The Seattle Grind

Came here this morning on the way to work near Mercer. What attracted me was this: a simple propped-​up sign outside advertising their cardamom latte. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with anything cardamom and have found that Seattle is too (cardamom cocktails, cardamom lattes, cardamom cookies.) so I was happy to see that The Seattle Grind is joining in on the cardamom train. They have your usual 12 oz. and 16 oz. sizes, but they also have 20 OZ. (!) for those drowsy days when you need four shots of espresso. I thought this was pretty cool. I don’t know of many cafes that have 20 oz. drinks. The barista was extremely friendly and we had a nice chat while he made my drink. He also told me about their lavender latte, which they make from scratch using fresh lavender buds that they distill into a syrup. Wow.
I noticed while waiting that there was a crossword puzzle left on the counter for anyone to fill in. He explained that its popularity had caught on and he’ll have customers who sometimes spend half an hour trying to figure it out. I thought this was an innovative, quirky idea that brings people together without them even knowing it. Awesome. The latte was delish (order with hemp, it brings out the flavors in a really smooth way). I also got the «veggie delight» breakfast sandwich, which I thought was made in-​house, but sadly they are prepackaged sandwiches that they just warm up via panini press. I wasn’t that impressed with it considering I paid $ 5 for something that wasn’t fresh.
Overall, a good experience and I plan on coming back, but not for the breakfast sandwiches.

Gross. Gross and grosser. It’s in a parking garage. Freezing inside The coffee (Americano) was horrible. Hot chocolate tastes like lukewarm milk. Just go to mcdonalds next door.

Expected more from this place after reading the good reviews. This place is not really a café but more like a food court coffee shop in the corner of a parking garage. We stopped by for lunch at 2:00 on a Saturday and they were sold out of all but 1of their sandwich options (so I guess someone likes it here) and only had breakfast sandwich options. I asked to make a change on the menu item and was refused because «they are all pre-​made». I ordered the egg, sausage and cheese (orange!)and managed to eat half. My son and hubby both finished theirs — but honestly they’ll eat almost anything! Not sure what else is around here but there has to be a better option than eating in the corner of a parking garage.

I took my first trip to Seattle in mid September 2015. My husband and I wanted to do some sightseeing in downtown Seattle. We chose a parking garage that also had this coffee shop connected to it. We had a delicious latte. The owner, Tim was awesome. He was very friendly and helpful as to what was around the area. The coffee he made us was fantastic, one of the best we ever had. After we did some sightseeing we came back and had one of his cardamom lattes. Wow, it was so good! We did several more days of sightseeing and went to this coffee shop twice each day for the great lattes and also tried some of the baked goods. They were just as good as the coffee. I recommend this place to anyone who loves great coffee, baked goods and friendly conversation. Great job Tim!

Great coffee and super quick! This is a small coffee shop inside the parking garage. Very convenient.

I came back ’cause last year they were really awesome. Decent coffee for a small little shop inside the Armory section of the Seattle Center. Customer service was amazing and my drink was made in a timely manner. I came here to get a latte and work on some foot notes for my zine before Social D at Bumbershoot and my experience this time around was a complete 180. They knew I was waiting but ignored me, were slow at serving others and short on the greetings.

HORRIBLE COFFEE!!! I got a straightforward 5 shots over ice with a touch of white chocolate and a simple cold brew coffee. Mine was the 5 shot which after two sips (second just to make sure), I couldn’t drink anymore. The espresso was strong which I liked but tasted burnt and I don’t know if it was the white chocolate but the whole drink had a horrific unnatural acidic, off putting, almost indescribable sour flavor (and it was milk free so go figure). I tasted my friend’s drink the cold brew and that also have an odd sourness to it. Being a Seattlelite, I know my coffee and can appreciate bitter, acidic and all the other notable flavors in good coffee, but the acidic/​sour tone this coffee had was not good or normal. Both drinks ended up i the garbage and for $ 14 worth of coffee, I am not too pleased. The only reason I gave it two stars is because the sandwich I got, The Eastsider I thinks its called, was actully quite good. Unfortunately, the sandwich was neither made on site nor is even produced by the Seattle Grind company, merely just heated by the barista. I guess its not a bad thing that they don’t actually make the sandwiches there beause there is only one employee working at the joint, and with me being the second customer in line, took 10 minutes to actually get my drink in hand. So one sandwich in hand, two coffees garbaged and $ 25 later… I am not a happy customer nor will I be a returning customer.

