Fuel

This is becoming one of my favorite coffee shops. It’s located in a mostly quaint strip in Wallingford and while there seems to be plenty of street parking, I recently noticed they have a few parking spots as well, which is a real rarity! The shop is pleasantly split into two areas. The area near the front window is a bit tight, but get’s plenty of natural light and include a few different seating options. The back area is dark and studious. There is an art covered brick wall and always unique and fascinating art work hanging on the walls. The tables are pretty spacious compared to other shops with individual tables and there are usually plenty of outlets, but if every table was full it might be difficult to plug in. Free Wi-​Fi. The crowds are pretty streaky here, either completely busy with one barista, or two baristas and a lull. However, I always find a seat on Monday morning-​afternoon and typically can plug in. Service can get a little slow, but it’s worth the wait for me. If you were in a hurry, though, this place is hit or miss. The four or five different baristas that I’ve become familiar with are utterly pleasant, helpful and make great coffee. I typically get an almond milk latte or drip. The former is excellent. The drip has a lot of acidity and isn’t my favor, but kind of has a diner flavor, which I enjoy on occasion. The baked goods look flaky and delectable. The prices are a bit on the steep side, but if I’m paying for quality and venue, it’s well worth it.

I ordered their 2% latte; the taste was delicious and above average. Latte art is good and friendly Batista here always takes care of people. They seem understaffed. Or maybe they were on leave when I visited them. Either way, I’d definitely recommend this place to visit if you’re around in the area.

I’ve only been a couple of times but the barista was really aloof and unfriendly, almost a caricature of the too cool for school hipster barista who can’t be bothered to make eye contact, smile, say thanks, or in any way reciprocate normal warmth and friendliness. If management ever reads this, my last encounter with her was today (¹⁰⁄₂₆) around 11:30. Dark hair. Few tats. 2 stars cause the coffee is good! Won’t be back tho:(Oh one more thing, seems like there’s often a long line with only one person on. Left once and ran across the street.

Quiet coffee shop with plenty of room to pull out your work and get stuff done. Service isn’t great by any stretch or maybe the barista was having a bad day? I don’t understand when the barista was cold to us then brightens up for the next person in line. Our conversation was almost on par with their’s. Next time I’ll wander around Wallingford a bit more to find a place with better service and coffee.

I was just visiting and wanted to try some coffee around the area that’s not a Starbucks. There wasn’t a long line when I went but there were a lot of people waiting for their drinks. I ordered a vanilla latte… I waited about 10 minutes, but I was in no rush. I enjoyed the design on my latte. From other lattes I’ve had before it was a lot heavier and creamier but it tasted good.

The hazelnut latte I got here was probably the smoothest cup I’ve ever had. The latte was also a bit more milky, which is probably why it went down smoother. It was also less sweet than most of the lattes that I’ve had at other places. It’s not bitter to me at all though, and I usually can’t tolerate bitter drinks.
I walked in about half an hour before closing, and the place was pretty much empty except for 2 customers sitting in the back. Also wasn’t expecting this place to be so spacious. Very quiet, slightly dim, and very cozy. There was no one at the counter when I got there. I stood at the counter for maybe 2 – 3 minutes before someone came. The barista was super friendly! He took my order and made my drink super fast. Fast service is always a plus.
Prices here is a bit on the expensive end of the spectrum. My 12 oz. hazelnut latte was about 4.60 $. But I think that’s not too outrageous of a price for good coffee.

Here’s been my experience the last 8 times I’ve gone in there to buy a drip coffee:
Walk in, there’s a line. About 5 people. There’s one barista, she/​he also is ringing up the drinks. About 4 minutes passes, someone comes in and gets on line with me. Barista is now ringing up a drink she just made. Person in front of me gets off the line and leaves. I’m ecstatic… One less person in front of me. Another 4 minutes, there’s still 3 people in front of me, but now the person behind me walks out. I look at my watch, realize I’ve been in there 12 minutes and only 2 people have been helped. I leave. Hire someone for the morning rush, unless you like losing all that business. This is a great place for people who have no where to be… Ever.

