Four Spoons Cafe

Awesome place! Quick and friendly service. Food is delicious and not too pricey! Definitely recommended!

I can’t vouch for the food, only the lousy service. This was my first and only experience here. I called ahead to ask if there was a wait for two (and I understand things can change) but when we got there, there was a group of 4 people and then us. We waited patiently (no room to wait anywhere). The group of 4 was seated and we thought we were next. We even saw a table open up in the back. 3 people walk in and they motioned them back to the table in which the 3 people said you were here first but the gal said them, not us. The other lady who greeted us said she had a great idea — we could be seated at the counter.
The food looked amazing but my first impression is tarnished with poor service and we left. We had waited at least 10 minutes and people just walked right in. Nope, not going back.

I love this place. Humble, quaint, cute, good food, good atmosphere. One of Seattle’s best and least pretentious breakfast options.

I’ve come here 5 or 6 times, but don’t plan to return. The food is pretty good, but not very good. Of the items I tried, I preferred the hash, that itself is probably 3 or 4 stars. The place is conveniently located for me. The first few trips went reasonably smooth, apart from the being seated in a very cramped area one time. The last two times I went were pretty ridiculous. One of the times our party of 2 was not seated when we arrived, though there were 2×4-person tables open and a 1×8-person table. We were told we had to wait until a 2 person table opened. 10 minutes go by and another party of two enters and a party of 4 leaves, opening up a 4^th unoccupied table. With such little space near the doorway, people were literally tripping over eachother while the party of two entered and party of 4 left. Still they would not sit either party. After another 5 minutes, the staff asks if I’m interested in sharing a table of 4 with the other party of 2. Though I was not really happy with that option, I was ready to eat and said sounds fine. The other party didnt agree and (rightfully) wanted their own table. So I just left and got breakfast elsewhere nearby, among the many better options nearby. After a few weeks I decide to try this place again. I arrive at 1:10 PM, their website says open until 2:00PM, and the sign on the door says kitchen open until 1:30PM, but when I open up the door, the same staff tells me they are closed. I thought this might be because she was upset I walked out the previous time, but I was quite shocked to see how many other people have had similar rude treatment from the staff. It seems they frequently are rude to their customers. Here’s an idea for you guys, swap the 4-​person tables with more 2-​person tables, and if a large party comes, push two tables together.

Down to earth (in a good way) neighborhood café with excellent food, coffee, and service. The space feels so good (bright, clean, kept) and really contributes to an enjoyable experience. The menu is simple and the food is prepared well. Perfect portion sizes. Laurel (owner) puts so much into this place and it really shows. This place is a local gem and if you live in north Ballard, definitely eat here!

Been here quite a few times and always an awesome experience. My wife loves the English breakfast and I have many favs.
Recently they renovated the menu, adding some new items and they are delicious. I’m now a fan of the breakfast pork chop!
Great staff, super friendly and never pay for coffee refills.

Brunch at Four Spoons was such a nice break from how stressful brunch can be.
It’s ironic, really: we make a big deal of this mythical in-​between meal, brunch, and we devote hours and hours of our weekends to it. It’s supposed to be a lazy, prolonged affair that symbolizes how chill and unhurried the weekend is. And yet: we often have to reserve brunch ahead of time. If reservations aren’t possible, we have to wait hours in line. And once we are inside, brunch can be rushed, expensive, and frankly, not at all relaxing.
Four Spoons was the opposite of all of that. Hat tip to our lovely server, who let three women linger over eggs and iced tea for hours without pressuring us to get the check. The food was classic brunch food, but my friend’s breakfast burrito was the clear favorite. Delicious and shockingly beautiful preparation — who knew a breakfast burrito could be pretty?!
Stop in for a tasty, relaxed brunch. You won’t be sorry.

I really like this place! The food is so good, the inside of the place is really cool and the service is great. There’s also generally not a wait. I highly recommend going here. Everything I’ve had has been amazing.

I’ve been meaning to leave a review for a while now — I went to Four Spoons Café after having had a serious craving for blueberry pancakes for a MONTH. You know, the kind that you see pictures of in foodie magazines? I didn’t know they had blueberry pancakes on their menu when I decided to go in for lunch. In fact, I’ve driven by there a million times and have never stopped, but this time, I needed a break from my hectic day, and decided to treat myself. I quickly checked Unilocal reviews on my phone before going in, and decided to ignore the bad reviews, and only pay attention to the good ones… I was already parked and STARVING.
So I go in, and was greeted by the waitress who was very friendly. I got seated right away, and she answered all of my menu questions in detail, and was very helpful. My lucky day that they had blueberry pancakes on the menu (I was torn between them and the chilaquiles, but knew I could always come back). I ordered the pancakes, side of bacon, and a cup of decaf. The coffee was very good, and I am CERTAIN that I wasn’t charged for refills, as another reviewer stated. The food arrived quickly, and was absolutely perfect. After drooling over foodie magazine pictures, you would think that any restaurant would be doomed to disappoint, but not the case here. The pancakes were fluffy and beautiful, with the perfect touch of «grill» to them, to give them that homey good flavor. And the bacon was crispy good.
On another note, the music playing softly in the background was an eclectic mix of rarely-​heard songs by David Bowie, and Todd Rundgren, to name a few, and I am a big fan, so it was a trip down memory lane that I was more than happy to take. Finally, near the end of my meal, I was chatting with the waitress, whom I was sure was an owner, but no, she was not. Her service was at that level that makes you think she must be one of the owners, because she clearly cared.
So there… five stars. I will be back!

