The food tastes like eating at grandmas on Sunday. Homestyle delightful and filling. Sooo filling. Fresh takes on classics obsessed with magic potatoes. read more

Today was my first time here and though I loved the atmosphere, vibe, and bloody Mary's, I ordered the Loco Moco and was very disappointed. It was not worth $12.50. I am from Hawaii and I'm trying not to be a snob about it, but it just wasn't good at all. The rice was too mushy and way too much of it was plated - like 2 to 2.5 scoops. The two hamburger patties were very dry, thin and about 2/3rds the size of a normal patty. The egg was cooked perfectly. I would have liked it if more gravy were added for the amount of rice given. Also the gravy just didn't have much flavor. It almost tasted a little on the sweet side. I'll go back again and try something else. read more

Great place, little noisy, but good food, and great service. Definitely recommend it for breakfast, lunch. Closes early afternoon I believe.

A great vibe! Food was delicious, large servings, with ample amount to bring home with you. Employees were nice, and helpful. Definitely recommend supporting this local business! read more

I'm from Hawaii and when I first saw the Shakabrah sign, several years ago, my curiosity was tweaked! I asked around and locals told me that Shakabrah is a 6th Ave. icon, needless to say, now I had to try it! I quickly found out that if I don't want to wait in a line, I would be better off going during a weekday, or after the breakfast crowd. The good thing is you can have their delicious breakfasts all day long! I've tried a lot of things on their menu, but I keep going back for their fresh made hash! To die for! You can have it made with a variety of ingredients, all good. If you're a meat eater, their fresh made corned beef brisket hash is my preference. Service is great, atmosphere is warm and inviting. They do have a few odd hour days, so check it out before going! read more

First thing you need to know going in is you cannot be in a hurry if you eat here for breakfast or brunch on the weekend. Other than that, this place is awesome. Fortunately it unfortunately parking is not often an issue along 6th Avenue as a lot of folks still have not discovered Tacoma... I mean the whole city. The choices are all really good and the staff is too notch. It's obviously a favorite with the hipster crowd, of which I am clearly not a part of but I don't feel unwelcomed. If you have been here before but it's been a long while, come on back as they have doubled the size of the place so it's not as cramped and it once was.... But did I mention it's not in the fast lane. Budget about 1.5 hours for a speedy experience. I personally can't stand waste so I often state "I don't want a straw" (which will just end up in a landfill) and "I will take a 1/2 order of... " (since most of the time leftovers get thrown away). Well they are straw shy here but their servings of their namesake potatoes are MASSIVE. I asked for a half order and still only ate a "half of the half". So beware and tred lightly on your ordering. read more

Shakabrah Java - What the hell.. A shot of one of the walls - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

This place is so cool and will definitely leave you full. Big portions for there awesome breakfast. I had the salami eggs and these were soo good! Came with a side of their potatoes which I'd come back for any day. They make you clean your plate afterwards which I thought was cool actually. read more

Shakabrah is the most campfire feeling breakfast joint in the Tacoma area. There isn't any elegance to this place and it has a hole in the wall feel to it. When you walk in there is a SEAT YOSELF area to the right in which you will grab your own plate when it's ready and clean up your own plate (very convenient for those who want a quick meal or eat by themselves) to the left side of the restaurant is where you wait in a line (if there is any and most likely there is) and you get seated, seating is relatively large except this place gets busy for breakfast and seating CAN BE difficult. I love this place and I love getting their sandwiches and breakfast plates, I always leave feeling full and leaving with my money well spent. PROS: good price for good breakfast ($-$$) it's honestly a good portion size, good sangrias, chill vibes CONS: parking on the street just as anywhere else, there could be a wait read more

I've been to Shakabrah Java a couple of times and the food was very good. Both times, I had the Shaka Potatoes and they're the best comfort food. The first time we went, however, it took about 45 minutes for us to get our food and a couple of the entrees were cold and it took 3 tries for them to get my friend's simple coffee drink right. We talked to the waitress and the manager about the wait and cold food. Instead of just making it right, they brought the order ticket to us, told us we only waited 18 minutes for our food. I believe our waitress likely forgot to put our order in which would have accounted for the long wait. Other people who came in 10 minutes after us were getting their food first. Our meals didn't come out together; we wound up not eating together because of this. They offered to make one entree over again but we had run out of time. My food was good so I went a second time with another friend. This experience went perfectly and I'll be going back again. 5 stars for the food. 2.5 - 3 stars because of the terrible service our first time. read more

