This bakery is not good. I got a buttermilk biscuit with strawberry jam in the middle and also a bagel. The biscuit tasted like a flavorless blob of dry, overworked dough. I honestly don't know how they sell those biscuits with confidence. I almost asked to return it. The bagel wasn't great. My biggest issue was that it had this after taste of Deli meat- like it had come into contact with some grease in their toaster. I asked for it to be heated with a side of cream cheese which they forgot so I had to ask again. Overall just a disappointment. Not sure why it's always crowded. read more

The food is excellent, the prices high, the coffee ok and staff very friendly. That's a pretty darn good scorecard, especially on the food front. But there are two big problems: 1) Whoever designed the floor plan clearly wasn't thinking because the north entrance, the food pick up counter and the cash register all converge in roughly the same area, creating a massive bottleneck, which is compounded by the fact it 2) takes FOREVER to stand in line and pay; the cinnamon rolls are awesome but are they worth 15 minutes waiting and paying for it? Macrina is great as long as you have nothing else to do for the day. Definitely not a quick stop. read more

I first encountered Macrina's delicious bread when dining at 2120, and it was love at first bite. I decided we had to make a trek to their Belltown location as it was just down the street from my office. I looked up all their bread options online to plan my pilgrimage and am so glad I did. I started out by trying their Macrina baguette and the seeded baguette, as well as a loaf of their Oatmeal Buttermilk sliced bread. The baguette was good, not the best but solid on flavor, texture and crust. Now the Oatmeal Buttermilk is seriously the best bread I've ever had, and I've tried a lot and also frequently make my own at home. From the first bite I haven't been able to even look at other breads, it's good for just about everything you want in a bread. Classic PB & J? Bomb. Some plain toast to accompany your breakfast or as a late night snack? Bomb diggity. The texture is soft, but not too soft, and the flavor has a beautiful nutty, slightly sweet finish. I brought home that loaf and it was gone in less than two days. I also made a grilled cheese, one with extra sharp cheddar and one with sharp white cheddar, to compare which cheese complemented the flavors of the bread the best. It was quite simply a heavenly grilled cheese, and the clear winner was the white cheddar. So do yourself a flavor, I mean favor, and drop by one of their three Seattle locations and pick yourself up a loaf of Oatmeal Buttermilk perfection. And before you ask; no they do not have a gluten free version. Yet. read more

Decided to check this place out on a weekday afternoon. When I walked in an employee told me not to order at the counter but at the front of the store. No problem. I asked her what vegan options they have and she gave me a blank stare, then told me they have ONE cookie that's vegan. I asked about sandwiches. She told me NONE of their breads are vegan because "it's hard to make vegan bread in mass production". Seems like BS to me since most bread you buy at the grocery store is vegan. I later went on their website to discover that their wheat bread IS vegan. This is Seattle, and Capitol Hill, there should be vegan options! Anyway, I left feeling annoyed, defeated and hungry. Their service is definitely lacking. read more

I stopped by on my way to work to get a coffee and asked the girl behind the counter what kind of alternative milks they have. She said soy and almond, so I asked her if the almond was unsweetened. She said yes, grabbed the bottle just to show me the brand from far away, put it back, and charged me 5.50 for a latte. I walked in front of the bar - when I saw the color of the milk brand, I had a feeling it was sweetened. So I googled it because I didn't want to ask again, I just have to be sure about extra sugar because I have diabetes. I told the girl making the latte that I'll just have an americano because that color of the brand is actually sweetened, she scoffed at me, threw the cup on the bar and spilled on the counter and walked away. The cup was filled to the brim with hot water and one shot of espresso. Tasted not as bad as her attitude. I understand some people like myself have extra needs and it's annoying to people working in the service industry, but that's not the point, is it? The point is to provide good service (that's your job) to any and all people with specific needs. All I asked was to be sure if the milk was sweetened or not. The two girls couldn't provide an answer to that because they didn't care. They could've handed me the carton so I could check it on my own. Sorry for asking you to read words. This place is cute and cozy and all, but my money goes elsewhere next time. read more

Lost a bet to an ex girlfriend. Nightmare. Had to deliver her a Macrina Maple Apple Pie. Nightmare!!! Only saving grace was Mackenzie (sp) at Macrina's on 19th. She understood, took my order promptly and professionally. Thanks Mackenzie, on the worst day of my life, you were wonderful. read more

