Rusty Pelican Cafe

Great breakfast! The waiter was very friendly and he made us laugh more than once. it was very busy but he was still attentive. The food… the waffle with strawberries was soooo good as was my friends lumberjacks omelette. We will definitely be back soon

Napoleon waffle is where its at! Came with my mom for lunch mid-​day during the week and it was surprisingly empty with parking available right out front. In the past I’ve only been here on weekends and it was packed, so I was pleasantly surprised!
The fresh baked bread for the table is unbelievably soft and delicious… I’ll definitely be back!
Didn’t get the 5^th star because the bathrooms aren’t in great shape and the plastic cover over the table isn’t very appealing. Otherwise, great service and delicious food!

I think when I wasn’t looking this place stepped up their french toast game. I’ve been here several times, gotten it some of those times, it’s been pretty good. Recently? Two times in a row, it’s been superb. Good flavor, thick slices, and very eggy; just the way I want it.
When I’m not getting french toast, I’m getting one of their skillets. Those are great. I suggest you get the biscuit on the side; they do a pretty nice one. It’s also huge, which doesn’t hurt matters.
Sure, they have a lunch menu, but I always order off the breakfast one. Go with what you know, right?

Fabulous breakfast; eggs benedict was perfect. Service was friendly and fast; very comfortable if by yourself.
Wifi was available but did not work; bathroom clean but very dark; lights were burnt out.
Overall great experience with a few flaws that a detail-​oriented crew could make perfect.

I really don’t understand how this place is always so crowded. Their food is mediocre, their service is lacking and their prices are high. I guess its all about location.
First time I came I had the ham/​cheese/​mushroom/​onion scramble ($ 12). Nothing special. The side of potatoes was severely underseasoned, and the pancakes were fine. My fellow diners had the salmon benedict ($ 16), which I hear was delicious and the southwest scramble ($ 12), which was described as «meh.»
For my second visit, I did lunch — tuna melt with a side salad ($ 11). The sandwich was good, but again, nothing special. A great blend of tuna salad with cheese on whole wheat bread. Very homey. My partner had the salmon wrap ($ 10), which he said had really good flavors. It was the special for the day, but hopefully they add it permanently to the menu.
Coffee ($ 2.50) here is good, though flagging down a waiter/​waitress to get a refill can be difficult. Speaking of service, maybe its just my luck, but I always seem to get waiters that are a bit scattered /​overwhelmed here.
Is it sad that the highlight of my meal here was the bread basket? Yep, its that good. Complimentary warm bread and soft butter served at each table. What’s not to love :)

It saddens me to write this review.
I have been going to The Rusty Pelican for years. It was one of the first places I ate at when I first moved to Seattle. However, I think I won’t go anymore.
They have some very fine servers, but the quality of the food has been going downhill for some time. Conversely, the prices have been trending upward. It’s nothing more than a high-​priced IHOP.
My suggestion to T.R.P.: improve food quality or decrease prices, or, better yet, do both. Wallingford has many dining options that you compete with. People have options.

Cant complain.
Good food, decent price, great portions. Its good old diner food. The burgers are all great, the skillets are the best breakfast item. Its not 5 start food, its good comfort food, which in my option is the best.

This humble eatery reminds me of my childhood– when eating out was a pretty big deal. The cracked plastic with cracked duct tape covering the seat cushions, the ever-​so-​slightly sticky plastic table cloths, and the sassy-​but-​sweet servers. THAT is why I go to the Rusty Pelican. Plus it’s a stone’s throw away from I-​5 so I stop there on my way out of town occasionally.
The food is totally edible. Nothing to write home about and probably deserves 3 stars and when you go there you might think I swindled you by giving it a 4 star review, but I don’t care! I like the diner ambiance and the no waiting time (I hate waiting!). It’s down to earth. Not the cheapest breakfast place by far, but not crazy expensive. HINT: They have coupons in the Entertainment book. I think I paid $ 11 for my coffee and food, plus tip.
They bring bread out to start and have several vegetarian options. The garden omelet with zucchini was awesome. The slightly sour potato pancakes were good too. I liked the combo 5. And the most miraculous thing of all: They cooked my over medium eggs perfectly!
My server forgot the soy milk for my coffee and before I could ask she brought out! It was great, attentive service

This restaurant was a disappointment. I ordered an omelet and the sausage combination with potato pancakes. Neither of the dishes were apetizing. It tasted like camp dining hall food. The food was barely luke warm and had little flavor.
I don’t plan on comming back any time soon.