I frequent this place randomly, during the week and weekends. Always great food, drinks and service. I've tried their Omelettes, Corn beef hash, Cowboy hash and Moco Loco to name a few, and I'd recommend them all. Mimosas are so refreshing and always a perfect ratio. I tried my boyfriends Bloody Mary and it was really good as well. The few times I had do wait on weekend mornings, it was never more then 5-10 minutes (plus you can grab a drink while you wait). Perfect place. Highly recommend. read more

Shakabrah has been on our radar for a few months, we just finally took the time to visit. Cute little-ish cafe with a a la carte order and seat yourself side AND a full-service wait-staffed side. We chose the wait staffed side. Interesting mix of clientele, from families with younger kids, to double dating couple getting together for breakfast. Now to the food: the Shaka potatoes were pretty good. The potatoes were cooked and seasoned well, but some were crispy and some were not. Not a huge deal. The over easy eggs were cooked to perfection. The biscuits and gravy were ok. The gravy was tasty, but the store bought biscuit was kind of a let down. ***Coffee snob alert** The lattes here were utterly disappointing for the price. $4 for a worse-than-Charbucks latte? To add insult to injury, you can walk 3 minutes either direction to Bluebeard or Metronome, pay .50 extra and have a world class latte. $8 of our $31 bill for breakfast was wasted on these monstrosities. All-in-all it's a relatively solid breakfast spot. I can see myself coming back on occasion, but my hair wasn't blown back enough to add this to the regular rotation. read more

Shakabrah Java - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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I've been coming here since I moved here and the food is always delicious and amazing BUT I swear the level of miscommunication I've come across from many different restaurants where I'm paying HALF CASH and the rest with my card - improvement needs to be addressed Our meal total was $35.23 The waitress asked me how I was paying - I clearly told her $20.23 CASH (which was on the tray) and the rest on my card $10 Instead she brought me back $3 Meaning she charged my $17.62 and took $17.62 from the $20 I gave her thus bringing me back $3 I then told her again the $20.23 was toward the meal and the rest on the card but she didn't quite get it. Goodness Lol get it together ppl when someone says half cash and the rest on card that's exactly what it means! read more

I typically like to support the independent stores when I dine out on business travel. Shakabrah has been a favorite of mine for a decade as they have always been accommodating when you sub out certain things. This morning I got the Bacon Avocado omelette, no bacon sub spinach (definitely a net positive for the restaurant) and I asked for a side pancake instead of the potatoes or toast. The cashier simply charged full fare for everything ($8.25 pancake (insane for the amount of material) and $16+ for the omelette. Sadly this is becoming the norm in "boutique" restaurants. There should be a simple fee to swap one item for another. The food was good although not hot but I left with a bitter taste in my mouth about the experience. I cannot justify spending $30 per person for breakfast in Tacoma when there are so many other restaurants around that value customer service and the experience. read more

I haven't been to this place in awhile (about a year since the last time I've been) and from my experience coming back the food was not that good. When I used to go a lot back in 2017/2018, this place was poppin, but not so much now. We came around 11am on a Wednesday which wasn't too busy. The staff is always really friendly, but I feel like the quality of the food has diminished. My french toast was great, which is awesome because it's consistent with the way they made it years ago. Bacon, and eggs were cooked to order, kinda oily, but for a restaurant that prides itself in their potatoes, they were sub par. My potatoes were dry and the shell of the potato was firm, not soft like it usually is. If I'm being honest, it wasn't fresh at all. If they told me that the potatoes were made from the previous day, I wouldn't be surprised. My boyfriend said that his loco moco was alright. From what I sampled, their gravy doesn't taste like 'regular' gravy, and the size of the beef patty isn't that large. The eggs were cooked to order and rice was good, but overall the dish was not as good as loco mocos that I've tried at other restaurants. Too much rice, not enough beef. From all the food pictured, it came out to a whopping $33+ which in my opinion is kind of expensive for just breakfast food. Especially $33 for stale potatoes. Don't get me wrong, this place is great, maybe we just came on an off day. I'll give it one more chance, but if the food is still inconsistent, I probably won't come again. read more

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Trisha was amazing and so welcoming, even during these pandemic times. This is such an amazing breakfast place open right now. Keep in mind if you're not going to follow the rules regarding the pandemic then don't bother going, she has respect for her customers health (you) and for her staff - aka no parties over 5 people! Breakfast was out of this world amazing, so satisfying, I highly recommend this place for the best party in your mouth breakfast you'll ever have. read more

