The best morning munchies: Restaurants to start your day on Capitol Hill

Coastal Kitchen | 429 15th Ave. E.

Coastal Kitchen might have the most eye-catching sign on 15th Avenue. That's a remarkable feat in and of itself, but even more amazingly, they might offer the best breakfast on the avenue as well.

Coastal Kitchen's delectability lies in culinary versatility; their breakfast menu runs the gamut from tried-and-true to outlandish and experimental.

Looking for your mama's morning meal? They've got it: The All Day Breakfast offers up bacon, sausage links or ham along with toast and two eggs—cooked to perfection any way you want—and the Kathryn's Grand Slam spreads crispy bacon and your favorite kind of eggs alongside thick, bloat-inducing buttermilk pancakes.

Or maybe you want something more experimental. Coastal Kitchen does that too: their Gingerbread Waffle tastes exactly like its name, is served with bacon and eggs and is topped with honey orange butter. The Risotto Abondante matches "rolled pancetta and pecorino griddled risotto done up with two eggs any way you like" with sun dried tomato oil and two slices of delicious foccacia.

And for those who can't decide between traditional or edgy eating, the Kitchen also offers oversized omelets, huevos rancheros and their signature rumbles—scrambled egg dishes featuring accoutrements ranging from salsa and salmon to cream cheese and caramelized onion.

Everything on the menu is great, though it's tough to walk out with a tab under $10 a plate. But Coastal Kitchen's price has its perks: The coffee cups are bottomless, and the portions are heaping, so your $10 will always be well spent.

The restaurant is always bustling and busy, but its atmosphere is down-tempo and homey. It's a good place to go on a brunch date and an ideal locale for nursing that Saturday morning hangover (they also offer morning mimosas). No matter how you look at it, Coastal Kitchen is worth the trek from Seattle University, as its combination of mood, menu and meal never misses the mark.

Monsoon Vietnamese Bistro | 615 19th Ave.

Diners looking for a non-traditional breakfast Saturday or Sunday should storm into Monsoon Vietnamese bistro for some morning dim sum.


Monsoon's morning offering is not your traditional dim sum experience. The staff is predominantly Caucasian, and the dishes are ordered from a menu instead of being selected from a cart moving about the restaurant. But what Monsoon lacks in authenticity of presentation it makes up for in flavor and service.


I ordered shrimp wantons and dumplings on my visit—too much for one person but a delicious breakfast again the next day—and had my food in less than 15 minutes. The flavors were consistent with other dim sum I've eaten in Seattle's International District, but this did not mean it was a forgettable meal. I found myself envying the food of everyone around me, especially regretting that I didn't sample the chili garlic baby bok choy.


For diners not feeling adventurous enough to go on a culinary journey to Asia before noon, Monsoon does offer the usual breakfast fare of waffles, pancakes and French toast.


For a moderate price and fabulous flavor, Monsoon is perfect for a filling (but not overly heavy) breakfast.

Saley Crepes | 1362 E. Olive Way

The moment you walk into Saley Crepes, you will be greeted not only by the smell of warm sugary crepes, but also by its owner, Aissa Diouf, who will just as warmly suggest you take a seat.

The intimate establishment offers a handful of two-person tables, many of them alongside large windows facing East Olive Way. Yet since Saley Crepes is tucked between downtown and Capitol Hill, the shop is hidden from the city streets, giving customers an opportunity to rest during a busy day.  

There is also a view of the kitchen itself, which exists in the midst of the restaurant as opposed to being hidden in the back. Diouf, who is from former French colony Niger, is often the only one cooking, and she can be seen preparing each crepe while moving swiftly between kitchen and customer. Saley's menu features savory and sweet crepes plus baguette sandwiches. While many of the names are in French, the ingredients are straightforward.

La Tropicale is a savory crepe with mozzarella, tomatoes, avocado, spinach and an egg. The cheese is melted to perfection and blended with the soft avocado, egg and homemade crepe sauce while the tomatoes and spinach add extra texture. But all of the ingredients are able to retain their flavors; it is savory, salty and sweet all in one dish.

All of the savory options come bursting with cheese, whether swiss, feta or mozzarella, some paired with Turkey or smoked salmon. There is even a crepe "dog," which includes a polish sausage.
Prices are reasonable too. Savory crepes range from $5.75 to $6.75, plus 99 cents if you add an egg. Sweet crepes, on the other hand, for the most part cost less than $5. If you come with a friend you can order one of each crepe, or one crepe and a baguette, without breaking the $10 mark.

If you feel like treating yourself to a warm meal in a warm atmosphere, a visit to Saley Crepes will be more than worth your time and money.

Oddfellows Cafe | 1525 10th Ave.

Though never short of snarky baristas in plaid flannel, Oddfellows Cafe offers more than the typical Capitol Hill flavor for a morning meal.

Established in 2008, Oddfellows exists as an anachronistic ode to mid-19th century America and European cuisine. Decorated with black and white photos of Civil War soldiers, a tattered American flag on the wall and quaint flower vases on each wooden plank table, the space is both entertaining and enriching.