Best Donut Variety Award: The Donut Factory
Recommended by: In our quest to find the best doughnut in Seattle, we came here after our neighbors told us about The Donut Factory replacing a long standing donut shop that closed down. We had also just recently visited Half N Half Doughnut and wanted to compare.
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: University District
Address: 4336 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
What we ate/drank: See various pics below
Comments: We consider ourselves doughnut connoisseurs. It’s one of the few foods we feel we can call ourselves, “experts”. You can see our review on the two Seattle doughnut empires, Top Pot and Mighty-O, the trendy, General Porpoise Doughnuts and the secret doughnut spot that nobody seems to talk about, Tempesta Coffee (RIP) We also just tried new Half N Half Doughnut Company and Raised Doughnuts. We’re also fans of Family Donut Shop.
When we heard Ly’s Doughnuts suddenly closed down, we had a moment of silence. Ly’s was really good at basic doughnuts and most importantly was open 24 hours, so we could do a doughnut run late at night or early in the morning. This was especially convenient when our kids were infants and waking us up at all times of the day. So when we heard that another doughnut spot would open in it’s place, we were intrigued.
The Donut Factory opened up in the little strip mall where Ly’s used to be. They had a store out in Lynnwood and were expanding to Seattle. You can see from this Seattle Magazine article that Donut Factory won their social media poll for Best Doughnut in Seattle.
So to say that we were giddy with anticipation was an understatement. The Donut Factory in the University District opened in May of 2019 and almost instantly their one-of-a-kind doughnuts started popping up on Instagram. Similar to when Cinnaholic opened, we waited awhile for the buzz to die down before we made our way to The Donut Factory.
First thing you’ll notice is the huge variety they have. I never thought I’d say it, but there are more choices than Top Pot. From what I can tell the doughnuts on the right are your standard singles like your old fashioned, raised glazed, sprinkle, etc and the doughnuts on the left are your fancy doughnuts. If you happen to have a Husky Card, Orca Card or Military Card you get a 10% discount, which is a great feature.
- Single – $2, Half dozen $11, Dozen $21
- Fancy – $3, Half dozen $15, Dozen $31
- Extra fancy -$4
They also have some combo deals:
- Wake & Cake which is premium coffee(latte, mocha, etc) + 1 donut -$6.25
- Perfect Combo is 16 oz drip + 2 donuts – $5.75
I’m typically a fan of cake doughnuts so I normally get old fashioned glazed or a an apple fritter. You can see from the pictures below our daughter consistently picks the blueberry sprinkle and mom, the mango filled.
Unlike Ly’s, Donut Factory is not open 24 hours, but it is open a respectable 5am to 10pm.
The service has been great. They’ve been patient when you have so many choices, offer suggestions and on a few occasions have given us an extra donut. They’ve asked, “Was there one that barely missed the cut?” And when I’ve mentioned it, they’ve given it for free. Also, I don’t think it hurts to have a cute toddler with you. They asked her to pick an extra one for herself.
One other service that we will likely utilize in the future is their customs made to order doughnuts that can be shaped into letters. The custom made doughnut can be any flavor or filling and they are huge. They ask for 48 hours notice.
Pretty much all the Seattle doughnut shops are on the higher end price wise. We’d say The Donut Factory is in the Mighty-O price range and definitely more bang for the buck than General Porpoise or Top Pot. The variety of doughnuts can’t be beat and their unique and creative doughnuts are one of a kind that out of town visitors have never seen before. Their discounts for UW, Orca and military is a nice touch as well as the service of custom made letter doughnuts that we can’t wait to order for our daughters’ birthdays.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
Overall: 4.35
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: A reader tipped us off to another doughnut(actually a mochi doughnut) place that opened in the International District called, Dochi.
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Sizzle & Crunch
Recommended by: We noticed a line out the door at Sizzle and Crunch when heading to our favorite Korean spot, Korea Tofu House. With a line out the door we decided to see what all the hub-bub is all about there.
