Not the best coffee! There were 3 of us and we unanimously came to a consensus, our coffee was less than underwhelming, insipid and uninspiring! Was a let down after the glowing reviews. Perhaps it was the barista…
Cher W.
Place rating: 5 Irving, TX
Satisfied with taste of latte, good to visit latte art origin store. And T-shirt design is cool for a barista. Will recommend to friends who come to Seattle.
Mitch L.
Place rating: 2 Santa Barbara, CA
I’ve only went to this place once and wasn’t impressed. Cashier was more invested in entering tips than checking customers out. My coffee was tossed on the counter with a bunch of others and cooled off completely before anyone tried to find it it’s owner. My experience here was all around on, won’t be coming back.
Steven J.
Place rating: 5 Baton Rouge, LA
I’ve had smooth espresso in Seattle, but then I tasted Espresso Vivace. They take smooth to new heights, adding brilliant hand-crafted twists to old favorites. You definitely can’t go wrong here. I’d move to Capital Hill just for the coffee!
Jason P.
Place rating: 4 Pompano Beach, FL
Top notch espresso bar with highly skilled baristas that will make you exactly what you want. Coffee roast is sweet and not overpowering even with a triple shot latte.
Montserrat V.
Place rating: 1 Seattle, WA
Giving it a star because the coffee is good, but the service sucks and the place feels dirty. They watch you like a hawk to see if you tip or not which is rude, if you don’t tip they don’t say thank you and sneer at you. Honestly, if you need a cup of Joe, go to Café Solstice, Roys, or Joe Bar nearby.
Hannah S.
Place rating: 4 Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA
The coffee is one of the best I’ve had in Seattle. I got a caramel latte and my friends both got a soy latte. I would give this place 5 stars but the staff wasn’t too friendly
Israel M.
Place rating: 5 Auburn, WA
there’s an abundance of good coffee in Seattle but Vivace is the cream of the crop. Great coffee, pastries, and service is what you always get. I’ve been going since their tiny sidwalk stand at the other end of Broadway but this spot is my fave. Sometimes you’ll have to wait for a table though and it can be a little noisy at times.
Alina F.
Place rating: 5 Sand Springs, OK
Amazing coffee! Had the white latte. Very strong and great atmosphere to study/work. Very good coffee even in comparison to all numerous Seattle locations. Lots of options including espresso. Friend had straight black and enjoyed it.
Brian C.
Place rating: 2 Seattle, WA
As per my six-month rule, I will go back to a place I’ve reviewed poorly after six months if I feel it’s warranted, and with Vivace’s reputation, I believe that it is deserved. Unfortunately, not much has improved. The service is tepid at best, aloof and dismissive at worst. The store isn’t kept to my standards of cleanliness still. Whatever. Everyone gets a trophy, right? …and my drink(although they didn’t totally botch it this time) suffered their now trademark inattention: the shots were poured by one barista, while the other juggled steaming milk and register(don’t get me started on the dangers of money-handling and food handling simultaneously…). My shots sat cooling and diminishing while the person on register sorted out the milk, resulting in mediocrity in my cup.(Sigh) a splash of milk would have saved those shots… Well, Vivace, we’ll still have our memories of how good you were, before you let in these lower standards. And you were gorgeous! Moving on.
Alison C.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
A beautiful café for beautiful coffee. I love their caffe caramel and I know I’ll be coming back for that deliciously sweet, velvety drink over and over again. Perfect for sipping on with bae across the table and/or a laptop in front of you. The café imbues a unique, lively vibe, as its name suggests. Inside, there’s plenty of seating including an additional quiet room, art on every surface of the walls, and a bustling barista island crafting cup after cup of yummy coffee. It’s the kind of place that caters to a variety of coffee seekers needs, be it studying, catching up with a friend, or just getting some me-time while looking out at Broadway. Can’t wait for Vivace to open up their garage door when summer comes around!
Camie T.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
+Friendly staff who don’t get angry when you spill your drink on the cash register receipt printer. +Fast service. +Excellent espresso. +Prepaid punch card — pay for 9 drinks and get 1 free(must be all the same drink). +Lots of seating. +Two queues to order from when busy. +Separate«quiet» room for those wanting to read or do other things in the quiet like stare at walls. +Clean bathrooms(key required from barista). +Good looking baked goods that I’ve been strong enough to resist on my many visits. Espresso Vivace has the best espresso in Seattle. Period.
