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Brief Encounter

3.4 (259 reviews)
Closed 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

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BRIEF ENCOUNTER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Brief Encounter

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Joe's Special & Country Hash
Carol C.

Delicious breakfast on the Eastside. My go to here is the country hash and eggs with house made corned beef and a biscuit. Diner feel. Service is quick and friendly. Located in a strip mall with available parking.

Kim T.

This place is a very small restaurant in the Bellevue area. It's a good spot as a back up place. If all of the other Bellevue brunch spots are full prices are definitely a bit expensive for what you get. I've tried the eggs benedict, the two egg breakfast and the cinnamon roll. All of them are pretty standard. Their hashbrowns are my favorite part. It's super crispy. Service is pretty standard as well sometimes they forget about you but it's ok. It's very accommodating spot for parties six or more so that's super helpful and there's a parking lot so that's super convenient! Hygiene could be better :,) utensils were a bit dirty

Sabrina N.

nothing too crazy, just a casual breakfast diner in bellevue. our food took quite a while to come out but everything tasted pretty good. if you're looking for a typical american spot you should come here.

Burrito with condiment container for size comparison.
Ramon M.

Ordered a breakfast burrito for lunch... $14 for this? Gave it the benefit of the doubt in case it was the best tasting burrito ever and it is a meh burrito.

Online menu- $16 price

Oh so disappointed. I had been craving biscuits and gravy for two weeks but didn't have time to make them myself. My mornings have been hectic, and I kept missing breakfast at my usual spots. So, I decided to give this place a try. I called ahead for a pickup order, and the gentleman on the phone was polite. He asked how I wanted my eggs, but I didn't want eggs or hash browns. I asked if there were any substitutions, like fruit--he said no. I asked if I could just leave them out--he said no, it "doesn't change anything." That was frustrating, but I went ahead with the order anyway. When I arrived, I noticed the menu offered a side order of biscuits and gravy, which would have been perfect. Not sure why he didn't mention that as an option. Now, the food: * The online menu listed the meal at $16, but I was charged $18. * It was supposed to come with two biscuits, but I received two cold, rock-hard halves--so really, just one full biscuit. * The gravy was advertised as sausage gravy, yet there wasn't a single piece of sausage in it. * It was completely bland and also cold. I was so disappointed by this experience and will not be back. Save your money and go next door to Subway.

a restaurant with tables and chairs
Jennifer T.

$23 for a scrambled egg, sausage and 1 pancake with a small cup of caffe was a bit to much. The service was off and seemed very disconnected from the customer experience.

Menu
Jan C.

Nice little cafe. We had breakfast, eggs and pancakes. The food el was good, pancakes weee nice and light. Service is very friendly.

Huevos Rancheros

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9 years ago

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16 years ago

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11 years ago

Good breakfast, coffee! Great service but not amazing. . A good breakfast place to meet friends.

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15 years ago

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13 years ago

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16 years ago

The nicest people, the best pot roast special and a favorite neighborhood hangout.

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11 years ago

Great food, Friendly family owned restaurant. I live next door so its very convenient.

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17 years ago

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14 years ago

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14 years ago

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13 years ago

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12 years ago

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12 years ago

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11 years ago

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11 years ago

Good simple diner food. Excellent pancakes and chicken Apple sausage. Coffee is pretty good too.

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11 years ago

Convenient neighborhood meeting place with dependable quality. Kind of the "Cheers" for the breakfast/lunch set.

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15 years ago

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9 years ago

for the firs time my brothers and I when for breakfast to this nice little place, very good breakfast and good service.

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13 years ago

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Blazing Bagels

Blazing Bagels

3.9(492 reviews)
1.7 mi
$$

We loved our sandwiches! We had the sausage, egg and cheese and the Bernie Boodnick. They are…read moremiddle sized sandwiches, and would be nice to have a side with for lunch. All the ingredients used felt like they were good quality. We ordered quickly and got our food quickly. The workers were friendly. There is a small eating area that is pleasant to sit at. It was pretty busy but didn't get very loud. I also bought a package of day old bagels for 50%, which ended up being $8. I had one toasted the next day and it was still very good. I thought that was a really good deal. There is a large parking lot behind the restaurant. You have to walk down either a few stairs or a ramp to get to the front door.

As they strip down their menu, I'll have to remove this shop from my favorites. No more bagel dogs…read moreof any kind, which is my number one reason for coming, several bagel flavors leaving, and not even the courtesy of taking down the menu or covering those options during their transition. Extremely disappointed. I posted the above earlier at 3-stars, but I was too hasty posting before getting our food, expecting that even though the menu changed, the quality wouldn't. Sadly the bagel sandwiches aren't nearly stuffed to what they used to be and even the orange juice had extra pulp. My biggest complaint is still that there were no indicators in the store until we were trying to order. It is so frustrating to try to pivot when we're standing in front of the cashier with drinks in hand just trying to be on our way.

