The Early Bird -- a truly great, innovative restaurant that is a must-stop if you're passing…read morethrough Ellensburg. I'm lucky to live here so I get to go at least once a month. While every dish is an eating experience, the Early Bird has monthly specials that are as unique as they are wonderful. The only problem: they only exist for that month (although manager Erica tells me they occasionally have made a monthly special a permanent fixture). Come early or late on weekends -- The Early Bird is often difficult to snag a table, especially on Sunday mornings and in the winter when they don't use their outdoor dining area. Also: their adjacent sister eatery, the Night Owl, is a similarly high-quality Korean restaurant.

In this case, the early bird most definitely gets the worm…read more I visited this local cafe after seeing Rufus Du Sol at the Gorge. Unfortunately for me, many other concert goers had the same Sunday morning plan. While The Early Bird is delicious, it's by no means speedy. We originally received a 45-minute wait for takeout, but ended up waiting closer to 75-minutes. My order consisted of the Eggs Benedict bowl with the veggie medley, monkey bread, and a hazelnut iced latte. The perfect cure after a night of debauchery. You can tell they're doing their best to manage crowd control, especially the morning after a popular concert. Something to note is that you must have a table secured before ordering food. They don't let you order and wait to be seated to help lessen the crowding. Pro tip: the city park behind this building is much better spot to wait for your food. There's seating and even private bathrooms - a god-send after a night of camping at the Gorge.

Popped in after a quick jaunt up to Ellensburg from Portland to visit CWU. Cute little country…read morestore type bakery/deli with delicious fresh ingredients and a cozy vibe to enjoy lunch. Every one was super friendly and it seemed like a good mix of locals and visitors. I did the Simple Way and my wife and daughter created their own sandwiches. We also had to indulge in a slice of poppy seed cake for dessert. I can honestly say that the bread was the freshest and richest I have ever tasted. Everything was delicious. If you're ever passing through, don't miss this spot

The best breakfast sandwiches ever! We stopped here on the way to Tri-cities and this cute little…read moreplace did not disappoint. It sounds like this place is pretty popular in town here and the locals rave about their sandwiches. I recommend stopping here for breakfast or lunch if you are near or passing by Ellensburg!

Great breaky and coffee option just north of downtown. Near the campus. All the food and drinks…read morewere good. Go. Plenty of parking Huge interior space and small exterior patio Coffee was quite good Staff was super friendly and helpful

I travel for work all over the US and this place in Ellensburg is a gold mine…read more -great customer service -breakfast sandwich with sausage was Uh-Maze-Zing -sugar free vanilla latte perfect and foam was spot on -great vibe for getting work done Grateful my daughter is going to school here so I will be able to come back!

Food and service were spot on. Great atmosphere which included a few books on the table. We both…read morehad shrimp poboys and sweet potato fries. Amazing and the best I ever had. Very generous servings. We will definitely be back!

I've been to Julep before & loved it the first time I went a couple years ago but my fiancé & I…read morewent the other day & it was just horrible. It took 20 minutes for us to get a menu on a slow Sunday afternoon. There were a couple tables with people sitting inside & a couple outside but it wasn't busy by any means. Once we got the menus, they didn't come back to the table for another 10 minutes & it took another 20 minutes to get our food. We ordered the honey chicken sandwich & the chicken & waffle. The sandwich didn't taste of anything except the honey. It was dripping all over & was so sweet. I love sweet things but this was ridiculous. Everything else was very bland. They also seemed like it was a hassle to give me Caesar dressing on my side salad when was weird since they have it as an option on the menu. Staff was friendly enough but it felt like we were causing a problem asking for Caesar dressing & pepper on the side.

Took my wife out for our anniversary. She had a wonderful tortellini with garlic bread. I had their…read moreprime rib with fries and corn. She didn't have any beverage while I had their dragonberry mojito. The beverage was excellent, as was the tortellini and garlic bread, and the fries are possibly the best in Ellensburg. My cut of prime rib was more done than I ordered and was lacking in flavor. The doneness the establishment had control over, the taste, not so much. The corn was not very good, like it had been out too long, soft and not the best taste. The service was excellent! Our server Taylor was very attentive and worked hard to make our visit memorable. I left a tip a bit higher than what I normally would. The part though that is irritating to me is they charge a 3% credit card fee. This restaurant is equidistant between banks that I use. If I had known of this fee I could have had cash. Banking fees should be built into your pricing. $40 for a 10-12 ounce prime rib should contain enough profit to absorb the credit card fee. All in all a good meal that mostly checks the excellent box.

Party of 2 on a Sunday afternoon. We popped in after the Junk-Tique event at the fairgrounds. Upon…read moreentrance we were immediately met with two large softball/baseball team groups seated in the main dining area. Oh man! There was open seating in the bar, the door greeter (bartender?) handed us some menus and said we could choose our own table. Definitely understaffed for two big teams of kids & parents, many empty tables were not cleared (including ours). We were warned that the kitchen was catching up with all the orders so it might take longer than normal. We didn't mind since we wanted to have a drink first anyway. We enjoyed the spicy Bloody Mary and a yummy ceviche appetizer to start. We eventually ordered the heaping 12th Man burger; too big to eat with your hands, had to knife and fork that baby! Hubs ordered the fish tacos, fresh & crispy, no complaints. The staff was hustling, spread thin, but still amazingly friendly & efficient. We will return to try other menu items.

On my drive down to Portland and needed "real food" not fast food junk to keep me going. I found…read morethis little join just a few minutes drive into Ellensburg and it hit the spot! The wait staff was very kind, attentive, and quick. Great spot!

Met a friend in Ellensburg. Street parking which was fairly easy to find…read more Place was clean and fairly quiet since we went in at 2 pm. Staff were friendly. Ordered Taco Salad but forgot to take a picture. The food was decent. It's a good option for Ellensburg.

I've been here a few times and the food was amazing every time! I've had their breakfast casserole…read moreand their sweets are just divine. Service is great, they are quick and knowledgeable, and open to suggesting something when I'm unsure on what to get. The cafe is cute and has an outdoor and upstairs seating area. We will be back!

Good coffee. Kind of on the pricier side food wise and didn't think the food was anything special…read more Spacious spot to hang out at.

I was stopping by Ellensburg and came here for lunch because a burger and fries sounded great…read more The service was good and attentive. I ordered their jalapeño pepper burger, while my friends ordered some of the other burgers on the menu. We ordered two large fries and onion rings to share, and the portions were big. Definitely worth it. I'll be back next time I'm in the area

Best burgers... always make it a point to stop on the way when traveling east. Kids are fine…read morewaiting for us, as long as we bring out their burgers, fries and shakes!