Seattle Gold Coffee

I love this place, even after it changed from Café Wannabee to Seattle Gold Coffee. I am hooked on their dark roasted beans, and now brew at home exclusively with their bulk coffee, which is very reasonably priced.
Unfortunately, Seattle Gold Coffee closed on March 8, 2010.
I think the WiFi still works though!
UPDATE on 5÷10÷2014:
The building was torn down and replaced by a giant multi-​story apodment building.

This is my favorite place in the U District to study. The big tables let me spread out all of the papers and books from the depths of my exploding backpack. At lots of other coffee shops I never feel like I have enough room to spread out and I feel cramped and claustrophobic. From the three times I’ve visited Seattle Gold, it hasn’t been very busy, which makes for a quiet and focused atmosphere. I am a typical over-​stimulated young person and find it hard to focus on studying, but whenever I come here I magically can study for hours!
What I like about this golden establishment is when I order drinks for-​here, I get to pick out my own cute ceramic mug. The other day I picked a little one, today I picked a mondo mug, and I got my drink for the same price. I always feel like I am a special customer because of this. Their paninis are also scrumptious.
This place could use a little extra heating (last time I was here I was shiverin’ me timbers) and a more extensive menu. How about offering soups and salads in addition to sandwiches? The friendly and accomodating staff make up for any of these downfalls, however. I enjoy chatting with them whenever I come in to study.

Oh man. I fell off the wagon, and am now a relapsed mocha addict.
I didn’t plan on getting one. I thought I’d be strong enough to go into a coffee place and just order plain coffee, like I have regularly for the past three years. Apparently I had a moment of weakness, and I decided to go for it. Then, I accidentally-​on-​purpose didn’t ask for nonfat milk, so it would be extra thick and creamy. («Just one can’t hurt, right?»)
Wrong. After one sip, all of the progress I’ve made in rehab went out the window.
But I can’t blame the establishment for my faults. The older woman and younger man (maybe mother and son) were both very friendly and eager to serve, as I was the only one in there. They had a selection of mismatched «for here» cups, and tables were equipped with board games, some of which I’d never seen before. One weird thing was that the tables had big dishes cut into them for some of the game pieces, which made it seem like it would be hard to do regular work on the surface. But maybe it’s not the type of place you go to do work. It seems more like the lazy-​Saturday-​afternoon hangout.
I definitely want to go back, maybe for one of their sandwiches, but my sponsor isn’t so sure I’m strong enough yet.

This was the first coffeeshop we hit on our little mini-​trip through Seattle, on a drizzly Saturday morning. We wanted to make a tour through the U. District’s farmer’s market and figured the best way to best the rain was to have a mocha in hand. It’s not a whole lot to look at from the outside, but things immediately turn warmer on the inside. The previous owner, apparently, had something of an artist’s hands, and used them to craft a bunch of quirky but classy tables. Not great for balancing drinks mind you, but easily offset by their conversational value. I found my mocha to be average, but my traveling partner, who’s something of a coffee fiend, declared his coconut mocha to be «superb» and would declare at the end of the trip to be the most memorable amongst a panoply of coffees and mochas. Anyhow, the location’s great for a ritual Saturday morning sweep on the market and things seem sound on the coffee end. The large windows out front make for good people watching, and personally, great viewing on rainy and drizzly days. You know, the kinds of things I moved out to Seattle for.

Not a bad little place! I had a panini and it was quite delicious. My only complaint about it is that the guy at the counter seemed quite apathetic about his customers in general and was very very slow in doing anything. He seemed to crawl through drinks and sandwiches.
There is lots of seating and everything seems to be set-​up as a quirky little shop to sip on a coffee while you write your next novel. I’m not entirely sure I liked the vibe, but it was a pretty relaxing environment.
I think if they acquired an additional staff person and lowered their prices a bit they could become a cool little hang-​out.
In the mean time it’s more like an over-​priced coffee shop that’s trying a little too hard at the hipster angle.
Did no one tell them that doesn’t work in the U-​district?

Too many ownership changes have unfortunately doomed this once-​quirky coffee shop. The last I checked, they put in a bunch of ridiculously tacky chairs and replaced all the previous unique, non-​level tables.
And, oh yes, the barista was talking loudly on her cell phone the entire time with her boyfriend. I’m not really sure what all the fuss was about, but if you’re having a relationship crisis, please don’t let it interrupt my reading. Thank you.

I’m not sure whether this place is managed by the same people who used to run Café Wannabee at the same location. In any case, Seattle Gold offers reasonably good coffee and a nice, quiet place to sit down. The three stars are for the only item I’ve tried: the espresso. Enjoyable enough, but nothing to write home about.
The menu’s pretty extensive for a coffee shop. There’s panini, a bunch of teas, smoothies, and so on. There’s also a shelf or two of well-​thumbed books in the corner; a nice touch.