Photos
Blazing Bagels - Chevy bagel w/pepperjack, salami, tomato, garlic cream cheese-toasted.

Chevy bagel w/pepperjack, salami, tomato, garlic cream cheese-toasted.

Blazing Bagels - Lox on a everything wheat bagel w cucumbers.

Lox on a everything wheat bagel w cucumbers.

Blazing Bagels - Foodgasm.

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Foodgasm.

Cafe Aloe - Piggy Bun

Cafe Aloe

4.1(372 reviews)
1.6 mi
$$
Family-owned & operated
Kid friendly

The musubi breakfast sandwich (with spam and furikake on a pineapple bun) was the most delicious…read morething I've eaten in a long time. The Vietnamese coffee (one of many interesting choices available) was flavored and sweetened just perfectly - plenty but not too much. The atmosphere was peaceful and comfortable, and the service was pleasant and charming. A bright spot in a good morning.

Cafe Aloe is a little cafe located within the Stokely Apartments in Bellevue. I've been wanted to…read moretry this cafe out for quite some time and finally made the drive out. There isn't any dedicated parking for the cafe, but we were able to find street parking around the block. Once you enter inside the building and cafe, it is surprisingly spacious. There isn't that much seating available though. On a nice day, there is outdoor seating available. I ordered a Vietnamese Iced Coffee and a Mint Mojito Iced Coffee. These were drinks very basic. Nothing extravagant about them, especially the Vietnamese Iced Coffee. The Mint Mojito Iced Coffee was a tad bit better and you could taste the mint in it. If I were to return, I definitely would try other drinks or even their food items here. The customer service here was okay. Not very interactive. There wasn't any issues, but it was a bit awkward for whatever reason.

Photos
Cafe Aloe - Honey walnut shrimp sandwich!

Honey walnut shrimp sandwich!

Cafe Aloe - Black sesame latte and Black sesame Matcha latte

Black sesame latte and Black sesame Matcha latte

Cafe Aloe - *peek

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*peek

L'Experience Paris - Bellevue

L'Experience Paris - Bellevue

3.7(266 reviews)
1.6 mi
$$

They now offer dinner and so we went to try. Some things were great - the server was pleasant, the…read morebeef bourguignon was delicious! I loved how many fresh veg and garnishes were part of the dish (unusual for this dish in my experience). However, more mashed potatoes than stew. The chocolate dessert had 3 different textures and a lovely rich flavor. The dinner menu is very small. A couple of starters. Two salads but only one available. Four entrées but only 2 available. I wasnt a fan of the lemon tart. Too much crust and not enough lemon filling. The chairs are very uncomfortable and cold, especially with the cold breeze blowing through from the propped open front door.

We loved coming to this place because of the excellent food by chef Giovanni, but furthermore…read morebecause the service was nothing short of outstanding. Sadly, it's the exact opposite now. Chef is gone and now the range of food and wine is drastically diminished. I'd advise on the quality of what remains but we literally got up and left due to the repugnant attitude of the waiter, who identified himself as the manager and was all too happy to see us leave after some unpleasantries were exchanged. I think this restaurant's days remaining in business can be measured in days or weeks, not months. It's sad because the owner obviously put some real creativity and money into the design of the wine bar side of the establishment, but as many restaurateurs have learned the hard way, the nature of the personnel can make or break a business, and this place has gone from one extreme to the other in that regard. I predict this particular manager will put the last nail in the coffin of L'Experience Paris with total certainty.

Photos
L'Experience Paris - Bellevue - Jelly

Jelly

L'Experience Paris - Bellevue - Cheescake

Cheescake

L'Experience Paris - Bellevue - Espresso, Latte!

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Espresso, Latte!

Gilbert's on Main - The Supreme Omelet

Gilbert's on Main

4.0(1k reviews)
1.7 mi
$$

Me and my girlfriend went there on Saturday afternoon and everything was really really good. First…read moreyou order and pay and then they serve it to your table , the food comes really fast to the table even tho there was a few people in line before us. The food itself was amazing and I would really recommend the Ruben sandwich with both meats so you can try everything. I didn't take this time the their matzo ball soup but I wouldn't be skipping it if you are coming for the first time it's one of the best I ever had and I keep coming back there at least twice every week.

