I was happy to have Honey Bear Bakery Cafe for some much-needed breakfast as the start of my book crawl while in the area, as Honey Bear Bakery Cafe is located in the Lake Forest shopping center, right across from Third Place Books, which is where I was heading to. But first, coffee and breakfast. I ordered the breakfast sandwich, which consists of a croissant, egg, lettuce, tomato, mayo and I added bacon for an extra charge. It was solid, with the roasted/warmed up croissant and was filling. I also liked that they had Victrola coffee, which I ordered a drip of. Strong coffee = no complaints. In addition to their made-to-order food items, like the breakfast sandwich, they also have pastries in the case and a full coffee and tea menu. It's nice to have this cafe in the Lake Forest shopping center with plenty of seats around, next to many other businesses and tons of parking nearby. I dig the convenience of it all. read more

Honey Bear Bakery Cafe - Breakfast Sandwich - Bakeries Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

I've been getting coffee here daily for years and always loved it. I probably spend $400 a month at this dang place. My brother, who also lives and works in the area, tells me constantly how awful the customer service is there when you order food- to the point where he refuses to go. I'm celiac and can't eat anything over there so I hadn't ever experienced what I did today. Today we're at the bookstore together and I decided we need to make a coffee stop. My brother, Loren, orders a sandwich. He says he needs it to go. Person at the register is pleasant enough. I order a coffee separately and am quickly served. We wait a bit for the sandwich, and we finally go up to the counter after maybe ten minutes and see the same sandwich he ordered sitting in a basket. It has a ticket on it that says "Owen." Easy mistake, really. He says, "Is this maybe Loren's?" And the person behind the counter immediately snaps "it says Owen." Okay. So we wait a few more minutes. We're now 15 minutes out and several people who ordered after us are served. He steps up and say "hey, I ordered a BLTA on sourdough for Loren, I think it may have been put in under Owen, but-" and before he can finish his thought they snap back at him again "it's probably yours because this one hasn't been picked up." At this point he's like, "okay, I ordered mine to go- could I-" and the girl behind the counter slams a box on the counter and says "here's a box." And turns away. I'm annoyed, because while I understand we have inconvenienced you, who is standing here chatting with an off-duty coworker for 30 minutes, we literally did nothing to deserve the attitude. Loren scoops the sandwich out of the basket and puts it into the box and this girl has the nerve to turn around and say "dirty dishes go behind you at the service bar." Oh, so now we have to bus YOUR hand-off bar, too? No sorry, no thank you, not even the offer to box up his food or put away the freaking basket. Is it because Loren is very clearly not white? Or is it because this lady today had a bad day and took it out on someone for interrupting her mid-shift gossip about how the mall security is full of idiots who don't do their job? Go ahead and take a gamble and let me know, because I won't be back. read more

I have been eating here for years now, as I'm obsessed with the bookstore. Absolutely love the place. This is the most popular food vendor in the store as it is located right in the front of the building. Way better than Starbucks. They serve Victrola coffee here. My favorite is their London Fog latte. They also have some good food options. You can get breakfast of course. Grab one of their many pastries and/or breakfast sandwiches. You can also grab lunch, as they have many sandwich, salad, and soup of the day options. My favorite food items are the deluxe croissant and the meat pie. One the negative, I will say that they have raised the prices on many of their items. The meat pies have gone up to almost 8 bucks for one, so I stopped buying it. As far as their baked goods, there are other better bakeries out here. The team is really good at making the items appealing and pretty, but once you taste it, you might be underwhelmed or even disgusted. My mom and I shared a slice of their black and white cake and we quickly realized that they use shortening for frosting. My mom and I both cook/bake, so we instantly knew once we tasted it. We decided to eat around the shortening and only ingest the cake. After we ate the cake, we were left with solid blocks of shortening, and realized that the cake to shortening ratio was way off. It was actually disgusting. If you like to munch on sweetened saturated fat, then you will like this cake. I would never order one from here knowing what they use to make their frosting. I will stick to my London Fog and other favorites. read more

Honey Bear Bakery Cafe - Lots of thick shortening on their black and white cake. I don't recommend. - Bakeries Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

The bread on the sandwich was so thick that it made it hard to eat. I couldn't really tell that there was anything else in the sandwich because I was mostly tasting bread, and the bread wasn't even that soft or good. Also, when checking out, the barista asked "pickle and chips?" but didn't specify that this was an extra $1 (if I had known I would have said no). read more

Honey Bear Bakery Cafe - Chipotle Chicken Sandwch - Bakeries Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

