Seattle coffee shops and neighborhoods I explored with the new Toyota BZ4X

I was loaned a Toyota BZ4X for the week for the purpose of this review and as always everything in this post and the opinions here are my own

I had no idea that Toyota had an electric SUV so when I got a message asking if I wanted to try driving one in Seattle for Small Business month, I was definitely intrigued. I love electric cars and I currently drive a hybrid SUV and my next one will be electric. So driving a battery electric Toyota BZ4X around Seattle to visit coffee shops is my perfect kind of week. (We’ve loved Toyota cars forever too-my family even visited the Toyota Factory in Nagoya on one of our trips to Japan)

I first had to connect my phone to the car so that I could get access to my Google Maps. If you grew up in the era of having to buy map books or even print out Mapquest, just being able to put in a direction and have it show up on the screen in the dashboard is absolutely life-changing. The console is sleek and easy to use. I had no trouble getting my audible books installed as well. I also really appreciated the center console charging area for my phone-I didn’t have to bring a cord and this kind of thing helps reduce the clutter in the driver’s area.

I didn’t really drive more than 50 miles a day so with charging overnight at home and a bit of free charging at an Amazon GO store I was able to return the car with about the same electric charge as when I received it. I found the Toyota BZ4X straight-forward to drive and comfortable. There is a really great button on the center console that helps with the view for parking too especially for parallel parking or parking in tight spots(seriously why are all the underground parking spots so tight these days?). I don’t know how we drove in our society before this type of camera-assist on cars.

And here are the locally owned Seattle coffee shops I visited:

Fulcrum Coffee Roasters in South Lake Union

Fulcrum Coffee Roasters in South Lake Union is a place I like to go for interesting coffee drinks. Usually I get an 8oz latte or a flat white when I get a coffee but here I love to read their menu and see what new drinks they’ve come up with. This time it was a “Wild Cherry Marzipan” and it wasn’t too sweet and the cherry/almond flavor paired nicely with the coffee. Next time I would like to try the Wildflower latte or the Bee Pollen one too.

Fulcrum is in the trendy South Lake Union neighborhood so we can usually find parking for at least an hour on the street or in the evenings and on weekends there is free parking at the 7th avenue parking garage. I love to walk the area around the Seattle Spheres with my coffee and if Scout comes along he wants to go to the dog treat store. Fulcrum is also right next door to GH Pasta which is one of our favorite places for takeout lunch in Seattle.

Fonte Coffee

We’ve often been to the location near Pike Place Market and the one in Bellevue but now there is a Fonte Coffee in the new Rainier Square building and it has such a great and expansive space. It feels open and inviting and there is parking validation after 4pm and on weekends so it’s a place you can have an afternoon coffee and stay for awhile too- (maybe even before a Sounders game) and they even have dinner here as well. If you are there during the day, PCC Markets validates for one hour and they sell many locally sourced products there (like Theo Chocolate bars which we picked up). I tried the desert rose coffee and it was really delicious and I noticed they have a happy hour menu which is such a bonus.

Hood Famous

I love Seattle’s Chinatown International District and Hood Famous is a beautiful space there for coffee and treats. I got an iced pandan latte and was tempted to get their mochi waffles but I will try those next time. Hood Famous is also known for their Ube cheesecake which you can find in other stores in our area too. I often park at Uwajimaya and buy groceries and get my car validated and then pick up coffee on my way out. Hood Famous is also close to Seattle’s Historic Chinatown Gate if you are looking for a cool place to take photos in the city.

Fresh Flours

My favorite Fresh Flours is the one in Phinney Ridge because it’s right near Woodland Park Zoo. I have a rule that if we get street parking then we can use the $5 we save on the parking lot to get coffee. But I don’t get coffee at Fresh Flours even though their coffee is good here. At Fresh Flours I always get matcha.

There is a Fresh Flours location closer to me in South Lake Union as well. This one is closer to the MOHAI and it’s about a 10 minute walk if you grab a drink and walk and this is a lovely place to spend some time watching the boats and floatplanes on a sunny day in our city.

Flora Bakehouse

Driving with the Toyota BZ4X to Flora Bakehouse was the coolest part of this whole promotion because I was given a gift card to purchase coffee for over 50 people that morning at this coffee shop that I absolutely love. We found Flora Bakehouse because my guys played soccer a lot on a field nearby this shop last year.

Flora Bakehouse has delicious coffee and pastries and a gorgeous rooftop deck. They carry goods from other local vendors and they have really beautiful design. This is the type of small business that supports other small businesses and we need places like this in our Seattle community-we are so lucky to have them. I usually get their rose cardamom latte and it’s always difficult to choose just one pastry to go with my coffee-all of their treats are so good. I tried the cutest sandwich there the other day, wrapped in paper and tied with a string with brie, apple and roasted onion and it was perfect.

Thank you Toyota for letting me try out your new electric vehicle- I had so much fun on my coffee adventures supporting small businesses in Seattle in the BZ4X battery electric SUV.

(PS. if AWD is something you are looking for in an electric SUV too I checked and there is AWD available with the BZ4X X-mode.

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)