Hillside Quickie’s

For the most part, I’m pretty much a fan of the Plum dynasty, but the Hillside Quickie’s location has proven to be just kind of weird. It’s pretty safe to assume that you’ll grow a little older waiting for your food, which seems to always be pretty drenched in oil. You’ll get strange service, too… like they’re trying their very hardest to avoid any interaction with you. Example: About 30 minutes after ordering the taco salad one time, they brought it to the table and said, «We ran out of chips, so here’s some bread instead.» rather than stating half an hour earlier that the taco salad simply wasn’t an option today and to choose something else, what with dried bread not equaling chips and chips being essential to the dish. See, weird.
My experience has been that the same menu is done better at Sage/​Plum Café, so you might as well just go the few extra miles over there.

I’m used to going to the one on Capital hill but since that one shut down and I (at the time that I first went into this place) just moved in with my Parnter to the North End. We came in after a few days of fasting. So everything that went into our Mouths Was holy. My Partner cried. Thought that was cute.
The fact that this location was WAY bigger, was a turn on. athough them together, aren’t big to begin with. I ordered the «Jamaican wrap», All in all it was GREAT but I found it a little bit too salty. Lked that there were only 2 people on staff, the Cook and the waitress. I believe they are related. They make you feel like you’re in their dining room and they are dieing to cook for you. I’m dreaming of coming to this spot again. Can’t wait!

Vegetarian… Vegan…These words should not turn you away from the exceptional food that Hillside Quickie’s serves! Exceptional food is fantastic food no matter what it is! As an omnivore, I implore you to try eating something that is just as tasty and not as unhealthy as meat is (especially after the most recent slaughterhouse fiasco that made the news).
When I was a kid, I was VERY picky with what I ate. When my parents wanted to eat strictly vegetarian or vegan food, I used to immediately think it was «revolting or tasteless food». Upon eating some Hillside Quickie’s, I was asking my folks to come here for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
I’m almost 23 years old now and my opinion of Hillside Quickie’s remains stronger than ever! I was fortunate to have a late lunch here recently and it was worth the wait. I ordered a humongous «BBQ burger» which was complimented by its juicy house smoked BBQ tofu patty with grilled sweet onions and mustard. The burgers fall apart quite easily since they are so large, but that just means you can savor the pieces that came off with your trusty knife and fork later!
I also tried the vegan berry milkshake which was also awesome. I was able to sample part of the «Crazy Jamaican Burger» from my fam and this too was awesome! We ordered a lot of things so it took a while for the guy working there to prepare everything. This was no biggie because he was working by himself (I know how that goes brother!) and I was thankful he was able to give us such an excellent lunch.
My biggest regret was not being able to make another trip to Hillside Quickie’s or its counterparts (Sage Bakery & Café in Seattle, Quickie Too in Tacoma) while I was in the area. If you are lucky enough to be near any of those locations, do yourself a favor and try eating vegan for a day. Thank me later!

I’m a veggie lover, but I love my meat. But… I could turn vegan if I could eat at Hillside Quickies every day. The food is a tad bit oily (it adds to the goodness to all the veggies), the hippie man taking the orders can be a tad bit cranky, but the food itself is delicious so it balances out.
I suggest ordering before you go if you’re picking up and make sure to try the potato salad!

Fantastic, if slightly greasy, vegan sandwiches. Seriously, I have no idea what the special ingredient is, but these sandwiches are delicious.

This place has really delicious sandwiches. I highly recommend the Jamaican TLT (Tempeh, Lettuce, and Tomoato) — it’s very flavorful and substantial!
The prices might turn you off (TLT, $ 8), but the sandwiches really are big. Often I’ll share one with a friend and leave full (FTR, I have a big appetite). A sammy and a side (their macaroni and yease is really good) would do two people perfectly.
The sandwiches are vegan. If, like me, you steer clear of dirt-​and-​sticks vegan food don’t worry– the sandwiches are great!
A few things to note. With only one person minding the shop at a time, the place will sometimes be mysteriously shut. This is not fast-​food, the sandwiches are clearly made with love, so if you’re in a hurry you should call ahead with your order (Jamaican TLT is a good fallback ;-) and pick it up. Finally, note that the sandwiches are really oily and can be a bit crumbly. I will either eat-​in with a knife and fork, or eat out with extra napkins handy.

