Fireplace cafes are cozy anytime, but when the first real December chill hits the Northwest, nothing warms you up like coffee by the fire. It’s worth braving the frosty, rainy outdoors to get to some of the favorites around the region. These amazing fireplace venues are so great that they may inspire you to build your own in your beautiful home or visit somewhere like hereon.biz and get a small stove so you can create that atmosphere in your home. However, this will take some serious work on your part and may require you to find some masonry drill bits to complete the job. If you don’t have any, you can check out some reviews here for them so that you’re not completely lost when trying to build your own fireplace.
1) Kate’s Café at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, Victoria, BC: The Oak Bay Beach Hotel takes fireplaces seriously-there’s one in most every room of the building, and the grand lobby features the building’s refurbished original wood-burner. Locals and guests alike can cozy up next to one with coffee at Kate’s, a cabin-like side room with heavy wood ceiling beams, expertly prepared espresso and a menu of light fare.
2) Looney Bean, Bend, Ore.: As the newest location in the five-store chain that stretches from Colorado to Mazatlan, Mexico, this Bend outpost marks the first entry of Looney Bean into the Northwest. The small fireplace space alongside the Deschutes River serves as a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Get a drink with espresso whipped cream.
3) Rocking Frog Café, Portland: Housed in a compact craftsman in Southeast Portland, Rocking Frog offers Ristretto Roasters and a living-room feel. Their wood-burning fireplace is the perfect accompaniment to their equally hot, made-to-order old-fashioned doughnuts.
4) Muse Coffee Co., Seattle: Muse declares itself “in the creativity business,” serving up crafty drinks (try the orange-zested “murcia” mocha) in an armchair-laden space serving Herkimer Coffee to all types of creatives. In the vein of the great artistic coffeehouses of seventeenth-century London and Paris, patrons feel welcome for hours at a time, and a fireplace is part of that package.
5) 49th Parallel, Vancouver, BC: Grab your coffee and your doughnut-which Vancouverites would pit against Rocking Frog’s offerings any day-and head to the back of the Mount Pleasant shop, where you can snag a squashy leather chair beneath the starry array of lightbulbs overhanging the big brick fireplace.
