4 Best Coffee Shops in Olympia, WA

Starbucks got its start in Washington, so it would be a real shame if the capital city of Olympia didn’t have anyplace to find a good cup of coffee. Luckily, coffee drinkers have plenty of options in town, and not all of them have a mermaid logo over the front door. If you’re looking for a local spot to get your caffeine fix, try looking for one of the following cafes.

Olympia Coffee Roasting Co.

The Olympia Coffee Roasting Company got its start roasting coffee beans for wholesale buyers, but after a few years, they opened their first coffee bar on Cherry Street in downtown Olympia. They’ve opened several more locations in Olympia and Seattle since then, and these days they buy their beans directly from growers in eight countries on three continents. Between the growing and roasting, the company has full control over the flavors they want to produce and you can either get a cup from their locations or buy a renewable bag full of their beans.

San Francisco Street Bakery

The San Francisco Street Bakery (on San Francisco Avenue) is in a lively neighborhood in northeast Olympia, and they create a variety of pastries, bread, bagels, and pies. They also serve sandwiches made using their breads and bagels, or you could even get a chicken pot pie. Good coffee is an important part of any bakery that serves the breakfast rush, and that’s why this bakery gets their its from Batdorf and Bronson, a coffee roaster based out of Olympia. They have a full range of espresso and drip coffee options, including lattes with foam art.

Mud Bay Coffee Co.

Mud Bay Coffee Company is another Olympia-based roasting company, and their retail location is on the west side of town on Cooper Point Road near the Olympia West shopping center. Mud Bay is a small-batch roaster that prepares fresh batches of coffee beans daily and buys their beans directly from the farms that grow them. The small-batch approach allows each set of beans to preserve its own unique flavors, and you can get the coffee or the beans from their storefront. They also sell gluten-free cookies to go with their coffee.

Olympic Crest Coffee Roasters

Olympic Crest’s location is over in Lacey on Pacific Avenue Southeast. Like the other roasters in town, Olympic Crest creates premium roasts using a selection of coffee beans sourced from many countries around the world, and they offer coffee and espresso drinks made with their beans. They also have a modest selection of pastries to eat with their coffee and a free Wi-Fi connection, plus they have a drive-through for coffee drinkers in a hurry.

Starbucks may be everywhere in other parts of the United States, but in Washington, they face stiff competition from all the local coffee roasters that produce high-quality beans in small batches a room away from where they serve them up. If you want a great cup of coffee in Olympia, any of the above locations can deliver.