Description on the Sizzle & Crunch’s website: Sizzle & Crunch Vietnamese Grill serves crunchy banh mi, rice bowls, vermicelli bowls, and salad bowls topped with sizzling meats (or tofu) and your choice of fresh toppings. You can expect a fast-casual experience where the food is served “line style.” In Vietnam, it’s common to have the ingredients separated and prepared in front of you.
Neighborhood/Type: University District
Address: 1313 NE 42nd St, Seattle, WA 98105
What we ate/drank: House Pork Plate-Our signature all-natural grilled lemongrass pork and braised pork belly, green onion aioli, fish sauce, broken rice. Grilled Pork-Our signature all-natural lemongrass pork, green onion aioli, fish sauce, broken rice
First of all, I’ve got to say this an ingenious business model used by the creator of Sizzle and Crunch. Take an existing conveyor belt style food prep model like Subway, Quiznos, Taco Del Mar and Chipoltle Grill where you can pick and choose fresh ingredients to create your meal. Then apply it to a type of cuisine that really utilizes fresh ingredients like Vietnamese food. You have a quick meal prep to your specifications, you can watch it being prepared and you can see the ingredients being used. The creators of Sizzle and Crunch took an existing model and put a twist on it based on their personal expertise-Vietnamese food. It’s a simple concept where you wonder, “why didn’t anybody think of this sooner”?
The University District location opened in 2017 and another location opened up in South Lake Union recently. You understand why there’s a line out the door comprised mainly of poor struggling UW students. It’s fast, the assembly line process makes it simple and catered to your specific tastes and the portion to cost ratio is student-friendly.
So instead of choosing type of tortilla, rice and beans, you’re doing this:
- Choose between a banh mi sandwich or a rice bowl, salad bowl. The sandwich comes with jalapeno cilantro aioli, garlic mayo. The rice bowl comes with green onion aioli, fish sauce, broken rice. The salad bowl comes with green onion aioli, fish sauce, romaine lettuce.
- Choose a protein- grilled pork, chicken, beef or tofu.
- If you chose the rice bowl option, advise if you want an over easy egg.
- Then pick your toppings-house-pickled daikon & carrot, cucumber, chopped jalapeno, shredded scallion, cilantro, and tomato. You can choose either a fish sauce or green sauce(cilantro, green onion, jalapeno—I think.)
- Watch them make it, pay and you’re ready to grind.
All ingredients are made in house including the baguettes, sauces, pickled vegetables and pate. The food is prepared daily and in small batches to ensure freshness although there does appear to have been some stumbles.
Both dishes we had on this visit to Sizzle & Crunch were representative of what we typically think about Vietnamese food-flavorful meats and fresh light veggies. I especially love the green sauce which I think is cilantro, jalapeno and onions. Parking can be a bitch while construction of the Link Light Rail is going on for a few more years, but the price is right, the wait is short and the food is made to order. We’ll add this to our list of mainstays on The Ave along with Korea Tofu House, Little Kitchen, Morsel and Aladdin Gyro.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 3.50
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 5.00
Overall: 4.35
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:
Northlake Tavern & Pizza
Recommended by: The cashier at Stone Way Cafe suggested Northlake Tavern & Pizza for what she called the “best pizza in town”
Description on their web: The special kind pizza we feature here is from an old Italian recipe. It happened one day as the original owner of this establishment expressed his dissatisfaction with the pizza. “Pshew, what garbage!” he exclaimed. “I’ll bet I can make a better pizza than this.” So a bet was made.
Neighborhood/Type: University District / Pizza
Address: 660 NE Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98105
Music playing: None. Trailblazers game was playing.
What we ate/drank: Logger Special Pizza- Canadian bacon, Italian beef sausage, black olives, fresh cut green peppers and onions. Combo – Pepperoni, Italian beef sausage, black olives and mushrooms
Comments: This place had been recommended to us by the cashier at Stone Way Cafe. And although I had been here before, my wife had not. It had been at least 20 years since I’d been there, so you’d think the décor would have been upgraded since then. But stepping into Northlake Tavern & Pizza is like stepping back in time. It had not been changed one bit. The cartoons on the wall are still there, the tables covered in plastic picnic table coverings are there, the bar is exactly the same. I guess you could say this is both good and bad. Bad because nothing has been upgraded and refreshed. Good because it’s nostalgic and not having any upgrades means hopefully no substantial increase in prices. Northlake Tavern & Pizza has been open since 1954 and I would not be surprised if there have been no renovations since then, but that’s part of it’s charm. As mentioned there’s the old cartoons on the wall, there’s UW sports memorabilia and autographs, the neon beer signs are not Fremont or Georgetown Brewing, but Pabst and Budweiser. I’ve already mentioned the plastic picnic table covering, but all you get with your pizza is a paper plate and fork. You read that right, a paper plate.
