Cafe Besalu
Seattle, WA 98107-3207
Phone: (206) 789-1463
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- Market Street
- Hours:
- Wed-Sun 7am-3pm
Editorial Review for Cafe Besalu – by Anna Roth
In Short
North End residents, newspaper in hand, park themselves at this friendly bakery's shabby-chic assortment of tables on weekend mornings, taking in the aroma of fresh pastries and coffee. Sweet and savory croissants, shortbread, quiche, brioche, Danishes and other buttery delights are among the treats in the glass display counter. The pain au chocolate, ginger biscuit and caramelized onion and gruyere pastry are the stuff of local legend.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoWatch the chefs shaping pastry behind the display counter--but you might want to avert your eyes from the stacks of butter that lie beside them.
When to GoBroiche is ready at 9am--avoid the disappointment of coming earlier.
User Reviews for Cafe Besalu
07/08/2007 Posted by rgeorgi
Every reviewer but a few grudge-bearers have given this five stars; believe the hype! This is the Emerald City's best place for a breakfast sweet with coffee, bar none. The first thing you'll notice on a morning visit is the constant bustle behind the cheery counter help. The display case is constantly being replenished with small, fresh-from-the-oven batches. As for their pastries, their puffed pastries (croissants, etc) have the best flaky consistency in town and the Pain au Chocolat has just the right amount of chocolate. As others have mentioned, the Danishes and Ginger Biscuit are wonderful; we'd mention more but we just haven't tried everything yet (it's a one-piece, once a week treat for us, keeps it special!) Finally, the ambiance is unassuming and cheery, and our usual Sunday barista is surreally friendly; it really is the ideal neighborhood bakery.
Pros: Freshest In Town, Good Coffee, Friendly Service
Cons: Small Seating Area, Parking may be a block or more (walk it off, fatty!)
07/07/2007 Posted by franciscomontalvo
The food is fantastic. My personal favorites are almond schneckens, strawberry crossaints and ham/cheese crossaints. Also noteworthy are the checkered shortbread cookies. I also found their coffee beverages to be very good. Their standard coffee is above average and their espresso drinks are fantastic - I recommend the capuccino. Parking can be a challenge at certain times but there is enough residential parking in Ballard that you can get within 200 yards at any time.
Pros: Superb quality pastries for $2-$4 each
Cons: Small indoor seating area
