bb.q Chicken
Recommended by: After publishing our Bok A Bok review, we noticed another Korean fried chicken restaurant opening up in the old Radio Shack spot down The Ave.
Description on the bb.q Chicken’s website: Established in 1995, bb.q Chicken’s visions to always provide the most delicious and healthiest premium chicken in the world. bb.q Chicken is continually motivated to prepare and share only the best flavors with you as our brand name.
Neighborhood/Type: University District
Address: 4223 University Way Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105
What we ate/drank: Golden Original Chicken, Kimchi Fried Rice, Secret Sauced Chicken, Cheese Balls.
Comments: The Ave in the University District has become ground zero for Korean fried chicken- There’s Bok A Bok, Chi Mac Chicglet and now, bb.q Chicken.
bb.q Chicken has been in rapid expansion mode after opening over 1000 stores in Korea. They have a facility dedicated to research, development and franchisee education called, Chicken University.
They’ve become so ubiquitous in Korea that bbq.Chicken has been prominently featured in many Korean movies and TV shows. They’ve now set their sights on the rest of the world with a lofty goal of opening 50,000 franchises around the world by this year. One of which just opened in the University District.
“WE NOT MAKE CHICKEN; WE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE” – bb.q Chicken
bb.q Chicken specializes in fried chicken, so you may ask, why is it called, “bb.q”. Don’t let the name fool you. “bb.q” stand for “best of the best quality”
The various types of chicken include spicy, honey garlic, soy garlic, cheeseling. In addition to whole chicken(20 pc), half chicken(10 pc) and wings(8 pc), they also have chicken sandwiches. They also have a few roast chicken options and sides such as fries, kimchi fried rice and cheese balls.
We ended up getting the “half and half” of the secret sauce and golden fried chicken at $27.99. We also got a side of kimchi fried rice and complimentary cheese balls(holla!).
The chicken was decent. The secret sauce was a sweet and a bit spicy. It reminded us of a gochujang flavor you might find in bibibop. The golden original fried chicken was crispy and juicy and well seasoned, but the pieces are a bit on the small side.
The cheese balls were sweet with savory cheese and had a consistency similar to mochi. Best of all they were free.
This is your quintessential simple Korea fried chicken place for college students and optimal for sharing. If we’re being honest we prefer our local Korean fried chicken spots on The Ave, Bok A Bok and Chi Mac a little better, but we’ll definitely try some of the other flavors and give it a chance.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 3.75
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 3.75
Bang for the Buck: 3.00
Overall: 3.75
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: We mentioned the Chi Mac comparison, so we’ll visit this other Korean fried chicken spot on The Ave
Related Articles:
****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****
La Conasupo Market
Recommended by: In our D’La Santa review we mentioned La Conasupo Market in our list of Mexican restaurants in Seattle.
Description on the La Conasupo Market’s website: They ain’t got one.
Neighborhood/Type: Greenwood
Address: 8532 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Barbacoa Taco, Carnitas Taco, Asada Taco, Carne Asada Quesadilla.
Comments: As we have mentioned before there are three tiers of Mexican restaurants in Seattle.
- The fancy modernish ones like Barrio, Mezcaleria Oaxaca,
Chavez(RIP), Fogon Cocina Mexicana, Poquitos, Pablo Y Pablo - The mid-tier ones like D’La Santa, La Carta de Oaxaca, El Quetzal, Casco Antiguo, El Borracho,
418 Public House(RIP), Senor Moose - The hole-in-the-wall cheaper ones like La Conasupo, Mendoza’s Mercado, Taco Chukis, Gorditos
This is our 200th post on Seattle Unexplored and La Conasupo Market is a fitting review for such a milestone as it’s one of our favorite eateries in all of Seattle and bonafide secret.
Of all the “secrets” on this blog, this is the one I’m most scared about being “discovered”. What makes La Conasupo Market a secret. First it’s located in the back of an unassuming Mexican general store. It doesn’t stand out while your driving down Greenwood Ave, because it’s one of a long line of businesses located in the area.
Parking is hard to come by around here, so the only way you’ll find La Conasupo Market is if somebody tells you about it or if you happen to be walking in the area and accidentally stumble upon it.
As you enter the door it looks like it’s just a normal general store, but if you head all the way back you’ll see a small restaurant with a few tables in the back. We’ve never actually eaten here. We normally do take out and eat at home, but we often take it down the street to Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery and enjoy our meal with brews.
