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Taproot Cafe & Bar

4.3 (155 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

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TAPROOT CAFE & BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Quiet
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Taproot Cafe & Bar

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Natasha B.

First of all, downtown Columbia City is so frickin' cute! We were on a waitlist for another brunch place, but were hangry so we walked into Taproot. This unassuming cafe had a full bar and the food ended up being better than our original brunch choice. The person working the counter was so kind. We had our three-year-old there hamming it up for her, and she played with her and interacted nicely with our daughter. Will definitely be back!

Blackened halibut sandwich with kale Cesar salad.

The food here is amazing!!! Yesterday I had the blackened halibut sandwich with a side kale Caesar. Everything was delicious. The cook on the fish was perfect. Fresh ingredients. Everything is well seasoned. It was so good, I came back today and got the ribeye steak sandwich. OMFG!!! Banger for sure. Had the arugula salad with that one and it paired so well. The crispness of the apples and the light vinaigrette dressing was the perfect counterpoint to the rich steak sandwich. The staff were super friendly and the atmosphere was nice and welcoming. I'm definitely coming back for more. See you guys tomorrow!

Spicy Italian.
Sabrina M.

I agree with SusieCreamCheese that I mostly want to keep this hidden gem to myself, but to be honest I am not good at keeping secrets. I have been here on multiple occasions for drinks because their cocktails are legit. But today we unlocked a new addiction. They do not play around with their food menu. Not only are the ingredients top-notch, but the bread might be just as good as Bakery Nouveau. Maybe that's where they get their bread? We will be back to try every sandwich/salad! Staff was great, as always. Very knowledgeable and conversational. One reason you shouldn't come here is because I want to get a table right away. But really you should come here because it's sooo good!

COFFEE CRUSTED STRIP STEAK*  NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER & the   Spicy Mezcal Paloma
Nichele C.

Amazing Every Time!!!! The drinks are made with love and the food is ALWAYS delicious. I usually go around late lunch / early dinner time for appetizers or a meal with a cocktail or two. Staff is the sweetest and the atmosphere is always a vibe. I usually end up stuffing my face before remembering to take a picture . NOTHING was left behind, literally good to the last drop. Also, the smoothies!!! Get a smoothie!!!!

Ravioli

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8 months ago

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1 year ago

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7 months ago

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5 months ago

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3 months ago

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11 months ago

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8 months ago

Love this local spot. The food is always amazing, generous portions, and staff are super helpful. Highly recommend.

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9 months ago

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10 months ago

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11 months ago

Amazing juices and the wild arungla salad is my favorite very cute and chic atmosphere with cozy vibes as well

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

The food was so so good. My friend and I shared plates so we could try more items. It was all great. We will be back.

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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Tiana G.

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Fantastic place with even friendlier staff! One of the best coffee shops and bars in the neighborhood!

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2 years ago

Roast beef sandwich was really good. Veg sandwich with mushroom was pretty good too. Nice people.

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

Always great food, good service, and just a happy place to be. Hidden gem in my opinion.

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

Great Sammy's, drinks and service. It's the perfect hidden gem. Got the Italian sammy and it was packed with meat, as it should be.

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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7 years ago

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Ask the Community - Taproot Cafe & Bar

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The Bourbon Bar

The Bourbon Bar

3.5
(26 reviews)
0.0 mi
•$$

This place is pretty bad ass! I can't say that I was terribly impressed with the liquor selection…read morebut for a small (and new?) bar - they're really doing a great job. Aside from the awesome food - which I'll get to in a second - and the live music, I was most impressed by the bartender. He was super charismatic, super friendly and very funny. When I popped in with a group of 6 or so friends, he swiftly tended to us, made sure to introduce himself and took everyone's drink order. When it came time to get food I actually decided to opt out. It was nearly midnight and I had already eaten dinner hours earlier. But my friend next to me got a basket of fries and that's when it got hard to ignore the menu... The fries were AWESOME! In fact, they were so tempting that not only did I sneak a few, I actually asked to see the whole menu. Comprised mostly of about a dozen varieties of slider, I was super happy to see the variety. Suddenly my stomach growled and though I didn't want two sliders, I knew I could share with a friend. The only issue then was deciding which to get. I recall a buffalo chicken slider but only got as far as the fried bologna. HELL. YES!!! I ordered one and my buddy ordered another. (They come two to a plate.) My little slider was DELICIOUS! In fact, it was so good that I could totally envision making a trip all the way back to this bar just to have them again. So yeah... I'm a fan. The food is great, the bartender was totally rad, the live music playing in the theater was piped into the bar and the selection of beer and booze was just enough to satisfy. What a great little addition to the hood!

