Third Space Cafe

Kevin Lee is a second generation Tacoma coffee person. He grew up around the drive through espresso stands his Korean immigrant parents ran here, trained at Renton Technical College, spent about five years running Beecher's at SeaTac, and then left to open this. The name is his own design brief rather than a borrowed slogan: a third space that is neither home nor work.

He buys from Tacoma rather than Seattle on purpose, and the coffee is Naomi Joe, the nano roastery about a mile away inside the 7 Seas Brewing taproom. Two drinks stand out on the board: an orange spice latte made with real zest, and a horchata coffee with cinnamon.

The food is the other half of it. Square biscuits come out every morning, butter only and cheddar chive, and go into breakfast sandwiches including a bacon, egg and cheese and a vegetarian with guacamole. Lunch runs focaccia sandwiches, mortadella with pesto or roasted vegetables with mozzarella and garlic aioli, and soups, pasta and meatball subs turn up as specials. Pastries come in from Lobo Bakery and The Common Cookie.

It occupies about 1,600 square feet in the Providence Building on Pacific between 9th and 10th, the old Pita Pit space, redone in midnight blue with frosted globe lighting, lounge seating at the street windows, banquettes and high tops. Hours are 7am to 3pm Monday through Friday and it closes at weekends, which is a downtown office decision rather than a permanent one: weekend hours and a longer menu have both been floated.