Our favorites are the tacos and the La Conasupo Market tacos actually made Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 post and came in at #5. Here’s an excerpt from that post:
5. La Conasupo – Carne Asada and Carnitas Tacos
Take a look at these bad boys in the pictures. Each dish pictured below is just two tacos! If you take this home and have some extra tortillas you can easily turn this into 4 or 5 tacos. These are definitely the best tacos when looking at bang for your buck due to the portion size, but these are also the best tasting tacos in Seattle. I defy anybody to name me a better taco in Seattle.
As mentioned in the excerpt above, these tacos are huge. Not only are they huge, but for what you pay, it’s a total bargain. And not only are the portions huge and a bargain, but they are yummy as hell. Ordering just two tacos will have our family of four happily fed and full without breaking the bank.
Quesadillas are another option. Like the tacos, the quesadilla is huge, a bargain and yummy. It’s the perfect dish for sharing. Whenever we meet friends at Flying Bike Coop for beers and bring back a quesadilla from La Conasupo Market, their eyes widen in astonishment how big it is and then they start tearing off pieces of it and stuff it in their mouths.
Truly one of the best kept secrets in Seattle. Whenever we mention La Conasupo Market, most people are aware of it, but have never been there because they think it’s just a general store, not knowing what deliciousness lurks in the back of the store. Us Seattleites also know how badly we are lacking in really good, authentic and reasonably priced Mexican food. Check them out, but don’t spread the word. We want this to remain a secret.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 5.00
Bang for the Buck: 5.00
Overall: 4.75
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:
Related Articles:
Best Seattle Doughnut Shop Award: Family Donut Shop
Recommended by: Nobody. We’ve been to Family Donut Shop many times, but never got around to adding it to our reviews of Seattle donut shops.
Description on the Donut Factory’s website: Don’t Worry, Be Happy. We exist to help everyone achieve delightful experiences. We believe in quality, especially when it comes to a donut, taste is the key ingredient to happiness.
Neighborhood/Type: Northgate
Address: 2100 N Northgate Way, Seattle, WA 98133
What we ate/drank: See various pics below
Comments: We’ve mentioned before we consider ourselves donut connoisseurs and due to our love of donuts we’ve unintentionally turned our two daughters into budding donut experts. So it’s apropos that Family Donut Shop has become one of our favorites since family donut picking has now become a full-fledged sport in our family.
You can see our review on the two Seattle doughnut empires, Top Pot and Mighty-O, the trendy, General Porpoise Doughnuts and Dochi and the secret doughnut spot that nobody seems to talk about, Tempesta Coffee (RIP). We also just tried the relatively new Half N Half Doughnut Company and Raised Doughnuts. And we can’t forget nearby Donut Factory.
Family Donut is of course a family owned business that’s been in existence since 1993. It’s not in a trendy neighborhood nor is it’s decor modern and sleek. It’s located in a nondescript strip mall shared with a 7-Eleven. You also won’t find fancy toppings or exotic fillings.
So what do you get with Family Donut? You get a huge variety of simple solid classic doughnuts that are freshly made. And once they run out for the day, you are out of luck. So coming in early will ensure you get your full selection. They’ve got your classic maple bar, old fashioned, jelly filled, Bavarian cream filled, lemon frosting, blueberry frosting, chocolate cake, etc. They’ve also got donut holes, apple fritters, cinnamon rolls and even ham/cheese croissants.
Just take a look at the size of their apple turnover and cinnamon roll in the picture below that has a butter knife for size reference. It’s not just the size of the donut, but the taste and texture of the donut is on point. The selection is so vast and the donuts so good that when our family visits there is literally a battle royale that occurs over picking donuts. Their apple turnover made it in to our Top 15 Seattle Dishes of 2020. It’s that damn good!
It’s gotten to the point where we order a dozen instead of half a dozen because it gives every family member an equal amount of donuts divisible by four. There’s also been occasions where I wake up early, sneak out of the house and get a dozen donuts from Family Donuts to bring home, so there’s not the fighting and indecision when the entire family goes.
The customer service is what you’d expect from a family run business. It’s personal and exceptionally friendly. They’ve provided suggestions, answered all our questions and even gave our girls free donut holes while we’re picking donuts. If you get a dozen on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, you get a free latte.
