"This cafe, located at the bottom of a house among the northern Capitol Hill elite, is a home run based on the pastries alone. We’re talking about things like savory tahini caramel bars, New York-style crumb cake muffins, and buckwheat chocolate chunk cookies that hold their own among the city's best. But that would be ignoring their BEC, a majestic stack of paper-thin egg folds, bacon cooked just before it gets crispy, and yellow american that oozes between the layers and stretches like taffy, all on a homemade toasted poppy roll. Pop in for an early coffee date or takeout sandwich, and note that the dining room is a laptop-free zone during the weekends. Food Rundown Egg & Cheese Sandwich The grand champion of bodega-style BECs in Seattle. Order with confidence, and add bacon always. photo credit: Brooke Fitts Crumb Cake Like Entenmann's, only fancified and in the shape of a muffin. Buckwheat Chocolate Chunk Cookie In the chocolate chip cookie universe, all-purpose flour is king. But Volunteer Park Cafe’s wheatless version proves that we don’t need it. Their gluten-free chocolate chunk cookie has a clean buckwheat-backed nuttiness, along with a salty dulce de leche-like texture that softly crumbles like kinetic sand. (Thank you, desiccated coconut.) photo credit: Nate Watters" - Aimee Rizzo