Nook

It’s called Morsel now. And it’s over the top. See my review…

This is a place that will be greatly, greatly missed. If anyone came in from out of town– I would always suggest this place for breakfast. I was just talking about how I wanted to stop by here again until I found out they closed :(
Their gravy is the best I’ve had, and topped on the biscuit… I never knew such a simple meal could be so good. But I always recommend their breakfast sandwich because those are just the
!
If they ever opened again, I would be a very happy person. Thanks for the tasty breakfasts, Nook!

Nook is SO GOOD! But make sure you get there early because you WILL wait and they WILL run out (you could possibly wait an hour and end up with no biscuit). The menu is very limited but really, who cares? The biscuit sandwiches are amazing – my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Buttery, fluffy, flakey… everything you want a biscuit to be! The gravy is delicious as well, although I’d go without so you can truly savor the biscuit.
The downside is definitely the wait – it’s even longer when people order the espresso drinks. When I went, there were only two people working and one of them got tied up with making drink after drink. The people who run the place are super nice and have a great attitude despite how hard they have to work between the two of them to get people through the line. If they hired another person or made their process more efficient (everything is pre-​made and just requires assembly so really shouldn’t take as long as it does), they would definitely get that 5^th star!

Two years later, Nook is still around, and better than ever. It’s gone from a neighborhood breakfast-​and-​lunch place to a lean, mean, biscuiteering machine. The current menu is pretty short: a couple of varieties of biscuits, a few spreads, breakfast sandwich, biscuit & gravy, granola. The sandwich and the B&G are both excellent, but nowadays I seem to end up ordering the cheddar-​scallion biscuit with herbed goat cheese. I am a sucker for scallions in breads. An easy five stars for the food.
They have also added a full espresso menu, with beans from Velton’s. I have mixed feelings about this. It does slow things down a bit, and there are plenty of other places in the area to get a decent cup of coffee. My shot of espresso was decent; a little sour. I’d give the it four stars for that; if I just wanted coffee, I’d rather walk the extra couple of blocks to Herkimer or Trabant.
As people have said, this place has gotten quite a lot of press recently, so the biscuits sell out *fast* on weekends. Try it on a weekday if you can.

Very bitter sweet!!! I have heard great things about this place and I wish I could give this a good rating but for my first time here it was a horrible experience. I was told to come in early because of the chance of biscuits running out before close time. So my wife I decide to get there about half an hour before opening which is at 9am and line was already out the door and near the cross walk. 9:40am rolls around and we get notice that the biscuits are down to a 7 count and there is more than 7 people in front of us. Severely disappointed and ended up having breakfast at the farmers market across the street… next time you damn bastards, next time!
***WARNING TO ALL — GET THERE WAY EARLY THAN 8AM IF YOU WANT TO ENSURE YOURSELF A BREAKFAST BISCUIT. I KNOW I WILL!

I tried Nook for the first time last weekend after many rave reviews from my husband and our friends. It was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s «Layover» show a few weeks ago, so it was definitely packed. There was a line out the door and we waited about 30 minutes in line before we ordered, which isn’t a problem, especially because the biscuits were worth it! *yum* We all had the breakfast biscuit (with cheese, bacon, egg, and tomato jam) — they’re delicious.
The advice I would provide would be for the service. There were three people working behind the counter and it appeared that only one of them (the owner?) was doing all the work. She was taking the orders, making the biscuits, assembling the biscuits, and calling out the orders. It would probably work best if one person was taking orders, one person serving coffee (see note below), and one person assembling the sandwiches.
Regarding the coffee, there was one guy serving as the Barista, which seemed to prove quite inefficient. First off, they don’t offer drip coffee (which seems to be the most desired with a homemade biscuit) so everyone just orders an Americano, and I’m pretty sure he’s the slowest barista only making one drink at a time. Drip coffee would quicken the process and still satisfy everyone’s need :)
All in all, bring in some drip coffee, a little bit faster service, and it’d be a definite 5-​stars :)

I was excited to try Nook but don’t think i’ll be headed back anytime soon.
Yes, I knew there was a wait. But what I didn’t anticipate was the extreme inefficiency behind the counter. The only reason they have a wait is because they are slow and understaffed. It took about 55 minutes for us to get through the line and get our sandwiches, the line in total was about 20 people. What this place truly needs is more staff– one taking orders, one making orders, and one barista, one bussing tables and one doing dishes – minimum!
As everything is pre-​made, they simply assemble the biscuit sandwiches as ordered (for example, the eggs are precooked and slapped on the biscuit), so ours came out shockingly fast after we finally made it to the register. Somehow my cappuccino managed to take longer than my biscuit sandwich after I ordered, which is still perplexing me.
As for the biscuit itself– it was pretty delicious– probably a solid 4 star. I was a bit disappointed as the eggs were pre-​made which would take the sandwich down to a 3 star. One part of the sandwich that is unique to the other biscuit competitors is the tomato jam– a delicious addition. I strongly feel that if you’re opening a breakfast shop you should be making fresh eggs. The slow wait due to inefficiencies bring the restaurant down to a 2-​star.
I think Nook has a lot of potential– and hope they can solve these issues to move it up to a better experience to match their tasty biscuits.

Firstly, the biscuits are as advertised and certainly worth the wait.
However, I have serious reservations about the staff and the way they treat customers.
Let me explain… We were patiently waiting in line for at least 30 minutes this morning. Having read the reviews on this place, I was aware that they can run out of biscuits and was willing to take our chances. True to form, as we were inching our way up to the counter we were informed that there may not be enough biscuits to go around. Fair enough, all good.
However, as we were almost at the register– one the staff members asked the guy «BEHIND» us to the front of the line and in a very sneaky manner — offered him the LAST buttermilk biscuit!!! After waiting at least 30 minutes, I was livid!!! This was totally unfair!!!
I asked her why they she asked someone to skip the queue and the other staffer said that the man had «Pre-​ordered» his biscuit. Really!!! Why would someone who has «pre-​ordered» anything stand in line for 30 minutes!?? And no-​one else walked into the store with a «pre-order»…Wow! not only did the staff completely disrespect a customer — they lied to us!
It’s too bad because they make a great product — I just wished they felt that their customers deserve to be treated fairly.
I’m hoping the staff read this. It’s one thing to decide that you’ll only make a small batch — it’s quite another to play favorites and lie to your customers.

This place is delightful for a vegetarian. I came here for brunch and it was most lovely.
The biscuits are tasty and surprisingly hearty. I had one of the mushroom gravy variety, complete with cheese and tomatoes. It tasted quite rich. The price was OK, but I would have preferred to pay closer to $ 5 than to $ 6. I’m also concerned about the health risks of all that gravy and cheese.
The service was pleasant. The cashier helped me customize my order and add tomatoes to a biscuit that would otherwise have lacked them. They also let my friend and I stay after their official closing to eat and chat, without bothering us. I am certainly willing to come back.

Nook offers an inexpensive, delicious biscuit in an extremely casual atmosphere. (Some say tacky interior; I say charming.) While owners Alex Green and Aki Woodward seem to get criticized for their shifting hours but it’s simple. They open at nine and they stay open until the biscuits are gone. So get there early or call ahead.
Now, biscuits are superb fall weather food. They’re comfort food to the core, full of butter and fluffy, yeasty goodness. Nook’s biscuit tends towards a flakier texture, with a crisp exterior. While you can get it as an egg sandwich or smothered in gravy, I think this biscuit is best with nothing but freezer jam.
A great addition to the Ave, especially for the early morning UW folks. You can follow their facebook page for seasonal specials, like green chile stew on a biscuit or spiced apple biscuit with maple whipped cream..

when a place dedicates its entire menu to one item it must be darn good. And those biscuits are TASTY in every way served.
;/​i was a bit wary of typing this review in fear of this place getting too busy. they have a limited # of biscuits and close out when they sell out. But let the race to the last biscuit begin!

It’s hard for me to get excited about a restaurant in the U District– let alone one on the Ave. And yes, I know that there are some amazing places in the area but they are few and far between. My friend convinced me to give Nook a try so we went this last weekend. OMG! This place exceeded my expectations by FAR.
I had the breakfast sandwich with ham, egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit. Absolutely amazing. Melt in your mouth, want to eat forever and ever kind of good. Honestly, I thought it was better than Tom D’s biscuit bar. Just saying (and I’m a fan).
Minus one star for a limited menu AND the fact that they won’t sell you more than 2 biscuits to take home.
I’ve been fantasizing about when I can go next.

Nook is a great example of a place with a limited menu that picks one thing and does it well: biscuits. I’m sure every other grandma or home style restaurant in the south has a fantastic biscuit recipe, but biscuits aren’t something that figure quite as prominently on the west coast. This makes a place specializing in the simple pleasures of a warm biscuit all the more novel.
Large (almost bagel-​sized) and golden brown with a mildly crisped top, the interior of these biscuits are soft and fluffy with just a hint of sweetness. I’m not sure if they’re necessarily the best biscuits I’ve ever had, but they’re really good. While you can get them individually, they also have several sandwich options like ham/​cheddar/​egg, ham/​brie/​pesto, or goat cheese/​cucumber/​tomato. They also have smothered options (gravy, chili, etc.). Any of these should make for a hearty and satisfying lunch. In fact, while I didn’t necessarily think the food rich or «heavy» while eating, I was more full afterwards than I might have otherwise expected from a biscuit sandwich (clue: methinks a generous portion of animal fat is a key ingredient!). There are also options for the sweet tooth like nutella/​banana or apple butter jam biscuits.
Located in the University District, the restaurant is a hole in the wall with an oddly homey color palette. While there are only a few booths and small tables, the white and seafoam green beadboard suggest a 1950s homemaker might be comfortable here. The counter staff was friendly during our visit, and the biscuits came out quickly. For a no-​frills meal or snack, Nook is a very solid option.

