Kitanda Espresso & Açaí

At Greenlake: I went on a Sunday when they are supposed to open at 8. I got there at 8:20 and it was closed, so I thought that was weird and I went to a Starbucks nearby because I really wanted an Acai bowl. I went back around 11 and they were open. I got my Acai bowl, it was good, I was happy, and everything was great!
But, I am writing this review because I went back a few weeks later on a Saturday when they are supposed to open at 7. I get there at 8 and it’s closed and no one is there. I wait until 8:30 and ITS STILL CLOSED. I had to leave for work so I couldn’t stay any longer, and who knows how long I would have been there.
Point is: Good bowls, bad management.

Quick and friendly staff, and the Brazilian latte (iced) was awesome. Will definitely be back.

Given that it was mother’s day, we expected a line.
There were only two people ahead of us, but it felt like six. Turns out the cashier was new and wasn’t familiar with the menu or the cash register. There was only one other person working.
Once we ordered (strawberry passionfruit iced tea and a hot water with a tea bag) we took a seat and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Probably 15 minutes later, I went and waited near where the drinks were being dropped.
My mom’s hot tea came out, but not my drink.
The two women behind us got their selections first and mine still never came.
I told the girl and she apologized and quickly poured a pre-​made, batched pink liquid over wayyyyy too much ice and handed it to me.
We left and I realized there was no hint of strawberry OR lemonade in my drink… just unsweetened passionfruit tea.
We didn’t bother going back to fix it because of the additional long wait we’d have to endure.
They need to train their staff on off days/​hours and be able to handle their business swiftly and accurately to keep their customers coming back.

Really intrigued with original cheese bread. Has such an interesting doughy consistency in the center. Prices are excellent. Got the acia energy bowl and chairs latte. Tasty, though I prefer for my acia to have a more solid consistency (it was kind of soupy/​smoothie. I prefer sherbet consistency). Chat latte was standard, but again, well priced. I’ll be back.

This place is really nice, I loved the brazalian latte, and open tables.

I am loving this place! They have the best acai energy blast bowls! Their coffee is nice too (usually I stick to their lattes or cappuccino’s, since the Brazilian latte is just too sweet for me). Otherwise, it’s a great place to hang out on a lazy weekend. Must try their pastries eventually, but mostly there for their acai bowls and coffee!

Excellent Brazilian bakery. Coixinhas, pao de queijo, and guarana are the best things to order.

So, this morning my coworkers wanted to go here and celebrate a coworkers birthday. I hadn’t ever been so I was open minded to trying a new coffee shop other then Starbucks. I was told the hot dogs were amazing and so was the coffee. I decided on an caramel almond blended drink, a hot dog and a cheese and raspberry breakfast swirl thing. I decided to basically try it all out. Enjoyed my drink with my breakfast raspberry first, and then had my hot dog. The hot seemed oddly lukewarm and I just thought it was because it was sitting for a little before I ate it. We left, went back to work, thought nothing of this. Speed up hours later and I’m literally losing my entire stomach contents in the bathroom at work and I hadn’t had anything else at this point. Go to lunch and suddenly things are even worse when I return. I haven’t felt this sick in years and hope they double check how they prepare some of their food! Not my finest moment. I’d settle for their coffee but definitely plan on skipping the hot dogs! Sorry y’all!!!

$ 4.12 for an Americano sandwhich??? I think the girl over charged me that item. I go here all the time and I checked my transaction and just when I didn’t ask for my receipt I get overcharged… great. I can get a better sandwhich at Starbucks…

Wife and I went in with our three grandkids when we were at Redmond town center. We ordered four of their hotdog and cocoa specials for the kids. All four of them were served cold as was the pastry we ordered so we sent them back. When we got them back they were so hot that we could not eat them, not good for three little hungry kids. When we were in there I saw several people returning food for the same reason. The coffee was ok but why the need to nuke everything, ever heard of fresh pastry?

Terrible service doesn’t begin to describe it. Not only the employees but also the manager who watched the employee act rude. I ordered the Acai bowl to go, with peanuts & honey on top. They proceeded to serve a dozen people in line behind me (what!!!) when I asked about my missing order they said, «We will get to it.» I was finally handed a sticky mug about ¹⁄₃ full of the Acai, without the toppings. «I forgot the honey, you can get some at the counter if you want it», was his reply. When I inquired about the missing peanuts and the fact that it was ½−2/3 less in size than usual, the employee aggressively attacked me verbally that it was standard size and I was wrong! So, the Acai is now a mini-​size with a side of rude! I desired to leave so, again… asked for a «to go» container & left. By the way, they are always out of the cheese bread, I’ve never been able to even try them, now I never will! Avoid if you can.