Macrina is a gem. Let me just say, this place is always humming with activity. The interior design is really neat, light and open, and has a myriad of seating selections. With that said, it is tough to find a spot, so expect to share tables with other groups (this is not a problem, just a heads up). Macrina's menu ranges from your typical selection of baked goods to fun, flavorful brunch options. I opted to try the Bialy Egg Sandwich with bacon - it was fantastic. If you read through the reviews, this place is on the pricier side, but, in terms of quality, you get what you pay for. The staff here is so friendly and polite. Despite how busy it was during my visit, the staff were still patient and willing to answer my questions regarding the menu. 10/10 - will be back. read more

Ok .... macrina bakery & cafe is a good place the only thing is when you ordered a coffee make sure not to much foam on your coffee why because i ordered a 16oz cappuccino when i get it is full of foam the liquid is only half way full look like i paid the full prize for 16oz then you only get 8oz of coffee not ok.... check it before you get n go read more

i read another review detailing the weird atmosphere of this bakery to non-white customers and i just want to amplify that. i've been here 4 times and each time reminds me of the movie 'get out'. i don't know how to really describe it, but it's the feeling of being hyper-visible and invisible at the same time. as soon as you walk in there are stares from customers who maybe live in the multi-million dollar homes surrounding the café or are students of the neighboring prestigious (expensive, exclusionary) christian girls academy. the pastries are good, but for their price -- lol. while the staff talk up older white folks, they are efficient and abrupt with non-white folks. disappointed, and not the most comfortable place to be if you have melanin read more

I think the food and baked goods here are great. The bialy egg sandwich is delicious in particular and I have always enjoyed the pastries I've tried. However I do think that the checkout process could be streamlined -- where to order and then wait for your food and drink is very confusing and I've had issues at least a couple times with my order being missed somehow. Once these kinks are worked out I think this place will be truly great. I like the small touches like the floral arrangements and the sparkling water on tap. The seating area is inviting (though usually crowded) and the staff is really nice. read more

Best pastry shop in the area...suggestion for improvement... Delicious breakfast pastries...who doesn't love flour, sugar, & butter baked to perfection...5 stars Wait staff...awesome...always a smile for you...helpful...courteous...lovely folks...5 stars Cleanliness...3 stars...need some work...I am more than happy to bus my own dishes...have served others so if you leave a spray bottle and towel within easy reach, I will even clean & wipe the table before and after my snack / treat. This morning, my chair had dried drippings from a breakfast sandwich, probably...not sure, but it was dry...would not wipe off with a dry napkin. An alternative to leaving out a spray bottle & towel for me would be to have the staff police the dining area / survey the tables & floor once an hour...wipe of the tables & chairs and sweep the floors as needed. Certainly, busy times need more cleaning while the slow periods need just a spot check and dust up. I will do my part...no tip necessary...:) read more

First visit disappointed. Extremely unorganized staff... I waited in line and somehow several people who came in after me got their orders taken first. The lady checking me out didn't seem to know anything about the breads and seemed in a hurry to check me out. The cashier man next to her was offering all his customers a free bag. I was not offered one..I had to ask. They were also out of many items. read more

My 8-year-old daughter says, "Macrina Bakery is really good because they have delicious food, especially the banana bread. The best part is the crust because it's crunchy, sugary, and gingery. They have great, drastic service and a nice interior." read more

My wife and I went in for brunch on memorial day in specific search of their peanut butter chocolate cake. This place was BUSY but we were greeted by James who had a big smile and such a positive attitude. I asked his recommendation for a sandwich (sausage breakfast biscuit) and how he liked the peanut butter cake. I am normally not a huge biscuit fan but I went with it and I feel I hit the jackpot. This was buttery and dense and ticked every box of my needs and wants. The cardamom in the sausage was a unique touch that works really well and as always you can go wrong with beechers cheddar . Now on to the best thing I have ever put in my mouth... James claimed to had already eaten seven of these and after eating I can see why because this peanut butter chocolate cake was out of this freaking world!! I literally cannot find a negative thing to say about this. It's chocolaty in the best way and not overly peanut buttery and OMG the bottom crunchy layer slayed! It was, in my opinion, pure perfection and I will be judging every cake on this one and thinking about it for the rest of my life. read more

