****NOTE: This review was done prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Of course, things are much different at the moment, but we hope things will get back to normal soon and hope you will continue to support these local businesses****
Lost Lake Cafe and Lounge
Recommended by: While eating at Skillet, we mentioned to the patrons next to us that we were at Skillet early in the morning, because our daughters woke up early. They mentioned that Lost Lake Cafe down the road is actually open 24 hours, so when we wake up early in the future, this could be an option.
Description on the Lost Lake Cafe and Lounge’s Google Description: 24-hour spot draws a hip crowd with its American diner fare, happy hour & mid-century modern decor.
Neighborhood/Type: Capitol Hill
Address: 1505 10th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
What we ate/drank: Chicken Fried Steak – A huge CFS, country sausage gravy, two eggs any style, hash browns and Texas toast. Carnitas Breakfast Burrito – Slow braised pulled pork, three scrambled eggs, spicy black beans, pico de gallo and queso fresco wrapped in a flour tortilla, topped with salsa verde. Served with sour cream and guacamole on the side. Kids pancakes, Caffe Vita coffee.
Comments: First thing you need to know about Lost Lake Cafe is that it is one of the rare diners in Seattle that’s open 24 hours, 7 days a week. It really has that old school diner feel -the long counter with swivel chairs, booths along a wall made of wood paneling and large rocks and rows of tables in the middle. And the coup de grâce, plastic covered menus. You can’t get more “old school diner” than that.
The theme is cabin lodge with forest landscape paintings, taxidermy fish and a log fireplace on the lounge side of Lost Lake Cafe.
The menu choices here are extensive and Lost Lake Cafe have different menu choices for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Even with the extensive menu, our server told us that they had honed their menu over 7 years to concentrate what they’re good at.
After being paralyzed by all the choices and sugestions from our server we decided on the carnitas burrito, chicken fried steak, pancakes from the kid’s menu and coffee from Caffé Vita. The Hash and Scrambles were also recommended by our server and she advised if we don’t like what we ordered, she’ll get us something else.
We were definitely happy with our choices. The chicken fried steak was huge, the over easy eggs cooked perfectly and when cutting into the yolk and mixing with the gravy, it creates a near perfect bite. The gravy, thick with bits of sausage is the standout here.
The Carnitas Breakfast Burrito is the dish that really surprised us. We were expecting a rather generic breakfast burrito since the diner doesn’t really specialize in Mexican food, but the braised pulled pork was really tasty and the light topping of the salsa verde was a good complement.
Our server was a superstar. She not only spent an inordinate amount of time helping us with our order decisions, but she made our kids feel welcome and I believe she was the only person servicing the entire restaurant on a Sunday at 8am.
Most restaurants in Seattle are kid-friendly to a certain degree with kid menus and high chairs/booster seats, but Lost Lake Cafe goes above and beyond. They had the Disney Channel on their TV and had a giant jar of toys for our kids to choose from.
For you club goers in Capitol Hill, new parents with babies that wake up at 3am, insomniacs, college students pulling all-nighters, keep Lost Lake Cafe in mind. They have something for everybody and their service is top notch. With the many choices we are sure to be back to try more dishes.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
Overall: 4.60
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future:
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****NOTE: This review was done prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Of course, things are much different at the moment, but we hope things will get back to normal soon and hope you will continue to support these local businesses****
Bok a Bok Fried Chicken
Recommended by: While eating our Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwiches at Lil Woody’s., my co-worker mentioned Bok A Bok Fried Chicken. And said they don’t have burgers, but have the best chicken sandwiches. We had to check it out.
Description on the Bok a Bok Fried Chicken website: It’s air-dried, hand-dipped and double-fried to order. This process isn’t fast but it makes for super juicy chicken with an unforgettable crunch. It’s fresh, never frozen, antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken. It’s hand-made biscuits and sides made from scratch, using fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients that we prepare with care and integrity.
Neighborhood/Type: University District
Address:5201 University Way Unit D, Seattle, WA 98105
What we ate/drank: Bowl O’Shame-Kimchi mac n’ cheese, spicy tater tots, chopped fried chicken thigh, 4 chili hot sauce, green onions, crispy garlic, crispy shallots and a poached egg, Umami BBQ Chicken Sandwich-Soft bun, gochujang bbq sauce, ginger cabbage slaw, mint and cilantro. Served with boneless chicken thigh. Bulgogi Chicken Tacos(3) on flour tortilla with ginger slaw, kim chi, cilantro and spicy lime cream. Yuzu Green Chili Chicken Sandwich – Charred pasilla peppers, dill pickles, pea sprouts, yuzu aioli. Boneless Chicken Thigh. 10 pc chicken wings.
Comments: The northern part of The Ave(University Ave) has become quite a hot spot lately. Bok a Bok Fried Chicken is another addition to the area in between Morsel & Koa and Xian Noodles & Snowy Village.
Bok a Bok Fried Chicken’s first branch was opened in 2016 in the White Center neighborhood and soon gained huge following and lines out the door and wings being sold out prior to closing. It was created by a former Skillet Diner chef, Brian O’Connor. He had been cooking fried chicken for many restaurants during his career and decided to make a go of it on his own and Bok a Bok Fried Chicken was born.
This particular branch in the University District is a walk up window only. There are no seats or benches outside either, so take out is your best bet, unless you want to eat it right there on the sidewalk. Their other locations in White Center, Capitol Hill and Burien all have indoor eating areas.
Just a warning, be prepared to tack on some calories. Heavy sauces, fried foods, mac & cheese. Ohh..but your mouth will thank you.
The first thing we noticed was that the fried chicken was not greasy and yet the inside was really juicy. We later found out that a special batter is used the covers the chicken for a crispy outside, but locks in the juices from the chicken keeping it tender. We understand the chicken is brined which also seasons and preserves the chicken and increases the flavor.
We got the wings and a boneless chicken thigh, which is the chicken in it’s simplest form at Bok a Bok Fried Chicken. There are four sauces for $.50 each. They are four-chili hot sauce, sesame soy garlic, bok a bok ranch, and Korean BBQ. Trutfully you don’t need them. The chicken stands on it’s own and is flavorful without using any of the sauces.
The bulgogi tacos weren’t our favorite, but the sandwiches are on a whole nother level. Both the Umami BBQ and Yuzu Green Chile Chicken Sandwiches will be repeat orders for our family on future visits to Bok a Bok. I have no idea where they get these chickens from but they are so big that they dwarf the buns they come on. We especially enjoyed the Yuzu Green Chile Sandwich. It’s spicy, sweet and the slight tart from yuzu all blends very well with the chicken.
The one dish that was truly life changing was the Bowl O Shame. The name of the dish is so apropos, because we did feel shame devouring the whole thing, but we just couldn’t help ourselves. It was so good! We broken open the poached egg and the yolk mixed with the chili sauce along with the kimchi mac n cheese, tater tots, fried chicken bits was sinfully good.
Who cares about the 2000 calories we just put in our body. This is the perfect meal for a hangover or a meal where you just want to cheer yourself up and don’t care about the consequences like when you just got dumped or got fired from your job. Here’s a video from Food Network extolling it’s virtues:
The fried chicken at Bok a Bok is in a different category than Ezells or Heaven Sent. The way their chicken is integrated into their bowls and sandwiches is distinctive.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: N/A It’s a take out stand
Service: 4.25
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.50
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: After publishing our Bok A Bok review, we noticed another Korean fried chicken restaurant, bb.q Chicken opening up in the old Radio Shack spot down The Ave.
Related Articles:
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Seattle Coffee Shops
- Our 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2019 (Part 1)
- Snowy Village
- Seattle Food Wars