Cafeography
Seattle · Capitol Hill

Cafés in Capitol Hill

Espresso Vivace on Broadway, Victrola’s first café on 15th Avenue East, Caffe Vita’s roastery on East Pike and phin coffee on East Pine.

Photo: BETHANY MALONEY, Pexels License

Capitol Hill rises east of downtown, with Broadway as its commercial spine and the Pike/Pine corridor running between East Pike and East Pine streets from Boren Avenue to 15th Avenue.1 By 1911, 31 of Seattle’s 41 car dealerships stood along Pike, Pine and Broadway, the old auto row.1 The hill has about 32,000 residents on 1.64 square miles, and Capitol Hill station on the 1 Line opened in March 2016.1

Coffee here is spread across three strips: Broadway, the bars and roasters of Pike/Pine, and the quieter shops of 15th Avenue East near Volunteer Park, whose water tower stands beside the hill’s highest point, 444 feet (135 m).1 East of 19th Avenue, Madison and Union streets add neighborhood cafés that open at 06:00 or 06:30.

Local tip: Espresso Vivace on Broadway takes cards only; for coffee after dinner, Victrola at 411 15th Avenue East serves until 22:00 Monday to Saturday.

At a glance

79Cafés listed
56With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Avole, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–18:00 · Sat 08:00–18:00 · Sun 08:00–16:00).
  • Closes latest: Hot Cakes, until 00:00 (Mon–Thu 16:00–23:00 · Fri 16:00–00:00 · Sat 15:00–00:00 · Sun 15:00–23:00).
  • Most listed streets: East Union Street (6), Broadway East (6), East Pine Street (6).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (20%), outdoor seating (18%), indoor seating (18%).

Alexandra’s Macarons

  • 1410 18th Avenue
  • Fri 17:00–20:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–14:00
  • +1-206-518-3895
  • Card payment
  • Partial wheelchair access
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Ghost Note Coffee

  • 1623 Bellevue Avenue
  • Mon 07:00–17:00 · Tue 07:00–15:00 · Wed–Fri 07:00–17:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–18:00
  • (877) 585-1085
  • Wi-Fi
  • Indoor seating
  • Vegetarian options
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Hot Cakes

  • 1650 East Olive Way
  • Mon–Thu 16:00–23:00 · Fri 16:00–00:00 · Sat 15:00–00:00 · Sun 15:00–23:00
  • Takeaway
  • Vegetarian options
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Open late
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Hyson Boba & Tea

  • 2207 East Madison Street
  • Daily 09:00–20:30
  • +1-206-653-5326
  • Wi-Fi
  • Takeaway
  • Air-con
  • Indoor seating
  • Card payment
  • Wheelchair access
  • Bubble tea
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Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Seattle.

Coffee chains in Capitol Hill

Espresso Vivace on Broadway

David Schomer, a former Boeing engineer, and Geneva Sullivan started Vivace as a cart at 5th and Union downtown, then moved to Capitol Hill; when the light-rail station was built, the roastery café moved about five blocks north.2 The Broadway sidewalk bar closed in May 2023, citing competition from the nearby flagship and staffing after COVID-19.2

That flagship, in the Brix building at 532 Broadway East, opens daily 06:00–19:00, has indoor seating and takes no cash.3 Farther south on Broadway, Seasmith Coffee at 118 Broadway East serves until 21:00.

Victrola and 15th Avenue East

Victrola opened its first café on 15th Avenue East in 2000, took over the storefront next door a year later and began roasting in the back room in 2003.4 In 2007 it opened a showcase café, with a roastery, training room and cupping room, in a 1920s auto-row building at the foot of the hill; that café is at 310 East Pike Street.4

The original, at 411 15th Avenue East, opens at 06:00 and serves until 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 21:00 on Sunday. Along the same street, Overcast Coffee Company at 312 opens at 06:30 on weekdays, and Volunteer Park Cafe & Pantry at 1501 17th Avenue East has outdoor tables from Wednesday to Sunday.

Pike/Pine roasters, doughnuts and late desserts

Caffe Vita, which Mike McConnell founded in Queen Anne in 1995, keeps its roastery, flagship café and offices at 1005 East Pike Street, open daily 07:00–19:00.5 Top Pot Doughnuts began on Capitol Hill in February 2002; the brothers Mark and Michael Klebeck named it after a vintage neon “Topspot” sign that lost its S in transit, and a Top Pot still stands at 609 Summit Avenue East.6

Sugar Bakery at 320 East Pine Street opens at 07:30 on weekdays. In the evening the hill turns to dessert: Coché Valley Dessert Cafe at 1424 East Pine Street serves until 22:00 from Tuesday to Saturday, and Hot Cakes on East Olive Way stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Vietnamese and Ethiopian coffee east of Broadway

Phê, at 721 East Pine Street, was started by sisters; it serves Phê Bap, a phin coffee topped with sweet-corn cream, and Phê Pho, a cream made with pho spices.7 It opens at 08:00 on weekdays and 09:00 at weekends.

Avole, the Ethiopian café whose name comes from the first of the three cups in the jebena coffee ceremony, has a branch at 2330 East Union Street that opens at 06:00 on weekdays.8 KB Espresso at 1701 East Madison Street also opens at 06:00 on most weekdays.

Sources

  1. Capitol Hill, Seattle, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Espresso Vivace, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Brix (flagship café, 532 Broadway Ave East), Espresso Vivace, accessed October 2026
  4. Our Story, Victrola Coffee Roasters, accessed October 2026
  5. Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Company, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Top Pot Doughnuts, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. Where to Get Vietnamese Coffee in Seattle (Aleenah Ansari, April 6, 2026), Seattle Magazine, accessed October 2026
  8. Ethiopian Coffees and Brewing at Seattle’s Cafe Avole (March 24, 2016), Daily Coffee News, accessed October 2026
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In Capitol Hill, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Open by 6am Open late

FAQ

Capitol Hill cafés: questions

Where is Espresso Vivace on Capitol Hill in Seattle?

Espresso Vivace’s flagship café is in the Brix building at 532 Broadway East, open daily 06:00–19:00, with indoor seating and no cash accepted. The company began as a cart at 5th and Union downtown. Its smaller Broadway sidewalk bar closed in May 2023; the other remaining Vivace bar is Alley 24 in South Lake Union.

When did Victrola Coffee open on Capitol Hill in Seattle?

Victrola opened its first café on 15th Avenue East in 2000, expanded into the storefront next door a year later and began roasting in the back room in 2003. In 2007 it opened a showcase café with a roastery in a 1920s auto-row building, now at 310 East Pike Street. The 15th Avenue café serves until 22:00 Monday to Saturday.

Which Capitol Hill cafés in Seattle stay open in the evening?

Victrola at 411 15th Avenue East serves until 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 21:00 on Sunday, and Seasmith Coffee on Broadway until 21:00. Coché Valley Dessert Cafe on East Pine Street is open until 22:00 Tuesday to Saturday, and Hot Cakes on East Olive Way until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Caffe Vita’s East Pike roastery café closes at 19:00.

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