Lighthouse Roasters

Best coffee hands down, so please don’t go because I don’t want to wait in line! The Best place to go enjoy a weekend morning where people read the newspaper and chat with other folks because there’s no Wi-​Fi! It’s actually a really great experience, chatty banter and not your typical coffee shop where people stare at phones and computer screens! The baristas are not overly friendly which is fine, I like a little angst in my barista, I’m not trying to be facebook friends with them! People who complain about the attitudes of the staff need to remember why they’re there, to get coffee-​and they get exceptional coffee-​not to get a new bestie!

Lighthouse is my new favorite coffee.
A couple Saturdays back we had breakfast at RockCreek a couple blocks over from Lighthouse in Upper Fremont (we love RockCreek’s beignets!!). The coffee at RockCreek was so smooth and delicious, I asked our server where they obtained their coffee, and she told us from Lighthouse Roasters.
So after that breakfast, we came over to this lively coffee shop where I purchased some whole bean Mocca Java, which I completely enjoy. Service was surprisingly patient and helpful considering how busy Lighthouse was at the time.
Well Stumptown, we had a long and torrid affair, but Lighthouse has stolen my affections. Sorry ’bout that.

Best in Seattle. Drip, americano, latte, you can’t go wrong. You can also watch them roast beans. Do wish they had a few more food options but their coffee is so good it is still a 5 star.

This review is regarding some of the ownership and patronage of Lighthouse. I live close by and every day, sometimes as early as 6:30 AM there are dogs tied up outside barking extremely loud and disrupting the peace and quiet and sleep of the neighbors. I posted a complaint on a community forum and the owner of Lighthouse replied saying that he knew who the perpetrators are and he would talk to the dog owners to remedy the nuisance. A seemingly appropriate response.
Well a week or more after no change in disruptive barking, I walked over to confront the dog owner. Lo and behold, he is there talking and joking with the same owner who said he’d address the issue. I politely start to tell him his dog wakes me up every morning and would appreciate if he’d be more considerate and the owner just looks at his crony and rolls his eyes dismissively. Well months later the dogs still bark incessantly. This story is a one of the many ill-​reputed characterizations of Lighthouse’s management and the pretentiousness of its little neighborhood social club. If you are one of those inconsiderate dog owners of Lighthouse, leave your fking loud ass dog at home, it obviously doesn’t want to be tied up outside all along while you feed your drug addiction.

I tasted their coffee at Café Pettirosso in Cap Hill and it was so delicious that I had to ask the waitress who supplies their coffee. I wrote down the Lighthouse Roasters name and I was finally able to check it out on a Friday after Thanksgiving.
I called first to make sure they were open. Then I headed out to Fremont by bus and then walked through residential streets to get there. It was so chilly that day and I was really happy when I finally made it.
Happy that I was in a warm interior, but disappointed as I expected to see a coffee shop and some retail setup where you can smell, touch and read about the coffee you are about to purchase. I remember going to Café Moto Roasters in San Diego which is located in a great industrial warehouse space with informative and passionate about coffee workers ready to give you tips and share their knowledge.
This is not the case here: they only have a counter space where you can order coffee drinks and the coffee beans to purchase are showcased in a clear glass jars on the barista side. I was a little thrown off by that. Hopefully they mostly have it for display and don’t sell these beans that are exposed to light and get to be sniffed around by people.
When I walked in there was only one person ahead of me and the barista was taking his sweet time chatting it up. I was a little in a hurry, but wanted to finally get their delicious tasting coffee and also some soy latte to go to warm me up. In the meantime about 4 or 5 new people came, but it was time to take my order. When I started asking about the coffee to purchase, the barista took down one of the big jars, but thought I would take forever, and he started taking order from the person behind me. I was really thrown off by that as I also wanted to order latte and now I would have to wait for him to finish his drink. I also walked really far and waited so long for this experience and this is not how this was going to happen. You can’t always kill two birds with one stone. I just walked out.
Possibly nobody meant to ignore me, they just got busy, but they should have the space organized better. For most of the time there was a woman behind the counter and she should have assisted some people. This place just makes no coffee love sense to me.

The smell of roasted coffee beans smacks you in the senses as soon as you enter. We stopped in for a coffee and hot chocolate after our brunch and the atmosphere is very nice. Good music and not overcrowded with hipsters like your typical Seattle coffee shop. Friendly staff and good quality drinks. You should definitely give this a try if you’re in the Fremont area!

