Hotwire Online Coffeehouse

Has since closed. :(

Agreed with the others — comfortable, mostly delicious, wi-​fi and sssllooooowwww service. But now for the big news: on Feb. 1, Hotwire North changes its name to (hold your breath) the Laughing Ladies Café & Bakery. Not a joke. It’s on their website. Based on their mother-​daughter owners and the fact that they host stand-​up comedy.
I’ll probably continue to stop in when I have time (especially if they have a real bakery) but what little flicker of hipness we had in Shoreline is about to be snuffed: «Dude, let’s cruise by the Laughing Ladies» ?!?
By the way, if you’re in the neighborhood and need coffee to go without the wait, try Sunshine Espresso just 2 doors north of Hotwire. Coffee’s usually quite good and lightning fast, and they gladly take walk-​ups.

Dear Hotwire,
You are making it really difficult for me to like you. I really want to like you, really! But today just put me over the edge.
I had 40 minutes to find some coffee and lunch before my next client, so I thought, «Hotwire!» I ran down there and hoped for the best. I got a whole lot of «meh» and a bucketful of attitude.
I walked up to the counter. One of the owners (?) greeted me with no smile, no «hi», no nothing. She acted as if my being there was the biggest bother in the world. Her attitude really stunk. She said my sandwich might take a few minutes because she had to cut some more turkey. I said «ok». The barista was really great and my coffee was done in no time. After I ordered, the lady proceeded to have a cheerful chit-​chat with the person in line behind me for several minutes. (Where was the cheerful chit-​chat for me?) Then she took the time to stock the bags of coffee on the other side of the store… then, several minutes later, finally got around to slicing turkey and making my sandwich. When the sandwich was finally finished she put it on a plate. When I looked at it in puzzlement, she said, «Oh, you wanted that to go?». I said yes and she said, «WELL YOU HAVE TO TELL ME!!» I said (politely), «well, I got my coffee to go.» and she retorted, «Well that’s different! Lots of people get their coffee in a to-​go cup and then stay in the store!» She continued to grumble and complain as she turned around the repackaged the sandwich to go. I figure she should have asked me when I ordered the sandwich if I wanted it for here or to go. And since I got my coffee to go, kept my coat and scarf on, and sat by the door patiently waiting for my sandwich, that should would have understood. But no.
Listen, I know everyone has a bad day now and then, but seriously? If you don’t like people, or can’t at least fake it, then don’t open a coffee shop. Or maybe just stay in the back and do paperwork.
My sandwich was lovely. And the coffee has been great the last two times I’ve been to Hotwire. But that kind of service is inexcusable. I actually feel sorry for her. I can’t imagine being that bitter.

I agree that Hotwire takes their sweet time making your mocha, but it’s always worth it in my experience. Their espresso is some of the best around. I wish they had some less generic-​tasting pastries… I think they might get there’s from Essential Baking Co. Anyhow the pastries could be better, but the espresso is fabulous! I also like the comfy chairs, and the live music is nice UNLESS you are trying to do homework and you forgot your headphones. :)

Great for all the vores… omnivores, herbivores and carnivores!
Not only do they whip up a great espresso, have free wi-​fi AND computers set up for public use but they have all the option to suit any allergy you might have. If you to gluten free foods, they got it. Are you a strict vegan? Make yourself at home! Love the meats in your eats? This is the spot. They even have rice and soy milk.
To top it all off, Fri’s and Sat’s they have live music without a cover. They’ve even got a selection of bottled beers for those who want to relax during a show!
The environment here at Hotwire is down to earth, not too happy and chirpy and too cool and laid back. Just average joe’s drinking their joe. It can take a min. to get your order so keep that in mind.

***½ Stars…
Pros: comfy chairs, good coffee, parking, and the Internet of course…
Cons: Don’t go here if you’re in a rush. i.e. if you’re having caffeine withdrawal and need your quick fix…
Time permitting this is the best coffee shop in Shoreline! :)

the coffee is great and i love the atmosphere– being an urban seattlite forced to work occasionally in Shoreline, its alway s great place to meet customers– BUT the service is really slow, for being a coffee shop there pretty pricy, and the music selection is always odd and quite often loud! they just chenged their hours they used to be open till 9 whic was great for meeting clints after work hours but now they litrally kick you out at 8 on the dot! and make it increaseingly uncomfertable to stay past 730, the other day i was handed a to go cup at 6pm b/​c the very slow barista didnt want to do dishes! i will continue going there as its super convieniant and works well for what i need but i wish they would extend their hours in the evenings and get some better service!

