Hot Cakes Capitol Hill

I really enjoyed this place! The staff were friendly and we got our food quickly. It was hard to pick just one option because almost everything sounded good. We went at about 10pm and there was plenty of seating available with indoors & outdoors options. The food was brought to our table on real dishes. I couldn't finish the whole cake so it was easy to grab a box and pack it up. You are asked to bus your own table which is fine. The food itself was fantastic! We got a strawberry matcha milkshake and the chocolate layer cake with ice cream. Good quality, good flavor, nice presentation. I would definitely go back and try other items on the menu. And just for context, I live outside the city and just come in for the occasional night out, so my impression of what's good in Seattle may differ from what a local thinks.

Ok here’s the thing, its for me easily the best dessert in Seattle, no doubt. But some of the staff at this location were kinda snappy (though Ive been to the Ballard location and they were insanely friendly) and the other huge thing that turns me away from giving 5 stars is the price! I get Seattle is expensive but wow! Around $16 for one small cake and scoop of ice cream? Either way, it’s insanely delicious and maybe the price is a good thing, keeps me from eating it every night.

One of the must-visit dessert spots in Seattle! The dark chocolate molten cake was absolutely delicious, and the brownie molten cake with vanilla ice cream was out of this world. The ambiance added to the experience, making it a great place to visit

The s’more cake was made perfectly.The marshmallow on top was gooey, chewy, and creamy.Plus it was crunchy. The chocolate layer cake was immensely soft and the best one I have ever eaten!

if i could give 0 stars, I would. I got a $13 dollars crème brûlée and it was not even filled up halfway, barely anything in the tiny container. Overpriced and the taste is not even worth the money :(

Hot Cakes in Capitol Hill, Seattle is an absolute must-visit for dessert lovers! We went there with family and tried the Gooey Brownie Molten Cake (vegan) and the Peanut Butter Molten Cake—both were incredibly delicious! The molten cakes were rich, decadent, and perfectly gooey on the inside, making every bite pure indulgence. Everyone in our group loved them! Also had matcha ice tea which is also perfect. Beyond the amazing desserts, the ambiance is fantastic. The place has a cozy and inviting vibe, making it a great spot to hang out and enjoy a sweet treat. The service was friendly and efficient, and despite being a popular spot, the wait time was reasonable. If you’re in Seattle and love chocolatey, warm, and gooey desserts, Hot Cakes is a must-try! Whether you’re a local or a visitor, it’s the perfect place to satisfy your sweet tooth. Highly recommend!

Cold weather and ice cream make for a perfect pairing. I stopped by Hot Cakes on a bustling Saturday night to pick up an order. Known for their indulgent chocolate cakes, I decided to try something different for takeout: the Blondie Sundae and the Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Pie. The Pumpkin Pie was a delightful choice—not overly sweet and perfectly complemented by a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. The Blondie Sundae, on the other hand, had a cookie-like base that leaned on the sweeter side, but the salted caramel topping brought it all together beautifully. The ambience inside looked inviting, and I’m already planning to return for a dine-in experience soon. As for the pickup, it was impressively fast—ready in under 5 minutes. The service here is top-notch!

Hot Cakes is a cozy spot with undeniably good desserts and coffee. Their molten chocolate cakes are rich, gooey, and indulgent, and the coffee pairs perfectly with the sweetness of their treats. The quality is solid, and the presentation is great. That being said, I don’t quite understand the hype. While the desserts are nice, they don’t feel groundbreaking, and the place can get quite crowded, which sometimes makes the experience less enjoyable. It’s still a great place to visit if you’re in the mood for something sweet and comforting.

Very cool and nice desert place. Service is awesome!! Staff friendly and helpful. Gave great recommendations. Recommend: their signature

As a lava cake lover, I wanted to like this place. Unfortunately, it misses the mark in many ways. The signature hot cake comes in ~6 flavor options each paired with vanilla ice cream. There's a vegan version which is cool. I got the dark decadence, which turned out to be small cake no more than 3" in diameter. The cake to lava ratio is way off, with thin layer of gummy cake (making the paper cup it comes in a big issue) surrounding an ocean of lava. The ice cream it comes with is generic and a bit watery. The cake's saving grace is its flavor, which is rich and satisfying. Unfortunately at the laughable price of $15.95 before tax/tip, this place is missing the mark in presentation and product. Otherwise, service was quick and friendly enough, and the Capitol Hill location is a typical pseudo-industrial space. If you end up here, I'd unfortunately advise again their signature item.

