As written in previous reviews, the service here is top notch, and the atmosphere cozy. I probably drank a gallon of coffee due to the attentive waitresses, which always gets things off to a good start in my book. If you enjoy sitting at the counter, it is easy to skip ahead of the crowd at Brief Encounter. My girlfriend had a nice scramble mixed with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, spinach, and onions. I had the biscuits and gravy (neither of which were homemade). Overall the food was pretty good, but nothing special. Bellevue is definitely in need of a true country-style/homemade breakfast place. Until that day comes, we'll swing by here every once in a while. read more

Did takeout breakfast with my gf. She asked for a vegetarian version of Jake's burrito and the waitress suggested black beans instead of (meat)chili, so that would have great...except it came back with black beans and ham! So that was a bust for her, but I ate it instead and thought it was good. I ordered the breakfast sandwich and which is like a sausage mcmuffin, except it costs $9. The food was ok, but overpriced (the burrito was $11 and change) and they got the order wrong so I can't recommend this place. It was really busy though so maybe our experience wasn't the norm. read more

Super friendly family run staff. Great food! We'll be back! We were looking for a quick easy hassle free breakfast and this was it. We sat outside as the weather was nice. I have nothing bad to say at all. Super happy. read more

What a nice homey breakfast place! Nothing super special on the menu but if you want a simple breakfast done well then come and get it. Service is good but gets a little slow towards the later half of the morning. read more

It's a nice and friendly place. But overpriced compared to quality and slow sometimes. There seems to be better places around.

Wow. Serving are large. Food is fresh and delicious. Lots of variety on the menu. Staff is friendly and attentive. Great stop.

After seeing how many 4-star reviews this got I was expecting better. Definitely not one of the better breakfasts I've had. There were cold spots in the eggs, the home fries were disappointing and the coffee was awful. On the up-side, the service was pretty good and I didn't have to wait for a table. read more

Good food, good service. I was in by 9 on a Saturday and got seatting right away.

Definitely tops my lists of Breakfast joints on the Eastside! Great service, good portions and high quality food. This is my go-to spot for weekend breakfast! read more

Go to spot for breakfast!! Great for kids and adults alike. The servers are always warm and remember faces. Easy parking and there is even a playground next door too! read more

I have been here two times in the past, those times were okay. My last trip here drove me to create a yelp account. That being said, let's begin. I went their at around 11:30 on a Saturday. I decided to order the two eggs, which comes with hash browns and toast for 8.99 because I thought that I couldn't go wrong with this... To say the least, I was wrong. I chose to add bacon to my order for 2.99. I ordered the eggs over easy, and for the toast I ordered rye bread. I added coffee and would later find out it was around 2.00 (it may have been more) EGGS - The over easy eggs had UNCOOKED EGG WHITES and had absolutely. The TOAST - The toast was half burn't while the other half of the toast was not toasted and soggy (how do you even do this). HASH BROWNS - Even with the egg yolk on top of the HASH BROWNS I could not break the bottom apart with a fork, indicating they were way overcooked and had been placed with that side down to hide it. BACON - The bacon was probably reheated. The reason I think it was reheated is that it was kind of dry, really crispy, and the flavor was off. Basically, it tasted like bacon from a buffet that had been sitting under heat lamps for hours. COFFEE - Last but not least, the coffee. Okay I get it, it is a breakfast joint. The coffee is not going to be the best, but for 2 dollars it should have been better. It tasted stale even though it wasn't because I watched it come fresh off the drip. Maybe the coffee machine needed a new filter or new grounds, or it is burning the coffee grounds. All in all my meal ended up being around 15 dollars, 30 dollars before tip with the person I went to go eat with. I payed 15 dollars for a stomach ache and the work out I got sprinting to the bathroom. (and yes, we did tip 20 percent. We are not going to stiff our waitress because of problems with the kitchen) Look, I am not trying to be mean about this. I do hope that the owner reads this review so they can implement some change. It felt like this place needs a new person in the kitchen. Brief Encounter is 1 of 3 places in the area that centers their menu around breakfast. The other 2 are Denny's (Which is pig * disgusting), and Chases. Brief Encounter has A LOT of potential, but three strikes and you are out. read more

