Claimed to be the world’s largest coffee shop—a brand-new concept Starbucks in Roman architectural style

Text & photos byPapa Seahorse

A massive coffee roaster slowly turns its robotic arms, with rows of metal storage bins lined up and a radiant copper gleam. The ears catch the rapid hiss of espresso machine pressure, while an exaggeratedly oversized lampshade hangs dramatically overhead. You elegantly lift a heavy black clay coffee cup embossed with a star, savoring all the surrounding sounds, aromas, voices, and essence of coffee roasting in one single sip.

This is Starbucks’ brand-new concept coffee shop: Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room.

Located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill district, just seven blocks away from the original Starbucks store, it claims to be the largest coffee shop in the world. Its exterior, built with white stone, resembles ancient Roman architecture, but stepping inside reveals a whole new world—six-meter-high ceilings and a floor space of 4,719 pyeong (approximately 15,600 square meters), so vast it could be called a “city of coffee.” With a renovation cost of $2.3 million USD and an additional $1 million USD spent on equipment, Starbucks replaced its iconic siren logo and green branding with a star symbol and a bold uppercase R. It’s clear that the company invested heavily in this flagship store to redefine its brand image and set a new benchmark for coffee shops.

Push open the heavy doors, and you step into an expansive, boundless space. The coffee shop has two levels, with a coffee bean roasting factory located on one side that spans both floors.

Here, you’ll only see three types of materials: whitewashed terrazzo flooring that stretches across the entire space; wood-toned ceilings, bars, tables, and chairs; and enormous copper exhaust pipes and coffee bean transport tubes crisscrossing the mid-height space. That’s right—Starbucks has moved an entire coffee roasting factory into the café. Workers in rugged coveralls pour coffee beans from burlap sacks, while colleagues at huge mixing tanks carefully operate machines and monitor the roasting process. Customers, some holding coffee cups and others maps, stand by the railing listening to staff explanations.

At the entrance, two teams at small wooden desks introduce you to the shop’s facilities or answer any questions about the café. If you’re just here to buy coffee beans, the Scoop Bar on the right lets you weigh and take your beans home. In front of the Scoop Bar, a dazzling array of coffee-related merchandise—from various brewing tools to coffee cups hanging like tiles on a wall—tempts your every purchasing desire.

If you want to order a coffee, the oval-shaped Main Bar is the main service counter. One side offers espresso drinks, with two state-of-the-art Victoria Arduino and Nuova Simonelli machines loudly brewing cup after cup. The other side features filter coffee machines: three Chemex units shaped like faucets, along with two Clover machines—high-end filter coffee brewers acquired by Starbucks years ago—standing sturdily nearby. At one end of the oval counter, an assortment of pastries, cakes, and sandwiches await your pick.

If you’re a fan of pour-over coffee, head down the stairs marked with the star and R logo to the first-floor syphon coffee brewing area, where you can try the pour-over brews rarely found in regular Starbucks stores. Of course, you can also do as Papa Seahorse did—order a Tasting Duo. A shiny coffee pot and rustic coffee cup sit neatly on a wooden tray, inviting you to savor the different flavor profiles of the same coffee bean brewed in varying methods.

Along the floor-to-ceiling windows, simple vintage wooden chairs paired with small side tables let customers lounge casually, immersed in their books or phones. The oversized lampshades overhead clearly come from a master designer’s hand. Occasionally, cracking sounds echo from near the ceiling—look up, and you’ll see a flip-board sign reminiscent of a train station timetable, announcing which coffee beans have just finished roasting.

If you’re interested in learning about Starbucks’ coffee roasting process, gather a few friends and head to the back library, where the staff will give you a guided tour, explaining each station.

Want to try food other than the café’s pastries? No need to go far—Starbucks has partnered with Seattle-famous pizza spot Serious Pie to open a pizza and light bites shop at the other end of the coffeehouse. Order a thin-crust, crispy pizza, whether you’re dining in the bright, elegant seating area of Serious Pie or taking your slice to a coffee-scented corner of the café, you’ll be surrounded by beautiful views.

Before leaving this extraordinary Starbucks flagship store, don’t forget its crown jewel: step outside, then turn around and look up from the spot three steps in front of the door. Admire the terracotta-colored, double-tailed mermaid relief on the semicircular parapet of the roof—it’s a hand-fired piece of art, watching over the crowds from above, rain or shine, guarding the café.

Seeing is believing—this phrase perfectly describes this coffee shop. It’s sure to become another must-visit attraction in Seattle… If you’re planning a trip to Seattle, you absolutely must come and experience Starbucks’ dedication and innovation for yourself.

Papa Seahorse
A Gemini man born under the air sign, he worked as a senior marketing and PR executive for multinational corporations before the age of 45; after turning 45, he moved to Canada. Alongside his teenage sons, he plays the role of a father amidst foreign springs of cherry blossoms, summer sun, autumn foliage, winter snow—and documents everything he sees and hears in Vancouver.
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