Cugini Cafe

For the past 10 years I have been getting the same drink at Starbucks. Not a fan of change, well, until I discovered this place! They have the BEST lattes. My current favorite being the english toffee mmmm. If you’re in the mood for a snack, I suggest the banana bread. To. Die. For. The best part of this place is the service! Ladies, thank you!!! Oh, and see you tomorrow:)

Ownership changed, they now accept cards and have tasty breakfast sandwiches and delicious fresh juice. I feel like I should be cast in Portlandia with my first review of this place.

I love this charming little coffee house on Ballard Ave. They use Herkimer coffee, which is my absolute favorite right now. Herkimer is a local company that purchases beans from farms that practice traditional old world cultivation methods without the use of pesticides or fertilizers. It also tastes great!
Try it with a shot of lavender. It’s not sweet, just the pure essence of the flower infused into your drink. I love it!
Along with coffee, they serve fresh pressed juices and teas for the more health-​conscious crowd. They have a fairly large selection of vegan & gluten-​free goods, including Bouteloua Bakery cupcakes. The Chai Spiced cupcake with thick frosting is awesome! They’ve also got a small selection of pastries from Macrina Bakery downtown.
Cugini shares a space with Plover Organic Textiles, a nation-​wide company making sheets, comforters and tea cloths free of harmful toxins and heavy metals. The perfect accompaniment to your organic, eco-​friendly drink. You can see some of their items on display next to the napkins, cup lids and straws.
Oh! You don’t want to miss the loft. It’s a steep climb and a small space, but it’s there. So check it out.

Whenever I’m too lazy to brew and unwilling to settle for plain drip coffee (this applies for the entire company during the week — office in Ballard), I take a short walk to Cugini. The small coffee shop always feels homey and welcoming. It was here that I broke out of the usual Americano routine for a nice dirty Chai (on recommendation).
No push buttons machines, no overly hot Americano’s, dry cappuccino’s when you ask and decent foam decorated latte’s when you ask. One time there was a shape-​shifting turtle.
Oh and the breakfast sandwiches are worth a try. They’re made on delicious brioche buns.

Walking down the Ballard market made me thirsty for coffee and so I decided to try Cugini. It’s a cute lil shop and they made a very delicious iced caramel americano for me. :)
I wish I could say more, but I’ll have to spend more quality time here next time.

If old Ballard ave were it’s own town, Cugini would be the leading café.
A cozy stop on the sunny side of the street, Cugini is a great stop whether you’re stopping in from trolling the Sunday’
farmer’s market or you’re just out and about.
It’s a good divergence from the chain cafes and the quality of the coffee drinks is consistent and comparable. But be warned, cash is king as they don’t accept plastic.
It’s well worth the visit and if you can make yourself at home in the large study room and use the free WiFi.
But don’t get too comfortable, there are no restrooms here.
With that:
4 stars for the coffee
3 stars for prices
4 stars for service
2 stars for lack of restrooms
2 stars cash only (w/​in house ATM)

4-​ish stars for the coffee– it’s always excellent and the flavor of the cofee has a lot more character than many seattle coffeeshops. baristas range from nice to really nice, and although I’ve never gotten the sense that any of them are truly passionate about coffee, they’re all excellent baristas, so it’s all good. It’s not a place to go for fast service, necessarily… not a big deal if you know that in advance. My only real gripe about this place is that although the space itself is huge, I don’t think I’ve ever seen more uncomfortable/​awkward seating… they need to get some couches/​armchairs, more plants, flowers, little tables, lamps… something. I’ve wanted to have group get-​togethers here or at least be able to hang out and write and purchase multiple coffees, but I can never relax in the space… and the wifi, at least using my old craptastic laptop, doesn’t work for me.
Seriously tho, cuteness, baristas, coffee, location… muy bueno!

I hail from Greenwood, Land of the Coffee Shops, so upon moving to Ballard I was a little surprised to find that little Cugini is the sole coffee shop holding down busy Ballard Ave.
Cugini is a grab and go joint for me. The few tables that the tiny space hosts are normally claimed by the time I pop in on Sunday mornings, while browsing the farmer’s market. The baristas are friendly, but can get a little flustered when the line starts forming out the door. Be prepared to pay with cash and you’ll be in and out of the shop with a piping hot drink in hand in no time.