Ooh… dat breve doe. Please get it. Cuz it’s the best. Super creamy, super good. In fact, it kind of reminded me of the delicious flat white I got back in London. I’m not sure how their other coffees are, but just off the breve alone, I would rate this place 5 stars because it was just so damn good. The people working here were also really chill. However, if you’re planning on coming here to study, it might not be the best place because it’s a little loud, since they have a huge roasting thing in the back. But with that said, you could come here and buy their coffee beans! Not sure how that would taste but it probably wouldn’t be bad. Can’t wait to come back here to try their other drinks!

I’ve been coming here for the past 3 – 4 years and so far Lighthouse coffee is second to none. I usually get the decaf which is awesome (so hard to find great decaf!), the regular is unbelievably smooth.
Some things that I really like; they use the swiss extraction method for the decaf, all of Lighthouse coffee beans are shade grown, and it’s all fair trade. Kudos to Ed!
The place itself has a great vibe and is kind of just an ideal coffee shop in my opinion. I have to partially disagree with the reviews noting not such friendly staff, I find almost everyone there to be very cool. With few exceptions, they’ve always been really cordial. I guess its an individual thing because alot of reviews regarding another place i go (Central Coop) note really rude staff members, yet I have yet to run into one, in fact my experience (15 yrs+) is just the opposite.
Even though I usually get mine to go I think its smart they don’t have wifi cause people would hog the tables for hours.
If you are looking for the best coffee in Seattle (and possibly the nation), look no further.

Im not from the area but when i make a trip i always stop there to load up on beans. Such a small location, but it impresses me that they roast all of their own coffee. im especially happy that they do shipping as well! Now i dont have to wait to buy coffee on the once a year trips.

Lighthouse coffee is magical. Every Christmas I schlep several pounds of it across the country for my family to satisfy their Lighthouse addictions. Their coffee needs no embellishment, but I recommend an iced mocha if your coffee order is headed towards being fancy. It’s the best.

Solid coffee shop. As other reviewers have noted the staff are not super friendly but they make good coffee. We sat in the café area for a while one rainy Saturday drinking coffee and doing crosswords. The place wasn’t too crowded or too loud.

The only coffee That’s allowed in my espresso machine!
My favorite roaster on the West Coast.

Excellent, yummy, and rich coffee! We would definitely come here again. The coffee roaster and huge bags of coffee beans are all visible for a little sight seeing.

coffee is smooth w/​low acidity, however, it tasted water-​down. compared to many other amazing roasters in seattle, this one isn’t the best to make a trip to. but for a neighborhood coffee joint, it does the job

NO WI-​FI.
Is it possible in Seattle in 2015?
If you’re a coffee shop worker, don’t come here!
Youngish male barista with gray hair and beard was a real dud. A smile and nice greeting would go along way, just sayin’.
If you’re a coffee shop worker, don’t come here!
Coffee seemed good, but no Peets
If you’re a coffee shop worker, don’t come here!

After a spending a beautiful sunny (and cold windy) day at the Zoo with the family we decided we wanted to warm up and take advantage of what Seattle has to offer before heading back to the East Side. Used my handy-​dandy Unilocal app and looks like Lighthouse Roasters is the place to be, there’s a Vita too, but I was in the mood for something different.
Parking and Atmosphere:
Anyway first off, parking in the neighborhood is meh, but gladly being a Sunday there wasn’t much traffic and parking nearby. Walking in, the atmosphere is really, well bleh. As others have said, the place feels more like it was made to be a Roaster and they serve coffee, versus being a coffee shop. There is seating, there is wifi, there are people hanging out. But yeah as others have said, it’s just not a comfy atmosphere, no music, the chairs are uncomfortable and wooden, most of the cups just don’t have that nice look/​feel, and there isn’t much on the menu other than coffee. But since we were there for really a quick cup of coffee and possibly a bag of roast, I think it was fine. I was also able to find ONE kid’s book for my toddler. There is one plus for the atmosphere, which is the gigantic roaster. That my daughter kept pointing to and screaming «TRAIN!!! Choo! Choo!!!» mostly likely causing annoyance to those around me, but whatever It does indeed look like a train lol.
The Coffee:
The wifey ordered a Mocha, I ordered a Cappuccino both in smalls. Oh and a chocolate milk for my daughter which the Barista happily made as a special order (much appreciated). Surprisingly there was not a size option for the Cappuccino, maybe due to lack of cup sizes? Anyway, both coffees were really good. Very flavorful coffee, and I really enjoyed the consistency of the foam for both. The coffee was so rich that despite both of us having a small, I was surprisingly very satisfied when I typically order larger sized coffees.
Price:
Fair, same as most other joints including the roasts which were about $ 14.50-$ 17/​lb.
Service:
The barista was friendly, I do appreciate that I did not get the unwelcome vibe when I brought in a toddler to this type of coffee joint, and he was more than happy to take the special order of a chocolate milk.
The Roast:
I just had my roast this morning via pour over. 21 grams of the «Roasters Choice» with 360 grams of water. A very nice medium roast lacking the acidic taste you may get from other coffees and a little dryer. I enjoyed it very much and excited for when my wife gets home and we can share a Chemex this afternoon.
Overall:
Given I live in Bellevue, I probably will not be visiting that often, also given the atmosphere, not a place I’d hang out either. However, thank you for being inviting, the coffee was great. And I will definitely make this a stop whenever I visit the zoo for a bag of beans. Definitely worth a drop in if you want some great coffee and are in the area.
Note: Someone brought in their dog with no issues. It was cute given the dog was very friendly and my daughter loved it. I can see how some people may have issues with non-​service animals being allowed in a food establishment though.

