HAIKU REVIEW Longshoremen breakfast Truckers breakfast. Workers eat. Pancake size - BIG BIG. read more

I have been going to this restaurant since the 1980s. It is the best breakfast and lunch place in West Seattle. Consistently awesome food, amazing service and the best owner (Mary). Diner type comfort food - super yummy. I can't think of a place I'd rather have breakfast at with my family and friends. It's just all around a great place. #10 Braseth kid:-) read more

Host/ess: 2.0 Waitress: 3.0 Food- taste/presentation:2,5 Property-decor/ambience: 3.8 Get the BBIT item for breakfast! read more

This place is an awesome retro diner that serves up tasty hearty meals with good service to match. I've tried many of their dishes and don't have complaints about any of them. I especially like their top sirloin steak and eggs special for $11.99 for breakfast, or even lunch. It's some of the best steak anywhere for the price. I always feel like I went back in time when I visit this place. I've never had a bad experience with any of their staff, we're always seated right away and there's plenty of parking. read more

Nothing special about this food nothing special about the restaurant hash browns from the grocery store, omelet no flavor, chicken fried steak bland, gravy skimpy, and sourdough toast was regular bread out of the grocery store. There was nothing special about this restaurant I'm struggling with giving it a two and the only reason they're getting a two is because the people in the service are fantastic read more

Chelan Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Delicious diner food, for a great price. My main complaint is that the food isn't consistently cooked the same, so each time I've gone, I'm not entirely sure what to expect from the dishes. Sometimes it's a huge hit! Sometimes it kind of misses the mark (like undercooked hash browns). read more

The Chelan Cafe remains one of my favorite dive joints in the Seattle area. When I say "dive", I don't mean any disrespect. Quite the contrary, but this is not a yuppie joint. Their clientele consists of truckers and dock workers, and their food is simple - and delicious. If you don't know the Harbor Island area, the Chelan might be a bit hard to find. But once you do, you'll be glad you did.You can slip up to the counter, grab a stool, or find yourself a table. It's all good. I tend to order the same dish when I go to a particular place. So if I'm feeling like a hamburger, I'll go to place X, etc. When I'm ready for a breakfast omelette and stellar hash browns, I'm off to the Chelan. Check it out. read more

Very good food. Decent size portions. Not a lot of parking though. Prices are a little high. Western Omelette, biscuits and gravy with 3 cinnamon rolls came out to $35. Pretty busy at 11am on a Monday. read more

Chelan Cafe - Cinnamon rolls are pretty awesome! Big too. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Went here with friends. This is there spot. It's a pretty cool local dive bar. Its very friendly and once you're accepted, you are in! Drinks are well poured and service is really good The food is really pretty bland and not very inspiring. People seem to enjoy it, but it's kind of sad. Great place for drinks. Skip the good read more

Excellent owner and manager. Staff is friendly and the foid is incredible. We must return when in the area and we rarely go back to a place we have been before. read more

For what it is, it's the best. A throwback to simpler dining times. We go here all the time because my 84 year old dad won't go anywhere else for lunch. He always orders the shrimp basket with coffee. This is the kind of place where the waitress says to him "so you're going to have your usual?". He loves it. No matter where else we go, he says the shrimp are not as good as Chelan cafe. He likes the atmosphere as much as anything else. He says other places are "too crowded". The food "sticks to your ribs", is plentiful, good, and at a reasonable price. What is a surprise sometimes is that it is as good as it is! We've never been disappointed. So what also goes with the territory is that the service is usually friendly, but often kinda slow. We love it though! read more

One of my favorite things in life is a steaming pile of hashbrowns topped with veggies and egg yolk cooked to perfection. That is exactly what I experienced at the Chelan Cafe. Best of all, the place is no frills - utterly frill-less. The folks who dine here seem to be down-to-earth, multi-generational locals who don't need the fanciful B.S. that has become ubiquitous in the Seattle breakfast/brunch scene. Is this place going to serve you a plate that looks like insta-art? Nope. But it's going to be tasty and filling for a good price. read more

Well...how do I say this? I have had better food at Denny's. And Denny's food is disgusting. Burnt toast, bad CFS, and gravy that leaves a not-good aftertaste. Moving on... read more

