It is hit or miss whether the food will be great. I seem to have luck with their sandwiches, but their raw version of a pizza left much to be desired. Their desserts and drinks are amazing. They have gotten way too expensive over the years so I don't go there any more.
Pros: Good sandwiches, desserts, drinksThis was my first visit, and I was there with three other vegans.
They have a large selection of food items for vegetarians and vegans. Sadly, I wasn't too hungry at that time and I ended up ordering the avocado sandwich, a la carte, which was delicious. However, the rest of the party ordered entrees and even dessert. We all loved the food! The service was prompt and friendly. Clean dining area, with ample tables, real silverware and flatware, in a help yourself kind of setting.
Overall, I would highly recommend this place to veggie and non-veggies alike.
I like this place. I've been here a few times now, and have left happy and full each time. The menu is big, and there is alot to choose from. Depending on what you order, it can be pricey. From what I've tried, the bowls are tasty, and they make some mean juices.
Pros: Large Portions, Large Menu, YummyWe at breakfast here twice in two days because the food is so good, and it's in a convenient location. We also got sandwiches to take with us on a hike. Limited breakfast menu and good sandwich selection. I looked at their binder of ingredient information and saw that they use many non-organic ingredients that should be able to easily get organically.
Pros: Great food, Convenient location, Uses organic ingredientsThis is a cozy place, great to whip out that book you've been carrying around. The menu is extensive and you can feel good about what you're eating, because for the most part, it's all really healthy and tasty. I love this place and I'd recommend it to anyone!
My kids and I liked this place. The portions are good and they have coffee and desserts as well.
This is a great place to sit for long periods of time by yourself working diligently on a laptop. Yay ! The food is great: some raw options, some hot cooked options, numerous vegan pies and pastries, excessive smoothie choices. Everything is vegan. Love this place and sometimes dream about it when I'm well across the country.
Pros: spacious , nice decor, options aboundI LOVE THIS PLACE. I love that they care enough to source things organically and as much as possible locally. I've never been dissatisfied with any meal.
I'm also allergic to gluten and I have celiac, and I love having a safe place to go for gluten-free meals that taste AMAZING. Right now they are baking their own gluten-free bread and it is truly stellar.
While it might seem pricier than other options, the food quality blows everything else away.
Chaco Canyon is a lovely restaurant on the corner of 50th and 12th in the University District. The restaurant is newer and lushly decorated with plants and plenty of wood and a ton of signage with information about the restaurant and why it does what it does. The food is very good, very fresh and well-presented but on the higher end of the price scale. My friend and I ordered bowls, (I had quinoa and tahini dressing with tofu and he had the raw bowl) and both were delicious. My bowl only came with a few carrots and sprouts, so I paid extra to have spinach. It seemed a little strange that the only vegetables were pretty much a garnish so it's best to read the menu with care.I wanted to order a juice but there were too pricey for me. I know that everything is organic and much of it is locally sourced so if price isn't an issue you will be more than happy with their food choices and bakery.
Updated from previous review on Thursday January 19, 2012
Based on reviews, I was worried about portion size so I order three main dishes (for two people) but after I got all three, I realized that size was perfect.
We tried following.
Hippie bowl - This had huge Quinoa portion, topped with marinated tofu and shredded carrots and sprouts. Dressing was Tahini sauce.
Flax Enchilada - This is raw dish, crapes filled with grated Zucchini, Avocado and some sauce. Had side salad.
Artichoke sandwich- Had side soup (you could get salad too)
I would rate food 3.5 but overall I would rate it 4.0 but I can see why people like this place much and it is hard to strike balance for taste, especially with salads and dressings.
It would have been nice if they provided dressing on side (I needed extra with my Quinoa dish)
Also, I went there during rush hours, there was huge line so I was hesitant to ask for extra dressing.
I think it is a place to go once in a while to get good food at reasonable price with good ambience. Food is definitely healthy but not exceptional.
I am vegan and I support the business for their effort and I would try this place again.
