Caffe Vita is a coffee shop with street cred. Like many worthy coffee roasters, it hails from Seattle. And it leans in to the grunge of Seattle (the Seattle before Amazon blew it up). The independently owned roaster has been around for nearly three decades, first opening in 1995, working with farmers and millers around the world and roasting locally in Seattle on vintage German machines. A visit to any Caffe Vita location guarantees a very good cup of coffee. It will also humble you, reminding you that you’ll never be quite as cool as a Caffe Vita barista. It’s a healthy amount of intimidation for city dwellers.

I first discovered Caffe Vita years ago, at a location that is now closed, an eyecatching art deco building across from the Vista theater in LA, a reliable haunt for east side creatives to hide away upstairs and get some work done. Sadly, the locations in New York City are less coworking compatible, but still just as full of character. Each of the locations is a little different, unique to the neighborhood, but all equally stark and full of personality, an atmosphere catering artsy, tattooed types who have opinions as strong as their espresso. The cafes do feel very much like community hubs, even the ones in New York (which, though I love you NYC, tends to ruin most places with the churn of overconsumption). It’s a place where locals can just loiter for a bit among their own people, while others come and go for takeaway coffee. They also have great beans for home brewing, and, particularly around Seattle, supply many other coffee shops.