Chai House

R.I.P. Mr. Spot’s Chai House.
I loved you when you used to host weird electronic music nights when I was a teenager.
I loved your hot, spicy peppery chai.
I loved your hippies and weirdos.
Apparently the landlord decided to raise the price of rent so the neighborhood could have a lovely new Starbucks and chain laundromat or equivalent. I guess you just weren’t cool enough for the «new ballard» of condos everywhere. :(
Please reopen. There are tons of empty storefronts in the central district near the Twilight Exit, and rent is affordable and we would totally go there.

This is hard to believe, and this is happening in Ballard of all places? Build your condos somewhere else please.
Morning Glory chai was my first and has remained always my favorite chai in the world. I am quite sad that it is now gone, although I more so remember the days when it was a block down the street from it’s most recent location. I cannot imagine Seattle without Mr. Spots or a world without Morning Glory chai.

Colorful, friendly, homey, intriguing, odd, irreplaceable…
Mr. Spot’s is missed and I hope to see it return. There are so few places that feel as comfortable as your own living room. No trouble turning up strait out of bed, in your bike kit, business attire… It’s all good here. Tasty, fresh food and drink. And, regardless of your look you’ll get a smile and genuine friendliness from the alt-​culture sweetheart behind the bar.

The condo overlords have forced The Chai House to close in its current location on Leary.
Saturday, January 30^th, 2010 will be a very sad day for Ballard. Ballard will be losing a cultural hub and will not even realize its greatness until it is gone.
Where can you go for free and fun entertainment? Where can you go where people are actually willing to talk to you unlike most places in pretentious Seattle?
I will miss my favorite hang out spot in Ballard.
There are no places like this left.

‘Tis crap that the Chai House will be leaving Ballard. Just how many snooty, holier-​than-​thou coffee shops does one city need? I like the approachability of this place. I adore the over-​spiced chai they serve up. I dig the spaciousness and the open feel.
Perhaps I’m naïve, but just because the dude out front is rough around the edges, has a grungy little puppy and/​or guitar, and sports some serious dreads, all these things don’t necessarily make him someone to bitch about. Aaaand they certainly don’t automatically equate to the clientele being «Crack heads, heroin addicts, drug dealers and runaway kids, «as one judgmental ass wrote earlier. Me? I’m pretty vanilla: freshly shorn and showered (most days…), personable, & open. As are plenty of other people who like hanging out here. Yeah, I’m not really that into the trippy live music as performance art thing, but I AM into the really great baristas who have always been nothing but nice to me. The fact that they have some quick, simple food beyond a donut or a scone is just a bonus.
I hope they find another location.

What a fantastic spot. Eclectic décor, funky furnishings, delicious pulled & drip coffee, not to mention the ubiquitous and entirely delicious Morning Glory Chai. Great baked goods. Vegetarian-​friendly menu. The news that they’re being chased out of Ballard by money-​hungry bastard landlords pisses me off no end. Watch this space to see where they land, and watch their old location to see which overpriced tchachkes shop or redundant yuppie-​wear outlet replaces them.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Ballard sucks now, and it’s because places like Mr. Spot’s Chai House get priced out out of the neighborhood that it sucks. Thanks for nothing, yuppies.

I have lived in Ballard for a few years and I have just started going here. I really love it for its funky atmosphere. It’s hard to find a place with mismatched tables and chairs and sofas anymore. It also has a stage where local musicians play. I just walked in to buy a lemongrass tea (delicious!) and a fiddle group was playing. Delightful!
It has an amazing array of teas, coffee, beer, and wine. PLUS the food is organic and delicious. I have not had any problems with the staff… they have always been very friendly and very quick. Go check it out!

