Uptown Espresso - Junction — Restaurant in Seattle

Barista is there to do their job, not to make friends or excitedly talk about coffee. It seems their goal is to compete with Starbucks by making a better milk foam. I suppose if that's your cup of coffee then this place is probably good for you. This place is still much better than Starbucks. I appreciated that the barista asked if I wanted the cappuccino wet or dry.

If you're trying to chase third wave coffee with an emphasis on good extraction, bean processing, and bean origin then maybe skip this place. I wanted to see what the hype was about on the reviews but the espresso was a little over-extracted, the milk foam was "standard" (achieving microfoam is the only proper way to steam milk so i found it awkward they were advertising an expectation as their best asset), and the experience was not particularly enjoyable. To each their own though, just because it's not for me doesn't mean it...

This is my "home" cafe. It's been upgraded from more homey origins by the current owners, but the espresso drinks remain high quality. As promised in their marquee, the foam is great...it's Italy-quality steamed milk, not the sad, lukewarm stuff you usually get in Seattle from bored and indifferent baristas.

There's a perfectly serviceable warm food program. The pastries are homemade but... it's gotta be said...they're not great. Almost universally and consistently overbaked, so they're dry, crumbly, and occasionally burnt tasting. Yogurt is sometimes available (local but not homemade). Hence only 4 stars (the coffee itself would get 5 from me).

Wi-Fi is excellent, outdoor seating available, and limited onsite parking make logistics pretty sweet. They recently added a garage door that improves airflow (no A/C) in our precious few summer months. Two gender neutral restrooms which are...

UPDATE: Coffee is great. Some of the baristas at this location are bitter and salty.

I was in the shop this morning around 10AM(1/2/2019) - and a customer came in who made a comment about the number of people on laptops in the cafe. Both of the employees spoke about, "how bad it is in here today", and began to engage the customer about their negative perceptions of people who work from home, or choose to make use of the wifi offered at the cafe.

Why would a barista make such comments which criticize a store full of paying customers? It appears that people who are business owners and/or remote employees are NOT welcome here. This is a reality for any coffee shop in any metropolitan area. We are paying customers...

I won't be back.

OLD REVIEW: Always a great cup of coffee and service. Parking can be very limited during the day. Can also be quite crowded mid day...