Let’s get down and dirty. We know there’s a lot of good pizza in Seattle and the sheer number of pizza places make the competition for pizza pretty ferocious. To separate themselves some have carved out a specialty or niche- Deep dish Chicago style, Fusion, Northwest spin, Neapolitan, Vegan. Just off the top of my head for pizza places we’ve been to or ordered from in the last few years-Serious Pie, Flying Squirrel, Pagliacci, Alibi Room, Windy City Pies, Frelard, Dino’s, Rocco’s, Zeeks, China Pie, Turnpike, Veraci, Ridge. So where does Northlake Tavern and Pizza stand out in the Seattle pizza landscape?
- Ambiance? No
- Exceptional Service? No
- Fast Service? No
- Great Location? No. It’s directly under the I5 going over Lake Union
- High end ingredients? No. There’s no truffle cheese or pecorino sadro
- Unconventional ingredients? No. There’s no clams, mandarin oranges or chocolate hazel nut spread.
- Cheapest price? No
- Kid Friendly? No
- Place to impress your first date, in laws or hip/trendy friends? No, no and no.
- Massive amounts of toppings? YES YES YES
This is the place to go for just plain ole great pizza. The one thing that makes it stand out is the massive amount of toppings. The diameter size of the pizza is like any other pizza place, but the huge toppings make the height taller than any pizza in Seattle. For this reason, we always get a small size pizza, because after eating two slices, we’re full. Due to the weight of the toppings, it’s difficult to eat a slice with your hands, so having fork comes in handy. Our go-to pizzas here are the Logger Special Pizza and the Meat Eaters(see below pics for ingredients). And although we know what’s coming, whenever the pizza arrives to our table we always say, “Wow!”
The atmosphere is very relaxed and informal and you get the feeling that most of the patrons have been coming here for not years, but decades. On a particular Saturday night visit we noticed that 80% of the patrons seemed to be 40 years or older, so it really does seem like a place that has some history among those who go there.
One callout, because it’s technically a tavern, you must be 21+ to enter, so no kids. There was a 6 week stretch where our neighbor watched our kids so we could go out on a few date nights. We had a hankering for pizza and came here three times. I mentioned I had not been here in 20 years. I kind of just forgot about Northlake Tavern & Pizza as an option, but the Stone Way Cafe cashier’s suggestion to come here rekindled my affection for their pizza and gave my wife an opportunity to try their pizza for the first time. Coming here 3 times in 6 weeks shows it’s in the forefront of our mind now.
The one area we’d like to see is improvement in would be the time it takes to make the pizza. Perhaps, with the size of the toppings it can’t be helped. On average I would say it takes 45 minutes to an hour for the pizza to be made. Granted, we’ve always come on a Friday or Saturday night which are definitely busier. There’s not a lot of small talk from the servers. It’s pretty much taking the order, which is fine by us. There was one time where the server gave my wife a free soda, because our pizza was taking a long time to come out, which was a nice of her.
If we want ambiance, we might go to Via Trib. Fast service, we might do take out from Zeeks or Pagliacci. Great location, we might go to Dino’s in Capitol Hill. High end ingredients, we might go to Flying Squirrel. Unconventional ingredients, we might go to Serious Pie. Kid friendly location, we might go to Freland Pizza. But when we have a hankering for a relaxed environment with just plain old great pizza, we’ll come to Northlake Tavern & Pizza.
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 3.75
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 4.5 (Small pizza is $23, but it’s so filling due to the huge amount of toppings. This is really 4 meals)
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:
Related:
**********Unfortunately, This Restaurant Has Closed Down**********
Recommended by: When we raved about Little Ting’s Dumplings to some friends, they recommended Little Kitchen as an alternative for dumplings.
