****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!
Related Articles:
With two little ones under the age of three, we’ve had a lot of early mornings where the whole family is awake. In many of these instances, we’ve decided to treat ourselves and go out for breakfast, so we’ve visited a lot of spots over the years. Seattle has some really great breakfast spots and people ask us what our favorite restaurants are all the time.
In order to be eligible for our list of Favorite Seattle Breakfast Spots, the restaurant has to be open for weekday breakfasts. There are a lot of restaurants that only serve breakfast on the weekends. None of those places make the list. A true breakfast spot serves breakfast everyday.
Without further ado, here are our Favorite Seattle Breakfast Restaurants.
Wandering Goose(RIP 2020)-Eating here is a treat. It feels like your eating at a farmhouse. House-made pastries and Southern-inspired meals!- Stone Way Cafe– We’ve been here at least 12 times. Spacious with lots of seats. Great food options. A really relaxed and casual atmosphere.
- Senor Moose– This is the Seattle Godfather of Mexican food. Always crowded, but for a reason-tasty dishes not only breakfast, but lunch & dinner.
- Toulouse Petit-Cajun-influenced and home of the famous Pork Cheeks Confit Hash. Trip Advisor named it their 5th Favorite Restaurant in the US and 10th in the world!
- Watson’s Counter– Newly opened. Intimate and modern. Great coffee drinks. Limited menu, but that Loco Moco though!
- Seattle Biscuit Co.– It’s got that shack in the swamp feel to it. Southern raised owners put their spin on fried chicken and waffles, biscuit sandwiches and grits with pulled pork. Make sure your stomach is empty when you come, you’ll need the space.
- Porkchop & Co.– Bright, airy and casual. Wide variety of foods French, Mediterranean, Asian, American. They smoke, cure, pickle and preserve everything in house. Impressive.
- The 5 Spot– It’s been a Seattle mainstay for so long, we take it for granted, but cavernous space for Seattle. Has a real diner feel. They specialize in American food, but have a roaming menu, so you’ll be assured of something different on every visit. Their Big Nashty fried chicken sandwich ain’t no joke.
- Portage Bay Cafe– According to Lyft, Portage Bay Cafe has more driver requests than any other breakfast spot in Seattle. The constant line of people waiting outside for a seat is proof of their popularity. Locally sourced ingredients. Super family friendly. Claim to fame: their bottomless breakfast bar of fruits, nuts, butter, syrup and sugars.
- Easy Street Records & Cafe – Review forthcoming. Such a cool place. A cafe in a record store. Hilariously named music inspired dishes.
- Brother Joe– This was a new discovery for us in the Georgetown area. Inventive coffee drinks. Surprisingly delicious variation of a loco moco and chile verde. We loved the playful human-like animal portraits.
- Square Knot Diner-Right down the street from Brother Joe. This was our traditional breakfast spot when going to Seatac airport. Friendly staff. Straight forward breakfast fare. U-shaped counter harkens back to old time diner. On more than a few occasions, jazz is being played, which is perfect for this laid back diner. Great corned beef hash and their cinnamon roll is a monster.
- Fat Hen– Get there early. This place is tiny, but mighty. Get ready to post that Alla Boscaiola on Instagram. Their fried chicken sandwich ain’t no slouch either. One of those places that feels like it’s for locals only.
- Citizen Cafe– This is the most underrated on the list. Don’t hear people talking about this place. An old fire station turned into a café/restaurant. They have French toast, farmers breakfast, scrambles, breakfast sandwiches, but we really enjoyed their breakfast tacos-the Korexican, a Korean/Mexican fushion and the pulled pork.
- Sazon Kitchen– Another new comer that just opened. Mexican cuisine with what seems like 20 ingredients in each dish. The décor isn’t much, but the food is outstanding. The grain casserole is like nothing we’ve ever tasted. Too of their other dishes we enjoyed was the shredded beef and eggs and the Rox’s signature eggs with tortilla, ham, beans and a billion other ingredients.
- Varsity Inn– A traditional American diner with a secret Mexican breakfast menu. Super friendly servers. We’ve had the shredded beef enchiladas, beef fajita omelette and carnitas w/tomatillo sauce. Shhhh. None are on the written menu. Also, order the cinnamon roll. You won’t be sorry.
- Honorable Mention: Kona Kitchen, Roxy’s Diner, Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery, Skillet Diner, Voula’s Offshore Cafe, North Star Diner, Blue Star Cafe, Beth’s Cafe, Bang Bang Cafe, The Dish, Oddfellows Cafe , Biscuit Bitch, Glo’s Cafe, Lost Lake Cafe.
- Haven’t Visited Yet: Nue, Meet the Moon, Café Presse.
Thanks for reading Our Favorite Seattle Breakfast Spots blog post.
Related:
Portage Bay Cafe – Ballard, South Lake Union, University District, Roosevelt
Recommended by: Our server, Angela(?) from Toulouse Petit suggested Portage Bay Cafe as having really delicious locally sourced brunches.
