The South Park Bridge's Last Cup of Coffee

​If you're headed to get coffee in South Park any time soon, don't try going over the South Park Bridge. As nearly everyone has already noted, it closed permanently June 30th at 7:00 pm. Being a more northern Seattleite, the repercussions of this are lost on me; the drive between myself and South Park is executed via 99 without actual need for the old bridge. But to South Park residents, it's a big deal. It even merited a neighborhood-wide wake, and on Wednesday, when I made the trip down there to visit Via Vadi, it was the only topic of conversation on any local's mind.

South Park, however, despite all the hullabaloo, is still standing and home to some unexpectedly fun shops. Among them, Via Vadi Caffe: a hidden gem of the "follow the signs" variety. Tucked behind the Napoli Pizzeria, the coffee shop is one of those tiny spaces that is always busy, regardless of whether there are customers or not. Family owned and family-associated with the family owned Ristorante next door, people are constantly running back and forth, taking coffee orders and lunch orders for each other.

The pastry case features fascinating chocolates from Immaculate Confections (chocolate covered habañero/orange-oil caramel, anyone?) and the coffee bar serves Caffe D'Arte. And Caffe D'Arte being a completely hit-or-miss coffee depending on who is making it, I am happy to say it is a hit here.

​Small, friendly, and vibrant, with great wifi, Via Vadi is not a place to attempt studying or writing. But if you want a break from a mundane day, and need somebody to talk a mile a minute at you, it's well worth the visit.

Seattle... go show South Park some bridge-free love. It is still there. Really. I swear.