So you're hungry — and you're ready for some breakfast and brunch food. Good news: We've found the freshest spots to satisfy your appetite. Here are the newest places to check out the next time you're in the mood for your morning favorites.
The Fig & The Judge
515 Madison St. (between Fifth and Sixth avenues), Downtown
Newcomer The Fig & The Judge offers a buffet breakfast and American cuisine with a Northwest twist on the second floor of the Renaissance Seattle Hotel.
Replacing Maxwell's, the cafe's menu is mostly new with some tweaks to old favorites like the Dungeness crab eggs Benedict (now with tomatoes and spinach) and the Pacific omelet (with crab and salmon). New additions include a cornbread waffle with candied pecans, vegan avocado toast and brioche French toast with an almond and cornflake crust. The cafe also serves lunch and dinner.
With a 4.5-star Yelp rating out of four reviews, The Fig & The Judge has been getting positive attention.
Yelper Andrew S., who reviewed The Fig & The Judge on April 8, said, "We stayed at the hotel and ate at their breakfast buffet for all three days we were in Seattle. The buffet itself was good and offered several options—eggs, bacon (always), sausage, French toast or waffles, potatoes, fruits, pastries, yogurt, etc. The breakfast crew was great and very attentive—they also gave us a smoothie to start the meal."
The Fig & The Judge is open seven days a week from 6 a.m.-2 p.m. for breakfast and lunch, and 5 p.m.-9 p.m. for dinner.
Ounce of Prevention
404 N. 36th St. (between Francis and Phinney avenues), Fremont
Ounce of Prevention — in the Caribbean blue building with lime green trim — says on its Facebook page that it's a "West Coast restaurant with East Coast attitude." Taking over the former space of Kaosamai Thai, the casual eatery has a full bar and outdoor patio.
On the breakfast menu, try the totchos (breakfast tater tots) piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese; steak and eggs; or the taco omelet with black olives, cheese and scallions.
Ounce of Prevention's current Yelp rating of 4.5 stars out of 13 reviews indicates the newcomer is receiving positive feedback.
Yelper Gregory A., who reviewed Ounce of Prevention on April 21, wrote, "Upon entering the establishment it seemed a nice layout to me — the bar was to one side, the dining room in the center and there's a charming area for espresso and pastries. It's very homey, very inviting."
And Tyler R. wrote, "Cheapest place to get drinks in Fremont, hands down. It's 24/7 drink pricing is better than most happy hours in Seattle, which means I'll be spending many a night here."
Ounce of Prevention is open from 10 a.m.–2 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 10 a.m.–4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Brother Joe
5629 Airport Way S. (at Carstens Place), Georgetown
Brother Joe, a new craft coffee and tea house, serves breakfast and lunch daily, with brunch available on the weekends.
First, it gets its coffee beans through a partnership with Seattle roaster Herkimer Coffee, which "purchases premium green coffee from farms that practice traditional old-world cultivation methods," per Brother Joe's website. Besides the usual mochas, cappuccino and lattes, the coffee house offers speciality drinks like Camden Rose (floral sonnets tea with vanilla, foamed milk and rose water scent), Holy Mole (espresso with Mexican chocolate, chiles and orange zest) and an espresso with orange blossom honey-miso caramel.
On the menu, look for pastries, sandwiches, wraps, salads and a variety of breakfast items, like biscuits and gravy, steak and cheesy grits and smoked brisket hash with caramelized onions and peppers.
Brother Joe currently holds four stars out of five reviews on Yelp, indicating a good reception so far.
Yelper Cayley C., who was one of the first users to visit Brother Joe on March 31, wrote, "Great food and coffee. We used to visit the owner's former restaurant Duos. The fluffy cakes were awesome... almost as if a pancake, a moist muffin and cupcake had a child, all without being too sweet. Great coffee although you have to check out the breakfast."
Brother Joe is open from 7 a.m.–2 p.m. on Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m.–2 p.m. on weekends. (It's closed on Monday.)
Cafe Opla
2200 Alaskan Way, Suite 120, Belltown
Cafe Opla is a Vietnamese eatery that incorporates how French colonization influenced the country's cuisine, specifically via opla — the Vietnamese word for oeufs au plats, or breakfast egg dishes.
The cafe's dishes range from traditional Vietnamese oplas to varieties influenced by the American melting pot of cultures. On the menu, look for the Opla Vietnam, with grilled pork, meatballs, and pickled veggies; Opla Japan, with chicken katsu, tofu, cucumber sunomono and furikake seasoning; and Opla America, with pork sausage, candied bacon and tomatoes. Traditional banh mi sandwiches are on hand as well, with stuffings of pork, meatball, chicken or lemongrass tofu topped with pickled carrots, daikon, jalapeños and cilantro.
Rounding things out are an array of coffee drinks like mochas, lattes and espresso, as well as Vietnamese iced coffee and Italian sodas. (You can check out the full menu here.)
Cafe Opla's current Yelp rating of 4.5 stars out of 36 reviews indicates positive attention from users.
Yelper Taylor C., who reviewed Cafe Opla on Feb. 20, wrote, "It's a great alternative to your standard American breakfast. I had the Opla Korea and my boyfriend had Opla Philippines and Vietnamese iced coffee. All of it was delicious!"
"Great place for breakfast in the Pike Place area," John S. wrote. "Very creative breakfast dishes cooked in small cast-iron skillets, and great coffee, too. Plenty of tables in a spacious setting."
Cafe Opla is open from 7 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekends.