Jessica G.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
Hands-down, this is one of my favorite coffee houses in all of Seattle. Great, friendly baristas, delicious coffee, and meticulous attention to detail(amazing foam art). I love indulging in an afternoon breve here. The foam is made perfectly here for this drink. There is really nothing I can say to add to the awesomeness that is Vivace, but I will comment that I wish there was more seating(which would obviously require a larger space), because every time I visit, it’s like a mad dash to find a seat/table. I do like meeting people here for a coffee, because it’s always vivacious and full of interesting people. Free wifi is a great perk. Plus, there’s free water and a restroom for customers(restroom keys are on the counter). Parking sucks here in Capitol Hill, but making the trek and finding a spot in the residential neighborhood, on the street, or in a nearby parking structure is worth it to try this place.
Tani S.
Place rating: 5 Bellevue, WA
We thoroughly enjoyed our morning here visiting before the holiday weekend with family in town. I hadn’t realized the popularity of this spot until reading a recent Seattle Times article, Eater feature, and seeing the numerous reviews on Unilocal.Why haven’t we visited sooner? The coffee was sublime(a vanilla latte) as was the tea(my sister in law had the Stephanie which was great) and the baked good scrumptious as well – the cherry coconut scone was particularly good. The chairs were comfortable and we particularly liked the closed off room with its wide table and space to work.
Katie L.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
This has got to be my favorite to go to coffee place. Going to starbucks all the time, got me really tired of their flavors and wanted to try something new once in a while. I’ve always tried their white velvet before and wanted to try something different, such as tea. So I got the beautiful Stephanie! It is currently my favorite. It is Earl grey flavored which is my favorite! Their latte arts are also cool everytime! Though I would appreciate it if they made it more hot because sometimes it would not be as hot as I would like it to be. But all in all, this is my all time favorite coffee place! White velvet and beautiful Stephanie is the best :)
Alexis E.
Place rating: 3 Seattle, WA
I used to get 3 – 4 lattes at Vivace a week. While Vivace is my favorite coffee in the city, I would warn people away from coming here in the evening. 5 times in as many months I’ve gotten almost undrinkable lattes from their apathetic evening baristas and/or baristas in training, and about a dozen times more I’ve gotten lattes that were barely hot, or milk that tasted off, or in cups that were dirty with spilled drink/coffee grinds. Most of the time it is merely disappointing, and I’ve never taken a drink back because I really dislike confrontation. But tonight was the last straw and I don’t think I’ll be patronizing them much going forward. Even after seeing that the guy who usually does a poor job was there tonight, I decided to risk it. Sure enough, he was training someone, and sure enough, she screwed up my drink. After failing to properly froth the milk, pouring too much of it into the cup, then spilling ¼ of it over the side of the cup and on the saucer/all over the counter when she picked it up, she said, «Here you go,» and gave me the total. Honestly, I didn’t even know how to react because it so comically sloppy… so I just wrote a tip on the [latte-stained] receipt and went to sit down. The latte was lukewarm and tasted so much like room temperature milk that I couldn’t finish more than half of it. Also it was rather hard to pick up a cup half-covered in sticky latte. If the manager happens to see this, I would say: Train your people properly before letting them serve customers, and maybe don’t let them be trained by your worst barista. It is totally unacceptable to give an improperly made drink to a customer who’s paid almost $ 6 for it. Tell them if they eff up, to apologize and make it again(I’ve never been upset by a barista doing this and am happy to wait a few more minutes so they can get it right.) I would give 5* to their daytime staff, who’re always efficient, pleasant, and do a perfect job, but 1* to their evening staff.
Latifa S.
