Uptown Espresso

Website says open until 5, took the bus a half hour over, walked in the door at 12:16 and was told by a very unapologetic guy, we close at noon today. Waste of my time i won’t make that mistake again.

Heard that this particular Uptown Espresso location will be closing at the end of April. In the meantime, it has limited hours. Enjoy it while you can!

My first visit to Wallingford (what a great neighborhood!) Also my first time at Uptown Espresso. The gentleman that waited on me was warm and friendly as was the atmosphere; plenty of indoor seating so not sure about the reviewers that stated there was no indoor seating. They have their own parking lot so plenty of parking. Large selection of drinks and delicious snacks; all very reasonably priced. The building itself is spotless, warm and quiet; not sure about the reviewers that complained of noise from the street as I didn’t notice this as a problem. Looks like the large window sections either open or are removable making for a nice atmosphere on warmer days. We stayed for two hours and seems several other customers also stayed quite awhile; really nice to be able to do that with absolutely no pressure from either customers or employees to hurry and vacate the table for the next customers. Seems they have several regulars; customers were also warm and friendly making the whole atmosphere very welcoming. I’d definitely recommend a stop here and I’ll return many times for sure. Thanks Uptown!

Pleasant surprise! From the outside, this café is a little dingy and seems to have been airlifted and dropped onto a random, uninhabited stretch of asphalt. Hence, my hesitation to give it a real try… I’ve had a few nice americanos here (my safe drink. How bad can one f*** up an americano?), but just recently decided to branch out and try a latte (my danger drink. A latte is very easy to f*** up). Anddddd… It was so great! Amazing milk, beautiful shots, so delicious. I’m so happy to have decided to enter this haunted house!
–1 star for the atmosphere. A little less asphalt/​plastic windows would go a long way.

Mocha made with dark chocolate was delicious, barista was very nice.

Good coffee. Nice and strong without being bitter. One thing though, their Shortbread Cookie is a soft butter cookie, not a shortbread cookie. Tasted good, but very soft. I wanted the crisp crunch of shortbread so was bummed.

It’s really not that hard to smile or nod or say «I’ll be right with you» once you make contact with the customer that’s been waiting. I’m bout to give your business money why not make me feel welcome? I really like the flavor of the coffee… such a shame.

The London Fog (Earl Grey latte) is so delicious! And the velvet foam is the real deal! I’ve never had anywhere come close to this kind of creaminess. I also tried the ham & Brie croissant, which was yummy, though would have been better warm (which wasn’t offered to me, but could possibly be available). Really nice barista. I’ll definitely be back when I’m in the neighborhood!

Uptown Espresso is indeed the home of the Velvet Foam. I would proclaim myself a coffee snob, and I have never had better foam on a latte. The customer service has always been really friendly. I love that they’ll make any drink for me with almond milk! The location is really convenient, too.
That being said, I don’t usually frequent Uptown, just because the ambiance isn’t super cozy — if I want to sit down/​sip/​chat, I go down the street to A Muddy Cup. For a quick drink and scone to go, Uptown is a great choice.

This small coffee shop is nestled in the heart of Wallingford. What sets this coffee shop apart from others in the area is that it has ample parking available– free for customers. I stopped by to check the place out, and it was absolutely packed on a Sunday morning.
There was a little sign that mentioned they are now serving cold-​brewed iced coffee. I got pretty excited since that is my favorite coffee beverage, but my excitement was extinguished when the person working in the shop told me they didn’t have any on hand today. Sad day. I guess they only brew iced coffee on warmer days? I didn’t ask. He quickly suggested an iced americano instead, so I agreed to that. The quality of the americano made up for the lack of iced coffee. It was smooth without a hint of bitterness. It just needed a touch of half and half and simple syrup, and it was perfect. Not the best iced espresso beverage ever, but better than what you would get at your run-​of-​the-​mill coffee shop.
There seemed to be a decent amount of tables and chairs but there were absolutely no seats open when I was there. If you’re planning on stopping by on a weekend morning and hanging around, you might end up waiting for your seat.

Besides only having one employee at 7am on a weekday during the morning coffee rush (prepare to wait!), they seem to have upgraded the quality of their disposable cups (who cares?) and downgraded the size of their pastries. I want my carbs in the morning and I don’t want to feel the shame of ordering two… teeny tiny cookies and scones just won’t do!