Description on the Portage Bay Cafe’s Facebook: Eat Like You Give a Damn!™ We serve local, organic, sustainable breakfast, lunch & brunch in four Seattle neighborhoods. We also offer to-go orders for corporate events and private parties, as well as hosting private dinner events in our bright, open cafes.
Neighborhood/Type: Ballard
Address: 900 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115
What we ate/drank: See below. We’ve been here numerous times and had numerous dishes.
Comments: If I had to guess, Portage Bay Café is probably the most popular brunch spot in Seattle. Any published list of best/most popular/favorite brunch spots in Seattle will inevitably have Portage Bay Café on it. And if you don’t believe it, all you have to do is walk past Portage Bay Café on any given morning and see groups of people waiting outside for tables to open. Here’s also more proof, Lyft has something called a Lyftie Award of their most visited places by their riders.
In 2018 more riders requested a Lyft to Portage Bay Café more than any other brunch spot in Seattle.
There are currently four Portage Bay Café locations-University District, Roosevelt, South Lake Union, Ballard. The one we frequent most is Roosevelt. This location is relatively new and I believe bigger than the other locations.
Portage Bay Café is the quintessential Seattle brunch experience and one of the main places we take visitors from out of town to. It’s always buzzing with patrons, they have a variety of dishes for everybody, they source locally(in fact there’s a chicken coop right next to the University District branch for eggs). Our visitors all seem to love the experience and feel they’ve gotten a real local experience. The pictures on the wall show their various suppliers of locally sourced product. There’s also a hanging racing shell which pays homage to the rowing culture out on Portage Bay. UW is one of the powerhouses in the world when it comes to rowing and most of their practices happen on Portage Bay and the Montlake Cut.
No doubt, Portage Bay Café’s claim to fame is their breakfast bar with endless toppings of fruits, nuts, butter, real maple syrup, sugars whenever you order. Their breakfast bar menu includes a variety of French toasts and pancakes, which then gives you the privilege of going to the bar to pile on as many ingredients as you want.
Another reason Portage Bay Café is so popular is they are a very family friendly establishment. I’m not exaggerating when I say that on a typical day, 20% of the patrons will be kids. Portage Bay Café is definitely one of the easy choices when meeting up with other families for brunch. As mentioned there is always groups of people waiting for a seat, but one of the more perplexing things is that Portage Bay Café takes reservations from a party of one to parties of ten. So unless people are going to Portage Bay Café on a spur of the moment, they must love waiting in line or building the anticipation of being seated?
Apart from the breakfast bar, there are a variety of meals on the menu as well as specials. Here are a few of the dishes we’ve had over our multiple visits.
THE BREAKFAST SANDWICH 2 organic scrambled eggs*, hill’s pepper bacon, house-made bourbon fig jam, organic arugula, mount townsend creamery new moon jack cheese on house-made potato bread with salad.
GREEN MOLE BURRITO uli’s chorizo & carlton farms pork shoulder carnitas, organic potatoes, spicy bean blend, organic cilantro-lime cream, wrapped in a large, organic flour tortilla. topped with our house-made, green mole sauce & a sunny-side up organic stiebrs farm egg, quest cotija & green onion garnish.
FARMER’S HASH (V**) (GF) Three organic, over-easy stiebrs farms eggs*, a variety of local, organic, sustainably grown vegetables, roasted onions, fingerling potatoes, fresh herbs. served with house-made whole wheat toast and your choice of: $14.50 locally sourced corned beef
CLASSIC FRENCH TOAST organic, house-made challah bread, rich egg batter, powdered sugar garnish.
JOE’S SCRAMBLE your choice of uli’s apple chicken or maple pork sausage, organic baby spinach, beecher’s flagship cheddar, sautéed local mushrooms.
THE BREAKFAST SANDWICH 2 organic scrambled eggs*, hill’s pepper bacon, house-made bourbon fig jam, organic arugula, mount townsend creamery new moon jack cheese on house-made potato bread with potatoes.
The funny thing is that we rarely go to Portage Bay Café when it’s just our family going to brunch. Because of Portage Bay Café’s popularity it’s continually crowded, so we don’t go there often. Their dishes are consistently solid and there’s something for everybody and their famous breakfast bar always makes visitor’s jaws drop, but there’s not a lot of dishes that push the boundaries like recently visited Porkchop & Co., Wandering Goose(RIP 2020), The 5 Spot and Watson’s Counter do. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s one of the reasons Portage Bay Café is so popular. They make great dishes with sustainable locally sourced product in an inviting atmosphere that has excellent customer service. So we normally reserve Portage Bay Café outings when visitors are in town since we are assured of impressing them.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 5.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
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 Locals recommendations to visit in the future: We met up with friends a recent visit to Portage Bay and they mentioned that Skillet Diner on Capitol Hill is another favorite brunch place they enjoy. We’ll check it out.