At first, the West Seattle location is very appealing... quick order station, casual atmosphere, and a children's play area. But, as soon as you order and the "server" quotes you your price, you will know that something is wrong. Lunch for two adults (splitting a smoothie) and two children (splitting a small smoothie) ran $56.08. Yes, lunch. That price got us two (bad) entrees, two (bad) chilldren's menu items, and the two smoothies.
But, the kicker comes when you are signing that credit card slip, and there at the bottom is the line for tip. At this point, no one has served you and you do not know what the food will be like. But, you assume good things for both, so you sign-over an $8 tip.
Of course, then you sit-down to a sticky table and see the signs all around to bus your own table. Excuse me? If I was eating fast food, I would expect to pay fast food monies and enjoy my food fast.
Regardless, the food came out in a bit longer than expected... and the presentation was all lovely. The taste, on the other hand, was not lovely. The Lentil Soup was salty, the bread (both biscuits and focaccia) undercooked and doughing, and the worst of the worst - the potato hash.
I am from Idaho and I know potatoes. It takes a special kind of effort to destroy potatoes! But, that is just what Chaco Canyon did. Imagine tiny cubes of potato, boiled for just a moment, then tossed in some sort of slim sauce. That is the definition of their potato hash.
Our family has be vegetarian for over a decade and our children have eaten in many a vegetarian restuarant. But, neither child willingly ate her food - of course, at the price it cost us, I made them.
When we left, my husband and I both felt like we had been hustled. The food was bad. The service was annoying (we couldn't get anyone to help us with our questions or concerns). And the price was outrageous. We don't mind paying big for great quality, but this wasn't it.
Pros: Play Area for ChildrenMaybe this place deserves 5 stars, I don't know, I've only been here a couple times and the food is pretty good and the place is interesting but it is rather expensive and something about it just rubs me the wrong way, perhaps it was because one of the times was on a bad date and I shouldn't really blame Chaco Canyon on that, after all it's not their fault. But this place has a big of an atitude and it doesn't agree with me, there all all kinds of places and people in the world and we can't be and please all of them after all. You may love this place I don't know, pretentious comes to mind. I know a number of people who love this place and if you have the time, for sure check it out, the location is great, the building original and colorful but I am not a raw foodist, nothing against them but I am a big tatooed vegan guy who likes his piles of stir fried veggies and I am always hungry after the little plates of food, though I do enjoy the healthy foods they have here, they just don't seem worth the expense to me. But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself.
Pros: good raw foods, U district locationDesserts both raw and cooked are really good. Had an excellent raw cranberry cheesecake. Entrees and soups are hit or miss, many, like the quiche, tunaless sandwich, etc. have an overpowering lemon flavor that obscures the other flavor. Pesto pizza would be good with a little less salt or a sweet topping to balance it out. I really like all the organic and healthy ingredients, but wonder if there's enough taste testing going on with the savory dishes?
Pros: healthy, organic, juice barI'm a raw vegan and can't get enough of this place. Cool people, great food choices, my kind of ambience. They even have seasonal raw dishes. Can't comment on the cooked items as the only ones I've had were the brownies and cookies, which were fantastic. I literally have never had a raw dish there I didn't love.
Pros: RAWsome foodWhere to begin....
How about upon entering what hit us was the absolutely astounding VOLUME of the kitchen and the cafe in general. I thought I might go deaf. Luckily we found a seat outside. But, this place you need to order at the counter among the folks waiting for takeout and others on line and others just hanging out. We finally get our turn to order (its still deafeningly LOUD in there) and as I ask the counterperson about vegan stuff he sees his buddy behind me and says hey Steve, ignores me, takes his order. As if ordering at a counter isn't bad enough to be passed over for Steve, dude's buddy.
I ordered a tagine, a very easily executed dish, and my wife got a lentil burger. I nearly threw up the tagine. It was grosser than gross. It tasted like it was merely soaked in AC vinegar. I told the guy (who is Steve's buddy) how bad it was and he kindly explained it was raw and explained the precepts of raw food to me. Thanks Genius! Your food was still shockingly awful and tagines are notably flavorful. I had to order something else, I was running late for a train and lost my happycow list on a bad traffic day in Seattle, nowhere else to go, pick for safety. The Lentil burger. Ugh. First they gave it to me to-go when I asked for it there. Just as well leave that crappy deafening hellhole. The only thing good about the burger was the delicious bread. I wonder if they make it or buy it, if bought is it local or national (thanks for answering in the response area).
