WIS-CO Washington Island Coffee — Restaurant in Town of Washington

They're open early, and they serve pretty good coffee and decent breakfast sandwiches. Picked up a sausage, egg, and pepper jack cheese sandwich as well as a Mediterranean Sammy.

The breakfast sandwich was pretty darn dry with a slightly disproportionate bread-to-filling ratio, but it got the job done and served its purpose, wherein it successfully satiated my hunger. The sausage patty itself was quite fantastic, but its greatness was dimmed by the ambient dryness of the ample bun and powdery egg yolk on the well-done sunny side up egg. Im guessing that maybe they're not usually like that, and I just happened to grab one that has been neglected by the sandwich gods.

The Mediterranean Sammy was quite decent. Exquisite, one might even say. Decided to go with this one because it came with arugula, and I am in dire need of some form of vegetation in my body, as per my doctor's request. The feta, cherry tomatoes, and kalamata olives really added to the completeness of the sandwich, which was brought together into perfect union from the drizzle of sweet dressing saturating the contents of the Sammy.

Overall, their food is quite all right. Their service is a-okay, and their workers bear the demeanor of people who wake up much earlier than you do, which is perfectly fine because that is an endearing quality to have. And they're open rather early if you're one of those folks whose day starts at the absolute buttcrack of dawn, and you require sustenance in order to become a semi-functional human being. Come check them...

I stopped in once at Wisco Washington Island Coffee during a recent visit to the island. It’s a small coffeehouse with a cozy island feel, but my overall experience was mixed. I tried a few of their baked goods and one of their sandwiches. While the baked items were decent and seemed fresh, the salmon sandwich was heavy on a mayo-type spread that completely overpowered the salmon flavor.

The inside of the shop offered only a few tables and couches, which gave it a quaint feel but also made it difficult to find a place to sit once it got busy. Space felt tight, and it seemed like most people were grabbing their drinks and heading back out rather than settling in to relax. The man running the counter appeared to be handling everything on his own, and he seemed a bit overwhelmed by the steady stream of customers. He wasn’t necessarily rude, but there was a noticeable edge or abrasiveness in his demeanor that made the interaction less welcoming.

The coffee itself was fine—nothing extraordinary but well-prepared—and the baked goods were enjoyable enough. Overall, it’s an okay place for a quick stop if you’re already nearby, but it lacks the warmth and comfort that make you want to...

Wisco is favorite cafe in America, and I've been going to cafes since 1980, in Berkeley, at the same time the founders of Starbuck's worked at Peet's.

Yet the coffee at Wisco is better than anything l remember from my days at Cal, and I went to all of them, except Peet's. And I've been to cafes all over America, and also Paris, ever since 1980.

(Regarding Peet's in 1981 . . . Why, I thought, would anyone go into that place. Turns out they had good coffee. The guys who worked there and left for Seattle later, and imitated the Peet's coffee, succeeded with Starbucks, because they simply designed a nice atmosphere for their first cafe, one in Seattle, similar to all the other Berkeley cafes.)

I am fine with Starbucks and Peet's, it is good, but if you want something far better, go to Wisco. Wisco is beyond good.

And it is lit by a skylight. And it has a fireplace.

If you go to that pretty island, don't miss out. And no, I don't work for Wisco. I met the owner of Wisco for the first...