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    Ampersand Cafe

    3.7 (191 reviews)
    InexpensiveCoffee & Tea, Desserts
    Closed 6:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Ampersand Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    AMPERSAND CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Ampersand Cafe

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    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
    Aubrey E.

    We were charged $8 for two cups of hot tea. The gentleman asked my husband what size he would like, and my husband said a large. They didn't mention that they would only use a larger cup with one tea bag. I guess if you are not a tea drinker, it wouldn't occur to you that essentially that's just hot water at that point. My husband also tipped them $2. So we bought two large cups of hot water for $10. Neato.

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    6 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    20 days 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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    5 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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    Page 1 of 5

    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
    (239 reviews)
    4.5 mi

    We came here mid-week after dinner for dessert…read more This is a small window with a few tables outside. They make amazing soft serve. They also have these adorable, beautiful fruit sandwiches on display. I also saw they have savoury bento items on the menu. We tried the hojicha soft serve ($6) and it was amazing. It's really just vanilla soft serve with a syrup of a flavor of your choosing - sesame, matcha, hojicha, etc. We were way too full to get the full sundae but we definitely want to get that next. You can have mochi topping too.

    Baiten offers creamy vanilla soft serve ice cream with your choice of syrup. The key word here is…read moresyrup, the ice cream itself is vanilla flavored, and the additional flavors come from the syrup options. They currently offer Matcha, Hoji-Tea, Kuro-Goma (black sesame), and Yuzu (Japanese citrus). The shop itself is very small since it's basically a window shop, either renting space from or connected to Tamari Bar. It's more like a little dessert stand located on the restaurant's patio area, with only a few outdoor tables available. The soft serve was okay, but not as creamy as I was hoping for, and it melted pretty quickly. If you decide to add a syrup flavor, I'd recommend asking for only a small amount. Mine came absolutely drowning in syrup, and honestly, the flavor tasted pretty artificial and overpowering.

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

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    Hojicha soft serve
    Nana’s Green Tea

    Nana’s Green Tea

    4.3
    (1.7k reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$

    If only every matcha spot was like this. Nana's has just about everything matcha you could want (or…read morethink of). From matcha lattes, to dessert options, to pastries and made-to-order meals. They also have other matcha / green tea options and hojicha drinks if you're looking for something different. The staff is great. I had a few questions because I couldn't decide what to order, and everyone was friendly and helpful - I was even able to add corn flakes to my matcha soft serve (which isn't listed on the menu), so it was nice to know I could customize it to my liking! The matcha tiramisu was the best I've had, and the hojicha latte with oat milk was just right. The flavor was nice and strong without being overpowering. Everything I had here truly stood out! I liked the variety on the menu and all of the different options. - it's extensive and you could find anything for everyone. It's one of the more memorable matcha spots I've been to, and I'd definitely stop by again the next time I'm in Seattle. If you love matcha like I do, definitely add this place to your list. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

    I hadn't been back to Nana's Green Tea in about two years, so I was excited to stop by again during…read moremy Seattle trip. Thankfully they are open today on the Fourth of July (they will just close a little earlier for the holiday), and I was happy to see that not much has changed since my last visit. Without even realizing it, I ended up ordering the exact same drink I got the first time: a Matcha Float with mochi. I guess you really can't go wrong with it because it's still just as creamy and satisfying as I remembered. The only tiny downside is that it only comes with three small mochi balls, so for almost $9 I wish there were a few more. However, the quality of the matcha is consistently excellent, sooo I don't regret coming back. They have wonderful customer service too! The employee helping me at the register was incredibly patient while I stood there trying to decide what to order. As an awkward introvert, I always feel a little flustered when ordering, but she never made me feel rushed or uncomfortable. She asked my sweetness preference for the Matcha Float, whether I wanted to dine in or take everything to go, and even carefully packed up my yuzu green tea packet with the rest of my order. She was very kind and thoughtful so just wanna say I really appreciate how welcoming she was. Even from my last Seattle visit two years ago, I still remember the employees being helpful and friendly here. I also have to recommend their desserts from my previous visit. (I skipped the sweets this time due to my budget but I still suggest picking up some of their sweets!). The Matcha Basque Cheesecake and the Matcha Tiramisu were both absolutely delicious, and I still remember how amazing they tasted even two years later. The tiramisu is only around $7 and is definitely worth trying if you're a matcha lover. This visit, I picked up their yuzu green tea packet to take home (last time, I got the hojicha). Each packet contains 15 individual tea bags and costs about $10 (not bad for how much tea is in each tea bag). They also sell matcha powder and other tea goodies. I'm looking forward to brewing the yuzu green tea at home since a good cup of hot tea is always comforting, especially when I'm sick (I've been recovering from a cold so tea has been a lifesaver to warm me up!). I actually stopped by for lunch since I didn't eat breakfast, and ordered the Sukiyaki Don (it was much more satisfying than I expected). I was craving a beef bowl and Nana's was one of the few places in the area within walking distance from my work, that was actually open for the holiday today, lucky me! It came with miso soup and a soft-boiled egg, and I was pleasantly surprised to find tofu and mushrooms in the bowl alongside the beef. It left me FULL, my tummy happy, heck yeah. Costs almost $20 but worth satisfying a craving. I won't lie.. I somehow managed to spend about $40 today between my meal, drink, and tea to take home. More than I intended to spend but no regrets, because everything was delicious and the quality has remained consistently high over the years. The only thing that made my visit a little uncomfortable wasn't the café itself. There were quite a few homeless individuals lingering around the front of the building, so I decided against dining out front like I had originally planned since I wanted to enjoy the nice weather, but one of them was panhandling me so I promptly left (thankfully I asked for my order to be packaged for takeout). That's obviously outside of the café's control, and it didn't affect the food or service at all. They still had many seats available inside but probably because it's the holiday. If I recall, the place was packed during the afternoon when I last visited on a weekday. I will still say that Nana's Green Tea continues to be one of my favorite matcha spots whenever I'm in Seattle. Between the consistently high-quality matcha, delicious meals and desserts, excellent selection of teas to bring home, and genuinely exemplary customer service, it's a place I'll happily keep returning to whenever I'm back in town and have the time to visit.

