Marie B.
Yelp
Neighborhood Cafe with locations in Tukwila & Redmond had been bookmarked. They also have a kiosk spot at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. After a work meeting in Redmond, I decided to stop in their newest spot before picking up 520W & I-5N to head home (6/6/24).
I ended up finding nearby street parking adjacent to a city park. I'm glad I had stopped in before 12noon, because there's limited indoor table & counter seating. There's some outdoor sidewalk seating too.
Half an hour later there was a bit of a line in this cramped L-shaped cafe with limited seating availability. Folks coming in with luggage on wheels and baby stroller, made it even more cramped.
For this first visit, I ordered the Coffee Flight ($18.95). Note: this only available iced and for dine-in. Nice presentation of the scaled down beverages: mint mojito coffee, black sesame latte, ube brulee (torched tableside), and pandan iced coffee.
First one is a pass, too much muddled mint. Second one, prefer the version at Aroom in Seattle/Fremont instead. The latter two were preferred, however, the coffee flavor was too dilute and overall leaning on the sweeter side.
I also ordered and received first, the Longanisa Smash ($14.99). It was a sweet sausage patty, topped with melty cheese & yolky sunnyside up egg , and encased in a toasted pan de sal. The accompanying pickled red onion and bitter greens were nice foil to its richness! I appreciated the flatware and napkins provided.
It was a decent first meal of the day, however, it was a 3.5 experience rounded to a 4 for me. Kind of pricey too. Remember to bus one's table, which was precarious weaving through the jammed entrance. With tax & tip, this visit was under $43! There are other spots in Redmond where one could have stretched one's culinary dollars further.
Glad to check out Neighborhood Cafe and support an indie Filipino inspired business.