This is a cool little coffee shop in Wallingford. I quite liked it when I initially entered. The inside decoration theme is «fuel» where you see gas pump pictures and other decorative objects. There appears to be a study area in the back too so probably not a bad location to read a book.
When I went, the store was so busy. There were like 7 people ahead of us and one person manning the drinks and register. Poor guy, he was swamped. We waited for about 10 minutes before we got our drinks. I was really frustrated and almost walked out. It seems a little ridiculous to wait 10 minutes in line for a black coffee. I don’t think I would come back. I prefer going to a more efficiently run coffee shop.

I’ve got to start by saying I don’t drink coffee so this is a review based on other drinks and the atmosphere/​service.
The drink selection outside of coffee is minimal and overpriced. You have the standard chai latte which basically just tasted like warm milk. Italian sodas are an option but they haven’t been particularly good either (packed with syrup and ice). And there is a cooler of sodas and juices that looks half empty.
The service is VERY hit or miss. There is one barista who is silent and moody and looks like she never wants to interact with another human again. Yet some of the other baristas have been perfectly friendly. I once stopped in with a few friends and we waited fifteen minutes to order because the person making coffee took that long to serve the two people in front of us. You just never know.
The atmosphere is my least favorite thing about this place. The café is basically broken into two parts, the bright front section with lots of window light and the darker back section with no windows at all. As another reviewer mentioned, the majority of the front window space is taken up with vintage hipster resale stuff and a giant old gas pump. The back section is incredibly depressing and filled with people silently typing on their laptops. It’s just… not a place I want to spend my time.

How I heard of this place: I was first introduced to the Wallingford location several years ago by my friend and café-​hopper, Sadiq. Since then, I have been to Fuel’s Capitol Hill and Montlake locations, too!
Type of cuisine: Coffee and pastries. Pure and simple. Very Seattle.
Ambiance: The brick façade outside complete with neon arrow pointing around the circular logo and towards the COFFEE sign, leading inside welcomes patrons with its bright colors and simplicity. Inside, the bricked walls continue, creating a rustic look and feel, among sparsely decorated walls and limited seating. The barquette at the front, looks out onto North 45^th Street, merchandise against the wall, for purchase. The barista works behind a large bar, extending back, at least twenty feet, towards the glass, waist-​height pastry case and seating at the back. Just beyond the bussing area, set against the wall to your right is the back, where a handful of metallic-​topped wooden tables and silver, aluminum chairs are housed. In between them, and against the coffee-​cup mural on the brick wall is one leather sofa-​chair, a black coffee table, and two additional, black leather individual seats, where we made our home on this visit.
What I ordered: I ordered a single, tall, non-​fat raspberry mocha (Hershey’s chocolate syrup). One dining companion ordered a tall non-​fat latte and another selected a tall, non-​fat coconut latte.
What I loved: I only sampled my own beverage on this visit, and have noticed that I am beginning to enjoy the light sweetness to my mochas more than my previous affinity towards über-​sweet espresso drinks. The hint of raspberry, the creamy milk, and the light chocolate made for a delicious start to a day of wedding dress shopping!
Why I loved it: Great company, large interior and an excellent selection of music from the 80s, over caffeine and home-​packed treats! Perfect.
Cost: Average ($ 3-​$ 5 per espresso beverage)

Fuel has great coffee, friendly baristas, and a fun atmosphere. They also have a few pastries if you want a snack.
Several tables that are usually occupied with laptop-​toters, but the wifi isn’t great. If you’re planning on working from here on a Saturday and need the internet, get ready to use your phone’s data plan. The wireless has a hard time even with Gmail. I haven’t tried the weekdays.

