Caffe Ladro - Issaquah — Restaurant in Issaquah

This is NOT Starbucks. Obvious, but it IS important to know the distinction, both good and bad. Great coffee made with care. Some nice baked goods. Those are the good. The bad? Well, I've been going to CL for the better part of the past 10 years (Lynnwood, until I moved to Issaquah) but there is one consistency between all of them--S..... L...... O...... W..... service. You can also add in a little arrogance. My wife and I went to the Highlands one for the first time since moving here. We are NOT Starbucks fans, but we don't hate them either. Just better coffee here. But man oh man did we ever have to wait for that coffee, despite a nearly empty store. No less than 10 minutes to get my double tall latte. But, it wasn't a double at all, much to my dismay as I jumped in my car..... it was a single tall, which is a bit like having slightly coffee flavored milk. Not good. If you're good with slow..... you don't mind an inattentive and reticent staff that isn't the slightest bit interested in connecting with you... but you DO like great coffee... this is your place. For me, I expect just a tad bit better service and a bit more...

Beautiful location. The staff is very friendly and it's a great option over what can become the routine of other options. The coffee has that inner Seattle taste, and the staff each seem well trained trying to maintain that inner Seattle quality in the coffee. Parking too is simple, lots in back and in front, and street too is usually available. It's also a great walking destination for those who enjoy the walk routine. It's also a GREAT stop before or after a movie at the local Regal Theater, less than 1 block from Ladro down the street. As an avid walker, the entire area is well designed to support foot traffic. There's also a beautiful man made lake across the street, with a .5 mile circular level path, which is awesome for those who like the outdoors and an easy level walk exercise. The lake is truly gorgeous, with rock gardens, waterfalls, and what I call the "Highlands Stonehenge" sculpture, worth...

We work out at the steps every Saturday morning and decided to stop in for a cup of coffee. The time was 0713 hours and the door was still locked. The barista finally opened the door but didn’t greet us. As my husband was asking about the coffee choices (because this was our first visit), the barista couldn’t hear him due to his mask. He was trying to adjust the mask that he could be heard (not remove it) and the barista made a big fuss about that. We were prepared to overlook that but when my husband asked why the barista was not wearing gloves, he stated that he didn’t have to even though his hands were on the rim and inside the cup. It was not so much what he said but how he said it. His attitude was so poor that we decided to leave and go to a well-known coffee shop (Starbucks) instead where they were open on time and the baristas greeted us as we entered. Great customer service will...