My Coffee House

Unlike the rest of the reviewers I actually came because of the todller activities. There are none anymore. The girl behind the coffee machine was even kinda ticked off to see our kid lol… Definetely not comming back here since the place offers nothing special…

Maybe if I had a kid I’d be thankful for a place I could let it run loose. Maybe then I wouldn’t care if it took FOREVER to get my coffee… Or maybe I would care cuz I’d need the extra caffeine to be able to handle the kids energy. I don’t know.
I do know that I came in here looking for coffee and maybe some lunch. Don’t know what the deal was, but I stood there for 20 minutes while the barista made something for the person in front of me without even acknowledging that I was there! Duuuuude! Just give me my coffee!!! Most of the tables were in the play area and were full, so there was nowhere to sit anyway. So I left hungry and uncaffeinated.

I would love to go to this place all the time, and I have gone there several times and taken a cross-​sampling of their service the condition of the place, but yesterday was the last straw for me. These are the things that need to change:
For a baby place they’ve got two high chairs ONLY, and both were completely broken. One of them was in the tiny restroom which boasts no changing table, no toilet paper, a broken door handle and watered down soap. Can you say «Cheap OWNER!!!» I knew you could. I went in at 3:30 and it was dead. Toys were picked up but the table was still swimming with crumbs. There’s no gate on the play area and it’s intensely hot in there. I have 18 month old twins, and they are constantly darting towards the propped-​open door! That’s Madison Street — very busy, and they are very fast.
Get a gate, get a changing table, add some hand soap, toilet paper, and people who aren’t watching TV when it’s slow and are wiping some tables. I have to say the older lady is very nice and helpful bu the younger lady just doesn’t work that much.
The fact is there are very few places truly like this where people can go with their kids otherwise this place would have no business. It’s singularity and its location are keeping it open even though it sorely lacks good business practices and true safety for kids.
Sorry to write this — I want this place to succeed because moms in this community would really benefit if it did. But this business goes out of its way to be as bad as it is.

This place is so hit or miss for me. Now, I have a child, so it’s a hit in terms of the fact that it’s nice to go somewhere where children are not sneered at AND there are toys for them to occupy themselves. It’s also a hit when the good baristas are there and I get a really nice cup of espresso. But it has been a big miss on several occasions when (1) horrible barista overpulled my shot and it tasted like crap, (2) solo barista was slammed at lunch time by a gagillion moms who save places in line (?!) so that everyone can order 20 bagels, thus making me wait 30 minutes for barista to make me an espresso to go. Bad.
So, absolutely go (and bump rating to a 5 star) if you answer «yes» to both of these questions: (1) Do you have a child whom you would like to distract with toys while you have something to drink and/​or eat? (2) Are you willing to wait a while and deal with a mommy and kid crowd?
If you answered no to either question, you should never go, or only go when there is no one there, or there are at least two baristas, or it is NOT in the afternoon because that is when bad barista works.

The good thing about this place is that it has a separated play area inside.
Their coffee is decent, and I like that they have some ice cream as well.
However, they do not have many tables except ones in the play area.
Therefore, it’s kind of awkward for me to stay.
I wish I had a kid to go and play with…

We might have gone on a bad day, but the first thing I noticed was that they were completely out of soap in the bathroom (which they knew). I’m not sure what they were using in the kitchen since it was the same kind of soap. After my kids crawled around for a bit their knees were black, so I wouldn’t say it was very clean.
On the other hand, the people were very friendly and my kids liked the table top road set. The food was decent.

Ok so like countless other have already mentioned: If you’re looking for a quiet café to update your blog then may I direct you to just about every other coffee shop in Seattle.
If however you have a rugrat and need to just get out of the damn house and let your kid play with toys they’re not bored to tears with while you sip an americano and peruse some magazines then brother is this the place for you.
The facts that the (new) owner is incredibly friendly, the food good and the coffee damn fine is just icing on the cake. I mean seriously — I’ve dumped a new cup of coffee on the ground here no less than three times (maybe an inner-​ear disorder?), always to have a complimentary replacement within minutes. When my daughter dumps her container of goldfish crackers on the ground (hereditary?), there’s a new one waiting with a smile.
My Coffee House serves a nice clientele extremely well and I’ll be returning again and again.