The best thing about Family Donuts is the price. It is by far the best bang for your buck for Seattle donuts. The picture of the dozen donuts that includes the huge apple turnover and cinnamon roll was a total of $16.99. The is a steal in Seattle!! It also came with a free latte. Half a dozen at Top Pot is $15.39.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 5.00
Overall: 4.70
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 locals recommendation to visit in the future: One of our friends recommended Raised Doughnuts after seeing our Family Donut Shop review.
Related Articles:
****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****
Chiang’s Gourmet
Recommended by: We realized upon writing a blog post for Dumpling The Noodle that we have never done a review of one of our favorites, Chiang’s Gourmet.
Description on the Chiang Gourmet’s website:Whether you are looking for a light lunch of award-winning dim sum, a relaxing dinner, or an elegant party, the Chiang’s attentive staff will make your visit a memorable one.
Neighborhood/Type: Lake City
Address: 7845 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
What we ate/drank: Pan Fried Noodle In Spicy Hot Sauce With Shrimp, Fish Fillet w/Spicy Hot Sauce On Soybean Cake, Fried Or Steamed Dumpling (8), Spicy Fried Chicken, Pan Fried Noodles Shanghai Style With Chicken, Fried Rice W/Chicken
Comments: Don’t be surprised if you’re looking for Chiang’s Gourmet and all you see is an abandoned building. The building is actually not abandoned. It just looks like it. If I had to guess, there have been no updates to Chiang’s Gourmet since it was Triple XXX Barrel Drive-In from the 1930’s that you can read about here.
Once inside Chiang’s Gourmet, there’s not much difference either. It looks like it’s been stuck in time since the building’s inception. It’s almost like you’re eating in somebody’s house. The word, “comfort” comes to mind. But let’s get one thing straight, you don’t come to Chiang’s Gourmet for ambiance. You go there for some damn good Chinese food and if making no updates to the building keeps the costs down, we’re all for it.
Chiang’s Gourmet is our favorite Chinese restaurant in Seattle and a Seattle institution for our family. We’ve eaten here when our families have come into town to visit us from other states and countries and have had many a impromptu lunches and dinners with friends. We’ve done take out on Christmas, coming home from the hospital after our daughter’s birth or whenever we’re too lazy to cook.
First thing you need to know is that there are multiple menus at Chiang’s Gourmet and if there’s one piece of advice we can give, don’t order off the “American” menu. I don’t want to disparage anybody from getting their normal egg roll, sweet & sour pork or General Tso’s chicken, but you can get these from any Chinese restaurant. I encourage you to be a bit more adventurous and order off the Chinese menu. Whenever we’ve done the ordering on behalf of family or friends who tend to “stay in their lane” when it comes to Chinese food, they’ve been pleasantly surprised.
We tend to mix it up with more traditional dishes like pan fried noodles and fried rice, but we’ve also had the more exotic spicy hot lamb w/cumin, crispy pig’s intestine in garlic & hot pepper and shredded beef tripe w/hot sauce. Our absolute favorite dish which a server recommended is the fish fillet w/spicy sauce on tofu. This was actually our 6th favorite dish of 2018:
….our favorite dish is the Fish Fillet with Spicy Sauce and Tofu. It may not look so appetizing from the photo below, but it’s damn tasty. It has generous portions of fish, but the main reason you get this dish is the sauce. It’s not overly spicy and ohh sooo.. flavorful. A hack we learned is to take the sauce home even if we eat all the fish. We then pour the sauce over rice at home and create a brand new dish. Two yummy dishes for the price of one!
Another favorite of ours is the spicy fried chicken. Truthfully we don’t know the official name of this dish on the menu. We just say, “spicy fried chicken” and they seem to know what we’re talking about.
We’ve made some light hearted comments about the physical appearance of Chiang’s Gourmet, which we feel adds to its charm, but there is no denying the quality of their food. There are so many dishes on their menu that we have yet to try, but we always have our mainstay dishes, because it is so damn good. Don’t forget to be adventurous.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.75
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.75
Overall: 4.65
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:
Related Articles:
****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****
Miss Cafe in Pike Place Market
Recommended by: While walking to pick up some take out from Pasta Casalinga, I noticed Miss Cafe and remembered a co-worker mentioned that they had “surfboard pizzas” there.
Description on the Miss Cafe’s website: We offer a home-style, Turkish food experience in the heart of Seattle. Our shop is filled with a variety of delicious Pide, delectable desserts and healthy platters. Our signature Turkish Pizzas are baked to perfection and topped with fresh ground beef and vegetables.
