Candles Cafe

This isn’t Candles Café anymore but Lama G’s café now. It is really cozy and has nice soothing atmosphere, with yummy organic baked goods as well as excellent chai — that is — the owner’s homemade Chai! It is really good stuff and totally different from the stuff you get out of the box.

I had a veggie sandwich and a cup of coffee. The place is very small, quaint, simple and tasty. The deli sandwiches are made with sandwich bread, fresh veggies and lunchmeat– nothing extraordinary but made with care. Only one person is behind the counter so bigger orders may take a while, but a simple lunch is gotten quickly

Yikes!!! What in the world? Now, for a while now I’ve gone by the motto that it is hard to find a bad cup of coffee in Seattle. Today, Candles Café proved this wrong. The girlfriend and I came here yesterday to find our espresso fix, but instead were insulting drinks merely resembling it. I ordered a cappucino, and sure, I don’t always expect baristas to ask wet or dry, but on the first attempt at a new place, I kinda like to see if they know their stuff… I think maybe we got new staff or something, because the barista didn’t even really seem to know how to work the register. The two employees, harried as I’ll get out, seemed to be completely overwhelmed by the sandwich that they jointly had to make. Our drinks took about 15 minutes to prepare, again, being a joint effort of the two, clearly still disturbed by the sandwich order. Strange. We read that there was a cute little garden terrace, but ended up being a little deck surrounded by dumpster, a busy road, and a chainlink fence. Hmmm. Maybe this would be nicer in the summer? I kinda doubt it… The inside is small and narrow, not really comfortable for sitting either. Not to be a snob, but seriously, my girlfriend’s mocha tasted worse than Starbucks, or even that Costco mocha thing they make. I think it was made with water instead of milk. Again, perhaps this was the new girl barista thing. I will definitely, definitely, not return to Candles. So many great coffee shops in Seattle and Fremont. This is not one of them. Thanks for listening.

So the other day I was practicing my usual 11am bitch and moan to myself about how I want coffee but am out of milk, creamer, Bailey’s, etc. and am too lazy to walk the two downhill blocks to Starbucks/PCC/Pete’s/Ladro/etc.
Then I realized that I am an idiot. NOT ONLY do I live literally across the street from Candles Café (like, I step out my front door and I can see the place) but I’ve had it bookmarked forever and had yet to set foot inside.
I jaunted across the street and ponied up a few bucks for a piping hot delicious mocha. Candles is cute! It’s cozy inside and while the back garden isn’t open in the winter, I snuck a peek and if allergies allow, I’ll love it come summertime. Plenty of veggie options on the sandwich menu so the next time I am bitching and moaning about being hungry and lazy, I’ll know where to go.

This little coffee shop is a nice addition to this area. I work nearby and enjoy taking actual coffee breaks. One of my favorite food items is their 3-​cheese and veggie sandwich on toasted garlic sourdough bread. In lieu of mayo and mustard, I prefer the hummus spread. And while I’m not a vegetarian, I find myself craving this masterpiece over a burger.

It’s a cutelittle place in my neighborhood. It closes at 3 though in the winter so don’t be lulled by the happy hour sign of 3 — 4.
Friendly faced worker. Neighbors coming in quickly and known by name. Some lovely scarves for sale. and jewelery.
Ample parking and right by Nalanda West.

Candles is a cute little neighborhood place, the kind of place where you walk a block over to grab a coffee and something to eat. Since I live a block away, that’s what we do – wander down when the weather is good for a latte and a piping hot breakfast sandwich made to order.
My favorite so far is the cream cheese/​bacon/​tabasco bagel. Mmmm. The bacon is super crispy which I just love, though it might not be to everyone’s taste. Usually there’s just one person there so it might be a little slower than your average chain coffee place, but if you’re in the neighborhood it’s a good place to pick up a bite.

This hidden little place totally makes a decent sammy. Great coffee and yummy looking cookies, worth a stop.

A secluded little neighborhood coffee and sandwich place.
It has a secret garden in the back. I plan on lurking out there on sunny days like today and working on things on their wifi and drinking my weight in coffee.
If you see me vibrating here and freaking out on caffeine and pounding away on a laptop, say hello: D

On what was supposed to be a summery day, our last in Seattle, we skipped over to the Fremont district for some hearty and much-​hyped Cuban sandwiches at Paseo. After a long bus ride and an adventurous hike, we finally made it to the sandwich shack, which is when Seattle decided to shit on our parade.
–A sign declaring «Closed» (it was a Monday)
–Hard, unrelenting rain (oh, yeah, this is what summer is like in Seattle)
Tired of waiting for the bus, cold, soaking wet, and collectively too large for the one umbrella we had brought with us as a just-​in-​case, we wandered off to an unknown land, per the advice of a couple who acted like they knew what they were talking about when we asked them where we could get a good bite to eat. After forty-​five minutes of aimless wandering, frustrated screaming, and unsuccessful bus-​waiting, we finally stumbled upon what looked like a straightforward candle shop: Candles.
Dejected and on the verge of tears at the perceived reality that my vision of a restaurant had just been a mirage, I started to tell O. that it was just a home decorating place, but upon close inspection he started to stutter that it was a café.
We ran over and entered at five minutes before closing time and the empty café was already cleaning up, but we must have looked so pathetic that the incredibly gracious (I assume) owner gave us full service. I ordered a hot ham and cheese sandwich with a green apple on the side and O. an egg salad, and we shared a cup of matzoh ball soup. We read magazines while waiting for the food to arrive. My sandwich had gone through probably a salamander open-​faced, and the result was a mouth-​searing, molten, golden and charred heap of toasty, buttery deliciousness, sweet, salty ham and savory cheddar kissed with tomatoes that had broiled in the oven along with the whole thing. I wedged pieces of my apple into the sandwich, creating a salty-​sweet, hot-​cold combination. The matzoh ball soup wasn’t as special but still quite delicious and oh-​so-​warm, with a richer broth than the typical consommé, and some dark meat floating alongside the balls. The broth was a lot more aromatic than traditional matzoh ball soup broth. I don’t even remember much of anything else around me; I can’t seem to remember having tasted O.‘s sandwich, but he clearly loved it.
Even if the food had been whatever I would have been tempted to give this place as many stars as allowed, but thankfully Candles is operated with great attention, service, and generosity. There are so many great restaurants in Seattle, but I can definitely picture myself coming here again to honor the amazing experience that was my first. After days of good food served with an aloof half-​smile by countless waitresses to find this little shack in the rain and have the most welcome warm meal in recent memory, I can say with conviction that this humble café in the middle of our nowhere served me the best and most memorable meal I had in Seattle.

Happy Hour? At a coffee place? Half-​price drinks from 3 – 4? Can this be?
Great, now I’m going to have to feed my coffee addiction morning AND afternoon. I mean, when it’s that cheap, I’d be stupid not to!
What I really wanted yesterday when I came here after school was a massive cookie. Alas, the only thing in their case was a lonely basket and a sign that said, «Cookies. $ 1.50» Guess I’ll have to try again. Like from 3 – 4. Every day.