If there is such a place as the most hipster coffee shop it would have to be Backspace. This coffee shop is in Portland on Northwest 5th Ave in Portland on the boarder of Chinatown. Backspace is a large space with concrete floors covered in old oriental rugs and red brick walls with local art hung tastefully about the space. There are wooden tables and chairs all around the space with a couple of nice well used couches (when I came in the door there were a couple of lesbians curled up knitting, now there's a hipster guy sitting reading a zine). The music they're currently playing is very mellow piano and string music.
Backspace is also a music venue and has a tech help desk in the back where you can get your computer fixed or rent a computer. All of the food they serve is vegetarian with the ability to be vegan. Everything is a reasonable price, I bought a (fake) turkey and avocado wrap, which came with a garden salad (or chips) for $7. I just ate half of it and it was really filling so I'm saving the other half for later. My only complaint is that the wrap is mostly tortilla, but it's still pretty tasty.

Dear Followers,

I (Kaya) recently stared attending college at NYU. I will try to add some New York coffee shops to the blog. Sadly they are few and far between (coffee on the East coast is...well...not too good).

With much fondness,

Kaya

This past week I discovered Cafe Allegro. A cafe which has the potential to be super cute and mysterious. It is tucked away in an alley off of the Ave, near the University Bookstore. As I said it could be super cute. But it's super "ehhhhh".

I stumbled upon Cafe Allegro while looking for a new yoga place (Universe City Yoga, super awesome, super great, take a class with Richelle, it will change your life). I thought to myself, "Oooh! A cafe in an alley, how mysterious" and I didn't let the smell of the nearby dumpsters deter me on my quest for adorable Seattle Cafes. Only then I went in and got an americano and got some serious snubbery (and snobbery) from the barista. But I was on my way to do yoga! Nothing would make me sad! NOTHING! My americano (my new drink of choice since I am now both soy and lactose intolerant) was okay. It was frothy and beautiful and it smelled good and it tasted fine. I did my yoga and I forgot the snobby barista man.

But today, I went back before my (life changing) yoga class. I had forgotten my water bottle and so I went to the counter and I asked

"Do you sell bottles of water?"
"We have mineral water"
"Oh. Okay. You don't have plain water?"
"We have a water fountain over there"
"Oh, that's okay. Thanks for your help!"
And I went back to my friends, ignoring the water fountain and cups because I have worked food service and while it is important to quench people's thirst, it is also important to buy something if you are going to take something and create more work for others.

BUT on my way out he yells (yes, yells) "We would appreciate it if you bought something if you are going to take our water".

To which I say (very quietly) "I didn't... That would be rude" and say in my head (very loudly): "I didn't take your water you snobby barista man!"

So say no to Cafe Allegro, where the coffee is okay and the service smells as much as the dumpsters outside.

Water Avenue Coffee

This place is so frickin cute. Right now it's at a temporary location right next door to my favorite Yoga place in Portland Yoga Bhoga (it's also the only yoga studio I've been to in Portland, so I'm really biased). Water Avenue Coffee, has great lattes, no sugar is required! It's the only thing I've gotten there so far, but the barista is cute and the place is spacious, so I'll be back. When they move, they're just going to be right around the corner, so it's not a big jump.

-Rikki

Oddfellows Cafe

I went to the Oddfellows Cafe this morning for breakfast. It was delicious and simple. I had their pear coffee cake and a soy latte. Everything was delicious. My friend had some tea (irish breakfast or earl grey? Two very different teas, but she had one of them). She really liked the tea and it smelled really nice. The space is pretty big, very open and spacious. It's tucked away between Pike and Pine and the Broadway Park. I wish that I'd had more time to just chill there. The baristas were very nice. I plan to return.

Joe Bar

Joe Bar is my new favorite cafe in Seattle (before it might have been El Diablo, but they removed "heaven" and it all went to hell. Okay, not really, El Diablo is still a lovely cafe, but without the upstairs its become kind of cramped).

