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By Alia Sinclair

On your way to or from the airport, it’s easy to reach for what’s familiar, especially in an area where the well-known green and white branding on every corner reminds you that Seattle is the birthplace of Starbucks.

Just as with its cuisine, the coffee and drinks offered by the rich diversity of small business owners in the city of SeaTac give visitors unique expressions of well-known beverages. 

Below, we visit three beverage stands in SeaTac’s World Table District, all distinctive and all delicious.

Kappa Espresso

Kappa Espresso feels like your comfy neighborhood coffee spot, even if it’s the first time you’ve been there.

Its bright red exterior draws you into a space bright with art and radiating hospitality.

LouLou, owner and barista extraordinaire, greets you warmly and invites you further into the aroma of fresh coffee beans and beautiful pastries.

Kappa Espresso serves delectable single-origin coffee beans sourced directly from Ethiopia, and it’s evident with every sip that LouLou is passionate about brewing them to perfection.

Kappa Espresso’s menu is full of the usual culprits: lattes, mochas, cappuccinos, and teas, as well as a seasonal menu of specialty drinks.

LouLou’s favorite this summer is a coffee drink called the Lucky Me Latte – 20 ounces of caffeinated bliss. The Lucky Me Latte is iced Ethiopian coffee accented with Irish Cream and salted caramel. 

Syrups are often in danger of overwhelming coffee drinks, but the Lucky Me Latte is a masterpiece of perfect blending. The rich, full-bodied depth of Ethiopian coffee is impossible to miss, while the burst of sweeter flavors balances the natural bitterness of coffee into perfect harmony.

Finished with a swirl of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel, it takes a lot of willpower to savor every sip without chugging it all down and asking for more. 

Kappa Espresso partners with Italian bakery Gelatiamo for its beautiful pastries and makes all their sandwiches in-house. 

The chicken pesto sandwich is where you’ll taste Kappa Eespresso’s East African roots. The ingredients of the sandwich will be familiar to you: chicken, tomato, arugula, and Italian dressing, but the seasoned chicken is the hero.

Your first bite of the sandwich hits the taste buds with an earthy warmth and full-bodied flavor. Toasted crisply on a hoagie bun, the seasoned meat melds with the fresh tomato and arugula for a vegetal crunch while the Italian dressing holds it all together with a mild punch of vinegar.

LouLou began Kappa Espresso with his two brothers in 2019 when all three decided they wanted to expand what they shared with their family every Sunday around the dinner table with the wider SeaTac community.

Sadly, one of the brothers passed away two years ago. “We keep going for him,” LouLou says, pointing to bright golden symbols painted on the wall, “There is his name.”

Everything about Kappa Espresso is full of heart. You will be welcomed, well-fed, and ready to come back.

Latino Cafe

Latino Cafe is colorful, friendly, and fun. Their menu sports all the usual coffee fare and a wide variety of indulgent milkshakes.

Their Nutella shake offers the perfect fusion of hazelnut and chocolate blended over ice for a refreshing, frozen, pick-me-up before you brave the airport.

The most popular coffee item on the menu is the horchata latte. Heavily flavored with cinnamon, this latte is steamed with horchata (rice-based milk infused with vanilla and cinnamon) and aromatic espresso. Served hot or cold, the horchata latte is the perfect drink for cinnamon lovers or those who want to revel in traditional Mexican flavors. 

Latino Cafe is a drive-through spot in the same parking lot as the Mall of Africa, so be sure to pop in for a quick shop and a delectable lunch before you hit the road again. 

(Read our profile of the Mall of Africa)

Five Star Espresso

Five Star Espresso is your go-to drive-through for Somali coffee and tea. 

The standard Somali latte – one of the best-selling items on the menu—is very similar to Somali tea. Both beverages are spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom and sweetened with cane sugar.

The coffee has a slight bite as the spices meld with the natural bitterness of the coffee, while the tea’s more neutral palette gives a softer edge.

Five Star Espresso is also home to traditional Somali breakfast pastries, including sambusa, a fried, non-sweet pastry stuffed with beef or fish.

The beef sambusa is heavily spiced with cumin, onion, and garlic, offering a filling alternative to the heavier, sweeter breakfast pastries you may be used to.

Five Star Espresso is also very budget-friendly, with two beef sambusas and a 12-ounce cup of Somali coffee totalling just over $8.

Rounding out the menu with healthy smoothies, juices, and espresso drinks, Five Star Espresso offers something for everyone in the family.

Coffee with heart

SeaTac’s beverage stands are not formulaic, perfunctory, or tied to a corporate bottom line. Every cup of coffee served upholds a vision, a family, and a dream of a global community, bound by the timeless sharing of a hot beverage and the things we all have in common: joy, pain, and the love of a good cup of coffee.

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