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Watson’s Counter
Recommended by: Nobody. We saw it on the way to Biscuit and Bean a few blocks down the street and decided to try it.
Description on the Watson’s Counter website: We’re native Seattleites who want to provide a space for people to come together and build relationships over some damn good coffee and food. We have a full espresso bar as well as a kitchen focused on classic brunch foods and afternoon bites. We’ve drawn upon our Korean heritage and taste for nostalgic flavors to add a bit of our personality to the offerings.
Neighborhood/Type: Ballard
Address: 6201 15th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
What we ate/drank: Loco Moco, Chicken & Waffles, 1 + 1 = espresso and 4 oz latte, Anchorhead drip coffee. Update 7/19 below- KBBQ PORK PLATE-Roasted pork belly, rice, assorted kimchis, perilla leaves, tofu, lettuce wraps, Korean peppers, and sauce
A few weeks ago we noticed Watson’s Counter on our way to Biscuit and Bean down the street, so we decided to check it out. We found out they’ve only been open for a little over a month. When first walking in you really wouldn’t know they served food since the first thing you see as you enter is the espresso machine and the coffee/drink board hanging overhead.
Upon entering it reminded us of a mini Mr West Café & Bar -white marble table and counter tops, lots of plants, fancy pendulum lighting , dark wood bench and cabinets, lots of natural lighting, airy. There’s limited seating, a couple of 2 seat tables, a couple of 4 seat tables and a community table for 8. They also have a small counter that’s probably more conducive for standing than sitting. Even with its limited seating, it’s really family friendly. I counted 3 high chairs stacked and they have a changing table in the rest room.
We happen to be there for breakfast and it’s served all day. Watson’s Counter opens at 6:30am and closes at 4:00pm(7:00pm on Fri) on the weeknights, but opens from 8:00am to 7:00pm on Sat and Sun. To start, I ordered the 1 + 1, which is a solo espresso and a 4oz latter. My wife got a drip. Anchorhead is the coffee roaster they use. Can’t go wrong there.
They don’t have a lot of dish choices, but we prefer that a restaurant have fewer plates that they do well, than a restaurant that has a lot of options, but of mediocre quality. Although the menu is small, it’s still varied-Soba Noodles(Japan), Loco Moco(Hawaii), Poutine(Oh, Canada!), Chicken Wings(Korean). The menu definitely has a Korean slant to it.
I got the waffles and chicken. On the menu it’s listed with a honey butter, but the owner advised it comes with an in-house made gochujang option and recommended it, so that’s what I went with. The waffles came with two huge chicken wings and was prepared to perfection-crispy outside, juicy inside. It came with an organic maple syrup, but I thought the waffles tasted best eating it plain in combination with the savory gochujang flavored wings.
CHICKEN & WAFFLES
two of our honey-butter wings on top of our house rosemary Belgian waffle. Served with organic maple syrup and Louisiana hot sauce. gochujang. Score: (4.0/5.0)
My wife got the Loco Moco. I know it’s early in the year, but this dish is a contender to be on our Top Dishes of 2019. We’ve had our fair share of Loco Mocos in Hawaii and around town at Kona Kitchen, Maono, Cheeky Café. This is the best we’ve had. The patty is made with a blend of chuck, short-rib, and pork belly and you have the rice and egg, but the showstopper is the house-made gravy. It’s a thick peppery flavorful smack in the mouth. Mixed with the egg yolk, generous sized patty and topped with sesame seeds and green onions = Broke Da Mouth! As mentioned the dish selection is on the small side, but there are definitely a lot of other interesting dishes we’ll need to try in the future. The K-Poutine, soba noodles and a cereal French toast creation covered in Fruity Pebbles that the gentleman next to us ordered, all look really delicious.
Tips are included so the prices are rightfully a little higher and payment is made at your table-Canadian style. I think I saw a notice/application for a liquor license in their window, so alcohol is likely on the way. We asked about the logo since it’s hard to figure out what type of animal it is. The owner said that it’s his dog wearing a tiger outfit, whose name is Watson, the namesake of the restaurant. We also found out that the owner is the former Director of Education at Caffe Ladro. Quite the pedigree.
For only being open for a short time, it felt like they’d been open for years-attentive service, good suggestions, organized, efficient, spotless.
Prediction Time: Right now this small Watson’s Counter is new and at the moment largely unknown, but trust us this place will soon go the way of other popular Seattle small spots like Fat Hen, Wandering Goose(RIP 2020), Il Corvo(RIP 2020) and have crowds waiting and lines forming when word gets out, so get your ass over there soon!
Update 7/19: Went back for breakfast and got the Loco Moco again and it was as good as we remembered. We also tried a new dish, the KBBQ. You can eat it as just as you see below or you can use the provided lettuce leaves to create a lettuce wrap. As you can see below, there area a ton of ingredients that you can mix and match and come up with your own favorite. One ingredient I’d never seen before was kim chi apples.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 5.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.80
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 recommendations to visit in the future: Back in the spring, a friend of ours mentioned a new Mexican restaurant that opened on 15th Ave NW that served breakfast everyday. He couldn’t recall the name of the place, but on the way to one of our Watson’s Counter visits, we saw Sazon Kitchen and tried it.
