Seattle Coffee Guide: Coffee Carts

Monorail Espresso 

What began nearly 30 years ago as a coffee cart gracing various city sidewalks (at one point it was situated beneath the monorail) now operates as a walk-up counter near the Banana Republic store on Pike Street. Friendly baristas suggest offerings made from Mukilteo Coffee Co. beans and take orders at a window resembling a box-office ticket booth. Downtown, 520 Pike St.; 206.625.0449

14 Carrot Café
The coffee cart parked outside this breakfast hot spot on Eastlake Avenue stands as the last year-round cart in the city. Caffé Vita is on tap (plus Italian sodas and freshly squeezed carrot juice) and treats include homemade cinnamon rolls and tasty scones. Eastlake, 2305 Eastlake Ave. E; 206.324.1442

Espresso Vivace Sidewalk Bar
Vivace made its debut in Seattle as a coffee cart in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1988. A few years later, co-owners Geneva Sullivan and David Schomer opted to serve their espresso year-round through a window in a small building just 50 feet away. Business began booming when people caught on to Vivace’s northern-Italian-style espresso, made with beans it roasts at its own facility. Capitol Hill, 321 Broadway Ave. E

El Carrico Espresso
Situated outside the Men’s Wearhouse store at Fourth and Union downtown, this small cart operates as a food stand, supplying Bockwursts, kielbasas and hot dogs as well as coffee. The cart, which generally hibernates during the cooler months, serves coffee from Sacramento-based Java City. Downtown, 1400 Fourth Ave.