Julia's in Wallingford

04/15/2008 Posted by MsReba

Born and raised in Seattle, I have been coming to Julia's off and on for over 10 years for mostly breakfast and lunch. Lately, my sweetie and I have made a few trips there for breakfast and last weekend was the last time unless someone begins to care about cleanliness. I have always noticed it's not the cleanest place, but could overlook it, this time it all came together for me. We came around 8:15am, they open at 8am, about 5 tables full so far, I could actually see the across the whole floor, under the tables was food and dirt from previous days customers, it looked like it hadn't seen a mop in a while, dusty, grimey corners too..I accidently spilled a bit of water on our table and used a napkin to wipe it up, to my disgust the napkin was filthy (which prompted me to "really" look at the table) the table was crusty and dirty from other peoples feasts, and not just in one spot,. Our waiter was very kind and he noticed the whole dirty table without me even pointing it out, he cleared it all and wiped it down. The blown glass art in the windows is always coated with dust, the walls at the tables are always dirty and sticky with food, fingerprints and who knows what. After we ate, I went to use the ladies room and when I walked in, I stood there for a minute then pretty much walked out and held it, it absolutely wreaks of urine in there. I have noticed it before and just thought they were having a bad cleaning week. This place needs to be bleached down and cleaned up on a regular basis, I am wondering what the kitchen looks like where customers don't go. I am scared to eat there anymore and sad because I really like to go there. It also gives the feeling that someone does not care.

Pros: Good Seattle place for breakfast/brunch

Cons: Unclean, uncared for

11/15/2007 Posted by elizabet1231

I don't recommend eating here. I've tried it twice, thinking the first time was just an off day, but nope, not going back. Food is waaaay overpriced. A sandwich is $7.50+ and it comes with fruit however it also only comes with one slice of meat (I tried the reuben first time and turkey second time). You read that right, one slice of meat. And not a nice thick slice of fresh turkey but a thin sliver that didn't cover the bread. When mentioned to the waitress just nodded and walked away. The restaurant is cold so we sat bundled in jackets. Also the waitress kept walking between our table and a column, taking a short cut to the table behind us. Problem was she couldn't exactly fit so kept bumping our chair and frankly her rear-end in our lunch plate wasn't improving our lunch enjoyment. But the food is poor quality, tiny portions for the price and not welcoming service. Too many other fabulous restaurants in Seattle to waste time and money here.

08/08/2007 Posted by hildegarden

We just moved to Wallingford and our new neighbors recommended this restaurant to try out. We came here with our two children, immediately had crayons and a children's menu to color for the kids, our coffee came quickly as well, good and strong just the way we like it. The menu selection was extensive and very reasonable priced. Our breakfast was delicious and the portions were generous. Service was equally good, we will be back.

Pros: generous portions, resonable priced, friendly service.

07/05/2007 Posted by chelle2119

We went to Julia's yesterday, it was my first experience there and needless to say I won't be going back. They were having a busy morning but the wait list for seating was short (we were 2nd on the list). Although they had multiple open tables, we waited over 15 minutes to be seated. Once we were seated, we had to ask two different servers for coffee. People who were seated after us ordered before us. When our waitress finally did show up, she curtly said "I didn't see you sitting there." No apologies. We then waited around 20 minutes to get our food. In my experience, Breakfast should be quick. It shouldn't take an hour to get seated, order, and get food. I ordered a Denver Omelette and it was the worst omelette, I ever had. The eggs were thin and flat instead of fluffy. The eggs were so thin that when my omelette arrived it had a tear down the middle. There were too many green peppers and onions in the omelette and not enough ham or cheese. The potatoes were over seasoned to a point where they left a bad taste in my mouth. At least the toast was good, but how can you screw that up? Julia's is supposedly a Seattle establishment, but if you are want a good, quick, quality breakfast I would go somewhere else!

