Caffe Vita

The coffee is good as usual, but it’s changed since I was last here.
The good:
— coffee
The bad:
— fairly loud for a coffeeshop, the music is something you’d expect to hear at a bar at midnight
— fairly messy, chair & table was sticky :/​
— what ever happened to the upstairs portion?
— crowded
— wifi kept kicking me off and having me sign back in over & over
If you’re looking for a nice sit down place to read or do work, definitely go somewhere else.
Place kinda has that hipster vibe, if that’s your thing… I’d come back here if I was just in the mood for a coffee and just wanted to pop in for a few minutes.

Thank you for your kindness Vita employees. I apologized about disagreements with this business and they were kind and receptive.
Best wishes Vita.

Very hip and urban atmosphere. I tried the Kyoto cold brew which was alright but nothing special. Service was a bit helter skelter and they had next to nothing to eat. I ordered a veggie pasty and I finally had to go up and ask for it. Turns out she had forgotten it in the heater. It wasn’t really my thing anyway.
I went for a walk around the block and passed three other coffee shops. Turns out they all had better reviews. Darn it.

Cute little spot to grab my first official cup of Seattle coffee. Let me preface this review by saying that I know nothing about coffee other than sometimes it tastes good and sometimes it tastes bad, but I like that you can get soy/​almond/​coconut milk and they seemed to have a good selection of baked goods that I somehow managed to muster the self control to walk away from.

I tried their chai today and it was a little too spicy for my taste. The service here is also a hit or miss. I really like their lattes, and that they offer non dairy options!

Wasn’t a «must» for me. Plenty of seating, although a little dimly lit. Coffee was otherwise pretty standard and pricey — nothing that stood out to me or gave us a «wow» on our experience. But decent enough if you need to stop be the neighborhood for some caffeine.

If you are looking for a place to study or work, this is a decent place. I have been sitting here from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and these are my observations:
1) There used to be an upstairs, now it is closed off to patrons. This is supposedly because of a growth in the operations and they needed the space. I miss this birds-​eye-​view.
2) There are about 12 tables to sit at. Since, I have been here there is always at least 2 tables open.
3) I am lucky, I have a wall table, which is next to a electric socket. Middle tables do not have access.
4) I purchased two cups of coffee and have never been bothered by staff. I literally feel like I could sit here until closing. This is probably the best part.
5) Music is playing. I haven’t been too distracted.
6) I am sitting by the window, which has little insulation. You can also smell the smoke from the smokers outside. Thankfully, they are never there for long.
7) My morning coffee, the server was not to friendly. My afternoon coffee the server was extremely helpful.

They had a list of coffees, but then told me it wasn’t possible to make the one I asked for. I ended up just getting the drip. The staff wasn’t very helpful when asking about the bathroom key. I enjoyed the music and atmosphere. The coffee tasted pretty good.

Yes, you serve amazing coffee. And I think that’s a compliment coming from a person who rarely drinks coffee but will go out of my way to get Caffe Vita coffee.
What I don’t like is the dim lighting, how absolutely disgusting the place was (there was trash on the floor, it was also really sticky, there was trash on the self serve condiment area). Worst of all was the bathroom. That place was absolutely appalling. It smelled to high heaven and it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in days. I hate using this comparison but I felt like the bathroom was the type you find in a really shady part of town or a really out of the way, hole in the wall gas station. How is that acceptable?
On top of that, the barista (who appeared to be the only employee in the place) was apathetic and couldn’t give a flying F about you because she was having too much fun chatting up her two friends. I saw someone come in, wait to order a drink, wait a bit more, and gave up and left. I’m sure that happens often when your barista is only interested in her own social circle and not actually doing her job.
Yeah you have amazing coffee but when will your employees and everything else be equally amazing? I won’t hold my breath.

Café Vita is awesome! I love their atmosphere and the actual location is super cozy and warm. Their espresso is always fresh, never burnt. I’m a regular and seriously reccomend it!
Only con is that you may have to wait longer than other shops, but worth it!

Dim lighting, awful music, poor customer service and burnt beans left me feeling severely underwhelmed.
My barista took my order, disengaged and left me standing at her register with my money in hand while she went back to chatting with her coworker. After our drinks were done, she gave me an awkward forced smile as she announced the price. Upon first sip, my husband suggested we just leave immediately and avoid the stomachache that is spoiled coffee, and this place knows how to burn a coffee bean.
I’ve had their coffee at Lost Lake before and it was horrendous, but I was hoping that the café would be better. Not at all.
Will not be returning.