Shakabrah Java - Breakfast of champions! This pancake is literally way bigger than your face. - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Pre COVID this place rocked my socks off! Staff was always spunky and food was always A1, today I felt like the staff was a little sour and genuinely didn't really care, which I think is a reoccurring issue recently from other reviews. They had the door propped open on a cold windy day with the only table available right in the breeze way and wouldn't shut the door when I asked the girl she just said nope, door has to stay open (which was a bummer because it was freezing! But maybe a corona thing? Not sure.) food was quick and delicious. I did notice a few people stood around for awhile to place there order and looked a little confused on what was going on as well. I think the staff could be a little bit more welcoming and friendly. I'd hate to see this place go under during these hard times and hope the owner does something! read more

I've been here a couple of times now and I don't love how long the wait times can be on the weekends. The food is good, but not so good I'll wait 45+ minutes for. Be careful when you're starving... The first time I came here, I wasn't too hungry so I was able to wait a little longer for my food. My friend and I shared the shaka potatoes with "magic," fried egg, and avocado and it was pretty filling for the both of us. It was pretty good, but I'm not dreaming about them. 3 stars because the wait is ridiculous for medium quality food. read more

Food was great! Customer service not so great. Came in on a Saturday morning. The hostess lady that sat us was extremely rude towards us and others. Maybe it was busy, but the reason why she gets a paycheck is because of the customers that come in to eat. If you don't have good customer service, you shouldn't be working in that position. The whole place could use a good cleaning as well. The bathroom was disgusting. It was only 9 am. I'm pretty sure the bathroom didn't get that gross in just a couple of opening hours. read more

Soooooo good! I visited this place for the first time and OMG! I was pleasantly surprised! They offer really good vegan options like scrambles and meat alternatives. They also serve the biggest pancake I ever seen. This is a great place to go if you have a party with both meat eaters and vegan/vegetarians as well. The service was great and we felt very welcomed in this space. I will return for sure! read more

During my visit to Tacoma, I tried multiple breakfast spots, and this one was by far the best. Offering affordable, simple, and tasty food in a non-pretentious and cozy atmosphere, Shakabrah Java is hard to beat. Though my order was quite simple (blueberry giant pancake with scrambled eggs on the side), everything was PERFECT and the service was quick and professional -- even with a nearly full restaurant. I hear the "Shaka potatoes" are quite good, but I got their other famous item, the Giant Pancake. These pancakes are the best I'd ever had. You can order them with tons of different mix ins and toppings. Only downside to Shakabrah is their lack of real maple syrup. Bottom line: Don't skip this place if you are in Tacoma. It's easy, affordable and delicious. Why look any further? If you're in the mood for something a bit more upscale, try Montamara Kitchen. read more

Shakabrah Java - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Easily one of the top breakfast spots in Tacoma! Service has always been good and the staff friendly! Also i have never had a bad meal here in the two to three years since i found this place! Always take friends that haven't been here as well!!! read more

Tasty breakfast for a reasonable price and super friendly staff. I love the selection of breakfast sandwiches and the choices of toppings for the pancakes and French toast. The menu is big but not overwhelming. No problems finding something for everyone here! read more

Shakabrah Java - Great spot to bring the kiddo! - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

This is a great place because they host comedy night but I'm never too impressed with the food. The chai latte was super delicious though, I drank that in about 10 seconds haha. But my pancakes had way too much cream whereas my potatoes didn't have enough sour cream and tasted bland. I feel like I could've made both at home much better. read more

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Always a rock solid dependable family breakfast joint, and has been for years. Even before my mom moved downtown, this was a place we always hit for breakfast if we were in T-Town at the hour. We even made a concerted effort for about a year to try every possible place we could, just to add some variety to the rotation. It didn't work--we just keep coming back here. They have a great laid back weekend vibe, and you see all kinds here, from hungover college kids to aging hippies and everything in between. You head in past the display kitchen and generally seat yourself in the back room. No two sticks of furniture alike, and a sturdy little stage at one end of the room for performing arts of all sorts. This place does multiple duty to be sure. One thing that has always been such a draw for us is the fact that they for all these years have employed our favorite waitress in the world. She's super sweet and friendly and always makes you feel like you've had a great chat even though she spends less time tableside than any server in town. She's always moving--food comes out faster somehow, even the dishes seem cleaner when she's working. Can it really be possible? Probably not. But it's always such a relief to see that she's on. The food here is rock solid diner type fare with some scratch touches and some healthful options. Everybody can get what they want here--omelettes and scrambles, oatmeal, fruit, awesome biscuits. You can pretty much bring anybody in for breakfast and leave reasonably happy, and everything's cheap too. read more

