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| |  | An iced latte with that good pebble ice from lower Queen Anne’s Bake Shop. (Sam J. Leeds / City Cast Seattle) |
| Is Seattle Still a Top Tier Coffee City? | Every few months, a new study comes out crowning a U.S. city the monarch of some food or beverage. And usually, when it comes to coffee, Seattle reigns. But this time, when personal finance company WalletHub released its latest ranking of the best coffee cities in the U.S., Seattle came in… 5th?! To add insult to injury, Orlando, Florida came in first. The culprit for our low ranking? You guessed it: affordability. [WalletHub] | | - WalletHub’s methodology: The ranking compared the 100 largest cities across 12 “key indicators.” The author looked at criteria like the number of places to get coffee per capita, the average price of a cappuccino as well as bag of beans, the share of residents with coffee makers at home and the average coffee spending per household. Orlando secured the top spot by having the highest number of free wi-fi coffee and tea shops per capita and, crucially, the most affordable coffee shops with good reviews. I’m all for an affordable cup of coffee, but is that what makes a coffee city? [WalletHub]
- Our favorite Seattle coffee spots: Executive Producer Ashley Smith put together a list of her favorite coffee shops earlier this year including Bake Shop, Cardoon, Bonito Cafe and the now maligned Monorail Espresso. And if you’re committed to iced coffee year-round, Keep It Local author Harry Cheadle has this list of places he recommends for cold coffee. Oh, and, might I recommend my neighborhood favorite Orange Goose 🪿
- Check out Georgetown’s Voi Cà Phê: Speaking of amazing coffee, I was stoked to see the South Seattle Emerald featuring my favorite Georgetown coffee and báhn mí spot. The Vietnamese café opened in 2022, and is a family-run business. It was founded by the husband-and-wife duo Khôi Phùng and Hiền Đặng and Đặng's mom is the head chef. As the article explains, “The menu has three sections: Under ’easy’ are pandan tofu and miso caramel lattes, while ‘intermediate’ has jackfruit and a phở spice latte, which includes the broth's foundational spices like star anise and cardamom. ‘Advanced’ dares visitors to be adventurous, offering a Red Boat caramel latte that uses fish sauce and an intriguing black garlic latte.” And while you’re there I recommend getting two mini bánh mì so you can try more than one. Yum! [South Seattle Emerald]
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| | 🥳 Charlie’s Queer Books to open second location: At a time when many small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, it feels great to celebrate a win. Katie Lee Ellison (who is talking all things books on today’s podcast) reports that Charlie’s Queer Books is opening a new location in Capitol Hill across the street from Wildrose. Yes to more bookstores and yes to keeping the gayborhood alive! [The Stranger] | | 🪧 Restaurants will soon have to display labor violations: Last year, the King County Board of Health approved a new rule adding a sign next to the one for food safety ratings, at establishments with unresolved labor violations. These include things like withholding pay, forced overtime, or limiting use of paid sick leave. Only 10 to 20 businesses in the county are out of compliance. [KUOW] | |  | Food service establishments receive one of four food safety ratings to provide the public with more information about the level of food safety practices. Now some will also have unresolved labor violations displayed too. (King County Public Health) |
| 🍳 State Supreme Court strikes down natural gas ballot measure: A 2024 ballot measure trying to stop Washington’s shift away from natural gas has been found unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court. Initiative 2066 was written by The Building Industry Association of Washington and put on the ballot through the signature gathering efforts of Let’s Go Washington. Nearly 52% of voters approved it as it passed in 34 of Washington’s 39 counties including Snohomish and Pierce. [Washington State Standard] |
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| | | It's that time of year again - FRS Clipper's Fall Sale is back! Save up to 20% on a 2-night stay or longer hotel and ferry package. You can explore Victoria, BC, a charming city known for its beautiful gardens, historic architecture, walkable downtown, and vibrant food scene! Choose from eight hotels and arrive right in downtown Victoria. This deal runs through August 31 - October 31, for travel dates from September 1 - December 31. Book online at FRSClipper.com! |
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| | | Take a listen to Weaving Our Future: Stories for a Fair Economy with City Cast Seattle host Jane C Hu and local leaders from around King County. This is a five-part series about what a fair economy looks like told through the stories of the people building it. |
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Speaking of amazing coffee: Huge congratulations to our friends at Bonhomie Coffee who were recognized by The Storm for their contributions to the greater Puget Sound community with the Believe In Women award 🏆 |
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