Excellent ambiance, good service, decent food, but what made my wife and me vow to never come back was that we were charged for regular coffee refills: 2 small cups of regular, poured coffee with 1 refill each was $ 10! Seriously? (Actually, mine was only half empty…$ 2.50 for a top-​up of regular drip coffee?)
I’m 65 years old and that has never previously happened to me.
Potentially a really nice local restaurant, but they have some wierd policies (see other reviews) that really bring their potential down. Fahgeddaboutit. Never again.

Great friendly place for a tasty breaky. I love their scrambles, pancakes and their roasted potatoes are A-​mazing. Getting seated at the table inside of the fireplace is always a fun time too.

Our server was nice, attentive, and timely but the food was just ok. Maybe it just wasn’t what I was expecting? I was hoping to like this place more because it’s on my way to work. I had the green chile pork and it was on the sweet side when I was expecting spicy.
I found myself a bit put off by comments from the kitchen staff about people «coming in so late» when a couple came in 5 minutes after us. It was 1pm and your sign says the kitchen closes at 1:30. It’s not like they waltzed in at 1:27pm. Then they put the closed sign up at about 1:10pm. If you want to close at 1, then list your closing time as 1pm… not 2pm.

First time visit for an early Sunday breakfast. Food was ok, the fruit bowl was great and green chilies and pork eggs were good.
Service was not welcoming and almost unfriendly. Because it was early we were only the second seated table, but the greeter/​server acted like we were an inconvenience. She was attentive to others but for some reason decided she didn’t want to deal with us.
Won’t be returning

I have to say, I’ve eaten here before so the food is not bad. But when there are open tables and a couple is made to wait in the rain because you don’t want to seat them at a larger table is absurd. Your decision to make a pair wait even though you have open space is quite the worst type of customer service. I’ll never come here again.

Small portions of fairly decent food. Chilaquiles were a weird color and not appealing at all. They were not like any I’ve ever tasted and not nearly as good. The seating situation was terrible. We were given a choice of a small table in the back which turned out to be right outside the bathroom door or one right under the little service area. It was odd an uncomfortable. People were waiting to be seated in spite of available tables. The waitress never asked if we wanted refills on our coffee even though we were seated right in front of where she was working. Too many good breakfast spots in the area to return to 4 spoons.

Pros: Friendly and swift service.
Cons: Slightly below average food, blah décor/​atmosphere, dirty bathrooms.
Meh indeed.

Pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere — was expecting a greasy spoon café but it is much nicer with what appear to be white cloth table cloths (vinyl actually) with a cozy intimate atmosphere. Our food arrived VERY quickly even with several other patrons.
My husband loved his chilaquiles (3 or 4 star he said). I had an omelet with spinach and roasted garlic, which was unappetizing because the omelet was not browned at all, had no cheese (I erroneously assumed cheese was a default ingredient) and especially because spinach water pooled under the omelet after I dug into it. The orange juice was from a box, not fresh squeezed. On the plus side, the potatoes and whole wheat toast were delicious.
Generous fruit bowl kept our 1 year old happy. No changing table in the bathroom was inconvenient.

Mmm, Chilaquiles! A southwestern twist on morning food. Nothing like tortillas and spicy eggs to get you going. The eggs were silky smooth, and the tortilla strips contrasted with a rich homemade crunch. Topped off with sour cream and chives, this dish is a unique treat.

We love the food, the quirky atmosphere and the friendly service. The food is excellent — a varied menu, excellent quality ingredients, and skillful cooking. Excellent quality of syrup for the pancakes and French toast.
This is our go-​to place for bringing friends from out of town.

This is a good place to get a simple breakfast, but the seating is terrible. Luckily we have only been seated at some of the «nicer» 2 top tables, but as others have said there are some with posts going through them, some in weird locations, and some that are too small to really accommodate two people. On the plus side there is a 2 top table in a little alcove that is pretty cool and we’ve been seated there twice.
As for the food, it’s pretty good. The menu is small and simple but prices are reasonable and the items I’ve ordered have always been tasty. I appreciate that the food here seems less greasy than other breakfast restaurants, it’s nice to not feel like I need a nap after brunch for once. The coffee they serve is really, really good. The fruit bowl on the menu is fresh and has a great selection. I’ve always received really good service.

I love neighborhood restaurants. The atmosphere is always relaxed and the food is usually a good value. The 4 Spoons Café is one of these places.
The front of the restaurant space has large windows that allow plenty of light to shine in. Just inside the door are a couple of large 5-​top tables surrounded by some 2 and 4-​tops. One of these 2 seaters is nestled into a shallow brick alcove; too cute! If you are looking for a little privacy there are more tables running down the side next to the kitchen with a couple hidden at the very rear right next to a fireplace. The interior is painted white to open up the small space with accents of brick and wood throughout. The restaurant has a very comfortable feeling with just a touch of class.
The Wife and I stopped for Sunday breakfast. The menu covers the basics such as pancakes, waffles and granola but what got my attention was the Green Chile Pork and Eggs. The Wife was drawn to the French Toast with Strawberries. My dish came in a shallow but wide bowl with the mild and tender shredded pork sharing the space with 3 eggs (poached for me) and fried chunks of potato. Tucked into the side were a couple of corn tortillas and a spoon pico de gallo on top. The ingredients in the entire dish went very well together and the serving size was perfect other than I think 3 eggs is overkill. The Wife’s French Toast had a good firm texture with a prominent cinnamon flavor that reminded me of me of cinnamon-​sugar toast we used to make as kids. The strawberries were properly macerated and plentiful. Their house coffee is organic and fair trade. Our service was friendly and accommodating and prices were very reasonable.
The 4 Spoons Café offers both breakfast and lunch and you can be sure that we will check out the lunch service as soon as we can. They have proven that the chef knows his way around the breakfast service so I have no doubts that lunch will prove to be the same.