But back to Joe Bar. They serve delicious crêpes and the best coffee I've ever had. Located at the end of Broadway, you can find Joe Bar tucked away on Roy Street. They have an adorable loft where you can sit and look down on the rest of the café. I had their lemon and sugar crêpe with strawberries and a decaf americano with soy. The coffee was creamy and the crêpe was warm and tasty. The cafe is not too loud or busy. It's just the right spot to set up with a book or some homework. I definitely plan to find a reason to go back. Plus, the Baristas are very nice, hipstery and accommodating.

Kaya


(I did not take this photo, but I will take and post one soon)

I went to Pied Cow Coffeehouse last night for my roommates birthday. It's more of a sit down place on Bellmont and 34th street in Portland that is a house with a few tables inside, but most of the tables are out on a patio to the side. Pied Cow is very colorful, with lots of lights and colorful walls. The waiters were all really nice and all looked very earthy with long hair pulled back or braided.
The coffeehouse also has hookah for $16, but they don't really pay attention to it all that much. They have a large selection of different food and drinks. I really liked their chai, and one of my friends described the lavender steamer as a "hug in a mug". For food, you can get anything from bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil to a soup, salad or a sandwich. They also have a $50 dessert (which is what we came for, I arrived late and only got to see the bottom of a huge bowl) which is a bowl filled with ice cream, pie, cake, cherries, brownies and anything else you can possibly think of.
The only down side to this place is that it can get really cold at night and they don't have any outside heaters, so bring a jacket.

-Rikki

Disclaimer: I did not take this picture, found this in a google search. I'm hoping to go back and take my own picture, but for now this will have to do.

The Artisan Cafe is a cute, very small, cafe on the corner of 5th and Vine in downtown Seattle. Nothing extraordinary about it. The coffee is good, with a nutty taste. None of the food is made in the cafe, it all comes from different bakeries in the Seattle area and serves sandwiches more than pastries.
I'd recommend the place if you just need to some coffee before work, but not for meeting up with friends, it's too small.

-Rikki

Cafe Senso Unico is a little cafe on Olive off 7th. I've been walking by there the last couple of days on my way to work, but already had a coffee in hand, so I never stopped in. Senso Unico is a small Itallian cafe with sturdy padded chairs and brightly colored walls with tiled designs above the door and on the tables. Their coffee is a very interesting, with a nutty brown taste to it and it doesn't need any sugar. They have the usual array of food options you'll find anywhere else, with a heavy lean towards coissants with different fillings (I recommend the rasberry cream cheese). As I was sitting in the cafe I heard a couple people order the mocha and the barista warned them that it's really sweet.
All the people who work there are Itallian and speak in a mixture of english and itallian which is interesting to listen to and watch. The older Barista whistles as he works, which I would usually find annoying, but it wasn't. The people who came in and out seemed to be regulars and the young woman who worked there knew what some of them wanted before they asked and she complimented their outfits.
The accoustics in the cafe aren't the best, although the music is soft the espresso machine they use is really loud, so the cafe probably isn't the best place to catch up with friends, but if you need to stop in for a cup of coffee and a pastry I would difinetly reccomend it.

-Rikki

Disclaimer: I did not take this picture, I found it on a google search. I'm hoping to go and take my own picture soon.

Papachino's (which is now Bella's Garage is a little coffee shop (I think it's a garage turned coffee shop) across the street from Market of Choice on Southwest Terwilliger. Kaya and I have taken the bus by here a lot but never stopped in to work on some essays. Whenever I talk with anyone about having this blog they always tell me to check the place out, so we finally did!
And finally about the place:
Papachino's has a great atmosphere, good music and it's very open with lots of places to sit, but beware, they don't have any outlets to plug in laptops. You have to ask to use the extension cord they keep coiled under the counter (which they will be happy to let you use). Neither of us have had their coffee yet, but their chai is very good and not like anything you would normally get. You have a choice of spicy or sweet chai (I had the sweet chai) which they sprinkle cinnamon on top of (much to Kaya's glee. She loves cinnamon in and on everything).
I'll go back again soon and write more, last time we were so worried about catching the bus back to campus to get dinner we didn't get to hang out for too long.

-Rikki

Hey! Kaya here. We were at Papachino's for about 3 to 4 hours doing work. It was a fabulous atmosphere for doing homework and just chilling. I bought a pastry and some tea. Good tea, stale pastry. I plan to go back anyway, maybe try something else.

Happy sipping.

-Kaya