Mighty fine espresso. We stopped here with friends while spending a few days in Seattle. It hit all the right buttons. I drink my coffee w/​out sugar, so the espresso needs to be good. This one was: bitter and rich with great aroma, served perfectly. I can see why the locals in Ballard like this place. The street scene is quite nice, too. The sidewalk seating was perfect for conversations. Setting can help make a good place better, but it can’t salvage a poorly-​run and/​or corporate-​owned business. The local, fair-​trade vibe here made this the right stop for us.

I don’t care if you can’t sit in here — this is the best coffee I’ve had in Seattle!

Nice, friendly service and a good cup of coffee. That’s all one can really ask for.

Each coffee shop is special in its’ own way, like a snowflake. But in the end the flakes are just snow, and the coffee shops serve coffee.
Oh, I know there are differences and Cugini Café has them too. First the location is pretty hard to beat along Ballard Avenue and the baristas are pretty friendly. Coffee has always been beyond reproach and they seem to have free wifi here (or at least a lot of people have been bringing laptops here just to screw with me). If you’re picking up coffee to go, then Cugini is a pretty safe choice and this is about all you need to know.
In terms of the café itself, it’s pretty tiny. A few seats at the window and a table or two and that’s pretty much it. The place does stretch out along a hallway with several doors opening into the hall. If it’s crowded, you can be stuck with seating in the hall. Which is okay, they’ve got tables, chairs and the requisite artwork on the walls in the hall too. But it does get sort of loud there. You have a fair amount of foot traffic in the hall and the sound from the store gets oddly amplified here. The booming acoustics of the hallway make it even louder and slightly annoying. Although I suppose this could be the seating location of choice for speed metal fans.
As for the nit-​picky stuff, they don’t take credit cards, but have an ATM on-​site (in the hall). At one point they were offering a two-​for-​one coffee deal if you had a receipt from a local Ballard establishment (supporting the buy local cause), although I’m not sure if that’s still ongoing.

good coffee. good free wifi.
what else is there to say?!

Okay, this place isn’t the best café. Flies spinning in the air. No restrooms for the customers, however their coffee is good and the atmosphere is cozy.
This is somewhere you can relax and forget about whatever stress you’ve got.
I took guests from out of town here to introduce coffee in Seattle.
I can picture this place being a scene in some film.

One stop coffee Shop (pin’) on the beloved Ballard Ave!
While it can be a bit chaotic here on the weekend (hey Farmer’s Market– I’m talkin’ to you!), they still take the time to make a great Americano. It isn’t a big space, so I usually take my drink to go as there’s plenty of seating out in front and at the big grassy open space right next door.
Good pastries, lots of puppy action out front (it’s where I get my fix) and their tea selection is decent as well!

I love this kinda coffee shop– I think Seattle could use more places like this. I love the barista K.M.- she brightens my day. Good tea selection, great atmosphere, good coffee… Ballard…why would you go anywhere else?

Maybe I’m biased, but you need at least one non table chair to be a «café» and the odd thing about this joint is that there is an office sort of upstairs and in the middle of it all and I think it has nothing to do with the coffee business. If one is so bold, he might be willing to stand on his chair to catch a glimpse of the goings on midday.
However, the location is right there in the thick of Ballard Ave. and if you need that double shot americano, because honestly, 400 calories of a full fat mocha with whip isn’t the best way to wash down some Other Coast Deli you enjoy across the street, you’ll get what tastes good here.

I absolutely love this place! It’s one of the only places I’ve found so far that offers a different chai besides morning glory chai, i know it’s local and I favor supporting local businesses, but come on, give some options please! Since they have oregon chai, i often stop there before heading to work in the morning. What also keeps me coming back is the baristas are very friendly and kind. Biggest pet peeve of other places i’ve been to in ballard are gossiping baristas that ignore me until they are available.
The only down side is that they only accept cash/​check, so you best be prepared.
All in all, my favorite place to get coffee in ballard!

Great place to get your shots pulled, if you know what I mean.
They do a great job of remaining friendly, but being quick about taking your order and getting you out the door. I’ve only been here on Sundays during the Ballard Market and have been impressed by their efficiency and damn good coffee.

Great coffee that’s never burnt. They actually pull their shots slowly and with great care (take note!) and they use a nice Zoka roast. Also, they have Pink Cookies! What’s better than a delicious espresso, a pink cookie, the NY times, and a cute & friendly barista?! Nada!
Also, on sunny days I usually take my coffee next door to the vacant «park» and sit under the gazebo with the locals and their dogs. Good times.