SEAGuide
The 20 Best Breakfast Spots In Seattle
photo credit: Chona Kasinger
Weekday mornings in Seattle can be painful, even if you work from home. Some months, the sun wakes up later than you do, sometimes it’s wet and gray outside, rush hour traffic sucks, and the only shred of joy in your daily routine might come from a morning latte.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. Grabbing a real breakfast will, at the very least, improve your morning—and could potentially make you feel more productive. Here are the ones worth getting up early for.
Looking for brunch? We have a guide for that. Need a breakfast burrito? We have a guide for that too. And what about breakfast sandwiches? Yes. Bagels? Absolutely. Donuts? Of course.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Brooke Fitts
Bagel Oasis in Ravenna is one of the best bagel shops in town. No need to set alarms or wait forever in line like at other spots—just stroll in and grab an exemplary bagel on your own time. (What a concept.) And for the folks looking for a carbon copy of something you’d find on the East Coast, this is it. Bagel Oasis makes extremely basic but foolproof New York-style dough circles in a space that smells exactly like a Long Island deli. There’s a tender crackle with blistered bubbles, a light and soft middle, and a spongy squish that’s just as excellent covered in cream cheese as it is in breakfast sandwich form.
photo credit: Brooke Fitts
Despite Ludi's new Downtown location, this Filipino spot we love for its sticky ube pancakes still has the same family-run diner vibes. The coffee never goes cold, a sizzling blacktop is the morning soundtrack, and breakfast is served all day. Ordering the combo silog (a.k.a bites of Ludi’s greatest hits) is a necessary rite of passage. The plate is filled with peppery longanisa, Subway foot-long sized lumpia, a juicy pounded pork chop, and fragrant garlic rice you could eat fistfuls of on its own. Just get here when they open at 7am, because by 7:30, a line already forms underneath the iconic yellow and blue sign.
If you’re a Libra or just struggle with indecision, getting breakfast here is a great way to work through that and eat something fantastic in the process. The name says it all—they serve bagels and burritos, and both are excellent. The bagels have a great doughy chew, a crackly crust, and are perfect vehicles for lox and globs of black truffle cream cheese. The burritos are loaded with big chunks of roasted potatoes and other things, like celery root “al pastor” and maitake mushrooms. And while we know that it’s not called “Rachel’s Bagels, Burritos, & Biscuits,” their biscuit sandwiches are excellent, too.
B-Side is a little Capitol Hill corner cafe that operates out of Analog Coffee. They also happen to serve the greatest breakfast sandwich in town, a.k.a. a toasty english muffin stuffed with scallion-folded egg, Beecher’s cheese, country ham, pickled daikon, and charred onion aioli which you can (and should) doctor up with hot sauce. There are other non-breakfast items like cashew butter-topped toast and grain bowls, but be real—you're here for this sandwich. Picking up something before a WFH session here will almost make the day feel like it’s a weekend.
North Star is the coolest diner in the city. It’s open from 10am-10pm, and has gold glittery booth cushions as well as an entire wall dedicated to framed portraits of real astronauts. Most importantly, their food—like textbook-example buttermilk pancakes or a chimichanga stuffed with carnitas, hash browns, and scrambled eggs—is simply restorative after rolling out of bed. That's especially true if you stayed out for hours last night having “one more drink” four times. The best part is, you could come back after work to their adjoining bar, which has karaoke four days a week as well as the full diner menu—because omelettes taste just as good when the moon’s out.
photo credit: Nate Watters
This tiny roadside coffee shop specializes in exceptional Mexican breakfasts, in addition to the best bacon breakfast sandwich in town. They use fluffy Macrina buns as vehicles for a crackly-edged fried egg, chunky grilled onions, a swipe of aioli made slightly sweet by red chile sauce, white cheddar, and the crowning glory: a fistful of extremely well-done bacon. We’re talking an actual pile of bacon so crispy that, one time, a stray shard cut our face and we’re not even mad about it. No pain, no bacon, as they say. And if bacon isn't your thing, go for the sausage version, loaded with two paper-thin patties and nutty provolone. We're also fans of their breakfast burritos.
Seattle doesn’t have too many weekday breakfast places that’ll also work well to impress an out-of-towner or a date, but that’s where Sabine Cafe in Ballard comes in. This counter-service operation serves everything from avocado toast and griddled pastrami egg sandwiches to shakshuka and apple butter oat pancakes with hazelnut dukkah. You'll also find tasty drinks like fresh-pressed green juice and an espresso martini that blows much of the competition away. It’s all done in a bright and airy space complete with a covered patio, high-end pantry staples for sale, and a surplus of calming sky-blue paint. And yes, they’re open for weekend brunch too—but get there early if you want a chance at a table.
photo credit: Nate Watters
When the best bakery in town starts making bagels, it turns out those bagels are going to be really damn good. Oxbow is a Montlake breakfast operation from the team behind Sea Wolf, and their boiled and baked circles might just be as good as their bread. Fresh from the oven at 7am, the bagels have a crackly, Magic Shell-like exterior, complete with a dense chew and slightly sour tang. Our favorite combination of the bunch is a garlic bagel, crunchy charred dehydrated flakes and all, spread with spicy calabrian chili cream cheese. And be sure to grab a scone for an afternoon snack.
