The Best Seattle Coffee Shops With Outdoor Seating

Stopping by an espresso bar to grab a latte to-go is really only half of the experience of Seattle’s coffee shops. Catching up with a friend or listening to some music over a cortado is just as important. If you’re looking for somewhere to sip caffeine and linger while the weather's nice, head to one of these spots. They all have ideal outdoor seating situations and excellent coffee.

The Spots

Call us a broken record at this point, but you won’t find better espresso in town than Vivace. And there are two ways to enjoy their perfectly brewed coffee outside while people-watching on Capitol Hill: you could visit their main location between Republican and Mercer, where there are a few patio tables and an open-air situation inside. Or, make your entire experience outside by heading to their sidewalk cart a few blocks south—they have a few bistro tables set up on the side.

Sitting on this Fremont coffee shop’s wraparound porch with a stiff coconut iced mocha is one of our favorite ways to spend an hour—aside from watching two episodes of Frasier back-to-back. And if you like to get up early, they open at 6am during the week.

This coffee shop serves some of the tastiest pastries in town (looking at you, delicious red bean bars). While their Beacon Hill location has a couple of outdoor bistro tables, their West Seattle location has a much larger, dog-friendly gravel patio with lots of spots to sit.

Monorail Espresso doesn’t let the fact that they’re on an extremely busy Downtown street get in the way of having an excellent patio situation. They have a roomy picnic table set up right in the middle of the sidewalk, which is perfect if you’re out exploring Pike Place and feel like grabbing a really good espresso drink. And please, don’t forget to add on one of their amazing “chubbie” cookies.

If slowly sipping a cardamom latte and staring at a body of water is your ideal form of self-care, look no further than Ampersand Cafe in West Seattle. It has an adjoining deck right on Alki Beach with a bunch of little tables, so it’s perfect for some caffeination before or after a morning walk.

This bottle shop and cafe Downtown has a great patio, but if you want even more space, check out their second location in University Village. It has a bunch of bench seating for you, some avocado toast, and a frothy oat milk matcha. As per usual with U-Village, best of luck finding parking.

If you’re trying to spend as much time outside as possible before the weather gets nasty, Green Lake is probably where you want to be. Thus, Retreat should be one of your most frequented coffee shops for hanging out at one of their handful of patio tables. From smoothies to cocktails, this cafe is great if you don’t necessarily want a cup of coffee. And if you do, their espresso drinks are terrific.

This spot that we love for almond macchiatos and lavender lemon cold brew normally doesn’t have any outdoor seating, but they recently took over Ballard Ave. to make room for a makeshift patio. Plus, Anchored Ship serves Counter Culture coffee, a.k.a. espresso bean royalty.

Both of Armistice’s locations (in Roosevelt and Eastlake) have expanded their patio seating to accommodate more people, but we’re big fans of the Eastlake location. And the fact that they serve terrific coffee from house-roasted beans is a nice bonus. Plus, the sidewalk never gets too busy with pedestrian traffic, so it’s a pretty peaceful place to be.

If you’re worried about not having enough room to spread out, Citizen has the largest patio on this guide. This Queen Anne brunch spot serves sandwiches, crepes, and a very tasty Nutella mocha—and you can sit on their massive artificial-turf-covered space to eat and drink it all.

At the back of this vegan-friendly coffee shop in Columbia City is an open garage door that leads to a few little tables—plus a secret rooftop up a few flights of stairs. If you’re in the mood for a waffle washed down with a latte made with homemade cashew milk (a fantastic mood to be in), this is your place.