Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company

I came in at 8:45pm on Labor Day weekend (when summer ends) and for lack of any decaf coffee had to order a single cup of herb tea for — — - $ 3.00, an outrageous sum. Less than an hour later, the clerk informs me it’s time to go. But you’re open until 10pm, said I, and said she: we’re on summer hours. Which, I assume, extends sometime into October… It’s been years since I went to Zoka and I only did it because according to their website (which I checked prior to my visit), the Green Lake site would be open until 10pm. I think it will be a few more years before I return especially since their counter seems bare of any food to eat.

Lavender mocha did not have much of a lavender flavor though I liked that it was made from dark chocolate

This is my local coffee shop. The coffee is good, the wait is short and the staff are friendly (even under fire).
The food to accompany a good coffee ranges from cakes to sandwiches. I don’t really go for the food but others seem to like it.
Worth sitting in or driving by for coffee.

We got here by 5 and they are almost out of all their pastries. E got the blueberry scone and coconut donut. Pretty sweet but good overall. We also got the latte. It was pretty decent.

I was on my way to a doctor’s appointment and wasn’t feeling very well so I opted for a chai. It was way better than anything I’ve ever had at Starbucks and the baristas were super warm and welcoming. Definitely will be back!

Fairly average coffee and espresso from a shop inside Amazon. Lots of one on one meetings from Amazonians here so always a chance of hearing about the next big thing. Staff is ok if you make friends, but pretty ambivalent toward customers otherwise. The coffee is ok, especially compared to the tar they have in the office, but there are many better places nearby.

Sent by the manager for a tea. Her money & her choice of location.
Barista was new than last encounter. She was really friendly & helpful. I don’t drink tea & explained I had no idea what I was getting & asked her to let me know what is so I wouldn’t get someone else’s tea. She made it right by the register and handed it to me with a cup sleeve already on the cup, bonus. Last time they didn’t have any, anywhere.

I feel inclined to update this review as I’ve come here more often since I posted due to making friends with some of the baristas. It turns out I just got the manager on a bad day and she’s actually quite nice! I was hasty to judge.
Still not a huge fan of the mocha, but I started getting the hario pourovers and the quality is about the same as what you can get from the Clover at Starbucks, though the selection is usually better. I always come in to Zoka when I need a smile put on my face, and it almost always achieves this.

Great customer service at this Zoka! The employees are engaging and care about the customers’ experience, always accommodating. There’s genuine conversation with customers and they try to greet regulars by name and are good at remembering ‘usual orders’.
The milk is steamed so it tastes pillowy and sweet, not overly hot in temperature. The chocolate is local, not that Hershey’s junk. The shot of espresso is a ristretto shot and served with some sparkling water to cleanse the palate.
I think there are some inconsistencies at this particular location because Bön Appetit has high turnover and there can be new (not totally trained) baristas on the bar. However, there are a few baristas that have been at Zoka for awhile and are kickin’ out some quality espresso drinks!
Most of the pictures on Unilocal right now are inaccurate. They use Zoka branded cups and I’ve seen drinks with beautiful latte art — rosettas, tulips and hearts!

Love the service but never feel super comfy in here. Could be the high-​top tables and other niches made for Amazonians on laptops instead of loungers. Maybe it’s the tiny printed menu a la Bön Appetit instead of the casual-​cosy chalkboard menus I’m used to. Or could be the constant traffic and peak-​time lines. I get coffee here when it’s a necessity.

A decent cup of coffee right in amazon central. Always crowded and a great way to hear about ec2.
As for the coffee, in a town like Seattle id say it was just ok being an addict of exotic Japanese brewing methods and single variety.
It seems pretty uneven with some good and bad days, so u have to get them on a good day.

MEH! Not a real Zoka. I tried using a Zoka gift card here and was told that only the Greenlake and Kirkland locations accept them. Lame! Poor selection of whole bean coffees to purchase, as well, although they explained that it was because next week (Christmas) is going to be really slow.
Seems perfectly fine if you want a cup of coffee, though. I just wanted to a) buy some good coffee beans and b) use my gift card and they failed at both of those things.
It also feels like a prison inside. All gray, all the time. Not exactly what I’m looking for in the middle of winter in Seattle.

