Santo Coffee Co — Restaurant in Seattle

After visiting 100+ coffee shops in Seattle, Santo is my absolute favorite and where I go most often. I live in Capitol Hill, but the coffee experience here is worth the light rail ride. I have had almost every hot drink on the menu and they never disappoint

When I entered the store for the first time, Mike, who I later found out to be the owner, just finished pouring a latte and worked on it again with one more meticulous drop of milk. I saw in his eyes what I aspire to have: passion, dedication, perfection.

It was Ellery who made me the first latte at Santo. A smooth, delicious one that fills to the rim of the elegant glass, with a thin layer of foam and impeccable latte art that stayed beautiful to the last sip. It easily became my new standard of a great latte.

The more I hang out at Santo, the more I am amazed by it. Mike and Ellery are such affable guys that the regulars, which they've got a ton, are more like friends than customers. But when the pair gets down to making coffee, they are so deft and focused, so damn serious about every detail. Sailor and Curtis, baristas who I don't see as often, pull shots and pour drinks with just the same precision. I care a lot about my coffee, but Santo cares even more, so I can stop caring and simply enjoy.

Santo's bright space and slick decor would leave an excellent impression on anyone. Gleaming quartz side tables next to a smooth wooden bench in one corner, a lushly green velvet couch paired with a leather armchair in another, every seat in the shop offers a different experience. The tasteful space facilitates a relaxed, convivial atmosphere, whether you want to read, work, or chat, you never look out of place.

Santo is more than a coffee shop. It comforts me and...

They do not offer pour overs, though they are on the menu, which is fairly typical for Seattle. The batch coffee here tasted overwhelmingly like the urn or brewer was dirty, making it challenging to taste the coffee underneath. I wouldn't order that again or recommend it for the price.

We also had tea, which was very good, and the little carafe for the tea is a nice touch. We did not go back to try the espresso or try any of their food (there weren't many pastries left), they may have been delicious too.

As for the atmosphere, it's stark, somewhat pretentious, and visually cold, but that isn't uncommon for cafes around here. We had a tough time figuring out what was so off putting, but ultimately summarized it as feeling like we stumbled into a straight bar.

I've been to many coffee shops across Seattle and elsewhere, typically looking for specialty coffees and the other weird coffee snob things. I can say with some certainty that this was the most intangibly off-putting cafe I've been to in a long while.

Probably great if it's selling what you are into, it was not at all what we were...

I stopped by this coffee shop while visiting Seattle, and honestly, it was pretty disappointing. The coffee itself was just average, but the prices were outrageous. A small 10oz cup cost $7 plus a 15% tip, which feels crazy for the portion size. They don’t even offer a standard 16oz option, so you’re paying more and getting less.

It’s easily one of the most expensive coffee spots in the city. You can tell you’re paying for their massive 1,000 sqft marble coffee bar and high rent, not for the quality of the coffee. To make it worse, the place was packed with no chairs available, so we had to walk out right after getting our drinks.

The service didn’t help either. The server was a bit rude and not welcoming, he didn’t even seem happy to see us. I actually thought about leaving right then, but since we still wanted a coffee, we went ahead and ordered anyway.

Overall, overpriced, small portions, average coffee, and unfriendly service. Definitely not somewhere I’d go back to. Maybe regulars see it differently, and that’s fine, but as a customer, this was my...