Category Archives: Coffee Shops, cafes and bistros

Anthem Coffee & Tea

 

Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

Anthem Coffee & Tea at 1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, in front of the Washington State History Museum has been open since November 2011. Dear daughter and I visited today to purchase delicious drink treats and to share a tasty sandwich, which came from Joseppi’s. Anthem has a nice vibe to it, stylish and comfortable. And the folks behind the counter were super nice!

http://anthemcoffeeandtea.com/

The Ugly Bean

The Ugly Bean at 919 North 2nd Street in the Stadium District is fun. The drive through window guy had a big smile and my iced Americano was really very good.  I was a tad worried about going through the drive through since it looked like the exit was at a weird angle, but it really was no problem. After reading their Yelp review there are a couple of things I’d like to go back and try.

Renaissance Cafe

The Renaissance Cafe at 1746 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma is located in the Birmingham Block and was constructed in 1892. The history of the building, which also includes a Starbucks can be found here http://www.tacoma.uw.edu/campus-map/buildings/birmingham-block-bb

 

Pho PQ

Dear daughter told me that she had to eat veggie fried rice from Pho PQ at 10706 Bridgeport Way in Lakewood. She had been there with her friend and declared it delicious. So I ordered dinner to go and it was indeed delicious and there is plenty for lunch tomorrow. I told the counter guy who ran me up that it was my first time there and he smiled and said, see you tomorrow! I do so like an optimist!

The Panama Hotel Tea and Coffee House

The Panama Hotel Coffee and Tea House at 607 South Main Street in the International District of Seattle has a fine selection of teas and plenty of history. I learned of it because my book group read The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Though it is a work of fiction, it is based on historical facts about the treatment of the West Coast Japanese during World War II. The book opens with artifacts being found in the basement of the hotel and now a days one can view some of these artifacts through a plexiglass in the floor.

 

Have a Smiley Day!

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt in Sunrise Village (10306 156th St E Suite 101
Puyallup, WA 98374) was packed yesterday! It was a lovely, warm Saturday — just right for a frozen treat. I had read an article in the Tacoma News Tribune reviewing all of the new frozen yogurt shops in the area and thought trying out a new one sounded fun. I love Gibson’s in Tacoma (blog entry here http://blog.firsttries.com/?p=2891) and Black Bear (blog entry here http://blog.firsttries.com/?p=1355). Menchie’s staff is wildly friendly. “Have a smiley day”, they gushed at me after I paid. Ummmm. OK. “You too”! I purchased coconut and cake batter swirl with coconut chips and whipped cream and ate it in my peaceful car.

Menchie’s Website http://www.menchies.com/ says they have 170 locations worldwide. There are seven locations in Washington State and seven more in the works including one in Gig Harbor. While it was a treat to visit, I would just as soon go to Gibson’s or Black Bear for their quirky home grown feel. But even those two will soon be a chain (of two each) since new locations are forth coming. 🙂

Northern Fish Co.

Northern Fish Company at 2201 Ruston Way in Tacoma has a wonderful setting with Commencement Bay out its back door (if it had a back door!). There are two Northern Fish Co. locations in Tacoma with the other one being at 3911 South 56th. The Ruston Way location not only offers seafood to prepare at home, but also seafood chowders and baskets to either eat there or at home. Their website is here http://www.northernfish.com/