Okay, true story.
This happened a few years ago. It was late at night and we smelled smoke, an interesting smell, not like burning timber or tarpaper or anything, but something… completely different. Our neighbor smelled it too, and then another neighbor and another, and within a few minutes we had a street-​ful of people all convinced somebody’s house was burning down. «Call the fire department!» someone shouted, and being a good citizen, I did. It turns out there wasn’t a fire at all, but they were roasting a batch of beans at the new Hotwire Coffeehouse up the street. At the time this smell was something new to Shoreline, but it’s new no longer. It’s become a welcome scent that wafts gloriously across the rooftops. Why? Because the coffee is good. Dang good!
The only complaint I have is that occassionally a horde of 20 – 25 sk8ters accumulate outfront in the evening all smoking cigarettes as if they think they’re going to live forever, and I HATE having to walk through a cloud of smoke just to enjoy a nice cup of joe.

This is one of my favorite coffee houses in Seattle. It’s big with lots of seating (tables/​chairs and leather chairs) as well as outdoor seating. They have live music on the weekends, but I haven’t been here for that. I come for the coffee and free wi-​fi. Service is slow, that’s why I gave it 4-​stars, but the staff are really friendly and patient (I have a hard time deciding what to order sometimes). But the drinks are good and are even served in mugs and saucers. It’s also appropriate for kids, they have a tiny play area with toys, books and games, they are also lots of yummy treats including gelato. They offer desktops you can use, first 15min are free.

Hotwire is THE quintessential coffee house, especially for the more northern parts of the city where things become a tad more suburban. I love to hang out there on my «work from home» days, order up a veggie melt with potato chips (when you are at Hotwire, the calories don’t count!) and a latte. I feel like I’m on a vacay, even though I’m working. (Got that Alix?) The café has that old skool «hang out» feeling, with some folks computing, others chatting, others reading … just a nice, chilled out vibe.
Last time I was there a trio came in and started playing Bach. Sweet!
I gave them 4 stars because the service can sometimes feel a little too much like they are hanging out too. You can wait awhile to order, even if there’s only one or two people in front of you. If you’re in a hurry, you might want to find a Starbucks. I’m sure there’s one nearby.

This place rocks! I thought it was just a regular café when a friend dragged me in this place, and it turned out to be this coffeehouse with wi-​fi, I would have brought my laptop if I knew! They have computers there too, which is cool! Okay it’s a coffeehouse so coffee should be the main thing here, which is really really good. I had the orange mocha, and I think I died and went to heaven! :) We also had a cheescake, it was yummy! This place is pretty big, and they have parking in the back. Service was very friendly and fast. Love it!

I genuinely feel badly about giving a business a not-​great rating. It’s the sociologist in me. But that’s another topic entirely.
Today was probably between my tenth and fifteenth visit to Shoreline’s Hotwire Coffee in the last year. I am not exaggerating when I say that EVERY SINGLE TIME I go in there, I end up waiting between five and ten minutes for my coffee — and there is no long line or wait. It’s not because there are ten customers before me. Their service is just plain slow, which is fine if you have nothing better to do that wait 20 minutes for DRIP COFFEE (true story). It doesn’t even take twenty minutes to BREW coffee!) But even when I’m sticking around for free wi-​fi, twenty minutes is just too long. Because this has happened on multiple occasions, I only drop by for coffee at Hotwire if I’m desperate and it’s on the way.
Like I said, I hate leaving bad reviews, but they seriously need to buck up on service times. I’m not in a meditation temple, FOR THE LOVE.

What a coffe house should be! A very cool space full of fun people. Room to do your own thing with good food to go with good fresh coffee. They have open mike and local artists playing there too. A great place to hang.

More than just a coffeehouse, Hotwire has live entertainment, local artists displaying their craft, tasty lunches and certainly, great espresso! Buy a beverage and get free time on the computers which are good quality and very fast.
Hotwire roasts its own coffee locally and uses Fair Trade-​Shade Grown beans to create the subtle nuances of flavor that cause me to keep coming back for more.
Stop by towards the end of the week and listen to Seattle musical talent and support the starving musician by picking up a CD or dropping a tip into the jar.
Great place for studying, surfing the «net» and chatting with friends. Make the drive to the North End. It’ll be worth it for the coffee alone.”