11/02/09

Good coffee & food, poor service

by Person

I like the food, coffee, and atmosphere, but those baristas are awfully grumpy (the cashier usually is friendlier). I asked them to turn down the music a little, and they responded that they would "just a bit". I noticed no difference. We were sitting right across from the speakers, because there were no other seats available, and we could barely hear one another.

• Pros: Great scones
• Cons: Poor customer service

08/19/09

Good cofee, unfriendly baristas

by jes7

The place itself it very cool, I love the way Solstice looks. The coffee is tasty and so is the food. Not a great study place because often the music is so loud it is hard to hold a conversation (and sometimes the music is just BAD). I used to go here often and the baristas are never rude, but just seem uninterested in people and kind of like they hate their job.

• Pros: Coffee is fabulous, awesome photography
• Cons: LOUD music, barista generally seem unfriendly

05/12/08

No longer the best...

by fighto78

Offering large tables with plenty of space and a soundtrack that never fails, the atmosphere of Solstice is unmatched. The grilled cheese and tomato soup are amazing along with their very tasty cookies and brownies. Espresso drinks are crafted by very skilled and friendly baristas.

Until recently, Solstice, Trabant and Zoka were neck and neck for the title of best cafe. As Trabant and Zoka are raising the bar of coffee standards in the U-District by implementing Clover machines, Solstice seems oblivious to the trend in its recent actions by deciding to no longer offer French Press as their standard $2 cup of coffee. It's been replaced by a drip coffee machine that brews coffee reminiscent of Tully's or Seattle's Best.

Without the quality coffee, I cannot get myself to give any more than a very unenthused recommendation. Please bring back the French Press, Solstice, I really thought you had achieved perfection in the cafe equation.

• Pros: Great music, atmoshpere, food
• Cons: Average Coffee

10/11/07

best coffee and pseudo studying in the u district

by tommyhaus

this has always been my favorite place to study and socialize over a good cup of coffee (or a cheap beer).

• Pros: awesome coffee, good music, cheap beer, open til 11

Editorial Review

by Contributor

Popular U-District coffee shop crammed with students, both during the day and through the night. Coffee is from Lighthouse Roasters.

08/01/06

Consistent excellent coffee

by tangotraveller

This place has excellent and consistent coffee. They use Lighthouse roasters, and I was suprised to find that they seem to make better lattes than at the lighthouse store. A nice outdoor seating area on the ave, relatively large interior and a good selection of pastries make this one of the better stops on the ave.

• Pros: Good coffee, excellent outdoor seating

04/06/05

A great -if loud- college coffee house

by troutonfly

Funky ironwork on the outside catches your eye. Hours later you realize you've been sucked in by the ambiance, the throbbing dance music, the great coffee, and the nibbles. The clientele is a typical mix of studious kids oblivious to the noise, informal meetings, hipsters looking to unwind, and the occasional old geezer (that'd be me). This is my favorite coffee house on The Ave, but then I like my coffee with cream, sugar, and funk.

• Pros: Good coffee
• Cons: A little loud

10/13/04

I love Cafe Solstice

by hilarym

Everything about this Cafe is great. The coffee is amazing, the shots are always fresh, and the baristas are probably the fastest and highest quality in town. They keep the walls interesting with new art by local artists, and have good taste in musice (with a breadth of tastes represented).

11/27/03

Fantastic coffee

by brendanp

As a coffee snob, I often head to Vivace on Capital Hill, or Zoka's in Wallingford. The u-district finally has a place that I can patronize for that fantastic coffee (and friendly baristas). Plus, they have dog biscuits for my mammoth dog!

• Pros: great coffee, friendly baristas