Description on the Little Kitchen’s website: They ain’t got one.
Neighborhood/Type: University District (on The Ave)
Address: 4508 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
What we ate/drank: Shan Dong Boiled Dumplings, Pork Wonton in Chile Sauce, Pan Fried Chive Dumpling
Comments: When we advised friends of Little Ting’s Dumplings, they countered that a new place opened on The Ave(University Ave) that they believe are the best in Seattle and cheaper than Little Tings to boot. As mentioned in our Little Ting’s Dumpling post there are a lot of dumpling places in Seattle. When most people mention Chinese dumplings you mainly hear about Din Tai Fung or Dough Zone. Some others mention J’Dumpling House(Ravenna), Ping’s Dumpling House, Xian Noodles, Jiaozi! Dumplings House, Chiangs Gourmet. Looks like we can add another dumpling alternative to the Seattle dumpling fray.
Whenever we here a restaurant recommendation located on The Ave, we know two things. One, that it should be cheaper than normal. Two, most likely only UW students know about it, so if we go prior to school starting it will be empty. Sure enough when we visited in mid-September, we were the only ones there on a Saturday afternoon. Apparently, Little Kitchen just opened in August, so that also worked in our favor
When we first entered Little Kitchen we were quite surprised how big it was and how nice it was on the inside considering it’s on The Ave and the outside of Little Kitchen is not a true representation of the inside. This has got to be one of the nicer places on The Ave.
When ordering we had to ask some questions since the menu on the chalkboard doesn’t have a whole lot of details. For example, the menu does not state what’s inside a Shan Dong Boiled Dumpling? (Answer:Pork) Once we got our questions answered, we ordered three dishes – Shan Dong Boiled Dumplings, Pork Wonton in Chile Sauce, Pan Fried Chive Dumpling. The dumplings are made to order, so it may take a while, but we’re more than willing to wait for freshly made dumplings. You order at the front counter and then they bring it out to your table.
One advantage that Little Kitchen has over Little Tings Dumplings is that the plates are smaller, so you can have more of a variation of dishes. The dumplings at Little Kitchen typically come in sets of 6. The dumplings at Little Tings Dumplings come in sets of 15. The interesting thing is that when comparing Little Kitchen to Little Tings, if you figure out the price per dumpling, it comes out about the same. The Shan Dong Boiled Dumpling comes out to $.67 per dumpling and the Pork & Chive Dumpling at Little Tings Dumpling is also $.67 per dumpling, so being on The Ave didn’t make it cheaper in that respect like you would suspect. The Pan Fried Chive dumpling came out to $2.50/each.
Pork Wontons in Chile Sauce is one of our favorite dishes and we always order it when available at any of the restaurants we go to. This was our favorite dish, but would have liked a bit more spicy. For an interesting perspective here is the price per wonton at Little Kitchen compared to Dough Zone and Din Tai Fung. Surprisingly, Dough Zone is the cheapest.
Pork Wonton in Chile Sauce (score: 4.5/5.0)
Atmosphere: 4.25 (for The Ave this is above average)
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.25
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.35
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: None
Related Articles:
Best Cream Filled Doughnut Award: General Porpoise Doughnuts
Recommended by: After our Top Pot vs Mighty O post and our post on the doughnuts at Tempesta Coffee, a co-worker advised me that General Porpoise Doughnuts puts all of these places to shame. Let’s see.
Description on the General Porpoise’s website: Made fresh doughnuts—filled with handmade curds, custards, creams, and jams—paired with remarkable coffees from roasters near and far.
Neighborhood/Type: University District/Laurelhurst
Address: 4520 Union Bay Place NE, Seattle WA 98105
What we ate/drank: Chocolate Marshmallow, Vanilla Custard, Peaches & Cream, Rainier Cherry Jam and a Macchiato.
