In Rome, just a few steps from the Pantheon, there is an old coffee
shop. I don’t know its name. Inside this coffee shop, men in dress
uniforms stand primly behind a wooden bar; a silvery mirror at their
backs runs around the entire U-shaped shop. You receive your cappuccino
standing up, and drink it at the bar. There are no stools. It isn’t
just that the coffee tastes rich, chocolaty, and pleasantly punishingly
bitter going down. It’s that, once inside your body, this particular
cappuccino changes your attitude about life for several hours. Let the
record show that I am not typically susceptible to coffee-based
rapture. Usually when I order, I say, “I’ll have a coffee” and I ask
for “a medium”; I am hard-nosed about coffee, proud to drink it thin
and East Coasty, like a brown chore. But this Roman cappuccino was the
driving factor in my life for an afternoon; pressed to describe the
experience, I can only say it made me a better person in every way.
I know of only one place in downtown Seattle where you can come
close to this experience. Stella Caffé opened November 17. Its
specialty is a magical Roman cappuccino. Respecting the modern person’s
needs, Stella also has an extraordinary decaf version. The shop has no
stools at the American hickory bar, where Seattleites are learning that
standing while drinking may cause unexpected cordial conversation. In
this 100-year-old building (formerly a bar called the Flamingo) there
are, indeed, seats for staunch nonstanders. A red leather bench
stretches along one side of the elongated and high-ceilinged cafe,
which has white-paned windows cut out of brick walls, each windowsill
housing a neat pyramid of boxes of panettone, an Italian fruit
bread (the preferred breakfast specialty—order it grilled). A
crystal chandelier, the decorative white ceiling tiles, and
black-and-white marbled tables finish off the decorous look. I keep
expecting Marcello Mastroianni, rest his soul, to walk in the front
door.
If he did, I would immediately recommend to him the ricotta cannoli
($1.50), whose virtuous taste is enough to gently erase years of
screechy memories of candy-bar sugar abuse and its attendant crashes. A
sandwich is advisable, too: made with fresh ingredients from Frank’s in
the market (with meat—Italian-style roast beef, Italian
sausage—and more-than-just-perfunctory nonmeat options, including
a mushroom-gruyere-arugula concoction) and perfect ciabatta baked by “a
guy named Mario out of Kent,” says proprietor Rob Wilson. Every
sandwich is $5.99, with the exception of the Italian tuna ($6.99).
Wilson’s storied history ranges from being a successful but
debauched small businessman years ago to servicing espresso machines in
Italy to fighting for customers in the coffee wars of Sydney,
Australia, where the high Italian population means cafes everywhere.
Wilson’s wife, Josie, is the daughter of Italian immigrants to
Australia. The two met in Seattle, moved to Sydney for eight years,
then moved back to Seattle—with their now-6-year-old son, Alex, a
fixture at the cafe—to run a roastery last year. Their company,
Stella, named after Rob’s sister (and also the nickname of his roasting
machine from the ’20s), is also a wholesaler to various places (for
instance: Frontier Cafe and the Bohemian).
What made the Italian Renaissance so powerful—an emphasis on
life in this world, not the next—is what Wilson is banking on
with Stella. He is a great talker and says things like, “People are
living as though they are on their way to a party called life” and, “It
comes down to humanity and good common sense.” Both of these comments
were part of an extended philosophical meditation about coffee: Wilson
believes people are due an exceptional coffee (“everyone deserves two
things: their vice and their peace”), from a friendly neighborhood
server, at a bona fide public house (the long version of the British
“pub”), at a good price. The Roman cappuccino is, in fact, a profound
experience at $2.
The Wilsons are adding beer and wine this spring, but for now it’s
coffee, orzo (a distinctive barley drink), panettone (“I won’t serve scones!”), sandwiches, and desserts. There’s also a miniature
Italian grocery store at the back of the cafe, stocking tins of Italian
tuna packed in olive oil, boxes of De Cecco pasta and Balocco
panettone, Italian fruit candies, and a fine sweetened chamomile tea
that also happens to be instant. Stella is for food and drink
lovers—humanists—not snobs. 
I come here everyday and it is BY FAR The best coffee I have found in the city. I love it! Also the staff and owners are marvelous and they go well out of their way to make me feel very welcome in their establishment!
Everyone needs to try the Truffle Mocha!
Worst. Coffee. Ever. (and stale pastries, too) Save your money and go to Starbucks.
The coffee shop in Rome you’re thinking of is almost certainly Tazza D’Oro and it’s famous for having fantastic coffee. If you’re ever there in the summer, ask for a “granita di cafe”- it’s essentially frozen, shaved espresso layered with fresh-made whipped cream. Guaranteed to keep you buzzing for hours.
I stopped by this place recently and can attest to the high caliber of the product. It’s also nice to see a silk ascot in Seattle, though the odds of it catching on here are remote.
starbucks? come on, kip. move on.
Stella really is great coffee. Up there with Caffe Vita, Stumptown and others that actually taste good and not bitter. Starbucks pales fiercely, I cannot even believe it was mentioned.
This place Rocks! Kip, stop drinking Haterade!
