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The Wayside Cafe

4.5 (244 reviews)
ModerateVegan, Cafes, Gluten-Free
Closed Closed
Updated over 3 months ago

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The Wayside Cafe Photos

Business Info

THE WAYSIDE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Dogs allowed

Recommended Reviews - The Wayside Cafe

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Reviews With Photos

Almost famous bowl
Joya B.

The portions are massive and absolutely, band for your buck. The location is perfectly located as far as visibility, parking is bad though. It's spacious inside, plenty of space to sit. Very minimalist with ordering, you go to the counter order, wait and pick up at counter. The food: gravy good, mashers tasty and fresh, greens tasty. The almost famous was good, but another container should have been used it was leaking. I was not a fan of the Mac, the ribz texture was good could have used more flavor. Overall I would return to try other items. Also the chickpea flour overpowered the chikn.

Potato Balls and Tahini Bowl.  Yummy!!!
Lyn R.

Best vegan food so far! The tahini bowl was absolutely larger and more filling than I expected. Loved the beets, grains, veg and tahini sauce..perfect balance. The potato balls blew me away. Large, crispy not greasy. So good!! My friend had the Dip and loved it. She also got some of them cookies. Parking can be a challenge, so be prepared. The place does get busy and they do a fair amount of takeout. Definitely coming back!

Rib Plate Buffalo Chick'n Gluten Free Mac & Cheese
Sarah B.

Order at the front and food comes to you. The rib plate was amazing! It was WAY TOO MUCH food for me. It could be shared.

Kayla V.

I went here because it had good ratings, both on here and on findmeglutenfree.com. It did seem safe for those with celiac, as there were some options and the front-of-house employee was knowledgeable about what wasn't safe (no dedicated gluten-free fryer unfortunately!). I know GF flour is more expensive than regular flour, but especially in this economy, it sucks to pay an extra $2.50 just to eat like everyone else. And I wish their menu was more clear about that; I might have chosen a different place if I knew that my meal would come out to over $20. But props to their GF bread; my sandwich was ridiculously messy and it still didn't crumble under the weight and sauce of the sandwich, the way many GF breads would. And while I wish there were more enticing GF sides, the creamed corn was still good. The standout though was the flavor of the buffalo "chicken." As a vegetarian, I don't get to eat food like this very often! Anmy friend eats meat, but was still impressed by her chili jackfruit sandwich

Tahini bowl (window seat)
Mary J.

The restaurant has the ambiance of an 80's food court, but the food is utterly scrumptious! I had the Tahini Bowl, a classic of theirs, and they gamely subbed lettuce for rice. The tofu strips were generous and tender. The beets and broccoli were crunchy and flavorful. The tahini dressing was rich, tangy, and garlicky, perfectly slathered over everything. The portion was large. No gimmicks, just really healthy and delicious vegan food. Yum!

Bbq cauliflower wings
Kyrsten S.

I found this gem while in Olympia. The place was nice and clean, the service was great ! The lady was helpful and you could tell they enjoy their jobs. They food was cooked to order and I can tell the establishment is a gem because everyone started coming to place orders. The rest room was clean as well. The food is delicious. I'm upset I left my other order, but I was able to call and get refunded. They were sooooo nice. I'll stop back here when I return.

Lunch with my kiddos.
Yolanda R.

Healthy delicious vegan food, it's been a favorite for years, the service is very friendly and pleasant and the space is large and cool. I feel so healthy after I eat here. Thank you Wayside Deli for existing.

Potato balls, Buffalo cauliflower wings, arugula beetroot salad, Mac and vegan cheese, Jelly Belly sugar free seltzer
Crystal F.

My family and I loved the food here! We enjoyed the Buffalo cauliflower wings, potato balls, Arugula beetroot salad, and Mac n cheese. My kids were completely floored by how cheesy tasting the Mac n cheese was even though it is completely vegan. For dessert they had some generous slices of carrot cake and chocolate cake. I saw they also offered ice cream and milkshakes (when available). My personal faves were the beetroot salad and Buffalo cauliflower wings. The batter was crispy and the Buffalo sauce was just spicy enough and delicious. This is an order at the counter and pick up yourself kinda place. Our service was awesome and the kind woman at the counter answered all of my questions. The artwork on the walls was really cool although my kids (aged 10 and 13) thought it was creepy. And we had a homeless guy come and eat with us at our table which was odd but welcome. He didn't seem to mind. My family would come and eat here regularly if we lived closer.