This was my second time here and it was great!
+1… The service was amazing! I only remember once when my water was only half full. I never saw our coffees half full either. I counted 3 different people doing water and coffee service, I found that excellent!
+1… EGGNOG FRENCH TOAST. 2 words: delish. It was the special of the day. Yum.
+1… Great atmosphere. Very comfy. They had plastic on the table over the cloth and that made all of us think of our Grandmother’s tables. Ahh. the memories.
+1… Informative waiter and staff.
We got the Eggnog Toast, and two California Scramblers… We had soo much food left over. Great portions. Thank you Rusty Pelican and your staff, it was a great experience.

I’m honestly surprised when I read the one star reviews for this place, they don’t sound like the Pelican at all. The Pelican is what it is, and old fashioned American fare restaurant. The prices are a little higher than I think they could be, and I don’t like the Country Kitch décor at all. There is certainly nothing fancy about the food here at all.
On the other hand, it is one of the few places I know that does both breakfast and dinner well. Most places that do both are places where they do far better at one meal or the other. The Rusty Pelican is solid for both meals, and I’ve found the staff friendly and competent at both. The only time I’ve been there and the service was lacking at all was when they had a large group that had been bigger than they had reserved for.
Another thing I give the Pelican high marks for is that while they don’t have a bar, they offer cocktails, and do a fine job with the standards. Their winter Warmer drinks are especially good.
Other touches I like are the fact that they server real heavy cream when your request cream for your coffee, and have soy for those who don’t do dairy. I also love their deserts, and the fact they have a featured desert each night you can add to your dinner for $ 3. Last time it was a pistachio cake they had backed that day, with a great creamy frosting.

A coworker and I escaped from work for an hour yesterday and came here for breakfast. I loved the off-​street parking in back (especially since Wallingford can be tricky for parking)!
The décor is sort of countryesque, as in ceramic pigs and chintz. Got a booth by the window for comfort and good people watching.
Got a popeye omelet (hold the cheese), with potatoes. The food was good, not fantastic. What prompted me to add an extra star was the fabulous service: Yes, they had soy milk, and I received a little pitcher of it with my coffee; I was offered fruit to replace the toast I didn’t want; and the friendly waiter poured refills of coffee and water until we basically floated out the door.

Service — Excellent. Very friendly and professional staff
Food Quality — Good. No complaints here.
Atmosphere — clean but boring. It’s a typical diner but is trying to be too much.
Price — Far over priced for the atmosphere and amount of food you receive. Ex: I ordered the Belgian Waffles. This meal consisted of one waffle with strawberries on top and cost $ 9.99… for ONE waffle. Literally one waffle and nothing else. A normal person could eat five or six for a meal.

I was in town with some friends and we stopped here for breakfast one Sunday morning. The place was extremely packed and there seemed to be some sort of get together with a much older crowd at a table behind us that seemed to be occupying a lot of the servers’ attentions.
I ordered some breakfast crepes that came with strawberries and whipped cream. The crepes were cooked really well and the strawberries were fresh… not like the pie filling type of fruit that some places will give you.
Service was on the slow side and our server kept forgetting items from time to time. One unexpected thing was that my coffee came with a little pitcher of REAL cream! Definitely impressed by that one. Overall a decent breakfast spot if you’re in the area.

I’ve been to Rusty Pelican several times over the years.
I’ve decided they have decent food but it’s a little bit spendy for the quality in my opinion.
A friend and I went here recently and each of our breakfast dishes were $ 10 – 11 each. The meals plus coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice totaled $ 38 with tax. 12 oz. of fresh squeezed O.J. is $ 4.50 so this adds to the bill quite a bit.
Their Eggs Benedict is my standard order and it’s pretty good. The potatoes are country potatoes and nothing special. This last time the Canadian bacon was a little burned on the bottom.
I do like that they serve heavy cream with their coffee. You usually have to flag them down and ask for a coffee refill as they don’t come around with the coffee very much.
When I’m paying $ 2.50 for drip I want refills.
Overall, Rusty Pelican is a pretty good spot in the area for a hearty breakfast.

