Beth's Cafe
Breakfast restaurant · Phinney Ridge
7311 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Highlights
Iconic diner known for 12-egg omelets, all-you-can-eat hash browns
Iconic diner known for 12-egg omelets, all-you-can-eat hash browns
"Since Tim’s Tavern owners Mason Reed and Tim Crawley bought Beth’s Cafe in 2024, they’ve been slowwwwly ramping back up to reinstate the late-night glory this iconic midcentury diner was once known for. (Old Seattleites all have a story or five about stopping at Beth’s in the middle of the night, back when it was open 24/7, and the hijinks that ensued.) A return to the always-open lifestyle is still in the works, but for now, roll up to Beth’s for vegan tacos, hashbrowns, and breakfast burgers during the week until 3 a.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays until a staggering 4 a.m. (On Sundays it closes at 10 p.m.)" - Harry Cheadle
"Once a famous (or infamous) 24-hour diner, these days Beth’s keeps slightly more reasonable hours, though it is open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Its menu has been basically unchanged for decades — if you’re here, you’re getting breakfast, and if you want to impress or disgust your friends, you’re ordering a 12-egg omelet. Insider tip: The six-egg omelets are also massive, and like the 12-eggers, come with unlimited hashbrowns fresh off the grill. It’s classic, unfussy diner food." - Harry Cheadle
"Through several owners, Beth’s Cafe has been holding down this corner of Aurora since 1954, serving basic diner fare, eggs and hashbrowns and bacon. It’s no longer a 24-hour spot — though it stays open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights — but its signature dish, the 12-egg omelet, is the same as it ever was, massive and usually filled with meat. Order one and try to eat it as a stunt if you like, or just hang out with some coffee and pancakes, no reason to make diner breakfast a stressful experience." - Harry Cheadle
"When Beth’s Cafe closed (at times seemingly for good) during COVID, it left a 12-egg omelet-sized hole in Seattle’s diner scene. After reopening with limited hours in 2023, Mason Reed (who also co-owns Tim’s Tavern) and Tim Crawley took over ownership in 2024. He made two important changes. First was reinstating the ultra late-night hours that Beth’s reputation has long been focused on (Beth’s is now open until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). He also made some subtle but impactful menu improvements. The coffee is now from Seven Coffee Roasters, there are more locally sourced ingredients, and more sauces are made from scratch. The menu, however, is still no-frills: You’re getting a big omelette (six eggs if you can’t handle 12) you’re getting some wonderfully crispy hash browns, and you’re going to like it." - Harry Cheadle
"On the side of Aurora as you drive through Green Lake, this battered, venerable diner has long been the north Seattle go-to for late-night eats: small, unpretentious, family-friendly, and for decades the place to go when you need to eat after midnight. Famous for massive 12-egg omelets — and even six-egg omelets and three-egg scrambles that are heavy on eggs — the restaurant goes through 15 to 20 cases of eggs a week; a case is 15 dozen eggs, so that means the restaurant cracks open upwards of 3,600 eggs a week, which averages to more than 500 per day. Co-owner Mason Reed (who took over last year) says the bird-flu–driven egg shortage has been devastating: the diner had been sourcing its eggs from Wilcox Farms but "lately we’ve had to branch out," and Reed and his team have been going to Costco and US Food’s Chef’Store and making calls to anywhere that might have eggs. "It’s been a juggling act," Reed says; "I feel like a drug dealer trying to find my source," he adds. The situation was compounded by a Washington law at the beginning of 2024 requiring all eggs sold in the state to be cage-free, which pushed the price per egg from 9 cents to about 27 cents (a case was around $40), and in the past few months case prices have jumped again to anywhere from $80 to $150 depending on the week: "It just is really turbulent," says Reed. Menu prices reflect those changes: the Triple Bypass 12-egg omelet (with bacon, sausage, ham, and two kinds of cheese) was $22.50 in 2020 (according to the Seattle Times), $34.95 when the diner reopened in 2023, and is now $41.95, and Reed says he’s raised prices twice since the start of 2024 to deal with the cage-free law and Seattle’s rising minimum wage. Reed says, "[The diner] is famous for their big omelets, it’s not something I want to get rid of," but he is contemplating more non-egg options (including tofu scrambles), smaller portions under $15, and efforts to keep "prices as low as possible." For now he’s found a more stable source — a California-based supplier called Alderwood Eggs — though he hesitates to promote it: "I don’t want to put it out there because I don’t want everyone to buy all my eggs." The diner still intends to offer $42 omelets for competitive eaters, but at its core aims to remain a place that serves affordable, filling food to families and working people." - Harry Cheadle