One of my favorite coffee spots in Seattle. I really enjoy the coffee here, aside from the delicious drip, they make a mean latte as well!!! The baristas are friendly and nice, nice foam art on top of you latte too! Nice coffee shop to relax as well, but when I go here, I usually going somewhere and this is perfect place to grab a coffee. Nice little display for pies, donuts etc. Haven’t tried any yet but they all look tasty!
A recommend to check out! A very cool Fuel logo too!

One of my favorite coffee shops. The baristas here make an excellent espresso. Nice and strong roast. Delicious goods from High 5 Pie and Mighty-​O Donut. Highly recommended for a some good coffee if you’re in the area.

I came in for internet and pie. I got internet for 15 minutes and no help and left.

I really wanted to give up Starbucks for Fuel. But twice last week, they were not open by the time I came by around 7:20am (they should have been open by 6:00am both days). Today, they were actually open (surprise!) but there was only one barista working and three customers ahead of me in line… it took too long to get my coffee. When I finally emerged from the store, the first thing my husband said to me was, «We’re never coming here again,» because it took so long!

I’m conflicted…
I didn’t want to like it when I came in: tea is too expensive; bunch of vintage stuff for sale occupying the prime window seating up front.
But the tables are the right height for my tallness (which has happened, um, counting that time… NEVER), and then Siouxie and the Banshees comes on. Now The Cure. On a sunny, glorious Seattle summer day. I wonder if all these conditions were the same but in January maybe I’d want to slit my wrists. Or maybe I’d be perfectly happy in the quiet, industrial (ish)-modern, back seating area. Who knows.
If you’ve seen my other café reviews, you’ll know that I don’t drink coffee so I rate cafes as third-​places more than for the eponymous hot beverage. Scores high on that mark –especially as a working/​studying space. If the tea were more economical (larger cup, maybe?) it might be perfect.
Same as other reviews: nice people behind the counter; vegan snacks (Mighty-​O!), etc., etc. And from my vantage, a really impressively beautiful espresso machine. Matters not a whit, I know, but damn.

Fuel was a very pleasant surprise. I stopped in here for a meeting but the latte I had was probably the best I’ve had since I got to Seattle.
What set it apart was that it was thick, rich, and flavorful enough to bring out the complexities in the coffee without all the over-​sweetening I normally get with drinks like this. The coffee tasted like dark chocolate without having to actually put any mocha in it, making my creamy mint latte a really fantastic experience.
The pastries were a little bit scarce, but I’d go back just for another one of those lattes. I’d highly recommend it if you’re a coffee lover and you can really appreciate it.

Great service and friendly folks behind the counter.
I appreciate that the coffee is tasty and more importantly they listen to what you want and recommend good stuff. For example, I wanted something less acidic (with a medium roast) and I got a beautiful cup of aeropressed Ethiopian coffee. I am a bit skeptical about fancy coffee places because they are usually hugely over-​priced. For $ 3 they compare more than favorably to the green mermaid guys.
I’ll make it a point to stop by there more often and enjoy a good brew

This is a cute coffee shop in Wallingford. The staff is extremely friendly and concerned with your satisfaction. The drinks are very artfully crafted, with a personal touch of art in the froth of any custom handcrafted beverage. They are willing to make anything you can come up with, and it takes pretty good.
Overall, a very nice coffee shop in the neighborhood. Worth the walk or drive!

What do I look for in a coffee shop?
Friendly baristas, good coffee, some good food options, a clean bathroom, and wifi that works.
Fuel is doing a fine job when it comes to the friendly baristas, pretty good coffee, some good food options (High 5 Pie!!), and a clean bathroom.
The wifi, however, is a problem. I’ve tried working from there twice now, and had the internet fail on me after about 20 minutes each time.
I do like the space and am happy to recommend Fuel if you’re looking for a place to read or think or have a meeting, but I can’t recommend their wifi.
I’ll probably go there again when I just want some coffee, but won’t waste my time when I have work to do.