I admit it. I’m a carnivore, and will likely remain so for the rest of my life. But I also love good food and know first hand that the flavors, ingredients, and creativity of vegetarian and vegan restaurants can offer up some wonderful and unexpected treats. I also know that the term «Vegan Hamburger» is an oxymoron to most meat lovers, but I am here to say that Hillside Quickie pulls it off.
The big mistake that many vegetarian burgers made in the early days were to try to replicate the hamburger with veggie approved ingredients. To me, Hillside succeeds because they embrace the wonderful variety and flavors of vegetarian food while still providing a burger-​like eating experience.
The restaurant is nothing to write home about. It looks like most neighborhood Teriyaki joints. A simple room with a counter, beverage cooler, tables and chairs. The service is typical too of any restaurant staffed by college aged students. I also recommend that you avoid their fried foods. The tater tots, fries, or onion rings may tempt you but they’re pretty badly made and served with spicy salt flavor I found kind of unappetizing.
That said, their burgers are terrific. I’ve tried two and found them to be flavorful and delicious. If you like great flavor and and good food, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy a Hillside Quickie.

Went in for an early lunch. There was only one guy working, but we were served quickly. SUPER friendly and knowledgeable service. I had the BBQ burger and the Mac and Yease. It was very large and absolutely delicious. The potato salad on the burger was an amazing touch. Great flavor, texture, presentation, all that good stuff. Probably the most impressive vegan burger I’ve ever had. I’ll definitely be returning.

my saliva kept coming out of my mouth, I drank lots of water after I had my Jamaican wrap. Your literally tasting salt on every bite. an isolated place. the tofu taste like mostly floury taste like a sad meatloaf. meehhhh
i would only eat this if this is the only option. it is not good not bad just fair.

Went here for lunch the other day. The service was super friendly (but slow) and the food was great. Portion size was awesomely generous. I had an African burger sloppy-​joe type sandwich, with quinoa and something else as a filling… it was great, very «meaty» if you’ll excuse my saying so.
I’d love some dishes without «meat substitute», just plain veggie awesomeness.
I’ll be back for sure, just not when I’m in a hurry

Unpretentious vegan food! Smoked tofu & fresh veggie sandwiches for $ 1! Laotian basil fried rice! Perfect portion sizes! Cute cook! Family restaurant! Referred here by a very enthusiastic t-​shirt vendor on the Ave!
Bottom Line: Awesome.

The food here is amazing! If you can get it…
The hours seem to be whenever we feel like waking up until whenever we get bored of making food. They have no phone number, so you can’t call, you just have to wander over there and cross your fingers.
Food really is worth the trouble. I can’t believe it’s vegan sometimes. The sandwiches are a bit expensive, but that is because they are HUGE! I can only eat half the Seitan Sandwich (potato salad in the sandwich!) before I want to curl in a ball and nap for a week. This is not healthy yoga raw veggie vegan though. If you ate here every day you would be the fattest vegan in history. Happy fat vegan though.
Their philosophy on hours extends to ingredients. Every time I’ve been there they have been out of whatever I ordered, but then they give me something else that is equally awesome, so not sure if that’s the hugest complaint. I just assume they will not be open and if they were they will not have what I want, then anything to the contrary is an awesome surprise.

I really really really want to give this place a good review. I do.
Because the food here is amazing. — beyond amazing. Really some of the best «comfort» vegan food in town.
Problem: They are not open when they say they are supposed to be open.
I tried to call them yesterday to verify that they would be open during their posted hours, WHICH IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO BE FOR DRIVING THERE, OR YOU COULD END UP SAD AND HUNGRY. But… their phone number had been disconnected. (aaand yes, I double checked the phone number. I also checked online from two different sources that the number was actually correct… So, quadruple checked. I guess.)
…
I ended up calling Sage café to ask «Uh, hi, yeah, I just called Quickies, and their number is disconnected, do they still exist?» They responded to me that they «do exist», but, they are «most likely not open today»… on a Thursday. at 3pm… an odd time/​day (I think) to just not have your store open.
This place always makes me feel like, they kinda gave up on it and put all their money into the Plum bistro. Because, it always looks dingy and not taken care of, and is selectively open.
So, when I feel like driving further (which I really would prefer not to do because I had already paid to park next to Quickies. grr…)… I will go to Sage, they have almost the same stuff… But, the place albeit cleaner, is more cramped, smaller, and slightly awkward. The staff has always been friendlier at Quickies too.
I just wish who ever is managing (or if this neglect was due to the owner) acted like they cared about it more. Because I love it, when I actually can get service.

