Cafe Solstice

I don’t know how I haven’t reviewed Solstice yet — it’s easily one of my favorite spots. Part coffee shop, part bar, part tech workspace (to the chagrin of many a Unilocal reviewer.) I love the space, I love the drinks, and the food is excellent. I’ve has a few sandwiches and soups, but I can’t get over the kale salad. I’m obsessed with it. I love coming here, I love doing some afternoon work here, I always share my table with other nerds that are here to get some work done.
I love this place. It can be rather loud, so bring headphones if that matters to you. I’ll probably write a longer love letter to Solstice later, but right now, I’ve got a project to work on.

The place has nice food and excellent coffee. I come here for the blue berry scones and Americanos. Apparently their beers are good, too, but I don’t partake. They’ve found the happy medium of music, food and drink, I think.

Just love this place! Best coffee around, jammin’ tunes and cool vibe! Plus the owners are freakin’ awesome!!!

Great tasting espresso drinks. I always stop at this place when I’m in the neighborhood. I love the big windows and the environment in general. However, if you are looking for a place to have a conversation or to do work this is not the place. They play their music so loud, it’s difficult to hear the person sitting across from you. It’s probably not a problem for people with loud voices. They are always busy and if you are lucky there will be an open table. It’s nice that they have signs that allows you to let others know that you are open to sharing your booth.

Let me say firstly, that the atmosphere, food and drink are good; however, my customer service experience has left me with a bitter taste in my mouth!
I recently moved to a new apt in Capitol Hill and started frequenting this location again. I had always been treated well by staff except for one female employee that repeatedly treated me with a lack of warmth and friendliness that other customers were being given. Every time I had to deal with this particular person, I was made to wait at the counter unnecessarily, my coffee was just left at the counter without making sure I knew it was ready and I finally decided to say something about it.
I pretty much got no where with my customer service complaint and decided to try the Manager. I tried to explain and have the Manager observe how this waitpersob was smiling and treating customers well but that I was not getting the same service. The Manager wouldn’t even turn to observe what I was talking about! I finally left and called back to explain that I was still dissatisfied with the entire experience and was told over the phone, by The Manager, that I was in fact, the one being disrespectful!
I finally ended the conversation after being blown away by the fact that The Manager insisted on blaming me (The Customer), telling me that the waitperson in question was great with customers and «I’m not sure what else I can do as I’m busy and I feel you’ve attacked me.»
Needless to say, I will not be returning to Café Solstice with my service dog again. I’m disappointed enough in the entire experience to try to put into words what I’ve experienced as a customer. I’m saddened because, as I explained to The Manager, I had never complained before and always enjoyed the other staff.
Sorry Café Solstice, I’m going to have to pass you by :/​
Sincerely,
Once a Loyal Customer

This is my favorite coffee place for these reasons:
1.) delicious food! (try the Nachos)
2.) delicious french press coffee (refills only .25 cents)
3.) friendly staff (the best goddamn people in the universe… trust me)
4.) big tables/​great lighting (work work work)
5.) best soundtrack to my life (honestly, have been turned onto so many great songs here)
So I go here basically every day, and I know there are a lot of coffee shops to choose from. I also love Vivace. But for food/​music/​working this is my favorite.

It’s a great open space for working. They have wifi. But the music is too loud and upbeat, kinda distracting if you don’t bring noise cancelling headphones.
I had a cappuccino and it was fine.

3 stars on some days, 4 stars on other. 3.5 stars is the happy medium
Solstice is a great place to get coffee, food, or drinks, all while working amongst the other Capitol Hill people and their laptops (does everyone work from home? Is everyone an artists/​student/​writer/​unemployed? Why are there always so many people at coffee shops always???)
Solstice is always super crowded (you will have to share a table) and the music is always blasting (good if you like the tunes, bad if it sucks. Usually it’s good but when it’s bad, it’s really bad).
The staff (and patrons this place attracts) are almost always super unfriendly (what’s the deal, yo?). I’ve repeatedly had the staff be rude to me and everything is so expensive.
Why, then, do I come here several times a week? It occupies a really nice, open space, with lots of good lighting. The windows can make it seem bright out even when it’s a signature grey Seattle day. The wifi is fast and most spots have access to outlets. It’s a good place to crank through some email or mindless work and get a dank coffee. The earlier you get here, the more peaceful it is. Honestly, though, I really need to quit this place.
The Cuban sandwich is my favorite (cuz why not)