2.5 stars for this open mike on Thursday nights. At times, it was hilarious like a talent show with a collection of all of Napolean Dynamite’s best friends, but, at other times, it was extremely annoying. The sign up list separates the under 21 crowd from the over 21, and the host tries to get all of the under 21 crowd in before 10 pm. The problem is that this week at least there were a few artists who were baked out of their mind (not the good creative baked like the Beatles had many years ago) and were cutting ahead in the order and butchering some Dylan songs. I’m sorry, but, the host has to kick those people out too if she or he is so concerned about honoring the state law of the city curfew.
On the positive side, this place would be easy to land a gig, and playing solo here would be nice. The coffee is good. On the negative side, I didn’t really like the vibe of the open mike. I’m probably going to look for a darker bar where people are occasionally silent and truly listen to the music. That’s more my style. No offense, Chai House.
Peace.

Is no stars an option yet? Lynda and I stopped in to get a bagel for her and nothing for me (fighting a summer cold at the moment).Lynda was delighted to find that the asiago bagel that is always on the menu but not always in stock was in stock, she ordered one with cream cheese. Their card machine was down, which was fine because we always try to have some cashon us. We paid and grabbed a table for the wait. A few more customers came in after about 10 minutes and got in line, each of them ordering tea from the vast selection.
At this point I’ll remind you how they prepare the asiago bagel with cream cheese:
Cut bagel in half
Place in toaster
Wait for bagel to pop up
Spread cream cheese on bagel
Bag it
Give to customer
After waiting about 15 minutes the red head who rang us up was putting on her coat and bag, her shift was over. She saw us at our table and asked, «Are you still waiting on that bagel?» We replied, «Yes.» She claimed, «He’ll grab it in a sec.» and she left.
5 minutes later, the guy lifted the bagel out of the toaster and pressed his hand to it to determine if it was still warm, his standards are lower than ours, cream cheesed it, bagged it. We were out the door after waiting 20 minutes for an asiago bagel with cream cheese.

I feel that Mr. Spot’s Chai House is a cultural experience. There is nothing cookie cutter about it or the majority of its regular clientele. from the two weeks I have spent at MSCH I have learned that it is more of a hangout than my usual cafes, where studying and not socializing is normal. I come here because it is convenient and I can avoid traffic by studying here. But I must say i am not completely comfortable here.
Cons: I feel like I stick out here like a sore thumb because 1-​I am studying (I have yet to see someone else hauling around non pleasure reading), 2-​My laptop is for studying not facebooking, 3– I stay more than two hours and don’t make friends with the baristas (I feel like they look at me funny «she’s still here?!». And the whole place needs to be bug bombed and Lysoled (if not bleached). I am not a germ or bug phobe, but a trip to the bathroom or pastry case gives me the shivers. I have yet to see any employee wash down a sticky table.
Pro: The second time I ever visited I asked the barista gal for a chai recommendation. «Ruby Tuesday» she said. And when i asked another gal on a different day what she recommended she said Ruby Tuesday was really where it is at. Plus my options were limited at I don’t like chocolate or coffee or much milk in my chai. Ruby Tuesday is chai, pomegrante syrup, lemon and some cayenne pepper. Other Pro, the windows are gigantic and I almost feel like I am outdoors.
Side Note: To those who say they hate hate hate Morning Glory, well I do too*if* it is hot and/​or with milk. Ruby Tuesday sidesteps those issues. If you really want super spicy chai go to Top Pot on Capitol Hill, so spicy your lips will hurt. If you are indecisive in the spicy vs sweet chai debate, go to Kaladi’s on Summit and Pike, they mix’m. If you want to bitch about how your drink is nothing special, go to Starbucks.