Well, isn't it embarrassing to hype your friends up about a place, bring one of them to a place that you rave about, only to have it be CRAP. I have told everyone to come here, and this been my favorite breakfast spot for years. Lately, it's been hit and miss, but today was a total MISS. We ordered potato's with magic to go. While waiting we were watching some food as it came up, and my friend said wow, those are some big pancakes, only to see them as the waitress walked by, burnt and very black, I felt sorry for whoever got those. Our potato's were hardly cooked, and the magic on top was burnt, so yup, that did not mix well. They are obviously trying to push food out faster by cooking it at too high of temperature, not cool. When I talk up a place, my friends listen, so I was quite embarrassed, when it came out so bad. SO BUMMED!!! read more

UPDATE! Note to self: DO NOT GO HERE AGAIN. You will be welcomed with warm tap water in gross plastic glass containing residue of soap and a mysteriously salty rim....gross. blah...the potatoes bearing their namesake? Pre-cooked at another time and warmed for me...zero golden crispiness....they actually tasted like canned potatoes, if you've ever been unfortunate enough to taste those.... Pancake...boring. Syrup, artificial tasting.... omelet....claimed to contain tomatoes and avacado, but was only 3 small cubes of tomato and MAYBE a teaspoon of avacado slapped in the middle of the thick and puffy, overly cooked egg base....the bacon was plentious, in small chunks, but super rubbery, not crisp and flavorful Never go here again, Renee....it's close by, but don't do it!!!!! read more

There's a soft spot in my heart for eclectic mom and pop breakfast joints - Shakabrah is one of those. Creaky floorboards, wobbly mismatched chairs, and even more wobbly tables - this place is the local diner where the locals go. There are two sections of the diner - one where you are seated by a host and one where you seat yourself. The latter requires you to order at the counter as well. There's also a soft spot in my stomach for corned beef hash. Shakabrah does an excellent corned beef hash with two eggs over golden potatoes. It's all extra greasy, just as god intended it should be. Portion size was perfect for what you pay. Coffee is self serve on the seat yourself side. Service was somewhat slow although when we arrived it was packed with a 30 minute wait on the full service side. We were fortunate enough to find an open table but it took a good 40 minutes for our plates on a table of 4 to be served. Overall, everything was quite delicious if not a bit slow. I would hesistate to come back. read more

Shakabrah Java - Corned beef hash! - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I'd give it 3.5 stars, but because it's Friday, I'm feeling generous. Came in and noticed the mismatched interior, but once you eat the food, you'll only see how delicious everything is. Their potatoes and pancakes are a must. The potatoes has a unique delicious taste and their pancakes are huge and fluffy. Be patient with the servers as it's a packed place and they're constantly busy. read more

Shakabrah Java - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I cannot believe that not 1 of you yelpers revealed what was so terrible about the service at this place: ITS RUN BY HIGH SCHOOLERS. Had 1 of you mentioned that if have avoided this place like the plague. Alas, this appeared to be a diamond in the rough in the eye sore that is tacoma. To quote my dining companion half way through our meal (when we finally got it) "Nothing so far has achieved anything above mediocrity." This is a high school hangout with eggs and weak coffee. It's fine. It took 90 min to get an omelet and huevos rancheros - both of which were "fine" Waited over an hour for a two top while the teens who we're working ate full omelet breakfast within eye shot of 4 tables starving. Oh, Tacoma - you disappoint. The biscuits and music was good. That's about it. read more

When you walk in, there's a sign that many people miss or don't read. The food took forever. We were so hungry we had to order a side of toast. Guess we came during rush hour, but still!!! Otherwise the food was good, I couldn't decide between pancakes or french toast. I got french toast with a side of biscuits and gravy. I couldn't finish either of them but I enjoyed it. read more

Shakabrah Java - My french toast with biscuits and gravy! - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Yum! Before leaving my best friend in Tacoma, WA and heading back down to sunny southern California, we headed to Shakabrah for a nice breakfast. It's a fair walking distance from UPS, so students without cars can somewhat easily get here. You order and pay at the counter, and the food is brought out to you. You serve yourself water, and put away your dishes after you're done. There's also togo boxes next to the water if you need it. I ordered an omelette with wheat toast and the Shaka potatoes (aka the magic potatoes I think?). Don't remember what it was called, but it had meat (which I don't eat), and the girl asked if I wanted avocados in its place. Yay! Didn't even charge extra. The portions were huuge, I had at least half left over to take togo. The omelette was delicious, the potatoes were good, and even the wheat toast was good. Overall, very happy with Shakabrah, and the prices were great too. read more