If you love rich, gooey chocolate desserts, Hot Cakes is an absolute must-visit! Every time I come here, I leave completely satisfied (and maybe a little sugar-high). Their signature Molten Chocolate Cakes are next-level--warm, fudgy, and perfectly gooey in the center. My favorite is the Dark Decadence--deep, rich chocolate flavor without being overly sweet. The Peanut Butter Cup version is also amazing if you love the chocolate-peanut butter combo. Beyond the cakes, their boozy milkshakes are a fun treat, and the Smoked Chocolate Chips add a unique twist to classic cookies. I also love that they have vegan and gluten-free options, so there's something for everyone. The atmosphere is cozy but can get really busy, especially on weekends--so be prepared for a wait. But trust me, it's worth it! If you're in Seattle and craving the ultimate chocolate indulgence, this is the place to go!

good but wayyy overpriced! you're eating just literal chocolate. also ran out of plates/cups and gave it to us in a paper cup for dine in? also $1.5 upcharge for vegan ice cream

We visited Seattle for an anniversary for a weekend. After dinner, we made a stop at hot cakes it was a great way to end the night. Both the lava cake and cookie with ice cream were delicious. It was a little pricey but what isn't these days, for the two desert, a beer and sparking water was about $55. During our visit, we saw someone wheeled out for an overdose and had a unhoused person talking nonsense loudly in the establishment that kind of made the ambiance and vibe a little weird lol, not knocking the the business for it, the staff handled it gracefully without disturbance.

Super cute place to stop in! Could be fun to go with friends or go solo and treat it like a cafe to get some work done. The hot cakes are delicious, but pretty rich and heavy, so would recommend splitting them with someone. If you want something lighter for one person, I'd recommend their other pastries and drinks! The cookies are awesome

I haven't been here for a couple years but I just recently went back for a little birthday treat and it was so much better than I remember! I ordered the chocolate decadence and it was oh oh so chocolatey and I loved every second of it. I mean, you really can't go wrong with a hot lava cake paired with vanilla ice cream. The toppings are a bonus, but every bite is perfectly balanced, between hot and cold, chocolate and vanilla, sweet and savory - it was all there and checks every box. Would hiiiighly recommend. I'm being sarcastic when I say how unfortunate it is that I work so close ;)

Came here for dessert on a very rainy evening with some friends, and was pleasantly surprised by the vibes and hot cakes! We ordered two molten cakes (dark decadence and strawberry) for 4 people, which turned out to be more than enough. The molten cake flavor describes both the cake and the ice cream, as there was strawberry jam in both the cake and the ice cream. Both flavors were tasty, and the ice cream paired very well with the cake. At a price of $14 per molten cake, however, it is a relatively expensive dessert. The inside had a decent amount of seating and a chill vibe! There was a self-serve water station and the bathrooms were clean, making this a nice hangout or study spot.

A late night out in Capitol Hill had us wandering into Hot Cakes as we followed its sweet, chocolate scent Their menu is filled with sweet treats, such as bread pudding, cookies, icecream and their famous molten lava cakes They also have savory items and drinks, like their grilled cheese and lattes! I was excited to try this spot for awhile now, but I was a bit disappointed after the first bite. The molten lava cakes were incredibly too sweet for my taste, but eating it with the icecream helped balance out the sweetness level. I am also unsure about the hygiene/cleanliness of having the cakes and icecream plated on reused wooden boards. I would advise on bringing either just yourself or a smaller group here, as the interior may look big, but there is not a lot of seating. There was a cozy fireplace in the corner outside where some people could sit at. Unfortunately, during my visit, the staff were not the most friendly and when I asked them for recommendations, we were only met with "just try anything". Overall, this spot was a disappointmet. It was a ~$16 small portion of icecream and overly sweet chocolate cake plated on a worn reused wood platter served by unfriendly staff.