I frequented the U-​District location A LOT when I was in college. When I first met my boyfriend who lives in Capitol Hill, they had just opened this location and I freaked out. Aaand now I live in the neighborhood too and can someone make my life easier and just deduct my budget for this place from my paycheck?
This place is bigger and brighter than the U-​District location. The music choices are still fun. Like in the U-​District location, it’s still invariably too loud.
The coffee is just as good. It’s Lighthouse Roasters coffee which is on the rich, nutty, chocolatey side. They also know how to steam their milk which, in a city as renowned for coffee as Seattle, is unfortunately quite uncommon. I know, I know… I need a monocle and have my pinky up when holding my cup to finish the coffee snob look.
They also have beer and wine for when you’re switching from caffeinating yourself to a night cap. They have a wider food selection and even have brunch options. The sandwiches are more expensive, but they do come with more. And they still use Boar’s Head products which is a plus in my book.
Overall, a very solid neighborhood café.

I LOVE THIS PLACE, until today. Courtney, barista has ruined for me. She was so rude. Charges us for another drink when we asked her if she can change it to ice drink. Made a fuss about it. Continued to tell us it was our fault. I rave about this place to everyone, but thanks to Courtney, I have to go back on it. She also made the second drink I paid for WRONG while she explained to me how it was my fault.

Pros: Good coffee and comfortable place (the only one around that is open till midnight).
Cons: terrible internet connectivity and a tendency to have load music late late at night which practically drives you out of there.

Sometimes I love cute, tiny coffeeshops as much as the next lover of cute, tiny coffeeshops, but other times I want to go to one where there’s more than just a 25% chance I’ll actually find a seat. Solstice is bigger and roomier than most of the other places on the Hill, so you’ll likely be able to actually sit down and hang out for a while! Wow!!! There’s upstairs seating too.
It’s open late and serves food and beer once you’re over the need for caffeine. I’ve been here a few times, mostly when I wanted to read and have some food. The food is okay — I enjoy it, but it’s also not something I get super excited about. I will say, though, to not get the waffle with the seasonal berry sauce or whatever, though, because:
a. It comes out lava hot
b. It makes the waffle a gross, soggy pile
c. That makes me sad
Do get the cookies, though. All of them.

I love how it’s open late up until midnight. The lighting is on the dark side, so if you’re here for serious studying, you might want to reconsider. But, for unwinding after work or just catching up with a friend, the ambiance is so chill and inviting.
I must add… I like layout of their bathrooms. There is more than 1 so you’re not standing in line awkwardly waiting your turn. The sink and the mirror outside the bathrooms are also a nice touch.

Café Solstice you’ve earn a spot in my heart by giving me a pleasant early morning sanity break between jobs! I was desperately searching for a quiet, low-​key coffee spot around First Hill/​Cap Hill so I can do some journaling and reading when I found Solstice facing a quiet residential street under some luxury apartments.
I’ve had some unpleasant experiences multiple times at the Solstice in the U-​District and had pretty much given up on that one. I walked by to scope it out and decided to give a different location a chance. And it was a HUGE difference.
Love the layout of the place, high vaulted ceilings to make the place feel spacious with sturdy wooden booths by floor to ceiling windows facing the quiet neighborhood. It was only 9am but most of the best seats in the house were claimed. But that just gave me a chance to hang out in the loft seating on the 2^nd floor– even better! Super quiet, dim space to escape and get some work done. Even though there were some windows up there, it is pretty dim so don’t expect to do reading up there.
The staff was very nice and attentive, my café au lait came out fast and tasty delicious! The ginormous lemon-​peach scone was moist, fresh, and a sweet morning pick-​me-​up. Also, I was very pleasantly surprised by the total cost– not crazy like I expected a café in this hood to be.
Two thumbs up, I will definitely be back (to this location!)

love everything about this place, ambience décor and music and the food…
all are ⁵⁄₅ stars, they have lots of wall outlets and seating so great place to study or work.
havent tried the drinks yet so cant say
love their veggie scramble :)

Café Solstice is a block away from my apartment, and having it here is just so convenient. The space is large, bright and airy – perfect for working remotely, a lazy weekend afternoon spent reading, or catching up over coffee. It even has an upstairs area with – you guessed it – even more tables! There’s also free (fairly reliable) wifi, so you do tend to see a lot of students here in the evening or on weekends.
The coffee is made from Lighthouse Roasters’ beans, which is good stuff. If you like your drinks a little stiffer, there’s also a pretty decent tap selection. You’ll always find local stalwarts like Elysian and Fremont Brewing, and I’ve seen some stuff from Californian breweries (especially Firestone Walker and Sierra Nevada) as well. Drinks aside, their sandwiches are pretty awesome! I had the Cuban, which was on point with juicy, succulent pulled pork on a crunchy Baguette. It’s no Paseo sandwich, but it’ll do for when I want to walk under 5 minutes.
All in all, Café Solstice is a great, unpretentious addition to the neighborhood.

