Macrina Bakery & Cafe

11/09/09

Time to improve staff quality

by Deepa Hazra at Citysearch

I placed an order on phone for a 9" German Chocolate Cake on Nov 5 at 4:30PM. The cake was for my husband's surprise birthday party scheduled on Nov 8 and the pick up time was scheduled at 4:30PM. The cake was supposed to be picked up by my friend and it was already mentioned to the person who took the order on the phone. I had done the payment on phone via my credit card.

When my friend had gone to the store to pick up the cake, I get a phone call from the store that the cake order was placed for Nov 22 instead of Nov 8. I was really shocked to hear that at the nth hour and asked if there was any other cake that was available at that time. She gave me a few options and I had no choice but to pick one. When I asked her to put the name of my husband on the cake she told me it would not be possible since there were no artists at that time who could engrave it on the cake. I was okay at that point of time since atleast I would have a birthday cake for him and the party would not have been a flop.

I was told during our conversation that the difference in amount will be refunded to me and would be sent via my friend who had gone to pick up the cake for me. However, when my friend arrived he told me that the refund was not possible and a gift certificate was sent to me instead. What would I do with a gift certificate when I am not a happy Macrina customer anymore?

Firstly I am receiving a call at the nth hour that the cake that I ordered was not available to be picked and later I don't receive the amount that I was told on the phone that I would get. I always recommended Macrina to other people but after this episode I am really dissatisfied with the customer service and would think twice before ordering at Macrina for big parties.

Its time to improve your staff quality Macrina!

• Cons: Poor customer service

11/06/09

Best Bakery and Breakfast in Seattle

by Laylac at Citysearch

The best breakfast in Seattle! They have the such a great brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. My favorite is their Macaroons!!!!!!!! They don''t have them all the time but when they do AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!

• Pros: Amazing selection of pastrys
• Cons: needs a bigger space

08/01/08

Ok food, Horrible service

by Malanna at Citysearch

My friend was in the US for the first time in 2 years, and I had heard amazing things about Macrina so we decided to have brunch there. Her food was good but my granola was HORRIBLE. The yogurt tasted bad and the granola was stale. They were out of the first 3 dishes we asked for and made no appologies or attempts to make us more comfortable with the other options on the menu. The worst part, and the reason for the 1 star, was the waitress. She was quite possibly the rudest and most un-interested person I've ever been served by. She ignored us for most of our meal, never asked how we liked it, left our water glasses empty, and didn't even ask me if I wanted milk or yogurt with my meal (I actually had to stop her from walking away to request one). I can see why some like this place, but I have no need or intention of ever going back when CJ's is just down the street and makes some of the best breakfast's I've had in the city.

• Pros: good outside seating
• Cons: won't serve you outside, rude wait staff, small

12/02/07

Great use of Flour - Lousy use of Payroll

by kalaloch at Citysearch

I've been going to Macrina off-and-on since moving to the neighborhood 3 years ago. It's an easy walk. While the baked goods are good (if limited), the customer service is, well...lazy. No, worse than lazy; it's abysmal. The Macrina motto appears to be "We Don't Care - We Don't Have To". Must be nice.

If you like to stand around being ignored by a group of folks with vapid smiles, Macrina is the place to go. If not, take a little stroll to the Pike Place Market, where you'll find a number of good bakeries staffed with people who don't look through you.

• Pros: Nice, neighborhood setting.
• Cons: Your neighbor is a Paris Hilton wannabe.

06/17/07

Average Average Average

by kevisantal at Citysearch

Service: inept, uncaring. Avoid the EGGY brunch specials (WHY eggs in EVERYThing?); food is

prepared in uninventive ways; mimosas were prepared with canned juice and perhaps a DROP

of flat champagne ($7). The baked goods are no better than what you can buy prepackaged

at the supermarket. I'll never understand the great ratings this past-its-prime place continues

to get! As I waited for my food, I watched a woman wait almost 15 minutes to buy a cookie...patience is

good, but with Macrina the pay-off is paltry. When we paid our $25 brunch bill I felt I would have been

better off to toss that money into the street, perhaps then someone would have benefitted from it!