Came here after dinner as my last visit here was a very very long time ago. Just as everywhere you go in Cap Hill, parking was a pain in the butt. Found a spot some few blocks away after driving around for a bit, We got the molten choco cake and a choco chip cookie. And then you will find yourself a table and they'll bake it fresh and bring it to you. Imo, I would love to have the molten chocolate cake a little less sugary and use dark chocolate since it's paired with vanilla ice cream as the pair just made it fairly intolerably sweet. Also I think it could use another minute in the oven because even after being served and taking photos, once we dug in, underneath the top layer is still very underdone. Even the sides around the ramekin is still very soft and not solidified to be considered a molten cake yet. For that, it's pretty small and quite pricey imo. Hence why my last visit was a very very long time ago. Also, you have to bus your own table afterwards.

Very rich, chocolatey dessert. Small portion, but it's rich so you're not planning on eating a lot anyway. Pretty pricy. You have to bus yourself, so all the tables - if you get one - are pretty dirty... Parking is difficult, so I recommend taking the bus or carpooling.

We have been to several locations and tried a variety of the offerings. It's always been constant and tasty. We enjoy the richness and unique flavors that are offered to go with the lava cake. This last visit, unfortunately the tables were not very clean. It looked like either folks were exceptionally messy that day or they weren't regularly attended too. I get it, it's a busy joint, but regular table cleaning is needed with things that are this ooy-gooy. If you want a desert, go for it. Think about sharing a single order, especially the molten cakes with ice cream, it's very rich and although doesn't look like a lot, it really is.

This place is so nice & cozy! I went on a Monday afternoon around 2pm so not very crowded at all. I like the seating options & it was very clean. Servers were professional & friendly. I got the decadence molten lava cake it's the first choice on the Menu. It's so RICH so be prepared! I think next time I'll get a second scoop of vanilla icecream bc the chocolate was oh so rich! I would definitely come back & recommend this place is someone wants a unique dessert late night! They serve boozy drinks aswell

One of the best molten cake in the town. If you have a sweet tooth and wanted to eat something like choco lava cake. This is the place for you. They have the amazing service with beautiful ambiance located in seatle.

A verrry cool molten cake dessert shop that also serves excellent chai tea lattes and coffee. Got the spumoni which was excellent and my cousin Van and his wife LJ got one of the layered cakes or snickerdoodle varieties. Chill environment that has a lot of seating, though a bit crowded, nice restrooms and prompt/accurate service. Highly recommended!

A great place to grab dessert if you love rich chocolate cakes! The creamy, cold ice cream pairs perfectly with the thick, decadent, gooey chocolate. Service was good but it's a bit hard to find parking!

What can I say that has not been said. Lively scene, delicious drinks, amazing desserts. Easy location too.

Went in on a weekday evening and the restaurant was relatively filled. The interior is super cute and nice. You order up front and bus your table after they bring it out to you. We ordered the smores hotcake. It was pretty good. This dessert is definitely on the heavier side so if you want a light sweet treat this is not for you. Overall good experience. Would come again if I am in the area!

I went here twice for the strawberry molten cake with vanilla ice cream. The cake is super rich and has a lot of the chocolate liquid filling with some strawberry jam! This is a good sweet treat if you want to try something new (and it opens until midnight), but a little pricey ($17) for a small portion.

This was good! I love the variety and service here. Lots of options, even for folks without a sweet tooth. I think my lava cake was undercooked. I was told that it would take 10-15 min but it only took 5 and as a result most of my cake wasn't cake at all, more like a thick chocolate sauce. I personally think chocolate lava cake should have some cake and some lava, if you know what I mean. That said, flavor profile was great and I'd be willing to try again!

Honestly ..... the most amazing lava cakes! They are better than the ones in mastros and those ones are made by angels. The service is very friendly and prompt. Amazing flavors and great location!

If dessert is what you're after head here. We went to the other location in Ballard and it was cute and quaint with great service. They have a great variety of molten cakes served with ice cream on the side with yummy toppings, amazing shakes and more. They also make desserts with alternative dairy, etc., which is a must in our family. Considering everything is made to order and the quality, the price is justified. Give this place a try and you won't be sorry.

