Oxalis Kitchen — Restaurant in Poulsbo

Oxalis Kitchen has good food and coffee, but the service too often gets in the way of enjoying it. The owner is wonderful when she’s working front of house. Unfortunately, the same can’t always be said when the staff is left to manage, especially newer employees who don’t seem fully trained.

The issues add up: service can be slow, food is inconsistent, and orders sometimes get misplaced. For example, today we ordered an egg sandwich for here. After seeing at least three customers who ordered after us receive their food first, I went up to ask about ours. It had been finished but was sitting in the to-go section. By the time it was brought over, it was cold. Another time, the same sandwich was missing several ingredients.

I’ve also noticed the service slows down because staff get distracted by chatting—sometimes with each other, other times with customers. One visit, it was just us and one other patron in the café, and it still took 30 minutes to get our food. To-go orders aren’t reliable either—I’ve shown up after the pickup time only to find my order hadn’t even been started. The most disappointing experience was "Focaccia Friday", when I bought four pieces to take home and they were so badly burnt they couldn’t be eaten.

I’ve given Oxalis Kitchen plenty of chances, and I still check back every few months, but the same issues keep happening. I’ve even brought my family along to support this small business, but the experience is more frustrating than enjoyable. I might go back for coffee in a while, but until the service improves, I can’t see myself...

Needless to say, we arrived with high expectations based on other reviews and left quite disappointed based on our own experience. We (two couples) arrived around 1pm on Friday at this small cafe which was busy and all tables taken but after a few minutes, the noon crowd left leaving us to occupy one of their small tables sized for just 2 people. The atmosphere was terrible because it was cold outside and every time someone opened the front door, the door would stay open about 2 inches allowing a rush of cold air to make it quite cold inside, so during our brief 45 min stay, I was up and down to close the door at least two dozen times.

Food was served 20 mins after our arrival. The food was okay but certainly not exceptionally good nor tasty. My egg sandwich was dry and not very tasty on semi-toasted bread. The avocado toast had too much garlic and the bread was burnt. Squash soup was okay but not exceptional. Espresso and cappuccino hot drinks were okay but nothing special.

Overall, given the poor environment, less than average quality overpriced food, I would not recommend stopping by. We certainly won't...

The customer service here was amazing! I got the Asian Rice Bowl!! Whatever they put in it taste amazing! Great meal if you want something light, fresh, and healthy.

The ambiance is cute! There's limited indoor and outdoor seating, but if you can get a table have a seat! The staff works hard behind the counter to make it all to order!

I would agree with others when saying the wait for your food can feel a little long, but it IS worth it! So grab a coffee and enjoy your time here.

** Be mindful on the day you come, Oxalis shares its space with another restaurant. This tends to confuse people as the menu's are NOT the same. However if you stumble in on the wrong day the other restaurant is...