As part of my self guided vegan Seattle tour I stopped at Hillside quickie to see what was good. I have to say after going to several mindblowingly good spots in Seattle, my expectations were high.
In retrospect I give hillside 3 stars for the Jamaican wrap (twas a little too greasy but good) but the the mac and yeese that I got to go (in the prepared food case up front) left quite a bit to be desired…

Hillside Quickie’s, it just sounds dirty. Anyways…
The flavors just explode in your mouth. I ordered the Jamaican Spice Tempeh sub. The tempeh is boldly seasoned and grilled to perfection and comes on some chewy bread that is overflowing with a zesty red cabbage coleslaw. The juices were dripping everywhere as I was eating but oh my god, it was divine.
Service is abysmally slow; I think they really do run on island time here. But something that tastes this amazing is worth the wait.

One of my favorite places to eat of all time!
I was vegan for quite sometime… and still love vegan cuisine.
This place is so good. Sooo good. Every birthday my little bro takes me here.
I could eat the TLT with tempeh all day everyday. AHHHh sooo amazing!
I wish I could give them 10stars.
Try the mac n yease, fries and burgers!

This place has a great atmosphere. It feels like you aren’t in Seattle. The food is cooked with love. Don’t come here in a hurry.
I had the Jamaican Jerk wrap. It was a lot of food and would have been nice to split with someone else.
It didn’t taste greasy at all — it was really spicy and good… tasted like healthy street festival food.
I can’t wait to come back and try more of the food.
NPR was playing and that gave it a feeling of sitting in someone’s kitchen.

First off, I’m a rabid meat-​eater & dairy-​lover but I barely noticed this place was vegan because they’re pretty darn delish. The burritos, mac & yease and hush puppies are the quickest «grab & go» items from the menu. Glistening, greasy hush puppies with bits of sweet corns dotting the inside, can’t get any better. And the mac & yease has a powerful punch of flavor although I have no idea what they put in it — the bit o’ spice is quite nice. (I rhymed on purpose).
The downfalls: the hours are sporadic, I’m lucky if they happen to be open whenever I walk by. And it’s always really empty when I come in with one person cooking and manning the counter which I’m not sure is a great sign. And vegan doesn’t always = 100% healthy. There are deep-​fried items, mayo and oil used a plenty that aren’t exactly good for the health-​conscious soul.
They do use an epic black crusted carbon pan that looks like it can do serious damage to the food cooked within it — GOOD damage that is. The girl at the counter said she thinks the pan probably adds to a lot of the flavor.

I am not vegetarian or vegan but this is a truly creative and unique restaurant. Here you will find comfort food items created from vegan combinations that are fun and flavorful. It is a humble little establishment with a gas stove and pots and pans that have slaved tirelessly upon it.
I have had some really tasty sandwiches here. Their seitan is my favorite meat substitute as it is chewy and textured almost like real meat and it is really flavorful. The «mac and yease» is, I might dare to say, better than most mac and cheese I’ve ever had. I could go there just to eat heaps of it.
In my experience, the employees can seem a little indifferent (though not rude), but literally slaving over a hot stove all day might be a source of that. It is true that the wait for the food seems almost unnecessarily long, so it is a place you should plan on going to when you can accommodate the wait. It makes for a great lunch on a day off and definitely a place to show off to your out of town vegetarian friends! Occasional visits pose no threat to a student budget.

Five stars, period. Even if the service might be a bit slow or the radio too loud, five stars.
The food is heaven. I recommend an entrée called… something to the effect…“Mama’s Big Kitchen”. Tofu that really tasted and looked like meat (maybe pork), sweet crunchy hush puppies, tangy coleslaw, perfect potato salad, and ohmygod, the best mac and «cheese» I have ever had. The very very best! Perhaps, it might more correctly be called macaroni salad, but still, like wow! The collard greens were no slouch either. All this for under $ 10.
And even though the side order of potatoes and gravy contained the dreaded rosemary, the rosemary was so light the potatoes are still deemed excellent!
JP had a wrap that was huge and full of flavorable fixins’.
Because we were the only customers, it really seemed like home cooking with the restaurant lady cooking us our meal on the stove right there in the dining area.