Don't believe the hype about this place - mediocre breakfast food (Not even in the same universe as Village Square, Couzin's, and numerous others) that isn't worth the price. Food is all fairly bland, options are fairly limited, and good service is hard to come by. Just about the only thing this deserves an extra star for is the decor and the fact that we didn't have to wait an eternity for a table as we normally do at places like Village Square. Unfortunately, once we got one, it meant waiting 10-15 minutes for someone to come take our order (And they had already served multiple people who came in after us by then, no less). After that we were treated to their array of nothing-special food, including French Toast that is hardly above the national chain restaurants, bacon that was flavorless and overcooked, and hash browns that lacked any hint of character. Avoid, avoid, avoid. read more

So I tried it today for the first time because my groupon was going to expire in a few days and my aunt had recommended it. Shared the cinnamon roll with my sister and that was pretty good, except for the edge being a little over cooked. Where I had a problem was I had the Veggie Scramble and it was ok. The issue was when I got home I threw up all of it and have been having stomach cramps and a fever. It was the only thing I had ate so it couldn't be anything else. My sister mentioned the fact the fresh vegetable was just coming in as we were leaving. If the veggies were not good don't serve it. My Sister though her food was decent but then again you can't mess up scrambled eggs and potatoes, but she said her bread was kind of stale. Also I can't imagine paying $3.50 for orange juice and my sister said it tasted store bought. Moved to Bellevue but if I want GOOD breakfast I'm making my way to Wild Wheat in Kent. read more

Hearty, simple, fast and affordable. This, to me, is the ideal place to sit down and enjoy your morning. I will definitely be coming here again!! read more

We stopped here to grab a quick bite. Never again. We ordered a prime dip, burger, crepe and coffee. The coffee was by far the worst I've ever had. The service was slow even though there were barely any customers. I asked twice for extra napkins. Never received them. The prime dip tasted like expired steak ems. The apples on the crepe looked rotten so we didn't touch it at all. Very disappointed read more

Great diner food served in a genuine diner environment . The breakfast sandwich (large or small) with breakfast potatoes is my favorite go-to order. Another great thing about this place; they keep your ice tea full! read more

Love the biscuits and gravy and love the service. Best breakfast on this side of Lake Washington. The Family that owns and runs this place are super-nice and make you feel very much at home. I have eaten here a few times and love the fresh hot food. read more

Just moved into the neighborhood and stopped here when my sister was in town to give it a try. We came early on a Sunday. My sister was meeting us there so we arrived a couple of minutes early and they needed to put a table together for us. There is a bar when you walk in and they asked if we wanted a coffee while we waited. My husband and I immediately took that as an omen that this place was going to be pretty awesome. We got seated and the wait staff and service was great and the food was delicious. I was glad we got there early because within the next 1/2 hour people started pouring in. We'll definitely be back here regularly. read more

I was born and raised in Bellevue. Whenever I return to visit, I always include Brief Encounter in my plans. Love the food and the staff!

Had to wait to get in at lunch...always a good sign. Its a neighborhood place in Northtown of Bellevue. Breakfast anytime and burgers and sandwiches. Great escape from pretentious Bellevue Square. We go at least once a month and always are happy with service. read more

The food is par with a steep price for breakfast food, however the service was superb, which is why they got 3 stars from me, if you are looking for a diner with flawless customer service it's great! read more

You can't go wrong with this hole-in-the-wall, home-town favorite. My favorite is their veggie scramble, but my family --we've probably tried everything on the menu at some point or another, and never been disappointed. Go on a weekday morning or early (before 8:30) on a weekend, otherwise expect a long wait. The best part is the family-run feel and the relaxed environment. Lots of good, hot, fresh food, served fast and with as smile. read more

