4. Restaurants

Brown Bag Cafe

12217 NE 116th St, Kirkland, WA, 98034
  • (425) 822-9462
  • Store is closed

Brown Bag Cafe Menu

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Visit below restaurant in Kirkland for healthy meals suggestion.

Denny’s ( 12106 NE 124th St )
Einstein Bros Bagels ( 320 Park Pl Ctr )

Visit below restaurant in Kirkland for healthy meals suggestion.

Denny’s ( 12106 NE 124th St )
Einstein Bros Bagels ( 320 Park Pl Ctr )

  • Emily L.

    We ordered breakfast and our food was just ok. A little pricey, and some of our food was over done, while others were underdone, we asked for crispy crunchy hash browns and got greasy soggy ones, and the steak was hard to chew through, and the eggs were supposed to be over medium but they came really runny. Plus the portions they served us were on the smaller side. Not worth it for the price and long wait to be seated. Plus everything was pretty bland. We won't be coming back.

    (2)

  • Bridget F.

    We really wanted to like this place, but it just wasn't good. I'm not a service snob, but it was definitely.....odd.....we showed up and waited to be seated,were ignored and others who showed up after us were seated before us. During the middle of our meal we were asked if we were still using our sugar by the waitress. Ummm, yes? We're drinking coffee. I guess they didn't have enough for all the tables? Food was bad. Like as is inedible. We ordered the farmers omelet and eggs benedict. Omelet was chewy and thin...lacking the classic omelet "fluff". The butter that was served with the buttermilk biscuit tasted like freezer burn. The eggs benedict was HORRENDOUS. absolutely discusting. It's served on a croissant, sounded good. But the croissant dough tasted like it was fermented. The eggs were completely raw with clear egg whites and the benedict sauce was the worst part. It was curdeled and oily. Absolutely disgusting. Tasted nothing like the "creamy rich" holandaise sauce they described. Food was served with fruit...my grapes were moldy. We will not be returing.

    (1)

  • Josh L.

    Huge portions. Good prices. Comfortable setting had to wait 30 minutes, but that's the only knock on this place is that it's busy, and for good reason. Supposedly a lot of former and current seahawks come in to eat here. For example, I saw Marcus Trufant eating breakfast there just last weekend. Minus the wait to get into this place, I'm giving this place 5 stars. Easiest decision I've made all day.

    (5)

  • Jerry M.

    Breakfast quesadilla is bomb!!!! Will feed three people and topped with avocado. Never had a bad breakfast here

    (4)

  • N V.

    I don't understand the hype, we went once on weekend and the wait time was over an hour. I decided to go on a weekday and tried a few things. The only good thing I can think of might be the quantity. Everything I tried here was below mediocre. No taste at all whatsoever; even the coffee was bad. I don't know how someone could screw up coffee but oh well!

    (2)

  • Nick J.

    Great breakfast place, but if you come here on the weekend, you'll likely be waiting at least 45 minutes to get a table. And then you'll probably be waiting another 30 minutes after you order to receive your meal. Fortunately for the Brown Bag Cafe, their incredibly good food makes up for those wait times. The portions are also massive. You'll probably need a box for leftovers. Expect to eat very close to your neighbors, as they try to squeeze in as many people as possible. Not claustrophobic, but not exactly comfortable. 4/5 from me.

    (4)

  • Chris K.

    Shari's needs to thank these people. The reason I say that is because whenever the line is too long I go right next door to Shari's. Which by the way ISN'T a bad breakfast place. This place is always busy on the weekends. For a good reason. The food is spectacular. The portions are huge and the plating is beautiful. Definitely the best breakfast place in Kirkland in my opinion. No matter how busy it is the staff are always friendly and patient. If you are in the area during the week when it is slower, check it out.

    (5)

  • Curtis L.

    Ehhhh. Let me preface this review by saying that parking is a total pain! Even though the restaurant has a dedicated parking lot, there is not enough parking for the LARGE crowd that come here. So get here early, especially for a chance of getting seated. What was the first thing that I noticed...uhhh the portion sizes. The portion size is humungous! i ordered the corned beef hash, half expecting it to be the stuff from the can, but to my surprise, they made a homemade version coupling ham and potato hash. Although, the portion of corned beef hash was enough to last me for the next 2 breakfasts, I wasn't impressed with the flavor of the dish. It was a 2 flavor dish. Potato flavor--dry I might add. And meaty. Not two of my favorite flavors. I've ordered this dish a handful of times, and expect it to be hearty, but I don't usually expect a heart attack followed by choking on dried food. A note...the wait staff was nice and welcoming. I give this visit up to offbeat luck, but lean towards this restaurant needing refinement. I'll probably try this place one more time and see if it checks out better with another dish. All in all, I was not impressed with the flavor and was turned off by the amount of food piled in front of me.

    (2)

  • Jeff C.

    I love brunch... and this place will give you your money worth!!! For 12 bucks you will be extremely full and satisfied! We ordered the smoked salmon croissant benedict and banana pecan pancake! The benedict came w hash brown and fruit. The croissant differently made this dish special... it's a little mushy but I think it goes well overall. The hash brown is pretty good, I wouldn't say it's the best ever but pretty well done. Overall, the service is great and good is decent. It's great for family and big gathering. They also have outdoor seating but it was a little hot to seat outside today (86 degrees). I would come back and would like to try the cinnamon roll French toasts.

    (3)

  • AC H.

    OMG, you get soooooo much food here and it is great. A great breakfast spot to take family/friends that are visting. Go here with a hefty appetite. Prices are reasonable as well

    (5)

  • Joey K.

    Reallly big plates of food. I paid a pretty average price that I would pay at any other seat down expect the amount of food was a lot and that's pretty good considering I love to eat a lot lol I really recommend this place

    (5)

  • Mister W.

    Unpretentious and delicious with huge portions. This is my favorite place to breakfast on the eastside. Every order is what I like to call "Trucker Sized," often literally overflowing the already large plates. These are not portions for dainty nibblers. Normal eaters can expect to bring home a whole second meal off one order. The staff is always happy and, even when they're ridiculously busy, there's always someone around to offer you a refill and check on your satisfaction with the meal. The decor is far from chic, but it's also as no-nonsense as the food. There's nothing bad on the breakfast menu, which spans simple eggs all the way to gloriously mountainous sausage plates. I can't speak to the lunch menu, but it, too, is available at all hours.

    (5)

  • Mark Y.

    Pro: huge portions, decent taste, close by, decent price Con: quality is meh, wait is usually long They really should drop the portion size slightly and up the quality of ingredients and flavor....

    (3)

  • Brian H.

    Food was great! Portions are huge! We were a little disappointed with the service, not so much the server but it took forever to get our food and then when it arrived one of the two eggs on my wife's plate was sunny side up as opposed to over med as she had requested. It was then suggested that she just bring us more eggs and leave the mistake in our plate. The situation was rectified and we enjoyed our meal, we will try it again soon.

    (3)

  • Ya R.

    One thing I will say is that we waited a bit longer than I had hoped to, but when i got the food, I realized why we had to wait. The portions were humongous! Plus the food was great, I ordered a Diablo omellet, holy crap it was delicious, this was the first time I had ever been to Kirkland, but if I ever make it back, I'm definitely visiting again.

    (5)

  • Mojdeh S.