Well, I understand why there was no one in the place. The barista was in a big rush to get us out of there, for some reason. It was noon on Fathers Day, so I don’t think it was closing time. We ordered coffees and then tried to order something else, too, but they were all out of anything to eat, the man grumbled. He didn’t wait for us to sign the receipt– he took the garbage out and left us alone in the store while we finished the transaction. First and last time there.

Damn do I love that foam… it IS velvety smooth and creamy. Comfortable place for a solid cup of coffee and only a minimum of «hipsters»

It is alright by me.
Working from home most of the week can be tiring. Especially if you don’t get out of the house in the evening. A feeling like you are on house arrest comes over you. It is important to mix it up so I try to take my work mobile whenever I can.
Wherever I go needs to have wi-​fi, so I am usually working out of a library or a coffee shop. Occasionally, I like to drive over to Seattle and the Wallingford neighborhood is one of my favorites. It has got free parking and numerous eateries on 45^th. The library and several coffee shops happen to be on this stretch of road in Seattle.
On my recent mobile working adventure, I decided to give Uptown Espresso a try. Known as the home of the velvet foam, this chain has got locations all over Seattle. This coffee shop is a bit of a rarity as it actually has a parking lot in front of it unlike most small businesses on 45^th.
I wasn’t feeling in the mood for coffee after gorging myself silly on a pound of mac & cheese at Pinky’s so I opted for a medium chai ($ 3.40). The chai they use is Oregon Chai which is okay. I like the sweet flavor of it and the cinnamon on top is a nice addition that I should think about including the next time I have one.
The thing though is I buy the Oregon Chai powdered tea packets and it tastes the same as what I had here. So it kind of did not seem worth it to throw $ 4 down the drain. I would stick with a coffee drink since that is what they are known for anyway.
Free wi-​fi which is a prerequisite for me is offered here though you will need to ask the barista for the code. The seating arrangement is interesting. There are three areas of seating within the establishment. It is a little hard to describe, but you will understand when you look for yourself. The furniture here is old fashioned like it was picked up at some estate sale. It could use a refresh.
I like the location and parking, but the ambiance at the coffee shop is a bit lacking. I wish they would redo the seating area. I think they could afford to build over one or two parking spaces given the street parking available nearby, if that would make the ambiance of the coffee shop more inviting.

The foam is unique. nice shop in heart of Wallingford. Very decent wifi; ask for password

There is parking, excellent coffee, quick & friendly service, and velvet foam. I don’t know how they do it but it’s damn good. I don’t usually care for foam (or notice it), but sometimes you just want it. Because it’s such a treat on top of your cappuccino. I can’t even believe I am Unilocaling about foam. Just try it. It’s their signature.

A unique coffee joint throughout Seattle — one of the only ones that actually gives Starbucks a run for their money. The orange zest beverage is fantastic and unique; the other beverages such as lattes and cappuccinos are high quality as well. There are very few seats and the location could probably use a facelift, but if you’re just dropping by to pick up a coffee this offers a change of pace.

I was skeptical that any foam would actually merit a mention on the huge sign this shop’s got on 45^th… but then I tried the velvet foam. It was like sipping clouds made of sugar and happiness while baby angels rode unicorns on rainbows.
Okay, that was over the top. But it was the best-​tasting foam I’ve ever had. The pastries are also very good, and I’d recommend this place if you have time to sit down and actually enjoy your coffee.

Velvet foooooooooam! I finally caved in and have become one of the many fans of Uptown’s infamous velvet foam. And it only took months and months of my husband raving about it ;)
Words can hardly justify how decadent and heavenly the foam is. The coffee has a great flavor as well, not burnt or bitter as some can be. Great addition to Wallingford!

I was feelin’ sleepy and knew that an iced mocha was just what I wanted.
I was near this spot and wanted to check it out because I love at least two other Uptown locations, so I decided to make it my iced mocha stop.
The place was empty, so the barista was on the phone with a friend. The moment she saw me enter, however, she said something like «I’ll call you back» and put down the phone. (I’m so glad! I’ve seen way too many people continue chatting with their co-​workers at some other businesses.)
The iced mocha was delicious and made very quickly.
Why no 5 stars? I just don’t like the current set-​up. There is no indoor seating and the outdoor seating just faces a parking lot and a boring part of 45^th St. Also, I saw no places to plug in my laptop. I noticed that during weekdays a lot of the coffee shop customers in Wallingford (and other neighborhoods, I’m sure) are working on their laptops, so it really doesn’t make sense for them to have no outlets. (Please correct me if I’m wrong! I didn’t ask about outlets — I just looked around for a few seconds.)