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The Fat Hen – Not Little Red Hen!
Recommended by: The cashier at Wandering Goose(RIP 2020)recommended Fat Hen as a suggestion. We’d heard of Fat Hen , but we’d never been there.
Description on the The Fat Hen’s website: The Fat Hen is a neighborhood café serving breakfast & lunch along with handcrafted coffee drinks, house-made pastries, tea, fresh squeezed juices, local & import beer and wine, mimosas, and more. The Fat Hen seats up to 25 guests, and reservations are not accepted. Please note that the menus below are sample menus only; please inquire about our seasonal specials and current menu highlights!
Neighborhood/Type: Phinney Ridge
Address: 1418 NW 70th St, Seattle, WA 98117
What we ate/drank: Alla Boscaiola 12.50 two eggs in house-made tomato sauce with sausage, mushroom & mozzarella. Chicken Sandwich 16.5. Buttermilk fried chicken breast, calabrian chili aioli, cabbage slaw, house-made spicy pickle. Served with small side salad. Cortado
Comments: Before we get into our review of The Fat Hen, we have a funny story to tell. About 5 years ago, friends of ours recommended The Fat Hen to my wife as a place we should visit due to their great brunches.
When my wife relayed the message to me, all I heard was “hen” and I assumed they were talking about Little Red Hen, which I’d never been to, but knew about as the de facto country line dancing establishment in Seattle. My wife was new to Seattle at the time, so she assumed I knew what I was talking about when I said, “Little Red Hen? Really?
I never knew they served breakfasts. And never heard anybody say they were great.” So of course we had to check out Little Red Hen for brunch. Those of you who don’t know Little Red Hen, it’s a lovable divey bar with the service to match. Here’s a picture of Little Red Hen:
So we go there on a Saturday morning at about 9:00. The place opens at 8:00. There is not a soul in the place. I said to my wife, “If this is such a great brunch place, why is nobody here”?
There was one lady there who was our host, server and bartender. She gave us menus and we ordered. If I remember correctly, it was your normal breakfast stuff-eggs, bacon, hash browns, white toast, etc.
We order and she says, “You guys will have to wait a bit. Our cook just called and he’s hung over and I just woke him up. He lives real close though, so he’ll be here shortly”.
We’re already there drinking Bloody Marys, so we just wait. He did come shortly and our breakfast was fine, nothing special. We ask the server for our check and she busts out a pen, grabs a cardboard coaster from a table and writes the price of our meal on the back of the coaster and hands it to us! That was our bill. We looked at each other and laughed.
A few weeks later we saw our friends and told them about our experience at Little Red Hen and asked them why they liked it so much? They looked at us like we were insane, “The Fat Hen, not Little Red Hen!”
On to The Fat Hen: Like Mike’s Noodle House, Il Corvo(RIP 2020), Wandering Goose(RIP 2020), The Fat Hen is small on space and big on popularity, so you’ll most likely be waiting for a table. But of these small places, Fat Hen is by far the tiniest. If you come with more than 2 people, good luck to you. If you come with more than 4, I’ll give you credit for being gutsy.
The space seats only 25 people and even with just 25 seats, the space is so small it feels cramped. There were actually a few daring folks who came in with kids in bassinets and even that was a challenge to find any space to lay the bassinet down. The place is well lit and bright, though. If you are waiting for a table, they will take a drink order from you while you wait. I ordered a Cortado.
They have some small side dishes and salads, but there main dishes ate their Chicken Sandwich, Benedicts and Egg Bakes.
The latter two dishes have variations where you can change the ingredients. For example for the Benedicts you can have Dungeness crab, salmon, prosciutto, pancetta or Florentine. They don’t have a huge menu, but I think it allows them to really perfect the dishes they do have.
I ordered the Chicken Sandwich and my wife ordered what appears to be their most popular dish, Alla Boscaiola, which comes in a skillet and includes two eggs, sausage, mushroom and mozzarella in a their house-made tomato sauce.
As you can see from the picture of the chicken sandwich below, the chicken breast was bursting out of the bun. The chicken was tender and lightly seasoned and matched well with the tartness of the aioli and pickle and came with a side salad . I enjoyed the sandwich and would recommend it albeit at quite a hefty price tag of $16.50.
The Alla Boscaiola is definitely an instagrammable looking dish and not one I’ve seen anywhere else in Seattle. It’s simple ingredients make it one of those dishes that seems so simple to make at home, but difficult to replicate due to the superior ingredients used here and the expertise needed to cook it. The bread that comes with it is the perfect tool to dip and sop up all that sauce.
