Java Joints of Jet City: Fuel Coffee, Montlake

We roll out of bed, ready to face a new year of great coffee shops, stellar coffee and hearty roasts. Seattlest welcomes 2008!

We head to the newest branch of Fuel Coffee, on Montlake Avenue. We've heard good things about Fuel and we love their graphics, most recently seen by us on a baby's onesie.

We enter the Montlake shop and immediately relax. It’s a great space, perfectly laid out to facilitate a morning rush and cozy enough to relax into afternoon laziness. The rich woods of the furniture and the antique-looking espresso bar further add to the sense of spaciousness and comfort. The shop’s flow is so good, we effortlessly find ourselves in line, facing a very smiley, red-headed barista. A pleasant transaction follows, until he passes our order off to his doppelganger barista, a surly gal with a 1980’s butt-rock hairdo.

Butt-rock barista is pretty dour and looks like she hasn't gotten much sleep. After she snaps at a customer for taking an innocuous photo, we stop making excuses for her and look for a way out. Fabulous Feng shui will have to wait for another day.

We enjoy our warm, rich espresso, on our way out the door, noticing Fuel's other winning elements- a display shelf full of fascinating kitsch, a children's play corner and cushy leather chairs in front of the huge, storefront windows, perfect for people watching.

We looking forward to visiting Fuel's other stores in 2008, to see if their design parallels the Montlake store.

Fuel Coffee, Montlake
2300 24th Avenue East