Bauhaus Books & Coffee

I moved to New York recently and have yet to find a coffee shop as good as Bauhaus in Seattle. The baristas and coffee are the best!

But of course you'd expect a great place to be a little crouded! The mix of people there was so interesting to me. There was such a drastic mix of people, which added to the diversity and attraction to the place. There was a vintage library feel was a bit eclectic, yet nostalgic. The coffee was delicious and the bagel I got was just what I expected a bagel to be.

Pros: awesome coffee, great atmosphere

Cons: a little crouded

This place serves REAL coffee! Great drinks, and such a kitchy place. The service was pretty poor though -- exemplifies the Seattle freeze. You forget all about the baristas once you taste the drink though. Yuuuuuum...

Pros: Coffee, setting

Cons: Service, crowded

Unfriendly employees, pretentious patrons, mediocre coffee (at best). I didn't realize I needed a nose ring, skinny pants, and 12 tattoos to get decent service. Unfortunately, this is typical Capitol Hill snobbery. No thanks, I'll spend my money where my business is wanted and the product is acceptable.

I go to college on Capitol Hill, and I ALWAYS go to Bauhaus to do my homework. I get my coffee there twice a day probably. When school is out, I go read there because I read constantly. I am an alternative kid with lots of tattoos everywhere and theres a lot of really cool people there. It's smoker friendly. I love the coffee and the view. All my friends and I go there to get our coffee and play guitar outside in the summer; while enjoying our cigarettes! I love Bauhaus I can't stress that enough. Reading, coffee, music, and guitar are my favorite things. Thank god we can put it all in one place and ADD A VIEW!

Pros: EVERYTHING

Cons: .... some of the outlets down fit the regular plug ins so maybe bring an adapter?

Bauhaus is the best coffeehouse hands down. The coffee is delicious and the baristas friendly and interesting. I've become a regular there even though I live way out it West Seattle. Such an interesing variety of people are always there. The only drawback is that the place is often packed and there aren't enough tables. Oh! Another great thing about Bauhaus is the outdoor seating which is amazing on a hot summer day when you're sitting out there with your iced americano. GO THERE!

Pros: friendly baristas, great coffee, interesting people

Cons: not enough seating, parking sometimes hard to find

Bauhaus was the very first place I had coffee once I moved into Seattle, in early 1994, and remains the gold standard by which all other coffee shops should be gauged in Rain Town, USA. One could argue that other franchised cafes may actually have better deep roast beans as the base of their bevvies, and personally I think that's a matter of taste. What Bauhaus lacks in corporate efficiency, it makes up for in unique ambience and its quirky clientele. Located on Pine and Melrose, its vantage point between downtown, Capitol Hill and First Hill make it a prime location for people watching, especially at around five-o-clock on a sunny day during the week. The high windows on the west side of the space make for a perfect setting on rainy days with a newspaper or a journal. I moved out of the area in '96, but I still go back there every Sunday morning, really the only place in town where you can hear the Pixies or Funkadelic at 800 a.m. and catch a slice of Seattle's funky side.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Seating can occasionally be a hassle

After a museum visit (Human Bodies) we stopped by at this hip place to get coffee. This spacy place has several tables on two floors. People where sitting down doing some work. One wall is fully covered with books while the other walls had big windows letting in loads of light. I've been told before that the Seattle dress style was pretty easy-going but people hanging around here were defenitely stylish and beautiful! The service was great as well.

Pros: Spacy and quite place to do some work!

Cons: The music was a little too loud to concentrate.

i like this place for people watching and the coffee. there's a bunch of chairs to sit down and read a book.....i like this place a lot...very unique

I lived in Seattle for a year and I spent a good 6 months of my time at Bauhaus. The staff is incredible; they're the sweetest people in the world and they'll always make you laugh. The coffee is so good, I'm going to miss it a lot. And the TopPot pasteries are a plus. The view of downtown Seattle and Pine Street are rad. You'll always run into friends and it's a great meetin spot. I'm going to miss Bauhaus Books and Coffee so much. Go. Enjoy. I promise, you'll meet rad people and enjoy the coffee. And don't forget to leave Zach and Ian a great tip (they love to dance and sing-a-long to ABBA!).