I don't often get molten lava chocolate cake when I go out, but the one I had here was excellent. It was my first time here, so I needed some help with choosing between the six different molten cakes. The girl who was working at the counter was so unfriendly though - she was very impatient and rolled her eyes at my questions (even though there was no one behind me and the shop was empty other than a couple who sat waiting for their order). Once I finally ordered, she got back to her phone and to talking to her colleague, who seemed to be working more diligently. Weird service to receive on my birthday, but the cake was good, and I had some tea to go with it. I'd love to try some of their other offerings at some point, like sticky toffee pudding.

We stopped by here on a Wednesday rainy spring night after dinner at 10pm for desert, and it was packed! Luckily, there is plenty of seating. We ordered the S'mores molten cake. It comes with smoked chocolate, a roasted marshmallow, a graham cracker, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, in addition to the molten cake. The presentation is interesting, with the scoop of ice cream directly placed in the pit of a wooden board -- it looks like after you're done with the ice cream, you can grab some marbles and play Mancala! The molten cake was super chocolatey, with the interior filled with a vat of hot molten fudge. The cake is so decadent and rich that I found myself needing to eat a lot of the ice cream to balance it out, but there isn't enough ice cream to go with the entire cake. The ice cream scoop itself also is served with chocolate sauce, which exacerbates the chocolatey overload. The toasted marshmallow and graham cracker were a nice touch and made me feel like I was out in the wilderness at the campfire! Overall, the molten cakes are a satisfying desert, but unless you are a chocolate addict I feel like it needs additional ice cream to help counter all the chocolate cake, fudge, and sauce.

After year, I understand why Hot Cakes is always busy! The cakes are decadent as can be. I'm not a huge chocolate lover but I appreciate the variety offered across, dessert, savory, beverages, and more! My Strawberry Molten Lava Cake was more than amazing! I couldn't finish it, but the flavor was top tier.

I think this place is hyped up because of the location, the vibe, and the platting. It's really not that good. The biggest problem is that there's a massive amount of chocolate gooeyness inside the cake. I think it would make a lot more sense if the cake was just a cake, and they drizzled a little of the ganache on top, with some extra on the side. As it stands, whenever I take a bite of the cake I feel like I have to balance it with two bites of ice cream, and they don't give enough ice cream. But of course they can't make any of those changes because it would fundamentally alter the concept they've established for Hot Cakes. Anyway, I'm mainly writing this review for myself. I went to this place once and loved the vibe and everything, especially on a busy Saturday night, but I didn't like the food itself. Nine months later I came back, forgetting how I felt about the place. As soon as I took one bite I immediately remembered how much I didn't like it before.

The vegan cookie from hot cakes is simply not good. Very hard and dry and generally flavorless.

I came to hot cakes on a monday night close to 10pm and there was a line outside of the door!! We waited in line for maybe 10-15 minutes, but the sweets did come out really fast. We ordered the creme brûlée ($12), a lemon lavender sugar cookie, and a calamansi mule ($12). I thought everything tasted spot on!!! The creme brûlée was probably the softest and creamiest that i've had and it came with seasonal fruit on top. The cocktail was also refreshing and not strong at all which I liked! I will say the cookie was heavier on the lavender side and a bit salty but I liked it. I love the vibe of this place because getting a sweet treat feels like an experience. with that said I do not think the prices are justified (cookie and icecream for $14). I do think the sweets are a bit more elevated than other places but I didn't feel good about the price.

Choco lava cake - enough said! This cafe/bakery/ice cream parlour is styled very nice. It's cute and aesthetic, with plenty seating options. Their menu is not limited to molten cakes, but that's what we tried there. We got a gooey brownie cake and the Nordic spiced molten cake. Both the cakes were super rich and decadent. The were not too sweet or bitten, and paired very nicely with the cold vanilla ice cream and the toppings. A lovely treat to have. Any day.

Sweetest ending to our evening! Absolutely loved our smores hot cakes, we just wish there was more. Arrived at 9PM on a Saturday, the place was happening, and we waited in line for appx 20 mins. Worth the wait!

We got the warm cookies and ice cream ($13.95) with one chocolate chip and another salty peanut butter cookie. The cookies are extremely sweet and crumbly, making them a perfect compliment to the vanilla bean ice cream. Caramel was nice but definitely would have made the dessert too sweet. Polite staff and plentiful seating.