Comments: As mentioned above, I told my co-worker that I found a place called Tempesta Coffee that had perhaps better doughnuts than either Top Pot or Mighty O. She then told me although she’d never been to Tempesta Coffee, there’s a place called General Porpoise Doughnuts that puts Top Pot and Mighty-O to shame. We’d heard of Renee Erickson’s new doughnut place that had opened in Pioneer Square and Capitol Hill, but we never made it out. We’re big fans of Renee Ericsson’s sea-themed restaurants such as The Whale Wins, The Walrus & Carpenter, Barnacle Bar, so we were looking forward to trying General Porpoise.
We’d see the beautiful pics of the filled doughnuts on Instagram and salivated. Then we heard a branch was opening near University Village, which is closer to where we live. It finally opened in late July, so one Saturday morning we took the family to see if my co-worker was right.
As mentioned the new location is near UW/University Village off Union Bay Place that has only a few parking spots, so beware. The interior is super minimalist and more conducive for taking out and enjoying the doughnuts at home than eating there although we ordered enough to do both. General Porpoise doesn’t have your traditional doughnuts with the hole in the middle. They specialize in cream/jam filled doughnuts. We ordered four doughnuts
- Chocolate Marshmellow
- Vanilla Custard
- Peaches and Cream
- Rainier Cherry Jam
It wasn’t hard to pick since they only had 5 types to choose from. We ended up eating to there and taking the other two to eat at home later in the day. All were really delicious, but the four doughnuts totaled over $18+, which includes a 10% service charge, so it’s pricey.
On one of our visits, they had a group of doughnuts that did not pass their standards, so no filling was inserted. These doughnuts were only $1.00 a piece and we don’t know why they didn’t pass muster, but they were perfectly fine to us.
They have locations in Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square and within the Amazon Spheres, but this location is only open to Amazon employees. It is open to the public on every other Saturday from 9am-3pm by reservation only.
On General Porpoise’s website you can pre order online the day before pickup. You can’t pick doughnuts individually like Mighty-O, but you can ask for favorites, but it’s ultimately the bakers choice. The orders come in increments of 10 doughnuts up to 50 and can be ordered up to one week in advance.
Although the doughnuts are creative and tasty, the price will stop us from making this a regular stop. For now we’ll stick to Top Pot, Mighty O and Tempesta. We will reserve visits to General Porpoise to special occasions,such as visitors from out of town or special birthday desserts.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 3.75
Overall: 4.35
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: None
Related Articles:
Cafe Allegro – Seattle’s Oldest “Secret” Cafe
Description on Cafe Allegro’s website : Established in Seattle’s University District in 1975, Cafe Allegro is home to Seattle’s oldest espresso bar and one of the country’s finest Seattle-style coffee roasters. Our beans are imported from family farms around the world and roasted in small batches onsite at our cafe. Whether you’re a one cup a day drinker or a true Seattlite, we guarantee you’ll enjoy every sip.
Neighborhood: University District
Address: 4214 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Music playing:
What we ate/drank: Cortado, Macchiato, Lemonade
Comments: Café Allegro has a strange dichotomy in that it’s Seattle’s oldest coffee shop in the Coffee Capital of the World, but it’s also “hidden” in an alley which makes it difficult for those “not-in-the-know” to find it. With Café Allegro being the oldest coffee shop in Seattle, you’d think it would be a really popular place among visitors, but from our perspective it’s only popular among UW students. When asking locals about their favorite coffee shops, we rarely here Café Allegro mentioned. I think it’s due to a few reasons. Number one, it’s hidden in an alley right off The Ave(University Ave) between NE 42nd and NE 43rd Ave, so it’s hard to find. Number two, it’s in the University District, which is popular among U-Dub students, but not the rest of the Seattle general population. Number three, people who know about Café Allegro and have gotten a cup to go, don’t know it has tons of space, so they dismiss it as too crowded/too small. I, myself, didn’t know how big it was when I first came here. I thought Café Allegro was comprised of just the area in which you order, which fits maybe 25 people and always packed. Some infrequent visitors, may know that there’s an adjacent seating area through a narrow walk way near the barista counter that has some individual tables, booth seating and additional counter seating. But unless you are a frequent visitor, you may not know there is also an upstairs room with seating for at least an additional 30 people and a patio that has 3 benches and a few individual seating. The upstairs portion is relatively new(from 2015?) and not accessible from the café. You have to go outside and then enter a separate door for the upstairs portion. So there are “hidden” rooms/patio within this “hidden” café. This floor also houses their roaster. In totality, if I had to guess, Cafe Allegro could seat at least 80 people conservatively.
