Arabica Lounge

This place is terrible.
I understand that on a Sunday afternoon, most brunch places will be busy in Cap Hill. I get that. But when you order two breakfasts and two iced Americanos to-​go, you expect someone to let you know that your food is going to take over an hour to get to you.
Nope. Besides the «How hip can we be?» vibe of Arabica Lounge, in which everyone is trying to out-​hip one another, the employees were chatting instead of actually-​you know-​working. We ordered food, stood around and waited for over twenty minutes, and watched as employees flipped off patrons, giggled and chatted, and did pretty much everything besides work. You work at a café. WORK!
We never actually got our food – we waited for over twenty minutes, then asked how much longer it’d be. «Oh, probably about 20 or 30 minutes?» Seriously? For a breakfast sandwich? Are you milling the grains by hand in the back or something? And it didn’t occur to you that perhaps you should disclose that when someone orders food to-​go?
We had our order refunded.
Turns out that we actually went to this place on its last day – good riddance. This place is awful. The coffee wasn’t very good. The wait was absolutely ridiculous. The service was horrendous. Turns out that’s not sustainable in Seattle. Shocker.

Set your phasers on ironic.
Unfortunately we picked a day when the establishment had no chai OR chocolate. WTH, on a Saturday?
Oh, oatmeal shouldn’t require 25 minutes. Telling the customer that «it is what it is» doesn’t it it.
Background music was far too loud for civilized conversation.
Seriously, go with one of the other independent shops.

I’m sure the food might be good here, but I don’t think i can comprise for a reallly long wait time to get it. I think the art of running a restaurant is great food but also very importantly great and quick service. If you believe in the same save yourself from this place …

Cool environment. I tried their French press and my mom had their latte. I liked the French press but my mom said she had better lattes. :) the interesting idea of self service for their pastries. Next time we should try their pastries and maybe update the review.

I finally came here with a friend and am heartbroken that it’s closing in just a few weeks. The food is absolutely divine.
Yes, it’s a coffee shop. And does Seattle really *need* another coffee shop?
Um, duh.
And that’s because the food here is oodles and oodles better than any other coffee shop in this city. I got an omelette with gruyère and ham. I couldn’t eat it fast enough. My friend got scrambled eggs, and they are among the best in the city — significantly better than most brunch places. The hot chocolate I got was ok; definitely not magical.
But those scrambled eggs. I might need to go back for those every day between now and when the owner returns to Europe in February.

The barista was friendly, super helpful
$ 6 for a chai latte and a small cookie seemed steep to me, although it tasted good
Chai– extra spicy
Hazelnut cookie– pleasantly surprised by vivid flavor
The atmosphere was what merits the ²⁄₅ stars. Dim lighting, barren furniture, music that was loud and obnoxious (strange voices, clanging noises). They played the same annoying song for about 45 minutes. It’s not a place that made me want to stay a while. Sadly, I was more than ready to leave.
Overall: good drinks and customer service, but the poor atmosphere is what impacted me (maybe I just came on a bad day?)

I’m conflicted about this place. The people are nice, the food is really good and the coffee drinks are above average in a neighborhood where there are two coffee shops on every block.
The problem is that apart from a simple coffee or pre-​made pastry getting anything else is painfully slow. If there are more than two other food patrons ahead of you, prepare to wait at least 45 min for food. Coffee drinks are pretty slow too, especially if there is only one barista who is also working the register. It’s quite delicious when it finally arrives so if you have a lot of time, Arabica is still a good option. However, for those of us who tend to get hangry when waiting an hour for food… clear your schedule, bring a granola bar and a good book, or find another spot.
4 stars for the food and coffee
2 stars for the wait

Food was great, but the people were not nice. Also, it took FOREVER to get the food out (like 30 mins). All-​in-​all I probably won’t go back there.

I was here twice in the last week and really enjoyed my soy latte both times. The chocolate chip cookie I had was very crunchy and the black sesame cake was a pleasant, unique, find.
The cashier/​baristas were friendly, engaging, and informative for both visits. My second time there, I walked in and got a nod or hello from all three staff members. So nice!
Brief, warm, interactions were shared between patrons on both occasions.