Are you an arsehole upset about some dirt on the floor bc it's Seattle and rains? Then don't come here, please continue to frequent the places that hire a full time caretaker of floors so that you may walk in on the red carpet you think you deserve. Did you not get a free bag on opening day? Life is very hard. Did someone step in front of you in line, thus acknowledging you really aren't numero uno? Consider it a life lesson to speak up! I've been here a year, from, ahem, a real city, where floors are sometimes dirty, and people will cut in line if you let them, and freebies? Yeah right. Fight with the rats for those. Think the place is cold and sterile? Only if your heart is. I'm fortunate enough to live around the corner, have been here a few times, and while it is my first Macrina experience (I realize some of you are used to a certain ambience...change is hard! Not for you? Go elsewhere), the several times I've been here have been perfect, including the first time we had to wait a bit for a spot, the second time the forks had just run out, and the third time I'm sure the floors were dirty bc it was sprinkling...quelle horror! Waaaaaa my privileged arse didn't get everything perfectly handed to me waaaaaa mommy. The food is amazing, the espresso is great, the decor is fine, the people are nice. And I'm not an asshole. Have a issue with something stupid? Try looking in the mirror when you get home, maybe you'll learn a bigger life lesson. read more

Very easy to enjoy being breakfast here. Well though out, on site parking and convenient street parking as well. Perfect place to meet up with friends. read more

Dang. Leave Seattle for a decade, come back, and find this! What a great coffee shop, and the pastries are to die for. This is worth driving to get to. Great seating inside, free water (including sparkling) to quench your thirst if the coffee isn't enough, and seating outside as well. Their service is top notch, and the do everything right. read more

Such a lovely spot! They have incredible vegan pastries (scones, muffins, and cookies!), as well as amazing whole grain bread. Their sourdough bagels are also pretty great. I would love for them to have more vegan lunch options, but so glad they have the delicious options they do! read more

Super good. Friendly. Welcome addition to the neighborhood. Croissant delicious, as was blueberry scone.

The new Aloha location of Macrina Bakery is a welcome addition to the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The coffee is delicious and the baked goods are fresh and original. Try the cherry almond scone, biscuits with jam, the morning glory muffin or the orange pinwheel to name just a few of my favorites! It also feels good to support a locally owned establishment! read more

Slowest service on Earth. Pastries are good but notorious for mixing up and losing during orders

Amazing all around. Friendly staff, not too loud and the quiche, cheesecake and oat milk iced latte were out of this world delicious! I also got the raspberry short cake because I was torn. That's just the way it should be but the cheesecake will leave a lasting memory on my soul! Only issue I had was too much packaging even though I'm grateful for the compostable straws. read more

What an improvement from Tully's. We went there for breakfast on a busy Sunday Morning and I was impressed with how quickly they got us our food. I also loved that they had samples out! read more

Guys this place is amazing. There are tables to sit, Each bakery item is delicious. This and Bakery Noveau are my 2 favorites, This is easier to gather with friends and find a seat. My favorite item was the vanilla Morning Roll, Just try it, It's so delicious and subtly vanilla. The buttermilk biscuit with berries was a close second. I also ordered the banana bread, which was objectively good, but I don't like raisins (they managed to make it delicious despite the fact that I don't like raisins). My friends got the breakfast entrees which were also amazing. JUST GO!!! read more

Well, I've had numerous enjoyable experiences at Macrina before Covid struck. Since then I've had two considerably unpleasant experiences and down right in your face unpleasant. You see, I've worked in this industry, the food service and coffee/espresso and fine dining all my life. I've supported take out and dine in as soon as possible. At Macrina early on , I came in to get some heavenly bread and a latte to go and my face covering happened to slip down and another customer yelled at me "you better put your mask on !!!" . I told her to get the eff away and not stand so close to me. Then an employee yelled at me to "put my mask on." Even though I'd secured said facial covering in place . Out the door I went . Lost sale for Macrina. Today I was in a hurry and went in to grab a salad & espresso. Facial covering in place makes my glasses fog up so I could not see what was in the salad du jour. The kind guy behind the counter was checking when a woman butted in to ask if "I needed a mask??? I replied, "can't you see? I have a facial covering, it's official! ?" " I'm leaving..... I no longer support this business. 'Nough said. #masknazis #maskpolice #soovercovid read more