Summary: The space is really beautiful, but hard to enjoy when the seating is so close together and the rest of the available space is being taken by those waiting for a table. The food is also beautifully presented and tasty, but the prices a bit steep. The service was great. With such limited space, they do a good job of managing the number of parties waiting.
Of course they want to turn tables as quickly as possible, but we never felt hurried. We did feel guilty though about those waiting so we tried to balance enjoying our brunch, but being conscientious of those waiting. The Fat Hen would be a perfect place to visit on a weekday morning while catching up with an out of town guest one on one.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.00
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: The person making coffee drinks and acting as cashier suggested as another popular brunch place nearby in Ballard- Porkchop & Co.
Related Articles:
**********12/20-Unfortunately, This Restaurant Has Closed Down**********
The Wandering Goose – Best Breakfast in Seattle?
Recommended by: Our server, Marissa at the The 5 Spot recommended The Wandering Goose to try out. She advised they had breakfast everyday and had some of the best fried chicken in the city.
Description on the The Wandering Goose’s website: The Wandering Goose is a thirty seat Southern influenced cafe in the heart of Seattle’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood. The Wandering Goose is warm and inviting with bright natural light streaming in through the east facing windows. The demising wall between the neighboring restaurant is made from vintage leaded glass windows allowing for even more light and a sense of openness in this tiny but magical café. Offering Southern inspired breakfast and lunch fare including biscuits, cookies, layer cakes, biscuit sandwiches, hushpuppies, crock pot grits, country ham, sawmill gravy, country sausage gravy, greens, pimento cheese, chow-chow and fresh salads. All ingredients are seasonal and affordable fare. We will offer baking classes, cooking classes and retail sundries.
. 
Neighborhood/Type: Capitol Hill
Address: 403 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
What we ate/drank: Hangtown Fry-fried oysters, cured pork belly, poached eggs. Fried Chicken Plate w/collard greens, coleslaw, butter milk biscuit. The Sawmill Biscuit Sandwich-fried chicken, sawmill gravy, cheese, poached eggs. Machiatto using Caffe Vita coffee.
Comments: Update 9/22/19: Wandering Goose just made Seattle Met’s 100 Best Restaurant
Marissa at The 5 Spot did not let us down with her suggestion! We’ve now been here multiple times and The Wandering Goose is now in our rotation of breakfast places.
Wandering Goose has two similar characteristics of two other recently reviewed restaurants:
- Like Il Corvo, you line up, put your order in toward the back of the restaurant, pay and then take a seat. They’ll bring out the meals to you. Also similar to Il Corvo lines through the restaurant form regularly due to it’s small size and popularity.
- Like Citizen Cafe and The 5 Spot, it’s one of those rare Seattle restaurants that’s opens for breakfast at 7:00am not only on weekends, but on weekdays.
If there is anything you take from this post it’s if you have a group of four or more, you’d better get there as soon as it opens or you’ll be waiting awhile. The Wandering Goose only has 30 seats. We’ve only come on weekdays in between 7-8 am to ensure we get a table. We won’t even think about going on the weekends unless we do takeout. There’s basically two rows of long benches on either side of the restaurant with tables and adjoining chairs.
The Wandering Goose specializes in Southern comfort food and has the decor to match. It feels like a diner in a small farm town – branded wooden tables, weathered window panes, ceiling fans with long downrods, lamps made of burlap sacks, old cases behind the cashier. It has that laid back country feel, which is a nice departure from the modern hip restaurants that permeate the Seattle landscape.
Here are some of the yummy dishes we’ve had. There aren’t many places that serve a Hangtown Fry(typically eggs, bacon and oysters) in Seattle, so whenever I see it, I normally order it. Usually the ingredients are all scrambled together or as an omelette. I like Wandering Goose’s variation on the dish. You have a poached egg, so you have the runny yoke. You have the pork belly instead of bacon. Take a look at the picture down below to see how thick the piece of pork belly was. Whoa. Lastly you have fried oysters on top of a bed of potatoes in a skillet. Lots of savory flavors in this dish. I added a bit of their house made “sweet heat” sauce too. As with all their dishes, the portion size will leave you full.
Note: There are two entertaining origin stories of how the Hangtown Fry came into existence. The first was a gold prospector hitting it rich and going to a hotel in California and ordering the most expensive things on the menu which in those days were eggs, bacon and oysters. The other story is that a condemned man was due to be executed and for his last meal he specifically ordered oysters, because he knew it would take more than a day to get them, so he gained an extra day of life.
Fried Chicken Plate w/collard greens, coleslaw, butter milk biscuit. Their fried chicken definitely deserves mentioned when talking about the best fried chicken in the city. Perhaps Wandering Goose will enter the fray in the war over who has the best fried chicken in Seattle between Ezell’s and Heaven Sent. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The seasoning on the crispy skin was flavorful, but not overly seasoned like many other places. Our two year old devoured the drum stick like the Tasmanian Devil from WB. The Fried Chicken Plate also came with collard greens which were sweet and spicy and cole slaw which was crisp and fresh. It also came with one of their biscuits.