I’ve been going café vita for a few months and what I enjoyed about it is the location and the space. Usually having cool art displayed and good music.
My experience with the female staff has generally been good, but the male employees I have found to be rude and disrespectful. My last visit was greeted with a cocky attitude followed by an overcharged coffee.
What aggravates me are these cry baby hipsters in the service industry who act like they could care less and they still expect you to tip them. I’m sorry, but if you act like a child pissed at the world because you’re mad at the rising cost of rent and you spew it out at your customers, you don’t deserve a tip.
I work in the service industry and its my job to make people happy, and I get payed well for doing that. Try giving a f*ck and maybe people will respect you and tip you more.

Creamy hemp mocha! Yummy.
I’ve been to Vita many times over the years. Consistently good coffee and a nice atmosphere to study or meet up for conversation. They have great chai and espresso. Lots of nondairy options!
I’m not a fan of the smoking section outside so I don’t utilize their outside seating but they do have 4 – 5 tables on the sidewalk.
Bypass Starbucks and check out all the great coffee shops in Seattle!

The guys behind the counter were really friendly. I was looking for a red tea and some water, nothing to hard to figure out. They offered me a selection and luckily they had rooibos on deck. Got a big order and was on my way quickly. Couldn’t ask for anything else. Good experience overall.

A seemingly simple latte that turned up the start of my vacation up about 10 notches. Straight forward coffee with offerings of tea and Italian soda are sprawled out on the menu. Service… yeah they could probably improve on that a bit. Not the friendliest invitation upon walking through the door but they slowly warmed up throughout the minute interaction. With that said, the atmosphere is cozy and many people were working on their computers while we conversed. I would definitely come back. The latte I ordered definitely spoke to me so kudos to the barista that made it!

The space is nice and large. It’s great for being by yourself or with a group. The coffee is meh. I don’t know why people rave about this place.
Full disclosure: I have only ordered and espresso macchiatos, undertows, and cappuccinos. Since these are all espresso based drinks I guess I can’t say anything about their brewed coffee.

This is my new go-​to coffee place. Proximity and also very good drinks.
I really like the Lattes. All of the specialty drinks are slightly more bitter (less sweet) than most other coffee places I know. I’ve only tried a handful of the drinks, but I think they’re good. One of the few times I have a sweet tooth is when it comes to coffee beverages. But I’d say there is a bitterness to the beans. Then again, I’m no connoisseur so sue me.
The inside space feels a little cramped downstairs. There’s also an upstairs and if you’re lucky to get the coveted window seats then you’ve got it made. Against the wall isn’t terrible either, but it feels sort of charmless up there and of course because it’s the second floor, it’s a little hot (especially during summer!) But the seating outside is also very cool. Work won’t get done, and people watching will occur, but it’s nice on the busy street.
People there are friendly and hip. Surprise!

I desperately needed a pick-​me-​up before a 5:00PM meeting in Capitol Hill, and as the 5^th Avenue location had already treated me well, I decided to stop into this Caffe Vita. I’m a megafan of the location and building. There’s seating outside, there’s seating on the first floor in front of the roasting room (there’s a big window for the curious), and there’s seating on the second floor, with open windows and views of the street. What’s more, wifi abounds!
The baristas were attentive and efficient. I ordered the Kyoto cold brew, derived from the ancient Japanese art of making some badass beverages from beans, and I could not have asked for a more perfect treat. I would not describe this as an iced coffee at all. It actually comes in a small glass (6 oz? 8 oz? I’m horrible with volumes), but the amount is just right. The flavors were plentiful and complex, and they lingered. The coffee was strong without the liquid itself being syrupy; as a matter of fact, I would describe the drink as «crisp» and an excellent tonic. This was the perfect drink to represent a place with a name like Caffe Vita!

Café Vita is a pretty spacious spot with two floors full of tables, outlets and speedy wifi. I come here mainly to get some work done before my work shift which is conveniently nearby. The place is kind of dim and its music is fairly loud compared to other cafes in cap hill. So if you’re the type that needs a quiet place to study this probably isn’t the spot for you. The coffee is okay too.

Drinks (⁵⁄₅), Pricing (⁴⁄₅), Service (⁴⁄₅), Atmosphere (⁴⁄₅).
I’ve had the latte and cappuccino, both were extremely smooth. Normally I have to add some sugar to my capp, but it had such a great flavor and wasn’t bitter at all so no sugar needed!
The place is great to meet for a chat, or to study/​work. Music is loud enough to drown out the surroundings to make it nice for me to focus on my work (than on others conversations), so if you need a quiet place (especially when studying) I wouldn’t recommend. Unless you’re near the windows, the lighting is quite dim, so keep that in mind if you’re reading. Two floors with plenty of seating, but can get crowded on a weekend.