I came hungry and I left… still hungry.
We decided to check this place out for breakfast on Sunday to avoid the wait at Americana and get something a little quicker but three stars is generous for the experience I had. It would be two stars if my friend hadn’t been pretty adamant that his crescent sandwich was decent.
What initially soured me on the experience was a seemingly arbitrary inflexibility on the menu. It’s not that I was asking for anything wild or difficult. I didn’t ask them to change anything. I’m vegetarian and I can’t eat eggs so my options were pretty limited. I ordered the waffle, but not wanting 100% sugar for breakfast, I asked if they could add a side of potatoes – the exact same side of potatoes that comes with multiple other things on their menu. But the guy behind the counter immediately shot that down with no explanation. I was pretty astonished. They can’t sell me a side item that is already on their menu, with zero changes to that item, unless I happen to order one of the egg dishes it comes with? I have no problem paying like $ 4 – 5 for a side of potatoes but apparently that’s not an option.
When I got the waffle after about a 15 minute wait, I wasn’t expecting brilliance, but what I got was not worth it even for the very low price they sell them for. It was lukewarm when I went to put butter on it but by the time I put the first bite in my mouth after cutting it up it was officially room temperature. The waffle tasted good, but he texture left a lot to be desired. The texture was much too thick and not even a little bit fluffy. I ate about half of it before deciding it was not worth continuing.
The friend I came with said his crescent sandwich was a-​ok, hence the 3 star review rather than two. He said the flavor was good but the texture left something to be desired since crescents, eggs, and cheese, 3 of the 4 ingredients, are all pretty squishy naturally and even more so when you heat them up. The latte and cappuccino we had were also fine. Nothing to write home about but nothing bad either.
My last complaint is something they have clearly tried to do something about but have not done enough – there aren’t many booths in this restaurant (coffee bar?) but this morning around 11, on Sunday brunchday, 3 of the 5 were taken up by people on their laptops with a single coffee. There were little cards on the tables asking that patrons share the booths, but that doesn’t appear to have changed anyone’s behavior.
All of this added up to a «meh» bordering on solidly crappy experience. Would not recommend. Sorry, Capitol Hill, but this place is straight up overrated.

Score for an awesome café with a great atmo! This place is amazing and definitely a hidden gem. Super open and airy with 2 levels– bonus!
Only downside is that the music is fairly loud. Good music but loud. If it was slightly quieter it would be perfect.
It’s great for those wanting to sit down with a laptop and work till late (open till midnight!!)yet also for those wanting to grab coffee or drinks with friends and have a cozy convo. It’s a place that does café plus restaurant really really well and makes both types of customers feel absolutely at home!
The French press is great– smooth and silky and not overly acidic which I really don’t like.
The app we got was the sliders and those were delicious and reasonably priced. Meat was flavorful and tender and loved the sauce and pickled things inside (beets?).
Pastries available left in the front case were sparse that late at night but looked decently yummy.
Great music and lighting making it cozy yet hip. Friendly and chill staff were a bonus!

«Mimosas, chorizo, potatoes, oh my…»
This was an unlikely find in the neighborhood of Capitol Hill. I have been to many brunch places and most, if not all, are always located on a main avenue. This establishment was conveniently tucked away down the road from Julia’s. The outside was almost nondescript and anyone passing by could have easily walked on without giving a single glance.
Upon entering I noticed this was more than a café, it was a restaurant. The seating areas are large enough for huge groups and the loft area was a nice touch. The bar/​cashier/​barista was personable and the glass case containing morning pastries was enticing. I ordered the a mimosa, chorizo scramble with house potatoes, toast and the Belgian waffle. The service time was simply impressive. The drinks arrived just as we sat down and the food within minutes. The Belgian waffle was freshly made and the syrup was even warm in its container. The scramble was tasty and the potatoes had a nice crisp and heat to it. This place was a pleasant surprise in location, food, and service.

Great place to work/​study. Great place to meet people. Coffee, tea, beer, wine and food! I’d skip happy hour food (wasn’t that great in my opinion) and order a sandwich instead
Large space, lots of tables and outlets & no issues with wifi!