Gilbert's has been on Main Street as long as I can remember. They serve up deli style food in…read moremassive portions so even if the price seems kind of high, you are getting your moneys worth. All the food here is packed with flavor. The workers at the counter take your order and bring the food to your table. Its a nice cozy vibe regardless of the time of day or weather. One thing that has always stood out to me is that they serve Matzo Ball soup and an amazing Reuben sandwich. On my last visit I went around breakfast time. We ordered both the #7 Omelette: Nova Scotia Lox and the #2 Omelette: The Supreme Omelette. Of course both were such generous portions that we had leftovers. We also got the Reuben. The sandwich was so big it had to be deconstructed and eaten with a fork and knife.

Photos
Gilbert's on Main - Inside seating

Inside seating

Gilbert's on Main - Hot Pastrami and French Onion soup, boy were they both delicious! Can't wait to go back!

Hot Pastrami and French Onion soup, boy were they both delicious! Can't wait to go back!

Gilbert's on Main - Outside view

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Outside view

Farine Bakery & Cafe - Veggie Breakfast Sandwich + Strawberry Mint Spritz

Farine Bakery & Cafe

4.2(422 reviews)
1.2 mi
$$

There's AMPLE seating - both indoors and outdoors. The clientele are a mix of people working (like…read moremyself today) or grabbing brunch/lunch together. Although the feeling sitting in is spacious, there is a good amount of ambient noise, likely bouncing off of the cement structure/framing of the building. There are floor to ceiling windows spanning the length of the place, as well as on the sides, adding to the amount of light and airy feel inside. The matcha - I was pleased to taste that they used very good quality matcha powder. The drink was smooth, creamy, and a little sweet from the vanilla syrup. The seafood tartine- I was a little disappointed to see the seafood to toast ratio. I wish they gave twice as much of the seafood mixture. That said, they did give ample toast. It was more than double the width of a normal slice. The texture of the bread was also soft. It was moist and dry at the same time - hard to describe. You could tell they didn't skimp on the butter. It reminded me a little of corn bread, but didn't taste like cornbread at all. There was a hint of sweetness as well. Honestly you could have the toast plain and it was very nice. The staff was very friendly and efficient. My food and drink came out quickly each time. They also move through customers in line pretty quickly. I would absolutely come back to work here again, or just for a cheeky coffee and pastry. Maybe next time with headphones. :) Parking - I just parked at the library and walked the couple blocks over. Additional: they have baby changing station in the lady's restroom.

great cafe, friendly staff and great food…read more the food like pastries, cake slices get over very quickly. we went post lunch time and other than getting a coffee, there was hardly any pastries left, everything was sold old! ample seating within the cafe and outside as well. it's a buzzing, lively cafe and definitely not a quiet one! will try to get in early someday!

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Farine Bakery & Cafe - Flowers outside the cafe

Flowers outside the cafe

Farine Bakery & Cafe - Breakfast Sandwich

Breakfast Sandwich

Farine Bakery & Cafe - Interior

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Interior

Cafe Hagen - "Healthy skillet"

Cafe Hagen

4.0(112 reviews)
1.3 mi
$$

I visited for the first time last week, and I loved how spacious and clean the space is! There is…read moreplenty of seating, and a great place to work/study. I got two pastries to go, the raspberry slice and spanakopita. I wished I had asked for the spanakopita to be warmed, but it was otherwise a really good pastry! I've never had spanakopita before, but I loved the salty, herbal flavor, and it didn't taste too heavy. The raspberry bar, however, was disappointing. It tasted more like a sugary shortbread with a hint of raspberry. The icing topping is thicker than the raspberry jam itself! I love sweets, but for the price and experience I would not get this one again. Overall, the cafe has a great ambiance, and a large selection of foods and drinks. It's a little pricey, but given the great spanakopita, I can see myself coming back once in a while to try more food and work!

I've passed by this swanky spot enough times that I got curious and had to try it for myself! The…read morefirst thing off the bat is that this is a stylish place: floor to ceiling windows, modern interior, very cool vibe. It seems to be a Scandinavian style cafe and brunch spot, but they also branch out to other flavors as well! When my friend and I went on a Sunday afternoon it was packed! They have a counter service rather than sit-down and you have the option of finding your own seats. My friend and I shared a huge breakfast platter (the portion was so big!), a cardamom twist (a new fave pastry of mine) and a sakura matcha (okay, much too sweet for my taste tho.) I would definitely go back here for another coffee chat! So many pastries I still want to try. :)

Photos
Cafe Hagen
Cafe Hagen - Sunny side up

Sunny side up

Cafe Hagen - White chocolate mocha latte with oat milk

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White chocolate mocha latte with oat milk

Brief Encounter - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

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