I will never go here again. I think they do have a great logo and use all the correct buzz words in their PR approach. Too bad this place has awful food and worse counterservice. Btw, it was about $50. Sometimes I like to know where not to go as much as where to go and this place is most definitely a place NOT to go!
Pros: cool logo, slick PRThis place is one of my favorite spaces for good veggie cuisine! I actually stumbled upon it accidentally while exploring the University District w/ a friend and we wanted to get some coffee. We fell in love w/ this charming place and continually come back! Great selection and the food is creative and delicious! You won't be disappointed!
Pros: Vegetarian, Friendly, Great Atmosphere!We recently traveled to Seattle and ate at Chaco Canyon two times we liked it so much. We tried the Pesto Melt, Artichoke Melt, Seitan Crepes and Black Bean Chili - all were excellent. Aside from the fabulous food, we were impressed by resturant's cleanliness, good service, green practices. We would definetly recommend Chaco Canyon to our non-vegan friends in hopes that this experience would turn them onto vegitarianism.
Pros: Wow food, Healthy cuisine, Great atmosphereI stopped in there a few months ago when I was craving a reuben. The sandwich was good, but it had too much Field Roast on it. This is not a slam on the restaurant - this was just my first time having Field Roast and I realized I didn't like it. Not the restaurants fault - my fault. But, I took the Field Roast off and ate the sandwich without it and it was actually quite delicious! The bread was crunch - extra sauerkraut (my favorite.) I'd definitely go back and I would just ask for a little Field Roast. I was pleased enough to go back any time. I was treated very well when I came in, I ordered on the phone and just had to pick up the food but the guy at the counter was very nice. A little more expensive than I was expecting but worth it.
Although there has been more than one occasion where my salad greens were a little gritty, The menu, new location, organic bent not to mention the addition of Brunch have vast improved what used to be a little hole in the wall below Cedars on Brooklyn.
My husband and I were so excited to go to Chaco. They had so many different juices we were overwhelmed. We decided on the Boost. It was amazing! We ordered the hippie bowl and the raw coconut/curry dish. The food was delicious. I loved the sauce in the hippie bowl. The staff was so friendly and helpful. They gave us a taste of their desserts. They were amazing. I highly recommend the raw brownie. My husband loved the raw rasberry tart. I can't wait to go back to the place and try some of the other dishes. They recommended the reuben, the pesto sandwich, the artichoke melt, the raw pizza and the raw nachos.
Pros: variety of raw & cooked dishes, green business, affordableI had a great experience at this restaurant. Impressive selection of green juices to choose from, I went with the "green dragon" which had just the right amount of fennel. I had the green lentil dal with quinoa. The lentil turned out to be red and spiced perfectly. The large was pretty big, I ate all the lentils but couldn't finish the quinoa. My mom got the "recession bowl" brown rice and black beans with garlic tahini sauce for only $3. It was great and definitely enough. My sister got the cilantro pesto pizza. I've had quite a few raw pizzas and this was not one of my favorites. The sauce was nice but the crust was a little too heavy. Definitely not bad though. The desserts were amazing. Definitely go and get the tapioca with raspberries. Not only is one of the prettiest deserts I've ever seen, it was delicious and fun to eat. The raw brownie was great too. It reminded me of the home made chocolate candy my grandmother used to make. They had vegan baked goods too, including a wheat free spelt muffin. That was a great muffin.
Nice atmosphere, ecologically friendly restrooms, friendly staff.
Pros: great desserts, good juice selection, wheat free baked goodsI've been to many vegetarian restaurants in my day, but this one showed me and my family nothing! All I can think of is that the people who work here wrote all these reviews. The smoothy was warm, not even luke but warm. The lentil soup was tasteless. The "cheese" wasn't melted on anyone's sandwich and no one came close to raving about their sandwich. We were very disappointed.