I don’t do coffee. Or anything remotely related for that matter. I don’t really do tea either. Only when a sore throat hits. So why would I be at a coffee shop? Open mic night.
Every Thursday night Mr. Spot’s Chai House has an open mic night. Since I write poetry and need to develop my public speaking skills I decided to take the plunge and attend. Sign ups start at 7:30 and the open mic starts at 8:00. I browsed the website and found they had happy hour and served beer. $ 4 plates and $ 3 beers.
I arrive at Mr. Spot’s to find two patrons and two employees, a small stage, a piano with a sign stating the piano can be played but for only five minutes, rough looking furniture and a huge screen showing pictures. I walk up to the counter and see beers and desserts. I stood around for a little bit before I was noticed but was greeted eventually. I asked about the happy hour menu and to my dismay happy hour was disconntinued. Now $ 4 plates were offered any time of the day. I order a creation of pita bread, hummus, and vegetables. The name is a play off of «quesadilla» but the actual title escapes me. I get an IPA and take a seat.
As I wait for my food I take a hint from the other customers and read. Instead of the food coming to you, you have to get it when its called out. I get my food and sit back in my seat. Pita was warm, the hummus was flavorful, and the tahini was mildly spicy.
7:30 rolls around and more people wait around for the list to appear. As I get up to order myself a piece of blueberry cheesecake, I spy one employee with a clipboard head to the counter. I hightail it and sign up. First one up, baby.
The blueberry cheesecake was in the refrigerator longer than it should have been but it was only $ 2.99 for a good sized piece.
The open mic started and went from act to act quickly. The moderator did a great job at mixing up between spoken word and music.
Mr. Spot’s Chai House impressed me with their food and open mic. If you need a place to start reading or playing music live this is for you.

Love it!
I always recommend this place to others, even though I’ve only been there once. I got a hot chai with apple cider and pomegranate syrup and it was AMAZING. This was months ago, and I still think about it sometimes.
The atmosphere was really great too. I had a window seat in a big, comfy chair.
I also recall the barista being super beautiful, and that never hurts.
I wish it wasn’t so far away!

I have no idea why independent tea/​coffee/​bar must equal surly service, poorly made beverages and the general feeling that the staff would rather the customers just leave them be. But this was my experience at the Chai House on Leary.
I love the Morning Glory Chai product — I order it at Café Vita all the time. But when I finally decided to come to «the source» of this delicious chai, I was deeply disappointed. The barista was both rude and unnecessarily slow (not busy at all at 10am in the morning). And my Dirty Chai was absolutely wretched. But I just left, because after the poor customer service I received on the front end, I didn’t bother to deal with the barista again.
Sorry Morning Glory — I’d rather buy your product elsewhere than patronize your café. Cut the attitude and stick to what you do best.

Chai House in Ballard has a little note by the register asking customers to review them on Unilocal.OK, Chai House, but be careful what you wish for…
Chai House has a wonderful selection of teas, including, of course, Morning Glory brand chai. The space they have is bright and expansive — hard to find in a café. They also have a respectable selection of beers on tap and a nice snack menu. This saved them from a one star review, but it was close.
The crowd here is odd: a mix of giggling teenagers, unshaven elderly men who talk loudly and (making up the overwhelming majority) 20-​something, new age-​y hipsters. There was, I kid you not, a barefoot girl sitting crosslegged on the floor divining… something with a dangling crystal. She was even taking notes. The quirky clientele obviously haven’t mastered the art of busing dishes — trash goes in the garbage can, folks. Yeah, that sign that says «Trash Goes Here» with the arrow? That arrow points to the trash can. You put the rubbish there, not in the dish bin. I know they’re right next to eachother, it must be hard, but you could at least try.
Weird trash-​challenged folks and their loud conversations aside, Chai House has the one thing that I cannot stand in any food serving establishment: FILTH. Filth where I eat. NO.
Nothing makes me lose my appetite for barely lukewarm minestrone soup like realizing that the various rugs in this place probably have not encountered a vacuum in YEARS. The hardwood is equally disgusting. I found dog hair on my table, probably from the dog that some patron was allowed to bring in and which I watched LICK THE FLOOR for several minutes. All the tabletops obviously needed a wipedown with bleach. Someone needs to bust out the broom, mop and pinesol ON A REGULAR BASIS here.
This just isn’t the place for me, and if you like things clean and unfestering, this probably isn’t the place for you, either.

The atmosphere is colorful and bright, the staff is rotating some seriously good tunes, and the center beam reads «The best sweeteners of tea are love & scandal».
The young woman behind the counter acknowledged me with a smile and a Hello. Being my first time at Chai House, I was thrilled to see an offering of vegan options for noshing. If I lived in Ballard, this café would be my de facto if only due to ease of eating here. Incidentally, the vegan cheesecake with raspberries is fucking. awesome.
I ordered chai with espresso and soy milk. Damn if the beverage isn’t tasty in a surprising way. I’ll have to recreate this at home – or try to.

