Tacoma Java Co

The room came out of a tattoo shop. Tacoma Java Co sits at 2703 Sixth Avenue in the former House of Tattoo building, and the buildout leaned into what was already there rather than covering it up. The original wood beams are exposed and painted black, the walls are scarlet, the tables are live edge slabs, and the metal fixtures were finished by hand by one of the owners. The seating is the detail worth the trip: salvaged chairs pulled from the historic Olympia Theatre.

The espresso is Vivace Roasters out of Seattle, one of the older names in Northwest coffee, and the drink list runs past the standards into a few builds of the shop's own. The Snickerdoodle is chai with white chocolate, white coffee and cinnamon. The Lavender Nirvana and the Mocha Java Chip are the other two worth knowing. Lotus energy drinks are on the board for anyone who wants the caffeine without the coffee.

Nothing is baked on site and the shop does not pretend otherwise. The muffins and quickbreads come from 8 Arms Community Bakery in Olympia, and the bagel sandwiches come from Bruchelle's Bagel Bistro in Covington. Inside there are lounge chairs, the theater seats and the live edge tables, which is a real sit down room rather than a counter you pass through.

Hours are 6am to 6pm Sunday through Thursday and 6am to 7pm Friday and Saturday. Sixth Avenue is one of the city's main independent business strips and parking is whatever you find on the street, which gets tight through the middle of the day. Valhalla Coffee Company roasts further west on the same street and has its own entry here, so the two make an easy pairing on foot.