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I loved the dining area

4 Posted on 03 / 26 / 2013

First time at cafe flora. I was there for brunch on a sunday afternoon. The dining area is bright, plenty of windows, nicely decorated with wall art and plants, though probably could use more textiles to help absorb some of the loud noise that can't be avoided with large amounts of people in a closed space. They have a greenhouse-like dining area as well, which looked bright and cozy, though I did not sit in that area.
I only saw the brunch menu, so I can't comment much on the dinner menu. I ended up ordering the Rancho Colorado scramble, which was supposedly spice, but I tasted none of the spice. I had real eggs, but they offer the tofu option as a vegan alternative. Potatoes were tasty, though overall, the dish was nothing out of the ordinary.
I'd say this place is a bit overpriced, but worth the trip based on the available food options, dining atmosphere and good service.

Pros: Great ambiance , Friendly, prompt service, Large menu, with plenty of vegan options
Cons: Overpriced, in my opinion

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Great Food and Atmosophere

4 Posted on 07 / 24 / 2012

The food was great, even my father who hates anything labeled as vegan or vegetarian liked it. We sat in the greenhouse-like seating area, and it was very beautiful and peaceful. Although it's on the pricey side, so I don't frequent this place much, it's worth a try.

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Cute patio area and pretty good food

3 Posted on 07 / 19 / 2012

I enjoyed sitting out on the patio and there seemed to be a lot of interesting food choices on the menu. We ordered a fairly wide variety of vegan offerings (apps, mains and desserts). There were certain offerings that were better than others and overall I would say the food was pretty good (but not great). If I lived in the neighborhood I'd probably eat here again but if I had to drive out of my way there is other better vegan fare in Seattle.

Pros: Cute patio/outdoor seating, Wide variety of veggie/vegan foods, Creative menu
Cons: Food is only ok and it should be great.

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Exceptional vegetarian

5 Posted on 04 / 09 / 2012

This restaurant is really great, perhaps one of the best vegetarian restaurants I've ever experienced. The dishes were creative, tasty, and well prepared. There was a wide selection of different types of food. The decor and service was also very good.

It is a bit expensive, so prepare for that.

Pros: Very creative food, Large selection, Great Decor
Cons: Cost

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Sorry, didn't do it for me

2 Posted on 12 / 22 / 2011

The food and atmosphere were average. The price was above. Seriously doubt I'll go back in light of all the other local options. After hearing good accolades, I can only guess they are living on their laurels.

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Overall OK

4 Posted on 12 / 09 / 2011

Really good food, but kind of expensive and really small portions,

Pros: good food, nice atomsphere
Cons: expensive, small portions

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Great food

4 Posted on 10 / 02 / 2011

Cafe Flora was our intro to the Seattle veg scene during an almost week-long visit and it set the tone for the week in a positive way. Service was good and the food was great. Because of the unique items on the menu, we were tempted to return, but just didn't find the time with so many other veg restaurants to try.

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Cafe Flora

5 Posted on 07 / 19 / 2011

Thanks to KL for emailing me during my trip with this recommendation, as it was a good experience. First off, the restaurant is super cute and the employees are very friendly. By the end of my trip I was pretty seitaned, mock meat, and mock cheesed out so Cafe Flora was a great place go to. I ordered the large vegan ceasar salad and my bf decided to try their fries with the vegan aioli. I actually loved the salad - it came with croutons, fried capers, and lemon. The vegan aioli that came with the fries was very good as well, we both loved it. My favorite part of the meal was the dressing on my salad, and the best part is, the waiter gave me the recipe for it so that I can make it at home (without me even asking for it)! 4 cows for the food/atmosphere and +1 for giving me the recipe for the dressing.

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Lovely spot. Good food.

4 Posted on 05 / 11 / 2011

I've been to Cafe Flora a grand total of two times so far, once for dinner, the other for brunch. First off, it's a nice setting--very bright and airy. Loved the sun room with the little fountain in the center.

They have quite an interesting menu, with adequate vegan options/versions available, and an amount of food proportional to the price (I think). My Black Bean Burger was YUM, yam fries were a bit soggy for my liking, but good nonetheless. I love the fried avocado appetizers, too. I think I had some sort of tofu scramble for brunch, but ohhhh was it good.

Service ran the gamut of quite slow, average, to OVERLY attentive. This could be due (at least on one visit) to the amount of business, or it could be typical of this establishment. Who knows! At any rate, our servers were always polite & solicitous when on task.

Prices could be considered a tad on the expensive side, BUT I can also see that as relative to what you're ordering and/or accustomed to spending.

