Spokane’s Caffeine Scene

A lot of people think that all Washingtonians are just a bunch of coffee-loving, flannel-wearing, Subaru-driving hipsters…

Well, that might not be 100% spot on, but we do love our coffee in Spokane. Here’s a spotlight on some of our favorite places to get some hot, earthy bean-water in town.

Indaba on Riverside

You literally just have to take the elevator downstairs to find great local coffee. Indaba, a local coffee staple, is our next door neighbor. Specializing in their own small batch roasted coffee, Indaba makes a variety of great drinks from a simple brew coffee to one of their seasonal lattes with housemade syrups. If you’re looking for lunch, and are super hip, Indaba also has a toast chef. You read that right. They have a guy on staff who makes fancy toasts, so you can get your mid-morning, avocado toast fix. We’ll admit the lentil hummus toast is pretty good too.

And if downstairs is just too close, you can walk a block and go grab a latte at their other downtown location on Howard. That spot doesn’t have the toast though.

We recommend: The lemon vanilla latte – tried and true.

First Avenue Coffee

Like the neon sign in their front window declares, they make “damn good coffee.” First Avenue is the storefront for local coffee roaster, Roast House, and they specialize in small batch coffee from around the world. You can try different roasts from their extensive tasting menu of small-batch, shade-grown, organic coffee. This isn’t your run of the mill candy in a cup coffee experience. Their coffee bar is set up, well, like a bar. They treat your latte more like a cocktail and take pride in making a perfect drink on their open ModBar Brewing System. The baristas like to experiment, so if there’s something you think would be fun to try, they’ll find a way to make it for you.

They also have locally-made pastries like homemade donuts and flockets – which are like high-end pop tarts with a way more fun name. You’ll pay more here, and walk a little further, but if you’re a coffee aficionado, it’s damn good.

We recommend: F Bomb Cold Brew on nitro, perfect for our hot Spokane summers.

Boots Bakery

A local favorite, Boots is a charming place to stop in for a cup of coffee in the morning. They make all your classic espresso drinks but are most well known for being vegan and gluten free. There’s tons of options for a snack or lunch to go with your coffee if you live the vegan life or have food sensitivities. Boots is also beloved for its heart for the community, often giving coffee to those who just need a warm cup. In the evenings, Boots is also a lounge and a great spot to stop in for a cocktail with friends to relax before heading home.

We recommend: The pumpkin waffle. Yeah, it’s not coffee, but you have to have this waffle.

Atticus

Unlike a lot Spokane’s downtown coffee spots, Atticus doesn’t roast their own coffee, but they’ve been a downtown coffee favorite for a years. How many? We’re not entirely sure, but they still use a Comcast email address. They’re locally-owned and have enough experience to make great coffee beverages. Atticus is also just a block from the office. When it’s nice out, you can sit on their back patio, which is particularly nice on spring and summer mornings before downtown really starts to wake up.

Atticus also has a great retail shop with local gifts and is the best place to pick up Vintage Spokane prints from local artist Christ Bovey.

We recommend: Vanilla Latte – simple, but good.

Thomas Hammer

Local, before local was cool, Thomas Hammer is Spokane’s OG coffee roaster. They’ve been making local coffee since 1993, and serve their lattes with a side of sass just a block away. Hammer coffee is more straightforward than some of the other downtown coffee places. You find small batch brews here, but you’ll get the basics done well. All of their baristas are trained at their downtown warehouse before hitting the coffee house, so you never, ever, get a bad drink. It’s consistent, it’s good and it’s a great price. Like Indaba, they also have a second downtown location if you feel the need to walk an extra two blocks.

We recommend: The Fireball. A mocha with a cinnamon-orange twist.

Revival Tea Company

Coffee not your thing? Check out Revival Tea Company, it’s tucked in a cool basement location around the corner and down the street. They started as a retail tea company and quickly started selling their tea blends around the world before opening a storefront in February 2020. They do tasting flights of their housemade blends and specialize in tea “mocktails”. You can grab a hot cup to go, or cool off with a special iced tea when it’s hot (or if you only do iced drinks). Plus, if you find a tea you love, they carry all their blends in loose leaf or bags to take home.

We recommend: Fresh Crafted Spiced Chai. Get it hot or on nitro. It’s great either way.

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