Place rating: 4 Seattle, WA
Love in a cup! I’ve been here way too many times yet I haven’t gotten around to write a review. So here goes! Few reasons why I love this place! 1. Coffee! Vivace make my favorite coffee in Seattle. As simple as that! They got their technique down in selecting the best beans and delivering it in to your cup. I love their coffee. 2. Hot chocolate — 3 out of my 5 visits have been for hot chocolate. I love coffee but Sunday mornings come around, I want a nice big cup of hot chocolate that’s not overwhelmingly sweet. They have it! So I get it! 3. Pastries — try one, try some and try all! Even the cookies are good and I’m not big on cookies. 4. Ambiance –that very retro décor? That’s what I love. And those big windows with bright lights draw me in like a moth to a flame. All those mood setting, emo dark hipster places are so 2013! I want light! 5. Location — Thanks for being located right across from my yoga spot! Literally. I enjoyed my morning hot chocolate runs after sweating my behind off. 6. Baristas — they are so nice, you’ll want to tip them 20 times over! Oh and their homemade whipped cream? It’s magic! Thanks to the baristas for always giving a little espresso cup full of it. My inner fat child thanks you! 7. Lazy afternoons — lazy Sundays! Lazy work from coffee shop days! You’ve got it all. Seems everyone else come here for similar reasons too. I can spend hours her drinking and working and not feel like I’ve been in for as long. That’s the magic part. You made me feel like I’m almost in my home. Total comfort factor! It’s a place to be if you’re looking for one of those qualities from a coffee shop!
Michael K.
Place rating: 5 Las Vegas, NV
In the back of the café, there is probably a shrine. A shrine that shows reverence to the coffee gods. And each morning, the almighty coffee gods grant Vivace Roasteria the supreme power of creating the worlds best latte foam. Yes, you heard me, the best foam. Ever. Vivace is known in the Seattle area as one of the best coffee shops, very impressive considering coffee, as well as salmon, are pretty much brands that personify this city. After hearing the skinny, I had to check it out. I’m sure a lot of you are saying«Whats so special about a regular latte?» Well, that was once a question that I had asked many of times. After visiting Vivace, the answer was quite clear. It’s all in the foam. Once ordering my drink, I sat down and watched the process. Everything seemed pretty normal. But I was missing something. That special skill that the barista had when making it, something I couldn’t see… it made all the difference. Back to that foam. This is not your run-of-the-mill foam. It would be too confusing and long-winded to describe it. The best explanation would be something like ‘drinking a meringue’. If it doesn’t make sense, then go there and try it yourself. The coffee itself was amazingly balanced, with a strong, but not overwhelming flavor, and was perfectly roasted. Combined with the foam, it was five stars all the way. In a town known for coffee, Vivace definitely sits head above the rest. I can’t wait to come back and get another mug of latte. Vivace. you so kawayzy!
Grace X.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
I needed to get out of my apartment for the afternoon and wanted a spot to crank out some work and this is a truly perfect place. Just a short bus ride away from where I live in the UDistrict, I walked a few steps from the bus stop to this place and was pleased to find a lot of seating options. When I thought I found a perfect table next to an outlet, I realized there was a separate, closed off room with a ton of counter space with bar stool seating(as I write, I have been sitting on a stool for 45 minutes and I’m happy to report that it’s quite comfortable as far as bar stools go) and a giant dining table with lots of chairs around it). I moved into the room because it’s a lot quieter and the only others in here are also like me and pretending to get work done while they actually Unilocal away or Facebook stalk people from their past. I ordered an 8 oz. white velvet — which had the prettiest, Instagram-able latte art. The coffee is strong but good. You could get cheaper coffee elsewhere but hey, I’m paying for a place to escape and I think they offer a great place for that. The wifi is incredibly fast — I can even stream music. Sold. There are two lines to order from, so you just pick the shortest one. Noise level outside is a bit high but fine if you’re coming here for a quick bite and drink or chatting with friends. There’s a garage style door that’s open on a warm day like today which is great and offers nice natural light but of course, there are lots of cars driving by which adds to the noise. Overall I’m sold. I will be back again! ETA: the air conditioning is so powerful I’m cold. But here’s another reason to come visit if you don’t have AC at home and need to cool down, they can hook it up. Bring a jacket if you’re like me.
Tracy S.
Place rating: 4 Santee, CA
Espresso Vivace has two locations on this street, one is a curb side coffee stop and one is a place that you can get coffees, espressos, bakery items and more. COFFEE: I had a white velvet and an espresso and both were amazing! They event came with cute designs on top which I am always fascinated with. EMPLOYEES: were nice, there were three guys, they weren’t overly excited but they also weren’t unfriendly. They seemed to know a lot of the customers by name which says a lot about the person and the coffee shop. A very integrated part of the community. ATMOSPHERE: there are seats inside, patio seating and a special quiet room in case you just need a quiet place to sit and drink and do work or study.