I stumbled upon Honey Bear while exploring the many shelves of Third Place Books. A bookstore / coffee shop combo makes me giddy and this spot is no exception. The cafe serves all my favorites and the mixed smell of books and coffee beans is unmatched. I was particularly in awe of Honey Bear's muffins. These are larger than my head. Snacking on a warm muffin, and sipping an iced honey latte, all while reading a new book, is my perfect afternoon. You truly cannot top Seattle coffee shop vibes. read more

I thought I'd put enough distance between my last couple mediocre pastry episodes here and agreed to meet a friend for a warm beverage and stroll through TPB. Always a line at the bakery, I thought maybe I've just ordered the wrong things in the past (cinnamon roll, cookie, scone). I'd already eaten so just got a chai latte. A regular old chai latte. It was surprisingly bland, as was the service. I sincerely don't get what the fuss is about here. read more

They have great food, but heads up: sandwiches used to include chips and a pickle and they no longer do that. Not a huge deal, but kinda disappointing for a $14 sandwich. read more

I ordered a side of bacon and it was outstanding. Thd glaze and crispiness melted in my mouth and my taste buds had like a muscle confusion of is it savory or is it sweet. This is a great thing because the flavor profile was not one note. There were multiple flavors that hit my tongue all at once. There could have been all spice or cardamom and I would have loved it. It was definitely a treat and I love the a la carte price of $4 for 4 generous pieces of bacon. I paired it with the freshly scrambled eggs and I loved the hint of olive oil. The food tasted clean and homemade. Not like a greasy spoon where everything seems premade and reheated again and again. I wanted a light breakfast and my kids had the croissant and chocolate cookie. Both looked delicious and the fruit croissant looked amazing. The menu is expansive for brunch and lunch and the service is quick. I look forward to trying a sandwhich one of these days. 5 stars for this fun local cafe. read more

My distribution of coming to Honey Bear Bakery Cafe is more heavily skewed towards when I was growing up. My family and I would come shopping for books at Third Place Books and/or I would visit in conjunction with a mother-daughter book club I was part of. The bakery cafe was located conveniently inside the main entrance to the building on the upper level. The line was variable in length, as was wait time, though I do not remember ever coming and having there be no line. Food options were varied and tasty. It was one of the dining options that endured in holding our appetites over the years. Seating to eat was a food court type setting. read more

Honey Bear Bakery is a nice spot located inside Third Place Books which is an indie bookshop. So you can browse books with your coffee and treats. They also have a third place commons area inside where they have community events. We tried the Quiche Lorraine which came with either a side of fruit or salad. We opted for the fruit cup. We also got a spring special which was the candied pistachio latte with caramel and pistachio flavors. Both the latte and quiche were very tasty and it was fun to watch the community events and browse books while inside. Would recommend checking them out! read more

See all

Cookie was good but served broken. Problem is the sandwich. It's literally almost all bread for $13. Meat to bread ratio all off. It was not toasted and the bread was a little dry as well. Service was fine but took a while. Pickle was the best part of the lunch. read more

I've been perusing the baked case at Honeybear for a while and finally decided to try their lemon chiffon blueberry cake slice. At $5.99 a slice it was decently priced. I took it home and let it sit out at room temperature for several hours so that the icing and everything would be an ideal texture. The cake itself was really good and it had lemon curd in the filling kind of skimpy on the blueberries. The icing is where the cake fails. Even after sitting at ambient room temperature for several hours, the icing felt like eating a block of butter - it was waxy, firm, very unappealing. Who eats cakes like this? I didn't feel like microwaving the icing to get it to soften up either. Needless to say, it was a waste of calories and money. I would go back to try some of their other cakes, but it's never predictable what they will have in their case. They've told me many times that they are working on getting their social media website together even after I've suggested putting cake flavors on Instagram or anywhere so that people don't have to call to ask what's in the case. It's 2025 - get with the century and use technology. Even before thinking about that step, when I ask them if they are certain flavors that are baked during the week, they say that it's at the whim of the bakers. There is no set schedule for any flavors to come out. Even the few times I've stepped in there the cake case had very few things to had maybe 3-5 cakes that were not my thing. After asking several times what other flavors they have and getting noncommittal answers such as we never know what the bakers will make, I'll go elsewhere. Especially when the icing is the texture of a block of waxy butter. Service was ok. There was a long line of people waiting to order, but there was three or four people behind the counter, standing there, staring at all of us in line - that's annoying if they are not doing anything to help with orders. read more

Honey Bear Bakery Cafe - Waxy block of butter-texture icing even at room temperature. Peeled off the cake in block like chunks. - Bakeries Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