Pros: VeganWe tried this place while visiting WA, and we liked it so much, we just kept coming back! I so wish I could order take out from California... we didn't have a non-delicious item in any of our visits. Breakfasts are great, we had "egg" sandwiches and soy lattes (delicious). Lunches we had various melt sandwiches (all fantastic) and I also tried a rice bowl that was super satisfying. All of my meals here left me feeling nice and clean, not weighed down by grease. I would even recommend coming here for just coffee, excellent coffees!
Pros: super friendly staff, fresh, healthy food, pretty cafeI'm disappointed. I've been wanting to eat at this raw cafe for months now. I'm a member of their facebook page, I've viewed their websites lovely raw menu several times and my mouth has watered in anticipation.
My visit today was a little disappointing. I ordered the Maui Green juice and the raw macadamia pudding. The server gave me a number, and told me that he'd "bring everything out to my table". I said thanks and sat down. My juice arrived, and it was pretty tasty. Frothy green fantastic goodness. I sat and sipped my juice waiting for my puddin', but it never arrived. I went to the counter and politely inquired about the status of my little treat, only to have a female server say (and I quote, folks), "Um, I put it on the counter after you paid. You didn't see it and sat down. I was like "where the hell are you going... um... so yeah, here it is", and rudely plopped my dessert down on the counter.
Dude. I didn't know it had been set on the counter, and I didn't appreciate the attitude she threw at me when I questioned the whereabouts of my food. Service with a smile is a wonderful thing, and it really does leave a great impression for us first time visitors. Unfortunately, I can't say my first impression of Chaco Canyon was a positive one. I also got a parking ticket, as I'm not familar with Seattle and had to park a few blocks away because the parking options at the restaurant weren't very favorable. (Don't park in the jack-n-the-box parking lot! ha ha!) Regardless, the juice was good, and the pudding delectable (very sweet and satisfying!). I hope for better attitudes if I visit again.
Pros: Spacious, Diverse Menu, Tasty raw dessertsThe last review is a bit harsh, I was there on Monday and they had a tiny sign saying "what's not vegan" and it wasn't much.
The Veggie & Tofu Scramble pockets & Zucchini Ginger Muffin I had were phenomenal! The star of the show was the grilled sloppy joe sandwich.
The restaurant is very friendly and great for students and reading the morning paper!
Pros: clean, sandwiches, baked goodsthere is NOTHING vegan about cow`s milk and offering it for The taste buds of dairy addicted people is what all non vegan restaurants do. Chaco Canyon should have more compassion and be truely vegan. The business they lose from their lack of integrity cannot possibly be made up by the dairy drinkers. and yes I have talked to the owner.
Pros: vegan food
cindy_seattle
I understand your perspective on vegan food, but you must understand, this restaurant is primarily vegetarian. Many vegetarian's do consume animal byproducts such as dairy. You are a vegan and that is great! Chaco Canyon is trying to appeal to all vegetarian, vegan and raw vegan's alike by offering some dishes for each. I'm just happy they have some raw vegan choices at all that I can eat vs. going off my diet and 'settling' for vegetarian cuisine. Please note, when the listings says 'vegan-friendly' it doesn't mean they're straight vegan. It just means they have some offerings for vegans on their menu.
I visited this cafe' for the first time on January 4, 2009. I talked my husband into coming with me. He's still a SAD eater, I'm a raw foodist now. I had their scrumptious 'Really Really Green Smoothie,' the 'Pineapple and Mushroom Pizza with side salad' and a 'Fudge Brownie' for dessert. Hubby had their 'Thai salad with peanut sauce' a hot 'Apple Cider with Cinnamon and Ginger' along with a piece of their 'Carrot Cake' for dessert. Everything was W O N D E R F U L and reasonably priced. The surroundings were very comfortable and their staff were very helpful. I am surprised by the recently negative experiences by others. Even my husband liked the food . . . he said it wasn't bad for a vegetarian/vegan restaurant (he's not forthcoming with glowing comments either). We drove quite a distance to the only vegan/vegetarian place we could find on the internet in Seattle, WA, but we felt it was worth it!