I was really looking forward to getting great coffee in Seattle.
While we were waiting for our turn at the Space Needle, I took the opportunity to look up nearby cafés. The cardamom latte jumped out at me right away.
It’s always odd when you’re not greeted by a worker. It was especially awkward because we were the only ones in there. I made the initiative and asked if I could get a cardamom soy latte. I couldn’t figure out why the total came out to $ 7, when it should have been $ 6. Instead of confronting her, my boyfriend told me it was fine because that would have been her tip.
The space is unique. It’s attached to a parking garage. The smell of exhaust forced us outdoors.
Now, I’m not sure if the soy was already sweetened, but the latte was cloyingly sweet. And the milk wasn’t hot enough. I’m not sure why coffee shops never regulate their steamed milk temperatures. I would have asked her to top the drink off with a regular brew to cut the sweetness, but her initial unfriendliness turned me off from interacting with her further. I also thought the latte art was a bit on the boring/​lazy side.
Inside is a phone charging station, which is helpful for tourists. The boyfriend dropped his on their garage cement floor and cracked his screen. Bad coffee and damaged phone completely killed our vibe.

House baked goodies are excellent. Good seating with ample plugs.
Dark haired beared new guy thinks he’s emceeing a drag show. Cookie cutter mean gay guy. Booo.

We came according to the reviews and found there almost nothing but beverages. Poor place.
We did not stay to eat there at all.

We visited hoping for a relaxed and pleasant experience with our kids. The food isn’t fresh and the coffee took forever as they are understaffed. Not a pleasant experience.

Really good deserve 5 stars, Unilocal is making me somthing alot more long then I want so «hhhhgghhggggggggggggggggggggggggffffffffffftftrftffffffffgfyyfdf

Waking up in a hotel to mediocre coffee doesn’t cut it. Unilocaled «coffee», looked at the choices, saw «coffee art» photos, walked three blocks to The Seattle Grind and started my day the right way instead! Excellent latte!

The mocha blender and orange basil lemonade were FANTASTIC! I definitely wish I were a local so I could enjoy this place more than once.

The guy who I assume is the owner is extremely nice and makes a good sandwich. Come here before spending waaay too much on a sandwich at the needle.

Was exploring Seattle on my own one day and came upon this coffee shop. I ordered a Lavender Latte. Must I say more? Plus the guy behind the counter is super adorable!

Coffee was not amazing. Do not get breakfast sandwiches here. Guy at the counter was nice though. The blueberry muffin and service get the stars here.

Cardamom Latte (the orange zest takes it over the top, it’s delicious). House baked Apple Struesel (it’s giant). Eggs Florentine Breakfast Sandwich (toasted & also very delicious). You have to have breakfast here. A little shop tucked away in the Gates Foundation Parking Garage, at the corner of 5^th & Harrison, catty-​corner from the EMP. Why didn’t someone tell me sooner? Tim, the owner greeted me as soon as I appeared, hustlin’ from the garage — he’s passionate about coffee, supporting local, and even suggested other local coffee roasters to try out. AH-​mazing.

Delicious high quality coffee!
The boyfriend and I each had a cardamom latte and OH MY GOODNESS it was good! Not too sweet, just the right amount of spice, silky hot milk and the orange zest pulled it all together. Definitely made with care and quality ingredients.
The owner was the barista and he was such a pleasure to chat with! The boyfriend loved the wall art that was being sold (Star Wars prints) and we both really enjoyed the orange cranberry muffin we shared.
Next time you are near the Seattle Center, Ride the Ducks or EMP give this place a visit for your coffee and treats cravings!

This coffee shop is certainly one of the more interesting shops I’ve seen. It is connected to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation building… GARAGE. As in, you can walk from the garage straight into the coffee shop, no walls. This is a very bizarre layout. I feel like the garage causes the shop to be quite cold at times.
The coffee here was interesting. I got a mocha. The espresso itself wasn’t too bad — it was rather strong, probably one of the stronger espresso shots I’ve had in Seattle. However, the mocha syrup just sat in the bottom of the and didn’t mix with the rest of the drink at all. Not to mention that the syrup did not taste good.
They also have Umpqua Oats here.