20 Starbucks stores to visit in 2020
Where’s your favorite coffee spot? Perhaps it would be overlooking a volcano in Costa Rica or under a patio umbrella on the Caribbean. It could be a bustling spot full of the sights and sounds of roasting coffee, or a place where you don’t need to make a sound at all. Here’s a start to your 2020 resolutions with 20 unique Starbucks stores to visit in the new year.
1. Tenerife, Spain
Let’s now hop across the Atlantic to Tenerife, the largest of the four Spanish Canary Islands, located west of the coast of Morocco. The Puerto de la Cruz store was beautifully designed to be in keeping with the building’s 18th century architecture and is situated near El Muelle Beach, one of Tenerife’s many famous black volcanic beaches.
2. Bilbao, Spain
If one beautiful Spanish destination has you yearning for another one, then continue on another 1,300 miles north to Bilbao, the historic heart of the majestic Basque Country. At the Navarra Street store, a stunning wall of amethyst stones lights the space with bright purple tones, a nod to the site’s past life as a jewelry store. A vintage glass chandelier adds a further touch of luxury while customers enjoy their favorite beverages.
3. Paris, France
Paris is always a good idea, and an unmatched destination to ring in the new decade. The Starbucks store at Place du Tertre, located in in the neighborhood of Montmartre, is a cozy space to rest and recharge after climbing the steps to Sacre-Coeur Basilica. You’ll find the former cabaret tucked away in an 18th century stone building on the quiet cobblestone Rue Norvins.
4. Valletta, Malta
The Maltese capital of Valletta is known for its colorful doors, which for centuries stood as beacons for sea traders crisscrossing the Mediterranean. Behind a lime green one you’ll find the Valletta Waterfront store in Floriana, the first Starbucks location in the island-state of Malta. The store was designed to reflect Valletta’s heritage as a trading hub with wood, marble and dark, sophisticated finishes that contrast with the lighter stone façade of the city’s iconic waterfront.
5. Bangkok, Thailand
Travel east to Southeast Asia, and you’ll find the city of Bangkok shimmering on the Gulf of Thailand. The Starbucks store at CentralWorld is Thailand’s largest, a celebration of 20 years in the country. The store features a Starbucks Reserve™ coffee bar and, for the first time in Asia, Starbucks beverages infused with nitrogen including Nitro Peach Tea, Nitro Green Tea Latte, Nitro Caramel Macchiato and Nitro Flat White.
6. Hanoi, Vietnam
Journey another 820 miles northeast across Thailand and Laos to reach the historic capital city of Hanoi, Vietnam. You’ll feel right at home at the Duy Tan store, a two-story former residence nestled between to towering office buildings. The location contrasts old and new, with original brickwork alongside modern chevron wood cladding.
7. Bali, Indonesia
Just a little over 2,100 miles south of the Asian continent, just below the equator, is the Indonesian island of Bali and the home of one of Starbucks most unique coffee experiences. At the Dewata Coffee Sanctuary, coffee is not only sipped, but also grown as a tribute to the role that Indonesia plays in the world of coffee. The design pays homage to Indonesia culture as well, with hand-carved stone tiles that create the ornate floor and wall design while traditional local crafts were reimagined into patterns which reflect a modern interpretation of coffee flowers and coffee beans.
8. Yangzhou, China
Head north to eastern China’s scenic Slender Lake district in Yangzhou, and you’ll discover a Starbucks designed to respect the area’s rich cultural heritage, built in the unique style of Jiannan classical Chinese architecture. Inside, the Yangzhou Slender West Lake Culture Plaza location is just as stunning, with an elevated Starbucks Reserve™ coffee experience in the open first floor, while customers relaxing in the second floor’s seating area ceiling can enjoy the exposed wood structure from inside the beautiful pitched roof.
9. Tianjin City, China
Further north, about 200 miles (or a 30 minute high-speed passenger train ride) from Beijing is the Tianjin Riverside 66 store. Originally a bank building constructed in 1921 by a renowned Chinese architect, it took three years for Starbucks to preserve the building's original architecture and restore it to its full splendor, while infusing modern and creative elements that complement and give new life to the space. Highlights include a Renaissance-style façade, an expansive dome with imported marble columns, and local Chinese carvings. The original bank counters have also been fully preserved, allowing customers a peek into what a bank from a century ago looked and felt like.
