(Illustration: Taken at Anchorhead Coffee, Seattle. Image source: Ernest.)
About
I’ve long heard about Seattle’s rich coffee culture and diverse shops. During this summer trip through Seattle, after landing, I rented a car and headed straight to Mount Rainier National Park. After coming down from the mountain, I stayed near Pike Place Fish Market, planning to explore several coffee shops.
Everyone says that when visiting Seattle, you must experience Pike Place Fish Market and the world’s first Starbucks, as well as feel the unique coffee culture of this Pacific Northwest coast city. But I don’t like crowded tourist spots unless I can time it right to avoid the crowds. Our family prefers exploring local small shops or places recommended by friends.
Anchorhead Coffee has quite a reputation locally (I think). This shop is known for its carefully roasted single-origin coffee and comfortable industrial-style environment. It happened to be close to both the conference venue and accommodation for this trip, so we stopped by. My meeting companion even brought some beans, but unfortunately my suitcase was already packed full with Stumptown and Verve beans, and I needed to save some space for more purchases in Tokyo, so I had to pass this time.
After a full day of meetings, in the evening, we rushed over before closing time to explore and get takeout, planning to bring it back to the hotel for late-night work energy.
Directions
(Anchorhead Coffee’s exterior with a simple sign design that blends into the streetscape. We walked from the corner of 7th Ave toward Olive Way, where Anchorhead Coffee’s downtown Seattle location is situated.)
(Rainbows are quite common in Seattle. I love the atmosphere of diversity and mutual respect here.)
Environment
(The interior has quite an industrial vibe. Organized chaos?!)
(Dark wood and metal, paired with many green plants and warm lighting, create a coffee environment that’s both modern and warm.)
(Quite a lot of seating. The other end connects to the office building entrance, so people working in this building can comfortably get their coffee.)
(Three different height seating options, suitable for chatting, working, or lounging.)
(Plants and coffee beans. The local trend is that everything can have a subscription service (or unmanned stores).)
(Non-coffee beverages with rich and diverse options. The upper left corner looks like cold brew concentrate or extract.)
(There are also some cup options available. Our family has coincidentally collected several MiiR cups and bottles over time. I remember MiiR is also a member of Certified B Corporation and 1% for the planet.)
(The store also sells apparel - they’ve probably built up their customer base. The evening sunlight hitting the rainbow flag was quite striking.)
(Large glass windows and appropriate lighting design create a great atmosphere inside the store. There’s a small standing menu along the queue route where you can preview what drinks and snacks you want to order when you reach the counter.)
(Everyone seems to really enjoy their time here - some reading, some working, some chatting. But we had dinner plans later, so today we just got takeout.)
(Downtown restaurants and coffee shops now seem to have all switched to Square-type POS machines. Restaurants sometimes pair them with handheld POS devices, compressing the time needed to calculate reasonable tips (lol XDD).)
(Tip time - once you make your choice, there’s no turning back. If the staff provide enthusiastic explanations or successfully help someone with choice paralysis like me, it’s worth adding some tip as feedback. We’re all hardworking people making a living away from home, helping each other solve problems and showing mutual understanding.)
(Coffee bean packaging consistent with the store’s interior color scheme - consistent dark black tones.)
(More beans…)
Dishes
Iced Americano (USD 4.50)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
This is a taste I could drink every day for iced americano. It might be /bin/zsh.25 more expensive than Starbucks, but I love supporting these growing diverse small shops (though this one isn’t that small anymore). It was comfortable to drink, and I can support shops that are willing to use clean, quality beans.
(This angle turned out quite nice (if I do say so myself XDD) - industrial dark vibes :p)
(After the barista calls your name, the pickup counter next to where you get your coffee has lids for various sizes and hot/cold drink cup sizes.)
(Such beautiful machines! Should I get a few for home?)
(Takeout packaging and various supplies.)
(There’s a standing area with a simple thick wooden board, perfect for showcasing an industrial-style iced americano cup.)
(One last look before leaving - this really is a place that makes you want to come back.)
(Brought back to the hotel room, the coffee blends right into the background.)
(After I drank a few sips, sitting on my somewhat messy snack table.)
Bottom line
Anchorhead Coffee impressed me with its coffee quality, store environment, and overall service quality. I recommend it to anyone who also enjoys exploring coffee shops.
Later the following year during a business trip, I visited Anchorhead for a second time, this time for breakfast and to meet new friends. Food review to be added (or maybe I was too busy chatting and forgot to take photos?!)
Information
- Name = Anchorhead Coffee
- Address = CenturyLink Plaza, 1600 7th Ave Ste 105, Seattle, WA 98101, United States
- Google Maps = https://maps.app.goo.gl/oqveYVYQa3GwZhfq9
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