• Pros: None
• Cons: Food/Service

02/09/07

Lovely baked goods

by ballsey at Citysearch

While walking through Belltown, I ducked into this little place for use of the restroom, and left with far more than i imagined. A piece of the most amazing coffee cake to eat right then and there, and a sugar cookie to have tomorrow. The cake was perfect, clearly made with cream cheese or something to make it fantastically creamy, but somehow still flakey, and the dense swirls of cinnamon, nuts and raisins taste better that i can ever remember that flavor trinity tasting. The cookie was also great, even the next day. I just took some parchment paper, flicked some water on it, and tightly wrapped the cookie in it, then microwaved it for 15 seconds. It's probably the best sugar cookie I've ever had that didn't come out of a grandma's oven. ;)

• Pros: D-lish pasteries, lovely atmosphere, great location... the list goes on
• Cons: All in all, no complaints

01/31/07

good pastries, okay service, not good consistancy

by baker4life at Citysearch

I used to live in Belltown and used to frequent Macrina for their mochas made with mexican chocolate (super yummy). I've moved but I come back every once in a while. I don't eat in because that place is too much of a mad house. I also don't try anything that is not on their ordinary line up because it has proven to be not such a good idea. The things I can't live without: morning glory muffins (packed with fruits, nuts and ultra crisp topping) buttermilk biscuits (so flaky and tender) fresh fruit coffee cake, orange hazelnuts pinwheels, roly polys and brown sugar shortbread cookies. Everything else there is pretty mediocre: cupcakes, salads, some of the seasonal stuff. The breads are pretty good there especially the casera and potato bread.

• Pros: Yummy pastries and coffee, free parking on sunday
• Cons: Parking any other day, wait lines

11/05/06

Fabulous brunch...if you can get a table

by vwright at Citysearch

Brunch is amazing.....but wake up early or be prepared to wait if you want to get a table. Take away food is fantastic too.

• Pros: Fabulous brunch
• Cons: the long wait

10/12/06

Cakes you can't count on

by optgal at Citysearch

I had two birthday parties in a week and order cakes for both parties. When I stop by the bakery, my first cake was already gone. Probably somebody have sold it or something. The second one has wrong name on. It said "Happy Birthday Neil" Who is Neil?! We actually haven't noticed that until later. I'm a regular for their brunch and order cakes often. If one of those incidences happened, I would have just let it go. But two times in one weeks was alarming. When I called the store, the manager was pretty nice. He apologized and promised me to retrain his crews and give me store credits. When I went down to the store, I met a manager (who I think is a different guy). They did give me store credit for the lost cake. But apparently, if the cake has wrong name on, I was supposed to bring it back to the store. (don't mind the party...) He said it doesn't matter whether the party already has started and we found the wrong name on it. Since we ate it (what else was I supposed to do?), there's nothing he can do about it. Thanks to Macrina, there was no cake for one birthday party. And my other friend will have her 30th birthday party pictures with "Happy Birthday Neil" cakes. Although cakes taste pretty good, I won't be ordering for any special occasion in the future.

06/18/06

Get your wedding cake here!

by sybilvane at Citysearch

Macrina recently supplied a wonderful lemon butter cake for my wedding. The cake was moist and delicious, and did not taste stale or frozen. Macrina decorated my three tiers simply with a buttercream frosting and little dots while my florist added flowers. They bake the cake the night before, and decorate it the morning of the event. It was just perfect. When you do sheet cakes with them to supplement, the per-person price is very reasonable. Plus they have free delivery in Seattle.

As to their bakery, I'd have to agree with other reviewers. Food = yummy. The chocolate chip cookies are to die for, especially when they are fresh and hot. However, the service behind the counter is hit-or-miss. Sometimes they are friendly and expedient. At other times they are super slow and don't really look like they want to deal with customers.

Overall, since my wedding cake experience was great, and the food is excellent, I'm giving them a Recommended.

• Pros: Food is great. Wedding cake great.
• Cons: Day-to-day counter service can be so-so.