Anyway, nice little sit-down restaurant. I would love to go back when next in the Seattle area.

Pros: Good food, Vegan options, Nice setting
Cons: Wait time (possibly)

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Wonderful food, wonderful atmosphere!

5 Posted on 04 / 06 / 2011

I love the food. And They have the best soy cappuccino in Seattle!

Pros: Fresh Healthy food, Great staff

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Still good, but the staff not so much

3 Posted on 02 / 07 / 2011

It's been sometime since I have been to Cafe Flora (out of towner)
The food is still good, not great, but above average.
The angry red head to seated us (Tossing the menus on the table and walking away before we were even seated) left a bitte taste.
Another couple left after she did the same to them.
The wait person was pleasant but not at all attentive.
Clearly they did not meet their mission statement as printed on the menu.

Pros: Food
Cons: Staff

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a tale of 2 cafes

4 Posted on 01 / 18 / 2011

My night at Cafe Flora was such a mixed bag! It was almost bordering on crazy so let me just take it through the night. When we arrived the first thing to notice is how spacious and clean the cafe is. The first room looks like an original cafe, booths and tables and next to it there is a fountain in the middle of the big open room with huge windows. Since it is large there were many open tables, however we still had to wait crammed by the door standing around for 10 minutes so the hostess/backwaiter could make sure her team was ready. I think the service was in the weeds. After seating us by one of the large windows in the big open room, we did not see any service for 15 minutes (yes I looked) when the hostess ran over to us and more or less threw 2 glasses of water at us. Our actual waitress made her first appearance of the night 5 minutes later and we got to ask our veganability questions. All in all, we ordered a Fr Onion Soup, a Miso-type salad, avocado app, and truffle gnocchi and a non-vegan mushroom dish to which I cannot attest, word is it was good.

5 minutes later, we got a piece of bread. We got "a look" when we asked for more. Anyone keeping track of how long it has taken so far to get bread and water?

At the hour mark we got our soup and salad. The soup was good. I have never had vegan Fr onion soup. The broth was true to form, the crouton was ok. My date knows about this soup and said it was lovely.

The salad was large, the mushrooms were a pleasant surprise, avocado was fresh and the sauce was very nice, like I have made often actually. I was surprised to learn at the check it was $10, the other salads on the menu were $6 range, and this was a special w no listing. oh well.

At this point I put on my coat and hat bc the window has a very obvious and swift draft that went right around our heads. Which reminds me, they sat us next to two tables of fussing kids. Why?

The avo app was small. Very small. It was avocado, and a salsa salad that had way too much cilantro. The avo was great but for the $$$$ not quite worth it. It made me worry about the portion size of the dinners.

Luckily the entree portions were both large. The truffle was absent from my gnocchi, or otherwise subtle. They were good though, another first.

Dessert: Other than taking almost an hour for a piece of cake, it might just be worth it. BOOM! 4layerChoccake w rasp coulis. worth it.

So I like the food. Entree/Dessert worth $, apps not. Cold

Pros: Gourmet vegan w nice variety, Entree and desserts
Cons: freezing in the cafe, service was pretty bad and I liked her, 2.5hr meal could be done in hour

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Excellent food and cookbook

5 Posted on 12 / 01 / 2010

I've been making recipes from the cookbook for a couple of months now. They have some great vegan recipes. I figured I would go to the actual restaurant and see if they live up to all of the hype. I started with an appetizer of coconut crusted tofu with a sweet chile dipping sauce. It was a little bland, but good nonetheless. For an entree, I had the chantrelle pizza which was excellent. My friend had the artichoke croquettes which I would highly recommend. Top notch even if it weren't a vegan dish. For dessert, I had the carrot cake... very good. My friend had a brownie with ice cream that rivaled its dairy counterpart. The atmosphere is upscale casual. The service is personable and proficient. The prices may be high for some, but as a recent vegan convert that previously enjoyed high-end restaurants; I find its passion for vegetarian cuisine refreshing.

Pros: Excellent Food, Great Service, Good Atmosphere
Cons: Worth it, but a little expensive

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Totally disappointed and we won't be back :-(

2 Posted on 03 / 21 / 2010

I was trying to give Cafe Flora more chances from downfalls in past with things like putting honey in "vegan" dishes/desserts without telling us but after our experience on Valentine's Day, we won't be going back. Here's what happened: I made the reservations a month in advance, they said I could specify a table and I had to choose from the menu, exactly what we wanted ahead of time because they were going to make dinners by the numbers ordered and you could not mix and match veggie, vegan and vegan, gluten free options, you had to pick either one or the other. So, we ordered one vegan and one vegan, gluten free with a table next to the fountain. I thought, how nice. I chose the vegan, gluten free option specifically so I could get the type of dessert (a vanilla custard type dish) they offered with that meal and because I am eating a vegan, gluten free diet.

