Café by day and bar by night, Mr. Spot’s Chai House in downtown Ballard is perhaps the coziest alcohol-licensed establishment in Seattle. With homey mismatched couches and cushioned chairs, Mr. Spot’s feels much more like a snug family room than a café or bar.

As the name suggests, chai tea is the featured item at Mr. Spot’s. The café was opened in 1998 by then-fledgling Morning Glory Chai company. The company has since flourished and its tea is now available in more than 400 cafés and markets. Morning Glory is a bit spicier than the more common chai brands — Tazo and Oregon Chai —­ a distinctive quality that has made the tea a favorite among Mr. Spot’s customers.

“The chai here has a great spice. It’s something unique that sets it apart from other teas,” said Ballard resident Brandon John who visits the café daily.

Beyond traditional chai, Mr. Spot’s offers a number of unique variations of the restaurant’s specialty drink. Among the most popular menu items is the Ruby Tuesday — a blend of Morning Glory Chai, pomegranate syrup and lemon juice. For the caffeine junkie, Mr. Spot’s created the Hail Mary, a decadent combination of chai, chocolate and milk with two shots of espresso dropped in for good measure. All teas are reasonably priced, between $2.65 and $3.50.

Although Mr. Spot’s tea is reason enough for an excursion to Ballard, the café also offers a selection of lattes, americanos and mochas using locally roasted Lighthouse Coffee. Mr. Spot’s pastries are also produced in Seattle; the shop offers both Mighty-O and Top Pot Donuts.

Beer is available all day at Mr. Spot’s, but the transition from café to bar is most apparent during happy hour — 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. — when all pints are $3 and glasses of wine are $1 off. This smooth shift from tea to alcohol in the evenings makes it easy to spend much of the day at the café and bar. UW graduate Dimitri Lebid often finds himself spending his afternoons and nights at Mr. Spot’s.

“Because they offer a little of everything, it’s easy to pass a lot of time here,” Lebid said, adding that he had been at the café for more than six hours. “You can get a lot of work or studying done during the day and then stay for a beer at night.”

Like their coffee, the beer at Mr. Spot’s does not venture far from home, with Ballard-brewed Hale’s Special Bitter and Maritime Pacific’s Old Seattle Lager among those on tap.

For customers in need of something more substantial than tea or beer, Mr. Spot’s does offer a large menu of diverse, vegetarian-friendly items. Among their more popular dishes are falafel ($5.25), served on a pita with lettuce, cucumber and tahini, and vegetarian samosa ($6.25), a South Asian-inspired plate of flakey, curry-and-potato-stuffed pastries served with a homemade chutney.

Mr. Spot’s also offers a number of entrée-sized salads ($6.50-$7.50), which can be fittingly ordered with their house chai spice vinaigrette.

Despite the wide assortment of lunch and dinner options available, Mr. Spot’s most personal dish has to be the like-home grilled cheese and tomato soup ($6.50). Between this comfort food, a hot cup of tea and the cozy décor, it’s easy to forget that you’re at a café instead of grandma’s house.

“Mr. Spot’s is really a living room away from home,” John said. “It’s a great place to hang out. The people are nice and everyone’s relaxed.”

Adding to this sense of community, Mr. Spot’s offers acoustically geared live music from local bands and performers most nights of the week. There is also a Thursday open mike night. Shows start at 8 p.m. and are free.

With great tea, coffee, food and music, Mr. Spot’s Chai House offers a little of everything in a friendly, laid-back environment and is well worth a trip to Ballard.

Reach reporter Joe Darda at arts@dailyuw.com.