Café Allegro was established in 1975 and is located within a building built in 1909. Previous iterations of the space were a bank and funeral home/mortuary. I love that there really is no signage except for a beaten down hanging sign in which you can barely make out “Café Allegro est. 1975”. When you first enter Café Allegro you get a sense it’s part of the community because of their huge ever changing wall of Seattle event posters. Exposed brick walls and worn wood counters give you a sense of its history. They also have a wall of framed foreign currencies that always seems to catch the eye of new visitors I bring here. The aforementioned additional rooms are very nondescript, but the tables with burlap coffee sacks under glass as table tops is a nice touch.
As mentioned in our Best Seattle Bars To Impress Out of Towners, Our Seattle Coffee Shop Thoughts and Seven Coffee Roasters posts, Seattle visitors love these little hidden gems. Places they would never find without the help of a local. The latest visitors we took here were a family from Sweden. They were visiting mutual friends in Kent, WA and wanted to meet up. We suggested meeting at the University Farmers Market on a Saturday and after strolling the market, they mentioned they would love a cup of coffee. I suggested Café Allegro. Even my friend from Kent, WA who graduated from UW had never been to Café Allegro. As we walked down the alley, I started getting strange looks, but as soon as they entered, they said, “How cool!” and got out their phones and started taking pictures. Of course, the main café seating area was packed, but I mentioned the upstairs and lo and behold, we went up there and had the whole floor to ourselves. We had a group of 7 adults and one 2 year old who did not want to sit still, so this was a perfect area for us. The Swedish visitors said, “We feel like this is a very local place. We would have never have found it. That’s the advantage of having a local show you around”. They had also read about Molly Moon Ice Cream on the airplane magazine and wanted to go, but we told them we’d take them to another less known, less crowded place in walking distance from Cafe Allegro. We took them to Sweet Alchemy Ice Creamery less than a block away and they loved it. We told them to go to Molly Moon also, because it’s good, but asked them for their opinion after they tried both and take into consideration the wait time and hype and tell us which is better. Of course, Sweet Alchemy.
Café Allegro actually has it’s own Wikipedia page which tells more about its history and its founder who was instrumental in a fledgling company, called Starbucks.
The food options are mainly pastries, which were from Marsee Bakery. They also have teas and cold drinks. The signage also says they have beer and wine, but didn’t see any displayed and why would you have beer and wine at the oldest coffee shop in Seattle anyways? You come for coffee. From their website you can buy individual bags of beans and bean subscriptions.
Warning: The beans sold by Café Allegro are not the same beans you see in Whole Foods, which are their in house brand, Allegro Coffee. It can be quite confusing.
Ratings(1-5)Favorite Thing: The “secret” aspect of Seattle’s oldest coffee shop.
Atmosphere: 5 + 1(extra for ample seating and ambiance)
Service: 4.75
Food Options: 4.00
Overall: 4.75
Eavedropping Convo: None, except for the comments from our Swedish guests we took here. In place of Eavesdropping Convo, I’ll place this video about Cafe Allegro.
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
Recommended by: Nobody. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka was the winner of our Battle of Seattle Ramen post.
Description on the Hokkaido Ramen Santouka website: We would like you to try our ramen and enjoy its delicious flavor to the last drop. This is the wish of the founder, part of every small bowl of ramen.
Neighborhood/Type: University Village
Address: 2626 NE Village Ln, Seattle, WA 98105
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: TONKOTSU MISO RAMEN-Robust miso paste and silky broth, with a hint of bonito dashi creates the gentle balance flavor. TORONIKU GOMA MISO RAMEN-Combination of savory flavors of sesame and miso in creamy tonkotsu broth.Topped with menma, kikurage mushrooms, toroniku slices and baby arugula leaves. TSUKEMEN-Thickened soy flavored tonkotsu soup has enriched flavor and umami. SHIYAKE IKURA GOHAN-Rice bowl topped with grilled salmon & salmon roe. Gyoza.
