Cheeky Cafe — Restaurant in Seattle

This restaurant was an unexpected gem that we found. We went in late in the afternoon for a late breakfast on Sunday. The restaurant was not at all busy but then we were there an hour before closing. However, when we arrived we were greeted promptly and seated at our choice of table. Our waitress promptly brought over menus and water and asked if we would like anything else to drink. We declined, and instead perused the menu.

For our meal, we chose the lemon poppy seed pancakes and the cheeky French toast with chocolate. The food was delivered in good time. What arrived was piping hot and cooked too perfection. My French toast was crisp on the outside and yet fluffy and soft and creamy on the inside. The lemon poppy seed pancakes had outstanding flavor. Are eggs were cooked perfectly with my over easy eggs being neither undercooked nor overcooked. My husband's scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly and not runny or dry. All the food was seasoned perfectly and was appealing to look at as well as eat.

Drop the meal, our waitress was perfectly attentive. She was neither over intrusive nor was she neglectful. All in all, this was a great meal at a restaurant that we plan to frequent again and again. They have gained a customer for life. I'm looking forward to next going in and trying their meatloaf. Although there are many other things on the menu that also look appealing and I may have a difficult decision when I actually go to order. I would say that you should go in and not judge the book by its cover as it doesn't look fancy but the food and service are as good as you can get at some of the finest dining...

Food options are tremendous. MASSIVE menu on blackboard. elevated kitchen at the back. brilliant setup, fantastic variety, wish we lived around the corner! I've never gone wrong ordering the expertly-crafted carbonara and a bowl of fruit (though once in a while a sub-par grape sneaks past whoever does the prep).

I had to drop a star from perfection, because their tap system died and hasn't been replaced for over a year. Get this: they used to serve pints of pineapple cider and coconut porter, all day every day. That alone kept me coming back at first, but menu exploration has been rewarding and still gets our repeat business for Sunday brunch. Hash browns are perfect. Chicken-fried steak is excellent — the batter is crisp, even, & peppery. Chili is on the thin side, but plenty tasty. 'Frybread' isn't in the standard format — more like giant donut-holes with a firm 'shell' (picture for reference). Still, goes well with the chili; we haven't tried the sweet version but it reads like a fusion-y take on beignets.

Another review has mentioned it's not much to look at from outside; as a customer who doesn't enjoy crowds, i can't find any fault with that at all! (but we do hope they get enough business, despite not attracting mobs at a glance. And Sundays definitely have a rush or two in the first few hours of operation.)

parking is mostly residential — the more popular it gets, the worse for locals parking at home. But the Jackson side of the block has fairly steady turn-over (including the blocks up- and downhill, shared with salons, studios, & a...

I usually don't complain much about service, but my experience at Cheeky Cafe was extremely poor.

We stopped in for breakfast on a Saturday and waited a reasonable 20 minutes to be seated.

After being seated, we waited 10 minutes before our server came to our table and took our order.

I ordered the chicken fried steak and coffee. Literally, I waited 22 minutes before I even got my coffee. It was 45 minutes after ordering that we finally received our food.

Once our food arrived, all I can say is that the chicken fried steak was weird. The gravy was a brown gravy heavy on cumin, chili powder, or something (almost like an Indian dish). Also, my food, including my hash browns, was drowning in the gravy. Oddly, the biscuit was sweet. Savory gravy on the sweet biscuit was very unappealing. Finally, the steak itself had a strange taste like it had be l been marinating in another sauce that made it taste almost like chorizo. Lastly, it's strange to not serve eggs with chicken fried steak. At $16+, I was expecting eggs.

Incidentally, I also waited 15+ minutes for a refill on my coffee.

The one bright spot of the meal was the fry bread. It had a nice crust and the blend of cinnamon and sugar worked well. My children also had the French toast varieties and they were ok.

My visit to Cheeky Cafe was disappointing on multiple fronts from service to flavor/preparation/presentation of my entree. Having such poor service definitely elevated my...