I have to say how fortunate you guys in the states are to have these guys serving up coffee on your shores. I can honestly tell you that since they have left Australia , I have yet to find a cup of coffee that compares ! I’m seriously considering a change of address – ahhhhh , can someone vouch for good weather there????
Rob and Josie’s gaff is a gift in a generic world.
Blissfully fresh and corrupting, honestly and unashamedly addicting I count the days that I do not cross their threshold as unpalatable in Seattle.
Oh please. Average coffee served by out-of-towners wearing J-Crew. Shouldn’t these people be in Redmond? All you Bux Haters ought to be supporting the Home Team.
Oh Kip you must work @ charbucks with that much hatred. Remember your mom telling you if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all. Please shut it. This is an amazing place were you do get an excellent coffee, treats that are made on site (croissants are excellent) and a comfortable situation to enjoy your treats. Rob, Josie and Emily (barista) are great and make every effort to engage you. And Kip Starf*cks is all yours.
I for one liked the burn kip, good job!
Although I don’t always have the time, it is great to have the option of a true Italian-stand-up-with-a-real-cup cappucino. And the article is right – the staff is kind and not snobby if you do need to grab and go with a paper cup.
The truffle mocha really is great. The staff I encountered were all pleasant and friendly. I’m excited for them to start serving wine!
why support the home team when the rest of the nation does on every corner? Support local, support authentic, support how coffee is truly supposed to be. As a former Roman resident, this place is as good as it gets.
I just read this article during lunch. The cafe in Rome is indeed Tazza d’Oro, probably the best espresso bar I’ve ever been to, and arguably rated as one of the best espresso bars and roasters in the world. Now my task is to head down to Stella to see how well it compares. Those are some high standards set up in the article. By the commentary on this thread, I am hopeful it will be a little piece of Roma.
To Kip from Starbucks, Rob is a Local, not out of towner. Read the whole article where they met in Seattle, moved away & then moved back HOME to Seattle. You obviously must work for Starbucks. You sound as bitter as Starbucks coffee & with a name like Kip I would be too. You are obviously obsessed with bashing these nice people. To the folks at cafe Stella, thank you for bringing a slice of Italy to Seattle. Love, love, love your coffee! 🙂
WTF is a Roman Cappuccino? The definition of a Cappuccino is 1/3 milk, 1/3 foam, and 1/3 espresso served in an 8 oz mug. You can do nothing to make it Roman but serve it in Rome. Gimmicks are rad though! And what exactly is the point of reviewing a coffee shop if the reviewer knows nothing about espresso? Dont get me wrong though, fluff pieces are the best!
I absolutely loved the coffee. I was also very impressed with the customer service here. I will be back again & again!
FYI – From the comments in the review of Bistro Turkuaz in this very paper, in which Kip claims to have been served insects:
“A simple google search on Kip Schoning yields a disturbing thread.
Comments above indicate he is less a restaurant critic and more of a slumlord. Pay him no mind. Check out the restaurant for yourself.”
I did the recommended Google search. Wow. You’d think our boy Kip has more pressing concerns than posting negative comments all over the place…
Best coffee I’ve had, period.
Good Luck Robert and Josie. My Grandsons say it is great coffee and your kindness surpasses the expected.
Thankyou!!
Thank you for opening this fabulous cafe. I am so impressed with the service here, the atmosphere and especially the coffee. I was born & raised in Seattle & this is by far the best coffee that I have ever had. You have a lifetime customer.
This place rocks…Ya starbucks if you want shitty coffe. glad you moved here maybe the rest can catch up…..supporting Bux please give me a break doesnt compare….weak home team. Good people serving great coffee.
Honestly, the barista there wouldn’t give me a discount. So screw them. I’m broke! I can’t even afford to go to the dentist.
Kip Schoning, Have you ever eaten or drank ANYTHING you do like? More important don’t you have enough to do ripping off your renters and hiding from people you own money too to be reviewing coffee? Maybe your next “career can be restaurant critic? You suck at real estate Consider saving the money you spend going out and using it to stop a couple of your foreclosures.
that was the best rip on kip the dip schoning!
My companions and I received rude, impatient comments from a man with a proprietary attidute – perhaps the owner? Only half of our party ordered drinks, and, while the rest of us left generous tips, we were made to feel extremely unwelcome. We will not be returning.
Wow, the local venom is intense in Seattle! A work colleague and I spent a few great days in the city earlier this month, far from our Minnesota homes, and polled our personal and professional Seattle networks for the best coffee house in town. Stella easily got the nod, and particularly, the roman style offering. In our two off-hours after a full couple of days, we spent it at Stella before our travels back to the frozen tundra. All the positives here describe our experience, and none of the downside remarks seem accurately descriptive. Folks, don’t fall prey to the in-fighting about your great city and this top-shelf coffee house. We never met the owners, but the barista (Emily?) was gracious as could be. Better yet, her Romans (we had four of them between us) very much lived up to our trusted friends’ recommendations. It’s hard for great small shops of any kind to stay afloat in this economy — go “cup half full” with this Seattle bright spot.