I would describe it as a perfect date spot where you can get a casual, cozy vibe with some hot cakes and ice cream. A perfect spot to enjoy a dessert after a sumptuous dinner. They also have some spots by the fire side and I love sitting by them and enjoying my warm, molten cake. I have many favorites but my absolute favorite is dark decadence. Service is fast but this place can be very crowded on weekends! Perfect for: date with some decadent desserts What is good: food, ambience What it is not: not a place for a leisurely date, as it is mostly crowded over weekends so please decide based on what you are looking for

I've been wanting to go here since I saw pictures but after seeing a lot of the reviews on yelp, I wasn't too sure about it. Happy to say I'm glad I finally tried it!! I went on a rainy Saturday night. There wasn't a long line when I got there, but I swear as soon as I sat down - the line quickly formed. I got the dark decadence and shared it with my partner. I love my dessert, but I had to give him the last bite because of how rich it was. The one we got was also a little underbaked. The ice cream balances out the richness, but I do wish I had more ice cream with it. The toffee tho! I lovedd it. I also got the chocolate chip cookie which they're able to serve warm. It was delicious! And i would get it again. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. The vibes and aesthetic of the place are great. They bring the order to you, but it's a bus your own table place. I would go back to try other items on the menu.

I just recently went here for a sweet treat after a meal and call me crazy but it was very disappointing. Molten cakes are runny yes but it was PURE batter, raw even. Nothing about eating this was appealing. For $17 the portions are extremely tiny and also, asking for a tip when you want me to bus my own table is also insane. Hater? Maybe. Just ridiculous to me.

Hot cakes in Cap Hill has decadent and delicious cakes. 1 cake is more than enough to split with another person. The cake came out warm and gooey and was perfectly complemented by the sweet, refreshing ice cream. The interior was very lovely and well decorated.

The chocolate decadence molten lava cake is really good, very sweet and rich. Getting one to share is plenty for 2 people. It comes with vanilla ice cream with caramel drizzle and toffee chips which is so good! Pretty expensive but the place is clean and nice staff!

The best apple crisp ever- amazing concept! Wish we had done again - would Love to try the molten cake

Incredible!! There was a consistent crowd while we were here, but still did not have to wait a long time for food to arrive. While it is a bit on the pricier side, I actually thought it was worth it. We got the peanut butter molten cake and it was so so so good. We just split one between two people after dinner and it was the perfect amount. I still think back to this dessert - that's how good it was. I loved that they had so many vegan options as well, and more to the menu than just molten cakes. We were just visiting WA, but I wish there was one where we are from!

The service was great and very friendly to the point that they can get you smiling. My friends who are Seattle locals introduced me to this place. The ambiance was quite nice and chill. It was well designed with many decors and there was an outdoor area to seat with friends. We ordered about 5 items. It was the monthly special molten cake, crème brûlée, warm s'mores cookie, honey latte and an americano. The special molten cake was okay. Maybe a 5/10.. it didn't really capture the taste that we were expecting. The ice cream was definitely the selling point. The crème brûlée was pretty good. Maybe 7/10.. the sugar on top wasn't as crunchy as it's supposed to be and it was kinda soft and chewy. Warm s'mores cookie was definitely the best item that we got. The overall taste of it was so good with the toppings and ice cream. It was a lot too for it's price. Honey latte was pretty and sweet. The americano is good for the coffee lovers.

Parking is difficult as this is in Capitol Hill. Wait time for molten cake was 10-15 minutes, which is reasonable since it's what you would expect when baking molten lava cakes. However, I was disappointed with the presentation and the biodegradable container that the molten cake is in. It's nice that they're using these type of containers, but traditionally molten lava cake is baked and/or served in a ceramic ramekin. I wanted to see the molten cake "ooze" of chocolate lava, but I get why this place is called Hot Cakes now. It's literally a hot cake inside a cup. It's too bad because I feel a lot of the cake gets wasted around the cup because it sticks to the container. :( The ice cream is served next to it on a wooden board, which I think is a waste of what could be a great presentation. Why don't they just flip the cake upside down and serve it on the wooden board with the ice cream?... Well now that I think about it, I wonder how porous the wooden board is and that hopefully it's clean after multiple uses. The good thing about the place is that they do offer water for free (self serve), and they do To-Go services. Another negative experience for us is that we ordered one of our To-Go cookies as the salted peanut butter cookie; but when we got home and tasted it, we realized it wasn't peanut butter. It was the ginger molasses cookie which were not a fan of in general.