OK, month later...we get there and wait nearly 20 minutes to be seated (when we have reservations) and we don't get the table we reserved, instead we get a table by the window. We were like, ok...and gave them the benefit of the doubt since they were busy etc. etc. Then they gave us the menus and the courses were not in the order that was on the website, the salads were now after the entree's. The waitress said when we sit down that we can pick what we want (which we thought was kind of weird since we were told we had to chose ahead of time), we say what we had ordered. For dessert, the waitress says we can chose what we want again so I say and she comes back and says oh, that's only for our vegan, gluten free guests. I inform her that I am one of those guests as I ordered a month in advance. Oops, they are all out of that dessert (because they've been letting people order whatever they want for dessert, and they only pre-made enough for the vegan, gluten free people who ordered ahead of time--it's not like we had late reservations, and they are already out?!). Then she says, oh but we have another dessert, white cake that she thinks is gluten free...she goes to check and comes back, sorry, that's not even vegan! I do not eat anything but vegan. We end up with two vegan, chocolate cakes, that aren't gluten free...and a less then heartfelt apology. Sheesh! Needless to say, it was a less than pleasant experience on what was supposed to be a very nice, romantic, Valentine's Day dinner. We made the best of it but we won't be back. The lowest rating option for a veggie place is 2 cows.

Cons: Disorganized, Rude staff, Changes in menu/reservations disregarded

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Delicious, creative

4 Posted on 02 / 19 / 2010

I eat at Cafe Flora a few times a year and I'm happy to bring out-of-town guests here. First off, the cocktails are very good, as are the wines by-the-glass. The food is creative and delicious. I've grown quite tired of vegan/vegetarian restaurants that feature tofu in every other dish. Everything is very nicely seasoned, there are plenty of vegan options, and the flavors are fresh and well-combined. This is not an inexpensive restaurant but I think it's worth the price. By the way, I use the Cafe Flora cookbook and it is excellent BUT the dishes entail a lot of prep work.

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Good Food.

3 Posted on 08 / 27 / 2009

I liked Cafe Flora. It was my first time there, I liked the food and the decor. But the service was a little slow. The staff was very nice, but we were there for 2 1/2 + hrs , which was a lot of waiting to order, the meal, and the bill, etc. But, I'd try it again there for sure.

Pros: Food, Decor, Location

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SLOW SERVICE/RUDE STAFF

2 Posted on 07 / 15 / 2009

I have eaten twice at this restaurant and have been disappointed both times. The food is bland. My last visit there is just that. Lets see, the waiter ignored us, wrote down the wrong order, we were told by him that they had mixed up the order lineup, so 6 other people who arrived after us, had their meals first. When we complained to the manager, she took forever, to come out. She did offer to give us our meals for free in light of our inconvenience. Two seconds after that, she came to the other side of our table away from the other patrons and asked if we always complained at restaurants to get free meals, when we reassured her it was the first time, she asked if it was the first time in her restaurant, we once again reassured her it was the first time ever. Instead of diffusing the situation, she just made it worse!

Cons: terrible tasteless food, expensive, rude staff

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Nice, but mainly vegetarian, not vegan

3 Posted on 07 / 09 / 2009

While in Seattle last Labor Day, our hosts brought us here for brunch as it's supposed to be the vegetarian restaurant in Seattle. It had a nice decor, but it really is a vegetarian place, not vegan. They had vegan options, but almost everything is vegetarian to begin with and then you have to ask to have the vegan version (if available at all). It just makes me nervous it could get messed up in the kitchen. We had cinnamon rolls, scrambles and a sandwich and they were quite good, so my rating is really based on the fact they are so egg and dairy oriented.

Pros: nice atmosphere, vegan options clearly marked
Cons: heavy on the eggs and dairy

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Awesome!

5 Posted on 03 / 19 / 2009

This is one of my favorite restaurants. You can get a vegan option for almost every dish. Sunday brunch is wonderful!!

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Great food!

5 Posted on 11 / 28 / 2008

I love the Vegan biscuits and gravy! Always changing up the menu... Lots of gluten free options... I never get the same thing twice (except biscuits and gravy) and I always walk out satisfied!! Great cookbook too!

