Cafeography
Seattle · Pioneer Square & International District

Cafés in Pioneer Square & International District

Brick blocks rebuilt after the 1889 fire, Italian espresso on Occidental Avenue, a Vietnamese roastery in Little Saigon and tea shops on Maynard Avenue.

Photo: Josh Hild, Pexels License

Pioneer Square is where Seattle’s founders settled in 1852. The Great Seattle Fire of June 6, 1889, destroyed its wooden buildings, and the brick and stone blocks that replaced them are mostly Romanesque.1 The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and on First Thursday most of its galleries open new shows.1

East of it, the Chinatown–International District joins Chinatown around Hing Hay Park, Japantown (Nihonmachi) on 6th Avenue and Main Street, and Little Saigon around 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street, settled after the fall of Saigon in 1975.2 Interstate 5 was cut through the neighborhood in the 1960s, destroying many Chinese and Japanese buildings and businesses.2

Local tip: Arriving by train? King Street Station, Seattle’s only intercity station, is on 4th Avenue South, and Zeitgeist on South Jackson Street opens at 06:00 Monday to Saturday.

At a glance

42Cafés listed
19With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
02:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Caffé D'Arte, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–18:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–17:00).
  • Closes latest: Oasis Tea Zone, until 02:00 (Mon–Thu 11:00–00:00 · Fri–Sat 11:00–02:00 · Sun 11:00–00:00).
  • Most listed streets: Yesler Way (5), South Jackson Street (3), South Weller Street (2).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (12%), open late (10%), bakery café (7%).

Onibaba

  • 515 South Main Street
  • Mon 12:00–14:00, 17:00–21:00 · Thu–Sat 12:00–14:00, 17:00–21:00 · Sun 12:00–21:00
  • +1-206-467-4004
Map WebsiteIs this you?Report

Saigon Drip Café

  • 161 South Washington Street
  • Mon–Thu 09:00–17:00 · Fri 09:00–20:00 · Sat 10:00–20:00 · Sun 10:00–16:00
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Café Three03

  • 303 South Jackson Street
  • Mon–Fri 07:00–18:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–16:00
  • Card payment
  • Wheelchair access
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Coffee chains in Pioneer Square & International District

Espresso in Pioneer Square

Caffè Umbria, founded in 2002 by Emanuele Bizzarri, a third-generation roaster, opened its flagship on Occidental Avenue South in 2005, with exposed brick, Italian tile, standing tables and an espresso machine from Italy.3 It is at number 320, open from 07:00 on weekdays and Saturdays.

Zeitgeist Coffee, founded in 1997 and known for exposed brick and rotating shows by local artists, opens at 06:00 Monday to Saturday at 171 South Jackson Street.4 Elm Coffee Roasters opened in December 2014 in the Pacific Commercial Building and focuses on light roasts; its “One of Everything” is an espresso, a macchiato and a brewed coffee together.5 Caffé D’Arte at 99 Yesler Way opens at 06:00 on weekdays, and the General Porpoise doughnut shop at 401 1st Avenue South from 07:00.

Vietnamese coffee in Little Saigon

Hello Em opened on January 24, 2021, in the Little Saigon Creative space at 1227 South Weller Street; its owners, Yenvy Pham and Nghia Bui, import beans from Kon Tum and Buôn Ma Thuột and roast them on site.6 The anh roast is a single-origin robusta, the em roast an arabica blend, and the menu includes cà phê trứng (egg coffee), cà phê cốt dừa (coconut coffee) and cà phê tắc, with kumquat sauce.6

Phin, at 913 South Jackson Street, offers its coffee with regular or house-made oat condensed milk, and its yogurt coffee is a favorite; it also serves pandan and chocolate Vietnamese waffles.7 Saigon Drip Café, back in Pioneer Square at 161 South Washington Street, stays open until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Tea shops around Hing Hay Park

Dafe Chen founded New Century Tea Gallery at 416 Maynard Avenue South in 1999, and his wife, Grace Li, demonstrates brewing temperature, leaf quantity and pouring before visitors taste.8 The shop keeps hundreds of Chinese teas, Yixing teapots of purple clay and antique furniture.8

Two bubble-tea shops on the same blocks stay open into the night: Oasis Tea Zone at 519 6th Avenue South and Gaga Tea at 523 Maynard Avenue South serve until midnight from Sunday to Thursday and until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. The Historic Chinatown Gate, 45 feet tall, was unveiled on February 9, 2008, at the west end of South King Street.2

Sources

  1. Pioneer Square, Seattle, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Chinatown–International District, Seattle, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Caffè Umbria, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Zeitgeist Coffee, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Elm Coffee Roasters, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Hello Em Việt Coffee & Roastery Serves Coffee, Pastries, and Bánh Mì in Little Saigon (February 11, 2021), South Seattle Emerald, accessed October 2026
  7. Where to Get Vietnamese Coffee in Seattle (Aleenah Ansari, April 6, 2026), Seattle Magazine, accessed October 2026
  8. Traditional Chinese tea house offers a dose of culture and a splash of taste (October 1, 2009), Northwest Asian Weekly, accessed October 2026
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In Pioneer Square & International District, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Open by 6am Open late

FAQ

Pioneer Square & International District cafés: questions

Where can you get Vietnamese coffee in Seattle’s International District?

Hello Em, at 1227 South Weller Street in Little Saigon, opened in January 2021 and roasts beans it imports from Kon Tum and Buôn Ma Thuột, including a single-origin robusta; it serves egg coffee and coconut coffee. Phin, at 913 South Jackson Street, offers house-made oat condensed milk and yogurt coffee.

Which cafés in Pioneer Square, Seattle, open earliest?

Zeitgeist Coffee, founded in 1997 and known for rotating shows by local artists, opens at 06:00 Monday to Saturday at 171 South Jackson Street. Caffè Umbria, which opened its flagship at 320 Occidental Avenue South in 2005, starts at 07:00 on weekdays and Saturdays, with Sunday hours from 08:00.

Where can you drink Chinese tea in Seattle’s Chinatown?

New Century Tea Gallery, founded by Dafe Chen in 1999 at 416 Maynard Avenue South, sells hundreds of Chinese teas and Yixing clay teapots, and Grace Li demonstrates brewing before visitors taste. For bubble tea late, Oasis Tea Zone on 6th Avenue South and Gaga Tea on Maynard Avenue South serve until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

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