    How I heard of this place: I first walked by the Brown Bag Cafe when I was living in Redmond and felt the desire to try the quaint establishment, set in a house in the middle of town. When I first set a time to try it, I found it to have shut down and the space was for lease. I found that the restaurant also exists in Kirkland so made a point to try it on my next brunch outing with friends. This was my second time at the Cafe. Type of cuisine: Small town, diner food at it's best. Large portions which can take you through a minimum of two meals, often four! Ambiance: Large, open space with 1950s appliances, wooden crates and trinkets used as decor. Wooden tables and chairs surround the space in pairs, fours as well as seating for larger parties. Windows can be found around the perimeter of the restaurant, where most diners are seated. The average age of diners is probably closer to 50 years. What I ordered: Having had one of their skillets (and a pancake) the last time, I had to relive the delicious experience and opted for the spinach, Swiss & bacon skillet ($11.95): fresh steamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms, mixed with crispy real bacon bits and topped with lots of melted Swiss cheese, served over scrambled eggs and a huge mound of hash browns, with a side of homemade English muffins, buttered. My dining companion wanted to sample a lunch dish because he had tried the Brown Bag breakfast items in the past. After hearing suggestions from our server, he went with her favorite: the Reuben ($10.99). Homemade light, caraway rye grilled with loads of sauerkraut, lean corned-beef and tangy Swiss cheese. What I loved: I loved my skillet! The extra cheese atop a large helping of hash browns and fresh sauteed vegetables...Delicious. Why I loved it: I love the huge portions that can take me days to finish! I love the generous helpings of cheese on each dish. I love the down-home comfort and goodness of the food and the ambiance. Cost: Average ($8-$12 for each Texas-sized entree)

    (4)

  • Mark R.

    Incredible food and service. I just finished going for breakfast for the first time and had the French toast. It was made with 1 very large slice of bread cut into 2 triangles. It hit the spot. Being it was 6:30 AM I didn't want an overly bubbly server or loud atmosphere. This place was perfect. Their orange juice is fresh squeezed too which I loved because I don't like OJ from concentrate.

    (5)

  • Brandon M.

    The Monte Cristo sandwich here is the best I've ever had. Loved the food and wait staff were beautiful and friendly. Next time I'm in Kirkland, I will be going back.

    (5)

  • Michael A.

    I give this place 4 stars for what it is. It's a diner with food served by the pound. Each plate can be split between a small army, but you should definitely order your own, see how far you can get before you brain screams 'stop!', and your heart just stops. Plenty of options and the people watching is a guaranteed good time.

    (4)

  • Jermey E.

    Great breakfast place. Amazing omelets!

    (5)

  • Ziad H.

    They need to fix the quality of their food really fast; otherwise they will lost all their customers.

    (1)

  • Ryan c.

    They go out of their way to make you feel unwelcome. On my first visit, I naively asked to substitute some non-meat item for a side of sausage (included in the price). The girl at the cash register told me flatly NO, and when pressed explained that the "reason" she couldn't let me substitute was because that "wasn't the next question" in the cash register. Confronted by this absurd response, I asked to speak with a manager. The manager came out angry, seeming eager to pick a fight. Before she had a chance, and before I had a chance to pose my question, the owner got into the mix. After lecturing me about the time and work that goes into their hash browns, the only option he gave me was to substitute bacon for the sausage. He didn't offer any fruit or bread alternative -- any non-meat alternative -- and didn't offer a discount. I decided to go ahead and order anyway. The food was good enough that we decided to give them a second chance -- maybe they were just having a bad day, before. So today I tried to place a "to go" order over the phone, intending to drive up from Bellevue, and pick up my order without having to wait. The girl on the phone told me in a dismissive tone that they weren't taking any to go orders. I pointed out that if she let me order to go, I wouldn't have to take up space in their tiny parking lot, or their waiting area. She wasn't interested. She offered to ask the manager for me, and when I said, "yes, please do," she replied that she had just asked, and the manager said no -- but clearly she did NOT ask. And did not care. And was not interested. When I called just now to let them know the reason why we won't be coming back, I was not alllowed to speak to a manager, and told that I should instead email the owner. I said, "that's OK, if you're not interested, I can just post on Yelp." And the girl answered, "No, you can email our owner." She actually had the nerve to argue with me right down to the bitter end. There are other places to go on the eastside for a good breakfast. NO breakfast is worth being subjected to this kind of disrespect.

    (1)

  • Elad B.

    Amazing food u got to try this place got one off the best food in this area you really need to come and check it out

    (5)

  • Kevin S.

    I ate here few weeks ago with a friend of mine. We were at the Hyundai dealership pretty early....and the only other option was Shari's right next door (no thank you). This is one of those restaurants with GIGANTIC portions so come with an appetite. Literally everyone in the restaurant had to-go boxes when they left. I can't decide if I think this is a good business model or not. Anyway, the food is good. Nothing out-of-this-world amazing but I can guarantee it's better than Shari's. Staff is friendly, coffee is decent and refilled often. Homemade Cinnamon Rolls looked delicious but we didn't try one.

    (4)

  • Petya K.

    Stay away from this place people. If you would like to wait 1 hour to be seated and another 2 hours for you food this is the best place..Service was horrible. I been here so many times and have left happy but this last time was just so disappointing.

    (1)

  • Tish D.

    Decent place! Food's not A+, but it's at least a solid B. The hashbrowns are unique enough that I actually care about eating them. It's true that there is often a line, but I was very impressed by how quickly that line moved. The portions are huge. I can easily get 3 solid meals out of one breakfast.

    (4)

  • Crystal C.

    I used to love the Brown Bag and brought everyone I know there. I put up with the bad parking and long waits because that's a sign of a great place. But today is the last time I will be going. After being seated and ordered immediately because we knew what we wanted, one breakfast that we were splitting so not even a complicated order...we waited 40 minutes for our food. When the lady next to us got an order to go she ordered after us and after she was eating. When we asked about our food our waitress said "oh that's because I expedited it for her"...wow. And when our food finally did come, the eggs were barely cooked and the potatoes basically raw. Our waitress response was "yeah those are watery want us to re do them?" Instead we left, without eating because I wasn't waiting another 45 minutes.

    (1)

  • Lee T.

    This place is just OK. If you're a guy, it's the place to go. It's like the Hooters of breakfast places, except they wear yoga pants instead of tight tops. This becomes very apparent when you look around and see that 99.9% of the customers are drooling men. If you're female, be prepared to wait awhile for service, have eyes rolled at you, and generally just pay for someone to act like you shouldn't be there. The food is greasy and bland for the most part. The cinnamon rolls turned French toast, were the best part, but even that was just ok. They definitely put more effort into their hiring practices than they do on food. Even the coffee is absolutely terrible. I bet if you're hungover, it's a great place to go though.

    (2)

  • Monica G.

    Delicious, well priced and in wonderful big portions for a full second meal of leftovers... This place is super!!!!

    (5)

  • Lance C.

    Over priced, lacking flavor and service sucks. Do I really need to write a long review for that? I think it's self explanatory don't you?

    (1)

  • Lauren D.

    Stupidly huge portions, but despite the size, the quality of the food isn't that great. I wouldn't say this restaurant is any more or less expensive than its competitors, but there are better places (Couzin's Cafe comes to mind). I live 5 minutes away from here, so when I'm in the mood for something filling, I'll stop by here--I always regret it, though. The service is generally inattentive, the seats & tables can be uncomfortable, and the long wait to get your food combined with the long wait time to even sit down at a table can lead to frustrations. Coming here on the weekends is absolutely disastrous; be wary!

    (3)

  • John R.

    Very good food at a value. Great breakfast menu. We had lunch here. Wife had the spicy chicken quesadilla which was spicy and enough for a small village. I had the Specialty Sausage and Eggs with a choice of 5 types of sausages. The biscuits are large and home made. The cream of mushroom soup was outstanding. Service is also very good

    (5)

  • Matt S.

