Queen Caphe — Restaurant in Seattle

I know it's Opening Weekend (4/10), so I don't have a definitive view of what this place is, but the bones seem good. I want to give y'all some constructive feedback so that you can continue to grow and be better:

1.) I think your decor is unique!... but the entire space was devoid of music or any type of atmosphere -- other than the sheer panic going on in the kitchen. The place looks great, but it has to feel great too. Vibe is important and I didn't get a good sense of what your vibe is, only what it feels like to be shouted at when my food is ready. Even if you are experiencing a bit of a rush and the wait times are starting to stack up, the atmosphere and how comfortable a guest is can accommodate for that! Also, music can get your kitchen into a groove where you're churning out sandwiches without a problem! When you decide to open up that garage door for the summer, your choice of music is going to draw in guests from the street. People want to be where the food and vibes are good! You'll find that atmosphere contributes directly to your revenue, tips for your staff, and guest feedback. Happy staff, happy guests, happy business.

2.) Sandwiches. They're easy. They should be. Mine was not great. For a bahn mi, I've never had less cilantro. An absolute shame. The beef tenderloin was good and had good flavor, but the compliments to that beef were subpar for my first experience. I'm sure y'all will find your footing with this, but I do have to let you know that if I received the same sandwich in the same exact way again, I would not return. If it's the middle of summer, I want a refreshing sandwich! Tony He made some very good points about the sandwich missing some essential, traditional elements and I think they're spot-on. Pate and pickles would be welcomed.

3.) Bubble tea. When you tie your "signature" to something, it better be the thing that I'm coming back for. Your signature milk tea was more a mix of jellies than tea and I think I'd be willing to order it again if the boba and tea were on-point rather than mixing an amalgam of things together. Start reeling in the feedback and see what you can do to make this better. Right away, I would limit the diversity of different jellies and focus on making the tea better. Cream cheese cap was just fine.

4.) Hospitality can be tough during a rush! I know that your system for dishing out orders is for the guest to receive a number and wait for it to be called. Queen Anne is a neighborhood that focuses on being good neighbors! Putting a guest's name on their ticket and calling it out is a great way to identify repeat guests and develop a good relationship between the staff and guests. Calling out numbers is also great if you're an Italian deli in Chicago or NYC where they don't give a f%#% and that's part of the experience. It ain't like that here. You'll be given a lot more slack if you're able to say, "Hey Charlie! It's just taking us a few minutes longer than expected! How are the kids?" Some shiz like that, ya know?

Overall, there's room for a lot of growth because y'all have so much potential! Don't take anything that I've said too personally because it isn't meant to be an attack; only to offer some feedback so that you may learn from my experience. At the moment, this restaurant doesn't feel ready and isn't putting out its best product -- but that shouldn't be expected on opening weekend! I will be back in a few months to see how you've ironed out some of the issues and look forward to trying...

I think this is a nice addition to the Queen Anne neighborhood, but I would consider this place more of a Vietnamese "fusion" rather than authentic Vietnamese food/drinks.

Banh Mi - I ordered the Pork Banh Mi, it's comparable to other downtown Seattle Banh Mi shops (namely, Vinason) where they use cooked shredded proteins. The bread was nice and crispy, but the sandwich itself was okay. If you have ever been to Ba Le Deli in Vancouver, BC, they serve the best (and most authentic) Banh Mi sandwiches - cured meats/ham, paté, super crispy and freshly pickled veggies. My sandwich also had some strange tomato-ey condiment (I want to say it was reminiscent of a salsa) which you would (and should) never find in Banh Mi.

Egg Roll - more like a Chinese egg roll than a Vietnamese one. Vietnamese spring rolls are typically packed with meat and clear noodles, deep fried to order in a super crispy wrapper (most use rice paper instead of egg roll wrapper). I was expecting it to be served with Nuoc Cham (a tangy/sweet fish sauce dip) but it was served with a sweet Thai chili sauce. But I think this is common in Seattle...

Bubble Tea - ordered the Pearl Milk Tea because that should be fail proof. The tea and pearls weren't bad, I would probably order it again of I was on The Ave since there's no other boba places in Queen Anne. But for $7, the drink is more expensive (and subpar) to a place like Happy Lemon - franchised from Taiwan.

Coffee - I was disappointed in their coffee selection, viet coffee frappes and cheese foam...? I was expecting (as the shop is named) a solid Cà Phê Sữa Dá. Vietnamese coffee is known for being extremely strong, gently sweetened with condensed milk. This was what I was hoping to find here but sadly, the coffee drinks seem to have gone off on some other tangent.

Overall the owner and her daughter are soooooo sweet, and the service is fantastic. The patio is great and also dog friendly, which is a plus. I would come again if I was in the area and craving a sandwich (but not specifically for Vietnamese ones). I think the Cafe caters to the demographic in the area, so not quite authentic if that is what you're looking for. Still worth stopping in for...

We love Queen CaPhe! I take my daughter here at least once a week for boba tea and it's always perfect. Yesterday she tried the chicken teriyaki and loved it. Very generous portion, plus a lovely salad. I got the chicken fresh rolls and they were so tasty. We always get take-out, but the space itself is so delightful. There is a decent amount of seating and the decor is colorful and fresh. There's even a new aquarium near the counter to enjoy while you wait. We always order on their website to pickup and it couldn't be easier. Plus I don't need to download yet another app to do it! Add ins, sweetness level, ice amount, etc. can all be customized for the drinks. And I can't say enough about how friendly and kind the staff are. They always seem happy to see me and are very warm.

I'd like to add that the vermicelli bowls and pho are all marked as gluten free, which I appreciate. And they have a nice porch out front with picnic tables for outdoor seating when the weather is nice.

Now I just need to convince them to open another location in Magnolia (there's a boba space that just closed and is available,...