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    Ampersand Cafe

    3.7 (194 reviews)
    InexpensiveCoffee & Tea, Desserts
    Closed 6:00 am - 2:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Ampersand Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    AMPERSAND CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for working
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Ampersand Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos

    Brown Sugar & Vanilla Iced Latte, Banana Foster Affogato, Ham & Bree Lunch Sandwich, and Hawaiian Breakfast Sandwich

    This was a cute stop along our early morning walk, very cozy local shop vibes. The sweetest gals helped us out today, even going as far as to remake my entire drink because I forgot to ask for it iced!

    Julianne G.

    Kind of a shack looking place across from the beach. Cute area to sit outside. Inside is a bit cramped, and they have you order through a door opening and then have you go around to the other door inside to pick up. Not horrible unless its raining, then nope. I first tried their rosewater cardamom latte and asked for it half sweet. It was still a little sweet and I couldn't really taste any cardamom. The second time I went I tried a plain latte with cinnamon on top. It was decent, but their prices are a little hefty. I didn't get any food, but they had some mini donuts at the front that I am thinking should have been tried . Service was okay. Not a long wait for my coffee. They do have some other interesting menu items that would be worth a return visit.

    Grocery Items
    Foodie M.

    Ampersand Café is just an easy win every time. Great coffee, tasty sandwiches, awesome pastries, and they even have little grocery basics like milk when you need it. Super chill vibe, and the fact that they hand out dog treats makes it even better. Honestly the best neighborhood coffee spot on Alki.

    View from inside
    Mel E.

    Good warm mini donuts and coffee on the beach. Also, open when most places closed in the early morning. I will definitely come back.

    Outside dining area
    Vince L.

    Our family and friends made this the meeting place a day after a wedding. It was a good choice as there was many items to choose from for drink and food. The outdoor seating with the bay and beach right across the street was a bonus. We were all waited on fast and headed out to wander the beach while enjoying the last days of visiting and the event. I even stopped back by to get another cup of coffee on our way out from the area. Great local, friendly spot. Use it a lot if you live nearby!

    Delicious chunky crunchy oatmeal cookie!
    Shay K.

    Lovely coffee cafe beachside. Homemade goodies are delicious. Enjoyed couple mini donuts and a crunchy chunky oatmeal cookie. Both yummy. Had regular drip coffee, was hot and good. A lady w 2 dogs had to show me the door to order is in the back or side area... the first door is just for dropping your dishes off or sitting inside. I took my stuff to go and sat across the street beachside! Happy it was open early, I think I arrived around 7am. Definitely drop in here again !

    Iced mocha
    Jean-Charles N.

    Wasn't impressed with the iced mocha I got It was tasting mostly like a cup of milk with ice Service was fine and the indoor area was messy and seats dirty

    Ham + Cheddar Sandwich
    Ali U.

    Cute place right across from the waterfront. The food tasted pretty good, although it isn't quite worth the long wait we experienced. There was a 10-15 minute wait in line just to order, and then a 25 minute wait for the food (2 pretty basic small breakfast sandwiches like the one pictured). It doesn't seem like they're equipped to handle more than a handful of customers at a time (at least not on the day we went). So I'd recommend this place if there's no line to order or if you don't have anywhere to be/don't mind waiting. If there's a line, I'd recommend trying another nearby cafe.

    20oz earl grey/hot water

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    2 months ago

    I would recommend some sort of system where customers orders aren't lost, forgotten about, skipped or blipped. Any kind of organization.

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    7 months ago

    Great Coffee and Great peeps! if you want a great latte served by friendly staff Ampersand is the lace to go!

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    Ask the Community - Ampersand Cafe

    Does this place close at 5:30 or 7:00? I'm getting 7pm from google.

    They're transitioning to winter hours and close at 6:30.

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    Baiten

    Baiten

    4.5
    (245 reviews)
    4.5 mi

    Baiten is a small window sweet shop in Capitol Hill. It's attached to Tamari bar and has some of…read moretheir offerings at Tamari bar. If you can find parking in the Cap Hill area I would definitely consider this as an option for a sweet treat. I think the prices are really reasonable considering some of the other options. Staff: 5/5 (nice) Sanitation: 5/5 (clean) Soft serve w/syrups (5/5) I've had most of the syrups that they offer with their vanilla soft serve. The soft serve itself is a really creamy and rich vanilla milk flavor. I would say it's closer to that Asian milk flavor if you know what I mean. I think the hojicha syrup is my favorite out of all the ones I've tried so far. It has a really nice roasty flavor and not something you can find at most other places. The matcha I would say is my second favorite. The flavor of the matcha syrup is definitely lighter compared to the hojicha but still is a nice compliment to the soft serve. The black sesame would be the lowest on my list out of the, all since I felt like the flavor was too nutty like it was a blend of sesame and potentially a nut. Overall I would definitely go back for the hojicha but if you're not into that there's definitely solid options for other flavors.

