Cafe Cuzco

Meh. Ate dinner here to entertain a guest in town, and really wished we had gone somewhere else. It was a pretty embarrassing introduction of Ballard to our guest.
The service was friendly, and perhaps the vibe for breakfast or lunch is better than it is for dinner. They were out of four of the eight entrées on their menu, and the server said one would be done in about two hours, even though they were going to be closed for the night before then. So, we ordered what we could.
My favorite dish was the tiradito, and the cevice was adequate. Nothing to write home about, but good none the less. Skip the alafajores for dessert — they were frozen, had barely any dulce de leche in the middle, and were covered in sticky sweet caramel and strawberry sauces.
I am intrigued by the vacuum pot coffee, but not enough to draw me back there anytime soon.
However, our guest loved the different cocktail selections and wasn’t as disappointed as I was, so that’s a good thing.

This comment is to the owner. I was there earlier tonight to eat dinner with my wife and two friends, whom one of them happens to be Peurvian.
I ordered the lomo saltado which I waited over an hour for and I was never served because your waiter served the wrong table to another party who was barely there for 20 minutes.
Instead of you giving me a sincere apology, you chased all of us out of your business with an angry tone of voice demanding that we pay for all the food we ordered. Before you yell at your customers, just remember that it is the customer that will make or break your business. If you do not know how to respect your customers and give them good service, then do not be surprised if your business goes under and you’re forced to close it.
My comments are not intended to insult you like you did to me, but I do not recommend your place of business to anyone. Good luck trying to make a profit or breaking even. With the expection of those two females at the table beside us, your place was dead tonight.

my new favorite date spot! Fantastic coffee AND unique sweets AND *blush* soccer on tv :), good food! brought back GOOD memories of being in peru. txs fernando! we were there friday nite around 10pm, new dinner menu and live Latin music on weeekends…

had lunch there on a wednesday, limited menu for Peruvian during the weekdays. The owner did say they will start severing dinner in couple of weeks and have more variety. Loved the Tamales, had the Huancaini and the Ocopa as well, which were good as well. For seattle standards, everyone should go to it once at least.

I like this place. The Peruvian coffee is very good, as is the food we tried: tamales and empanadas. Will be returning to try the ceviche, which is part of the weekend menu, and will probably update after that.
The service was very good, friendly and attentive. Would definitely recommend others to check this place out.

This little café is really neat inside. It has a couch where you can sip on hot chocolate or apple cider. That’s what we ordered here while waiting for an oil change next door. Pretty chill but and we were the only ones in the place. I would like to go back on a weekend and try their food.

I went back with my girlfriend and several Peruvians and friends from the Seattle Spanish Society. This time I got the Papas Huancainas that I was craving. So good.
How in the world do people go here and just order coffee? I’m always impressed with the owners here. In my opinion, the way to go would probably be ordering the combo plate, but, requesting the Papas Huancaina. My girlfriend ordered the ceviche plate. Que rico!
If you go late or with a group, let the owners know. They are very accomadating, however, the hours do vary depending on how busy they are…

I went there to try their Peruvian food. We had the tamales, and the combo. The combo we were able to chose four items from the list. Because we were there pretty late we had empanadas, ocopa, ceviche and tiradito. And to drink: Inca Kola and chicha morada… hmmmm
All I can say as Peruvian is: Very good. Pretty close to Peruvian food. Also, the guy who works there told me that weekends they have special menu, and that they are opening a restaurant w/​bar next door soon. Looking fwd to try the new place.

Oh how I miss Peru! I long to go back to Peru and am so fortunate to have Café Cuzco located a short walk from home! The coffee is roasted locally and addicting! Service is great and free wifi is a nice bonus. Peruvian food is also available and delicious, but it’s the coffee and atmosphere that keeps bringing me back!

We had a couple very good, creative, fresh lunch salads. (although one of the salads did have a few bad pieces of mucky greens, the rest was good and fresh) Nice quiet, almost shy, young lady behind the counter. Was almost too quiet in there until they turned on some music. Would go back to try some of the other menu items and hang out. Good addition to Ballard.

The decors are nice and clean, and the atmosphere is pleasant. The people are friendly. Seattle Coffee Works coffee is good. The food is great. The unusual collection of drinks are also neat. The wifi works good. Soccer is always on TV, which is awesome. The music sometimes gets a bit too loud, but I’m sure they would turn it down if you asked.
A nice uncrowded alternative coffee place in Ballard. Definitely worth repeated visits.