Pros: excellent food, great atmosphere, attentive staffOh My! What a disappointment. My daughter and I went completely out of our way through terrible Seattle traffic to have the worst raw food I have ever had. The sad thing is the people seem very nice that work here. But the food was not only overpriced but before I had eaten 5 bites I was feling ill. My daughter decided to not complain but just order something else and that what awful too. So that time I asked for our $$ back. Yet we wtill paid over $30 for food we barely touched and left feeling ill for the remainder of the day. I lloked at my daughter and said "if this would have been my choice for raw food I would have never became a raw foodist" We took what we had left home with us thinking we would try to doctor it up but after feeling so ill we decided just to count our losses and toss it in the compost. Do not, I repeat, do not order the raw alfredo bowl or the grilled cheez. These are not salvagable.
The alfredo bowl was like white colored water over flavorless noodles.
I'll eat at home. It costs less and tastes better.
And couldn't believe they were offering cows milk now! Thought they were a VEGAN restaurant?
My boyfriend and I thought the food was good but I felt it was not as amazing as I was hoping it would be. He liked it better than any of the other restaurants we visited in Seattle. I thought the cilantro pesto pizza was yummy although maybe a tad too salty. Loved the raspberry tapioca dessert, thought the chocolate cake was good but not outstanding, and found the raw carrot cake to have a bit of an after taste. My boyfriend really enjoyed his artichoke melt and the carrot cake. All in all, it was a good experience and I love the fact that they are very environmental and make a point of recycling everything and composting.
So close to awesomeness, yet so far by moving cow pain and suffering. Drinkers of milk meant for baby cows have 99% of the cafes to harm their bodies, the environment and the cows. Why here too?
Pros: raw vegan food
kindlizard
tell us how you really feel. wow. i think most of us understand the point, wouldn't it be better to just write they serve dairy? how was the food other than the cow raping? big salad?
Chaco canyon is awesome. I would marry this restaurant if I could. Whereas most vegan restaurants seems to try to imitate popular meat and dairy dishes, the chefs at chaco manage to make delicious dishes using only organic produce and healthful cooking techniques- ie, not dousing their entrees with grease and salt. The staff is friendly and the new space is big, airy and clean. Plus, its the only place in town to offer a raw foods menu.
I highly recommend the Spicy Thai Grinder, a raw dish, or the Pesto Melt sandwich. They also usually have really tasty potpies made fresh daily. Superb raw desserts. I can't say enough good things about this place.
Pros: healthy cuisine, reasonable prices, frendly staffThis was the first place I ate at upon visiting Seattle for my first time and damn was it good! I had the raw lasagne--delish! and for dessert, a raw chocolate pie, oh my god, i still have dreams about it!
Pros: Excellent food, healthy cuisine, friendly staffSince my last visit to Seattle a year ago, I was pleasantly surprised by Chaco Canyon's expansion in space and menu at their new location. And they continue to be 95% organic and 100% vegan, with the most raw options I've seen on any Seattle menu. The staff is quite friendly and helpful.
Their food quality runs across the board, with some delicious items, some mediocre, and at least one, really really bad. The most delicious items I've had there are: the pesto melt (featuring pesto and vegan mozzerella cheese), Egytian red lentil soup, the blue green blast smoothie (bananas, blueberries, apple juice and Greens+ powder), and the Really Really Green Smoothie (greens, banana and apple blended in a Vitamix). I find the Thai Peanut bowl okay, which is raw spinach and steamed bok choy over rice with housemade peanut sauce and spicy chutney. A couple items to avoid are: the grilled vegan cheese sandwich, which is the worst vegan cheese sandwich I've ever had. (Seems to be made with a rubbery processed cheese). Also, I found their classic smoothie which includes strawberries and bananas to be mediocre. (It would be much improved with live nut milk and dates.) On previous visits more than a year ago, I was not very impressed with any of the raw offerings I had tried, except the live pizza.
One thing that surprises me is that given that the menu is about half raw, there is only one house salad. In other words, there is no choice of salad dressing other than the house dressing, an apple garlic dressing. It's not bad, but it's not great either. I'd like to see more choices of salad dressings and a vegan caesar salad as well.