4 is the average between 3 stars and 5 stars: Why 4?…read more 3 stars: Meh. It is a cool, cute and subtly(?) intimate space for a hole in the wall. I had no drinks and drinks are not my forte, so I have nothing to contribute to with drinks (although I did get a water, more on that later). An interestingly mixed group of folks here (including the supposedly "local favorite", more on her later). =P Late Wed night, a bum can be met outside the front asking for crap... I didn't think this downtown-phenomenom could reach this far and late into Columbia City. o_O Now for the 5 stars: ENTIRELY for my fond memory of rockin' the mic with Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight----and ALL fuc*ing 7 minutes of it! ----BAM! In addition to doing my thing up there, this "local favorite" chick asked me if she could join in---of course! Before I finish, let me fill you in on the intro deets. On occasion, one of the folks in our mini Yelp group asked me if I'd picked a song, yet. --No. --Nope. --Not, yet. --I'm kind of tied between between two... come almost-midnight, I'd finally settled on the one that's been bugging me all night, Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang. Drop my card off and wait several songs until I'm called.... wait for it... ....dar-en ....dar-en ....dar-en ....dar-en ....dar-en--- (omg, ---WHAAAT?!). DUDE, both groups started *GASP* ---CHAN-TING & clapping(?)--- my name, when right then Kira *bowchikawowow!* took my hand and guided me up front. Rewinding back, the local favorite black lady joins me. I notice the screen.... someone says "wow, 7 minutes?!" I glance at the screen----hot diggity dam! Within 1 second, I thought of: why did I pick this song, 7 minutes seems long, I totally dig this song and the beat, I've heard it before but not the whole 7 min... and thankfully glad I asked for a glass of water prior to singing, because boy I tell ya, did I have a mouth drought in the minutes coming up to this (and slightly during, but I pressed on because, the more I sang/rapped it, the more I had tunnel vision on the lyrics screen and rippin' it in my own little world). I definitely heard the times the crowd join in during the good parts---most encouraging, hehe. All said and done.... wow (and phew!). Afterwards, the local lady came up to me and said something like, "Mmm Mm...that was ^fine^!..." I think I did come with my confidence, after all. 7 minutes... of rapping!? I think I just experienced a miracle... amazing. I think I want more karaoke (and drinking not even required! =P).

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All local spirits :-)
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Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack

Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack

4.0
(1.1k reviews)
0.1 mi
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I thought i knew what feeling full was like. I was wrong. I've never enjoyed the environment along…read morewith the food in knee place like I did here. The staff are warm and welcoming the guests felt like being around family. Natalie the waitress was so attentive and made sure our drinks were full and the food was like having an organic after a three day build up. All three of us left with empty plates and sides to go.

This place is one of a kind and so delicious for Carribean and Jamaican cuisine! If you have not…read moretried -- you must! We were celebrating my colleagues birthday the day before and were going to see a show at the Royal Room! We got drinks and I had the caprihlana and the Carribean Star! The Carribean Star is a MUST- TRY, the flavors of that drink were amazing! Both the tostones and shrimp ceviche for appetizers was out of this world! The fried catfish was breaded and crisped perfectly and their sides, especially the collard greens are tasty, a bit tangy and phenomenal! I was able to sample my coworkers dishes (they offered of course and I did too) and the goat curry -- try this too if you like curry! Such amazing flavor and tender goat! They do not take reservations but it's peak around dinner time and weekends! We got lucky with the last big table! The menu is creative and colorful. Staff is amazing! They actually had a location in Kirkland but had to close it and this location remains and is a HIT!

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Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack
Amazing curried mussels, a Must Have
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Off Alley

Off Alley

3.6
(103 reviews)
0.0 mi

Everything here is delicious. These reviews saying otherwise, well. With all reviews, consider the…read morereviewer. If you're someone who cooks, and has said recently that everywhere you eat it costs a ton and is just okay -- like, you can make better at home? Come here. Because with few exceptions, I don't think you can. I've been here three times now and two out of three times everything was perfect. Absolutely. Perfect. I've recommended it to others and heard similar back from them. I think it's one of the more exciting restaurants in Seattle, and while the observation about cramped quarters is spot-on, I would imagine they'll likely evolve beyond that venue at some point, and that will be a pity, because having them close by in Columbia City makes me very happy. So book the patio if you want shoulder or elbow room, and enjoy a meal al fresco. And yes, it's a more expensive place, portions are small. It's a fine dining approach, and I think that's fairly clear up front. If you want a big pile of slop somewhere, there are a ton of options to fill up more cheaply. But if you want demi-glace and pan sauces that are perfect -- PERFECT! And meats you might normally not find compelling, like rabbit livers and kidney and, well, offal -- suddenly made succulent and delectable, try this. The only thing I felt was sort of not worth the bucks was the rabbit skull. Just not much in it and getting to it was a semi-feral process. Everything else, including the delicious salads, has be exquisite. Love this place.