Order at the counter and within minutes your order will be ready. Sandwiches=excellent Cakes=not sure what's better than excellent but their cakes are. Personal favorite is the Fruit And Cream cake. A white chocolate cake with cream cheese icing and seasonal fresh fruit. We get this for all birthdays in our family. Delicious!!! Staff is always excellent and friendly. Clean and bright. read more

I recently saw a social media thread asking local foodies for their most favorite sandwich, and more than one answered the BLTA from Honey Bear Bakery. I admit I thought this was odd--in the whole area, they picked a simple sandwich from a place that doesn't even specializes in sandwiches per se. Then I had it. Enlightenment. I'll try to explain what makes it so good. The basil aioli for starters is a perfect sauce for the sandwich components, and it's sent me on a mission to figure out how to make my own. The bacon is thin and crisp enough to not be tedious when chewing. The tomato, lettuce, and avocado are all perfectly fresh. And that fluffy wheat bread, nutty with a hint of sweetness, brings as much to the table as the rest of it. You need to pay extra for a pickle and chips, trust me--this is part of a top notch experience. I also tried the veggie hand pie and a cinnamon roll. I liked the latter a lot (though the dough was just borderline dry, the cinnamon swirl was great) and would skip the former. This spot is inside the Third Place Books complex, you order at the counter and can sit in the open food court area or take to go, and they don't seem to have any online ordering or delivery capacity. Maybe that's all the business they can manage; I know I'd frequent them more if I could order in advance! For some of the food and the setup, this is a four-star review. But I can confirm: the BLTA is off the charts. read more

Honey Bear Bakery Cafe - BLTA Sandwich. Perfect. - Bakeries Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

I actually had low expectations of this place but it was pretty good. The line was pretty long in the morning but it moved nicely. They have breakfast sandwiches and savory stuff as well as a display case of sweets. I ended up getting Slice of carrot cake - for $5.99 it's pretty good. Moist, nice balance in flavor, not too sweet Pumpkin cheesecake - 5.99 - standard Cinnamon roll $4 - probably better served warm The place is located in a plaza and it's not its own restaurant, its like a Starbucks with open seating. It can get pretty loud Overall good place to try and if you're in the area read more

See all

So I was craving a BLT.. and Honey Bear bakery makes a really good one. Except for the last few times that they've dropped the ball. But I decided to give them one more chance, and ordered a BLTA to go. Unfortunately it wasn't great. First of all, I asked for the BLTA without the tomato (they make my mouth itch), and they didn't remove them. Secondly, they burnt the bread. And this wasn't just slighty burnt, it was inedible. I literally had to remove everything from the inside and use my own bread. And they also barely added any bacon or avocado. And to boot, this sandwich has gone up in price by a lot... but has gone down in quality! I think if I do try another BLTA from Honey Bear, I'm going to check the sandwich before I leave. And if the toast is badly burnt, I'm returning it. However, the cookies didn't disappoint. They were delicious, huge, and very reasonably priced. read more

See all

My gals and I have brunch dates here and have been pleased with the delicious food and coffee good service. Best baked goods. Love the location and the book store next to the restaurant. I always take home extra to share with my babies and they love it too. read more

Great spot to stop in for coffee, pastry's, or breakfast/lunch. Open area to eat at tables & meet friends, with a book store also in space. All the food & sweets are amazing and made on site. If they have the chicken coconut curry soup it's a must. I always grab something on every visit whether it be a cup of soup or a cookie all eats are good. Staff is friendly & it's a cute clean established eatery. read more

See all

We went when they opened and there was already a line forming. The food took a while to get ready. Some in our group ordered breakfast sandwiches, which were tasty (but again, had to wait a while to get it). I tried some of the cake slices and the cupcakes. They were pretty good with coffee. We appreciated the big open space to eat. However like others mentioned, it's not a dedicated spot for this establishment. More like a food court and nearby is the bookstore. Overall it was about what I expected. Could be between 3 or 4 given the wait, but food was good so ultimately I decided to vote up. Also we appreciated that it was more casual so we didn't feel as self-conscious with the littles getting out of their seat. read more

Lackluster service. Failed to include an item in my to go order. When I went back to get it, I set the box on the counter, but she just handed me the item. Virtually no acknowledgment I set the box on the counter and had requested bag. read more

Great service. Got a scone but couldn't eat it all... but it was yummy. WiFi available. Recommend

My brother introduced me to this bakery, and I've been coming back ever since. It's tucked inside Third Place Books, which makes the experience even better--you can wander through the shelves, find a good book, and then sit down with a slice of cake. The fruit and cream cake? Easily a 10/10. I literally dream about it. It's that good. I often come here just to get a slice. read more