I wish I could give this place one more star but between my chalky overpriced iced mocha and the toys everywhere like it is a childs bedroom, all I can say is no thank you.

Every other weekend I am a virtual leper to about 90% of my friends. You see, I am of the rare breed that have dared to procreate and apparently there is some sort of fear that children are catchy or, I don’t know, maybe they don’t want to listen to me ask the Mini if he wants to go poo-​poo on the potty 50 times in the space of ten minutes. WHATEVER. I’m going to have someone around to ASK ME if I need to go poo-​poo when things come full circle for me, the rest of you can just SOIL YOURSELVES. HA!
There are a few people who are willing to hang with me when the child is present, the infamous Patrick G. and his lovely wife Faith par example. You would think that I would be eternally grateful for this and treat them with the kindness that they are showing me — but no. I am a consummate asshole; when Patrick suggested we meet for coffee, I suggested My Coffee House.
I come here quite often on rainy days because I can get a coffee and read while the kid roams around in the bacteria pit that is the play area. They have a full menu of kid friendly items, from little cups of Gold Fish and Cherrios to PB&J and Grilled Cheese — and of course the bagels that are flown in from NYC. The coffee doesn’t totally suck. If you’re a parent, you see the appeal. If not — it’s the 7^th Layer of Hell, especially before noon on a dreary Sunday.
Poor Patrick & Faith. Assaulted they were; by the din of insane tiny people battling for their position in the hierarchy of the train table, all snotty, and dirty, dropping a trail of Cherrios on the floor behind them, a poopy scented steam rising from the play area, gagging Faith and oddly pleasing dear Patrick. Denied a chewy, crispy NY bagel by the harried and, honestly, bitchy staff because they had «A SITUATION» and wouldn’t be able to TOAST A BAGEL in under 30 minutes. I thought for a minute that it would be ok, but then I saw Faith drag Patrick into the corner with a plastic knife, attempting to perform a vasectomy on the spot for fear that her birth control may one day fail her.
Ahhh — I still love this place. I don’t have to clean those Cherrios up and that smell isn’t coming from MY child. But, It’s really not nice to bring the non-​breeders here. Sorry guys. What say next time we go to a titty bar and try to put this all behind us?

YES! Finally a place I can bring my 3 year old and 1.5 year old and relax? I always enjoy my time spent at this coffee shop. I don’t drink coffee and I don’t care about the coffee, I love the bagels, I love the fact that they have 5 billion toys that will surely engage the most discriminating toddler, hell I’ll even play dinosaurs if we can stay for just five more minutes mommy wants to sit down!!! Sure if you go here on a totally pouring rainy day it’s zoo’d, sure if you don’t have kids you’re probably going to wonder WTF and walk right out, but if you have a baby or two or three it’s the place to be, pass it on! Or don’t pass it on, keep it to yourself and hope nobody else finds out so they won’t show up on the day you do ha ha ha ha! Parking is pure luck, but I’ve never had to schlepp my stuff that far, and it’s worth it to go, so go!!!

I can only say that the coffee might be good, but this place is (literary) crawling with kids. If you have kids and you like to take them to coffee shops, this place is for you. If you are looking for a quiet place to read, chat with friends, or work, go some place else.

This overly family friendly coffee shop has the best bagels in town. If you count that they have the bagels fed-ex’d from NYC.
I’m not much of a coffee drinker — but I was very impressed by the selection and quality of the loose leaf teas.
I would give more stars if there was a more extensive menu and the service hadn’t been so surly.

My Coffeehouse is my refuge. If you are the mother of a baby or toddler and you need 1. caffeine 2. a bagel 3. some sanity — this is your place. My Coffeehouse opened in 2003. Julie Parker (Madison Valley resident and mother of two young children) was the original owner. It is now under new management, but everything else is the same. (Sadly, Julie decided to move on and we all miss her!) The only difference I’ve noticed is that they have even friendlier baristas.
The bagles are FedExed from New York. The coffee is always great.
My daughter loves the big Thomas the Train set in the middle of the playroom. And now they’ve added friendly service. If you’re a mom or dad and you haven’t discovered this place, you need to come here for your next playdate.

