Cafeography
Seattle

Cafés with outdoor seating in Seattle

Sidewalk tables and patios for the dry summer, from Capitol Hill to Green Lake.

Photo: Brett Sayles, Pexels License

Seattle’s outdoor café season is short and reliable. July is the driest month, with about 0.60 inches of rain, and July and August together get less than 1.6 inches; downtown averages 71 completely clear days a year, mostly between May and September, and highs in July and August average about 77°F (25°C).1

The city’s outdoor dining permits come long-term or seasonal; seasonal permits run from April 1 to October 31, and the tables must be cleared from the sidewalk by the end of the day on October 31.2 Capitol Hill has the most cafés with outdoor seating, ahead of the University District and Ballard.

Local tip: Seasonal sidewalk permits end on October 31; from November, check that a café’s outdoor tables are still out before you plan a coffee in the open.

Where these cafés are: Capitol Hill (14), University District (10), Ballard (9), Green Lake & Roosevelt (7), First Hill & Central District (6), Phinney Ridge & Greenwood (6), Beacon Hill (5), Downtown & Pike Place (5), Queen Anne & Uptown (5), Magnolia & Interbay (4), South Lake Union & Eastlake (4), Fremont (3), West Seattle (3), Wallingford (2), Belltown (2), Pioneer Square & International District (2), Ravenna & Wedgwood (2), Columbia City & Mount Baker (1), SoDo & Georgetown (1).

At a glance

91Cafés listed
82With opening hours
05:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Lula Coffee, from 05:00 (Mon–Fri 05:00–19:00 · Sat 06:00–19:00 · Sun 06:00–18:00).
  • Closes latest: Cafe Solstice, until 23:00 (Mon–Thu 06:30–23:00 · Fri 06:30–21:00 · Sat 07:00–21:00 · Sun 07:00–23:00).
  • Most listed streets: Roosevelt Way Northeast (3), Northwest Market Street (3), East Union Street (3).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (46%), indoor seating (30%), card payment (22%).
Downtown & Pike Place

Gelatiamo

  • 1400 3rd Avenue
  • Mon 11:00–18:00 · Tue–Thu 11:00–20:00 · Fri–Sat 11:00–21:00 · Sun 11:00–20:00
  • +1-206-467-9563
Map WebsiteIs this you?Report

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Seattle.

When to sit outside

November is the wettest month, at about 6.31 inches, and November, December and January bring roughly half the year’s rain.1 December gets only about 20% of its possible sunshine, against 65% in July.1

Rain is lightest from June to September, and in 2017 no measurable rain fell between June 18 and August 13.1 Those are the weeks when the outdoor tables along Ballard Avenue and 15th Avenue East fill first.

Capitol Hill and the Central District

On Capitol Hill, Analog Coffee on Summit Avenue East, Wunderground at 1111 East Pike Street and Espresso Vivace at 532 Broadway East all have outdoor seating, and Volunteer Park Cafe & Pantry sets tables on 17th Avenue East from Wednesday to Sunday. Cal Anderson Park, the former Lincoln Reservoir Park, is named after Cal Anderson, Washington’s first openly gay legislator.3

East on Union Street, Katy’s Corner Cafe at 2000 opens at 06:30 Monday to Saturday and Push x Pull at 2407 serves daily 08:00–15:00, both with outdoor tables. Boon Boona at 1223 East Cherry Street, in the Central District, has outdoor seating too.

Ballard and Green Lake

Ballard’s outdoor tables line the cobbled Ballard Avenue: Sabine at 5307 serves until 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, Miro Tea at 5405 until 22:00 on weekdays, and Anchored Ship is at 5308. Firehouse Coffee on NW Market Street and Venture Coffee on 24th Avenue NW have outside seats too, and Golden Gardens Park, on Puget Sound, is one of the neighborhood’s landmarks.4

Around Green Lake, Retreat at 6900 East Green Lake Way North serves daily until 21:00, and Café Urban Bakery on East Green Lake Drive North and Mighty-O on North 55th Street both have outdoor seating; the Mighty-O shop opens at 06:00 on weekdays.

Downtown and the waterfront

Downtown has fewer terraces. Anchorhead Coffee at 2003 Western Avenue, Fonté Coffee at 1321 1st Avenue and The Shop by Porter at 1201 2nd Avenue have outdoor seats; Fonté opens at 06:00 every day.

For the water, take a coffee onto Overlook Walk, which has stepped down from Pike Place Market to the waterfront since October 4, 2024; its Salish Steps were built as seating.5 Boon Boona’s Western Avenue café, at 1515, serves daily 08:00–18:00.

Sources

  1. Climate of Seattle, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Outdoor Dining, Seattle Department of Transportation, accessed October 2026
  3. Capitol Hill, Seattle, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Ballard, Seattle, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Overlook Walk opens Friday (October 1, 2024), Queen Anne & Magnolia News, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

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Open by 6am

47 cafés

Open late

32 cafés

By area: Downtown & Pike Place Pioneer Square & International District South Lake Union & Eastlake Queen Anne & Uptown Capitol Hill Fremont University District Ballard

FAQ

Outdoor seating in Seattle: questions

When is the best time to sit outside at a Seattle café?

July and August. July is Seattle’s driest month, with about 0.60 inches of rain, and the two months together get less than 1.6 inches, with average highs near 77°F (25°C). Seasonal outdoor dining permits run from April 1 to October 31, so many sidewalk tables disappear in November.

Which Seattle neighborhood has the most cafés with outdoor seating?

Capitol Hill, ahead of the University District and Ballard. On the hill, Analog Coffee on Summit Avenue East, Wunderground on East Pike Street and Espresso Vivace on Broadway East have outdoor seating. In Ballard, the tables are on Ballard Avenue, at Sabine, Miro Tea and Anchored Ship.

Where can you drink coffee outside on the Seattle waterfront?

Overlook Walk, the elevated park between Pike Place Market and the waterfront, opened on October 4, 2024, and its Salish Steps work as amphitheater seating for a coffee from the market. Anchorhead Coffee at 2003 Western Avenue has outdoor tables, and Boon Boona at 1515 Western Avenue serves daily 08:00–18:00.

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