I have only purchased a gift certificate at this café for my sister who lives in Seattle. I’ve never had their coffee but when I’m in town, I’m definitely trying it out just because of the customer service. The other reviews online made me want to get a gift certificate here. I emailed and spoke with Alix, who was so kind and courteous. Alix did a great job representing her shop.
It has always been the customer service that makes or breaks a place for me. If this is how they act when I’m not even the customer drinking coffee, that says something about what they represent. I bet they put that same thoughtfulness into their coffee. Can’t wait to try it.

Super solid, connoisseurs’ coffee, judged by the quality of the beans, roast and cappuccino in my hand (not judged by whether I agree with the sales-​tax or another dog offleash attacked my dog, *whine* *whine*)
I come here regularly to buy a pound of the Roasters’ choice for my cold-​brewing habit. I’ll be back!
5 Stars!

Ok, so Lighthouse Roasters has a reputation. That reputation is that the coffee is amazing, but that the baristas are both extremely attractive and extremely rude.
I finally went there myself to see if this reputation was deserved. Indeed, the coffee was delicious. As for the baristas, I found that only one of the qualities attributed to them was true – and it was not that they were rude.
Maybe the mean ones no longer work there? Because they were extremely friendly to everyone while I was there. Not extremely fast service, but who cares??? Slow down and sit down and relax and look out the window!

I live around the corner and Lighthouse is the spot to go to. I usually do an in-​and-​out, grab my one and only drink (shot in the dark) and go on my way. BUT in my short time there i’ve gathered these observations:
–baristas there know about coffee and are not f-​ing around. They’re quick and get it done. Other places it seems like a bunch of hipsters accidentally found themselves employed in a busy coffee shop and are slowly taking stock of their surroundings. GLACIALLY SLOW. Lighthouse peeps are totally on point.
–Coffee is good. Really damn good. Every time i leave I do the sip and *mmmmmmm*.
–Prices are very good! For everyone bitching about the mystery 60 cent charge on their americano– suck it up, the last coctail you bought was 12 bucks.
–Very much local vibe but its relaxed and its really nice to walk by and see people camped out on the benches with the variety of dogs.
This place: no fluff and good solid coffee and service.

4.5 Stars. Once you try Lighthouse Roasters coffee, you may turn into a complete coffee snob. Lighthouse Roasters simply roasts phenomenal coffee beans. Bauhaus Coffee in Ballard (one of my other favorite espresso shops) said they used L. R’s beans. Chocaloti Café said they did too. Turns out that quite a few of my favorite espresso shops use L.R. beans. If you time it right, you may actually get to witness that magical beans being roasted in the roaster when you drop by.
Besides THE BEANS, they also serve decently priced and perfectly brewed Espresso drinks.
CON: It’s not the kind of café that you feel comfortable hanging out (the seating is uncomfortable). It’s usually hard to find parking in the neighborhood.

Great coffee, which just happens to supply most of the good restaurants in town. No dogs, yeah! I like dogs… Just don’t want to eat out of the same bowl as them.

You dont get better coffee than this. Roasted in house and also less expensive than most. Ever notice your bag of beans got 25% smaller some years back though it was the same price or more? Nice way to hide a massive price jump. LHR still sells by the pound. Its local, its nice and its independent. Been a customer for close to 20 years and see no reason to stop now. I drive from West Seattle to stock up and its worth the drive. I really also like to take in a cup on the stone terrace on a sunny day when I can. Its just blissful to forget for a while whatever you were doing and have an espresso.