Seattle prices without the quality. We used to love HBB but now they charge far too much for the value. They charge for chips and a pickle for instance. May seem like a small thing but it kills the perception of value. Then they ask for a tip.. quality has diminished while prices have increased. Tough combination... This place used to be bad ass. The truth is our family can afford Honey Bear but we choose not to support them because they lack value. read more

They stop taking orders 10 min before 7. That's cool, you wanna leave on time But they let me stand in line behind others ordering sandwiches and not say anything until I get to the counter. They tell me they aren't taking sandwich orders and there's other food places in the building. Hello. If you see someone in line and the cutoff happens, give a heads up. It's the polite thing to do. Or even crazier.. take the order and show good customer service. Now I'll never go there. Bitter Betty. You betcha! read more

I downloaded yelp just now to make this review. I try not to complain about business, but this was a review that was worth the time. I was just standing in line, no one else in line. 1 person at the cash register. 2 people behind the counter looking at me, one right in front of me. Nobody saying hello or helping me.. two people are just standing around. Finally, I start walking away and one of them looks at me again and I said it's crazy. Nobody wants to help and he laughs and goes yeah wild. Huh? I wanted to do a big order for a party coming up. I was shopping and 2 other shops I went into said, they always treat people bad there and they won't go there either. Wow even local shop owners and workers talk bad about the place. Must be pretty bad when I'm told lots of people complain. Sad what customer service has become. read more

I highly recommend this place. Their food quality is great and usually there is a long line around the lunch time. I also like their cake and often buy a slice from their round cake. However, once I bought a slice that was not good/fresh. They should not sell the cake that is more than 2 -3 days old. read more

Very good pastries. Solid service and never slow for me. But plain black coffee is overpriced and needs to be adjusted. It's JUST BLACK COFFEE prepared in large amounts throughout the day. $2 tops for an 8 oz or 12 oz, any more is a rip off and you know it for what your profit margin is. read more

Stopped here after working out at planet fitness and so glad I did! These pastries were next freaking level. Such good fruit flavor that you can really taste throughout the soft pastry. Highly recommend the Orange Pecan Twist and Marionberry Bear Claw. Can't wait to come back to try more! I asked if they had a "caramel macchiato" type drink which isn't technically on the menu, but they knew what I meant and still I got a delicious beverage! The gal said they basically make it like a vanilla latte with caramel - whatever it is I'm not complaining. SO GOOD. They do have a 15% automatic gratuity to help out staff during COVID to be aware of, if that bothers you. I'm not personally, so they still get 5 stars in my book! read more

Honey Bear Bakery Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

See all

There's lways something delicious at Honey Bear！And it's our anniversary tradition to stop in for a huge slice of one of their amazing cakes. read more

Coffee was fine (not great...a little weak) but the barista was very rude and unfriendly. Didn't say hello or smile and then argued with me about my drink. I used to be a barista so I know my stuff. Let's bring back smiley and happy customer service now that the masks are off!! read more

I came here because this is the only Bakery that was open and I drove about 35 minutes to where my other destination was. Everything looked great, the downfall was, I went at the end of the day. In the future: call ahead and ask about selection fi you can. Either way I would of went! The cheesecake was Delicous!!!! But there was many other treats but I was craving cheesecake!!! I wasn't sure the times for this location as very places varies right now. However, I only got to pick and choose a few options but the one items I did get absolutely were delicious. If you're in the area highly recommend you check out this place believe me at first I was a little struck by the location but then I went in and Knew this is my kind of place. Keep in mind during this time, it's hard for any company to stay afloat and we wanna make sure we support our ma and pa spots to keep them alive through these hard times. Together we will overcome. read more

Honey Bear Bakery Cafe - This cheesecake almost didn't make it home! Wow - Bakeries Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

I stumbled upon this place near my house when I was looking for an egg sandwich. It's located on a strip and inside of the third place common store. It's next to the Gyro boss and has a nice bakery vibe to it. I had read all the reviews on Yelp so I just wanted to be open minded and give it a shot. I ordered a couple of croissants as well as their breakfast sandwich. For starters, the croissant sandwich only come with egg and cheese but I asked them to make it without the cheese. It took longer than I expected even though there was no line on a Saturday morning because she made it with cheese and had to redo it again. I wasn't really impressed at all and honestly speaking, it was below average and to make matters worse, they charged me $8.80. I do however like all the other reasonably priced bakery options. Also worth noting that they sell their day old pastry for $1 each. read more

Absolutely delicious coffee, breakfast, lunch and baked goods! I'm surprised it doesn't have higher reviews as this place is excellent! With a community ambiance and big tables, this is a great place to hang out or meet up! The staff is quick and helpful. read more