Great new café. Friendly staff, chill atmosphere with an outside deck, and tasty vaccum pot coffee. Check it out!

I’ve been here a few times now, and every time it gets better. (The first few times, I was hopeful but underwhelmed.)
The Seattle Coffee Works latte I’m drinking is wonderful (the last time I was here, the SCW owner was here showing the staff how to make different drinks and testing quality — that seems to have helped). The music is always enjoyable. The menu is really unique in Seattle, and the food is pretty good (I’m anxious to try the tamales peruanos next).
At least one of the owners/​co-​founders is also a contractor, and it shows. They did a great job remodeling the place, and keep adding little details and fixtures to make the atmosphere warmer and more enjoyable. They now have a photography show on display, which is most notable for its creative, found-​object framing. I really like working here, and it seems like a great place to come sit with a few friends, too. They opened up the patio, which I think is new.
I really miss (certain parts about) living down south and traveling south of the border. This place, the wood, the music, the TV with soccer silently playing, the menu, the colorful rug thrown across the dark leather couch, all make this a great place to casually reconnect with that other part of the planet.

Please go here! We love this place and really want it to do well. Great little coffee shop that’s not about grabing your latte but having a seat and relaxing. Great furniture inside and I’m really excited about the outside porch for when the weather gets warm.
Dario (Owner, super friendly good human being) is a wizard with the latte machine but what I really love is the food. The Peruvian desserts are all excellent, the chocolate standing out as amazing, but I had this ceviche today, probably one of the better I’ve had. It just all tastes very fresh and very well made.
So just try it, give it a chance. I think you’ll become a regular too!

Call me crazy, but I kind of think Cuzco is filling a cap in this chunk of the neighborhood — the dedicated-​sit-​down-​coffee-​shop gap. Because really. We’ve got Blue Dog, which has great breakfast but I never feel like I could just go in there, get ONLY coffee, and sit at one of their tables for 3 hours. We’ve got Equal Exchange, which has great coffee, but it’s also not really a sit-​down place. I suppose you could count the Safeway Starbucks, but again — who wants to hang out for 3 hours in a Safeway?
Cuzco delivers — lots of seating (a couch, even!), free wi-​fi, lots of good coffee options (espresso? vacuum pot? I think they even have French press?). Both staff folks I’ve encountered were wonderful. Each time I go in, the place is better. Last weekend a few friends and I stopped in so one person could get coffee, and we marveled at the Peruvian delights in the case, which the staff patiently described to us — I’ll definitely be back to try some.
The whole place is elevated off the street too, which I like because I feel like I’m up on this perch, keeping an eye on everything going on outside. Great décor and bamboo chairs, dishes, etc.
As an aside, I also feel like Cuzco is filling the Mr.-Spot’s-shaped hole in my life right now. Once they’ve got their feet steady, maybe Cuzco will want to stay open til 9 or 10? (*hint*)

Nice staff, nice space, great coffee, good pastries. Ask for an apple cider and you’ll get it topped with a thick layer of cajeta caramel. Delicious.

A great spot for a business with eye catching signage. I had driven by many times but it took a sweet friend inviting me to experience the warm hospitality and lovely space. I had a yummy Peruvian juice; with lime & cinnamon, very refreshing. Fernando, the super nice host told us about yummy fresh ceviche served on the weekend. As both a Ballardite & one who has a business down the block, I will be back! Oh did I mention they serve Macrina pastry??? If you need a bit of warmth, stop in and get cozy!

Soccer matches in HD, Vac-​pot coffee– see
a piano, a patio, a paninno. perfecto!
Of course, the new-​business ownership jitters are in effect. I’m using the WI-​FI to write this, and I’m thrilled to say it works flawlessly with no password.

My husband and I went there today and the food was delicious. I can’t wait until he expands on his menu because I LOVE Peruvian food and I miss it so much living up here in the NW. And that vacuum pot coffee was delicious. I can’t wait to go back.

Spent about an hour or so this afternoon at Café Cuzco. Great little café with authentic options. Great place to have a mellow conversation or get some work done (fast, free wifi). I thought prices were reasonable. Good variety of seating options from sofa, small tables and one big, very cool table. Also good window/​bar seating. Excellent service and went beyond what was expected. Low classical music playing in background when I was there, nice touch. All in all great new café. Also a must is the vacuum press coffee. I did not get it, but the guy next to me did and not only is it a very cool way to brew coffee, but he said it was a nice bold, smooth result. I will be back!