My friend and I were rushing to grab breakfast and a search on the Unilocal App brought us to this popular restaurant close to the university. The interior is a small hole in the wall with counter service and a long line that persisted throughout the morning. The antiquated décor is tightly packed with a handful of stools and booths adjacent to the large counter and a blackboard menu located in the backdrop. We arrived right at opening and were fortunate to swipe a booth that was located in the back.
Interested diners should be aware that they specialize in breakfast biscuits, and beside their soup, cookies and drinks everything else practically comes with a buttermilk biscuit as the featured ingredient. The menu is small, and they have a policy of limiting people to two biscuits when they’re ordered to go.
I’m not a big fan of biscuits but must say that they were truly excellent. These biscuits were served fresh and warm with a quick to crumble, flaky exterior followed by a pillow-​soft fluffy interior and an easy bite. The biscuits were bulky and filling. Without anticipating this we ended up with too much food at the table.
Their only vegetarian option was the Biscuit and Mushroom Gravy ($ 6.50). It was served in a small paper tray and stacked with a biscuit, shaved cheddar, and mushroom gravy. The intensity of the gravy could be thicker, creamier and richer in taste. Additionally, I wasn’t too thrilled with the stiff cheddar that didn’t melt so it could blend in with the rest of the flavors.
The Loaded Biscuit and Gravy ($ 7.25) arrived with my choice of mushroom gravy, cheddar, house pickled jalapeño, and egg. Again, the flavor of this item was driven by the biscuit and little else. The pickled jalapeño was good, but I couldn’t taste the egg and perhaps their sausage gravy was the better choice for this particular item.
Lastly, the Nutella and Banana Biscuit ($ 4.50) was served like a sandwich with rich creamy nutella and sliced bananas to fill the middle. By this time the continuous repeat of biscuit eating was getting to me. The redundancy took some enthusiasm away from the meal, and I wished they had different types of biscuits that creatively mix and match the flavors to raise my level of intrigue and excitement.
Service was friendly, down to earth, and efficient. The price was a bit high for the value, and my friend complained about the cleanliness of their restroom even though it was still early in the morning. Interested diners should come early as they tend to run out of biscuits and places to sit quickly. Interesting concept, but the overlaps on the menu at the expense of both breadth and depths weren’t enough to make me a fan. To this day I’m still overdosed by biscuits. I will only come back when I’m in the area and craving for biscuits.

Teeny-​tiny shop with not many places to sit and takes a while to get your food since there’s only two people working.
The biscuits get a solid «B+», but the sausage gravy unfortunately below average.
I really wanted to like this place too… disappointing!
Metered street parking only. Takes cards.

