At first, just the idea of sipping coffee or nibbling scones in a bookstore seemed dangerously decadent. It didn’t matter that the food in bookstore cafés – like that in plenty of regular cafés, frankly – tended to be variable in quality, mass-produced off-site.
Now we’re seeing an age where some of the bookstore menus are as fun to browse as the bookshelves and where the food is reason enough to visit the store in its own right.
The biggest blockbuster in our book has been Elliott Bay Café, where Tamara Murphy of Brasa translated her love of both farmers’ markets and fine cooking into an inexpensive, accessible haven, serving everything from house-made granola to a chile verde so killer it belongs in the mystery department.
To Murphy, the combination of books and food meant some obvious connections, like creating dinners in the café to celebrate visiting authors – but also intangibles such as working with the huge variety of customers that come through a bookstore.
“I just think it’s the opportunity to write your own script, no pun intended …” she said. “It’s a bookstore, with lots of different influences – that’s the fun part about the café. It’s not French, it’s not Italian, it’s whatever we want to cook.”
Here are some favorites:
Elliott Bay Café, 1521 10th Ave., Seattle;206-436-8482. Open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The café’s new incarnation (the original is still operating in Pioneer Square) is at the back of the store, close to the kids’ section, but just a little too far to monitor little ones from your banquette. The kitchen is more limited, but stews and baked goods and other house specialties will be made in Pioneer Square and delivered to Capitol Hill. And Murphy is adding some other creative options. She’s looking at crepes, and adding some charcuterie, among other dishes.
The vegetarian-friendly menu doesn’t make specific kid concessions, but it’s not hard to find hits, perhaps soup or scrambled eggs or a bagel with cream cheese, plus top-notch baked goods. Stretch their tastes by trying grilled cheese the café’s way, served with tomato jam on semolina rosemary bread. Prices range from around $2 (bagel territory) up to $10.
Honey Bear Bakery at Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Lake Forest Park; 206-366-3330. Open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Yes, it’s part of a food court, but the Honey Bear rises above its pizza-‘n’-sushi neighbors. The bakery was once a beloved Tangletown institution, and kids (maybe parents too) will still be glued to the bakery case and its mile-high layer cakes. For quick stops, you can’t go wrong with a double-chocolate cookie or a coconut macaroon, along with excellent drip coffee. For lunch and even dinner, we tend toward the hefty Mediterranean salad ($6.99), a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce ($6.55) or the crock of tuna-noodle casserole that sometimes shows up in the case, though grilled cheese and pb& j are also available ($4.25).
Vios at Ravenna Third Place, 6504 20th Ave. N.E., Seattle; 206-525-5701. Open daily, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
This Vios, a mini-version of the famously kid-friendly Capitol Hill restaurant, lets adults and children alike enjoy excellent fare. Kids’ menu prices of $6 to $6.50 (for pizza, mac ‘n’ cheese, or meze plate) feel a bit high, but it’s worth the premium for the chance to swoon over a lamb burger ($7.25) with tomato marmalade and pickled vegetables.
There are crayons at the entryway, but overall this Vios, at the rear of the bookstore, has less to offer kids than its larger counterpart. There’s a small, gated child corral, surrounded by stools for parents to sip an excellent latte and supervise, but at our visit it was only equipped with a few bins of mismatched toys and a few shelves of battered books. If you’re purchasing books, better to do it first, and let the kids read their new finds at the table.
Chocolati Café at Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle. Open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
The Rem Koolhaus design wasn’t the only groundbreaking part of the Central Library when it opened in 2004. It also became the first Seattle library with its own coffee cart – currently run by Chocolati, famous around town for its ultra-thick, rich, drinking chocolate. The cart also sells chocolates, snacks, and sandwiches.
Finch Café at Mockingbird Books, 7220 Woodlawn Ave. N.E., Seattle; 206-518-5886. Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
It’s simple – just a corner of the store devoted to cappuccinos and chai and cookies – but it’s a priceless piece of relaxation to sit at one of the wooden counter barstools, sipping a hot drink while the kids flip through books or play at the train table.
Writer Rebekah Denn, a mother of two, reads and eats in Seattle. Her second-grader found the Honey Bear’s chocolate cookie was big enough to willingly share with her.
