This is the second "rebranded" Starbucks I have been to in Seattle. I already had some positive experiences up at 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, so I had high hopes for Roy Street Coffee.
For those of you familiar with the neighborhood, Roy St. is in the bottom of that condo building at the very north end of Broadway, where it splits off to 10th Ave. Not the Kinko's (which is still there), but that empty retail space that has been empty forevvvvver. So good on Starbucks for putting it to good use.
I had a decent macchiato prepared by the friendly and chatty Flanny. Also some really outstanding oolong tea. My friend says the tea maven for these new concept Starbuckses also does the tea for the Queen of England. Every time I learn a little bit about tea, I am overwhelmed by how much there is. We must have spent at least 10 minutes just smelling the lid of the tea pot and discussing aromas.
For the decor, there's a lot more recycled and repurposed stuff in this Roy Street store. Actually, it has a much more natural and organic feel than the 15th St. one. They heavy hanging curtains everywhere in black and red, which really break up the space and make it feel warm, homey, and lived-in.
I want to do a full review of these stores sometime soon. But I snapped this photo while in the shop today, so I thought I would pass it along real quick-like here on the blog.
(For all you gearheads, that's a Synesso Hydra hiding behind the barista.)
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