On the corner of 12th and Madison, formerly home to Mighty-O Donuts, resides a portal transporting coffee enthusiasts to a Thai cafe, open to anyone wanting a delectable drink or a cozy spot to anchor while waiting out a Seattle rainstorm. Nudibranch Coffee is a Thai-inspired cafe that just recently opened to Capitol Hill residents Feb. 7, 2026.

Nudibranch Coffee was founded by PNW local couple Emily Sirisup and Cole Arnison. Sirisup focuses more on coffee and creativity aspects, while Arnison makes sure their new business has its finances in order. Something that sets Sirisup and Arnison apart from other business owners in the area is that they work in their own cafe. 

Sirisup details how she found the location where they source coffee for Nudibranch on a trip to Thailand.

“We met Alexa, who’s a coffee educator in the Chiang Rai area, and he also grows really good specialty coffee, and his mission is to give back to his coffee farmers. He owns a cafe and a farm. 50% of his profits go back to the farmers. We aligned a lot on sustainability,” Sirisup said.

The cafe’s winter speciality drink menu includes a pandan latte, a burnt banana latte, a jasmine latte and a chocolate thai tea.

The inside of Nudibranch is directly inspired by the cafes Sirisup and Arnison visit during their annual Thailand trips, with every wall lined with beautiful artwork. One of the pieces hanging on the cafe’s wall depicts Buddha surrounded by pink flowers, and it was made by one of their own baristas. The cafe also features plants intertwined with real wood furniture. 

The cafe is split into two rooms: the front, where the espresso bar is located, has bar seats in front of towering windows overlooking the street, while the backroom has cushioned seats for patrons to get comfy with their specialty coffee and a fake lower ceiling made of draped fabric, giving the illusion of sitting outside on a cloudy day.

Arnison shared how it was sad to see the Seattle community dwindle away during and after COVID, and hopes that Nudibranch can help restore that.

“We made the decision to quit our jobs and at least give it a shot. We also felt like, if you were gonna do it, now’s the right time; we don’t have any kids, we don’t own a house. If we were gonna take the risk, it was now or never,” Arnison said.

Community events were a big priority for Sirisup and Arnison when looking for places to open up Nudibranch, and the two rooms of their current location fulfill their wishes splendidly. Every Wednesday, there is “Tina’s cake decorating party” from 3 to 7 p.m. where guests can learn how to decorate cakes from a professional baker. 

Then, every Saturday, people can participate in “Jagua temporary tattoos with Nico,” from 1 to 7 p.m., where residents can learn about Indonesian Jagua tattoo design, a form of temporary tattoo where the artist uses the Jagua fruit as a dye to draw on the desired tattoo, resembling henna. Nudibranch hopes to host more events further down the road, including music-oriented events.

Evan Burdick, store manager, discussed his past ventures, being in high-volume, less community-focused coffee shops, compared to Nudibranch where community and coffee is the focal point.

“I’m really excited about potentially having the music aspect. Musical performances, like low-key ones, I don’t see too much anymore, and I really want to see about getting… touring acts that come through Seattle. In the past, I’ve seen them have nothing to do during the day. Maybe they don’t want to explore, and they just play a small, unplugged show during the day at a coffee shop,” Burdick said.

Sirisup and Burdick knew each other before starting this venture, as they both worked at the now-closed Starbucks Roastery. While working at the roastery, Sirisup dreamed of opening her own coffee shop and when she eventually took the risk and started this journey of opening Nudibranch coffee, asked Burdick to join her as store manager.

When the bus is running late and the storm won’t let up, Nudibranch is there to make sure there is a place to run to and cozy up, with superb coffee and events to pass the time.

Little Shop Hops is a column in A&E with rotating writers that uplifts small businesses in Seattle.