Neighborhood/Type: Downtown / Pike Place Market
Address: 1523 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
What we ate/drank: Doner Meat & Cheese Pide
Comments: Pide (Pronounced Pee- Day) is a flat bread with toppings baked in an oven. Pide and its various varieties are wide spread throughout Turkey, but the only other place in Seattle besides Cafe Miss that we’re aware of that serves pide is Cafe Turko.
Traditional pide as well as the pide served at Miss Cafe is indeed shaped like a surfboard. The other difference from your normal pizza is there’s no tomato sauce.
I believe the location Miss Cafe is in, which is connected to Pike Place Market, used to be a Cajun restaurant. We ordered the Donor meat and cheese pide, which comes with beef and lamb gyro meat, mozzarella cheese and tomato. It comes with a squeeze bottle of tzatiki sauce. It went well with the pide, but honestly the pide was delicious without the sauce.
The decor is nothing fancy. It’s simple with some booth seating and some outdoor benches and tables
Besides various types of pide(Vegan, pepperoni, ground beef, chicken and more), they also have various salads, meatballs, kebab, and grilled chicken. There are a couple of other dishes that caught our eye that we’ll definitely try the next time we visit Miss Cafe. One is the Lahmacun which s a flatbread with ground beef and a mix of onion, garlic, green and red peppers, and tomato. The other was the Turkish Dumplings-spiced ground beef, onion with butter sauce and yogurt.
On this occasion we were only able to have a pide, but we’ll definitely be back to try some of their other dishes. It’s also another place we can take out of town visitors when visiting Pike Place Market along with Storyville Coffee Co , Alibi Room, White Horse Trading, Maxmillien, Radiator Whiskey, Country Dough, Chan, Le Pichet, Matt’s in the Market, The Pink Door.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.75
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.40
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: Cafe Turko
Related Articles:
****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****
Dumpling The Noodle
Recommended by: A friend told us about a new place that just opened up similar to Xian Noodles. We thought we’d check it out for ourselves.
Description on the Dumpling The Noodle’s Facebook page: Hand-pulled Noodle(Lamen), Rice Noodle, Dumplings, Buns, Wontons, and Bubble Tea! Hand-made always tastes the best!
Neighborhood/Type: Wallingford
Address:1719 n 45th st. Seattle, Washington 98103
What we ate/drank: See below-various
Comments: First off, what a strange name – Dumpling the Noodle? One thing is for sure, we’ll never forget the name. Dumpling the Noodle is in the former Wallybuger location.
We’ve actually done take-out and eaten in. There’s nothing special about the seating arrangement, but the decor is quite unexpected with the large pictures and descriptions.
On to the food. One thing we really appreciated was that the dumplings are available in orders of 6 or 12, which makes it easier to come here with just one or two people and still be able to try a few different dishes without getting totally stuffed.
We tried different types of dumplings and in our opinion it’s a step below Little Ting’s or Dough Zone. The wontons and bao buns are a good quality for not having to go all the way to the ID. Our favorite dish by far was the Braised Beef Lamen in Chile. The noodles were imperfect, which means they’re hand made. It’s the prefect combo of beef, bean sprouts, cilantro and noodles. This might give Xian Noodles a run for their money. We also enjoyed the Seasoned Fried Chicken Bites, which is a perfect dish with beer. Our daughters’ favorite was the JaJang Beef Pancake Roll.
It’s a good dumpling/noodles/wonton/bao option if you live in Wallingford. Another nice thing is that they offer delivery for 99 cents depending on a minimum order and their delivery diameter is pretty big. Yes, you read that right, 99 cents! We’ve added Dumpling the Noodle to our rotation of Chinese take out restaurants along with Xian Noodles and Chiang’s Gourmet.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.25
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: We realized upon writing this blog post that we have not done a review of one of our favorites, Chiang’s Gourmet. We’ll be doing a post on this tried and true spot next.
Related Articles:
****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****
Salare
Recommended by: We’ve been to Edouardo Jordan’s(Two time James Beard Award winner) Junebaby and Lucinda Grain Bar.
Salare is his first restaurant and will complete our trifecta of visiting all 3 of his restaurants.
Description on the Salare’s website: Salare is a chef-driven neighborhood restaurant, nestled in the heart of Ravenna in North Seattle. We capture America’s diverse culture of food with influences from America’s South, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean Islands.
Neighborhood/Type: Ravenna
Address: 2404 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115
What we ate/drank: See Below. We ordered a lot!