The Dip with Mash & Gravy
Kylie T.

One of my favorite things to order at a restaurant if I see it on the menu is a warm yummy french dip. This was my first time trying their french dip here and I can say proudly this is by far the best french dip combo I've had eating out and tops any I have eaten with meat inside them. The inside is clean and a perfect place to enjoy your comfort food favorites with your friends! I will definitely be back and this will be my go to winter combo meal, ugh so good!

BBQ jackfruit sandwich

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7 months ago

Update: They are open early now! Their creamed corn, ribz and mac n cheez my favorites. Their cakes cannot be beat. Cookies are huge!

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Ask the Community - The Wayside Cafe

Some conflicting info; Yelp says open at 11 and the website says open at 4? Can anyone confirm? Tried calling and no answer, either busy or they open at 4

Just went by and their sign says 4-8pm

Is everything on the menu vegan??? :)

Gunther, everything on the menu is vegan.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

Bits Cafe

Bits Cafe

(141 reviews)

$$

I'm updating my review because I've tried this place under different circumstances. Crappy day when…read morethe weather makes everything depressing? Happy tummy. Solo? Happy tummy. Rumbly tummy? Happy tummy. Literally, every single time I come here, I leave with a happy and slightly over full stomach. The wait is getting a little longer these days because I think people are catching on that this is the place to make your tummy happy, but if you want a retro boho style atmosphere with some of the best breakfast/brunch/lunch you've EVER tasted, you NEED TO COME HERE AT LEAAT ONCE IN YOUR LIFE. And if the French bread is on the specials, get one piece to share with your dining companion. If you aren't fighting over the crumbs and syrup, you just aren't doing it right.

After reading about this place on "best of" lists, we finally remembered to drop by here for…read morebreakfast. Now that I've tried it I can say that this is hands down the best breakfast place I've tried in Olympia so far. Unless you're there when they open, you're gonna wait because this is a small restaurant with a lot of people who want in. They have a nice seating area, but it's small, so you might have to wait outside. As soon as you walk in, put your name on the list because even if you're okay with sitting as at the counter, you have to check in. After a 15 minute wait a table next to the window cleared up so lucky us. Sis got the poached eggs on toast and she loved it. She also got the lavendar latte and we both don't really like lavendar, but this drink was lovely. I got the traditional breakfast with eggs, chicken apple sausage, toast, and a side sald. My dudes, you have to get the side salad. The carrots are finely grated and flash fried so the topping is slightly crunchy. Put that with the pepitas and a lightly sweet, creamy dressing and you've got heaven in your mouth. Even the toast was buttered perfectly and the right amount of toasting so that it was delicious with butter and with or without the jam. As soon as we were eating was as soon as we were already making plans to return. This place is the best.

Soul Cafe

Soul Cafe

(42 reviews)

Thank you for the beautifully made sandwiches and mocha! It's a wonderful place. Good energy and…read morepositive vibes,organic everything! We are stoked on this place. Hope to come again!

Cool cafe with pretty mid food…read more The ambiance inside is really relaxing; plenty of comfortable seating with plenty of plants around to make a warm and inviting space. The cafe is attached to a store, but that doesn't really affect the cafe all that much. The tablecloths used have a tendency to slide around very easily. We got the tempe blt panini and tempeh Ruben panini with their fries. The fries and ketchup were the best tasting item. You can add extras to the sandwiches, but that gets pretty pricey pretty fast. I added on avocado for $2, which was left off my sandwich so be sure to check that your food is correct. They did give me a small cup of avocado when I went up to the front, but I unfortunately did not notice it was missing until I had already eaten half of my sandwich. The food itself was a bit greasy. Not too overwhelming, but enough that it affected the meal. The sandwiches are pretty small, but filling enough for a lunch sized portion. Beyond food, everything else is self service (water, napkins, utensils). Not bad unless you have limited mobility, then it will be difficult to maneuver around the tables to the small cramped corner that everything else is located. When a gentleman asked the staff if they would bring him a fork (needed assistance walking), the staff only pointed again where the utensils were located before walking away.

The Wayside Cafe - vegan - Updated May 2026

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