    This place is usually good though service quality varies quite a bit. They are not well staffed during the week. We went here on a late Thursday morning and food, ordering, and coffee refills took forever! Service was much slower than the weekends despite the small crowd of customers. They also don't offer gluten free bread which is too bad, it's such an easy thing to add to a menu and they are behind the times on that front.

    (3)

  • Dubs Y.

    Very good service and lots of food. Got seated quick then I did 6 months ago. They are usually very buzy. very satisfied today. I'll be back soon. Lot of babies and small children. They have a notice on the menu no cell phones. I just hate it when your eating someone is talking very and everyone hears the conversation. The waitress ask them very nicely to stop talking or to go outside. Thank you

    (5)

  • Suzanne H.

    Meh, not a big fan. The food is ok, portion sizes are ridiculously HUGE, and every time I have eaten here, I have spent hours afterwards feeling sick to my stomach. Parking is bad, service is so-so and the wait time is not worth it, IMO. This was good years ago for hangover food, but now, not so much.

    (2)

  • Aaron S.

    Came in at 10 on a sunday morning, party of seven. Wait wasnt too bad, maybe 25 minutes. Would have been shorter if we had a smaller party. If you ever need egregious amounts of food on your plate, this is the place to come. Even the kids meal is fit to feed a linebacker. Despite the quantity, the food is somewhat average, with the exception of any baked good. I could eat an entire loaf of their sourdough. I got the breakfast quesadilla, which was pretty standard but perfect for my post-st. Patrick's day grogginess.

    (3)

  • G G.

    This is my all time favorite breakfast place. The best in the city in my opinion. Large portions, fresh bread made on site, good service.

    (5)

  • Julian G.

    The "oversize" you are getting, is what is cheep to produce - potatoes, bread and pancakes. Neither of which were worth mentioning. I would rather go someplace where they offered me smaller portions where the food was actually good.. Mind you, the food wasnt bad... Just think crappy diner food with out the diner. Nothing creative, nothing worth mentioning. Take away the filler (potatoes, bread and pancakes) and you feel like you didnt get much of anything for your money. I actually left this place hungry... I dont want to eat a 2 pounds of pancake and a pound of potatoes! - YUCK

    (1)

  • Stella R.

    I usually don't go out to eat for breakfast, and if I do, usually it's at Denny's. This place however really blew my mind. The whole building feels really home-ey, even if they do have a crazy amount of decor. The food is amazing, but they have giant servings. I suggest either you have a huge appetite with room to fit all your food in or share with someone else, I'd be amazed if you could finish a whole plate. What really struck me as a different vibe was that when your waiter brought your receipt, they wouldn't stand there and just rush you out, you can sit there for awhile more just to talk or relax. This is really uncommon here and I'm glad there's somewhere that isn't like more restaurants or diners that just quickly bring you food then rush you out after you've finished. It's nice for families that want to go out to spend some time together, it's a really great place.

    (5)

  • Kyla C.

    We went here for breakfast and the portions are gigantic!! I got a "short stack" of blueberry pancakes and could only finish half of them but they were really good and filled with lots of blueberries. I also got a side of bacon which was thick and crisp and delicious. Be ready to stuff your face when you come here, either that or you'll have lots of leftovers for the next day! The carpet could definitely use a cleaning but this is a no-fuss kind of place. Their home baked goods by the check out register looked awesome so i will be back to grab a pack of those english muffins!

    (4)

  • Robert V.

    The Brown Bag is warm, cozy and has great staff, but having heard it built up as being amazing, I was a little bumbed. My corned beef omlette was good and the toast was nice cuz it was so thick, but I wouldn't shout my love from the rooftops. The service was a plus and the staff was very attentive. Nobody was in need of coffee or water the whole time. As far as the mood goes, I think I heard Warm 106.9 playing as I looked around and observed the campy country decor. Nothing struck me as cool except for our waitress. I guess, had I heard nothing of the Brown Bag Cafe before I went there, I could see myself giving it four stars based on service alone, but besides that, nothing really stood out to me. It was a good breakfast, but I'm definetly not going out of my way to go there again.

    (3)

  • Tiger W.

    Disregard what Riss J. said. Size matters. Always. Went here on my most recent trip back to Seattle. Food was good (other than the hashbrowns, which didn't impress me much... thus the -1 star)... Waitress was ok, but a bit surly... hostess was much more cheerful. Chicken fried steak came out well. Would order again, for sure.

    (4)

  • Chris C.

    A good place if you feel like a nice full breakfast. Probably better for the fact there are not many good breakfast places around. The service is decent most of the time and the food is good. It can be a bit crowded, even more so because they jam more tables in there than should be allowed. They do have a few unique things like their corned beef hash with full sized cubes of corned beef instead of shredded tiny. Unlimited toast which is really good bread. Not somewhere I'd go every week, but worth it for a decent breakfast now and then.

    (3)

  • Elliotte B.

    I've been going here for years and have never had a bad experience. The staff is always extremely nice, competent, attractive, and runs the restaurant impressively even during the most busy weekend brunches. The food is amazing, the menu is lengthy, and the portions are huge for a cheap price, and breakfast is served the whole time they're open. This is a top notch spot for breakfast or lunch. My two complaints are silly but would be greatly appreciated if changed; -Brown Bag has amazing sweet and spicy BBQ sauce they make themselves, they need to bottle it and sell it because I love BBQ sauce and their stuff is one of the best -If they were open 24/7 they'd easily run the Sharis and Dennys out of business, but would be THE ULTIMATE place to relax and sober up after a night out. I'm often a patron of the Shari's next door after a late night, and I always think as I pass "damn I wish Brown Bag was open!!!"

    (5)

  • Hing P.

    Brown Bag has great food, and HUGE portions!!! It's an excellent way to start the day with a hearty breakfast...then lunch...then dinner! That's how big the portions are. I even went there with a friend, and we asked them to split one meal, but I don't think they cut down the portions. Presentation doesn't mean too much here. You might think that things are just randomly set on your place, but that's just because there is so much of. And it's definitely not meant to be elegant looking. Just fulfilling! The place does have that traditional "mountain" feel inside. But, pretty spacious. The service is good as well. I would definitely recomment if you in the mood for lots of food plopped down right in front of you.

    (4)

  • Sarah K.

    i had come here about three years ago, and ever since i've been meaning to go! (don't ask why it took me this long...) anywhooo, i dragged my guy friends here remembering it's big portions! I got the Egg Benedict with salmon on croissant and it was delicious! the sauce was a bit too much so i scraped some off, but it was still great for dipping my croissant in! overall, i really wish i got a cinnamon roll (...had an eye on the display on the way out)! well, i guess that just means i need to go back :)

    (4)

  • Victoria J.

    I have been going to Brown Bag for years now. There is always a wait, but for good reason. The rumors are true, they have some of the largest meal portions ever. Be prepared to loosen your belt up or doggie-bag at least half of your meal home. The bacon is to die for and I recommend the English muffin above all of their toast options. They also always seem to employ the happiest and cutest gals too, so it's nice to go in and see their smiling, happy faces, especially Courtney!

    (5)

  • Oof J.

    I would have given it less stars but the hashbrowns are some of the best Ive ever had. Of course its all I ate when I was there. With that being said, dont EVER get the chicken fried steak. It was actually the most gross CFS Ive ever eaten. Question: Why batter and deep fry THEN throw it on the griddle? Im guessing they make a batch of them then just heat it up when ordered. It was tough and tasted like cardboard. Horrific. It also took way too long to receive our drinks and food. Was there for almost an hour before getting my entree. I dont think Ill ever step foot in that place again.