Can we talk about the sparkling seltzer water self serve tap???!! Brilliant. The entire place is a great upgrade from Tully's. Great decor, delicately baked fresh bread, nice staff, and again...the self serve sparkling water tap. Hope to have this location around for years. Good work, Macrina. read more

I've never had a bad time here, everything is tasty! Gorgeous and big space, love this new location. I love to work here or come for breakfast with friends. Cute details everywhere read more

Worst service ever. I ordered HALF of a sandwich which was way over priced for no reason whatsoever. It took 35 min for them to finally get me my sandwich when I was already crunched on time. It makes no sense to how there's 5 workers. 2 on cash register and 1 coffee and the rest is doing gods know what. Unbelievable. Will not be returning read more

Very nice redo on the former Surrogate Hostess and later Capitol Hill Tullys. Clean, bright, friendly service, variety of tasty pastry and good coffee, bit pricey. Doesn't quite replicate old Surrogate long tables but quite satisfactory and popular with neighborhood, it appears. read more

Came back and the second visit was nothing like the first!milk was a tad burnt again but my drink was made in the order it was received and didn't take over 20 minutes! Also the staff were friendly!hope I can come back for brunch one of these weekends! read more

We literally had an awful lunch here - the most bland salad with smoked turkey - small teeny cubes lacking in flavor and salad dressing that tased store bought but with less flavor. We also had a pasta dish which was partially microwaved and with hot and cold spots and a big single clump of kale in the middle. Getting a cup of ice was even an ordeal where the women taking the order had to write a note to the barista to get a cup of ice. Macrina makes good breads and pasty but this lunch was terrible. read more

I had been excited that Macrina was taking over the old Tully's location. Saw the line and figured it was worth the wait. Got to the baked goods counter where three women were serving customers. A woman to my left was being served. The woman in line behind me stepped up and started placing her order with the second waitress. The two women behind her stepped up and were instantly working with the third waitress. At 5'10", I usually am hard to miss and I was trying to figure out how I had suddenly become invisible. Too hungry to deal with it, I left. I know, but I just couldn't have that conversation with that many people at that point in my day. Maybe next week. read more

The inmates are running the asylum. That's the best way I can describe the customer service experience here. It's a predominantly young (and for the most part very nice) staff here, and they lack a vested interest in the success of the establishment. That's the result of the problem, however the problem itself is in fact management: where the f is it? Who is supervising these individuals? Who is ensuring things are being done as they should? I've been in here 7 or 8 times in the last month and it's ALWAYS a headache. The 2nd star is simply because upon finally getting out of there with your order (which inevitably feels like a great relief), the pastries are quite good, and the coffee is at least above average (though not great). Good luck Macrina, and more importantly, good luck fellow customer. You'll need it. read more

Bummed. There's nothing warm and inviting about this new place--and we've really been looking forward to it. There used to be a fireplace. That's gone. Also gone are the tables where two people can have a quiet conversation. No noise abatement. Instead it's loud. There's bright white fluorescent lighting and chaos ordering and paying. Even the coffee--which I thought would be spectacular--was not. read more