The Sawmill Biscuit Sandwich-fried chicken, sawmill gravy, cheese, poached eggs. Like the Fried Chicken Plate, The Sawmill may give another Seattle Food War a new combatant. Wandering Goose may give Morsel and Bean & Biscuit a run for their money for Best Seattle Biscuit Sandwich. Take a gander at the pictures of The Sawmill below! Your mouth is salivating, ain’t it? I opted for the addition of a poached egg for extra. How could I not have some runny yoke with this bad boy?
This is not really a traditional sandwich you can eat with your hands. You’ll need a knife and fork. The biscuits are huge and fluffy. I always expect biscuits this big to be dense. Everything about this dish is substantial from the size of the biscuit and chicken to the amount of thick gravy. The sandwich was delicious and despite it being so substantial, I finished it. Needless to say, there was no need for lunch that day. I think the next time I order this, I’ll try it without cheese. The cheese melted into the gravy, making it cheezy. It was still delicious, but I’d like to taste the gravy on it’s own.
The Sawmill – **Before**cutting into it $13.00- fried chicken, sawmill gravy, cheese add poached eggs $1.25. Score: (5.0/5.0)
Summary: Are we ready to crown The Wandering Goose as our favorite breakfast spot yet? Not quite yet, but it’s a front runner. I think if we were to put it in a category, it would be our favorite breakfast spot when playing hooky from work. Due to it’s small seating capacity and popularity, I think we’d only come here during early morning weekdays.
If you want to learn more about the history of The Wandering Goose you can read about it here.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 5.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 5.00
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.85
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
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- 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: The cashier recommended Fat Hen as a suggestion. We’d heard of Fat Hen and have a funny story about it, but we’d never been there. Stay tuned for our visit and review of Fat Hen and the funny story connected to it.
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The 5 Spot – Seattle’s Best Diner?
Recommended by: When we asked our server(Brian) at Citizen Cafe for other breakfast spots in Seattle, he recommended The 5 Spot right up the hill in Queen Anne as a suggestion.
he 5 Spot’s website: Home of the “American Food Festival Series“, 5 Spot’s menu offers big flavored food and kitsch from all points of the continental U.S. Our menus are inspired by our nation’s cultural roots and history that’s found on kitchen tables across America. Our roaming menu might find us parlez vous-in’ down Bourbon Street, two steppin’ into Texas, or soakin’ up those lazy, languid days along Florida’s Gulf Rim. Not feelin’ like goin’ too far outta town? 5 Spot highlights its regular Melting Pot Meals from 5 defined regions (or spots) year-round for those who like to stick with a sure thing.
Neighborhood/Type: Queen Anne
Address: 1502 Queen Anne Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
What we ate/drank: Bag O’ Beignets, Kids Waffle and Fruit, The Big Nashty Sandwich, Enchilada De Desayuno, Coffee
Comments: First thing we want to point out is The 5 Spot is not to be confused with The 5 Point, which we mentioned as our “Drive Off the Date Bar” in our Seattle Bars For Each Stage of Dating post
Now that we have that service announcement out of the way let’s get to The 5 Spot. Brian at Citizen Cafe recommended The 5 Spot. It has been over 10 years since I’d been there and my wife had never been. The 5 Spot is out of the way for us being up on Queen Anne Hill, but after going here my wife may insist on putting it in our restaurant rotation.
As mentioned I’d not been here for over 10 years, but it’s been a Seattle institution since I can remember. More than 20 years? The 5 Spot’s claim to fame is their roaming menu of American cuisine, so you can always get new dishes no matter how many times you’ve been there. Also, if there is a particular dish you’ve enjoyed, you better go back quickly if you want it again because it might be gone once they change the menu. They do have their standard dishes that always remain on the menu though.
The 5 Spot is one of the bigger diners you’ll find in Seattle. It doesn’t matter, you’ll most likely be waiting for a seat due to it’s popularity. In totality, it probably seats over 100 people.
Another thing you’ll notice is that it’s very kid-friendly. They provided our two year old with crayons and a kids place mat. They provided a car seat stand to put our 4 month old in. And they have a kids menu, which is greatly appreciated for us parents on a budget. More than half the parties at the 5 Spot on a Monday morning had kids, so it shows you how kid-friendly they are.
One of the nice things about many of the brunch/breakfast places we’ve visited lately is that they are open on the weekdays. The 5 Spot is no exception opening every day at 8:00am. They are also open til 11pm on the weekdays and til midnight on the weekends.
The atmosphere is nostalgic diner. It has the old-style coat hangers at each booth and also has individual lighting at each booth. It’s bright, airy and busy.
On this particular visit they have a Nashville theme going on. So a huge Elvis cut out met us at the door and guitars hung from the ceiling.
