Spring is a perfect time for coffee with a view. Whether it’s a leisurely weekend morning or a spur-of-the-moment afternoon adventure, the following are a few of my favorite places to grab a fine cup of coffee, and perhaps a pastry, and take in a scenic Northwest overlook, cityscape or skyline.
Seattle: Hop a ferry across Elliott Bay to Roosters Café on Bainbridge Island near the ferry terminal. Roosters serves stellar Auburn, Wash.-based Poverty Bay Coffee (try one of their nutty, nuanced light roasts). Sip it on the ferry ride back across the water for the best view you can get of the Seattle skyline.
Spokane: The city’s historic downtown Riverfront Park centers around Spokane Falls, and its SkyRide gondola over city hall and between the upper and lower falls is renowned. Order fantastic Chemex or Bee House brewed Stumptown coffee to go from Coeur Coffeehouse a few blocks away, but skip the pastry and use the money you save toward the $7.50 gondola ticket. The fifteen-minute ride is well worth it.
Portland: Mount Tabor is no secret, even to visitors, but two coffeehouses at the foot of the urban peak are better hidden. Dodge the weekend brunch lines made famous by Portlandia and grab a cup at one of them before taking the twenty-minute hike to the top of the mini-mountain. Coming from the north? Check out Stark Street Station. On your way in from the south? Stop by Rain or Shine Coffee House. Both provide excellent caffeine sustenance for the steep climb. Save a scone or bagel to savor on a bench at the top overlooking the City of Roses.
Lincoln City, Ore.: Pirate Coffee Company is about the only thing separating the Lincoln City stretch of the Oregon Coast Highway from the ocean’s edge. Snag a cup of their signature medium-roast coffee, roasted daily “the old classic way with two San Franciscan, gas heated drum roasters,” and take it down to the beach for a glimpse of where the sea meets the Oregon sky.
Vancouver: Pop into the curious North Van café that is The Coffee Bun (“have bun, have fun”) for something entirely unique—a puffy, semi-sweet pastry with a crusty coffee-flavored exterior, baked fresh every 30 minutes to be filled with everything from cream cheese to red bean to custard. A craze in Asia several years back, the culinary phenomenon’s B.C. outpost has enjoyed rapidly escalating popularity since it opened a few years ago. It’s by the seabus terminal on the lower end of Lonsdale Quay, steps away from the waterfront that looks straight across to beautiful downtown Vancouver.