A classic Cap Hill spot. Open late night, lines out the door, and warm, sweet aromas wafting out. They are most known, of course, for their "hot cakes", a warm chocolatey gooey lava cake with a scoop of ice cream on the side. It's very pricey at ~$16 each, but it's pretty heavy and can easily be shared by a group of 2 or even 4 people. It's well worth trying at least once, and always hits the spot! They have a variety of flavors and use fresh local ingredients (ex: Theo's chocolate). They also have other types of desserts, like brownies or crumbles (and seasonal options), along with savory stuff like grilled cheeses or soups. I've never ventured out to try those, but I'm sure they're good! This is a great place to hit up after dinner for some late-night, excellent dessert. Just be prepared to wait a bit!

Food (3.5/5): I'm not if hot cakes just cost a lot, but this was quite pricey. And it was not that great either--it was a little too sweet actually. I got the s'mores molten cake. Service (3.5/5): Order at the counter & they bring food to you. Nothing special. Ambience (3.75/5): The place was clean and sort of busy on a Sunday night.

Cookie was hard, ice cream doesn't taste great and paid $20 for all of it. Really disappointed

This place is great! The molten cake was delicious, and I was able to swap for vegan ice cream on the side. Everything inside was very clean. There were a decent amount of people there and our service was still great. We didn't have to wait long at all for our food.

My family and I were visiting Seattle. It happened to be my husband's birthday, and we were looking for a sweet treat after dinner. While scouring Yelp for places to go, we found Hot Cakes. He loves molton cakes, and we knew this is what he would want. So we got on the train and headed to the Capitol Hill location. The place was hopping! We opted to try 2 different cakes and my girls were excited to see the espresso martini on the menu (we tried to visit Starbucks Reserve however they closed early that day and they never got to try their drinks). The girls loved the martini, and the cakes were amazing! They even had smoked chocolate chips in the s'mores cake, and you could taste the smokey flavor. For 9:30 on a Sunday night, this place was packed, and everyone around seemed to be enjoying their desserts!

This place had been super hyped up to me and really our experience with just simply okay. Our molten cake was bitter, with a nice consistency and crunchy outer crust. Ice cream was delicious, but this is hot cakes, not ice scoops One hot cake can feed 2 people especially with the ice cream, unless sharing is not an option and I am understand that. Our whole order came out to over $30, which I felt was steep for the product quality being where it was. The signage on tables and counter didn't make me feel welcomed. Maybe it was a bad night for hot cakes.

Hotcakes came across as an extremely bustling cafe. They mainly feature lava cakes with ice cream. We tried the chocolate and the strawberry ones. They were pretty okay for the price tag and the wait time. Was definitely expecting more flavor or even fresh fruit for the strawberry option. While the ambience was nice, the food didn't live up to our expectations.

I'm almost mad that I went here during my visit from Cali and I wish we had one of these near me (Long Beach just in case the owner reads this - hint hint). I bake a lot and I can appreciate good quality ingredients and this place bakes like it's in a home kitchen. For the price, it was worth it to me. I love molten cakes + ice cream but I got the Salted Egg Yolk cake instead. It wasn't just sugary, it had the saltiness that gave it flavors like a home kitchen. When I say it was good I mean it. Service was great. I hope they never change their menu or recipes because I really can't think of anyway to make it better. Geesh I wish this place was in California!!! I should subtract 2 stars for that LOL!

We came here for dessert after dinner on a Wednesday night and this place was packed! We made our orders and were lucky enough to find a table. The molten cakes were so decadent, rich, and chocaltey! The ice cream helped and made such a sweet pairing. With one scoop of ice cream we finished that before the molten cake as it was so decadent. We also tried the bread pudding which was really nice if you're not in the mood for chocolate.