Have you ever walked from the convention center toward Pike Place Market along Pike Street and caught the unmistakable aroma of coffee? You turn your head, look up at the high ceilings and oversized fans, then let your eyes wander down to beautiful green tiles and a white logo beckoning you inside.
That’s Olympia Coffee in downtown Seattle. The company has been around for more than twenty years, but this downtown space opened in 2024.
It’s modern without feeling plain. There’s character here: color, texture, and enough room overhead to make you pause before ordering. Better still, your visit doesn’t have to end with a takeaway cup. The adjoining lobby offers space to settle in, open your laptop, and turn a coffee stop into part of your workday.
From an Olympia Warehouse to Seattle
Olympia Coffee’s story began in 2005, in an unmarked warehouse in downtown Olympia. It started as a wholesale roaster, adding its first retail coffee bar in 2007.
The idea behind the business goes beyond making a good cup. Its mission connects coffee quality with quality of life, for farmers, employees, and the communities around its cafés. Direct-trade sourcing projects began in 2009, building relationships with producers rather than treating coffee as an anonymous ingredient.
Expansion came gradually. More Olympia cafés followed, then West Seattle and Tacoma in 2018, Columbia City in 2019, and downtown Seattle in 2024. Today, the company operates seven cafés and Moonrise Bakery across Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle.
Along the way, it became a Certified B Corporation and introduced its Fair For All sourcing standards. That gives the inviting café experience a little more substance: there’s a story behind what lands in your cup.
Where Else to Find It in Seattle
The downtown café is at 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 103, an easy detour while walking between the convention center and the market.
For a neighborhood visit, there are two more Seattle locations:
📍 West Seattle: 3840 California Avenue SW.
📍 Columbia City: 4824 Rainier Avenue S.
There’s also Moonrise Bakery, part of the company, if your coffee plans call for something from the pastry case.
What’s in the Cup?
If you’re new to Olympia Coffee, Big Truck is a good starting point. Its original flagship blend brings tasting notes of chocolate, caramel, and berries, a combination that sounds comforting without being one-dimensional.
Little Buddy heads in a brighter direction, with sweet berries, stone fruit, and floral notes. For a more familiar morning profile, Morning Sun offers dark chocolate, roasted hazelnut, and vanilla.
These are tasting notes, not added syrups: descriptions of flavors you might notice in the coffee itself.
The selection also changes with seasonal harvests and limited releases. Its Sweetheart series rotates through small-lot coffees selected for a sweet, balanced espresso or brewed cup. Holiday Blend has appeared in past years, too, though seasonal availability varies. Ask what’s new rather than expecting the same lineup every visit.
Branding Worth Taking Home
The green tiles and white logo make a strong first impression, but Olympia’s personality extends beyond the counter.
Its merchandise mixes straightforward logo pieces with playful Pacific Northwest imagery: mountains, trees, coastal scenes, and coffee-making animals. Think soft T-shirts, illustrated drinkware, stickers, and ceramic mugs made with notNeutral.
It feels connected to the place rather than simply stamped with a name. A bag of beans lets you revisit the coffee at home; a favorite mug lets you keep a little of the ritual.
And that’s the appeal of this downtown stop. You might notice it because of the aroma, but the space gives you a reason to stay.