I’m a nanny, and have been going to My Coffee House for 3 years, once a week. I used to have good experiences here, but over the last year ther service has deteriorated. About a month ago I walked in, past a woman outside on her cell, smoking a cigarette. Once I got inside I looked around for an employee and saw no one. I got settled and started to play with my girl. Over the next 10 minutes several people came in, looked around, and either left or sat down with their kids. Finally an employee showed up — it was the woman who had been outside on her phone, smoking. She didn’t apologize to anyone in line or hurry to start taking orders, or anything. In fact she was surly and eventually forgot my bagel order and gave me the wrong coffee. If this was an isolated experience I’d forget it, but the next 2 times I went it was equally bad. I give up.

Update — New ownership — Very friendly Vietnamese family. Bagels are now Wonderbread fluffy and clump over your teeth, as do many Seattle bagels. Also, sadly even a bit grubbier than it was before the change.
The following is no longer true — If you’re missing NYC beyond endurance, go in and grab some H & H Bagels. H & H — I know, I couldn’t believe it either. (Now, if someone would only send in bialys and Yonah Schimmels knishes) If you get to My Coffee House early, the bagels are still warm from the bakery (via FedX).
The coffee’s nothing special, it’s adequate. The store is not a place I’d linger, not even for a few moments to eat my bagel.
When you must have a real New York bagel and nothing else will do, this is the place to go. Then go savor them in the quiet and comfort of your own home.
Pretty much all the reviews regarding kinder and kooties are on the money.

Excellent bagels? Check.
Fine espresso drinks? Check.
Thomas the Trainset? Check.
Kiddie Kitchen? Check.
Great service? Well…4 out of 5 ain’t bad!
I order coffee from a relatively friendly barrista, park my kid at the trainset, grab a fashion mag from the rack, and chill. Coffee comes about a ½ hour later, but we are melt-​down free in a room full of toys. Oh yeah…

Great place to relax with kids or not. But, if you hate kids (like some other reviewers here obviously do) I would suggest going somewhere else. We parents would appreciate it.
The bagels (FedEx’d from New York!) are to die for, the coffee is wonderful, and the service is always friendly! My Coffeehouse knows what it is doing when it comes to having a place to relax and enjoy some downtime.
I hosted my 3-​year-​olds last birthday here, and was very happy with the results. You have to check this place out!

I love, love, love this place!!! It is so down to earth and family friendly. I have a 3 and 2 year old and both of my kids find something to do that suits their needs. I can actually read a magazine and eat food without disruptions!
The owner is a sweet woman that has 2 children herself and lives just a few blocks away so it a very locally owned business.
The first review written here is really harsh, (maybe she should open up her own place and see what it’s like!) I would defiantly give this place a try if you are in the area. The best times to come is between 1 and 4, less people so more toys for your kids to play with!

This is my least favorite «kid-​friendly» coffee shop. The staff clearly hates kids, the place is a sea of baby flesh, and I suspect everything needs to be disinfected a lot more often than it is. The volume of kids and nannies/​moms make it impossible to intervene in time when you see little Brutus start to pummel your darling child. I recommend Vios for a close-​by alternative.

This is the kid-​friendly coffee shop that all others should be modeled after. The ENTIRE café is kid-​friendly. It’s like a big living room full of toys. They’ve got train tables, kitchen stuff, and a reading loft. Bench-​style seats/​sofas surround the play area and there are a few tables and chairs too. While you place your order and pay, your kid will stay occupied playing with the toys attached to the front of the counter at kid-​level… whoever designed this place obviously has a kid!
The food is «just ok” — it’s mostly bagel sandwiches and you could make them just as good at home. But you don’t go there for the food anyway. I understand they need to make money, but I hate that they have several signs up saying how you can’t bring in outside food. I just don’t think that’s very realistic when you have kids. So I do it anyway. I’ve either never been caught or they’ve noticed but not said anything. (I’m not bringing food in for myself, mind you– just for my picky kid.)
My only real recommendation for this place would be to put up a baby gate between the ordering area and the play area.
It can be hard to find parking but be patient and circle around the block several times– something will come up eventually!