    (2)

  • Beth B.

    Such a sad breakfast. I was ready to love this place. Seriously. They aren't far way from where I live, they get pretty good reviews, and I love crazy big diner food! I ended up ordering the eggs benedict with cheese and onion hash browns and when it finally hit the table...oh jeebus. Number one, the hash browns took up half the plate so they tried squeezing the eggs benedict on the other side along with the fresh fruit. Well it was obviously way too much food for one plate so the hollandaise sauce was literally dripping off the side of my plate on to the table. The sauce had already started to separate as well making it look like runny, yellow fat. Yum. My poor fruit had been contaminated by the buttery goo and I ended up needing to ask for extra napkins to try and wipe off the hollandaise- but to no avail, so there sat a pile of greasy fruit on a napkin in front of me. My waitress tried to ask if I needed a second side plate and honestly I just wanted to tell her that this shouldn't be an issue. I understand this isn't "sissy" food, but there is no excuse for sloppy food. Instead I politely declined since a dish didn't need to be dirtied just so my inedible fruit could sit on the table. To say I was pissed was an understatement. And of course when you are mad it's rare the food redeems itself much. The benedict was sub par, the hash browns themselves were without much flavor, even with the cheese and onions so I ended up adding lots of salt, pepper, and hot sauce. And then the check came. $14.50. Granted- I had taken a chance and ordered one of the pricier menu items, and I did get the extra cheese and onions...but really? If this had been a delicious meal- done, with a nice tip for the waitress (she got a tip anyway). But for this, blech. There's really no excuse for a regular menu item to be crappy- if you can't make a decent eggs benedict, don't serve it and stick to pancakes and such. I don't plan on stopping back in any time soon.

    (2)

  • Debra N.

    While the food here is decent, the wait times for getting a table and getting your food are horrible. I've been here twice in the past 2 weeks, both times had to wait about 20 mins for a table and nearly 30 mins to get our food. On my second visit, when the server finally brought the food to the table, I said "Wow, that took an unbelievably long time", and the server just shot me a dirty look and didn't even bother to apologize or anything. I will not be going back to Brown Bag Cafe.

    (2)

  • Tim H.

    I am conflicted with this place. It offers both the best and worst about America. First, the best. American breakfast is glorious. Eggs, potatoes, hollandaise, biscuits, cinnamon rolls-- you name it, they got it. Personally, I like the specials and the corned beef hash the most. Country fried steak is also remarkable. I have a slight issue with the portion size-- too much food! They pride themselves on the trucker style portion size and it is truly beyond ridiculous. If you finish a plate of food-- the food coma will come and it will come hard. I am a big eater-- I dont like to be, but I always think of the people starving who would love a plate of this and stuff my face. It's just totally unnecessary to serve so much food on the plate-- preloading that many calories isnt a good idea.. but this is America! Let us stuff our faces for $10.95!! But, srsly, you should go here and get some! Just dont be shocked with they drop 5 pounds of glory on your table.

    (3)

  • Eugene O.

    It's got all of the dishes (countless American breakfasts that you have come to know and love) that can feed King Kong, and the services and prices to make this worthy of a visit. Beware: the wait is going to be long, parking is going to make you cuss up a storm and your mouth is going to water staring at your neighboring table's food while you're waiting for yours. But if you're a smart civilian like me, you'll show up earlier than planned, park a block or two down the street and won't mind standing in the waiting area for 15-30 mins. And if you're even smarter, you'll order one breakfast instead of two because this place provides guerilla-size portions (capable of feeding a family).

    (4)

  • Chris H.

    This place is epic. If you don't like it then you obviously were dropped on your head as a kid. The portions are out of control (take 'em home!) and everything is fresh and delicious.

    (5)

  • J. A. C.

    The concept of a brown bag makes me think of taking my lunch to school. If I took these portions to school, I'd have a sore arm from carrying it and be the fat kid that always gets picked on. Oh...and they serve some pretty decadent breakfast entrees (i.e. Cinnanmon Roll French Toast covered in powdered sugar). The service was great (and the girls unusually blonde, young, and large breasted). The food is yummy. The decor is a throw back to all the kitchens I've been in in suburban [insert New England city here]. Just a bit too country for my liking, that's for sure. I walked in being hungry, but I left with diabetes (okay, not really, but it is just that darn good IMHO).

    (5)

  • Raleigh C.

    You get more than you can believe. Quality, service and price are the best.

    (5)

  • Riss J.

    Once upon a time, someone mentioned we should go here, thank GOD we ended up on Camano Island instead. Had i stuck with that original diversionary tactic of the day, I may never have ended up here. But when a different party suggested this as a meeting place, I failed to conjur up any alternatives in my mind. *blarg* Wholly unimpressed with everything. The "faux-tique" decor, the surly and absent minded service, the flavor, the selection, etc. This was nothing more than a Denny's with it's head lodged firmly up it's ass. A last observation I think it's important to impart. and I don't care WTF you read/heard/said, It's high time ya'll realize that in the long run SIZE DOES NOT MATTER!!, It's what you DO WITH IT! *sigh* Put a little "flava" into it, and I'd accept half the size, and end up much better fulfilled. ;-)

    (2)

  • Nicola G.

    They serve enough food for two meals. Honestly, I wish the portions were smaller. The pros, the food is fresh and of good quality. They serve it quickly and the wait staff are good. The coffee is tasty. The cons, the portions are enormous and the food is typical. They're like a fancier homemade Denny's. The wait can be crazy long (because the place is popular not because the staff are slow--they certainly are quick). Because of the lack of creativity in their food, I'm not often persuaded to go there.

    (3)

  • Jennilee B.

    Contrary to what most reviews have said about long wait times- we actually lucked out and waited only 15, not bad for a super-busy Sunday. This was our first time eating here and I have to say, this is actually one of THE best places to have breakfast. The grub: Their potato and sausage skillet served with a homeade biscuit definitely hit the spot for me. Their portions are gigantic! I swear, even my boyfriend who can finish off his plate ended up having to take home his bacon and potatoes. Their coffee- not stale and bitter, just right; and always refilled when it hits the half way point. Service was excellent- our server was polite, always on top of things, and managed to always leave the table with a smile. I'm going to make it a point to try everything on the menu, although I don't think I can do it in one lifetime- they have a WIDE variety of breakfast/brunch items. Don't care though, because breakfast is good anytime of the day.

    (5)

  • Michael M.

    The food was not as good as expected considering the laudatory reviews. The hostess and wait staff on the other hand are banging hot, if you like that kind of thing.

    (2)

  • Lou M.

    Hey the brown bag only serves breakfast and lunch but it reminds me of the old family run diners where the food tasted home made the prices were reasonable and the portions are humongous. You could almost order one meal for two but where is the fun in that:). Great burgers, patty melt, awe some spinach salad, pancakes the size of your plate and just as thick but more fluffy. They make home style bread you can buy at the counter along with the largest cinnamon buns in the world. Get in early on weekends or expect a 20 minute wait but the service, taste and portion sizes are worth the wait.

    (5)

  • Garynpiper L.

    Came here with some coworkers for lunch. Good food, huge portions, decent prices, sandwiches were delicious (I had the turkey supreme). This place isn't about the decor or ambiance, so I won't even rate based on that.

    (4)

  • Ashley C.

    Really good, but not great. Perfect place to go if you have has a long night out; if you catch my drift. Service was prompt and friendly, ambiance was cozy, and the food was good comfort food. Prices were very reasonable especially considering the Portions are HUGE! I had what they called a 'Light breakfast' (something like that), which is a smaller portion for around 7dollars and it was more than enough food still.

    (3)

  • Neal M.

    This is a solid standby for breakfast that is near my home and that i have frequently frequented. The food is always good and sometimes great. The service is usually pretty good and I only recently noticed the observation that some other Yelpers have written about; that the servers are mostly very attractive younger girls. Beats working in the bikini espresso shops right? Anywho, the portions are huge so you might think about splitting a meal. Some people don't like the hash browns since they are almost a mix between mash potatoes and hash browns but I like them. The french toast dishes are generally very good.

    (4)

  • Lindsey J.

    There are only so many ways to screw up corned beef hash, and the Brown Bag has managed to find every single possible way and then some. FYI: It is not corned beef hash, if it is not made with real corned beef. My husband has wanted to go here forever, and finally we found ourselves in Kirkland and hungry. We didnt wait long for a table. The menu boasted of 'fresh' ingredients and homecooked goodness. The plates around us looked amazing with huge portions. Look a little closer and it's pretty much just their version of hashbrowns. I debated between a skillet and my all time favorite corned beef hash. Normally, i would never order corned beef hash because most places use it from a can and well, that's just gross. However what's even more gross is what came on my plate. But going with the fact that they were pretty proud of using 'fresh' ingredients and it being 'homemade' I decided to try it. Brown Bag Cafe corned beef hash is an epic fail. It was mashed potatoes with cubed meat. By all accounts it was the 'already fully cooked roast beef dyed pink' that they passed off as corned beef at my grandmothers retirement home on St. Patricks Day. And it sat upon another pound of lumpy mash, a.k.a Brown Bag Hashbrowns. By far one of the worst meals I have ever been served. The waitress wasnt much help when I said it was the worst corned beef hash ever and completely inedible. "Sorry you don't like it that way, but everyone else does." But really what can you expect when the waitresses are hired by appearance, rather than aptitude? Thats not fair, maybe it was just our server. It was however, the hostess that refilled our coffee and someone else that brought our food. I went and snagged the tobasco off another table. The only real work our waitress did was bring us our initial cup of coffee and our bill. There was nothing 'bad' about our service, but nothing good either. Sidenote; my husband loved his cinnamon roll french toast, so if you find yourself being forced to go here out of some cult initiation, avoid the corned beef hash.

    (1)

  • Sam B.

    huge portions=soft spot. This place has all the breakfast foods you can imagine! And their toast...oh my goodness so freaking good This place literally gives you so much food that you bring home leftovers for lunch AND dinner. (done this countless times) If you want a reliable place to eat breakfast, get yourself over to brown bag, cause this place is legit. JUST DONT GET THE FRUIT OMELETTE! (should be common sense)

    (5)

  • Lesley K.

    The slogan to this restaurant is right, I've never left there hungry. There portions are huge, a large menu with lots of variety to choose from my favorite is the California Benedict. This place gets packed on the Weekends, so definitely plan to wait. And Trust me it's worth it!!

    (5)

  • Tracy S.

    Sugar. Overload. But how could anyone resist bananas foster cinnamon bun French toast? Anyone? Anyone? Not me. I feel slightly sick now as sugar courses through my veins. Slightly dirty, as though I've done something naughty in public. Slightly exhilarated and even somewhat tired. But mostly right now, slightly sick. I'd do it again.

    (3)

  • Miranda L.

    We attempted Brown Bag again on Valentine's Day for breakfast since we both happened to have the morning off work. It wasn't nearly as packed as it usually is on the weekends, but the hostess was so flustered! There was an unexpected large party of people who apparently were coming most Tuesdays, but she didn't know about it. After seating two pairs of other people and being very rude to the large group, the girl came over and told us that she needed to make a list because it was way busier than she had anticipated. She disappeared, and no one else came in. So her "list" remained just one name long the entirety of the rest of this. After hanging around for about five more minutes looking out at the dining room and listening to her be rude to the large group a couple more times (saying in a nasty tone, "I haven't worked here in two years and no one told me about you. *heaving sigh*") I could see at least three other waitresses casually strolling about with drinks and food plates, and I remembered our past experience and that, oh yeah, Shari's is right there, they have excellent service, and we'll get seated right away. Sure, the food at Shari's is a little bland (a lot bland), but at least we can get food (and a mimosa!) and skip the attitude. We ditched, and I don't think we will be returning. If the hostess can be that nasty and snarky, then I don't want to be there. What's the point of good food if you can't enjoy it without having to experience a snarky little blond being outright rude to everyone? Thanks, but no thanks. I only support businesses with good service. And this is where Brown Bag really fails.

    (1)

  • Jasmine W.

    I met up with friends for a brunch here. They'd already ordered, and the late arrivals waited a long time to get an order in, due to it being very busy. The serving sizes are GINORMOUS, but was very tasty.

    (3)

  • Nathan B.

    I have been here quite a few times. The staff is always nice, the food is amazing. Portions are so big you usually need to bag it and sometimes even get a whole other meal out of it. The place can get pretty crowded though and parking can be a bit hard to get, because of all the people. That just shows you how good it is though.

    (5)

  • Chris D.

    I am a Brown Bag Café addict. Not as much as I once was, when they had a Redmond shop (closed Jan 28, 2008...Addicts remember important dates), but I get out there when I am in the neighborhood. What is there to like: If you want a hearty meal and are willing to lossen your belt a notch, you will love this place. It's good eatin' and you get yuor money's worth. Chances are you will bring home enough in the doggy bag to make a second meal. What there is not to like: There are long waits to get seated on weekends. It is noisey, but that is to be expected. What to order: Anything on the breakfast menu (which is served all day). The side orders of hashbrowns and corned beef hash are excellent and a meal in themselves. There daily specials are usually very good, I particularly like their strawberry stuffed french toast, which is so sweet, you don't need syrup. Their salads are also enourmous and usually very good (although I had experienced less-than-fresh green peppers on 2 occassions). What not to order: Hamburgers. Why would somebody go to this mecca of excess to order a hamburger? That is like going to Japan just to try their French Fries.

    (5)

  • Whitney B.

    I can usually champion breakfast food until I'm blue in the face but Brown Bag needs a news flash that World War II is over and it's no longer cool to walk out of a diner hanging our heads in shame and guilt, counting the minutes before the imminent, massive dump ensues. I ordered off the "Lighter Fare" menu and had a half order of banana pecan pancakes. I couldn't get past the fact that what was served to me was King Kong's kneecaps. My body isn't fucking magical and there was no way on this splendidly polluted Earth could I digest more than a quarter of it. The coffee tasted like bitter, burnt feet. I can only describe Brown Bag's coffee as tasting similar to sucking orange peels off Lucifer's bewitching toes. And, unfortunately, it's located right next to my all-time favorite coffee shop, which only puts the shit stamp on it. My friend's country fried steak, though I didn't try it, appeared as though the key ingredients were part subsidization and part Obamacare. The flood of grease that came out of this thing I believe symbolized the chicken's tears for having been mangled and subsequently fried to hell and back. The mammoth portions overpowered everything else and ended up being a lackluster brunch. If I had seen the photos of this place beforehand, I wouldn't have sat on my sober ass and waited for 35 minutes.

    (2)

  • Victoria V.

    Very busy in the weekends morning, it's was like 25 people waiting to be seated in the lobby. But food is good! Better than the next door Shari's .

    (3)

  • Megan J.

    Nothing groundbreaking but if you're in the mood for a pancake the size of a dinner plate it's a great place to start. I found myself going for the specials more then the regular menu. Very yummy! 4 stars because this place is popular and parking sucks.

    (4)

  • Brooklyn C.

    Excellent food and huge portions.

    (4)

  • Michele C.

    If you're gluten free you can expect to get a lot if attitude here. We came in to get an order to go to take to my daughter and son-in-law after the birth of their baby. When asked about gluten free options or menu they huffed and puffed and rolled their eyes and said no but there was probably something that might work. Same thing when I asked about the salad dressings. Obviously this isn't their niche but their rudeness and insensitivity was uncalled for. I

    (2)

  • Leah D.

    Not horrible, certainly not great either. Actually if you serve run of the mill standard breakfast food, you at least need to be able to make hash browns well. I asked for extra crispy hash browns, was told "absolutely" :). What I got was just cooked enough to be mushy scalloped potatoes. The menu said hashbrowns. It is not the same and they are not interchangeable. Terrible. Service won't win them any awards either.

    (2)

  • Meghan G.

    While you get a TON of yummy food for your dollar, the wait time to both be seated and get your food is a bit out of control. My boyfriend and I stopped in after church on Sunday for a good breakfast. We had to wait about 25 minutes for a table - not too shabby considering the post-church, Sunday rush. However, once our name was called, we were seated in an area where four tables were almost touching, creating an awkward atmosphere with our neighbors. At one point, I laughed, and the gentleman next to me gave me a lovely glare. I'm sorry, but I will not stop laughing or having a good time because the restaurant placed us too close together. We then proceeded to wait 10-15 minutes for our server to come over and take our order. Once we ordered, we then waited another hour for our food. One whole hour for two meals. That's a bit ridiculous. While my breakfast quesadilla was delicious (and almost worth waiting so long for...), my boyfriend's pancakes were dry, and our hashbrowns lacked flavor and were lukewarm. I could tell that our food had been sitting for a while before it was delivered to our table. I can't say we'll be returning as there are many other great breakfast places in Kirkland. It's a shame, but the cafe needs to either expand their kitchen or not seat as many at one time.

    (2)

  • Tanya H.

    Amazing food but be prepared to wait awhile. The hashbrowns have a crunchy topping w soft potatoes. They have homemade bread that was delicious. My friend had an English muffin that was also homemade tasted as good as it looked. Coffee was rich and strong.

    (4)

  • Nina P.

    OMG this place is sooooo freakin good! Probably my favorite brunch spot! I loved the english muffin and hash browns are to die for! Yummy! If I'm ever in WA, I will make a trip to Brown Bag Cafe again!

    (5)

  • Brandon D.

    Came on a Thursday morning and got seated and had a coffee in about 10 seconds. I decided to keep it simple and ordered the country breakfast with bacon and English muffin. Absolutely perfect everything!

    (4)

  • ryan r.

    if you like potatoes and bacon, you're gonna love this place! do you love potatoes!? how about bacon?? did i ask if you like potatoes? because you need to *love* potatoes!! it's roadside diner food at downtown cafe prices. ask yourself if you love potatoes enough!! (hint: you don't, and you never will!)

    (2)

  • Paulina W.

    The service is fine and the food was ok but the hash browns were horrible. They tasted as if they were day old mashed potatoes not hash browns. The tablecloths were also very stinky and sticky and need replacement.

    (2)

  • Mj J.

    First time here and I was told to prepare for huge portions. Wow.. They weren't kidding!! I ordered a "light" menu item that was still two eggs, two sausage links and a massive pancake. The pancake was so thick yet airy and fluffy. So incredibly good! My eggs were over easy and I think I should have asked for over medium because the whites weren't cooked. Yuck. The sausage was very tasty! Then I had to just try a bite of someone's hashbrowns... Holy yum, and I don't even usually like hashbrowns. The other orders around the table were an omelette and a skillet, which both looked very tasty, not over greasy and had a hardy helping of veggies inside. As for the business.. The tables are a bit too close together and up against walls but they make the best of the space they have. Service was very good and super fast. Everyone from the front door to the waitress were happy and polite. Being as I was once a larger person, the restrooms were very tight/small. And as for the parking, there simply isn't enough for the turn around they produce. It's a huge lot though so given its location, they have quite a large patch of property. Go and enjoy on an empty stomach. You'll need the extra room if you plan to eat it all. :)

    (4)

  • Sarah M.

    I like it, but I am not sure what all the hype is about. It's a greasy spoon breakfast place with a long wait.

    (3)

  • Kulair C.

    Everytime I've been here it's bustling with locals. Ingredients have been fresh and plates consistent. Waitresses have been good to us. Portions are very large (pancakes are the size of a dinner plate :o ). Hours are terrible, though I will admit I'm biased - I prefer extremely early/late night breakfasts. This place could be more awesome with real coffee creamer instead of prepackaged.

    (4)

  • Diana C.

    I would rate this place a solid 3.5* Large large portions! I suppose we get there early enough that I've never had to wait very long, but the restaurant is a decent size so I can imagine that the wait shouldn't be too long even on busy weekend days. The food is pretty good (I've only been for breakfast) and the portions are VERY generous! Food isn't amazing, but it's pretty good, so the large portion sizes make up for the rest. The service is generally good and attentive. The only draw back is the parking lot can be a bit tricky as it seems they are sharing with the neighboring restaurant.

    (3)

  • Liliane E.

    My second time here, and I can't help but order what I did last time. The breakfast quesadilla. Just as amazing as it was last time. Nom! Piled on top of a bed of hashbrowns, the quesadillas were overflowing with cheese, eggs, ham, black olives, avocado, soup cream, smokey salsa.... oh man. The service is spot on, the wait staff is friendly and patient. We were sat next to another couple with a child, so it was a bit more comfortable to have the little human sitting at our table to be a bit audible at times ;) Side of bacon: ginormous perfectly crunchy bacon. Worth it.

    (5)

  • Ricky R.

    Great food, huge portions nice staff and good atmosphere! I've been here plenty but decoded to wrote the review. You won't be disappointed.

    (5)

  • David B.

    HUGE portions, good food at good prices. Throw in some great service and you have a winner. I am not such a huge fan of the close seating arrangement to other tables (some seem like you are on display), but the food more than makes up for it.

    (4)

  • Sarah M.

    The portions are very large which is nice if your starving! I got the biscuits and gravy, and my friend got the cinnamon roll French toast. We both enjoyed our food but the restaurant was not overly crowded and the service was slightly slow. My vegetarian friend was not allowed to substitute her sausage for something she could eat but overall the meal was enjoyable.

    (3)

  • Justin N Alisha O.

    My husband and I love coming here. We've always had good service and no complaints. It can take a bit sometimes but that is to be expected in such a busy place. I'd say my husbands favorite part are the chocolate chip cookies we get on the way out.

    (5)

  • Diane R.

    Went there for lunch early afternoon today and oh... my... gosh - delicious! The portions were huge (my husband couldn't finish his burger, a first for him!). I posted a picture of the food we ordered. He had the 'cactus burger' and I had the 'brown bag cristo'. The second I read that the cristo came with jam I was sold. Finding a place that has a decent cristo AND served with jam? Yes please! We will definitely be back and in bigger number (a little Star Wars humor for you geeks out there). We went at a time where it wasn't busy and it was just perfect.

    (5)

  • Kate B.

