Leon Coffee House | |
---|---|
![]() | |
![]() The restaurant's interior, 2024 | |
![]() | |
Restaurant information | |
Established | 2021 |
Owner(s) | Lupe Chavez |
Food type | Mexican |
Street address | 1309 Northeast 45th Street |
City | Seattle |
County | King |
State | Washington |
Postal/ZIP Code | 98105 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 47°39′40″N122°18′50″W / 47.6612°N 122.3139°W |
Website | leoncoffeehouse |
Leon Coffee House is a coffee shop in Seattle's University District, in the U.S. state of Washington. Established in 2021, the family-owned business is among the city's only Mexican coffee shops and has a colorful interior with various backdrops and decorations. The menu includes coffee and espresso drinks, horchata and other varieties of lattes, as well as churros, flan, nachos, pastries, tamales, and waffles, among other food items.
Leon Coffee House is a family-owned Mexican coffee shop next to Neptune Theatre, on Northeast 45th Street, [1] in Seattle's University District. The lower level is used more for dining and the upper level is designed for studying and working. [2] The bright and colorful interior has various backdrops, a life-sized "Barbie box", [1] a crystal chandelier, a floral indoor swing, Frida Kahlo paintings, neon signs, a rainbow staircase, and umbrellas of various colors hanging from the ceiling. [2] [3] According to Eater Seattle , Leon has "a vibe that's both decadent and whimsical". [4]
In addition to coffee and espresso drinks, the menu includes horchata, taro, and velvet lattes, as well as mochas and drinks with matcha. [3] [4] Some of the restaurant's drinks feature latte art depicting animals such as bears, cat, and rabbits, [1] as well as characters like SpongeBob SquarePants. [5] Food options include churros, flan, [1] granola, nachos, pastries, pork tamales, sandwiches, toasts, and waffles. [2] [3] Leon has a station with watermelon mint water for patrons. [3]
Owner Lupe Chavez opened Leon in late October [4] or November 2021. [6] The business is among Seattle's only Mexican coffee shops. [2]
In 2022, Leon participated in the U District Partnership's first annual Cherry Blossom Festival, serving cherry-filled croissants, cherry-flavored Italian soda, and a cherry mocha with latte art. [7] Leon offered drink specials for the same event in 2023. [8] In 2024, the business was featured on the PBS series The Nosh with Rachel Belle (episode "When Food Is Art"). [9]
In 2023, Piper Davidson of The Daily of the University of Washington gave Leon ratings of 2.5 for "study-ability", 2.75 for affordability, 4.0 for quality, and 3.1 overall, each on a scale of 5.0. Davidson called the restaurant "vibrant" and "any millennial Instagram influencer's fantasy", opining: "I was charmed by the Leon Coffee House. While it may not be the most studious atmosphere, it is certainly a wonderful place to treat yourself." [2]
Jeffrey Martin of Seattle Refined called Leon "a quintessential Seattle coffee shop — with a twist" and "a wonderland of coffee, food, and Instagram-worthy ambiance". He complimented the atmosphere and the flavored water, and wrote, "This place is seriously incredible. Super friendly staff, great ambiance, plenty of space for any need. For me, this is a must-go-to coffee shop." [3]
Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Mexican cuisine ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and Maya who domesticated maize, created the standard process of nixtamalization, and established their foodways. Successive waves of other Mesoamerican groups brought with them their cooking methods. These included: the Teotihuacanos, Toltec, Huastec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Otomi, Purépecha, Totonac, Mazatec, Mazahua, and Nahua. With the Mexica formation of the multi-ethnic Triple Alliance, culinary foodways became infused.
Caffè latte, also known as caffè e latte or caffellatte, less correct caffelatte, often shortened to just latte in English, is a coffee drink of Italian origin made with espresso and steamed milk, traditionally served in a glass. Variants include the chocolate-flavored mocha or replacing the coffee with another beverage base such as masala chai, mate, matcha, turmeric or rooibos; alternatives to milk, such as soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk or oat milk, are also used.
A caffè mocha, also called mocaccino, is a chocolate-flavoured warm beverage that is a variant of a caffè latte, commonly served in a glass rather than a mug. Other commonly used spellings are mochaccino and also mochachino. The name is derived from the city of Mokha, Taiz Governorate, Yemen, which was one of the centres of early coffee trade. Like latte, the name is commonly shortened to just mocha.
McCafé is a coffee-house-style food and beverage chain, owned by McDonald's. Conceptualised and launched in Melbourne, Australia in 1993 and introduced to the public with help from McDonald's CEO Charlie Bell and then-Chairman and future CEO James Skinner, the chain reflects a consumer trend towards espresso coffees.
Spella Caffè is a coffee shop in Portland, Oregon, United States. Andrea Spella started the business as a cart in 2006, before opening a brick and mortar space in downtown Portland in 2010. The business has garnered a positive reception, and has been cited as an influence for other coffee company founders.
Portland Cà Phê is a coffee shop with two locations in Portland, Oregon. The business specializes in Vietnamese coffee drinks, including robusta coffee and Vietnamese iced coffee, and also serves bánh mì and pastries.
Behind the Museum Café is a cafe with two locations in Portland, Oregon, United States. Owner Tomoe Horibuchi opened the original restaurant in 2011 and followed with a second in 2019.
Deadstock Coffee is a Black-owned coffee company based in Portland, Oregon. The business operates a coffee shop in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood and sells beans online.
Frelard Tamales is a Mexican restaurant in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Maíz is a small chain of Mexican restaurants in Seattle, Washington. The original nixtamaleria has operated at Pike Place Market since 2021. Maíz Molino opened in Denny Triangle in 2022, and Maíz Taqueria opened in the Ballard area in 2024.
Cherry Street Coffee House is a chain of coffeehouses in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Wunderground Coffee, or simply Wunderground, is a coffee company based in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Its flagship coffee shop, Wunderground Café, operates on Capitol Hill. Wunderground offers coffee drinks infused with adaptogenic mushrooms, which are not psychedelic.
URL Coffee is a coffee shop in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business is owned by Ethan Choi and Zoey Jung.
Café Avole, also known as Avole Coffee, is a coffee roasting company that also operates two coffee shops in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business launched in Brighton, and operates on East Union Street in the Central District, and on Rainier Avenue South in Rainier Valley.
Fulcrum Coffee Roasters, or simply Fulcrum Coffee, is a coffee company based in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business operates a roastery in SoDo as well as a shop in Belltown known as Fulcrum Café.
Moore Coffee is a small chain of coffee shops based in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The Latino-owned business was established by Lupe Chavez in 2011. There are two shops in Seattle and a third in Burien.
Café Hagen is a small chain of Scandinavian bakeries and coffee shops in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Founded by owner Maria Beck in December 2019, the business has operated in South Lake Union, downtown Seattle, and Queen Anne. Café Hagen has an associated coffee brand known as Hagen Coffee Roasters, which has competed in the United States Barista Championship and other coffee competitions.
Analog Coffee is a coffee shop on Seattle's Capitol Hill, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business is co-owned by Danny Hanlon and Tim Hayden.
Phin Vietnamse Coffee & Etc, or simply Phin, is a Vietnamese coffee shop in Seattle's Chinatown–International District, in the U.S. state of Washington. Owner Bao Nguyen opened the cafe in October 2020.
Bober Tea and Mochi Dough is a chain of bubble tea and mochi donut shops, featuring Bober Tea-branded drinks and Mochi Dough-branded doughnuts.