Temple Pastries — Restaurant in Seattle

This is a review of Temple Pastries' new Ice Cream/Soft Serve and Sandwich Shop Window that opened on July 5, 2024 next door to their main bakery in the Central District. It's worth noting that this is takeout only so, atmosphere is not applicable.

I LOVE Temple Pastries pastries; however, their sandwiches leave a lot to be desired; specifically their Italian hoagie. While the hoagie roll is soft and chewy, the filling was very bland including their homemade giaridniera, which is surprising b/c pickled veggies should taste pickled. These basically tasted like just a bunch of chopped veggies. Not much flavor at all.

In their newsletter they promoted it as an "Italian style hoagie with mortadella, sopressatta, hot coppa and salami and house-fermented giaridniera." But as you can see from the photo, there were only 2 types of deli meat and no condiment or anything to give it any flavor beyond the meat. It was fairly dry and tasteless. Also, I'm used to hoagies having pretty thin deli slices and these were a bit thick especially the mortadella. Overall, not their best effort and not the same quality as I get from the pastry side of the house. The one plus is that it is a large hoagie, so you can expect a decent size sandwich.

For the soft serve, I opted for the vegan strawberry sumac, and the flavor was amazing. And because it's vegan, it doesn't have the same creamy consistency as the full dairy version. Flavor is good, texture is not as creamy but overall, it's decent.

I'll add that the service was fast and friendly, so I was happy in that regard. They were able to deliver my soft serve and sandwich within 5-10 min.

The sandwich + soft serve + 20% tip cost me $27, so it's a bit pricy for lunch but I'd feel better about spending that much if the sandwich tasted better. I'll give it a couple months before I try again. And hopefully, they'll have made some improvements. I want them to be as good as...

I originally posted a glowing 5-star review when I first visited Temple Pastries a few years ago, traveling with a group of friends. After we went, we were recommending Broadcast Coffee with Temple Pastries to everyone visiting Seattle, but I'm heavily disappointed in my latest visit.

The atmosphere is still great and it's a clean space with all gender bathrooms, baristas were pretty chill, but the food quality of my order was terrible. I ordered a sausage and egg breakfast sandwich from their food menu: the thin slices of bread were both burnt and soggy at the same time, almost scorched, the whole sandwich itself was dripping with grease, and somehow, it tasted bland. The sausage looked black from the outside and as thick as a burger patty and was WAY overcooked. My coffee order was decent and saving this from a one star review. I did not finish the sandwich and had to toss it.

I also would like to mention that they no longer are a tip-free store. I am not sure when this changed (and if this is because of a decision recently made by Broadcast Coffee or from their recent expansion) but I had remembered on my first visit, they had a statement on their wall expressing fair wages and being a tip-free business. To my surprise, immediately once I finished tapping my card, a tipping screen popped up when I ordered with high percentage options. It was kind of a bummer. Apparently last year they were still a tip-free business, but that must have changed.

I was very excited when I learned before my latest trip to Seattle that they were expanding to offering sandwiches and ice cream, but I would not recommend here again after this visit, either for the coffee or the baked goods. I guess it's time I find a new spot for pastries and brews. Avoid the...

Incredible bakery where everything—from flavors to techniques—is executed with absolute precision. The space is surprisingly large, with plenty of seating downstairs, even more upstairs, and a few outdoor tables as well. As expected, they're known for their pastries and baked goods, but they also offer an extensive menu of coffee, drinks, and a few sandwiches.

I started with the breakfast sandwich and a seasonal drink whose name escapes me—it was a mix of matcha and lemonade. The sandwich was very tasty, with the highlight being the fresh-baked milk bread. The drink was interesting, but the grassy-sour combination wasn’t really for me.

Naturally, I also tried a variety of baked goods. My favorites:

• Parisian hazelnut flan – Like the best custard tart you’ve ever had. Absolutely phenomenal if you get it warm, first thing in the morning. • Banh mi sausage croissant – Really unique and delicious. You might be skeptical of the pickled carrots and daikon, but they blend perfectly with the buttery croissant. • Rye ham & cheddar – A rye croissant isn’t something you see often, but it’s great—more nutty and savory than a standard one. • Kouign amann – I mean, of course. The croissant layers are light and fluffy, and the caramelized syrup is rich and delicious. • Cardamom almond brioche – Simple, with perfect texture and balance of flavors. • Chocolate & cocoa nib cookie – I never thought to put cocoa nibs in a cookie, but it's a perfect way to add extra bitterness without overpowering other flavors. • Strawberry macaron – Probably the best macaron I’ve ever had. The texture is unbelievably light, and it’s bursting with flavor—unlike most macarons around here, which just taste like a bland Oreo. All the macarons are excellent, but the strawberry is...