Overhyped and overpriced for what it offers. I really wanted…read moreto love this place, especially after seeing it featured in the NY Times, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. While the atmosphere is undeniably hip and trendy, the overall experience didn't justify the price tag. The food itself wasn't bad, but it lacked that "wow" factor. We tried several tapas-style dishes ranging from $20 to $50 each. The Farmer's Rice ($48) arrived in a small sauce pot, which felt underwhelming for the price. The octopus was overcooked, and the black cod was just a single, small piece. I was also disappointed by the Uni Butter Radish--the radishes were fresh, but I couldn't taste any uni at all. On a positive note, the broccolini and the potato with crab meat were the highlights of the night. Service was hit or miss. Our initial server was very kind, but the wine steward and the female server who followed were quite cold and dismissive. Bottom line: This isn't a place to go if you're looking to get full. It's better suited for a quick drink or a "pre-game" spot before heading elsewhere. The vibes are great, but the value for money isn't there.

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Pork belly roulade, country gravy
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Asa Gathering

Asa Gathering

4.4
(34 reviews)
3.0 mi

Just got home from a lovely HH at Asa Gathering. Cute neighborhood place on Mercer Island with a…read moregreat outdoor patio and very friendly service. Bougie, yet still down to earth, if that makes sense. The cocktails were delicious and as creative and customized as you would like. But, I mostly came here to highly recommend the green olives! There were just a few on our charcuterie board and I was lucky enough to be with a group that doesn't eat olives. They are AMAZING! House brined in oranges and chili peppers. Just the right amount of spice and sweetness in a combination I had never experienced. Next time I'm ordering a side dish of olives to go with my old fashioned. Thank you Mitch and also to the person who makes the brined olives - yum!

Great cocktail bar on the Island! A really great selection of spirits. If you are chasing allocated…read morebourbons, come here to try and taste them yourself. Our bartender Tyler was well versed on both Bourbon and Gin - and our group got a few different cocktails and not one of them disappointed. Great decor inside, nice and chic. Patio is great on a spring or summer day. One of the few places with a decent outdoor patio. Perfect place to stop before taking the light rail downtown for a game or a concert. Will definitely be going back. Ask them to make one of your favorite cocktails, but with a different spirit that the bartender recommends!

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Great bourbon selection !
Great bourbon selection !
Asa Gathering
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Bloom Bistro & Grocery

Bloom Bistro & Grocery

4.6
(43 reviews)
1.9 mi

My workplace brought in a smorgasbord of bagels from this location to partake in, and coworkers…read moreactually really love this place too so I was looking forward to try some of the stuff here! I'm actually not a bagel guy, nor do I ever think about them when it comes to grabbing a quick bite somewhere but this was a perfect opportunity to try it again. There was an assortment of bagels, and I got half of an everything bagel and - the one that several of my coworkers highly recommended - the rosemary bagel. Both go well with cream cheese. - The everything bagel was pretty standard; I could taste the garlic and sesame seeds throughout. Garlic was quite powerful on this one though, and I almost thought of garlic bread until I remembered bagels are harder to chew on. - My favorite was the rosemary bagel, just like my coworkers. I could taste the herbs clearly on this one; it was aromatic yet a little bitter. It was balanced with the saltiness already present on the bagel. Since I didn't go to their physical location - which looks like quite a walk from Georgetown - I have yet to see the inside of this place. Having some of their bagels makes me wanna go check it out someday!

I popped in this weekend (on the recommendation of a FB group) since I was going to be in the…read moreneighborhood. Bring your parallel parking skills! I just ordered a half dozen of bagels this time but would like to sit a bit next time. Cute place in the neighborhood. Everything Bagel was kind of on the darker side and I was worried it might be whole wheat or something.... Just baked a bit darker than my preference. Got them home and they were crusty with a good chew. Will be back again next time I'm in Georgetown or Beacon Hill.

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Inside the store
Inside the store
BLT on garlic and onion
BLT on garlic and onion
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Grocery too

Taproot Cafe & Bar - juicebars - Updated June 2026

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