BOTHELL — Our region has the highest concentration of coffee shops per capita in the country.
And now there’s another.
Social Grounds Coffee &Tea Co., founded by Snohomish County folks Wendy and Darren Armstrong and Amy Marthaler, is located across Bothell Way from the new Bothell City Hall.
Love of coffee and love of people sparked the entrepreneurial spirit in the trio.
Unlike many coffee shops and coffee stands, Social Grounds is not a to-go place. Yes, of course, you can take your coffee with you, but the owners would like you to sit down and pause.
And while you are sitting there, get something to eat.
My friend Terri and I did recently, with pleasing results.
We started with coffee. She had a macchiato and I drank a latte, both topped with the barista’s beautiful milk art.
The shop sells baked goods from Hillcrest Bakery, a Dutch mainstay in Bothell, and dessert pastries are available all the time.
Breakfast includes a standard fare of oatmeal, bagels, breakfast sandwiches and wraps.
We were there for lunch.
We ordered a tasty toasted caprese sandwich ($5.95) with sundried tomato, fresh mozzerella, basil and pesto spread on a ciabatta roll. The other sandwich is a turkey and havarti ($6.95) also on ciabatta.
The shop offers five salads (cobb, caesar, mixed greens, spinach and kale) all served with focaccia bread from Hillcrest.
My favorite was the loaded kale salad (large is $10) with carrots, bell pepper, edamame, dried cranberries, tomatoes, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds and kale, of course, topped with a honey mustard vinaigrette dressing. Talk about healthy and filling, but it also was delicious.
The menu is fairly brief, but the focus is on coffee and tea.
Take a whiff of the blueberry rooibos tea leaves from Shen Zen Tea and your mouth will already be watering.
Shen Zen also makes a great strawberry kombucha, which is available on tap at Social Grounds. A kombucha growler costs $14.95.
The shop also sells cold brew coffee growlers for $16.95. Cold brew, which takes extra time to make, is popular with people who like the less acidic taste. It isn’t just for summer anymore.
The shop buys its roasted coffee beans from Vista Clara Coffee in Snohomish and its milk from Smith Brothers.
The owners of Social Grounds prefer to drink the shop’s signature blend drip coffee, which is primarily Ethiopian, but hazelnut mochas are another favorite. Wendy likes hers cold, and Amy and Darren drink theirs warm.
The shop is open into the evening and offers a rotating local brew on tap (right now it’s Triplehorn IPA) and wine by the glass, primarily from Chateau Ste. Michelle.
Terri and I found Social Grounds a nice place to sit down, take a breather and have a visit.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
Social Grounds Coffee &Tea
18333 Bothell Way NE, Suite 103, Bothell; 425-419-4257; www.socialgroundscoffee.com.
Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Alcohol: Wine and beer
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