In general, I consider this place mid-priced compared to the other veg restaurants in Seattle. However, their dessert portions are insultingly tiny compared to what they charge. They charged close to $6 for what I would consider to be a half piece of pumpkin pie. (The pie was delicious though.)
Also, some of their items are not fresh. I had their special Thanksgiving dinner here on a Friday, and on Sunday and Monday, they were still selling plates of leftovers. Packaged dessert items don't always have pull dates.
Chaco Canyon has some excellent items--you have to know what to order. But they have a long way to go to improve.
Pros: Some delicious items, 100% Vegan & 95% Organic, Friendly, helpful staff
kindlizard
according to the guy above, they rape cows and drink dairy, so they are less than 100% vegan; sorry to burst your bubble. Is it good other than that? lol.
groovyvegan
"Burst my bubble"? My review was written in 2007 and accurate at the time I wrote it. They started serving dairy at some point after my visit. Restaurants do change over time. "Great Sage" in Clarksville, MD discontinued all dairy and went vegan.
Their Vegan sandwiches are pretty good [I recommend the "Vegan Pesto Melt" and "Vegan Hot Tunaless Melt"]; however, I wasn't a fan of the raw food here [especially the raw deserts - that includes the "Carob Cake" and "Carrot Cake" - Yuck!]. Be sure to try their fresh juices, they're fantastic!
Pros: Good Vegan Options, Vegan Bakery Next DoorMy mom and I recently vacationed in Seattle and Vancouver and this was our favorite restaurants. We each ordered the first thing we saw on the menu because there were so many choices. Both orders were excellent. I had a pesto sandwich with vegan mozzerella cheese and my mom had an avocado sandwich and soup. The environment was bright and clean and there were many other customers there. Even their bathrooms were really nice. I would reccomend this cafe to anyone visiting the seattle area.
Pros: tasty food, good service, nice locationIt's not a restaurant, but it's a nice little cafe. A good little hang out spot. Good food, nice staff, you won't regret it.
Pros: healthy cuisine, excellent food, friendly staffI had the Pesto Melt with Ethiopian Lentil Soup and a Limeade spritzer. The Pesto Melt was delicious, it's definitely a sandwich I could eat again and again. The Lentil soup was good as soups go. I liked the Limeade spritzer too.
Pros: Dual flush toilet, Good Food, Reading material6/15/2007: My husband and I stopped by to have a Hot Pesto Melt only to find out after we ordered and paid for them that they were out of pesto. This was a huge disappointment as we were really looking forward to it and made a special trip in just for that. In place of that I had the avocado, tomato and sprout sandwich...it didn't have much avocado on it so it was more like a tomato and sprout sandwich---not impressive---I could have made that at home! My husband ordered the Artichoke Melt and could barely eat half of it. They were nice enough to bring him a peanut butter & jelly sandwich then, but that fell flat as well. The employees were nice, but the food just didn't live up to our first experience. Sigh.
4/24/2007: It was really nice to go to a place that is 100% Vegan...all of the choices! It rocks! I had the Hot Tunaless Melt which was pretty good (not really anything like tuna), and my husband (a non-vegan) had the Hot Pesto Melt and loved it. I think that I'll order that next time---the bite I had was wonderful. I haven't been back since they moved, but I'm looking forward to it.
Pros: 100% vegan, friendly staffJust go there. Incredible and creative live organic cuisine. Even if you aren't vegan, there are still many delicious menu items that you will devour.
They have moved recently to a new location. It is much bigger and more open. The casual atmosphere is perfect for lunch or dinner.
It is a one of a kind place. Please put one in Tacoma so I don't have to drive so far!
Pros: Raw Organic Cuisine, Delectible Desert Items, Friendly StaffGreat raw (and non-raw) food in Seattle. I recommend the Elvis smoothie (banana, peanut butter, choice of milk), Spinach Lasagne, and any raw dessert they have at the time.
Pros: All organic, Eco-friendly business
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i have to agree w this review. I saw all the hype and sat in traffic for an hour to get here. it was awful food and counter service