10. Tokyo, Japan
Located in the vibrant and creative neighborhood of Nakameguro, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo's enchanting design was inspired by the famous cherry blossom trees lining the Meguro River. The building’s glass walls and terraced floors seamlessly fold into the fabric of the neighborhood, bringing visitors eye-level with the seasonal cherry blossoms and the river to reflect the natural beauty and sense of harmony found across Japan. The Tokyo Roastery merges traditional and modern design to deliver a unique and inspired experience across all four floors.
11. Kawagoe, Japan
It may be just 40 minutes from Tokyo, but the town of Kawagoe feels a world away. Located in Saitama Prefecture, the Kawagoe Kanetsuki-dori store in the traditional city district retains the historic feeling of the 18th-century Edo era. It echoes the traditional architecture of the period, with a wood latticed exterior made from locally grown cedar and a traditional tile roof. Take a seat inside near the glass front doors for the best people watching or relax out on the terrace near the store’s Japanese-style garden and listen for the chimes of the Toki no Kane (bell tower) nearby.
12. Alajuela, Costa Rica
A spin of the globe (or 18 hour flight) southeast takes you to Hacienda Alsacia, Starbucks first and only coffee farm. Book a 90-minute tour and get a hands-on look at a working tree nursery, wet mill, drying patio and roaster. Then unwind in the open-air café with a cup of Hacienda Alsacia™ coffee while drinking in the lush landscape of the Poas Volcano.
13. Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos
If Pink Drink is your favorite beverage, then the seaside Cockburn Town store is the place for you. The café on the southern tip of Grand Turk island is the first in Caribbean nation of Turks & Caicos, and features a pale pink exterior in keeping with its authentic Caribbean feel. Inside, the palatte is kept light to keep the breezy tropical mood going.
14. Guadalajara, Mexico
Zig-zag about 2,000 miles due west of Turks & Caicos and you’ll arrive at the historic city of Guadalajara in western Mexico’s province of Jalisco. The Andares store is a juxtaposition of Guadalajara’s natural earthy tones contrasting with the local, vibrant, whimsical crafts that adorn the region’s brightly colored shopfronts and carts. Local artisans contributed special details, including the handcrafted borlas that adorn the ceiling to create a colorful ceiling feature.
15. Mexico City, Mexico
A day’s drive east takes you to the Mexico City, and the welcome you’ll receive at the Corporativo Coyoacán store is well worth the journey. Here, all of the store partners are older citizens, aged 50 to 65, part of the company’s local effort to ensure labor inclusion for seniors.
16. Toronto, Canada
Venture north to Toronto for a beautiful exploration of coffee. The CF Shops at Don Mills store features Toronto’s first Starbucks Reserve coffee bar, with a wrap-around bar crafted in Canadian walnut taking center stage. Here customers can converse with baristas as they watch their coffee brewed using any number of methods – like Black Eagle, Clover, Chemex and pour-over.
17. Chicago, Ill., United States
A Starbucks Reserve™ Roastery is a must-see destination for any Starbucks fan, an immersive celebration of coffee and craft with small batches of coffee roasted onsite. The new Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Chicago is the company’s sixth, joining locations in New York, Shanghai, Milan, Tokyo and Seattle. And at 35,000 square feet, it’s the company’s biggest showcase yet, a three-dimensional window into the journey of coffee.
18. Washington, D.C., United States
The Starbucks Signing Store in Washington, D.C., located near is near Gallaudet University, was designed to create a melding of worlds and the best possible experience for partners and customers whether they are Deaf, hard of hearing or hearing. The bilingual store is led by a diverse team of partners who are fluent in both English and American Sign Language (ASL), the first-of-its kind in the United States after successful ones Penang, Malaysia and Guangzhou, China.
19. Seattle, Wash., United States
It may be located at the front steps of Starbucks corporate headquarters in Seattle, but it’s anything but your typical company store. Opened in February 2018, Starbucks Reserve SODO is a celebration of premium small-lot Starbucks Reserve™ coffees and a tribute to Princi food. Customers can relax in a lounge chair near one of fireside seating areas, enjoy a cocktail at the mixology bar, or look into the Princi kitchen with artisan bakers and chefs at work.
20. Seattle, Wash., United States
Let’s end our list back where it all began – the original Starbucks store at Pike Place Market. Each day, thousands of people make the pilgrimage to the well-loved store, where partners still make beverages on a vintage-style manual espresso machine and bag coffee on the worn wooden counters. Cap your visit with a selfie under the original weathered brown Siren logo.
Pike Place is a trademark of The Pike Place Market PDA, used under license.