What can I say? We gave it a go, based on reviews, and convenient proximity to home. 1. We stood at the door for a long, long time. Long enough that I pointed to the sign saying "The hostess will seat you" and joked, saying "should I tape up a little sign saying 'eventually' at the bottom?" 2. We were seated (eventually). The harried, Alice-style waitress took our order, and brought us two coffees. And no cutlery or napkins, meaning no spoons to stir our coffee. 3. The coffee was terrible. It tasted like grounds, but weaker. 4. We asked for spoons - twice- and the second waitress, more stoned/spaced-out than harried, brought us cutlery, laughing "I guess you need this", and while putting it down, rubbed her thumb all over the eating part of my boyfriend's fork. 5. I asked for a second glass of water (to wash the coffee taste away, in part). I am not kidding when I say I asked for water, and was promised water, four times, by both the harried waitress and the stoned waitress. I could have crawled through the desert, being repeatedly tricked by mirages, and still arrived at the genuine oasis faster than my beaten-up plastic cup was refilled. 6. Our food arrived promptly, to be fair. But my eggs were rubbery, overcooked, and the uniform yellow that suggests a mix. The "gravy" on my biscuit was so poorly made that it tasted like flour, or papier-mache maybe, with some fat mixed in. Flavorless, unless you consider "bland evil" a flavor. Hey Baskin Robbins, I have Flavor #32 for you. 7. Grudgingly, I concede my sausage was decent. 8. We waited a freakin' week for our bill. And trust me, we were ready to leave. Moments before the bill, the harried waitress sloshed some water into my glass and croaked a complaint and excuse about how the other buspeople/waitstaff were slow/lazy/missing/whatever. 9. When the stoned/spaced-out waitress *finally* brought the bill, she woke up long enough to snigger and say "hey, did you ever get your water?" Hey, did you ever get your tip? Nope. read more

What a terrible brunch. This was the second time I'd given this restaurant a chance and definitely will be the last. My boyfriend and I showed up for brunch on Saturday around 11am to a full parking lot-- which I guess is to be expected, but still inconvenient nonetheless. We parked about a block and a half away beneath the bridge / overpass and walked down to the cafe. No biggie. Upon entering, there was no host, and about 12 people in line. I know what you're thinking-- there must've been a wait for tables-- but nope. The host was just MIA. After waiting about 10 minutes the host finally came and addressed the 2 groups in front of us, then disappeared for another 5 minutes and came back to seat us at one of the other open tables that we were eyeballing as we just stood there waiting for the 15 minutes. At this point, we're starving and have already invested too much time in this restaurant to leave, so we had to power through. Once seated, the host asked us what we would like to drink and promptly brought out the 2 coffees and waters... ok, now we're talking! At least we have coffee. After seeing multiple waitresses buzz around for about 10 (more) minutes the waitress came to our table to take our order and boy, we were ready! My boyfriend orders the Irish Omelet, and I order the Chef Salad. The waitress looks at me like I'm growing 3 heads and says very matter-of-factly "We don't serve salads on the weekends." "Uhm... I'm sorry?" I say. "We don't serve salads on the weekends." She says again. "What else will you have?" "OK... Well I guess I'll need just another minute." I say. The waitress walks away, and within 25 seconds I make up my mind and place the menu at the edge of the table. The waitress walks by about 10x-- taking the order of the table behind me... casually makes some drinks... looks around blankly as I'm eyeballing her (now starving of course), she then delivers a couple meals and finally comes back to our table. "What'll you have?" She says. "OK, I'll have the Western Omelet, with no ham-- with turkey please." "Yeah, I don't see that happening," She says. "You can't just make the omelet with turkey instead of ham? Or just no ham at all?" "I'll ask, but I don't think we can do that. Is there a backup option you had in mind if we can't do that?" UHM-- Hello?!! The freaking omelet WAS the backup option, now I need another one? I mean personally I don't like cubed ham-- it has nothing to do with religious affiliations, but do they not accommodate kosher eating Jewish persons, Muslims, or vegetarians? It is the HOSPITALITY industry right?! "If I can't have the omelet, I'll have the Eggs Benedict," I say. At this point i'm hoping they use the thinly sliced lunchmeat ham and not super thick cut ham-- but I'm too afraid to ask any questions so I just shut up and wait for the meal. About 5 minutes pass when the waitress stops back at the table and curtly says "You'll be having the Eggs Benedict." Whatever. At this point we're already stuck-- guess we should make the most of it. While waiting for the meal, we run out of coffee... and water. Great. Nothing to drink and no food. After about 20 minutes the food comes out-- Holy YESSS!!! I'm so hungry!!!! (At this point we've been at this restaurant almost an hour) Our expectations are already pretty low at this point, but holy carp, the food was gross. My boyfriend's Irish omelet had so much sour cream in it, it was 80% sour cream, 10% egg and 10% bacon... it looked like a white and yellow blob of mush on his plate. The Eggs Benedict was even worse. The poached eggs were poached hard eggs-- with the yolks completely cooked throughout-- no golden runny yolk-- basically 2 hard boiled eggs. I slide the egg over to see the biggest thick cut of ham-- at least a half inch thick on top of the soggy English muffins-- and not the good kind of soggy from yolk or the teaspoon portion of hollandaise they clearly were very stingy with. Grudgingly I ate several bites-- it was bad. So bad, that even though I was starving I couldn't eat it. My boyfriend asked if i'd like to send it back-- but why?? So I could come up with my 4th back-up option and wait another 20 minutes for something I didn't want? To add insult to injury, while trying to stomach this terrible meal here are a group of 4 college aged guy patrons behind us talking loudly about "getting laid," then about "blowing chunks," and how nasty the puke tastes when they drink rum at parties. Incredible. Yeah.. won't be coming here again. I think I'll stick with Luna Park from now on. read more

Met an old friend here. It was a little difficult to find but I managed. It has a lot of room inside from what looks like a small place from outside. The service was reasonably fast and the prices very good and best of all, the food was great. I had an omelette. I would go back if I find myself in that area again. read more

Stopped at Chelan Cafe for breakfast. After hearing great things about this place I was surprisingly disappointed. It's unfortunate that such a simple concept can be completely blown out of gross lack of professionalism and poor food quality. Starting from the minute I walked thru the door there was no hostess to be found as the sign says wait to be seated. Several employees walked by without a hello, smile, or just quickly telling me someone would be right with me. I eventually just seated myself. The wait staff has no clue what they are doing and handle food with risk. The majority of the staff communicated in Spanish unless they were interfacing with customers, lots of employee side conversation with little attention to the patrons. I had to track down the wait staff to fill my coffee multiple times... Not too difficult to keep coffee full and warm within reason. I ordered eggs, sausage links with hash browns. My meal was lukewarm at best. What was really jaw dropping is that the waitstaff were eating from plates behind the counter then watched them handle customer's food without washing their hands. Very disgusting and would not recommend this place to anyone unless you are a health inspector which seems to be long overdue! read more

Oh, how I've been meaning to write about the Chelan! I love the food during breakfast so much here! The only thing that pisses me off is the wait to get a table. Almost a twenty minute wait on weekend mornings, and you can't make reservations. It is definitely worth the wait though, the food that is. The Eggs Benedict is perfect, so are the Blueberry pancakes. read more

Two stars is huh for this place. We were seated, given menus, coffee, and ignored for 30-minutes. No one came back to take our order. No One topped off our coffee. Just ignored. We walked out and no one noticed. read more

A diner that serves both eggs benedict with tart lemony hollandaise sauce, and homestyle stick to your ribs country sausage gravy with buttery yet crisped shredded hashbrowns deserves five stars! Loved our waitress too, she had personality and sass! However what does not serve five stars is the schmucks that brought out their mothers, and baby mommas to a greasy spoon to celebrate Mothers Day! Seriously ppl the woman had to go through labor, carry a child for nine months, have swollen ankles and get fat to bear you or that bundle of joy you call your offspring and she deserves better then a $7 breakfast to celebrate this sacrifice!!!!! We decided being it Mothers Day a greasy spoon diner would not be over run with children and mothers..... I was wrong to my dismay! read more

This is the worst diner I have ever eaten at, and I have eaten there about 6 times; not because I enjoy the worst service possible in a restaurant, but because it's so dang close to my house, and often times, the only option. Not only have I gotten literally the worst service you could possibly get in a restaurant while still being able to complete a dining experience almost every time I have gone there, but also EVERY time I go there I witness other tables having horrible experiences. A typical experience at this place: walk in and don't get greeted, eventually seat yourself, eventually go grab your own menus, within 20 minutes of entering the door, have a server being you water. 10 minutes later call over a server so you can give them your order. 15 minutes later your food comes out (different than you ordered). Eat your food and sit for 10 more minutes. Call over a waiter so you can have your check. Eventually walk up towards the front door and get someone to run your credit card. GTFO or that place. The only reason why this place is in business is because they don't have any competition. Avoid this place like the plague! The photo is one I took on my last visit. I ordered the Irish omelet. It never came. The person I was with had finished their food and was ready to go by the time a server found out I never got my food. If at any point they would have checked in at our table to see how our meal was going, or stopped by to refil water, I would have told them I never got my food. But because the service is so poor, no one ever noticed that I didn't have my food. I did call over a server mid meal and let them know I didn't get my food, so it's not like I sat there and didn't say anything. When i flagged the server down they said it would be right out, but of course it still never came. read more

Chelan Cafe - Apparently, this is what an Irish omelet looks like - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Since moving to West Seattle this has become my favorite place. Filled with blue-collar regulars and the occasional family, this restaurant oozes typical diner fare and typical diner service. I'm a chicken fried steak addict, and although I think they undersalt their gravy, the rest of the dish is excellent. The service is typically prompt and nice, but can be a little slow if they are packed. If you are patient it should be fine, grab a paper out front if there are lots of people ahead of you. On busy Saturday and Sunday mornings, you will get faster service if you head straight for the bar instead of waiting for dining room service. It's a bit louder, but is certainly more homey and fun. You can hear the drunken conversations of sailors and longshoremen as they enjoy their drinks. read more

Don't get me wrong; the food was good. I thoroughly enjoyed the Yum Yum: a patty melt with au jus for dipping. The tots that came with my meal were hot and crisp. My dad had a chili cheese omelette and devoured it happily. My complaint is about the service. It took a long time to be seated and it was not very busy. The waitress was inconvenienced when I asked for a lunch menu (it was11:30). I also did not get refills on my diet pop.I had to flag down several people to get a refill and there was an attitude when I asked for one. I felt like I must have missed the "We prefer not to refill drinks sign." The real kicker is at the end of the meal after we left the restaurant, we discovered my 3-year old left her stuffed animal on the table. I had been distracted trying to get my daughter's shoes back on. When we returned 7 minutes later, her jaguar was in the trash. Not going back. read more

The atmosphere is pretty cute. It is a typical old fashioned diner. People were pretty nice, though they can work on customer service a bit more. The food was pretty average tasting and the price was ok for the flavor and quantity. It wasn't bad but I think I know places that has better food for the same price range. read more

Chelan Cafe - Minestrone came with my lunch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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The jackass from Canada (about six reviews down) might be shocked that the whole world doesn't treat her like royalty. I've been to the Chelan a dozen or so times since we moved back to Seattle and every time it's been exactly what it should be: decent food at a decent price. I've never had a problem with the service or seen anyone who appeared to be "stoned." Look at all the reviews and when you take away all the 'ME ME ME ME: people you get a pretty good look at the Chelan and what it is. I'll again and be happy Ms. Victoria will not be there. read more

In my opinion, this place is the hit! Good traditional American food at awesome prices. It's a bit tricky to get into their parking lot, but other than that, its all gravy baby. Yayeah! read more

Very excited to be here after saying I would go 50 times! Impeccably clean, phenomenal service, and a menu full of classics. Fresh & local coffee, friendly staff, and adorable. Not to mention, I'm a sucker for a place that offers 4 different potato-based options on the side of my lunch. Nom nom!! read more

This is a great old school diner that is located under the West Seattle bridge. I drive by here alot and first time I came here was sometime last year. I don't why I waited so many years. Great traditional breakfast selection and prices. Service is good and friendly. It does get really busy during breakfast so service can be a little slow. There is the Ebb Tide Room next door if you are wanting something stiff to drink, although I haven't been there. Plenty of parking but can get full quick during the weekends. read more

Remember that show Mel's Diner? Well, just imagine that Flo and the girls aged about 20 years and started smoking heavily. That's the type of server you will get at the Chelan Cafe. It's basically a "Dive Diner". The service is good but the servers aren't too friendly. The food is pretty damn good and cheap! No frills, no vegan bullshit, just good home cooking. The portions are HUGE! I got a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich with a cup of soup for $5. I heard the breakfast is awesome too! Why the 5 star rating? I like old school dive bars and diners and the Chelan Cafe happens to be both! That's right, the "tide room" is connected to the diner and they serve drinks until 2am. The Chelan Cafe is under the West Seattle bridge and located near the industrial part of West Seattle/Harbor Island. Everyone should check this place out. You will get a cheap tasty meal, a stiff drink and a good laugh. read more

Love love love the Chelan Cafe! Great food, great service, happy people. A great place in a pinch. The food is wonderful and although not over the top healthy, it doesn't leave you feeling like a train wreck afterward. I am just happy to live close enough to get here reasonably quick! Great choice for good grub!! read more

Chelan Cafe - Country breakfast! Yummmmm. Gotta go - cheers!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Typical American Diner. They are very busy Sundays from 11 to 12ish. read more

We tried this on a whim and a recommendation the other day and were very pleasantly surprised. The establishment is split between a bar and diner type area, but are serviced by the same bar and kitchen. We both had breakfast plates, but while deciding our bartender/server actually sat down with us and helped us pick things. He was super friendly. The bar area was clearly filled with regulars as there was a lot of common and familiar conversation going on. I can't wait to go back and try some lunch and dinner options with a few cocktails. Everything was hands down a great experience, even the bathroom (though a single and a little outdated) was clean. Definitely getting a return trip from us! read more

Chelan is one of Seattle's survivors, the real deal. Many of the old-timer waitresses (sorry PC folk, "servers") who I knew in the old days, are gone now, but it hangs on to its roots in its homestyle food and homespun service. I always say, have a little something, a small glass of OJ, or a piece of toast before you leave for Chelan on a Sat or Sun morning because of potential wait. But the EggsBen (in my photo) are sublime, and well, well worth it. In probably 50 visits, I have never, ever, had anything but top service, coffee cup always constantly refreshed, etc. . read more

Chelan Cafe - Chelan's Best Eggs Benny in Town!!!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Another decent American Classic diner with the casual atmosphere and the wait staff that has been there forever. They do have a daily blue plate special, home made soups which I've tried and are pretty good as well as a great club sandwich. All in all, its kind of hard to screw up diner fair and the Chelan is no exception. Consistent food with decent service that needs a little reminder now and again (average waitress is probably 50yo) but adorable. The kitchen is pretty quick. A sandwich comes with soup, fries, chips, green salad or potato salad. An iced tea, sandwich and fries just cost me $8.34 and I was in and out in under 45 minutes. I just suggest that you not try and go on a Friday as I have tried before and they seem to do a lot of to-go orders and the restaurant is pretty full. These ladies can get flustered fairly easily and Fridays seem to take quite a bit of extra time. read more

The best word I would use to describe this place is "uninspired." The menu is your standard cafe fare, which can be awesome if you actually do it well. Unfortunately the Chelan Cafe falls short. On the positive side, the restaurant is clean, the food came out promptly, and the service staff was professional-to-friendly. On the negative side the hashbrowns were soggy, my toast was cold and my over easy eggs were overcooked. Were this establishement located out in the sticks somewhere they might rate higher, but if you are going to serve food in a decidedly foodie town, at least try and put your heart into it. read more

The best breakfast sandwich in Seattle! All of the food is amazing though. My boyfriend and I prefer to sit in the bar and love the ladies that work there, sometimes I end up staying a bit too long! Love Chelan Cafe! read more

After many years of enjoying cheap greasy spoon breakfasts at the Chelan Cafe, we have quit going because of constant inattentive service. Whether standing with others at the front door ignored by harried staff while several tables sit empty or finally seated and then waiting 10-15 minutes for menus, then waiting for coffee, then waiting to order, and then long waits for our food to arrive, we have finally given up. The wait staff has been there forever so they are experienced and many are friendly but they seem disorganized and poorly managed. Not the way to begin your weekend morning! read more

Old Skool Waitresses. Don't mess with them! I love their bloody mary. For the most part, have had great meals. The only issue I can think of is that sometimes they get so busy, you feel forgotten. Which isn't good when are wanting a refill. However, if a good stiff drink is what you're looking for, go to their bar. The Ebb Tide Room. Stiff drink and you are often drinking with the longshoremen. read more

Just had dinner here with my Fiance. Me: Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes, green beans and a roll.... Fiance: Cod and Fries. I liked mine alot but I kept wanting to have it with white gravy instead of brown.. still ate almost all of it though. Fiance loved his fish. Left there complaining how FULL he was. LOL. I saw a pretty sweet looking cake on the cake plate on the counter and was tempted to get a slice... didnt though, cause we had no room for dessert. Oh, and A+ for the waitress... she reminded me of my grandma and made me feel like we were family. We'll go back.. and try the breakfast... see what all the other mediocre reviews are about :) read more

Met a couple of old friends here for lunch on Friday. My only complaint is that if you don't know the area, it is hard to find!. The waitress was a no-nonsense type. The service was quick, the food served hot. I had the Turkey & Swiss Dip, with grilled onions. The soft roll was stuffed with meat and cheese, and the au jus was not too salty. I had a cup of the homemade navy bean soup, it was excellent. The breakfast menu looked awesome, I will have to try it another time. read more