I love this little coffee shop with acai bowls! I often stop by here to get their acai energy bowls after visiting the Marymoor dog park. There is not a lot of parking available on the street, but you can get a spot in the parking center in the middle of the structure (covered).
During my last visit I also had their chicken cones. Yummy! These are delicious warmed up and will be added to my future orders. You can get these to go from their frozen fridge along with acai frozen mixes to make smoothies at home.
The service can be a little slow, but I’ve never had a real problem getting my ordered filled quickly.

Fantastic little restaurant! Great location, wonderful staff and amazing food! I found the food very reasonably priced and the portion size are more than adequate! Would highly recommend

I give 2 ½ stars to this place The Brazilian snacks are so disappointing. I am from Brazil and I obviously know when something is good and authentic.
2 stars
The food snacks are not well made and some are old. There were couple of times I had to ask for a new one because the chicken filling of the chicken cone was rotten.
The last time we were there, my husband asked for an Americano (basically a ham and cheese wrapped in a pizza dough). It was disgusting! We could not identify what was ham, what was cheese… I took a picture so you can see what I am talking about.
The chicken cone has too much dough and the chicken filling is not very tasty. The cooked chicken is shredded in a processor and not by hand, as it should be, so it is more like a past :(
The only things I think it is fairly good are the acai, desserts and coffee.
3 stars for the service
There is nothing special about the service here. Sometimes there are nicer people than the other. But the overall service you will get is: no how are you? How is your day going? Nothing! They just want your business. That is all.
The only reason I come here still every once in a while is for some Brazilian products and when I am dying to eat a Brazilian snack and don’t have time to make them, since it takes time to prepare. But as a Brazilian I can tell you. The food is not good at all.

I love Kitanda! Their mochas, breve latte and croissant sandwiches are absolutely amazing. My husband also likes their cheese rolls. The staff is friendly and the place has been clean every time I went in.

Kitanda. Simple menu and simply done well. The Brazilian latte is main attraction here. A latte with a little bit of condensed milk. It goes down real smooth.
The cheese breads are nice as well. We are fans of the Romeo & Juliet, which is a slight chewy cheese bread sandwich with guava paste and mozzarella in the middle. Served best warm. Goes perfect in combination with the aforementioned latte.
Once in a while, I’ll opt to get the Energy Blast acai bowl. It’s refreshingly good with the granola and fruit sitting on top. Nice breakfast option to start off your day.

I would give this a 1 star rating but I really do enjoy cheese bread sandwiches and the guarana pop they carry.
Which brings me to the problem and why I won’t be going there anymore. Out of the 10 – 12 times I’ve been there in the last 2 months, 95% of the time they are out of one of the following:
A. The cheese breads to make the sandwiches
B. Egg for the bacon & egg sandwich
C. Turkey for the turkey & cheese sandwich
D. All the above
I have never seen a company be out of their main menu item as often as this place. I even joke with friends that when I go to pick up a few of the cheese bread sandwiches, that they will most likely be out of something… and sure enough they usually are.
I’ve been staying in the Marriott across the street for the last 2 months and this place is literally next door. That’s the only reason I have gone to this place.
The sandwiches are great, not to mention gluten free, BUT its almost a given that they will be out of something. And if I had driven there from any further distance, I never would have come back for a second visit.
Once the construction finishes on my place in Kirkland and I move back home, I will no longer frequent this place.
I might consider trying the Kirkland location but will not be in any hurry.
What a bummer…

This is my favorite café in Redmond Town Centre. I like their Brazilian coffee more than Starbucks!

I’ve been here twice and ordered the Brazilian Latte both times as I haven’t seen it at any typical coffee shop. It’s a normal latte, but sweetened with condensed milk, making for a slightly creamy consistency. It is not overly sweet and the strength of the coffee is just right… however, I don’t really notice much of a difference between this and a regular latte. Although good, the flavors are nearly identical.
The employees are friendly and quickly prepare your drinks. The atmosphere is pretty cozy, providing a comfortable area to work or catch up with a friend.

Popped in for a coffee during a trip to the east side. I decided to try a Brazillian latte. For those who have not been initiated, it’s a latte made with sweetened condensed milk. Mine was delicious, not overly sweet, but very creamy and rich.
A few people working are here working on their laptops, others socializing with friends. There’s a children’s play area outside, and a few outdoor tables conveniently placed for parents to supervise their kids.
The pastries look interesting, if I didn’t have a lunch date I would have definitely grabbed a «chicken cone». I’ll be back!

My boyfriend & I come here all the time since it’s very close to our home.
The atmosphere is great for studying and getting work done! The staff is really sweet and respectful. I love the gluten free cheese bread.
The ONLY negative point about this place is that it unfortunately has a stinging vomit like smell in the café.

