Ital T-Leaf, Downtown Seattle

Located on either side of Pike Place is Ital T-Leaf. When you walk in, you feel like you've walked into another world. It's easy to be drawn in to experience their free tea tasting. You get sit down and enjoy being educated about a variety of teas while you sample their various teas from China. You are served tea in the traditional Chinese way. This is not a place to come in and hang out, but to sample tea (and hopefully, purchase some of their high quality tea from China.) I found it an enjoyable cultural and educational experience. The tea is a bit pricier that I'm used to, but the experience was unique. For more information, check out the following website: http://www.vitaltleaf.com/

Perennial Tea Room, Downtown Seattle

Located in Post Alley, just outside of the Pike Place Market, is the Perennial Tea Room. Not exactly a tea room, this is a place where you can enjoy a cup of tea to go or drink there. But this isn't really a place to hang out. It's a store to purchase tea and tea-related items. This is another good place to go where you can choose from a selection of over 100 loose teas. They have a great selection of flavorful teas. For more information, go to their website at http://www.perennialtearoom.com/.

Market Spice, Pike Place Market, Seattle

Located in the heart of Pike Place Market is Market Spice. Any tea lover should not come to Seattle without stopping by Market Spice. Known for their famous Market Spice Tea, this little shop packs it in with tea pots, cups, coffee, spices, and their own blends of tea- lots to choose from at very reasonable prices. Sample some of their Market Spice Tea while you browse through their aisles and their many teas. I purchased various black, herbal and green teas for less than $2.00/oz. Market Spice is located at 85C Pike Place in Seattle. Their phone number is 206-622-6340.

Caffe Ladro in Lower Queen Anne

Caffe Ladro in Lower Queen Anne sits on a busy corner where Queen Anne and Roy St. intersect; not far from the Seattle Center. The physical enviroment was comfortable with plenty of seating. Their menu consisted of baked goods and beverages. I ordered a latte and was not disappointed. The coffee was excellent. I have to admit I find myself wanting to drop in a Cafe Ladro just because I really like their coffee.

Caffe Ladro offers a variety of places to hang out at throughout Seattle and its surrounding area. On Queen Anne hill, where the Tea Cup, Starbuck and another coffee place sits, is also another Caffe Ladro. It's much smaller than their other cafes, but when you walk by, you can't help but be pulled in by the smell of coffee.

Ladro means "thief". I don't know if this is true or not, but I was told that the Caffe Ladro near the Starbucks on upper Queen Anne was intended to steal customers away. Whether this is true or not, my senses were definitely drawn toward Caffe Ladro with that aroma of coffee waifing from their doors.

If you haven't already been to a Caffe Ladro, I encourage you to check one out. You might find that your taste buds are also won over as well. For more information on Caffe Ladro, go to:

http://www.caffeladro.com/.

Laughing Ladies Cafe in Shoreline

In the heart of Shoreline at 17551 15th Ave. NE, is the Laughing Ladies Cafe. Don't let the name fool you. This is a great place to hang out for both men and women of any age. It's spaceous and comfortable with lots of seating for individuals or for groups. You can tap in to the internet, read, or be entertained by the various entertainers that pass through weekly.

Laughing Ladies offers quite a selection of food and beverages. Their menu includes a variety of breakfast items, sandwiches, salads and soup and baked goods, made at their Mill Creek location. This is also where they roast their coffee beans. In addition to serving coffee, a tea drinker can enjoy tea from Kuan Yin Tea House. Laughing Ladies also serves beer and wine.

So if you want a comfortable place to hang out or want to go somewhere for entertainment, Laughing Ladies is the place to go. For more information, check out their website:
http://www.laughingladiescafe.com/

Caffe Fiore in the Sunset Hill area in Ballard

Heading down 85th west toward the water, you'll find a triangular cafe hidden on Sunset Hill in Ballard. It's a bit out of the way, but another neighborhood option. The environment is cool looking. The lighting isn't quite as bright as I would have preferred, but it's a comfortable place to hang out and have a bakery item and a cup of coffee, which is exactly what my boyfriend and I did today. We noticed this place was kid-friendly with a box of toys to keep kids occupied. Like Irwin's, Caffe Fiore, had a similar drink options- coffee from Cafe Vita and a variety of tea. The coffee was pretty good. But unlike Irwin's, the selection of food was pretty limited to bakery items that were brought in. I'd go back if I were in the area, but wouldn't necessarily go out of my way. As it turns out, there are three Caffee Fiore's in the Seattle area. If you want to check them out, you can get information for locations and times at www.caffefiore.com.

Irwin's Bakery and Coffee House, Wallingford Neighborhood

I can't tell you how many times I've driven by this place on a short cut to Fremont from the U District and have wanted to stop by. Irwin's is nestled in the Wallingford neighborhood at N. 40th and Blakely. The first thing I noticed was how comfortable and homey this place was. It's a medium sized place with wooden chairs and tables sit at, as well as a lounge area to relax in. At the counter, I was enticed with an array of homemade baked goods all calling my name (homemade apple pie, a variety of muffins, cookies, etc...) and they seemed fairly "healthy". Additionally, there were salads, sandwiches and homemade soup- with vegan and vegetarian options. Impressive by my standards. They had a good selection of teas, and coffee drinks, with the coffee from Caffe Vita.

I found a spot near the window which happened to have a the heater next to it. I enjoyed my coffee and apple turnover and did some reading. Nearby were other folks with their computers tapping into the free Wi-Fi.

If you want to escape to a neighborhood coffee place, this is it. I will definitely go back!