#SpendLikeItMatters the next time you grab a caffeine boost or sweet treat! Check out these woman and/or BIPOC-owned cafes the next time you find yourself in Bellevue or the Eastside area. And, don’t forget to explore all 100+ Bellevue businesses on Intentionalist.
Dote Coffee Bar
#WomanOwned
Nothing goes together like coffee and dessert! This neighborhood coffee shop is the brainchild of coffee professional Sarah Doud and renowned chocolatier Ewald Notter! It’s unique not only because it doubles as a chocolate shop, but because the coffees are locally roasted in Redmond, Washington. The Modbar setup at Dote is not only visually appealing, but produces top-of-the-line coffee beverages.
Matcha Magic
#AsianOwned #BlackOwned #LatinoOwned #WomanOwned
Rachel Barnecut opened up Matcha Magic in 2022 as the first “plant-forward” matcha bar in Bellevue. Drinks are made with organic ceremonial matcha sourced from Japan, homemade syrups, and plant-based milk. To create their signature Matcha Magic Potion drinks, Rachel adds boosters and adaptogens to their antioxidant and caffeine-rich matcha.
Bonus: Matcha Magic donates 5% of sales to Ladies Who Launch, a nonprofit that supports women and non-binary entrepreneurs.
Semicolon Cafe
#AsianOwned
Semicolon Cafe, the beloved Korean coffee shop with locations in New Jersey, Midtown NYC, and Uptown NYC, has come to Washington with its Bellevue brick and mortar. Alongside lattes and bingsoo (or Korean shaved ice) loaded with sweet toppings, you’ll find toasted brioche sandwiches filled with scrambled eggs and other scrumptious toppings. Owner Sungpyo Hong wants his cafe to give customers a feeling of rest — a pause or break like a semicolon indicates a pause in a sentence.
Bellden Café
#AsianOwned #WomanOwned
Bellden Café is more than a neighborhood coffee shop. Its origin story began when owner Claire Sumadiwirya’s son was hospitalized in China. During his recovery, she found herself yearning for the comforts of a hospital coffee shop, and opened two hospital coffee shops in China. After realizing her gift for cultivating community, she brought her passion back to Seattle. In 2017, Bellden Café was born. The cafe gives back to the community every day by donating leftover pastries, incorporating rotating charity items on the menu, staff volunteerism, and offering items for sale by local makers.
TRÀ Tea & Juice Bar
#AsianOwned #WomanOwned
In 2020, Jacqueline Nguyen opened her first TRÀ Tea & Juice Bar near the Lake Washington waterfront in Renton. TRÀ, meaning tea in Vietnamese, signifies Jacqueline’s own cultural twist on bubble tea. They offer classic boba drinks with the addition of TRÀ Longan Iced Tea and Vietnamese coffee concoctions such as Viet Coffee Frappe and Hanoi Iced (Egg-Creme) coffee!
On the go and want to save some drinks for later? Get your drink in a can!
Check out the other TRÀ locations in Sammamish and Kirkland.
Cafe Aloe
#AsianOwned #FamilyOwned #WomanOwned
While working at their parent’s Dim Sum restaurant in Seattle, owners of Cafe Aloe, Julie and John Wu, noticed it was hard to find good Asian pastries outside of Seattle. They seized the opportunity to bring Asian pastries and drinks to the Eastside. Julie and John strive to deliver high quality drinks paired with freshly-baked pastries, made in-house every day. If you’re looking for something more substantial, Cafe Aloe also offers dumplings and sandwiches.
Pro-tip: Adults and kids alike can’t get enough of Cafe Aloe’s adorable and delicious piggy buns.
Timeless Tea
#AsianOwned #WomanOwned
If you’re looking for fresh bubble tea, look no farther than Shuping Liao, Yue Ying Liu, Xin Wang, and Guangxin Zhang’s Timeless Tea. Stop by the casual, fun, and inviting shop for fruit tea, milk tea hot pot, snow ice, and iced milk tea. Shuping, Yue, Xin, and Guangxin’s business lives up to its name: there is always time for it and you are never too late to join it and join the Timeless Tea community. Don’t forget to try the pastries and desserts like the egg yolk pastry or bull dog mousses.
Bonus: Check out Timeless Tea’s Seattle location.
T’Latte
#AsianOwned #WomanOwned
Visit Vivian Lee’s and Teck-Kong Chong’s T’Latte for delicious espresso drinks, tea, sandwiches, homemade baked goods, much more. Vivian, Teck-Kong, and their staff always provide customers with friendly, quick, and flexible customer service. T’Latte is the perfect setting to enjoy their house blend chai, with featured work from local artists, calming music playing, and availability for private parties.
Bonus: T’Latte also offers free WiFi with a purchase. If you’re looking for a place to study or get some work done, visit Vivian and Teck-Kong and have a delicious drink while you’re at it.
Copper Kettle Coffee Bar
#AsianOwned #WomanOwned
Christina Dong has been running Copper Kettle Coffee Bar since 2016, located in the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. Offering fresh, organic free-trade coffee by Sleepy Monk Coffee from Cannon Beach and pastries from Macrina bakery, this cute cafe is the perfect spot to stop and enjoy the views of the garden. Enjoy snacking on a sandwich while sitting on Copper Kettle Coffee Bar’s outdoor patio. Customers love their chai lattes, scones, sandwiches, and magical location.