I will always love Kitanda. They make my favorite pão de queijo in all of Washington… and their Brasilian latte is consistently good. Add to that, their açai. I know that açai isn’t super popular in Seattle (in comparison to other cities).but Kitanda does it right – they don’t mix it with milk. Also, if you’d like pão to go, you can purchase it frozen. My bread of choice – always ;)

Coffee with a friend.
COFFEE: 3.0. Americano. Very hot. (Almost too) dark roast.
SERVICE: 4.0.
AMBIANCE: 4.0. Located in a former Tully’s, the atmosphere is much improved over the former location at Overlake. Comfortable place to talk with folks privately over coffee and rolls.
Brazilian packaged sweets etc are available.

I came after work one day to grab a snack and catch up with a friend. I did a quick browse on Unilocal and saw the Brazilian latte might be good, so I got that. and also a cheesebread because I love cheese, bread, and heated sandwiches :) I decided on the Romeo and Juliet cheesebread because I liked the name, and it seemed the most unique — fresh mozzarella and guava paste. I really enjoyed the sweet and savory of it. It’s not huge (see photo) so for $ 3.29, it’s borderline pricey, but I figure it’s the same price as a cupcake or other pastry, so it’s not too bad. 4.5 stars. As for the latte, I wasn’t super impressed. It was good. but I couldn’t taste or tell what made it Brazilian, and the 12oz seemed almost too much because it got really sweet towards the end. 3.5 stars.
Average, solid 4 stars. I’d come back for the cheesebread again, and though the café isn’t particularly cute, it’s not a bad place for catching up or to spend a few hours studying/​reading.

Someone Brazilian at work had brought miniature versions of the chicken cone for a potluck and I was hooked. A few work colleagues and I had the chance to head for coffee and treats this morning and was so impressed again how yummy the food is.
We tried the chicken pot pie (my Brazilian friend mentioned this is actually an empadinha), the chicken cones, and the chicken hand pie/​beef pie and were blown away by all. I really enjoyed the texture of the cheesy bread too.
I finished it all with a Brazilian latte which was so smooth. I’m quite fortunate that I don’t live closer since my waist line would keep expanding but looking forward to bringing my family here on a weekend to check it out.

I’d been to the Kirkland location (super tucked away!), and decided to try out the Redmond Town Center location while in the area. It was relatively quiet, and my drink was made quickly and perfectly.
I will always recommend the Brazilian latte, no matter which location you choose.

It was sad to see Kitanda close its previous location (now Tapioca Express) in Redmond near Microsoft. Fortunately, Kitanda opened up a new location earlier this year in the former Tully’s location at Redmond Town Center across the street from the Redmond Marriott.
Kitanda is most known for their Brazilian lattes and baked goods. So when I came across a Groupon drink promotion, I jumped on it right away.
The new location’s exterior is painted in yellow making it quite distinctive. So are the walls of the interior. It certainly is a change from the dark color patterns of most coffee shops in the area. There is a Starbucks just down the sidewalk from here and there is a noticeable difference in clientele on weekdays. Starbucks seems popular with the worker crowd, whereas Kitanda attracts a more diverse set of customers. I attribute this to Kitanda having a bit more of a casual, worldly feel to it.
I believe Kitanda offers wi-​fi now as I saw it as a network name when searching, though it required a password. If you would prefer not having to enter a password, look for the OPENFREE network which is the free Wi-​Fi network for Redmond Town Center.
The menu is a bit different from the old Redmond store. This location does not serve any Brazilian meals and there isn’t a grocery section. It does serve café fare like quiches and paninis. But the most unique new offering are their acai bowls which are hard to find in the Seattle area, unlike in Honolulu in which it has become a local favorite.
The Brazilian lattes are as good as ever. The condensed milk in the latte makes a significant difference. Using Caffé D’arte coffee beans certainly helps too. As for the baked goods, they are a bit of a mixed bag.
I really liked the cinnamon roll that I had here which was nice and soft. But I am a bit torn on the Brazilian pastries. The Brazilian cheesebread is not the same as other cheesebreads (mostly Asian) that I have had. The texture is different due to the type of flour which I believe is tapioca. It is gluten free on the bright side if you are particular about this. I did also try the chicken pocket. The chicken was dry and in need of some seasoning. It could use a flavoring like curry, but I know that is not Brazilian.
If you are looking for good coffee drinks in downtown Redmond, I would recommend Kitanda. Particularly for their Brazilian latte drink. Not entirely sold on the baked goods here, but there are a few things in the case that are worth a try. Make sure to ask the baristas to warm it up for you though as that makes a difference in taste.