Ugh. i’m torn.
The Chai is seriously the best in town.
But the atmopshere is dirty, nasty hippy funk.
Get your order to go!

In all the years that I’ve lived in the ‘Llard, I’ve yet to set foot into Mr. Spots Chai house until today. Not sure when I’ll return.
I must say that I wasn’t expecting anything really, so it immediately exceeded my expectations upon my entry.
Now, before you tell me that I ‘just don’t get it, man!’ and that ‘this place isn’t for everyone’, let me tell you a few things. I love me a good cup of chai and a tasty pastry and Mr. Spots didn’t let me down here. I consumed a excellent cup of Morning Glory with soy and one of the best vegan muffins (Julia’s Morning Glory, to be specific) I’ve E-​V-​E-​R had here this morning, served up by a really nice gal who managed a long line of folks with ease.
Here’s where it went downhill: I went in here looking for something to eat, and while they’ve got a good selection of Top Pot and packaged Julia’s pastries (swoooon), they’ve also got quite an army of tiny flies swarming around in the glass food case. This is not okay. It would have been fine if the top pot weren’t out in the open. But they were, so yeaaaah. Not so much.
The second ding: I loooove me some M.I.A., but when it’s being blasted over the speakers at 9:13am in a place that boasts loads cozy chairs and couches, perfect for mid morning lazy lounging. Well, it’s just plain mixed messaging to me.
Great food options– the vegan lunches and dinners sounded particularly good and were reasonably priced. Beers on tap– $ 3 pints/​$ 10 pitchers from 4−6pm daily.
All good things.
Once they’ve got the ‘bugs’ and the ‘bass’ worked out, I’ll update. Until then, I’ll have to get my Julia’s fix at Julia’s.

I love Chai. I LOOOOVE Chai. I don’t drink coffee, so I almost always order chai when I go places.
But I do not like Morning Glory Chai.
My interactions usually go like this:
Barista: «Hi, what can I get you today?»
Me: «What kind of Chai do you have?»
Barista: «Morning Glory.»
Me: «I’ll have a hot chocolate, please.»
I know I’m not really rating Mr. Spots, but because they are the creators of Morning Glory Chai, I had to say something.
The chai is just not good. It’s spicy, but not in a good way. It is dull. I order it when there are no other good options, but I don’t necessarily enjoy it.
I did go to Mr. Spots once, and I had a pomegranate chai. But it was dull, dull, dull, thanks to the Morning Glory Chai in it.
But maybe the beer here is good? Perhaps a second visit is in my future.

I“ve been jonesin for chai lately. Seriously. But I needs my ‘spresso in the AM, yo, and I try not to drink too much caffeine.
Caffe Fiore doesnt have decaf chai. So mr spots it is. Like the beer option, and they have my faves, but I wanted a decaf chai, dammit!
I’ve never had their famous «morning glory chai», and I’ll be honest, I dont like it. WAAAAYYY too much ginger.
Décor was ok, but really didn’t do too much for me. I ended up getting some decaf oregon chai mix later so that I could drink it at home in front of the fire…

What do you think of upon entering a store that decorates with Ohm symbols, Tibetan prayer flags, and bits of Zen wisdom? VIOLENCE! That’s what!!!
Seriously, go up to the pastry case and check out the size of the macaroons. They are no smaller than a baseball, they are dipped in chocolate, and they are not messing around!
You know that kid in school who would pack down a snowball so it turned into a deadly lump of ice? Well, he’s taking minced (not shredded) coconut and packing it together with karo syrup to turn it into a delicious sticky mass.
Of course I ordered one. Of course I hucked it down on my plate. Of course it made a crashing noise!
When the other patrons turned to look at me, instead of giving me a glare, they saw me maniacally clutching my macaroon of doom, and simply smiled nervously and looked away!
Oh yeah, they have chai here too, and I guess it’s pretty good, but I don’t like my chai spicy, so it’s not my favorite. Did you just call me a wuss? Don’t make me huck my macaroon of doom at you!!!