Comments: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka was the winner of our Battle of Seattle Ramen post. The post also provides a good primer with my own view on Seattle ramen history and how it’s evolved so quickly in the last few years. This location has only been open for a year and located in University Village. Their only other US locations are in Bellevue and two more in Boston. So why do we believe that Santouka is the best ramen in Seattle. Well, we go pretty often and have tried the Shio, Shoyu, Miso and Goma Miso Ramens. We’ve had the Tsukemen, gyoza, takoyaki, karaage and all are top rate. They also have “combos” where you can mix and match ramen dishes with their side dishes. And while many ramen places allow you to order larger portions by paying extra, Santouka is the only place I know of in Seattle that gives you the option to order a smaller portion for a lower price. The capper for us is that they have free ramen for kids all day, every day.
The service is quick and regardless how busy it is, we’ve never had to wait long for a seat. And it’s not a big place to begin with. I’m the type of person who likes certain foods at a certain tempature. I only like hot coffee even if it’s a 100 degrees. I like my water ice cold. There are other foods that I can eat hot or cold like pizza and fried chicken. When it comes to ramen, I always like it hot regardless if the weather is super hot. I’m not a huge fan of cold soba or somen. Taking all this into consideration, the Tsukemen at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has won my taste buds over and is my favorite and I’d say it’s one of my top 10 dishes in Seattle. For those unfamiliar with Tsukemen, it’s noodles that you dip out a soup and then eat. The soup has a very flavorful dense taste, so there’s an art to eating Tsukemen. It takes restraint to only dip 3 or 4 noodles at a time. If you try to stuff a bunch of noodles in the soup, the flavor will be too overpowering. Having the Tsukemen with the Aji-Tama(half cooked egg) takes it to another level. It’s a good dish to have in the summer for me. It’s not piping hot, but it’s not cold. The noodles are at room tempature and the dipping soup is hot. My daughter loves the shio ramen and my wife switches around every visit, but seems to like the Goma Miso Ramen with a gyoza side.
The place is not that big. There are booths on the left side that can fit 4. On the left side long bench against the wall with individual tables. In the middle are tables for two and in the middle towards the back is a large community table for singles.
If you are interested, here’s the grid from our Battle of Seattle Ramen post. I think Arashi Ramen, Ramen Danbo and Kizuki Ramen are just a notch below Santouka, but not by much.
For now, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is our favorite ramen place. It’s efficient, clean and modern, lots of parking in University Village, free kids meal and above all great tasting ramen.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 4.5
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!
Eavesdropping Convos: None
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: Amy or Emmy, our server suggested Junkichi Robata Izakaya in Capitol Hill
- See what a 36 year old from Japan thought of Seattle
- Kokkaku
- Coffee Shops to Impress Visitors, Impress Visiting Coffee Snobs, Make Visitors Feel Like Locals.
- Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 2)
Herkimer Coffee
Description on Herkimer Coffee website : At Herkimer Coffee our purpose is to create a coffee experience of the highest possible quality. Whether it’s your double espresso, latte to go, or the bag of beans you brew at home, we want your experience to be the best it can be.
Neighborhood: Ravenna / University District
Address: 5611 University Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98105
Music playing: Didn’t I -Darondo
What we ate/drank: Macchiato
Comments: Herkimer Coffee is our go-to spot when our family walks over to Cowen Park or going to the Saturday University Farmer’s Market. We normally get our coffee to go and can only recollect one time where we met up with friends and actually stayed to enjoy our coffees. On this particular day, I decided to stay and enjoy.
Plus points for having “Didn’t I” by Darondo playing when I walked in. One of my favorites. Then some Vampire Weekend. Then some Shins. I asked the barista if this was his playlist and was about to compliment him, but alas, it was Spotify.
I got a Macchiato. Because it was late afternoon, their pastry selection at that point was pretty bare, but there pasties are from Café Besalu in Ballard. Note: As I delved deeper, I found out that Herkimer now owns Café Besalu as of last year! I had no idea.