The coffee here is ok but seems a bit overpriced for me. Whenever I drop by Zoka (which is not often at all as I think it’s somewhat expensive!), I usually order iced mocha (the taste is also a hit or miss since they never really spend enough time to mix the choco syrup well into the drink for you once they added your coffee into a cup). But it’s ok. I can stir. so…that’s not so much of a big problem. The most recent time there, though, I ordered a 16oz sweet and spicy chai and it was $ 5 (without tax!). Maybe I’m not a regular café/​coffe drinker… but wow, I didn’t realize a drink could be that expensive!
Service can be particularly slow, especially in the morning when so many people get in a line just to religiously get their morning jolts! I also don’t like the fact that the cashier is also the person taking care of all bakery needs (toasting your bagels/​heating up a quiche, putting them in paper bags and passing them out to the people who ordered them, etc). To me, those activities seem to drag the waiting time in the line even longer.
Overall, it’s an ok place to get coffee if you are already in that area and don’t want to walk so far to get your coffee or a quick snack.

A perfectly functional Zoka, but it just doesn’t have the same pizzazz as the Zokas in the University District and Tangletown. Works just fine for Amazon employees who need a caffeine fix or a snack. Some of my coworkers complained about the price, but they’re all Starbucks junkies.
Not open on weekends, by the way.
I grabbed a quiche for breakfast a couple of times, and I give them two thumbs up!
Friendly service. :)

Working for Amazon I love this location and want to like this place but the coffee is atrocious. Drip or Americano — just awful.
The staff is super cool and the ambience is great, but skip it if you have any standards for you java.

My favorite coffee in the world, both bean and shop, is Intelligentsia in the Chicago loop. Everything I buy, everything I drink, is judged against that standard.
Zoka is not Intelligentsia, but they’re as good as I have found in the PNW. I’ve only ever ordered lattes and cappucinos, but their milk is always perfect and their coffee has a nice, balanced acidity and roastiness that holds up in an espresso drink. Yes, it is very expensive, and yes it is a little slower than a chain operation or a drive-​thru coffee house. Quality in substance and preparation do not come cheap, and Zoka’s professional baristas handcraft every drink perfectly. Adn even so, it really only takes seconds longer to craft a drink than it would at *famous international subquality coffee chain*.
I believe that all of the pastries and quiches are made by the best local bakeries, but I cannot confirm with all certainty.
As for the attitude of the staff, I have never, EVER been treated as less than a welcome and cherished customer at Zoka SLU. That’s actually the one leg-​up they’ve got on Intelligentsia: those loop kids are (rightfully) total coffee snobs.

I lived in Kirkland for over a year and frequented the Zoka in downtown Kirkland weekly. This Zoka is crammed into a office building and certainly lacks the ambiance and personality of Kirkland, but the coffee is just as good.
My service was quick and my cappuccino delicious (non-​fat, dry, 1 splenda). I hear they are slow and rude in these reviews, but I never experienced anything of the such. Both the register and barista chatted with me and asked about my weekend plans.

Located within the Amazon complex in South Lake Union, this location isn’t really a good spot to hang out or meet friends — but great to grab a quick coffee while on the go if you’re in the area!

Service remains abysmal, seemingly overstaffed but still takes forever to order a simple drink. Co-​workers have gotten heartburn from Zoka’s coffee.
Would recommend trying Moka down the street:

Scratch that noooooooise!
Zoka is one of those establishments that reminds me of my elementary school days. You want a best friend who has had 5x more growth spurts than the rest of the class so that if anyone picks on you they will get their behind straight HANDED to them.
Zoka is that best friend. In the up and comer neighborhood of South Lake Union and for the most part, all of the coffee shops around here are *yawn* somewhere in between a coma and a 2^nd wind. The Starbucks on Westlake is abysmal. The vendors around here just don’t cherish their craft.
I didn’t give Zoka 5-​stars because they’re still pretty new and working out the minor kinks but in comparison this is where you want to be.