My recent experience was everything but brief and I usually like my nightmare dining experiences to go quickly. Where do I start? With the feckless staff, the woefully mediocre food, or the lackluster customer experience? We arrived to a very standard breakfast crowd for a Friday morning. Unfortunately we were seated at the smallest table in the restaurant, reminiscent of the dreaded kids table on Thanksgiving. Im 6'3 so that was an extremely uncomfortable place to be seated. Upon being seated we had to ask for water 3 times, not a good start by their wait staff. I should probably mention at this point that there cant be more than 20 tables in the restaurant and 3 waitress's couldn't handle the minimal strain. After ordering we waited for quite some time, 15-20 minutes, still no sign of food. Just as I was discussing how long it was taking with my friend the leader of weary waiters came over to inform us that the kitchen JUST looked at the ticket and realized they had run out of what we ordered. Around 20 minutes to just look at a ticket? Ridiculous. The waitress apologized and said they were super busy. Thats no excuse when half of your 20 tables already had food. Then came the food. I think I would actually have to try extremely hard to make breakfast food as mediocre as they do. The omelettes eggs were browned and greasy with no flavor. The cinnamon roll they gave us to apologize for forgetting to look at the ticket was as dry as the sahara desert. A toddler given proper instructions could have pulled off a better breakfast than their seemingly lethargic staff. I would not recommend this place to anyone, I wouldn't even wish a breakfast this bad on my worst enemy. A terrible experience through and through with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Keep driving down Bellevue way and go to Chace's pancake corral for a better experience, sure there is a wait but their staff actually wants you to have a good experience. read more

Go to McDononalds, you'll have a tastier breakfast, friendly service at half the cost.

A great place for breakfast. Their Corn Beef Hash is to die for. The service is very good and the staff is very friendly. I am definitely going back. Give it a try. read more

Went for brunch this morning and sat at the counter. The food was mediocre at best. Watched the food come out from the kitchen. Bright yellow eggs benedict, thick floured biscuits and gravy and my simple eggs over medium, sausage and english muffin dish was terrible. The eggs were over easy, the sausage had a weird off taste and the english muffin was as hard as a board. A lady next to me had ordered a sausage patty and it came out completely burned. She had them re-make it and it didn't look much better when it was cooked again. The staff spoke only spanish to each other right in front of us the entire time. The restaurant was filthy too. The water was poured from a plastic tub and my water glass had lipstick marks from the previous customer. The windows were not clean and neither was the kitchen. Won't ever go back. read more

This restaurant is expensive for the kind of food they serve. You better bring your own utensils! Theirs are old and overused, so are the plates and glasses. They charge $3.79 for one pancake, ridiculous! The place is small, overcrowded with tables, stinky, and everything in there is old. The waitress doesn't look happy to be at work at all. On top of everything else there was a hair in my food. Gross. Never go there again. read more

The wife talked me into going back to use the second of three Groupons. Turned out to be a much better experience this time knowing what to order. I got the Early Bird Special (despite the name, you can get this at any time) with pancakes. Their pancakes are really very good. She got the Early Bird with French Toast. It was also good. In addition, we ordered the corn beef hash as a side. Be forewarned, it's not the same style that you get at most restaurants (and out of the can). It actually looks like hash browns at first glance. Having said that, I still can't give more than 3 stars due to price - the cost without the Groupon would have been $30 ! Just too pricey for the quality you're getting. With the Groupon, it's decently priced. Also, again the wait staff are courteous and friendly. Now, if they would only use more spices and lower the prices, I'd be here every week :) read more

I'm from TN and here for a conference and was looking for a local spot for a good inexpensive breakfast. This place was right on the money. Service was friendly, the other patrons not so much. Food was great came twice while in town. Be mindful that this place is small so there may be a wait in the early part of the morning. Would definitely recommend! read more

I've only been into the diner once or twice...it was great homemade cooking! Love the staff. They have a traveling food truck that is at our horse shows and we would DIE without them! We LOVE to see the brief encounter truck when we show up! Nothing like coffee and a great breakfast sandwich to start off your horseshow day! We Love you guys! Kim, Leah, Kath, Emma, Christi and Kelli - the Cypress Farm crew! read more

A little character in Bellevue! After years of lliving in Queen Anne and sampling most of Seattle's tasty and character-full venues, my wife and I have found the Eastside largely bereft of selection. We just tried this place today and found it to have character, great service and good food. The pancakes were the best my wife has had in some time and I had a carnitas plate which was well done. Coffee also has flavor. In typical Eastside fashion, it is housed in a strip mall, however, inside it has some character. Food was good (also quick), service friendly and child friendly to boot. We will add it to our list of less than a handful of places worth going out for breakfast here on the Eastside. read more

A bellevue classic! Been coming here for two decades! It's a staple! Love it! Might be a bit overrated as its so well known but it is really good! read more

Staff was friendly. Like that they have local event posters on the wall instead of cheesy black and white "vintage" photos. Food was pretty good. Coffee was forgettable though. And the corned beef hash was weird. Waste of $6.99. Glad I used a Groupon for my first visit. Definitely going back for the fried potatoes. read more

