World’s first La Marzocco cafe and showroom opens in Seattle

Nothing goes better together than music and coffee.

Maybe that’s why Italy’s La Marzocco, a leader in espresso machine innovation, has opened its first cafe and showroom inside KEXP’s New Home in Seattle Center. We’d like to think they chose Seattle because of our cutting edge music scene and coffee culture, but it’s actually because La Marzocco’s North American headquarters are in Seattle.

Not only is the space gorgeous – Florentine lilies line the pewter bar and a floor-to-ceiling mural of Florence greets you – but the espresso machinists are opening with quite an impressive program: Roasters in Residence, a rotating one-month residency for roasters and coffee individuals around the globe to showcase their curated coffee program for locals and visitors alike.

First up: Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Harumph. We were expecting a Seattle roaster. Anyhoo, Stumptown is a longtime supporterof KEXP and launched their first cafe in 1999 with a La Marzocco Linea espresso machine. Their menu will be on the bar through the end of May. Other confirmed coffee collaborators include G&B Coffee (Los Angeles), Buna (Mexico City), Intelligentsia Coffee (Chicago) Pilot Coffee Roasters (Toronto), Heart Coffee Roasters (Portland) and many more.

The space will also serve as a museum of sorts for La Marzocco fans and home baristas, with a historical archive covering the company’s nearly 90 years in the industry and a series of classes for home baristas to learn the art of espresso.

And rock and roll, of course.

The La Marzocco Café & Showroom is open daily from 7 a.m. at 472 1st Ave N, Seattle. In addition to a full coffee beverage menu, the café will also be serving an assortment of baked goods from The London Plane.