One thing you’ll notice for some of their drinks is the strange pricing. For example, the Macchiato and Cortado are both $2.72. You may ask, why? That’s because with the tax, it comes out to an even $3.00, which I appreaciate. Keep it simple
The space is small like most places on The Ave, but I feel it maximizes the space with a long wooden bench that runs the entirety of the inside with 7 small tables . There are 4 stools running along the front of the space with a counter and one community table for 8. There are two tables out side on the side walk to look out on the northern part of The Ave. In the front it’s nice and bright, but towards the back it’s warm and dark with soft lighting
They had about some 3 tea selections. There’s local art on the wall for sale. And they got AC, yo!
Surprisingly, Herkimer only has 3 locations-Dexter, Ravenna and the flagship Greenwood location. It seems like there’s more locations, but I guess I drive down Greenwood and The Ave a lot. I don’t drive on Dexter much.
Like some other Seattle coffee roasters(Elm, Slate, Vita, Ladro), I was curious about where the name “Herkimer” and logo originated. Apparently it’s named after a town in New York, where the founder’s dad was born. Another fun fact: The founder of Herkimer also founded Caffe Vita. The bridge in the logo is an iconic bridge in Herkimer.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: I love the fact that there’s a quality coffee shop very near Cowen/Ravenna Park.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: Guy and a gal having a coffee. They seem to be UW students, It was right around end of the first quarter, so they were talking about plans for the summer and when they were leaving campus for home. They’d been there before I got there and were still there for the 45 minutes I was there, so they were there a while.
Gal) If you’re free, I was thinking about going……
Guy) Yes, let’s go!
Gal) You don’t know where I was going to suggest.
Guy) I don’t care. Let’s go!
Gal) It’s a place really close to here…….. Both walk out the door together.
Dude was super eager to hang out more I guess.
Recommended by: The table next to us at Mojito
Korean Tofu House
Description on Korean Tofu House website: With our unmatched quality, flavor, and value, you’ll understand why we are the oldest Korean Restaurant in UW!
Neighborhood: University District
Address: 4142 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Type: Korean
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Spicy BBQ Pork, Sliced Rice Cake Soup, Beef Tofu Soup. The Banchan(free sides!) were bean sprouts, kim chee, green onion pancakes, fish cakes, sweetened potato and purple rice.
Comments: Although this restaurant was suggested by the table next to us at Mojito, we’ve been here several times before. Truthfully it’s hard to give a proper review of Korean Tofu House, because we get the same damn three dishes over and over again. If you really enjoy the dishes, I guess there ain’t no point in deviating. What normally happens is I’ll have craving for their tofu soup, so when we get there, there’s no point even looking at the menu. They do have an easy one page menu with pictures, which is helpful if you’re having Korean food for the first time. It’s also easy to remember that they’re open 11-9 every day. I love their tofu soup so much that although it’s perfect for the cold winter days, I also get it even if it’s 90 degrees outside. And fo sho I get it with a raw egg, yo! I’ve got a system where I eat all the contents in the soup and with the left over broth I put in the rice from the banchan and eat that. A lot of people complain about their very business-like demeanor(=not overly friendly). For those people who think this, they need to build a bridge and…. Get Over It. As long as the food is yummy, no need to hate, appreciate!
Ratings (Scale 1-5)
Service: 3.5
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 5
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Factor: Most locals know about it
Eavesdropping Convos: This is not a conversation, but more of something we observed.
There were these two gals eating beside us. They were finishing up and just about to leave. If you have any leftovers, you can grab your own plastic to-go containers near the cash register. I casually watched as they pulled EIGHT of these containers. Two were for their leftovers from their entre. This ain’t unusual because the portions are big. The other six containers were used for their remaining banchan. For those of you who don’t know, banchan are free “appetizers” given in Korean restaurants, similar to chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant. Then they requested six more free servings of banchan before they left. As soon as the dishes came to their table, they proceeded to add those six to the to-go containers and Audi 5000’d the hell out of there. I thought to myself, whoa, that’s some serious meal-hacking. Hey I dig it, I used to be starving student, but damn!
Server recommendations to visit in the future: The waitress/cashier suggested Chan as a different kind of Korean food to try.
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