things kept moving, which was great.
The interior is generic Tully’s, but it has lots of small tables that are perfect for meeting someone when you want to chat and don’t necessarily don’t want some random person right next to you at a large, shared table. The big windows keep it light and airy.
Nothing spectacular, but a solid and pleasant coffee spot.

I love that is very convenient but the staff is not up to speed on how to actually make coffee. Ordering an iced americano with honey and being told i can put the honey in myself when my drink is up… How do you expect honey to melt in an iced drink to therefore get the honey flavor I am wanting. So she puts the honey in and proceeds to put the ice in the cup. Still not melting the honey. Maybe do a barista school before hiring people here

Great spot for a coffee shop with lots of good seating, indoor and outdoor with a parking lot all to itself. Not sure which barista but I was very pleased with the foam on my cappuccino but the espresso was more than lacking. Absolutely overwhelmingly bitter. Other barista was not very friendly.

Beautiful location. Windows on three sides, and the north side looks out on a park. However, electrical outlets are in short supply; I count only one. (But let’s face it. This being Mercer Island, you’re not going to find a large, laptop-​laden college population.) Otherwise, pretty standard fare.

I take minutes for another community we manage next door to this location, so in preparation for a meeting last month, we stopped in here. Parking at the actual lot is very tight and weird, but the cul-​de-​sac it’s attached to is all wide open street parking, so no worries there.
It was later in the evening for all but the most die hard coffee addicts, such as myself, or the decaf crowd, who are just sick, twisted people, so it was quiet when we arrived.
Lone barista dude was friendly and fairly quick. Not the best drink I’ve ever had, but Tully’s isn’t in my normal rounds of places I’ll go. Still a mile above Starbuck’s.
Not great seating options. Mercer Island folks must be real loners, because it was all single and double seating options. I don’t recall seeing a single place you could even have a third person and be comfy to sit for any period of time.
Overall, not a bad experience and I’m glad they are right there in case I need them for the next Board meeting.

It takes one to know one, and as a former barista, I can honestly say the most basic job task is to make the drink the customer orders — and this is rarely a hard feat, especially when the drink comes right off the menu. Do it with a smile and proper customer service– if you are a highly conscientious saint– as a bonus, but I mostly came into Tully’s for coffee and a table to meet some folks at, not to flirt with you.
I ordered a half-​caf grande Americano with whip. I normally don’t get whip on my Americano, but rather ask the barista to add some heavy whipping cream in lieu of half and half. I got the impression the young men behind the counter wouldn’t be able to get that part right even with my usual explanation making a distinction between the two types of dairy («heavy cream NOT half and half»), so I ordered whip because I figured that was foolproof. Minus one star for the whip being 40 cents extra when it would have been free anywhere else.
Minus two stars for very obviously (to a former barista) making my drink fully caffeinated, despite my playful banter around having to decide between decaf and half-​caf. Full-​caf wasn’t even an option I was weighing! I know pulling two regular shots is easier, faster, and less wasteful than pulling two and two, but I wasn’t in a rush and was intentional with my order. Lord knows I paid enough for it! I should have called you on your «sneaky» shit, but it wasn’t worth fighting with a bitter minimum wage earner who I knew would just mess up my «do-​over» drink out of spite if I called him on it in the first place.
Just FYI, that double shot of espresso at 4pm kept me awake until 6:30am. In other words, I did not sleep. I’m only giving one star because Unilocal won’t let me give zero. I paid $ 4 (including an undeserved tip) for an easy drink consisting mostly of hot water that you couldn’t even make correctly, punk. Shame on you. I hope you’re never given more responsibility in a job until you master the simple skill of ‘following directions.‘
The final missing star is for the lack of group seating. This is a terrible place to meet more than one other person when it’s busy, which it was the entire time I was there. I hope next time my group decides to meet in this area we can meet at the Starbucks I drove past as I was leaving the shopping center. It looked a lot bigger and I’m pretty sure they won’t charge me for whipped cream.

Your standard coffee shop. Usually lots of space to study or read a good book. Clean area and freindly staff

This Tully’s is rather small but very quaint right off the major bus stops on Mercer Island. There is a tiny parking lot around the shop. The building is very cute and has lots of windows (rotunda shape). On a nice sunny day, it is relaxing to grab a cup of coffee and sit by the windows.
The coffee is not that good though. The crema at top is done well, but I think the espresso shots taste a bit weak.
A short vanilla latte was $ 3.50 even.

There are few options for coffee on Mercer Island. It is pretty much Starbucks or Tully’s. As far as the locations of these chains on the Island, they are pretty small.
Still, I was headed for a concert in Seattle and didn’t want to deal with the heavy traffic from Bellevue so I drove halfway to Mercer Island to finish my work day. Decided to visit this Tully’s over Starbucks which it seemed like parking was limited and/​or cramped.
The parking situation at Tully’s isn’t great. There are just a handful of spaces. But if you drive to the side street on the other side, there are a couple available as well as some street parking.
The coffee shop is relatively on the small side and is shaped like a rotunda. They had a couple fall seasonal drink specials, so I decided to get a tall chai cider ($ 3.75). I thought it was alright. It tasted like cider, but the chai was not too evident. I was really here more for the wi-​fi which worked fine while I was here.
Limited coffee shop options on Mercer Island. If you are looking for better coffee, drive into Seattle. This Tully’s is okay if you are not particular. Though parking and seating during peak hours might be an issue since it is a bit small.

Nice atmosphere but it’s pretty cramped with little room to relax.

The Americano is not as good as the drip coffee from my home machine. I don’t know why it takes sooooo long for her to just ring up two cups of coffee?

I love this Tully’s!
1. It is always pretty busy, but the staff is always friendly and upbeat.
2. The coffee is good — especially love their pumpkin spice latte. It doesn’t taste like spoiled baby food like the other big chain here on the island.
3. Dog biscuits and water are available for your pooch — for free! and they don’t mind you sitting outside with your doggie.
4. The pastries are AWESOME!
5. Good location! Their parking lot is a little strangely shaped but it’s manageable. It’s also not far from the main bus terminal on the island.

Someone call the farm and get this tully’s a new cow assigned to their half & half account.
Or here’s an idea … Maybe when you are «completely out» send someone with a $ 20 across the street to that QFC and get some?

Good tea. Free Wi-​Fi. Good selection of breakfast items.

Pros:
*Free wifi (eat my shorts, Starbucks)
*Good, large bagels
*Lots of seating
*“Pumpkin spice” latte is actually spicy
*Convenient location
Cons:
*Tiny cream cheese portion barely covers giant bagel with a 1 mm film
*No breakfast sandwiches
*Tully’s drip coffee only slightly better than 10W-​30