I miss the former spot that used to be here. However, I waited nearly four months to finally stop…read moreby The Kite Cafe. It had opened on 5/23/24 right before Memorial Day. I decided to visit for a weekday lunch on this particular warm sunny day (9/16/24). Golden Gardens on a weekend summer day? Uh, no thanks. Sun & sand in Seattle is like shopping after payday at Costco. Still cringing from PTSD getting twacked by a frisbee. Easy peasy getting a nearby parking spot. Approached the entrance to The Kite Cafe, already folks outside sunning themselves before autumn hits and The Big Dark, lol. Yay, no line and beat any potential lunch rush. Welcoming person behind the counter, one of the owners, I presume. I placed an order for The Sunset: Italian meats, provolone (or can select mozzarella), lettuce, tomato, red onion, oregano, evoo & red wine vinegar. It can be prepped cold or warmed up in a panini grill. I opted for the latter. After a brief wait, I wandered off to a more scenic spot with my well wrapped sammie and napkin. No onsite indoor seating, just a few outdoor seating, concrete areas, and of course, Golden Gardens various picnic benches and tables adjacent to the paved sidewalk and beach. Sandwiches, bowls, salads, beverages, chips, and frozen treats are available for purchase. There's also beach gear available like kites, hats, sunglasses, etc. It was a nice sunny day and thankfully no errant frisbees or pesky seagulls to dodge. The plump pigeons also totally ignored me. Fine, that allowed me to fully focus on this sizeable, generous grilled sandwich. Easily shareable (or not, lol). I appreciated the double butcher paper. One encased the sliced sandwich, the other made for a makeshift tablecloth to catch most of the crumbs and shredded lettuce bits. Delicious and not overly salty from start to finish. Got a bit oily towards the end though. Glad to give it a try as my breakfast/lunch meal today. A bit pricey, with tax & tip just under $21. Paying for the overall quality, for sure. But my budget will have to stick to Jersey Mike's Italian #13. It'll be interesting how they keep or adjust their business hours during the upcoming autumn & winter months. And how they compete with Un Bien, Secret Congee, Ray's, and Anthony's also in Ballard/Shilshoe. (Edit - they posted their off season hours on 9/22/24. Closed Mon - Thurs, open only Fri, Sat & Sun) 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for this first visit.

The best panini sandwiches around. All made to order. Excellent!! We'll be back. Beachy…read moreambiance -- right at the beach!

The dream of the 90s is alive at La Copa! It's a great spot that reminds me of all of the cozy…read morecoffee shops I loved in my youth before everything got so sterile and austere. Laid back vibe, a real neighborhood joint, a mix of people, always great music playing, good coffee and savory and sweet options for food (I love the ginger cookie!). I came here several times before I realized they have a lovely back patio, where I plan to spend many summer mornings!

I was house sitting in the neighborhood and I wanted some coffee so I stopped by. I wish this…read moreneighborhood had more coffee shops because I still had to walk ten minutes (with hills smh) to get here. Anyways, their latte was good and the grinder sandwich was ok. I chose Black Forest ham for the grinder sandwich and I liked how they put a lot of ham inside. I wish the sandwich was constructed with more thought because they put the tomato closest to the bread and toasted the sandwich, so the bread started becoming soggy really quickly. I would've been more understanding had been sandwich was cheaper, like you get what you paid for. I saw someone wrote in their review that the coffee is too hot. I could already feel that my drink was also extra hot just by holding it. But it worked for me because I waited to drink it until I got home. After the ten minute walk home, I was able to enjoy the latte at the right temperature.

Good coffee, good service, nice customers, pleasant ambiance. That beautiful dog waiting outside is…read morenamed Daisy, I told her owner that she had a happy face and he replied that Happy was her original name.

it's just fine. the line always moves slowly, and not in a 'they are making a custom coffee' way,…read morebut in a 'they need to hire more' way. the flow is just kinda rough, they need to reconfigure the front. coffee is fine. menu is kinda unclear (i.e. there is a sign that says 'try out cold brew latte' but the latte is nowhere on the menu). cute neighborhood spot but those are a dime a dozen. venture is better a few blocks south

Love this local coffee shop for those of us in Sunset Hill. Grab a cup of coffee and head to the…read moregolden gardens. The coffee shop is quite large and has plenty of seating. Also good parking availability

This is the worst coffee place I've been to, so it really necessitates my writing a review and…read morewarning others. The chai latte I got was the worst I've gotten in a lifetime of ordering them around the country and world. It was watered down, with almost no flavor or spice. It actually made me feel ill and I had to toss it. It was expensive too- and they charge 1.25 extra for alt milks which is ridiculous. The place look unsanitary and it was extremely messy and not clean. There was even a used cutting board near public seating. The parking was difficult too. I do not recommend, I even had someone come up to me to ask where I got the drink from at Golden Gardens and I said to never to try Jibe - try the Kite Cafe instead. Awful experience here.

Small business that deserves all the hype! Delicious, friendly staff, 100% worth your time!read more

It's fine. I can walk here and it's ALWAYS busy but there's just something about the baked goods…read morehere that are fine but to me they're either too sweet or too dry. What I love is that it's a neighborhood bakery, everyone's friendly, and it's a nice place to stroll to.