Came here on Saturday for Brunch with a friend.
It was a lot bigger than I expected it to be inside which was good because it was busy and I was hungry!
The service was quick and to the point. He wasn’t rude, Wasn’t overly friendly either. Got the job done.
Food! The menu is huge which isn’t always a good thing in my book. I ordered the biscuits and gravy. It came out and I was a little shocked only because it was much different than any other biscuits and gravy I have ever had. It had one biscuit on the plate and then the gravy on the side. Weird. It was just okay. The gravy was pretty bland and the biscuit had the consultancy of a bread. All in all, it was just okay.
My friend ordered the potato pancakes. She seemed to enjoy them.
I would come back but order something different for sure.

My friend suggested we meet here for brunch and after checking out the vast menu, I was sold.
This place is interesting: its def. less urban or sophisticated compared to a lot of Seattle restaurants, but I totally don’t mean it in bad way. It’s nice to have a homey kind of feel. The place is also huge so thats a plus.
I got an order of tea and the California eggs benedict. My boyfriend got the seafood eggs benedict (it was just smoked salmon… no other seafood) and tea and my friend got the Santa Fe burrito and coffee.
I liked the presentation of the tea in the ceramic kettle with the lemon and honey and basket of tea, but let’s be serious… I’m trying pretty hard to compliment here.
My eggs benedict was weird… I know avocado and tomato is pretty common for a vegetarian eggs benedict but the avocado and hollandaise sauce together tasted bitter. Is that how this style of benedict always is or am I nuts? Also, I really struggled to cut into the English muffin. I used several knives and it was hard. The potatoes that came with it were also bland and cardboard like.
My boyfriend said his smoked salmon benedict was pretty good and I regretted not ordering it. My attempts to try something new totally failed.
The service was also mixed. Our waitress was nice but rarely around.
Their crepes and skillet options looked good. I’ll bump it up based on a vast menu which makes me think it could be better if I tried something else next time.

I believe that it is said that you should start the day out with a great breakfast. The Rusty Pelican can help you get on that path. Had a good menu with reasonable prices for a local restaurant. The thing that will catch your eye when you walk in is the glass display with all the pies, too many to name and plus it will start a little drool in the side of my mouth.
My friend and I shared a cinnamon roll to start. Hot and tasty pastry that you can tell from the first bite is homemade. I could be a meal in itself! I ordered the Dungeness Crab Benny, which came with potatoes and I had the hollandaise on the side. A solid representation of a benny with really good crab on it. This meal was a great way to start the day.

Yes, it looks like grandma’s home inside. Big whoop. Who cares. You’re not eating the goddamn decorations, settle down. Also, who the hell goes here to drink beer? Get out of there. Stop complaining. Come here and eat breakfast only. BEST veggie egg’s benny I’ve ever had! They have FREE parking. Yes, there are usually a lot of families/​kids here for weekend breakfast/​lunch and you’ll likely have to wait a little bit for a seat. Is that a problem? Stay at home and eat your sad piece of dry toast in your stained t-​shirt then, wimp.
**They have a sign on the wall that says «STRESSED IS DESSERT BACKWARDS», a bowl outside in the front with free dog treats for passerby pups, and a bowl with breath mints for you to take on your way out. You’re a bad person if you’re mad at this place and you should feel bad about yourself.

Ahh, the Rusty Pelican. A staple of mine for the last few years. You have to know what to go for: BREAKFAST. Sure, it has cheesy décor and is reminiscent of a Shari’s, but don’t let that get in the way. The breakfast is the bomb. There is something for everyone. From everything you could want in a waffle to vegetarian benedict (the California benedict is my favorite) and great coffee served with REAL cream. It’s like whoa.
It’s cheap and there is free parking in the back of the restaurant. YAY.