Burrito Express is the greatest thing to happen to a parking lot since the parking lot was first invented. This spot on South Cloverdale in South Park serves Mexican breakfast from 7am-11am, and we’re huge fans. The tortillas are tightly wrapped like a swaddled newborn baby, the eggs have pristine curds without being overcooked or runny, and their salsas have a tremendous acidity-to-spice ratio (try the smoky version). You’re in great hands with anything involving their tangy chorizo, but the best burrito on the truck is their Sauced Pig, complete with pork bits simmered in salsa verde, perfectly-salted creamy pinto beans, tiny fried potato cubes, and the option to add cheese (do it). While they’re preparing your order, run across the street for a latte at Resistencia.
Perhaps you endured a 7am jog around Green Lake because endorphins are supposed to make you happy. Kitanda serves the post-workout breakfast of our dreams. It’s a Brazilian cafe just east of the lake, and is our favorite spot for what's essentially sorbet (only socially acceptable to eat in the morning). Their açaí mix is particularly refreshing on a hot day, and their pepita granola is crunchy, not overpoweringly sweet, and delicious in the same bite as a rogue banana slice and spoonable smoothie.
On Saturday mornings, the lines at this boathouse-turned-bakery look like a game of Snake played by somebody who’s really good at Snake. To avoid the big groups of people, we endorse swinging by Saint Bread on a weekday instead. Among the excellent lineup of buns and loaves in the pastry case, there are more substantial breakfasts, like olive oiled za’atar avocado toast, an Okonomiyaki-style tortilla with sweet potato and bulldog sauce, and a sweet-and-salty BEC on sugared Japanese melonpan that easily beats anything heated in a turbo oven at your corner coffee chain.
photo credit: Brooke Fitts
The reimagining of this northern Capitol Hill classic is a home run simply based on the new pastries alone. And yeah, we’d eat sugar for breakfast on the daily if we lived in the neighborhood. We’re talking about things like savory tahini caramel bars, New York-style crumb cake muffins, and buckwheat chocolate chunk cookies with a salty, dulce de leche-like texture that softly crumbles like kinetic sand. But that would be ignoring their BEC, a majestic stack of paper-thin egg folds, bacon cooked just before it gets crispy, and yellow american cheese that oozes between the layers and stretches like taffy, all on a homemade toasted poppy roll.
photo credit: Brooke Fitts
This is a bakery that serves pastries that are so beautiful, you almost feel bad to take a bite and destroy the artful creations. It’s hard to go wrong with their jammy caramelized shallot croissant with nutty gruyere, an also-nutty pistachio schnecken, cake donuts with campari icing, or just a handful of macarons.
photo credit: Nate Watters
Bebop Waffle Shop is, thankfully, a really great place for waffles. Their belgian-style wedges are fluffy and yeasty on the inside, with a golden crust that still stands up to maple syrup and their phenomenal salted cinnamon butter. Their breakfast sandwich, layered with a thick patty of egg, cheddar, bacon, and a zippy turmeric mustard aioli, is also a terrific morning meal route to take. Pair it with a cold brew banana smoothie or an iced mocha topped with Cocoa Puffs.
Most spots serve egg sandwiches with sausage, but the McMainstay Muffin at Mainstay Provisions is essentially a sausage sandwich with egg. The pork here is casually the size of a hockey puck, savory and juicy with soft bits of onion throughout the mix. And despite its burger-like girth, the sausage’s flavor is just subtle enough to support an over-medium egg and gooey cheese, all on a homemade, aioli-slathered buttermilk english muffin. And if breakfast sandwiches aren't in the cards, they also serve things like scrambles, brioche french toast, shakshuka, and biscuits and gravy.
This Madrona breakfast spot was once a house. And even though no one lives here anymore and restaurant tables have taken over the second floor, it still feels extremely cozy. The menu here is great across the board—like pancakes, customizable scrambles, and avocado toast. But you’ll find us elbows-deep in their hefty breakfast burrito. Scrambled eggs, black beans, and sautéed vegetables are wrapped into the size of a newborn and served with a side of breakfast potatoes, tomatillo salsa, and a dollop of sour cream that should immediately be smeared everywhere like a preschool art project.
The Fat Hen is a corner cafe with a great brunch, which naturally means it’s packed on Saturday and Sunday mornings. During the week, though, it’s actually pretty easy to get a table and eat homemade scones, beastly ricotta toast, and/or the camicia egg skillet with tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil, a.k.a. a crock of bubbling margherita pizza.
If you’re in the University District early enough, you’re probably either a student, professor, or you know about the excellent biscuits at Morsel. This counter spot serves their huge biscuits with spreads like strawberry balsamic jam or chocolate hazelnut butter, but also in sandwich form. The best of that bunch is the Spanish Fly, which has a fried egg, prosciutto, manchego, arugula, and pickled pepper aioli. These travel well if you’re in a hurry, but you should really sit down and eat your biscuit with a cup of coffee.
photo credit: Chona Kasinger
We love Empire Espresso’s made-to-order belgian waffles, whether they’re topped with blueberries and powdered sugar or maple syrup and butter. You should order one of these and a homemade date-sweetened cashew milk latte at this Columbia City coffee shop. And if you’re in need of a gluten-free and/or vegan waffle, they serve those, too.
The Flora Bakehouse has a very aesthetically pleasing rooftop that's perfect for spreading out at a picnic table with an iced cardamom rose latte and a croissant that will flake all over the place. If you're hungry for something larger, this vegetarian bakery also serves breakfast sandwiches, frittata, and vegan burritos.