I had one of the best brunches in Seattle here. Great selection of self-​serve pastries and baked goodies. Menu is inventive and novel (Portuguese custard tart, anyone?) Their egg scramble is to die for. I cannot wait to have another soldier egg. Not to mention, they have some of the best coffee in town! Now if only it was easy to find seating here. Customers just love to lounge around here even way after they are done. Many others are studying here with a cup of coffee where folks are just waiting to sit and eat their food. We got really lucky but do know that seating can be an issue. For that same reason, not good for groups either.

This place makes me feel like I’m not french enough to eat here, very cool décor and witty food. The soldier eggs are awesomely decorated, and the capuccino brulee is also interesting.

Jojo prepared a delicious carrot cake that not only looked amazing it tasted even better. The cake had great flavor and the creaminess plus the softness of the bread made every bite an experience.
His out of the oven bread is a must to try when you are on the go and just want to have a quick bite with coffee.

YES. I’ve found MY spot on the hill; the place where everybody knows (or will know) my name. You know, the Central Perk or MacLaren’s of Cap Hill.
Arabica Lounge left quite the first impression. This little coffee/​brunch shop is located on the corner of Denny and Olive Way.
I ordered a few items:
1.) Cappuccino brûlée — Crème brûlée + coffee? It was a perfect blend of frothy and smooth coffee, milk, and carmelized crunchy sweetness. They offer dairy-​free milk options for lactose-​intolerans like myself.
2.) Soldier eggs w/​German prosciutto — soft boiled eggs served w/​prosciutto wrapped toast (aka «soldiers») which you dip in your soft boiled eggs. Amazing! I love boiled eggs + semi-​runny yolk so I thought it was an interesting take on your traditional hard-​boiled eggs and toast breakfast. What made the meal even tastier was the chef (JoJo, I believe) personally brought out our food and gave us a brief lesson on how to properly consume the dish.
3.) Mount Rainiers — a coconut, almond macaroon w/​chocolate ganache! A perfect treat to end my brunch date. Not too sweet either. Apparently Chef JoJo is an all-​star and makes certain pastries/​sweets on a whim, always creating new recipes to share w/​his customers.
Remember to bus your own table so don’t be rude and leave your mess! Also, be sure to leave a nice tip because this place is clean, the drinks and coffee are delicious and the workers are super nice!
I’m excited I’ve found a place close to home that I’m eager to call my 2^nd home! If you haven’t seen me there yet, you can definitely count on seeing me there many, many, many times in the future!
/​/​end long review.

This is more 3.5 stars. I’m rounding down because I don’t know if I’d come back very often given my thoughts on this place. Luckily when I came on the weekend, it wasn’t too too busy. I spent a few hours here (on the laptop getting some work done) and it never got too crazy or anything. The place is pretty cool though aesthetically. Nice staff.
Food/​drinks: The vanilla latte was a solid 4 star. Also tried the cappuccino brûlée just bc it’s one of their special drinks. It’s essentially a cappuccino with a layer of sugar like in a crème brûlée. Kinda fun idea. Then you just crush it and let it melt into the beverage. Tried the soldier eggs. Super cute. Super good for pics. However, it’s really just two soft boiled eggs with salt and herbs on top with some bread on the side. A bit too much salt, but I guess you can brush it aside. Also tried the poached eggs with smoked salmon. It was just alright.
Prices: The soldier eggs were $ 11! That’s a lot for two eggs. Prob won’t get again. Just wanted to try it bc it is so nicely presented. Smoked salmon thing was a little more…$ 13 – 15? Don’t remember. Overall, kinda pricey food for not a lot of it.
The place is cool. Maybe if I came just for coffee then 4 stars? But the food is def more at 3 stars to me. Not bad, but for being pricier and just alright, I don’t think I wanna do that again.

Arabica Lounge makes me wish I were cooler. It’s full of the young and trendy typing away as they work from «home» and sip at their large mugs of coffee.
The space is gorgeous, clean and modern and they sling fantastic plates of eggs out of their closet-​sized kitchen. The staff is friendly and eccentric. Really, it’s got a lot going for it.
Downside: It’s too popular for it’s own good. A small, cool space with good food equals very long waits at the weekend and they can’t really accommodate more than a party of 4.
However, if you have time to kill you should wander in and take in one of their scrambles in the presence of some pretty people.