    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
    Pie Bar

    Pie Bar

    4.2
    (1.8k reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$

    Tldr: great late night staple. Deserted island is the best fruity pie, imho…read more Ambiance: small place in cap, with not so much seating due to the space. But they definitely maximize the space. It's cozy, a bit run down the chairs are now just covered with a seat cover. And it's only steer parking if ur driving. Ambiance: pretty chill service, we were the only ones there, gossiping late at night. He pretty much left us alone since we entertained us and gave us the check just when we were ready. Food: Im normally a chocolate dessert person, but the chocolate pie was a light chocolate. If you want a rich chocolate pie, this is not your pie. Honestly, the star of the show was deserted island. I don't normally like fruit pies but that's what I'll be ordering again. It's not too sour nor is it too sweet, everyone at the table agreed. It is the goldilocks of sweet and tartness for a fruit pie. Oh and definitely goes well with ice cream!

    I was unable to get served the bar tender was ignoring the group I was with to serve his and their…read moreattention (2 of them) to a group of girls who they were talking about going somewhere after the bar closes. I went around midnight and I really wanted to go eat inside, waited in line for at least 30 mins (45mins max) for a table , even the couple before me didn't get served and left. They told me not to go in and told me their story but I ignored and wanted to give it a shot. I should have listened.

    Photos
    Apple Pie
    Apple Pie
    Mud Pie Shot
    Mud Pie Shot
    Butter Baby

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    Butter Baby
    Milk Drunk

    Milk Drunk

    4.0
    (490 reviews)
    4.4 mi
    $$

    This is the kind of establishment Seattle deserves. It's a relatively quick turnaround after…read moreordering, family friendly, and they choose not to gouge the customer. They lean into forward thinking flavors, and present it without pretension. The vibes are laid back, but when it's busy you are reminded that you live in a city. There's plenty of outdoor seating, but it will get busy out of nowhere. My biggest complaint is that people don't respect the outdoor space. We live in such a beautiful place and people just throw their trash on the ground or leave the area they ate at outside messy. This slows down seating for the next person amongst other things. I'll save the cultural critiques embedded into my "food" reviews in our city for restaurants that aren't doing well. They keep things fun by rotating seasonal soft serve flavors. A lot of the sandwiches are fully loaded and you'll have to use both hands to keep the spillage in check. This place is proof that you can spend still $40-50 for two people to eat in Seattle and enjoy it. The perfect place to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon in the city.

    Decided to come here to try the chicken sandwiches. Unfortunately the best thing I had was the…read morecurly fries, which were actually pretty dang good! I would come back for those. I got the original chicken sandwich. The slaw dressing seemed a little runny and made the whole thing a little soggy. Something about the flavor profile didn't have a distinct personality, and felt a little all over the place. I usually love a kale salad, but the kale salad here didn't have a lot of flavor either. The leaves were cut way too big (or maybe not even cut at all) which made it difficult to eat as well.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Fries are best when theyre curly
    Fries are best when theyre curly
    Strawberry - Matcha Swirl (To-Go)

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    Strawberry - Matcha Swirl (To-Go)

    Ampersand Cafe - coffee - Updated July 2026

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