At home, the best our 2 year old gets are microwaved French toast, so getting real ones was a treat for her. The Enchilada De Desayuno is from their normal menu and was prepared in an iron skillet. It came with black beans, pepper jack and Oaxaca cheese and two over easy eggs with massive potatoes on the side. I also went with an addition of smoked pork. The portion is huge, but you definitely pay for it at $16.50($13.50 for the dish + $3.00 for the addition of the smoked pork). It was a delicious dish overall and I think the potatoes paired well with the enchilada sauce, pork and cheese.
We agreed the definite favorite was the Big Nashty off the Nashville menu. It’s a “Big ass shpicy breakfast sandwich” with chicken thigh, bacon jam, vinegared greens, pair of over easy eggs, and pickles on Ciabatta. Take a look at the picture below. As you can see the chicken is massive and impossible to fit in your mouth. The sourness of the vinegared greens and pickles mixed with the bacon jam and chicken was so flavorful.
Although the portions were big, there were no left overs. The sign of a delicious meal. Bag of Beignets accompanied with a chocolate dipping were a good way to top off the meal, especially with a coffee.
Below are our the ratings of some of our dishes from our visit.
Egg dipped and griddled golden brown slices of country white bread with Vermont maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh fruit. Score: (5.0/5.0) <<<based on our daughter’s empty plate
Enchilada De Desayuno $16.50. Score: (4.75/5.0)
The Big Nashty $13.50
Score: (5.0 / 5.0)
Summary:
The food is a bit on the expensive size but the service was top notch and over accommodating to our family and the atmosphere and everchanging menu is a very rare treat in Seattle. So the higher prices are justified in our opinion. This is a great places to bring visitors out of town and any large group. The size of the diner and the number of choices on the menu means you can accommodate all.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 5.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
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- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
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- 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: Our server Marissa suggested Wandering Goose(RIP 2020) in Capitol Hill to try out. She advised they had breakfast everyday and had some of the best fried chicken in the city.
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Citizen Cafe – Queen Anne
Recommended by: Our Server at Square Knot Diner is a resident of the Queen Anne neighborhood and mentioned a little known and underrated spot called, Citizen Café.
Description on the Citizen Cafe’s website: Welcome to Citizen Cafe and Bar. We are located in the lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, Washingon in the shadow of the Space Needle. We love our neighborhood and the people that we see everyday, as well as those who might be passing through, looking for a place to grab a bite or a sip. We also love creating food and drinks that are fun and delicious. Things are always changing with new specials for every season and creative new ideas for cocktails and dishes. Be at home in our cozy cafe or on our sun-drenched patio and let us take care of you.
Neighborhood/Type: Queen Anne
What we ate/drank: Pulled Pork Tacos, Korexican Tacos, Macchiato
Comments: Until our server at Square Knot Diner had told us about Citizen Café, we’d never heard of it. Maybe it’s because when going to Queen Anne we’re familiar with the businesses on Queen Anne Ave on top of the hill and the businesses on lower Queen Anne on Mercer Ave. Citizen Café is located on the lower western part of Queen Anne. When we did arrive, we were quite shocked how big the property was. In addition to the two story café they had a huge adjoining outside portion. Citizen Café is a bit of a unicorn in Seattle in that they serve 7:00am breakfast not only on the weekends, but also on weekdays.
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The bottom portion of the space is the café portion, where a lot of commuters are just ordering coffee to go. There is some counter space along the window and a few stools near the cashier, but the second story is where the main seating area is. Our server told us that the second story was added on only a few years ago. The space has a lot of character. You’ll notice the exposed brick throughout and the exposed wooden beams. Our server advised that prior incarnations of the space were a fire station, a horse stable and more recently storage for the auto repair business next door. An original touch is the pages of Anna Karenina wallpapered along the wall on the second floor.
We both decided on tacos for breakfast, the pulled pork tacos and the Korexican Tacos(see details in the picture below). I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t expecting much when we ordered our meals. Maybe we thought that they were mainly a coffee shop first and food would take a back seat in quality. We were happily surprised that their tacos were really good. I especially like their pulled pork tacos. I thought for the portion size and quality, the dishes were also reasonably priced.I’m more of a savory person than a sweet person, so the Korexican tacos were not a hit for me, but my wife loved them.
Our server was accommodating and friendly. I point this out because we were there with two kids-(2 yr old and a 3 month old). The place is really unique and we’ll be sure to add it to our list of places to take visitors or local friends. Just a warning, it’s not a place that can accommodate larger groups. I would say maybe 6 people max and even that’s pushing it. Citizen is coffee cafe/brunch spot by day and bar/cocktails in the evening.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.65
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
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: Our server(Brian) mentioned The 5 Spot as another option for breakfasts in the area when asking for suggestions.
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Square Knot Diner
Recommended by: Carmela, our server at Roxy’s Diner in Fremont recommended Square Knot Diner for really good breakfasts.
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Description on the Square Knot Diner’s website: No nonsense, straight-up diner food. All ages welcome.