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Vegetarians, order cautiously

4 Posted on 08 / 09 / 2008

Cafe Flora bills itself as a vegetarian restaurant, but spotlights its use of cheese from Estrella Family Creamery - a creamery that, when questioned, brags that it *only * uses rennet from calves, as they find it "superior" to other meat-based rennets. Vegetable or enzyme rennet isn't even in the equation. It's not the Cafe Flora doesn't know this - inquiries are simply ignored. While many vegetarians eat cheese, I don't know of any that eat cheese with meat in it. I can only assume that Cafe Flora is equally careless about their wine list, and I'm left somewhat dubious about the vegetarian nature or the rest of the food.

In terms of the food, it's uneven. Sometimes it's fabulous and sometimes mediocre. I go when I can afford it in hopes of one of the fabulous times. Go early and get a booth - those cafeteria style tables that have you sitting elbow to elbow with your fellow customers is a drag.

Pros: sometimes great, airy, bright, good service
Cons: not truly vegetarian, expensive, many crowded bench-style tables

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Nice Option

4 Posted on 07 / 13 / 2008

We stopped in due to a long layover in the Seattle area and had a great meal in a relaxing atmosphere. The service was good and she knew the menu well. Wish were options were totally vegan but isn't that almost always the case?

Would go again.

Pros: Location

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always disappointing

3 Posted on 06 / 03 / 2008

I go to Cafe Flora every year or two when someone invites me there for lunch. I don't know why - maybe it's because of the high prices and the inflated reputation - I always think it's going to be good. I'm always disappointed, and then I remember why I don't eat there more often.

For all the hype and the high prices, the food is uninspired and lacking in both flavor and texture. The soup I had was not well-seasoned and didn't taste particularly fresh; the salad dressing was bland. If the prices were more reasonable I would say it was adequate, but since there are so many outstanding vegan and vegetarian options in Seattle, I recommend saving your money and going to Araya's or Vegan Garden or Jhanjay to have a fresh, flavorful, vibrant meal for less money.

I have to confess, though, that the sweet potato fries with aioli were a bright spot in my meal. They were garlicky and addictive. But salty, fried, garlicky things always are, so this doesn't give Cafe Flora any real points in my book.

Pros: nice atmosphere
Cons: overpriced, bland

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Second Visit...Not Such a Hot Time

4 Posted on 04 / 26 / 2008

Two years ago my husband took me to Cafe Flora during a visit to Seattle. I had such a great time that I was dying to go back. This past March we returned, but our visit fell very short of expectations.
We started our meal with the peculiar Fried Avocado. My theory in food science is that you can deep fry anything and it's good. Well, Cafe Flora disproved my theory. Perhaps I'm just not a fan of hot avocado or perhaps it is an acquired taste, but I cannot, as a dedicated foodie, recommend this dish to anyone. It lacked panche and it lacked taste.
My husband ordered the Oaxaca Tacos, featured in the cookbook. They were acceptable, but not terribly impressive. I'm not a cook and in all sincerity, I could have made the dish in my own kitchen. My entree was the Sage Polenta. As a vegetarian, polenta is a regular player in my diet. I expected the oyster mushrooms and fig balsamic reduction to be stellar, but in honesty I was left unfulfilled. The kale was was actually the best part of the dish, and I do intend on including it in some of my own recipes. However, one bright spot did not do much to brighted my meal.
Dessert was a shared lavendar creme brulee. Creme brulee is one of the standard menu items by which I judge a restuarant. Fortunately for Cafe Flora, it is not the only element to be critiqued. The bruleed sugar crust was almost thicker than the creme, which was soupy and warm. I was excited by the idea of the lavendar, but somewhere it failed to connect with me. Perhaps if the dessert was actually executed properly, the lavendar would have impressed. Alas, it did not.
I always think that dining on a Monday shows a restaurant's true colors. For Cafe Flora, the colors were limp and pale. The service, though thorough and profession, was impersonal - dare I say icy? The food was not worth waiting...DREAMING...about for years. It was a sad day in my life, indeed.
Now that I've said this about my last visit to Cafe Flora, I STILL love this place completely. My first visit years ago was so spectacular that it leaves a solid impression. I STILL remember the portabella Wellington, bite for bite. I still rave about it to every vegetarian and not vegetarian I know that visits or lives in the Seattle area. I will not throw away my Cafe Flora cookbook and I completely intend to visit again when I hit the Pacific Northwest this fall.

