(Image: Nudibranch Coffee)

An expert barista who honed her skills at the Capitol Hill Starbucks Roastery will lead the team bringing a new flavor to the neighborhood’s cafe scene: Thai coffee.

Nudibranch Coffee is set to share its version of Thai cafe culture as it opens in coming weeks at the corner of 12th and Madison.

Nudibranch, across the street from the busy Seattle Academy and Seattle University, will also be full of Thai vibes.

“Coffee shops there have a lot of small events like bracelet-making classes together,” Emily Sirisup says.

The coffee? Expect flavors from the light to medium side, fruity with a lighter taste, and concoctions that mix flavors like coconut water and citrus with espresso.

“It is almost an entirely different universe of coffee over there,” Nudibranch’s Cole Arnesen said.

Sirisup used utility pole posters to spread the word when Nudibranch was raising startup funds (Image: Nudibranch Coffee)

Nudibranch is set to take over the space left empty by last year’s departure of Mighty-O Donuts during a small wave of 12th Ave closures. With Nudibranch’s arrival, all of those shutterings are on their way to new starts. Outer Planet Brewing has a new owner. The former Rachel’s Ginger Beer will reopen this month as the new Roma Roma by-the-cut pizza joint.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood’s mix of coffee and cafe culture is finally recovering from the pandemic, changing behaviors, and challenging business environments. Global flavors are part of the recovery. CHS reported earlier this week on another new 2026 addition to the area’s cafe scene with the plans for a location of Haraz Coffee House, a national Yemeni coffee chain, on E Pike. 2025 brought Phê and its Vietnamese coffee ambitions in a new auto row-inspired cafe on E Pine.

Nudibranch Coffee will arrive on Capitol Hill after years of effort. Sirisup and Arnesen launched the project with community funding and were planning a Ballard opening until the location fell through. The Mighty-O space’s availability and Sirisup’s familiarity with the neighborhood from her time pulling shots at the Melrose Roastery put little Nudibranch on a new path.

Now the team is busy getting the new cafe ready for an opening by February. The aesthetic, they say, will focus on comfort, softer lighting, better seating. A “sleepier Seattle,” “cloudier,” Arnesen said, with more “naturals” and a space “filled to the brim with plants, lots of wood, lots of stone.”

They have also pulled the equipment out of a back area of the one-time pie bakery to create a new study area that can also serve as a performance and event space.

Sirisup, meanwhile, is finalizing the plans around food and treats including collaborations with smaller bakers in the area and hopes of making a place for Southeast Asia creators for quick bites, sweets, and desserts.

The only thing left to work out might be how to say the new cafe’s name. Most sources direct the pronunciation as “noo·dee·branch.” Sirisup, an ardent beachcomber, and Arnesen, for now, are going with “noo·dee·brank” and a hard “k.”

Nudibranch Coffee will open soon at 1400 12th Ave. Learn more at nudibranchcoffee.com.

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