Pros: coffee, the people, the view

Cons: when it rains and you can't sit outside, parking

Totally loved it! Went on Friday and then back again Saturday evening and spent 4hrs there just reading, sipping an excellent vanmocha and listening to the music. Found this listing and read the reviews and just had to check it out. So glad I did! Everything was great! Plan to go back again and again! Like Starbucks but love Bauhaus! The only pain was parking. But we spent 4 hrs there, after 5 pm so it was kool.

Pros: spacious, can smoke outside, atmosphere n ppl

Cons: parking , messy customers

as a native to seattle and former attender of the northwest school (just two blocks away) i spent many years frequenting bauhaus, and can say with complete honesty that it soley got me through senior year on its biting espresso and fabulous ambience. most of all, the people who work there and sit there are hilarious. there is the regular poet who wears the burret, the west african man who plays chess, the swarms of hipsters, and random extras. this is a hub for creativity and alternative vision, and is absolutely essential (and centric) to the essence of seattle.

Pros: too-strong esspresso

Cons: , creative humor, great bathroom graff.

i loved the Bauhaus ever since I moved here six years ago. The coffee has been consistent, the pastries are comforting and the service has been really wonderful and friendly with me. Having been in a recent accident and using crutches, the staff went out of there way to help me with my order every single time. I go in a semi-regular basis and they remember me with a friendly smile and small chat. I appreciate the free Wi-Hi as well - better than most and the view of the Needle is great too!

Every time I have gone to the Bauhaus, I have received the same service, Bad.
The girl behind the counter seems to be more interested in talking to her friends about her boyfriend's band than trying to help customers and the music is so loud you can't hear yourself think.
Good concept for a coffee place, nice look, but very unfriendly.
I would stop there in a pinch for coffee, but if I have an extra five minutes, I will wander up the street to one of the more inviting joints.

Pros: outdoor seating, on the way to work, comparable prices

Cons: No parking, rude staff, Music too loud

Very nice place to spend an afternoon or evening, working, reading or chatting. Cool location, good views, always very alive.
However, the music is a big negative. Too loud and just plain noise at times. If it werent for the music, could probably spend much more time here.

Pros: ambience, free wi-fi connection, open late

Cons: MUSIC, music, music

Great place... The connection \\ environment \\ service \\ food can't be beat... However - the music in the evening is too loud and of a quality which does not lend itself to reading \\ thinking \\ studying.

Requests to the staff to turn the music down just a bit are ignored.

Nice place to chat - not a great place to hang and take advantage of the connection.

Pros: Connection, Outlets, Closes late

Cons: Loud Music, Bad Music, Staff ignores request

The most amazing lattes I have ever experienced.

Bauhaus is the anti-Starbucks.

Pros: atmosphere, music, happy staff

Bauhaus defines Seattle cafe. Cool staff, good music (if not a bit loud sometimes), interesting clientele (beatnik types, like you might find in Williamsburg or Lower East Side in Manhattan).
Great for reading, writing, chatting and people watching. Nice mix of gay and straight. Great place both inside on a rainy February night or a sunny July afternoon outside. Coffee is pretty good as well, as are the top pot donuts they are selling now.

No shining service, no special values. Typical coffee snob attitude. Cool building, but no more smoking inside is a drawback for true beatniks.

Pros: space needle view, they sell cigarettes, outdoor seating

Cons: hi prices, no wireless internet, no smoking inside

this is the best in seattle. the coffee is so incredibly good and the scene is so relaxed. this place defines a seattle coffeehouse.

The drinks are OK, maybe better than chain coffeehouses. It is the space!

Pros: space, 2nd floor, views

Cons: drinks, parking

Bahaus is the best combination of great coffee, friendly service, and an excellent location. Outdoor seating is generous for smokers, and the scene on this corner is always interesting.

Its the ambience and the coffee that bring you here, not the overwelming menu options. The menu at first glance seems a bit limited, but everything is done well and with friendly service.

Pros: atmosphere, service, relatively inexpensiv

Cons: limited menu, crowded at times