Empire Roasters & Records

Cool little place! Was super busy, but there's more space than you realize upstairs, with a nice little lounge area. The coffee was great, as were the waffles. Fun concept. Definitely recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had a great seasonal latte and experience while visiting friends in Seattle. Highly recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I had coffee and breakfast here on a Saturday morning; such a fun atmosphere. The record store selection is fantastic, and while I didn't purchase anything as I was traveling, I could have spent hours browsing and shopping.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I love Empire. They have great espresso drinks, great music, really cool staff, and a really great space. So why the 3 stars?

The prices of their fancy drinks just don't make sense to me. They don't list them on the menu, and when you order and get rung up, they're EXTREMELY steep. A 12oz ginger snap costs about the same as an 8oz cherry bomb (with no mods), and both were about $7.40. I've never paid that much at any other cafe for an espresso drink that was less than 16oz, even with oat milk. And depending on the barista, a fancy drink might end up tasting like sweet milk with a hint of coffee and spices. IMHO, their no-frills drinks are a lot better. I still love the place, just wish they'd be more transparent about the prices and consistent with the quality of their fancy drinks.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Our favorite coffee shop!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The coffee and waffles are amazing, not to mention their elite record collection. They know ball.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Gem of a Coffee Spot!

I stopped by this coffee shop today and was immediately impressed by the warm, welcoming atmosphere. The space has such a great vibe—cozy, clean, and full of good energy.

What really stood out to me, though, was how the staff handled a situation with a very rude customer. A woman came in and started acting upset after waiting maybe two minutes—which is honestly nothing. She was visibly rude to the staff and didn’t even leave a tip, but the team remained calm, kind, and totally professional. It really showed their class and care for their work.

Great coffee, great people, and great energy. I’ll definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

First coffee spot in Seattle that I visited and not disappointed. Seemingly a favorite and somewhat hidden gem of the Columbia city neighborhood. Plenty of choices and all baristas are really friendly and happy to whip up your order. In addition, the owner makes/bakes a lot (all?) of the treats on site, which is awesome. I personally love the vegan banana chocolate chip bread.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I like to see that everything is prepared with good energy and freshness.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Good coffee - okay service.

Atmosphere: 4

Service: 4

Incredible shop! The flow of traffic when ordering and exiting is a bit of a dance, but worth it. Probably the best waffle I’ve ever had, satisfyingly crunchy bagels, and delicious coffee. Will definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great coffee, friendly service, tasty baked goods

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

A really great place to hang out and of course the waffles rock! Not just the flavors, but the mouth feel of the waffle was amazing. Lots of extra and intimate seating on the upper floors and balcony. We came on Sunday morning, so there was definitely a line. 10 minutes in line and 15 minutes more until waffles.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Absolutely wonderful vibes and coffee here. Something for everyone here, IMO, and I'm so happy a place like this exists.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is great! The coffee drinks are unique and very good, will definitely be coming back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5