Pros: Great vegetarian options!, Fulfills the palate of meat eater, Generally friendly
Cons: bad creme brulee

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Upscale & Trendy Feel

3 Posted on 03 / 20 / 2008

This is a nice place to go with your carnivore friends. The food is tasty, portions are good, and the atmosphere is hopping. It doesn't have that typical vegan-feel. The food is decent, but nothing to brag about. Just good food, decent selection and can be a bit pricey.

Pros: atmosphere, upscale feel
Cons: prices, waits

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I had a wonderful birthday dinner

5 Posted on 12 / 05 / 2007

I'm a fairly new vegan and this was to be my first vegan/vegitarian dining/restaurant experience. The atmosphere was very nice, service was great..I thought our waitress was just wonderful...and the food was so good. We had an appetizer, dinner and desert and both my husband and I loved our meals. The only bummer was that my 3 year old little boy decided he didn't want to stay w/ his grandparents while we went out so he tagged along as well. He liked his mac-n-cheese. Party pooper.

Pros: good food, friendly staff, nice atmosphere
Cons: none

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A LOVELY PLACE FOR LOVELY PEOPLE

5 Posted on 10 / 20 / 2007

It is great to have a place like this in Seattle. Unfortunately I only get over here on special occasions. The food is fresh and tasty. Great atmosphere.

Pros: Menu, atmosphere, Dessert
Cons: No cons, No cons, No cons

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Good food, a little pricey.

5 Posted on 09 / 12 / 2007

Count on Cafe Flora for delicious food, ranging from heavy and "meaty," like the portabella wellington, to light and flavorful like the croquettes on lentils and a cabbage salad. They've done away with their pre fixe dinner on weeknights. It used to provide a salad, dinner, and dessert for $25. Now, it's upwards of $40 or more to go out and have 3 courses. If you are in the mood for gourmet food, though, it's worth the price.

Pros: tasty food, variety of choices, atmosphere
Cons: price, possible wait time, no reservations allowed

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Great special ocasion restaurant!

5 Posted on 09 / 04 / 2007

It's a really nice upscale restaurant. Sure the prices are a little higher, but they really are worth it. The gourmet food that you find here is right on par with 5 star resturants. You can't go wrong with any entree and make sure that you do try the desert as well.

Pros: excellent food, friendly staff, romantic atmosphere
Cons: a little pricey

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Nice, but expensive!!

3 Posted on 07 / 12 / 2007

This was our second time to Cafe Flora - Both times were for a family vacation. The first time we came for breakfast, and that was a more successful outing. This second time around, in 2007, we were struggling to find food to feed all of us for under $45 (2 adults, 2 kids, 1 baby). When I saw the kids' menu, I was dismayed to see that their kids' meals were all typical restaurant kids' entrees with no vegetables. This is a vegetarian restaurant! I know places like Denny's and Chili's, etc. have a hard time understanding that kids need veggies too, but this is sad, when a veggie restaurant doesn't. For example, a no-brainer is to serve instead of just macaroni and cheese, perhaps macaroni and broccoli! (cut up small)...I finally ordered the Portabello Wellington for $17 and my husband got the Oaxaca Tacos. Mine was simple (and this is supposed to be $17?) but it was tasty, I had to admit. My husband's tacos were good too. My son ordered a quesadilla appetizer which was good and my daughter had falled asleep. I also appreciated the toys they had for kids, but they looked slightly dirty and chewed up. Please clean up those toys every day! Really nice thought though, to have those available for kids. Overall nice, but make sure you have lots of cash before coming!

Pros: food was good, nice looking place
Cons: very expensive, uncreative kids' menu, no veggies on kids' menu

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Delicious and sublime!

5 Posted on 04 / 20 / 2007

I loved the food at Cafe Flora! Everything I had was delicious, especially the Risotto Asparagus cakes with a yummy carrot sauce, and the delicious vegan chocolate cake. The food is beautifully served, the service was excellent and timely, and the decor is very tasteful. Nice location too! The prices are a little high, it's true, but the food is well worth it. Great for special occasions and romantic dinners.

Pros: Tasty food, Vegan selections, Location

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Good food, great atmosphere

4 Posted on 03 / 07 / 2007

Good food (not the best in Seattle) but nice atmosphere. I go rarely for special occasions. I think brunch is better than lunch/dinner.

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Once is enough

3 Posted on 07 / 13 / 2006

Few vegan options, moderately-sized portions, yummy desserts. Fancy prices. Good wine list. Having been 3 times, I need never go again (unless they seriously expand/change their menu). Good service.

Pros: pretty atrium, good service, nice atmosphere
Cons: pricey, few vegan options