Restaurant Highlight: Cafe Flora in Seattle, Washington
Cafe Flora in Seattle, Washington is a gem nestled in the cute residential neighborhood of Madison Valley. Can we just say how jealous we are of the homeowners nearby who get to WALK for breakfast and brunch!!
Cafe Flora is a leading vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free restaurant in Seattle - providing many meals that are customizable and varied in ingredients. It was even voted Best Brunch in Seattle! We’ve only ever been able to visit during weekend brunch, as that's the only time we are able to vacation on our short Seattle getaways, but we’re sure the rest is just as yummy.
First an abandoned laundromat, the Cafe Flora building has transformed by 1991 when three friends opened the beautiful new restaurant with vegetarian diners in mind. The website proudly states: "Since opening its doors, Cafe Flora has been at the forefront of utilizing local, organic and sustainable produce and herbs and building strong, direct relationships with Washington farms. Its culinary team draws inspiration from international traditions and the availability of abundant, locally grown produce to create imaginative and dynamic vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free cuisine."
Full of beautiful plants and trees, in addition to a trickling stone water fountain, the ambiance at Cafe Flora is as unique as its menu. Calming and serene, we could sit there all day!
During your visit, you must try their selection of hot sauces! The Bonache habanero hot sauce is pretty fantastic and certainly good for spicing up your otherwise slightly plain-flavored dishes.
Jared chose his favorite dish: the Rancho Colorado Scramble. You choose from eggs or seasoned tofu, then they're scrambled with slow cooked rancho beans, tomatillos, fresh chilis, sweet corn, queso fresco and blue corn tortilla chips. With this scramble, you receive either cheesy grits or roasted potatoes as a side, or you can select to substitute greens or fruit for +$2. He stuck to the potatoes!
Kathryn elected to try their huevos rancheros: starting with a bed of blue corn tortillas, topped with black beans, pico de gallo, tomatillo verde, lime crema, avocado, micro greens and overeasy eggs or seasoned tofu. She chose the overeasy eggs, of course - her favorite! On a previous brunch visit, Kathryn tried their breakfast platter and was so pleased by the fresh fruit provided, and the garlicky greens melted in her mouth! What can we say? We love brunch.
The reddish pink drink next to Kathryn’s dish (pictured above) is a glass of their delicious pomelo blood orange carrot juice. You can get either a glass or a shot of this wonderful concoction - it's beautiful! A vibrant blend of pressed blood oranges, pomelos, carrots, cara cara oranges, apples & ginger - loaded with Vitamin C, beta-carotene and age-defying anti-oxidants. Pump my veins with this stuff, please!
Whether you're trying brunch, breakfast, lunch, dinner or one of their delectable desserts, Cafe Flora will knock your socks off! It deserves a spot during your next Seattle trip.
Click here to access the weekend brunch menu we ate from, or here to see the website.
