Beetle Cafe

Finallly!!! Beetle café reopen! Yay.
I always come here for one reason crispy pork! YOU MUST TRY IT.
It comes with cucumber, tomato, corn, green been, pickle, egg (I have no idea why its brown but the egg is actually favored with sourse), deep fried cornchip, deeping sourse (spicy and teriyaki i think) and crispy pork! Pork is sooo juicy and cripsy at same time. I dont know how to describe it perfectly it just tooo good. And by the way DURING HAPPY HOUR (11am to 3pm), it comes with sweet tea and ice cream for only $ 8. So if you do the math usually tea from other café usually cost more than $ 1 and lets say ice cream is $ 2. You get the really amazing crispy pork dish for $ 5. This is literally best deal in U District!

The new menu offers more selection of Indonesian food. As a noodle lover, I like their Mie Tek Tek and Mie Ayam. The lady is super nice and always give 5 stars service!

If you are reading this, just come here and give this a try. You will not regret it!
I came here before the restaurant closed for renovation and it felt like an excruciating 3 months waiting for Beetle to open. Now they are up & running yay!
The restaurant have great food, great service and also wi fi. (I would recommend trying the crispy pork or soto betawi!). The craziest deal comes during lunch hours (until 4 pm)– $ 8 will get you an entrée, flavored drink, AND ice cream.
Also, the lady (owner) is very nice and treats customer like family. It makes the restaurant feel like home.
Will definitely come back again without a doubt :-)

I found out about this place from a friend’s recommendation, and it was everything I was looking for in a coffee shop — solid wifi, great food, reasonable prices, and good location (in the heart of the u district). I meet up with a small group of 3 – 7 colleagues every week, and we are always looking for great spots to collaborate. Unfortunately, the first, and only, time we came here was on their last day! We left at closing time and the lady puts up a new sign «closed for at least 3 weeks».
My friend said the place was always empty, and it was empty when we were there too. I guess this place pours their energy into making a great food, hours, and working environment, but they don’t seem to be marketing it very well. So, I will do my part by sharing this gem on the web. Even if this spot re-​opens and gets over-​crowded, at least they will be in business!

Solid café with a great interior, friendly staff, and quality food!
I love that this place is family-​owned. The employees are super friendly and they’re more than willing to explain the menu to you. I got the beef noodle soup for lunch, which came with a cup of earl grey tea and mango sorbet (for only $ 8 total!) The soup had a generous portion of noodles and beef, though it would have been cool to see them try to make a soft-​boiled rather than hard-​boiled egg that’s typical of soups (maybe that’s my ramen-​junkie side talking…) I went here with three other friends, and they all equally enjoyed their meals.
Love the interior – it’s so homey and comfortable. They’re currently closed for renovation (starting Jan. 22, 2016), but I know I’ll be back to try their shaved ice!

Went here because I heard it’s Indonesian (I love Indo Café), and it’s close to UW.
Only 3 choices for dinner but the Rendang Beef I tried was so good. It almost melted in my mouth and I licked all the sauce when I finished the dish. Usually I don’t like coconut-​milk flavor dish but the coconut-​taste in the Rendang beef here is like made for me; it came to me for a second after I enjoyed the texture and flavor of the beef, and within another moment it’s gone! Just long enough to bring a new feeling to the dish and I love it.
The waitress is super nice, kept smiling to me and gave me free ice-​cream.

Chicken soup (Soto ayam) is so delicious & mix vegetables (gado gado) yummy
It’s my favorites place on the ave

Beetle Café offers everything and anything you’d ever want from the quintessential hole-​in-​the-​wall.
Family-​owned
Super sweet and attentive staff
Super, super cheap, homey and delicious food
Clean and quiet
Solid wifi
From what I overheard, Beetle Café is run by a brother and sister power duo. They’re super nice and friendly.
The menu is straight-​forward, with Taiwanese and Cambodian favorites — I decided to get the braised pork over rice bowl, the homiest of foods. And get this… It was FIVE DOLLARS!!!
As soon as I sat down, the woman brought out tea and silverware. Food came out pretty quickly — which I scarfed down while noodling around on my computer (wifi is EXCELLENT!!).
I also decided to get their shaved ice — which was enough for three people (or one Sara). Green tea ice cream, lychee, peaches and strawberry syrup. It was 40 degrees that day but the weather didn’t stop me — I had to eat it. And it was easily worth it (especially since it was $ 4)!
Beetle Café has definitely become one of my favorite hole-​in-​the-​walls in Seattle, along Canton Wonton House and In the Bowl.
We will meet again!!!

Beetle Café offers everything and anything you’d ever want from the quintessential hole-​in-​the-​wall.
Family-​owned
Sweet and attentive staff
Super, super cheap, homey and delicious food
Clean and quiet
Solid wifi
From what I overheard, Beetle Café is run by a brother and sister power duo. They’re very nice and friendly.
The menu is straight-​forward, with Taiwanese and Cambodian favorites — I decided to get the braised pork over rice bowl, the homiest of foods. And get this… It was FIVE DOLLARS!!!
As soon as I sat down, the woman brought out tea and silverware. Food came out pretty quickly — which I scarfed down while noodling around on my computer (wifi is EXCELLENT!!).
I also decided to get their shaved ice — which was enough for three people (or one Sara). Green tea ice cream, lychee, peaches and strawberry syrup. It was 40 degrees that day but the weather didn’t stop me — I had to eat it. And it was easily worth it (especially since it was $ 4)!
Beetle Café has definitely become one of my favorite hole-​in-​the-​walls in Seattle, along with Canton Wonton House and In the Bowl.
We will meet again!!!

Had our first time at Beetle café for dinner with 7 group of people so we tried almost everything in the menu. My personal favorite is Gado-​gado, crispy pork and hainan chicken rice. Taste really homey and the price is reasonable

Hella good everything.
Like. Hella. Good. Everything.
Drop everything and come here now.
On a serious note: great food and atmosphere. Polite and friendly staff. Highly recommend.

Really a 3.5 but I’m putting 4 because of the service.
I came here a second time to try their snow ice and their Hainan chicken to go. We ordered matcha snow ice with grass jelly and red bean as the toppings. When it came out, we got mango instead of red bean. Also, the grass jelly was the tiny diced variety that comes in the cans of grass jelly drinks. I like the larger, softer chunks. The mango was completely unripe. We notified the server that we had ordered red bean and not mango, they rectified the situation by giving us not just red bean, but taro chunks and an additional scoop of ice cream to add to the bowl. She was really apologetic and super nice about it! The snow ice though, had a lot of chunky parts, and it would melt into some gooey, sticky mess. A bit unappetizing, but it’s OK. Snow ice should be completely fluffy and not melt into goo.
The Hainan chicken was OK but nothing special. I’m still looking for amazing Hainan chicken like I had once in Richmond BC. Sigh.

Café vibe: super cute, super clean, polite and friendly staff. The location is a bit hole in the wall, even for a place on the Ave, but it’s worth the find.
Food itself: So. Good. The seasonings are just right, and they don’t skimp on the quality of the little sides you get (ice cream, tea, soup), which I appreciate.
Highly recommend. Def one of the places on the Ave that would deserve all the hype it gets. New go to fave on the Ave for me.

Haven’t tried their desserts yet, but their entrees are pretty good. The rendang is mouthwatering and the Hainan chicken is nice and juicy. Would also recommend the gado-​gado for those interested in vegetarian options. The staff is also super nice and friendly.