    for Japanese soft serve the deluxe sundae gives American sizing. Insane when they put out the…read morelargest cups of ice cream. Realistically the deluxe is for 2-3 ppl to share if you're not huge dessert person. The ice cream is creamy and just the right texture. The presentation is really a showstopper. Had a few people ask what it was and turned a few heads on the street. The meringue and logo flag was a cute decoration but thrown away immediately since it was kind of in the way. I always see a line when I pass by but service is fast and they hand your dessert to you directly after ordering. There's no awkward mix-ups or other people taking your dessert which I like. Will be back at some point to try out their other flavors and for a smaller portion!

    Photos
    Black sesame
    Black sesame
    Black sesame, hojicha, matcha soft serve
    Black sesame, hojicha, matcha soft serve
    Black sesame soft serve

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    Black sesame soft serve
    Nana’s Green Tea

    Nana’s Green Tea

    4.3
    (1.7k reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$

    Love love love!! When we arrived 30 mins before closing and…read morethere's about 40-50 ppl here with a line out the door, you know it's going to be good!!! We got a matcha float with mochi and a hojicha float with mochi. We love the hojicha better. The matcha is prob one of the better I've tasted, but not often you can find hojicha ice cream and milk tea. It was creamy and mildly sweet. So good, refreshing and satisfying! The mochi were ok. It was very bland and not sweet at all. I do prefer my mochi to have a little sweetness to them, like a sweet bite. This was like chewing a bigger non sweet boba ball. So I'd pass on the mochi here and maybe do all ice cream. If ever we're in Seattle would visit again. Update: we came here a few yrs later. The drinks were still good as ever. My husband got a frappe and loved it. We had a salmon bowl which was decent. Not something I would order again here but we were so hungry from traveling and meeting friends, we needed some food. This time no line out the door. We got a seat inside. We came in June this yr, nice weather outside but inside was super hot as they did not run the AC. They had the windows/doors open but no breeze and mosquitos were inside attacking. I can't imagine a good breeze when the cafe is wedged btw two huge buildings. It made our visit this time very stifling.

    This is a very nice space to sit and chat with friends in, and the drinks are fancier and nicer…read morethan a standard bubble tea location. My drink (red bean brown sugar latte) was obviously extremely sweet but it was pretty good with plenty of red bean. My one complaint is that they don't have boba straws, which is a bit baffling to me. Sure they don't technically sell boba but the red bean topping in my drink was constantly stuck in the straw because its so narrow! Seems like an odd oversight. I had to use a spoon to eat the red bean by itself at the end.

    Photos
    Bussing Station and Restroom, Complementary Water
    Bussing Station and Restroom, Complementary Water
    Black Sesame Shiratama Parfait
    Black Sesame Shiratama Parfait
    Matcha + Vanilla

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    Matcha + Vanilla
    Milk Drunk

    Milk Drunk

    4.0
    (500 reviews)
    4.4 mi
    $$

    The Sunday sundae specials are excellent! This one was a caramel banana sundae - it's huge,…read moredefinitely can split with two people. Their fried chicken sandwiches are also excellent and very filling - they are $11-15. The seasonal sandwich right now is the southern bird, which is my favorite. This place was packed on a Wednesday evening, but the line moved quickly since most people were just getting ice cream.

    This place has been all over my social media feeds and the cheese sticks looked too insane to not…read moretry. Also heard the soft serve was worth it, so naturally I had to make a visit. Since it was dinner I couldn't go full dairy chaos and just order cheese sticks and ice cream, so I added a sandwich to the mix. Good call -- the burger was honestly my favorite thing I ate, which surprised me given how hyped the cheese sticks are. Really loved it. The cheese sticks were fun though -- great cheese pull, very satisfying. The breading was a little plain on its own but with the sauce it worked well. I ate two and could only finish half the sandwich, so pace yourself. Soft serve after was a nice finish -- I got the seasonal flavor and enjoyed it. There's always a line but it moves quickly. Service is fine -- fast food vibes but maybe a notch friendlier. Seating inside and outside fills up fast so grab a spot when you can. Very casual overall. Worth the visit if you've been seeing it everywhere -- just don't sleep on the burger.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Fries are best when theyre curly
    Fries are best when theyre curly
    Kale salad

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    Kale salad

    Ampersand Cafe - coffee - Updated August 2026

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