Shakabrah Java - Yum! Omelettes :) - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

A fun place to go with friends for breakfast! Can get pretty busy but they have a seat yourself side where you go up to the counter to order and a restaurant style side where you may need to wait for a table but you'll have excellent service. They pride themselves on coffee and I didn't find it to be that great. I just had drip coffee to try it out and it was just a cup of average joe. read more

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Walked in waited long to be acknowledged. We actually asked to sit separately each party in their own table we knew that we would not be able to talk to each other and we were fine with it.With covid phase two we had a large party we asked to sit separate and the waiter was so rude. Her demeanor was condescending she right away asumes our intentions of sitting together. When we clearly we Came in on our own she gave us such an attitude and made a huge deal out of it. We felt so uncomfortable and discriminated . read more

This place is defiantly the place for the in crowd that does not want to be the in crowd, if you know what I am saying. I love the fact that they offer a vegan menu, I am an equal opportunity eater and love all types and varieties, which is why I like vegan options. I had SOS, bacon, eggs, and the home fries. None of the items jumped out at me. My eggs were real greasy, my SOS was a little over mediocre and the home fries were just OK. I could live with or without this place, I have a place not too far from here which means I will be back if my usual spot is too busy. I do look forward to exploring some of the vegan items. read more

Shakabrah Java - The big breakfast. - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on, Shakabrah (my review is here now). Today, the day before august 19th (birthday to a close fiend), i went with the car to Shakabrah to breakfast it. We wanted wiggle food and my friends hungry wanted it to. Lots of people... lots of busy people at the rest R aunt. But still, with the full tables and people a lot and we got a table without a lot of time standing to wait. Then the food it was not bad pretty filling and made me. Bathroom clean waitress mean (but good at fast making service) So 3 stars for shock abra(ham lincoln)! That's the president and THIS, this was the review! read more

First time here, had a great time ! Thanks Trish, Daniel and everyone else for the hospitality. Happy Holidays

A friend wanted to meet here for breakfast and while the Yelp reviews were just so so, I agreed. Apparently it's a hit or miss affair. My friend had ordered a pot of tea before I got there and when the server brought the tea, he brought the mugs, one of which still had lipstick on it. Made me wonder about their sanitation practices. I had to ask for water which came in a plastic glass and the water had sort of a strange taste. We ordered eggs different ways, hers an omelet and mine what they called a skillet. It was scrambled eggs with spinach, mushrooms and feta cheese. Large portion but the eggs were like rubber and the spinach bitter, who knows what they did to it. I love friend potatoes but didn't care for these. They came lukewarm with some sort of odd seasonings. Needless to say I didn't finish anything but the wheat toast which was obviously one of the cheap varieties right out of the package. I can't speak to my friend's dish because she didn't make a comment. My thought is perhaps this is a place for coffee drinks and skip the food. read more

The coffee isn't horrible but the customer service sure is. I'm rarely in the mood for drama, especially before I've had my coffee, and this place serves drama on a platter. Thanks but no thanks. read more

Exceptional service by some kind and beautiful waitstaff! Very delicious food, a few vegan options, although I would loooove some more! The Shaka potatoes are delightful....it may be that I'm always always starving when I go there, but I am always hoping for a bit more food. I'm not a big person and I always finish everything and want more! I love the atmosphere here! So open, friendly, and fun. Definitely not a cozy place to sit in silence, but to watch humanity eating, drinking, and enjoying life! This place is always friendly, always full, always delicious, and the service is outstanding. Thank you for taking pride in what you do, you make my day that much better! read more

Any breakfast place that offers up a row of taps is a thing of beauty. The barista in the back, kitchen up front, tables squeezed together like a fat man's toes in wingtips, all collide to make Shakabrah a jive'n jump of joy. Lots of square jawed, naive eyed UPS boys made my wife's day but I enjoyed my avocado and real bacon stuffed, two egg omelet with sausage and potatoes. All the food is authentic. And I can't get passed those beer handles !! read more

Shakabrah Java - Enormous yet light! - American Near Me - Tacoma, Washington