Neighborhood/Type: Georgetown
Address: 6015 Airport Way South, Seattle, WA 98108
Music Playing: Don’t Blame Me by Thelonious Monk
What we ate/drank: Cinnamon Roll, Chile Cheese Omelette, Corned Beef Hash w/Two Poached Eggs
Comments: We have a family tradition of stopping by Square Knot Diner whenever we are headed to Seatac Airport for a trip. It all started when our youngest was born. The first restaurant we ever took her to was Roxy’s Diner in Fremont. Our daughters crying woke us up and Roxy’s Diner happened to be open at 7am on a Saturday. Long story short, we asked our server at Roxy’s Diner, if she could recommend other diners should we find ourselves in the same predicament. She suggested Square Knot Diner in Georgetown. Now, Georgetown is a bit out of the way for us, so we didn’t go there right away, but remembered it as an option if we were ever in the area. We’d never heard of Square Knot Diner before Carmela at Roxy’s Diner suggested it.
So fast forward a few months. We took our daughter on our first flight by plane to Texas. As paranoid first time parents traveling with an infant we left the house far in advance of our flight to account for any issues or delays that might occur. We checked and double checked and headed to Seatac. When we got on the freeway, we determined we were going to be at the airport super early, about 3 hours too early. We remember Carmela’s suggestion in Georgetown which is on the way to the airport and a tradition was born. Now we always build in some extra time to make a stop at Square Knot Diner for breakfast whenever we go to Seatac airport.
Their motto is so apropos-“No nonsense, straight-up diner food. All ages welcome”. This really is a no frills diner that feels like it’s stuck in time. From their old style booths, to the vintage signage and the U-shaped counter that you see in the movies when depicting a diner from the 50s. When we walked in to Square Knot Diner for the first time, I saw the U-Shaped counter and fell in love.
You won’t find any fancy breakfast dishes here, but you will get tasty hearty traditional breakfast meals that are reasonably priced. And true to their word, about all ages being welcome, our server could not have been any nicer, fawning over our daughter when we went there for the first time and in each subsequent visit. We’ve gotten various dishes during our visits, but we always get a cinnamon roll. That’s a given. It’s big enough for sharing and it has the perfect amount of frosting and cinnamon. I can’t forget about the music. I don’t know if it’s standard practice here, but on more than one occasion they were playing jazz. I’m talking Thelonious Monk, Coltrane, Mingus. Picture eating a corned beef hash early in the morning in an old timey diner listening to Thelonious Monk. It was surreal.
The atmosphere, the friendly service, the early hours(6:00am even on the weekend) and good bang for your buck are all the qualities of Square Knot Diner that we enjoy. Square Knot Diner will continue to be our stop-before-heading-to-the-airport tradition. And a special shout out to Carmela at Roxy’s Diner for the recommendation. We would have never have come here without it.
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Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.25
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.625
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: Our server at Square Knot Diner is a resident of the Queen Anne neighborhood and mentioned a little known and underrated spot called, Citizen Café.
Related Articles:
Roxy’s Diner
Recommended by: Mark at Uneeda Burger
Description on their web: Real Eastcoast on the Westcoast. We mean it. Owner Peter Glick, a native New Yorker, brings classic Jewish deli staples to Seattle.
Neighborhood/Type: Fremont / Breakfast
Address: 462 N. 36th Street, Seattle, WA 98103
Music playing: Someday Soon by Harlem
What we ate/drank: Pastrami hash- Pastrami and home fries cooked crisp and topped with 2 poached eggs and a toasted bagel. Chicken Fried Steak- country fried steak w/gravy served with 2 eggs, home fries and a toasted bagel or toast. Caffé Ladro coffee. Roxy’s Deli Scramble w/Tots and pastrami.
Comments: We had a early Saturday errand to run near Fremont and looked for some breakfast places that would be open at 7:30am. We remembered Mark from Uneeda Burger suggested this place. There’s a parking lot next to Roxy’s which is rare for Fremont. Once you are seated at Roxy’s ask for a parking ticket, they’ll give you the ticket to put in the pay box in the parking lot.
The menu is extensive with 6 pages of choices. Their specialties are definitely brunch and corned beef / pastrami sandwiches. As you can see from the pictures their portions are huge. We turned the pastrami hash into one meal at the restaurant and 3 meals from the left over portions.
This is the type of place we’d bring our parents when their in town-a very straight forward hearty breakfast. Kind of in the same vain as Voula’s or Vera’s. The coffee they serve is Caffé Ladro.
Up for a once-in-a-lifetime drink? Order the Restraining Order if you dare!
The Restraining Order is a shot of Jim Beam(I think it used to be tequila) and a slap in the face by a server of your choosing. I asked if a lot of people ordered it and found out that it’s very common for both men and women and was advised to go to Youtube to check it out. So here you go…..
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 4
Bang for the Buck: 4.5
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!
Eavesdropping Convos: None
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: Our server, Carmela(?) suggested Square Knot Diner as another family friendly and early opening breakfast place to visit.
Related: