My friends and I visited Dudes Coffee House this morning for coffee and a light breakfast. This was our first time visiting and definitely won't be our last!
We ordered a latte, soy latte, cappuccino, and caramel macchiato. We also ordered a spinach feta pastry, a truffle croissant, a chocolate croissant, and vegan mushroom dumplings.
The chocolate and truffle croissant were delicious and bursting with flavor. The spinach feta pastry was extremely flaky and a favorite for sure. As far as the coffee went, all of our drinks were smooth and not bitter by any means.
I was very pleasantly surprised by how tasty the vegan mushroom dumplings were. In Seattle, cafes or bars that serve dim sum just microwave something in the back room- a definite pass for me. At Dudes though, you can watch the guy steam the dumplings to perfection. I don't think they're made in-house, but they're definitely not just your typical store-bought dumplings. They took about ten minutes to make, but every minute was worth it. The dumplings were STUFFED lots of different types of mushrooms! They were earthy and exploding with umami flavor. They also had a slight crunch to it too- maybe sliced bamboo shoots or water chestnuts? The wrappers were also chewy and moist and didn't fall apart when picked up. Dipped in chili oil, it was a taste of heaven in every bite. I didn't think they'd be worth $8.50 for five dumplings, but I would definitely get these again!
Service was excellent. Everyone working there was extremely friendly and even the dim sum guy came by our table to ask about our dumplings! He told us that he enjoys working at Dudes because they make all sorts of different dumplings, including pierogis, vegetarian Asian dumplings, and meat dumplings. Oh and they also bus your table which is a plus!
Dudes was hopping with people! Nearly every table was taken once we sat down (side note, but you can reserve tables here if you want!). It's a small space, but they have about 10 or so tables indoors and one table outdoors. They sell their own coffee beans for about $21.50 per bag as well as apparel, stickers, bowls, and condiments.
Overall: 5/5 for food, 5/5 for service, and 5/5 for atmosphere read more