There aren't a lot of breakfast joints in and around downtown Bellevue, so this place has a considerable opportunity to really fill that gap. I've been here a couple times and really only had the breakfast. It is, as other reviewers have said, homely but in a section of the stripmall next to the QFC, that is a bit tucked away. The food isn't all that memorable but not all that bad either. The biggest attraction here is that it serves breakfast in a homely environment (not too many sit-down breakfast places in the area), but nothing seems to standout for the prices they charge. It is Bellevue, so I suppose you can't really expect too much in way of prices, but I think this is a huge opportunity they lose out on. There's nothing that differentiates this place or makes it memorable enough for people to come back to. Nothing in the way of: memorably large portions, unique items, differentiating services, or quick conveniences. Double the portion size or reduce the prices; add a couple unique items to the menu; make an effort to be quick'n'friendly (or make "rude" a comical characteristic of the place, just don't be slow). Once you have that, the clientele will come by the masses. There really isn't a whole lot of breakfast joints around town and this would fill that gap tremendously. I so wish this place could be the above as I would visit more often. read more

i checked this joint out on the strength of yelp reviews the other day with my sick kiddo. she ordered the 2 egg bfast with sausage patties. i got the cornbeef hash and eggs with a side of bacon. we were seated relatively quickly because we got there right before primetime for lunch. after getting seated it still took our waitress about 10 min to come get our order, tho. busy busy bees! she was courteous and attentive, tho. portions aren't very big (boooo) but i guess every meal doesn't need to be super sized for my fat *ss. i ordered my eggs over easy and they were more medium but that's my only real complaint. the kids food was just as she wanted it. i dunno if i'll be back anytime soon cause it's a lil more pricy vs the portions. still, it's much better than denny's. read more

it's hard finding a good breakfast place in bellevue, but i was pleasantly surprised by this place. i'm basing this review based on the specials they had last sunday, so i don't know how their regular menu stacks up against it. i had the strawberry crepe, and my bf had the eggs benedict. crepes were good, crispy, and maybe a bit too sweet/syrupy, but i tend to like my food on the bland side. no complaints about the eggs benedict. i would go back to this place if i am craving breakfast food on a weekend morning and don't want to make the drive across the bridge. read more

I've known about this place for years but never got there until this weekend. I so wanted to really love this greasy spoon kind of place and almost did until breakfast was delivered to the table. It was Saturday morning and the place was packed with a waiting list. We were seated within 10 minutes and waitress appeared almost immediately. She said "Eggs Benedict" before we even ordered. Husband went for them but I had the Joe's Special. Couldn't believe how fast our plates appeared so they're doing something right in the kitchen. It all looked great until I tasted the hash browns and eggs. The oil used on the grill was OFF and it left that almost rancid taste on the food. I have sensitive taste buds. Husband said Eggs Benedict were fine and he couldn't taste anything wrong with his hash browns. Someone else mentioned clientele was seniors. Yes, there were some like us, but vast majority were a mix of ages. Loved the fact that the kitchen left the salt and peppering to the clients since many of us are on low sodium diets. Service was very fast and friendly on the whole. Menu very interesting. Huge portions enough for two. I really wanted this to be a place to go in the future, but they will have to clean the grill and change the oil first. Parking a challenge. read more

-1 Star for this place. Thought this was a good place for breakfast 'old school style' but now think otherwise. I explicitly asked for my two eggs over easy with crisp bacon and crispy hash browns. My breakfast came with under-cooked hash browns + (too much cooking oil). I mentioned to the waitress that my breakfast came 'not as ordered' so she took my plate away & gave it to the 'short guy with the hat' who took another 10 minutes to make my order right. When she brought my plate back the hash browns looked liked burnt oil hash browns and my bacon and eggs were COLD. Geeez, maybe you can follow directions from the waitress and get it right the first time? Maybe not, as I think there is a great disconnect of communication from waitress to the cooks. I left a tip and told the waitress I am not paying for a cold breakfast that was messed up to begin with! Left & will never return...go somewhere else! read more

WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. I ordered a 2 egg scramble with a side of bacon and was charged $17. Good food but in no way worth $17!!!

Love this place. Nice neighborhood cafe - great for breakfast and lunch Nice staff!