Starting to lose faith in this place. They are getting slow on their service and considering they are a 'Bakery' I asked about getting some 'whole wheat'. They didn't have any, though they say they sell it? We went there again, because no one answers the phone, and again no whole wheat. When asked 'when or how can I find out how to get some' I was told it depends on what baker comes in, when they come in and what they decide to make. Now this is an intriguing business model. There are other bakeries closer to home. read more

This one star is not based on food or beverages - because unfortunately I wasn't able to get anything last night. Thursday nights they close at 7pm. I arrived at 6:49pm and was excited to get a coffee. Then was told "oh, I'm sorry, we have already shut down the coffee machine." Confused, I clarified "but you close at 7, right?" The answer was "yeah, but it's been a crazy day.". Ohh!! Ok then. Wow, I wish I knew that's how things worked in the service industry. During my 10 years in a restaurant, if someone showed up 2 minutes before we closed, regardless if we had started cleaning, whatever they wanted, we made. Because we were still OPEN. I will say, in the past when I would go there, the coffee and food were delicious. So, make sure you are able to get there WAY before closing time? Or be aware that closing times are only a suggestion...? And hope that they haven't had "a crazy day". Good luck! read more

What happened to Honey Bear Bakery??? Used to be decent, now expect a soggy microwaved(?) sandwich and counter people who scowl at you like they're larping as disaffected teenagers. read more

I've been going to Honey Bear since the late 90s, ever since they were above Green Lake in the Tangletown neighborhood - late nights studying over a thick wedge of carrot cake and a cup of tea while in pursuit of an intense degree attending the UW! Shortly after I moved away from Seattle in 1999, they also moved locations and next to Third Place Books in the Lake Forest Park Towne Center - a huge 2nd story space that combines indie book store, food court, stage area, and community meeting rooms. And I just happened to move into the LFP neighborhood when I moved back to Seattle in 2004. Fast forward 20 years, and I have a multiple times a week craving for their grilled cheese sandwiches (always on potato buttermilk), sides of bacon (If there is a place in town that makes their bacon better I have yet to find it. HB's is thick sliced, crispy/crunchy, and perfectly caramelized with their mix of brown sugar and spices), and cupcakes. It's the perfect 1-hr walk from my house down and up hills to pick up my cravey so I get a good workout in while in pursuit of a reward lunch (or dinner!) Staff has been mostly consistent, at least over the pandemic years and service has always friendly and efficient. Over the course of the past 5-6 months or so, and under new ownership, I did notice that some things were hit or miss - often times there were staff shortages and the kitchen or counter would close early without much warning. Due to the short (read: new) staffing, cook on the sandwiches would sometimes be inconsistent or the pastry case would run low or sell out (for several days). I'm now on the "30-year-high-school-reunion-is-this-summer" diet-plan so alas not many more grilled cheese sandwiches, bacon, or cupcakes for me in my future, at least not on the reg, so I'm hoping they'll be able to get their kinks worked out for all the other patrons. HOWEVER, when things are as the should be, you'd be hard pressed to find better comfort food in all the land. And bonus! If you're a bookwork like me you can also browse inside the magic land that is Third Place Books to your hearts content. Just be cautious that you don't end up leaving with way too many books that you never knew you needed ;p read more

the cake is ehhh it's overpriced for what it is. their cheesecake is pretty good however their white on white cake and the cake was dry while the buttercream tasted like a block of butter with no other flavoring. the workers used to be so friendly but recently they are kind of rude and dismissive. however the atmosphere is nice, i love the sense of community that the third place books area gives off. overall, i wish they would go back to the way honey bear bakery was a few years ago read more

Honey Bear Cafe is a great spot for coffee, a light breakfast including muffins, croissants, cinnamon rolls, or a slice of banana bread. My favorite is the croissant deluxe with eggs, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. It is just the right portion. The prices are decent. I've never had an issue with the food but the service at the register could be hit or miss depending on who is on duty. For this reason, I'm giving it a 3. read more

I love that this cafe is located in the lake forest center! I have tried several items from them. Most recently, I tried their lemon chiffon cake and was a bit disappointed. The lemon curd was scrumptious and wish there was more of it. However, I am not a fan of their buttercream frosting. It was less creamy, and is set to a stiffer texture where I needed to chew it. And the frosting seemed to be half of the weight of the cake. I will continue to try their items but will probably avoid anything with buttercream frosting in the future. read more

Honey Bear Bakery Cafe - Slice of Lemon chiffon cake slice - Bakeries Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington