The Wayland Mill
Restaurant · Wallingford ·
Japanese-American bistro serving unique breakfast, lunch, & pies
Japanese-American bistro serving unique breakfast, lunch, & pies
"An all-purpose Northlake hangout inspired by yoshoku, it delivers spectacular food morning to night. Breakfast brings flaky biscuits in surprisingly delicate miso-pork gravy; lunch features a St. Paul sandwich with a perky tamago egg patty and herby slaw, a nod to owner Yasuaki Saito’s Midwestern Japanese American heritage; and dinner hits with karaage-style fried chicken slathered with creamy Buffalo sauce. It’s an all-day cafe you really want to spend all day in." - Harry Cheadle
"A chilled-out, all-day cafe next to the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle’s sleepy Northlake neighborhood, this yoshoku-influenced spot serves exceptional pastries and light dishes in the tradition of Japanese food with Western influences. The peanut butter chocolate icebox pie isn’t always available—the menu rotates quite a bit—but if it’s here, get it: you don’t want to miss the delightfully light and fluffy filling, the sufficiently sturdy graham cracker–esque crust, and candied peanuts that are roasted and rich but not too sweet. Biscuits and gravy, usually heavy, arrive as a small plate; the biscuits are flaky and even a bit dainty—some of the best in Seattle—and the miso-chasu gravy, with strong soy sauce notes, is loaded with umami. The Wayland Mill defies categorization: you can have full meals (dinner service started a few months after opening), but the small portions and creative baked goods (miso-honey cookies, hojicha caneles) make it sort of a coffee shop. It hasn’t attracted a big laptop crowd, yet there’s wifi and it’s an ideal remote work spot—quiet, a variety of snack-sized dishes, and reliable coffee. It got a lot of hype when it opened in the summer of 2025 because it’s owned by Yasuaki Saito, and on weekends—especially sunny ones—the line often snakes out the door and onto the patio, so come on a weekday when it’s more chill." - Harry Cheadle
"From the team behind popular bakery Saint Bread comes The Wayland Mill, an airy all-day cafe in Northlake specializing in the art of Japanese breakfast. That means springy tamago omelettes, deep-dark miso soup, and a sesame-slicked pea shoot salad we’d destroy by the bucketful. But you’re really here for pie. It’s a tough decision between the shoyu-salted peanut butter icebox, or a key lime stand-in featuring sudachi custard—both are already contenders for the city’s finest slices. Dinner is in the works, too, but in the meantime, we’ll be hanging out by the water for 2pm pie breaks." - aimee rizzo, gabe guarente, kayla sager riley, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, gabe guarente, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, gabe guarente, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo
"This highly anticipated spot from the team behind Saint Bread and Hinoki is located not far from either, and specializes in Japanese-American dishes. Here you'll find things like tamago omelettes, bacon-scallion scones zapped with ginger, and peanut butter shoyu pie. Right now, the flashy new Northlake space is open from 8am-3pm, Wednesday through Saturday." - kayla sager riley, gabe guarente, aimee rizzo
"A new cafe and restaurant from Yasuaki Saito currently in soft-open mode serving breakfast and baked goods; the peanut butter pie is already a standout—reminiscent of an upscale Reese’s-style dessert with peanut butter and chocolate notes. The filling stays light and fluffy while a sesame-chocolate crust provides heft, and the whipped cream is topped with gently roasted, caramel-coated nuts that add crunch without excessive sweetness." - Harry Cheadle