State & Central — Restaurant in Olympia

This place is fantastic. I go here every chance I get. It's also roughly one block away from my work, which is convenient. The juicy-lucy is a bit inconsistent with it's cheese content. Sometimes the cheese is hardly contained in the burger, spilling its out way onto the plate and covering my meal in cheesy-goodness. Other times, I have to think long and hard about whether or not I even ordered a burger with cheese. Suffice it so say, the cheese curds will outweigh any potential hard feelings I have towards the cheese content of the juicy lucy. They are a gift from the heavens, and we are not worthy. I've contemplated ordering only a soda and cheese curds, although I falter when I consider the stomach ache that is sure to ensue. One other small gripe was with cost of an arnold palmer. I assumed (incorrectly) that it would be priced accordingly with the soft drinks. When my drink was empty, I was not offered a refill (as I know now, was because refills were not included), and I asked for another as I was very parched from the cheese curds and cheeseburger. I received another and it was delicious. At the end of the meal, I received the bill and was charged for two arnold palmers at $3 each. I begrudgingly paid my bill and left, vowing to never order another arnold palmer at this fine establishment. I would have much preferred to spend less than $3 on a soda with refills. Lesson learned, but let this be a warning to any fellow arnold palmer enthusiasts: They cost $3. Each. For half a glass of iced tea, and half a glass of lemonade. It was really good though. So maybe factor that into your decision a bit too. Four stars.

Edit: Upon further review, I can confirm that the consistency has greatly improved and this place is a fine establishment. An extra star has been added, increasing the total to 5 stars, which is...

I went to State and Central back when they first opened and was quite disappointed. Nothing clicked, everything was out of sync including the service. Now that the city of Olympia has eased the Rona restrictions, I thought I’d give this little neighborhood another try. What a mistake! This place is awful, and it’s hard to imagine that it could be worse than the first visit, but it was the only thing that they succeeded in accomplishing. We decided to keep it simple, in hopes that they could get the basics done correctly. The onion rings were absolutely disgusting, as the batter wasn’t really batter, but something so hard and crunchy, that it tore the roof on mouth. We ordered a bacon cheeseburger, medium/rare and when it arrived, it was well done/ burnt and dry. We pushed it aside and waited and waited and waited until the server came back. I called it to her attention, that I ordered the hamburger mid/rare and it’s cook past well done. Her response was “we don’t take temperatures because we cook “smash burgers”. I replied, “had you told me that when I ordered, I would have left” While we were waiting for her to discuss the burger issue, we struggled with munching on the French fries which were these tiny scraps of broken pieces of potato. I can’t understand how this hell hole got so many positive reviews. Go elsewhere, this place has no right calling itself an eating...

1/25/2025: Six months after my initial visit to State and Central, I returned to explore their newly launched garden omelette—a decision that reaffirmed my faith in their culinary consistency.

The three-egg creation arrived as an architectural triumph: precisely folded, golden exterior harboring thoughtfully layered treasures within. Seattle's famed Mama Lil's pickled peppers provide an inspired twist, their sweet-hot personality dancing with clouds of fresh feta both folded inside and crowning the top. Caramelized onions contribute deep, maple-like sweetness, while lightly sautéed tomatoes add bright, almost wine-like undertones to each bite.

The eggs themselves deserve special mention: impeccably fresh, whipped to cumulus-cloud fluffiness, then folded with origami-like precision. Accompanying french fries arrive uniformly golden, their exterior crunch giving way to steamy, tender centers.

Tish, my server from my summer visit, remembered my enthusiasm for their previous offerings, while Chef Micah emerged briefly to share his inspiration for incorporating Mama Lil's peppers—a stroke of Nordic-meets-Northwest genius that perfectly suits the restaurant's hygge-forward ambiance.

Some restaurants chase novelty; State and Central masters consistency, proving excellence isn't a fluke but a...