Seattle Coffee Tour: Bauhaus
/Bauhaus has been on our list to visit for ages. We actually visited it a few weekends ago, so this post is a bit belated. I promise the time lag won't affect the review though.
This is probably one of the more popular coffee shops in town. I remember when I started at Starbucks downtown, some of my friend baristas were staying it was quite good. Then I read Racing in the Rain which takes place in Seattle and the main character stops at Bauhaus on a walk. I think it was mentioned elsewhere too. It's just popular; enough said.
With this popularity, it got all amped up in my mind. This probably wasn't a good thing for my visit. I had this place built up to be fabulous. Well, I thought it was good, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. However, I have to say, it is very Capitol Hill.
Coffee Shop Name: Bauhaus Books and Coffee
Location: 301 E. Pine Street, Capitol Hill
The Order: I got a Sugar Free Irish Cream Latte and Josh a mocha.
General Babble: I did most of my babbling above, but perhaps I can speak more specifically to our visit. The interior has a whole wall that is a book case. There is a loft area up top that has additional seating. Josh and I chose to sit up there. At our particular table, we could look over the banister and see the baristas working away below. As we people watched, we decided it was a locals place for sure. Our coffee was in glass cups - very retro - but it looked cool that way. Not sure how they retain warmth for long.
I enjoyed parts of the store itself with some interesting pieces of decoration and the bookcase. It was quite lofty though so I could see how Josh got a more stark, cool feel from the visit. Overall, I enjoyed our time there but I'm not rushing back.
Ratings:
Overall Visit: 3 - As I've said, I'm not sure if my expectations were too high or what, but it just was a decent experience. It wasn't the "wow, I want to go back there" reaction. We had a nice time though and the coffee was decent.
Latte Art: 3 - Nothing too great here. There was a design, but it was small and almost an after-thought. They had more foam on the top than some of the other fancy coffee places we've been too. The more foam it seems the less design. Josh had whip cream so we couldn't tell. Speaking of which, I found it funny that they pulled out a new bottle of Kirkland whip cream and then proceeded to rip off the wrapping so you couldn't tell where it was from. Tricky, but you could tell.
Atmosphere: 3.5 - I think Josh and I had slightly different options here. I thought it had a different feel and sort of neat with the bookcase and such. And good people watching. Josh thought it a bit less cozy.
Drink Options: 4 - Well, they answered my call for more sugar free flavors. However, I didn't like the taste of the one I chose...Irish cream. I've had it at other places and it was good, but perhaps it was the type of syrup. It gave it a weird after-taste (somewhat bitter). It did mellow out as I got through the first third though. Maybe as a mocha it would have been better. I just didn't like the syrup...Torani? So they get props for flavor option effort. They had all the other usuals too, of course.
Coffee Knowledge: 3 - I'm giving this a mid-range score because I really didn't ask many questions. Partly because the barista were a bit stand-off-ish. Not totally snobs or snooty, but just didn't get that warm welcome. Then I went on their website and their wasn't any information about their coffee...odd since it's a coffee place. They did have cool stuff for sale though!
Food: 3.75 - Plenty of options. They had Top Pot donuts, croissants, muffins, scones, and even ding dongs. I opted for my favorite thing...a muffin. It was alright. A bit dry, and nothing I want to go back for (definitely not Honey's or Palace Kitchen pumpkin muffins). Josh had a croissant which he thought was alright. We left wishing we just got coffee and going to Homegrown around the corner instead...
This is probably one of the more popular coffee shops in town. I remember when I started at Starbucks downtown, some of my friend baristas were staying it was quite good. Then I read Racing in the Rain which takes place in Seattle and the main character stops at Bauhaus on a walk. I think it was mentioned elsewhere too. It's just popular; enough said.
With this popularity, it got all amped up in my mind. This probably wasn't a good thing for my visit. I had this place built up to be fabulous. Well, I thought it was good, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. However, I have to say, it is very Capitol Hill.
Coffee Shop Name: Bauhaus Books and Coffee
Location: 301 E. Pine Street, Capitol Hill
The Order: I got a Sugar Free Irish Cream Latte and Josh a mocha.
General Babble: I did most of my babbling above, but perhaps I can speak more specifically to our visit. The interior has a whole wall that is a book case. There is a loft area up top that has additional seating. Josh and I chose to sit up there. At our particular table, we could look over the banister and see the baristas working away below. As we people watched, we decided it was a locals place for sure. Our coffee was in glass cups - very retro - but it looked cool that way. Not sure how they retain warmth for long.
I enjoyed parts of the store itself with some interesting pieces of decoration and the bookcase. It was quite lofty though so I could see how Josh got a more stark, cool feel from the visit. Overall, I enjoyed our time there but I'm not rushing back.
Ratings:
Overall Visit: 3 - As I've said, I'm not sure if my expectations were too high or what, but it just was a decent experience. It wasn't the "wow, I want to go back there" reaction. We had a nice time though and the coffee was decent.
Latte Art: 3 - Nothing too great here. There was a design, but it was small and almost an after-thought. They had more foam on the top than some of the other fancy coffee places we've been too. The more foam it seems the less design. Josh had whip cream so we couldn't tell. Speaking of which, I found it funny that they pulled out a new bottle of Kirkland whip cream and then proceeded to rip off the wrapping so you couldn't tell where it was from. Tricky, but you could tell.
Atmosphere: 3.5 - I think Josh and I had slightly different options here. I thought it had a different feel and sort of neat with the bookcase and such. And good people watching. Josh thought it a bit less cozy.
Drink Options: 4 - Well, they answered my call for more sugar free flavors. However, I didn't like the taste of the one I chose...Irish cream. I've had it at other places and it was good, but perhaps it was the type of syrup. It gave it a weird after-taste (somewhat bitter). It did mellow out as I got through the first third though. Maybe as a mocha it would have been better. I just didn't like the syrup...Torani? So they get props for flavor option effort. They had all the other usuals too, of course.
Coffee Knowledge: 3 - I'm giving this a mid-range score because I really didn't ask many questions. Partly because the barista were a bit stand-off-ish. Not totally snobs or snooty, but just didn't get that warm welcome. Then I went on their website and their wasn't any information about their coffee...odd since it's a coffee place. They did have cool stuff for sale though!
Food: 3.75 - Plenty of options. They had Top Pot donuts, croissants, muffins, scones, and even ding dongs. I opted for my favorite thing...a muffin. It was alright. A bit dry, and nothing I want to go back for (definitely not Honey's or Palace Kitchen pumpkin muffins). Josh had a croissant which he thought was alright. We left wishing we just got coffee and going to Homegrown around the corner instead...