Comments: From Salare’s website:
salare, v. to season; to salt; to preserve
The name Salare draws its origin from the Latin word sal which means “salt” and the term “salare” which is the act of using salt to season, preserve, or cure. The term “salare” was introduced to Chef Jordan while spending time in Italy studying the art of salumi making. Chef Jordan’s philosophy is rooted in his passion for cooking traditions, primal techniques, and ancient methods for preserving foods; the name Salare embraces this philosophy.
Salare was opened in 2015 and since it’s opening has garnered rave reviews and awards. The one thing that has always stood out to us about Salare is their family-friendly stance that includes a children’s menu.
It happened to be one of the last restaurant we visited prior to the quarantine at home back in early March due to Covid 19. So glad we were able to squeeze this Saturday evening visit in.
Nothing about the decor stands out and the space is dimly lit giving it a romantic vibe.
Here are the dishes the two of us ordered. Our server was skeptical we could finish and hinted about getting some to-go boxes prepared for leftovers. We knew our eyes were too big for our stomach, but there were so many dishes that looked so good we couldn’t help ourselves.
All the dishes, as expected, were superb. The Octopus Guanciale was a bit of on the salty side, but flavors were there. If a little less salty, this would have been our favorite dish. Our favorite dish was the Squid Ink Trompetti with clams, mussels and sausage. It was just the perfect amount of spicy. The Cavatelli with bacon and parmasean was another winner. The pasta is so unique and the lamb bacon, name somewhere else you can find that? And if you’ve read any of our other reviews, we are suckers for beet tartare and order it wherever we go. Two words- sooooooo good.
Sunchoke Chips, Capers & Smoked Egg Vinaigrette (Score: 5.0/5.0)
We did it. The two of us finished every single dish, so no boxes for left overs needed. Our server was impressed doubting we could do it, but the food was that good. Salare definitely feels like the type of restaurant for special occasions due to the price point. We can’t wait to go back. This could easily be one of our top 5 favorite restaurants in Seattle. There were so many dishes that are surely in contention for the best dishes of 2020.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 5.00
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.75
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:
Related Articles:
*****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****
Koa
Recommended by: We were having friends over for a visit and craving Hawaiian food. Since we were going to the University Farmer’s Market, we decided to head over to nearby Koa for take out.
Description on the Koa’s website: Hawaiian Food. Coffee + Food
Neighborhood/Type: University District
Address: 4754 The Ave, Seattle, WA 98105
What we ate/drank: Japanese-style curry (beef or veggies) with rice, kahlua pork and cabbage with rice, or Portuguese sausage & eggs with rice
Comments: We’re big fans of Hawaiian grub. It’s the ultimate comfort food for us. Seattle has a wide variety of Hawaiian food places from the upper scale, Ma’ono and Super Six, to the more relaxed casual places like Kona Kitchen and Kauai Family Restaurant. Koa is even more “relaxed” and “casual”. It’s located on The Ave. That’s all you need to know.
Koa is actually in the old location of Morsel, which moved down the street to a brand new building. And the owner of Koa also happens to be the owner of Morsel, but that’s where the similarities end. The menus could not be more different. Where Morsel specializes in fancy biscuit sandwiches, Koa specializes in just three Hawaiian dishes.
- Japanese Style Curry
- Portuguese Sausage & Eggs
- Kahlua Pork
That’s it! When you only have three dishes, you can run lean and mean with the number of ingredients needed and you can really concentrate on those three. Although they only have three dishes and it’s easy to try each one on it’s own, Koa allows you to split dishes. For example you can order half a plate of curry and half a plate of Kahlua Pork.
The Portuguese sausage and eggs is pretty basic. Can’t really screw that up. But still it’s nice to have a place to get it when you have a craving.
Kahlua Pork is also a simple dish, but it’s gotta be seasoned correctly. Koa’s has the perfect amount of salt and smoke and is tender and juicy. It’s topped on top a bed of shredded cabbage and rice.
Japanese style beef curry are normally thicker and a little sweeter than say Thai or Indian curries. Koa’s curry is indeed thick with beef and huge chunks of potato and carrot. This is the perfect dish for those cold PNW days.
When we first discovered Koa in the beginning of 2019, their prices were lower as you can see in the table below:
We really don’t have an issue with the higher prices for one reason. Let’s talk about the portions. Take a look at the photos. On this particular visit we bought three large portions and split it amongst 4 hungry adults and 2 kids. We didn’t even make a dent. We had left overs for a few more nights. When you look at the portion size even with the price increase, it’s still a screaming deal.