Pastries review: Go elsewhere I've had pastries from Macrina bakery twice, now, because they're slightly convenient. I won't make that mistake again! The place is unreasonably busy given the quality. There was a line and the staff took their time filling orders. The weren't exactly slow, but there was certainly no hustle. Having time to spend in line, it was possible to observe their hiring practices: Exclusively women and all under the age of about 30. And now, about those pastries: You'd expect a seasoned player in the pastries business would know how to make a good pastry, but you'd be wrong! Their pastries are appropriately flaky, but they consistently use too much butter to achieve this goal. This leaves the pastries with an overly-buttery taste and mouth-feel. Today's pastry, (not sadly at all) the last pastry I'll ever have from Macrina, was slightly too dark on the outside and slightly doughy on the inside, leading me to think that they cooked them at too high a temperature. They either rushed the bake or they had no idea what they were doing. The appearance of the pastries is also fairly terrible. I placed similar orders both times and the item that was identical between orders looked completely different both times. Today's pastry was totally misshapen as though they were rushing their production and not paying any attention to quality. The pastry fillings were highly concentrated in one dollop in the pastry and not spread around. This sort of thing can happen if the baker was in a hurry to get the pastries done and not working to produce a well-constructed pastry by taking care to spread out the filling inside the pastry. Finally, I'll take a self-indulgent moment to say that I didn't particularly like the taste of the chocolate they selected for a filling. I realize that this is a subjective evaluation, so if you like super-sweet chocolate without a hint of bitterness, then they might have a chocolate filling that tickles your taste buds. I've eaten plenty of pastries in Paris and around France, and I can't think of one that tasted as sickly-sweet as the ones from Macrina. In summary: Judging by the finished product, the pastry construction is haphazard and rushed, the baking process seems inconsistent and lacking skill, the ingredient proportions are off the mark, the products seem over-sweetened and the staff are slow. So why did they get two stars and not one? This is not the bottom of the barrel! The flakiness of the pastries was good and there weren't any visible pests about, so it really doesn't merit a one-star rating. Review-readers, stop here. The rest is for Yelp staff. Hey, Yelp: It would be handy to allow people to comment on other reviews. Or if you took feedback at all, really. Because Yelp refuses to allow flagging on the basis of factual errors, this leaves flagrantly fake reviews on the site. For instance, if one makes a complaint about an establishment not having dragons, or that the dragons are especially friendly, it's certainly the case that the reviewer is living in fantasy-land and the review should be removed because there's no such thing as a dragon. Case and point: In one of the reviews for Macrina bakery, the reviewer complains that there aren't any "stantions." Well, the word "stantion" doesn't have any meaning and isn't an obvious typo of a word that might have a meaning in the context of a bakery. You could just as well replace the word "stantion" with "dragon." There's no such thing and a complaint about the absence of an imaginary thing is overtly baseless. Not that I think this will make a difference in your business model, but maybe someone else will see the flaw and produce a better mousetrap for us reviewers. read more

Was keen to love this cafe. Came in today with my mother and we ordered a sandwich . As we waited, and waited and waited for the staff of 4 to warm the sandwich we stood in one of the distanced spots for our sandwich to be ready. This spot was right in front of the register where we could not be missed. During this 15 minute window there was never more than one other customer in the cafe, and often there was no one but us. When I finally spoke up, the staff all looked at each other and laughed and started whispering. They put the sandwich on the counter with no apologies or anything. My mother said,"That took a while" and the staff member who put the sandwich down said, "oh no- it's perfect! no worries".I was astounded! The bread in the sandwich was over-toasted and to boot there was no acknowledgement that they had forgotten about us. Instead, we got their laughter and a dismissal. I should also mention that we are two brown women and the staff appeared to be all white women. Will not be returning again. read more

Diabetics beware! I had asked if the fruit muffin was whole grain and had no added sugar and the answer was yes. It is not true. It is like biting into a jelly bean. I also got a coffee and asked if there was any Stevia or Splenda and was told they don't have any artificial sweeteners. She told me, sorry it's not by choice. So I'm thinking that someone has a gun to her head? Nazis cannot use the excuse of just following orders. So yes, it is exactly by choice. Hers for working there and the company for not supplying the type of sweeteners that diabetics need. I don't need this type of discrimination in my life. At least they have nice bathrooms. read more

Macrina focuses on marketing and getting our money. The food looks good, tastes bad, not fresh, disgusting... too many businesses focus on the "look" today. No substance... read more

Perfect. Thank you! I am an old school Surrogate Hostess fan. I have many wonderful memories of this space ... So much so that they catered my wedding. It's been revived beautifully!!!! From the design of the space to the finishes, welcomed by a beautiful array of baked goods (including a truly delicious gluten free options), friendly staff, tasty coffee with an accent bar including ground nutmeg... Totally fabulous! I deeply thank Macrina for bringing us this neighborhood gem with such care and attention to it being a truly comfortable community space. Thank you! read more

Great place, though as a regular I always see a problem navigating where to order. Management, please implement better signage. Perhaps a sign by the bakery counter that say 'ORDER HERE' to take the mystery away. It's confusing for us customers:) The sign that is positioned next to the espresso machine (I.E. past the cashiers and beyond the ordering area) is useless. Thanks! read more