    It took us 45 minutes or more to get our plates of eggs and hashbrowns. No exaggeration. Food was okay. Potatoes were bland and slightly undercooked. Definitely will go somewhere else from now on.

    (2)

  • Cristina W.

    Been here an additional two times and ordered the same breakfast quesadilla. Hash browns were always unedible and glutonous. However , my once scrumptious quesadilla cooked just right the first time, came out burned subsequent times. I am going to try one more item before I give up on this one.

    (2)

  • Mark C.

    Great experience. Met up with an old friend and his family. We had 7 at the table. The server was on it and very attentive. The entire time we were taken care of very well.

    (5)

  • Cyndi J.

    I'm sorry to the owners of Brown Bag, but I have to write this review. Our friends wanted to take us here, and being polite out-of-town guests, we did, even though I know my husband and I both surreptitiously checked Yelp and were disappointed that we had to go to a 3-star restaurant. We were a party of 5, and were seated pretty quickly, we got there at the right time. Service is slow, though. I knew from the reviews that this place values quantity ... and my fellow Yelpers don't ever let me down (even if my friends sometimes do when it comes to restaurant selections). The food was average at best, actually not really great. My biscuits and gravy were all but flavorless, the biscuits, dry hockey pucks, the gravy a floury lukewarm mess. The hashbrowns were actually quite good, and unique, kind of potato chunks, with mashed potato texture on the outside, and fried nicely. My husband had the hobo skillet, and even with a hearty appetite didn't come close to eating half of it. Here's my problem - huge food portions. I'm talking gargantuan, ridiculous, wasteful, shameful. Sure, you can take home leftovers, but does anyone really eat leftovers, particularly breakfast leftovers? I am embarrassed at how much food Americans waste, especially when so many people go hungry. The demand for over-the-top wasteful meals fuels big-industry food giant evils, and I prefer not to contribute to that. You could barely tell I ate anything when my plate was removed from me. Quantity does not eclipse quality for a meal.

    (2)

  • Jene I.

    Homemade bread is amazing! All the breakfast items are really great. Haven't tried their lunch yet. Service is fine, they seem busy all the time so it's slower than id like, but the food is worth the wait!

    (5)

  • Medina C.

    Pleasantly surprised with our experience here! I wasn't expecting much but left a happy camper. Ordered the mushroom and Swiss burger, pretty tasty and the bonus is that the burger patty is not made with binders/fillers like bread. I ordered the burger sans the bun. I'm a sucker for French fries so knowing that their hand cut fries makes them even yummier. My hubby had the cinnamon bun French toast as did our friend. It smelled heavenly! They were happy with their selection and had a whole French toast to bring home. Our server was nice, as are the girls who work at the front. I think overall it's a fun place to go for lunch. 4 stars for happy food and happy people.

    (4)

  • Allison F.

    Seriously some of the best food I've ever eaten. I came here for breakfast with my aunt and we were amazed by the amount of food we received for such a small price! Great quality and they even bake their breads fresh themselves! Everything was hot and delicious and the service was great too! It's definitely a cute place to catch up with someone, very warm and cozy atmosphere with tons of cute little trinkets!!!

    (5)

  • Ruben H.

    Very big isn't always impressive....this is the case with the Brown Bag Cafe. We both weren't impressed with the grease and flavor of the food we got today. I don't see us going back.

    (2)

  • Jamie D.

    Great place to stop for lunch! Reasonable prices. The food isn't the best, but it's good once in awhile!

    (5)

  • Cyndi C.

    My Honey and I stopped in for breakfast this morning because there wasn't a line. This rarely happened in the past when we want breakfast. We both thought the food was awesome. Love the homemade English muffins, hash browns 7 chuncks for meat. In the past the staff have not been friendly but I think that's probably because in the past I've always stopped in during the weekends, which is notoriously busy with lines outside around the restaurant. This time, it was nice to be able to stop the waitress and chit chat.

    (4)

  • Ieva K.

    Be warned, the wait is very long for breakfast and brunch on weekends, but very much worth it. Parking can be tough when its busy. Service is great. The staff is all smiles and I have yet to see them cranky. They hustle to get things moving at a fast pace weather its getting you seated or taking your order. Food is delicious. Portions are BIG. The only time I can finish my breakfast is if I am hungover. Last time I ate my entire breakfast here I didn't need to eat for the rest of the day. They don't have any alcohol, so brunch with mimosas is out of the question. They do have an espresso machine so you can order lattes and not just drip coffee. The "hash browns" here are my favorite; they use real potatoes and slice them so thin.

    (4)

  • Bryan W.

    This is my favorite breakfast/brunch place on the east side. The servings are huge and heavy, you're not leaving hungry. Back in my cycling days I could finish off a Big Mike (two plates of pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash browns) by myself, but now I occasionally order it just to relive the tasty glory days. The waits on the weekend can vary drastically, anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. More than a few times I've had to abort my plans because it was just too busy. Great place to sit with friends and talk over coffee while waiting on your food.

    (5)

  • Alex M.

    One of these should really open up in Seattle. The fact that the two of them live on the Eastside is a damn crime. Basically, one of the best breakfast joints in all of the Seattle region. Between the Brown Bag and Maltby Cafe, I would suffer a massive heart attack from all the delicious food you will find on your plate. I usually order their garden omelette though I've had their French toast and their pancakes. All of these meals are more than enough for two or three meals. Go and eat here for the love of god.

    (5)

  • Katy B.

    Sooooooooooo gooooooooooooood!! I went after church one afternoon. Had the California breakfast sandwich with hashbrowns. Bacon - good. Avocado - good. Toasted sourdough - goooood. I ate half and was FULL. Had the rest for dinner that night and a enjoyed a food coma until 5 am the next day.

    (4)

  • Melissa P.

    I used to think that this place was super good a few years ago but today left me unimpressed. Arrived around 11am on a Saturday and I was told the wait about 25-30 mins for 2 people. I put my name on the list and went outside to wait for the BF while he tried to find parking. About 5 mins later we were headed back inside when I ran into a friend from high school, and she said that they called my name but I apparently didn't hear it. So we go back in and I ask the hostess if my name was called and I watched her check the list and she said no and that it must've been a different Melissa and "sorry for the confusion." Okay, no problem so we sit down and about 10 mins go by as the pretty crowded waiting area gets cleared and I see that people who arrived after us are getting seated. So I go back up and ask the same hostess about our wait time and she looks at the list again and says that my name was called but they didn't get an answer. What the heck?? Why didn't she say that when I asked her the first time? Ugh. So she says that she can put my name at the top of the list and then we get a table about a minute later. It's a simple mistake I guess, but still pissed me off. Anyway, onto the actual food. I got the California breakfast sandwich and the BF got the hobo skillet. As other people have said, portions are HUGE and I recommend sharing if you can. I like my hash browns crispy but Brown Bag's are more like scalloped cooked potato chunks with only a little bit of crunch on the edge. Meh. The sandwich itself was also just okay, the sourdough bread was thick and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, avocado was fresh, and the bacon was good. Only had a few bites of the BF's skillet, and he and I both agreed that it was not bad but not great. It was pretty bland and could use more seasoning. Overall, I would rate Brown Bag's breakfast food as just average. It may look impressive because of the huge portions, but quantity does not equal quality. I'd rather have a right sized portion breakfast that was good over a huge portion meal that was subpar. It left me feeling full but unsatisfied.

    (3)

  • Kristin C.