While unemployed/​self-​employed, I spent the majority of my days inhabiting coffeeshops and teahouses with free wireless. If I’d known at the time that Wannabee existed, I would definitely have made the trek up to the U-​District to hang out there. It’s a great environment… cool local art, the handmade tables others have mentioned, a variety of books, awesome/​friendly people.
They also have a variety of food for vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters alike. I haven’t tried any of it yet, but it looks delicious. They sell homemade soup, sandwiches, and a variety of pastries from local bakeries. The organic coffee is good and the baristas draw pretty latte art. Someone mentioned that when they first opened they didn’t have lids for the to-​go cups, but they do now.
For those who drive, parking nearby is not difficult. It’s also readily accessible by bus & bike. =]

Let’s get this straight: I am a coffee drinker. That’s part of the reason I visited Seattle back in March and it’s part of the reason I am *still* reviewing the places I had caffeinated heaven in a cup.
Of course, Café Wannabee was one such stop –how could it not be after all the great reviews?
I’ve got to say, this was not the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had. Don’t get me wrong it was better than Tullys (what isn’t really?) and way better than some of the burnt nastiness that you find on the Eastside, but amazing? Meh. 3-​star worthy.
But why then 4-​stars? Because I love love loved the atmosphere. From the one of a kind mosaic tables to the AMAZING cookie and great reading selection, I was sold.
Props go out to the girl behind the counter as well — she was very attentive and patient with my indecisive self.

Café Wannabee demonstrates the power of imagination in bringing an excellent retail establishment to life. From the sculptured concrete tabletops (which are worth a visit in their own right) to the shelves lined with an abundance of books to the multitude of children’s toys, Café Wannabee creates an atmosphere that is cozy, delightful, and whimsical! I felt my imagination and curiosity growing just by being there! In addition, Café Wannabee is both a kid-​friendly and dog-​friendly establishment that has great coffee to boot. They serve Kalani Organic coffee, which is very, very smooth; my latte was delicious! To top it all off, the barista was really friendly and welcoming. Café Wannabee is definitely one of the top coffee shops in all of Seattle.

10:00 AM is a late hour to start drinking, but as usual Maria C knows her coffee. They serve some of the best I’ve had. The whole place is authentically cool. I love the handmade tables, and the rows of small, medium, and large coffee mugs you get to choose from when you order.
What I didn’t like is that they don’t take my beloved AMEX… or any other plastic. They do take a check. Also, they could take a lesson from Starbucks on how they run the line. Take my money… fast! and let me go sit down. Don’t make me wait in line while you do a fantastic job on every order. Maria had to stand in line for a good couple minutes to get a treat.
So, other than that, this place is pretty much perfect. I love the large collection of books for sale. I didn’t have enough time to peruse the collection, but I suspect I’ll be back again soon.
The other thing I liked is the large selection of kiddie toys. My son stayed busy for almost an hour. Mostly he tried to run out in the street, but he also enjoyed the marbles and glass pieces in the tables that line the windows. Today was a bright sunny day with crisp fall air, so the street was loaded with people headed to the market. It made for some good people watching and an easy stroll down leaf-​covered streets back to the car. Definitely recommended.

I have a new for real, forever, favorite coffeehouse now. Again. But for real this time. Sorry, Umbria, you’re hip and your coffee is great, but I want to live in Wannabee. Its hippie, funky, bookish, crafty attraction might not appeal to everyone, but this is the kind of place I would design if I ran a coffeeshop. Ecelectic on steroids. And you can buy the books. My friend and I sat back in a corner with bookshelves on two sides and though I tried, I couldn’t resist walking away with one, because they’re cheap and for sale. The table had shells and rocks to play with and the counter has wind-​up toys to play with while you wait for your drink. Who can resist a wind-​up praying mantis? Not I. The slice of Grand Marnier bread came from Macrina — YUM. There are counters and a futon loveseat and rickety chairs around homemade tables loaded with things to keep your hands busy, like rocks and shells and grooves and things reminiscent of a mancala game. The ceiling is loaded with funky paper lanterns and the floors are comfortably scuffed wood. Wi-​Fi is free and the quad mocha I had was incredibly smooth. It didn’t taste like a quad, but did feel like a quad.
One of the best things about the place is the dog. She’s a 3 legged Komondor (the kind with dreadlocks) and not only was the poor thing wearing a cone, but after sweet talking her into taking a nap near our table, we found out she’s actually deaf. So fine, it wasn’t us but the sleeping bag on the floor. I love her.
The rain poured outside, and inside the windows started to steam, and there weren’t many people there and the music was great (until it was gone and we started to speak a lot lower as I’m sure no one else wanted to hear our wisdom accumulated over a lot of painful years) and the place was yet another reminder of why I live in Seattle. Going there today was like getting a massage without getting a massage. I feel great.