Best Seattle-area dessert and drink spots to beat the summer heat
Jun 24, 2026, 5:00 AM
An assortment of beverages on a hot summer day from JOIE Coffee in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. (Photo: Arthur Au Yeung)
(Photo: Arthur Au Yeung)
Summer is officially here, and the whole city is buzzing after we said goodbye to the cloudy and rainy seasons. We also get to enjoy watching the World Cup in the sunny weather.
The summers are definitely warmer than they used to be and can take a bit of an adjustment. I am here to help you out by recommending some good dessert and drink spots to cool you down.
Mia and More (South Seattle & Kent)
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Southeast Asia is one of the warmest regions in the world with its tropical climate. As a result, sugarcane juice is a popular drink for its high water content and electrolyte levels. It is also a very tasty drink. It is a bit hard to find in the Seattle area, so I am thankful Mia and More is in town. They have more than 10 different kinds of freshly pressed sugarcane juice. I recommend the Durian one in particular.
If you want to try something different, Mia and More also has Viet coffee, fruit teas, matcha, and milk teas. They also have sweet desserts, usually made from beans, jellies, fruits, and cream. Their Viet street food is also delicious. I love their rice paper salad and rice rolls.
For the rest of June, you can use my discount code “Arthur15” for 15% off.
Frost Desserts (Mill Creek)
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It still gets warm up there on the North end, so I am glad Frost Desserts is in town. Their pastry chefs are excellent, and everything I sampled was on point. Their desserts range from donuts to French macarons and other pastries. They have more than 20 kinds of each, which is a great problem to have. My favorite macaron is the crème brûlée, while my favorite donut is the Homer Simpson Ring.
Aside from desserts, they also have a brunch menu. Bagels, burritos, breakfast plates, and omelets can all be ordered. Their coffees are also a delight.
Rain City Market (Renton)
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Grocery stores and delis are making a comeback in this economy. It may not be the sit-down ambiance, but you can usually find a cheaper deal for a good amount of food. The South End usually is good for value, and one of my favorite markets is at Rain City in Renton.
They are modeled after the bodegas in New York City, and I love the variety in their menu. They have catfish, chicken and waffles, wings, cheesesteaks, and burgers. Not a single dish is more than $16. The star of the show is surprisingly their soft serve, though. Their strawberry soft serve is some of the best I have had in the Seattle region. Make sure you order one of their cool drinks too.
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JOIE Coffee (Ballard)
JOIE Coffee is one of the hot new cafes in the Seattle region, and they just celebrated their second anniversary. Lucky customers got to take home blind boxes of their cute little trinkets. Cute is definitely the right word for this cafe, as the interior is straight out of a Wes Anderson film. This is a spot where you can almost get lost in the aesthetics, but the drinks are even better.
They have three main types of caffeinated drinks: lattes, matchas, and teas. The butterbeer, crème brûlée, and ube clouds were amazing for their taste and appearance. The Mango Sticky Matcha and Pandan Matcha were some of the best I’ve had outside of Kyoto too. Don’t forget their teas, such as Strawberry Lychee and Cheese Crema Jasmine tea, which were wonderful too. This is a must-stop if you ever are in Ballard.