Koa fits the bill for when our family has a hankering for Hawaiian food. They have 3 simple dishes that they do well, huge portions, quick service and guaranteed leftovers.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.25
Bang for the Buck: 4.75
Overall: 4.40
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:
Related Articles:
****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****
Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery
Recommended by: We stopped in for coffee at Caffe Fiore, which only has pastries. We asked if they could recommend a place close by that served heartier breakfasts. There were three people working there and they kinda gawked at each other and had no answer. A customer overhead our conversation and piped up, “There’s a cafe across the street that has really good breakfast sandwiches. I think it’s called Alison’s”.
Description on the Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery’s website: To provide high quality scratch baked goods, coffee and eats for the people of Seattle. At the same time serving the community of Ballard and mentoring teens as employees and leaders in their schools and communities. We don’t serve seafood…we just LOVE the Coast and it makes us feel at home. So our space is your space and we want you to feel at home!
Neighborhood/Type: Ballard
Address: 5404 Leary Ave NW Seattle WA 98107
What we ate/drank: Bacon Waffle Sandwich – Buttermilk bacon waffle, stacked with avocado, fried egg, cheddar and spinach, Cinnamon Roll, Famous Sandwich – House biscuit, egg, spinach, cheddar,, sausage, B.E.C.A. – Bacon, Egg, Cheddar, Avocado on house bread.
The owner of Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery started out as a caterer prior to opening a brick and mortar in the Summer of 2014. They are open everyday for breakfast, which makes them a rare option in Seattle on weekdays. They have normal sandwiches that they start serving at 11:00, home made bakery items(scones, cookies, banana bread, cinnamon rolls) and take-home items like quinoa salad, lasagna, fruit salad, burritos. But we believe their real specialty is their breakfast options, specifically their breakfast sandwiches.
Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery is made up of a small outdoor seating area and an assorted mixture of tables and chairs inside. There’s definitely a beach/ocean vibe with octopus and starfish prints with walls painted sea foam blue. A print out on the wall says the Oregon coast is the inspiration. Pictures and information about the staff is a nice touch, especially if you’re a regular.
The mish mosh of furniture and themed décor definitely creates a very laid back and comfort feel to the café. The kids nook in the corner was definitely an area we appreciated when we brought our 9 month and 2.5 year old with us. There’s also an impressive collection of cake photos which I assume is from the catering side of the owner. If so, it’s quite remarkable.
Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery serve their breakfast dishes all day long and everything is made in house, which is pretty impressive because there’s a wide variety of options-baked goods, prepped to go meals and to order meals. They use Lighthouse Roasters for their coffee.
We’ve been to Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery a few times and each time it appears there’s been some training going on. I’m not sure if this lead to orders taking a bit longer, but our orders did take a tad longer to make than expected during our multiple visits. This is definitely where the kid’s nook and ordering a cinnamon roll to start definitely helped.
Everything we ordered was delicious including the cinnamon roll, but the best by far was the Bacon Waffle Sandwich. Instead of using regular bread or a biscuit, waffles are used. The buttermilk waffles are fluffy and airy with bits of bacon in it and it’s such a unique presentation that we’ve not seen anywhere else. It includes avocado, fried egg, cheddar and spinach.
Buttermilk bacon waffle, stacked with avocado, fried egg, cheddar and spinach
The Famous Sandwich, which is a house biscuit with egg, spinach, cheddar and a choice of meat, in this case sausage, is sufficiently good. But when compared to Morsel and Biscuit and Bean, who both have very similar biscuit sandwiches at slightly lower prices, it’s hard to not place this sandwich a distance 3rd.
The B.E.C.A. sandwich is made up of bacon, egg, cheddar and avocado on house bread. How can you go wrong with runny egg yolk mixed with cheese, bacon and avocado in between toasted house made bread? This hit the spot.
Summary: Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery is a nice comfortable café. Due to its size it’s probably not a good option for larger groups, but definitely a good option for take out. We saw many food delivery drivers come in to pick up meals while we were there. The breakfast options we’ve tried are very good, but a bit on the expensive side for what you get. It’s an ideal spot for early risers in Ballard who want more than just a pastry with their coffee. A quick search shows that Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery is the only breakfast option at 7:30 on weekdays in downtown Ballard area south of NW Market Street. We will be back and we’ve got our eye on the Cinnamon Roll French Toast.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.25
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
Overall: 4.25
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!
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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****
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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