Have been to Picolino's but didn't realize that this cafe is separate and open during the day! Went…read morefor lunch w/ a few friends on a nice summer day so we got to sit outside in the peaceful garden in the back -- such a hidden gem! Can't beat the relaxing atmosphere. This place is counter service and then you take your number to a table (be sure to indicate if you want to sit in the garden when you place your order, so they know to look for you there). I ordered the Italian Trio Baguette as the cashier mentioned it was pretty tasty. It was just ok. The bread was too hard/crusty and the sandwich was a bit dry (I would have liked a bit more Italian vinaigrette flavor. It wasn't terrible but not something I'd order again. Maybe next time I should stick w/ a pizza, as I have heard pretty good things about them. The pastries in the case looked really tasty, so I think next time I'll come back and order a pastry (or quiche) and coffee. Definitely a cute neighborhood spot that I want to like, so hopefully the next time will be better!

Why have not been here before? A step up for coffee and brunch dishes. It's more a sit-down…read morerestaurant though - food orders are prepped by the Picolino kitchen, I think.

Zen dog is the best guy ever! This tea house is actually the house he is currently living in. He…read morewelcomes you not just a guest to a tea room, but a guest to his own happy place. He shows you to the upstairs and downstairs and the backyard. He offers you 3 tea for $10 and sometimes even for nothing. It is super traditional filled with Chinese calligraphy, paintings, teapots etc. And a ton of tea. I am amazed at his comprehensive collection of tea including all the well known Chinese tea like dragon well, tie guan yin, dian hong, da hong pao, even yellow tea and pu er. My favorite is Dong Ding from Taiwan and ZD Zest blend. He really tries to give you high quality yet fairly priced tea here. I will not hesitate to stop by when I am in the area. Just to sit down, have some tea and great conversations with this great guy!

My boyfriend and I spent our anniversary at ZD's wonderfully-appointed and tranquil tea house…read more We spent almost three hours there, sipping on custom blends, learning about tea pours, and enjoying the atmosphere. The only cost of the whole experience was the tea we decided to purchase and take home - the tasting itself is free and completely un-rushed. This is a great place to go if you love Chinese-style tea, want to converse with fellow tea-lovers over a beautiful wood table for 5-6 (though private bookings are also available), and get to know the quirky and kind Zen Dog.

I've been here several times since I live just down the street, and every single visit has been…read moreconsistently amazing. I honestly haven't had a single item I didn't love. What really sealed it for me, though, was an experience my family and I had recently. My dad was placing an order for Saturday morning pickup so I could bring everything to Whidbey Island for Easter brunch. He had a few questions, and the owner personally called him back right away--even while they were in New York visiting family. Not only that, but they made a point to leave a special note for their staff allowing me to pick up the order later in the morning so I could "sleep in." Normally, pickups have to happen within 15 minutes because of how in-demand their pastries are, so this was incredibly thoughtful. It genuinely made all of us smile. That level of care and consideration--especially while they were across the country with their own family--says everything about the kind of people they are. Truly above and beyond.

The ambiance and location were quite nice. I originally wanted a double chocolate croissant, but…read morethey were out of it when we arrived, so I went with a chocolate croissant and a latte instead. I asked for my order "for here," but it was still served in a disposable cup, which was disappointing if I wanted it to go, I would have said so. It's frustrating that you have to specifically ask for a proper mug these days. The croissant was just okay not bad, but not particularly good either. The chocolate itself was nice, but the sugar glaze made it a bit too sweet for my taste. The service also felt a bit uninterested. Overall, I don't think I'd return. Just a note for cafes: if someone asks for their order "for here," serving it in an actual mug or cup really adds to the experience that's part of why people visit. The coffee itself was underwhelming, so I'd rate this lower mainly due to the overall experience.

I was looking to get coffee and something to eat after taking my dog to the vet and Petco. This…read morelocation is great since it's in the same parking lot as Petco and is drive through, so I didn't even have to leave the car! The baristas were warm and welcoming, and provided great beverage and food recommendations. They also have drink specials, which is nice! They were also efficient when making my drink and food. I appreciate that the ambiance is casual. To drink, I had their special Mexican mocha, iced. It featured a couple types of nut syrups and spices in addition to the chocolate. It was creamy, cold, and flavorful. To eat, I had the steak and eggs burrito as recommended. It was so good! Definitely add the taco sauce for a little heat. If you need coffee and breakfast on the go and you're in the area, check out Gourmet Coffee on Holman!

I got an order today via door dash hoping to find a good coffee place (after reading reviews I…read morethought it could be a winner) but unfortunately I was pretty disappointed. -- Coffee drinks: too sweet -- Food: not fresh, cold, was in wrappers like something you'd get from a convenience store The strawberry smoothie with popping boba was horrible, had to throw out. It was half full? Pretty disappointed I spent over $50 on what I got (feels like something I would pick up at a gas station store).

Their specialty is clearly the hot dog, griddled, snappy, piled high with toppings or grab another…read morebite of their menu such as fish and chips or other options. I bee‑lined straight for the soft serve since it was a sunny day. No regrets. It's creamy, cold, and perfectly swirled, the kind of cone that makes you feel like you're a kid again. My dog even wanted to have some! Grab one, wander toward the beach, and boom: instant mood lift while visiting golden gardens. You order outside and they have tables inside and out.

I would call this place a very light meal, the view is super nice, it's a bit windy but pleasant. I…read morehad the chilli dog and prawns and fries, it was okay.. the breading on the lawns I think it was panko not my favorite but just the same code came out hot and with a short period of time. I also got some kind of weird coffee and ice cream, it was a cool refreshing drink besides my Diet Coke. I noticed a lot people got ice cream and I wonder if they would offer soda floats they just needed cups , I would definitely down for that they could put it on their "secret" menu, they have ice cream and soda so it would be hard to make