Tried out this cozy little café on a weekday. This place is pretty chill and quaint. We were just looking for something to snack on so we ordered the watermelon shaved ice with mangoes and rice balls (mochi). We were pretty surprised by the size, generous servings. The shaved ice was actually really tasty. The textures is light and it’s not too sweet, which I like. I had anticipated the watermelon shaved ice to taste kind of weird because watermelon flavors tend to be a little off, but this one was surprisingly good. Light, refreshing and flavorful, it’s one of my favorite shaved ice places besides DTF.
Great place for the high tea with the girls or a quiet study café. The owners are super nice and they have this punch card thing where you can rack up rewards.
Im excited to go back soon to try out their food. :)
Protip: Go for the shaved ice! Ask for the app to rack up rewards.

Great place for bingsoo! I really like their mango snow ice. I got it with mango sherbet, with lychee and red bean. I had a pretty terrible day, but it got better after I stopped by for dessert here. I’m looking forward to trying this place out more and I will recommend this café to all of my friends.

They two girls that I’ve seen working here are so friendly and helpful! They’ve gone out of their way to try to answer my questions and do what they can to meet my sometimes strange requests. Also very quick service, and a nice quiet place to study.
I’ve had the green tea latte (bomb, not too sweet like at many places) and their snow ice. Snow ice was such a huge portion! I was expecting a quarter of the portion ft the $ 6.50 that it cost. I also loved that it wasn’t too sweet. We got green tea snow with red bean and taro balls and mango ice cream to top.
I can’t wait to try their savory menu items! Will be coming back to support this local business.

Very friendly & kind cashier/​server. Good deal for their lunch specials. Food was well made & ice cream was good. Interior has good ambience for chat/​study/​hang. However, the whole store have a hint of moth-​balls smell, not sure if that came from customers or employees or the store itself, but that got into the taste of my iced tea (had a few sips & had to throw it out).

Service: Super fast and super friendly.
_​Food arrives within 10 minutes after ordered (I’m usually there between 12 to 1pm).
_​Even-​though it’s more like a pay at the counter and bus your own table kinda place, the owner insists on bringing us our food and bus our table a lot of the time.
_​The owner gave us free drinks and ice cream 3 out of the 5 times we were there. For no apparent reason.
Food:
_​The portion may look small at first, but it will fill you up.
_​The food tastes… decent, meaning I don’t regret putting in my mouth, though sometimes the meat feels kinda TV dinner-​y. But hey, for only 10 bucks (tip and tax included), I get an entrée, a drink of tea (mango/​passion fruit, hot/​iced) and 2 scoops of ice cream (Mango, matcha and maybe 2 other generic flavors), so I can’t complain.
_​Best ice-​cream I’ve had on The Ave. I’m kinda weird and like ice granules in my ice cream though, so their ice cream might not works for everyone.
Space: Clean (no sticky table tops). Relatively quiet. Air-​conditioned, so it’s much more airy than most cafes. Chairs are comfortable over long period of time.
Overall: The owner and waiter are so nice to me, so it pains me to say this: the food is great only when you consider how cheap it is, otherwise it’s just mediocre. However, value and convenience are important to me, so I like coming here. But if you are looking for Instagram worthy food presentation or to satisfy your tastebuds, then this place is probably not for you.

The Indonesian food and snacks are authentic and delicious. The Owners and staffs are really nice :)
A simple and perfect combination.

First of all, the service was quite fast even at prime hour and the server was really kind and attentive.
Food :
— The crispy pork was superb. The skin is crispy and the meat is delightful tender. The portion is moderate and that is why i am craving for more of the meats!!!
— Chicken hainan is very light and enjoyable. It is not the best hainan I’ve ever tasted but it is quite good. Recommended for those who are craving for hainan chicken
— Beef noodle soup is not as flavorful as what I expected. The noodle soup is more like taiwanese noodle soup. I like the texture of the noodle and meat is incredibly tender.
Tips: Come at lunch time. They will give you ice tea and ice cream for free if you order one of the meals.

I liked the interior of this café back when it was briefly called Monarch; its definitely brighter compared to other dim and tucked places of the Ave.
The drink menu is pretty standard, and their green tea latte uses real matcha. They also have cold brew, but didn’t give that a try yet.
They seem Indonesian-​run (which is a rarity out here), but definitely can’t wait to try the beef rendang or Hainanese chicken rice. They also do kakigori/​shave ice with ice cream as well (not ais kacang style, for Indonesian/​Malaysian foodies) but hope they expand their hot food menu for the winter!
Outlets (yeah, can’t forget) are located next to each table under the benches. They’re plentiful if you want to set up camp.

My girl friend and I came here for dessert. The decoration is good, service is good food looks good but the tastes are just tasteless. We had chocolate kakigori, a shaved ice made by a huge trunk of plain ice, cookie straw, can peach and a scoop of ice cream; and green tea snow ice, which is ok with that scoop of green tea ice cream but then the snow ice taste like as if the green tea is made mainly by water. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, THE CONDENSED MILK BOTTLE DID HELP…
I would say the ices are ok, they are not «oh this is bad I can’t do this anymore», but also gives no motivation for finishing them at the same time…
The service is probably the best part of the store overalll: D

Green tea fujiyama… I love this place. So far this is the new place u guys need to try.
Nothing i can say about this place.
This is awesome place.

New place. Clean and simple.
Try chocolate kakigori. Amazing.
Wew amazing dessert, amazing place to hang out.
What u guys waiting for. Try this amazing place.

Amazing shaved ice, awesome service and people. The owners are so nice!
Great place to study and hang out

KABOOM. That is the sound of exploding flavor in your mouth when you order the Rendang Curry and take a bite. I innocently walked into this empty café (only open 3 weeks) yesterday morning at 10am and didn’t leave until 4pm. And I wasn’t even being held hostage!
When Beetle Café was still Monarch Café here were my thoughts:
1. Reasonable drink and food prices
2. So peaceful… but still so groovy
Since the name and management change, it’s gotten even better. This café has fairer food/​drink prices than most cafes in the area. For example, they offer a good panini sandwich for $ 4 –It’s not fancy (ham, bacon, cheese, lettuce) but it doesn’t burn up your wallet– and a mango iced tea for $ 2. (summer special)
Okay, so you’re like «Cool, it’s cheap. And the place is tight looking. That’s it?» No, my dear friend, no. I have yet to tell you about Beetle Café’s hidden weapon: their tiny menu of 3 entrée items. It may be tiny… but it’s magical.
Indonesian food is my favorite cuisine (if it’s not yours, it’s obviously cause you haven’t had it) and so when I found out this little gem of a place on the gyro-​thai-​phở-​dominated Ave served Indonesian food, I went ecstatic. I wanted everything they could offer.
And offer they did! Sarah was kind enough to give me extra veggies and sides of sambal (spicy sauce) and padang (spicy sauce) after I told her I need more fiber in life and was a capsaicin fanatic. I don’t know if I was crying because of the heat or because I was so effin happy.
OH AND GUESS WHAT. You know that $ 8.75 (tax inc.) you paid for your Indonesian plate? It includes a cold tea drink AND ice cream! Wut. Dealz.
The place is spacious, well-​lit and the music isn’t too loud (They play a good mix of songs), so it’s somehow a great place to have dinner, have drinks with friends AND to study on your own. Doesn’t even sound like a real place! The only way to find out… is to go there yourself.
Sidenote: Their green tea latte is made from top-​notch quality matcha.
Sidenote2: Generous-​ass portions.
Sidenote3: Outlets be everywhere.
One thing I hope they add in the future is more vegetarian food options!

Today is the opening day for the Beetle Café and I had the privilege of coming here with my best friend. We ordered the Indonesian Beef Rendong and Chicken Hainanese Rice. IT WAS AMAZING!!! It was light yet hearty and fullfilling. I really appreciate the customer service and the welcomeness of the café. I believe it will be popular as more people know about this café and become a huge success.
Go check it out, get some coffee, study, do your work, etc. You won’t be disappointed at all. It’s new, it’s different, it’s innovative!