Great modern décor. I wish I had had time to eat here, the food looks great. The coffee is good, if not the richest I’ve had. It’s worth coming to because the staff is very sweet and the ample windows allow for maximum people watching.
A lot of detail went into the look of this place, and into their thoughtful menu. I really want to try the breakfast sandwich! And the baked eggs. Mmm… next time!
Like most places, there is no parking here. They have tins of vegetarian options!

They serve Stumptown coffee. Extra cool vibe. Chill, unique layout with interesting and retro/​modern décor. Un-​presumptuous peeps.
There’s a variety of seating: one huge communal table, little tables, bar stools, a couch and other sofa-​type seats. It’s a small place but the lay-​out and ambiance make it a charming little shop. There’s also some considerable lighting through the big windows on one of those rare beautiful sunny days in Seattle.
I’d recommend this place for a coffee meet-​up with friends or if you want to get some work done. The coffee isn’t cheap but it never is when it’s Stumptown and you have an earnest barista extracting some amazing beans for you, getting the temperature of everything just right. Needless to say, if this place gets a line, it’ll take a while to get drinks. But if you’re not in a rush and you want a cool place to chill, this is the spot.
Friend and i shared a Chemex (some interesting version of extracting coffee beans to get an intense flavor served in a huge test-​tube looking thing). Never really understood all the fancy ways of drinking coffee but I will say, this coffee was pretty amazing. It tasted a lot differently from the french press I got earlier.
I didn’t order any hot food but they have a sweet looking brunch menu – so many variations of eggs. I’m totally intrigued and will be back for brunch one day. They also have some good looking cookies laid out nicely on some platters against the window (reminds me of a cute, little, homey bakery almost). The chocolate rosemary cookie was chewy and quite good – not too sweet or dense. There were some other cookies too (chocolate chip, italian (2 for $ 1), and pastries.
Also clean bathroom :) That’s always a plus.

I usually like to linger at cafes for hours and never start my day before noon on my days off (please no judgement) so I was always bummed that Arabica closed so early (in my opinion) at 3pm on weekdays. But I finally had an occasion where I negotiated a lunch date here & was not disappointed. I was so impressed that I came back a second time the very next week.
The first time I went for lunch and had to try their soldier eggs with black sea salt. The presentation was so cute with actual toy soldiers accompanying my boiled eggs on the plate. I also ordered a vanilla latte & while usually lattes don’t stand out for me, I really enjoyed it. The second time I went I got a cappuccino brûlée because I’m a sucker for trying new things. Like a normal cappuccino but then the barista covers it with sugar and brûlées it for you at your table! For anyone who loves cracking open caramel brûlée (Amelie anyone?) this if for you. The sugar then melts into the cappuccino for a nice sweetness.
The interior looks like an artist’s home with lots of quirky décor against their white walls and high ceilings. Lots of seating options from counter space by the windows to retro looking couches to rustic wood tables. The barista’s both times were very helpful and nice. There’s lots of free street parking around the area which is always a huge plus for me because like I said I usually stay at places for over two hours most times & it’s a pain trying to go pay the meter again. Also, they have now extended their hours on weekends which means I will definitely back sometime soon.

First time here
I love the place, the decoration «design loft «
The waitress is really nice and she has good advices about the menu !
Different choices if eggs (look my picture) very tasted !
The music is romantic abs lounge
But the price is more than 1 $ for Unilocal !
(Eggs is ¹⁴⁄₁₅ $)

POSITIVE
Cool reclaimed wood tables. Excellent lounge music that is not distracting yet still creates a nice ambiance (Boards of Canada playing now). Friendly cashier behind the counter. There is also awesome artwork and unique decorations throughout the coffee shop.
NEGATIVE
Check the milk/​cream before adding it to your cup of coffee; I was surprised by unexpected curdles added to my freshly brewed coffee. This is basic and a potential health issue, thus I am deducting 3 stars from an otherwise 5 out of 5 star review.