OK OK. I normally avoid places that are tiny, have long waits, and close when they run out of stuff… but, I make exception for Nook.
I had the day off and decided to head over to Nook a few minutes before opening. Shortly after my arrival, a couple stood next to me and we anxiously awaited the doors opening at 9am (which is kind of late for a breakfast place, but whatever).
I ordered the ham/​cheese/​egg sandwich with pickled jalapeño and an egg/​tomato/​cheese sandwich, along with their breakfast biscuit sandwich (bacon/​egg/​cheese/​tomato jam) for later. I asked whether their sandwiches could keep for a bit because I wasn’t going home for a few hours and they said it would (I was a little skeptical). Btw, apparently they limit the number of plain buttermilk biscuits a person can buy to two, I thought that was interesting.
The ham sandwich was excellent. I’m not a huge biscuit fan and that’s because I’ve been eating the wrong biscuits for a long time. Their buttermilk biscuit is a perfect balance of soft, flaky, buttery, moist, with a bit of crust on the outter edges to keep it interesting. The ham sandwich was excellent. It’s very important to me to be able to take a bite of ham and have it really tender and theirs was. The jalapenos were great! I could do for about three times as many, but I tend to overdo the spice (it was more warm heat, than spicy heat). Anyway, we were both extremely pleased with our sandwiches and when I gave the breakfast sandwich to my hub later in the day. it totally held up and he loved his sandwich as well.
So begins the obsession.
I placed a bulk order for a dozen biscuits plus sausage gravy for craft night. You need to place your order at least 2 days in advance and be able to pick up your order Weds-​Sun. Pick-​up was no problem that day, and in fact, their store was a bit empty which made me feel bad that I didn’t have more time to stay and order something. While there, I asked for a sample of their butternut squash gravy and got a taste in a little espresso cup which was sooo cute. The butternut squash gravy tasted like actual gravy! I was impressed, I thought it would be more like a soup but it’s totally not. I promptly placed ANOTHER order for a dozen biscuits with butternut squash gravy for Thanksgiving. :)
The packaged order was done with care, biscuits were wrapped in pairs and there were heating/​storage instructions for both biscuits and gravy. If you preorder, the biscuits are $ 1each, which is a great deal (I think they are like $ 2 otherwise)! They also offer a cheddar and herb biscuit ($ 15 per doz) but I haven’t tried it yet, I’m sure it’s really good as well.
The sausage gravy was the bomb, with healthy chunks of ground sausage. A crack of fresh black pepper will awaken the other seasonings. The aforementioned butternut squash gravy was excellent on Thanskgiving day. It was a nice counter to the typical brown turkey gravy we serve.
The biscuits last forever (it seemed, I ate biscuits for four days straight). I totally didn’t follow their instructions but biscuits are pretty easy to keep around and nom on.
During my last visit, I had their goat cheese biscuit (w/​egg and tomato jam). The tomato jam was sweeter than I thought. It was sweet-​sweet, rather than a savory-​sweet like caramelized. They were generous with the fluffy goat cheese. It was tasty, but not a favorite and that’s ok because everything else is a favorite.
I have a love/​hate with their location because it’s too far away for a quick bite (if I catch a bus, it will still take about 15mins one way) but I probably don’t need to be eating biscuits every day anyway.
As others have said, the location is teeny tiny. I’ve been fortunate to visit when there were places to sit and enjoy my sandwich or wait for my order to be packaged. The two who run the shop are super nice and happy! It appears like they aren’t doing their grilled cheese happy hour any longer but occasionally they will post their sandwich (non-​biscuited) offering on their twitter. I have yet to try their sweet biscuits (with apple butter or banana/​nutella). And finally, I still check their website/​twitter/​facebook quite often to see how they’re doing. :)

This is probably the most expensive biscuit of all time. One biscuit with gravy will run you about $ 7 after tax and tip. You might think, hey, that’s just a biscuit — isn’t that a bit of a rip-​off?
Wait, have you actually TRIED these things?!
This is probably the most perfect biscuit of all time. Moist, flaky and buttery with just the right airiness-​to-​density ratio, the size of your fist, steaming hot from the oven. The gravies are incredible as well — the pork gravy isn’t just pork-​flavored, but actually is actually studded with sizable chunks of tender, pull-​apart slow-​cooked pork. It’s delicious, and it’s filling. $ 7 for this breakfast? It’s a steal!
Come early, or late in the breakfast rush. The restaurant is tiny, and it gets crowded. Be prepared to wait, or run your biscuit home to scarf down before it gets cold. Any way you twist it, Nook has got the biscuit market DOWN.

This is the number one thing you aren’t eating that you NEED to eat!
I didn’t know biscuits could be like this. But, now I think it is sad if your biscuits AREN’T like this. Come here and indulge in a giant fist-​sized biscuit with buttery crisp outsides and insides that manage to be fluffy and dense at the same time. The flavor is like eating happiness.
This is the biscuit goldmine. Thankfully, the owners know this, and they’ve created a great little menu that revolves around their delicious biscuity goodness. Have a sweet biscuit with some jam. Or have your biscuit savory style — drowned in one of their delicious gravies (the butternut squash gravy is amazing). And seriously, you haven’t had a breakfast sandwich until you’ve had one on one of their biscuits. They’re hearty and filling and believe me, you won’t stop thinking about them. I certainly can’t.
…which is why I’m getting Nook biscuits for my Thanksgiving dinner this year! Woohoo! Twelve amazing buttermilk biscuits for $ 12? Heck ya!
Additional deets: The space itself is quite small. There’s a bar at the back and a couple two-​person tables. The hours are limited, currently 9am –2p on weekdays and 9am till they run out of biscuits on the weekend. They serve Café Vita coffee, and the people are super nice!

This is such a cozy little place, where the whole menu revolves around the glorious idea of biscuits.
We got the ham n cheese biscuit sandwich, and the egg-​cheese-​bacon with tomato jam version. Biscuits were light and crunchy on the outside. It’s a tiny space and it takes 10 – 15 minutes to get your order for some reason. (Mysteriously, if the biscuits are already baked, but oh well.) Stop here for breakfast, then go to the nearby farmer’s market — now that’s a great Saturday morning!

We went there 2 weeks back. Got lucky to get the last 2 biscuits before they sold out at 11:00am. Yum! Delicious! Mind blowing texture and bite.
And the biscuits are better than anything I ever ate before. In fact I heard this couple telling the owner how they found biscuits better than Dahlia’s (the new location in west lake). [Mental note: try Dalia’s].