Capitol Hill's Joe Bar Encourages Greener Transportation

Joe Bar Cafe on Facebook

Seattle is known for many things, but easy parking is not one of them. Try looking around Belltown for a parking spot on a weekend evening, and you'll come to an immediate understanding of how those ridiculously expensive downtown lots manage to stay in business. Try to find parking near Capitol Hill's Joe Bar almost any day of the week and you may find yourself wishing one of those lots was nearby.

Joe Bar, a locally owned Seattle favorite, lives in the Loveless building at the intersection of East Roy Street and Harvard Avenue, across the street from Starbucks-owned Roy St. Coffee and Tea, and a short block away from Broadway. Their menu features coffee, beer, wine, and crepes. Their Facebook page features a list of which buses will drop you off nearby.

Joe Bar Cafe on Facebook

Inside on bar, the baristas are pulling shots of Fonte's espresso blend, and brewing Sol Colibri's coffee. The air smells of crepes, and the menu that most grabs attention details the beer selection. I order a double shot of espresso--the color is rich, flecked with dark colors, crema a bit on the frothy side, with a faint, ashy finish: It is well treated espresso, but a slightly over-extracted shot.

Aesthetically, the cafe's wooden stair railing, small tables, and nook-themed seating arrangement are reminiscent of the days when artists, poets, and composers holed up in coffeehouses for hours at a time to chip away at world-shaping masterpieces. Now students are buried in writing projects, businessmen are reading newspapers, and small groups enjoying the patio seating are chatting and laughing over crepes and coffee. The Joe Bar makes for a pretty friendly setting, once you've arrived. Which is nice because the neighborhood is downright hostile if you happened to drive and wanted to park anywhere nearby.

Check their Facebook for information on hours . . . check here for bus schedules.

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