Pros: Toast

Cons: Slow Service, Bad Food

06/09/2007 Posted by tigrrrl

I used to eat here all of the time - big lover of the nutburger w/avocado + jack cheese, large salad bowls and desserts. Had hair in my food more than once but didn't stop my enthusiasm for the place. I had two bad experiences - #1 A birthday dinner of nasty eggplant pancakes with an overkill of red pepper flakes, very dissapointing - I actually called the manager and suggested they never serve again. #2 Delicious fish & salad combo, tasty but contaminated with hepatitis from some gnarly unwashed server's hands. I had to go get a shot in the butt!. The management apologized, but didn't offer to reimburse me for my meal and that sort of ended my patronage of Julia's. However, I still love the bakery and will snap up those scones any time that I happen to be in the neighborhood.

Pros: Great Nut Burgers!

Cons: Sometimes Servers Don't Wash Their Hands With Bad Consequences

10/19/2006 Posted by marc191

The wait (to be seated) times on weekend mornings can be considerable, but the food is worth it! The wait staff is friendly and competent, and the food is made from the finest and freshest ingredients. The atmosphere is casual and easygoing--so, don't worry about how well dressed you are, or aren't. When it comes to the food: Voila! There are numerous choices--in the mornings--of omelets, pancakes, muffins, cereals, etc. Then, in the afternoons one can choose from the freshly prepared sandwiches, salads, soups and hot entrees. Finally, the dinners are complete with main entrees and side dishes at reasonable prices. This restaurant is your basic satisfying community diner, with a fine bakery thrown into the bargain.

Pros: Fine food and service at a good price

Cons: Very slow in terms of seating on Sunday mornings

10/17/2006 Posted by edmillionaire

I had been warned by locals that this restaurant was not good for dinner, but I gave it a chance anyway. Result: Mediocre to deplorable food and openly contemptuous staff. We were a party of 7 in an otherwise empty restaurant around 6 on a Saturday night. Service was fine during first half of dinner. A few ordered fish and chips, which was pretty good. Nice seasoning in the batter. Burger was mediocre. Chicken Forestiere was flavorless and the vegetables were over-seasoned. Portobello sandwich: the mushroom was way overcooked and had too much vinegar. First round of drinks were flat. Service rapidly spiraled into hostility around check time. We had told the server that we needed to split the check when we first sat down, and arranged ourselves to allow for easy check splitting. Regardless we were presented with a consolidated check, and when we reminded him that we had asked for it to be split his response was "You know, people have paid this way before." We found this response unacceptable and insisted he split the bill anyway as we had asked originally. He cam back to the table, having either forgotten how we had split our order (which is his job to keep track of), or having not tracked it in the first place. Prior to this I had also presented him with a $10 coupon I had printed from this site, and he said that since he had to spend so much time splitting our check (which he should have done in the first place) he was not going to accept the coupon. I told him that if time was an issue that I could speak to someone else. His tone became immediately arrogant: "I'm the owner's son. there is no one else to speak to. I'm not taking the coupon." And walked off. Later, as we were paying some of my tablemates had questions about the check, and he was rude each time. We couldn't wait to leave. To the owners: You might want to staff a supervisor for your son, or at least explain to him that heritage is not an excuse for poor customer service.

Pros: Prompt seating; decent vegetarian selection

Cons: Inconsistent food quality; hostile staff

09/05/2006 Posted by mammagirl

My friend and I went to Julia's this weekend. Saw the crowd and had to check it out. We were getting pretty hungry during the 20 minute wait, but grabbed a latte next door at their bakery to hold off starvation. It was so worth it. The server was friendly, funny and efficient. The food was great and it was a good thing we were hungry the pancakes and omelettes were huge. A great people watching place. We'll be back...probably next weekend.

08/22/2006 Posted by kb60

We are new to the wallingford neighborhood and love all the little shops and restaurants. a neighbor recommended julia's and we tried it out on a recent weekend. we got there early, so the line was only a few minutes long. we were seated by the window and checked out this little busy restaurant. our coffe came promptly and was strong, the food arrived in less than 15 minutes, everything was very tasty, the kids loved their smily-faced pancakes. service was friendly and fast as well. we will be back and try it for lunch next time.

Pros: easy parking, easy to find, friendly

05/14/2006 Posted by bugmenot1

The salad reeked of vinegar, the entree had no flavor except for potatoes, the staff ignored us and the ambiance was screaming children.