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Cafe Solstice (University District)

4116 University Way NE
Seattle, Washington 98105
(206) 634-3400

Categories: Cafe, Restaurant

Restaurant Details

  • This cafe offers not only coffees and teas, but sandwiches, soups, and snacks. Also featured are loudish music and lots and lots of college kids studying, not studying, and discussing important philosophical matters and such.
  • Features: Bar/Happy Hour, Cheap Eats and Free Wi-Fi
  • Cuisine: Cafe and Coffee Shop
  • Serving Hours: Daily 6:30 am-10 pm.
  • Price Range: $
 
 

Average Rating:
  • 4.14000/5 Stars.
Reviews/Comments (7) RSS

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netravaillezjamais 7

my favorite coffee shop in Seattle(?)

For some reason I find myself embarrassed to say this, but this is probably my favorite coffee shop in the area. The baristas are well tenured (get it...college joke!) and make a good espresso. My only coffee-related complaint is that they use powdered chocolate instead of syrup for my mochas, but the espresso blend is tasty. And any slight of mocha is forgiven by beer. Beer! Delicious beer! On tap! With happy hour specials! The baked goods are acceptable, in a sort of bland-vegan-organic-y sort of way. But it's the ideal place to work. The atmosphere is perfect—right amount of lighting, actual good art on the walls, and the barista's taste in music is impeccable. The music's loud, but I don't mind—it's one of the few places I can go for three hours, not recognize most of the music, but like it all. Yes, it is fairly hipster, but nowhere as bad as Bauhaus or Vita (Solstice hipsters seem to be grad students, so they're a bit mellower and way too concerned with finishing grading to judge my rugby t-shirt). And as mentioned by others, great people watching. Seriously, try it out. It kind of makes me wished I'd gone to UW.
Posted by netravaillezjamais on December 1, 2010 at 6:10 PM · Report
6

Hang out heaven

Yes its pretty loud, but hey I'm not sitting there trying to study (the kids don't seem to mind). Its usually smelling wonderful in there thanks to something fresh coming out of the oven. The baristas have awesome taste in music and they have beer. Good beer. Good Elysian beer for $2.75 during happy hour (I think 4pm to 7pm).
Posted by biju on October 1, 2008 at 9:57 PM · Report
5

Coffee=good, Atmospher=BAD

The coffee is not bad, but the music is way too loud to study or even hold a conversation. I want to have a quiet coffee, not go to a nightclub.
Posted by KM on February 9, 2008 at 6:06 PM · Report
4

great coffee, good music

coffee, beer and food. good deal. word is: wifi is on the way and a late night happy hour on their elysian beers. $1 off an already reasonable price. staying open til 11 now too. this has always been my favorite place to pseudo-study and socialize.
Posted by horatio on October 10, 2007 at 12:05 AM · Report
3

coffee and people-watching

We used to spend many a summer's day sitting for hours at Cafe Solstice's out-front seats (outside) and watching the "entertaining" clientele of the Ave pass us by. Their espresso drinks are good, but I don't recommend the drip coffee so much (grounds at the bottom. yuck.) However, not only can you get caffeinated at Solstice, you can also get drunk! They serve ELYSIAN BEERS ON TAP, which is a rarity, possibly entirely unique thing in the U-district. Their panini sandwiches and grilled-cheese soup specials are very delicious for cafe food. They now have added outdoor seating in the back of the cafe too, so more room for smokers and people who just like to sit outside. I only wish they were open later. Doesn't make much sense to me to close at 10 PM in the U-district, especially since they serve beer and are mostly patronized by students.
Posted by Shawnooke on August 17, 2007 at 11:51 AM · Report
2

college home away from

Going to Solstice since freshman year, and still have some of the same baristas. The lunch is reasonable and filling, and the coffee is always a step above, if a bit pricier than other places. Also, if they don't have something you ask for, they're more than happy to give you your drink on the house, and that kind of customer service is what kept me coming back. You can pick up wi-fi from aroud the neighborhood, but signals are weak, so be prepared if you don't have your uw net id.
Posted by dorkwhisperer on July 18, 2007 at 8:13 PM · Report
1

HIIIIIIPSTER JOINT... and it's pretty nice

The coffee and tea are really good (not even all that pricey, even!) and they have a nice, aesthetically stimulating, spread out layout. But it's also a popular joint every day of the week: get there very early if you want a table. Bar space is always available. The baristas are friendly and efficient, too. It's a hipster joint that... isn't run like one, really. The food is your usual reasonably prepared and reheated cafe fare and isn't bad at all. No wi-fi, though. It's not that kind of place, anyway.
Posted by Gomez on June 4, 2007 at 4:48 PM · Report

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