Empire Roasters & Records

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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

Easily my favorite coffee shop I consistently go to in Seattle. Staff is super friendly, coffee is always good and they have gluten free waffles on the weekends (maybe more frequently, but I'm not 100% sure)

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Gluten Free Vegan Waffle

I have been going to Empire for over 3 years now. It has been my favorite coffeeshop for a long time, but after my experience today I will not be returning. I am so disappointed in the service from a staff that, in the past, has always been kind and accommodating. My friend and I went today to grab coffee and she forgot to ask for her drink iced. When the drink came out hot, I asked if they could ice it due to the mistake. The employee working told me they couldn't ice it, they would have to remake it, and because it wasn't rung in as hot my friend would have to repurchase the drink. I have never, ever been to a coffeeshop where if a drink was intended to be iced and came out hot, that the barista would not remake it. I was so shocked she said that I almost did not even know what to say. She did not even give us ice for us ourselves to ice it down. Was it her mistake in forgetting to ask for it iced? Yes. But for two very consistent customers (over the course of years), it would have been nice for the barista to give us some grace and remake the drink. This has been a remarkable way to ruin an afternoon and made us feel quite dejected. I felt the entire conversation was rude and unbelievable. I am so disappointed in the service and I will not be returning

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 1

We were in town for 4 days and had breakfast here every morning. the coffee and the food were both amazing, and the staff was super friendly and fun. Be sure to check out the record store upstairs as well as the roof deck!

Definitely will be coming back whenever we are in town!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great spot in the one the best neighborhoods in Seattle. Loved the cortado and even found an Atlas Sound record upstairs. Third level has balcony seating. Must visit!

Unpretentious, friendly shop with lots of distractions, like vinyl, views and a veranda

This is one of my favorite places to cozy up for an hour or two to read or get some work done. The coffee is high quality, unique house made syrups and milk alternatives, excellent baristas. I love the cornmeal waffle with house made toppings. There is a lot of care that goes into their food and drink offerings.

The atmosphere is relaxed and musicand decor are charming. Ground floor can feel a little crampped but there are lots of outlets and bench seating food for getting work done. Middle floor houses the record shop. Third floor has three cozy seating areas with lots of natural light and a bar area with space to plug in. There is outdoor patio space on the ground floor and 4th floor.

There is easy, angle back-in 2 hour street parking -- I've always found a spot close.