    I really need to stop kidding myself. I am in love. I am here at least twice a month eating way too much delicious breakfast food. Even with sharing, I am completely stuffed for the next 3 days. This food isn't fancy, it's traditional breakfast fare. As you can tell when you are surrounded by families, and older couples. People who have probably been coming here for years. It can get busy here on the weekends, so obviously, the earlier the better. But the wait is never more than 15 minutes, and the food is totally worth it. The cinnamon roll may be one of the, if not the best, cinnamon roll I have ever had. The hash-browns are so delicious. Sometimes they aren't as good as other times, but really, even when these hash-browns are *bad*, they are still better than any of the competitors. I recently discovered their deluxe hash-browns which are covered with cheese and bacon. Go ahead and add sour cream, you can thank me later. They make all their own breads. Including English muffins, biscuits, AND the aforementioned delicious cinnamon rolls. I have never tried any of the bread, because I can't get over the biscuits and cinnamon rolls. Not everything on the menu is good, but you really can't go wrong with any of the skillets or omelets. Always check or ask about the specials, those are usually my favorite. The cinnamon roll french toast is AMAZING. Parking is a bitch, and the prices here are definitely on the high side, but you can share a dish, or have enough for a couple days of left overs.

    (5)

  • Francis M.

    Zach, do you remember our trip to Brown Bag Cafe? It's located in Kirkland just off of 405's 20A exit. We went there earlier with friends and had a little slice of Americana. We weren't disappointed, were we, Zach? This was only our first trip, Zach, but it won't be our last. We ordered cinnamon french toast with sausage, and something called The Big Growler. The cinnamon french toast was amazing! The balance of egg, cinnamon and butter they've achieved here...oh my... We ate a lot and still had plenty to take home for later. The Big Growler has a heap of eggs, has browns and country fried steak. We were impressed with the cinnamon french toast, but not as impressed with The Big Growler, right Zach? Though it was hefty, we have surely had better. This reminds me of the Black Bear, Zach. They sell big portions of American food at a good price. A shame they closed the one in Redmond. A sad day indeed Zach. But Brown Bag Cafe isn't bad, and surely we will have to give it another try so it may dethrone King Black Bear. To sum it up, Brown Bag Cafe has what this country needs, Zach. Values! We got more than enough food for the price, and the food was delicious. We had enough to take back with us to the Hotel Room for later, right Zach? It worked out really well in the end. We'll be back between 06:30 - 15:00, open Monday through Sunday.

    (4)

  • Keith C.

    Lines are long on the weekend. so come early Food portions are not as large as they use to be Excellent bacon and bread service is slow but worth the wait Biscuit and gravy are a hit

    (3)

  • L C.

    I have been here a few times and usually have a good experience. The portions are huge, tasty and greasy, which is exactly what I want once in a while. I expect a wait on Saturday or Sunday, but once seated, the food generally comes fast. The last time I went was a totally different experience. We were seated within 15 minutes, which was pretty good. Our server took our order and brought us our drinks. We never saw her again. After waiting half an hour without getting our meals (and seeing tables around us get theirs), I started looking around to see if I could catch our waitresses eye. She was nowhere to be found. About 5 minutes later I went to the hostess area and asked if our waitress could come to our table. The hostess apologized and said she'd find our waitress for us. Still nothing. A while later, someone came to our table and apologized for the wait and said there was a backup in the kitchen. She said she'd check on our food for us, but she never came back to give us an update. Another 20 minutes went by. At this point, we had been seated at our table for an hour without getting any food, we still hadn't seen our original waitress, and nobody had taken over for her. I honestly don't think our order was ever placed. I get it - the place is busy and these things happen. But they had two opportunities to fix the mistake and no one did. Finally, I asked to speak to a manager. When the manager arrived, I explained that we had been waiting for an hour, our waitress disappeared, and we really couldn't wait any longer. She apologized but didn't offer to do anything - not check on our food, not bring us some cinnamon rolls while we waited, not comp our meals...NOTHING. I was really shocked. So we left. I understand that sometimes restaurants get slammed, and sometimes kitchens are slow, and sometimes servers make mistakes, but this was over the top. I would like to think that this was a one-time bad experience, but I'm not sure I'll return to find out.

    (2)

  • Debra B.

    If you are into huge servings and high prices for breakfast foods, this is your place. Personally I found the food quality to be average and prices very high - a breakfast sandwich for $10.95?! Really? We ordered the cinammon roll french toast and a "lite" breakfast - one pancake, two fried eggs and bacon. The french toast was good, the pancake was big & thick but lacked any distinctive flavor, the eggs were overcooked (ordered over-easy and the yolks were only soft). We saw others with the full breakfasts, including hash browns - about a half plate piled high and looking rather mushy. I prefer my hash browns shredded and crispy and those we saw didn't make me regret ordering them. We are in the process of moving from Portland to Kirkland and I this will not be our breakfast spot - there must be an Original Pancake House somewhere nearby, please!?

    (2)

  • Jan M.

    Ate lunch on a Wed. Food good. Service Good. Not a fan of the $2.00 charge to split a plate. We would try again-cute antiques everywhere

    (4)

  • Jennifer W.

    I love the food but... please, make the portions smaller or have an option for a smaller plate. I go there for the food, but I know I will only need 1/4 of the potatoes they serve, and its really gross to see how much they serve. Meanwhile, the joke in our family is a rule to work here is your cannot eat the food. They only hire pretty girls. Looks like Hooters meets Denny's but with Extra large portions. The parking is horrible!

    (3)

  • Cole M.

    The Doggy Bag Cafe. The portions are really huge. 99% of people leaving the place were handed a Styrofoam container for the rest of the plate to take home. The rest of the food otherwise is been thrown away. What a waste! Shame on you! Nobody is really able to eat more than a 1/4 or 1/2 of the portion. Why are the portions so big? And then we wonder why there's a obesity crisis in this country. The food was "OK" but unless you really starve for a week before going, you will have to take a doggy bag or have the food wasted. Yak! I guess people prefer quantity over quality. One time for me was enough.

    (1)

  • R. S.

    In spite of the good food, a bit ridiculously portioned, I have to give this place one star. Cuz huge portions often indicate another ugly aspect of American "downhome" provincialism that Washingtonians seem to revel in sometimes: homophobia. Not sure if it's restaurant policy (as there was a weird hokey "homespun" feel to everything - and an aggressive no cell phone policy on the menu, my friend pointed out), but a friend and I got some DEFINITE anti-gay vibes from this pretty cookie-cutter blond girl who greeted us and rang up our bill when we left. She seemed pretty backwoods/backwards Christian so maybe it was just her, but we walked in and she had a clear look of projecting what she thought my friend and I were, made a value judgement, and also lacked the common sense, manners, or intelligence to hide her simplistic values. I'm sorry - I don't care if it's a private business, or even one person working at said private business, but when checks are ripped outta my hand by a self-righteous blond suburban chick for whatever reason, you need to supervise your staff more closely and realize that things like Yelp exist to point out places just like this. The food was good though. But ridiculously portioned. 'Merrica.

    (1)

  • Linda L.

    It's no schmancy brunch on the waterfront, but it's no Denny's Grand Slam either (no offense if you're a Denny's fan). If what you are looking for is a HEARTY breakfast to fill your belly after a hard night of drinking or before a long day of hiking, I'd recommend this place in a heart beat. This is not the place to go if you just made your New Year's resolution to lose fifteen pounds. The plates are so full that they bring you an extra plate so that you can move stuff around. You never feel like you didn't get enough hash browns and the toast is super thick sliced. The price is definitely right. An Honorable Mention: One thing I have noticed every time that I go is that they must hire only the girls from the local high school cheerleading squad as hostesses and waitstaff. They are always young, fit, hot, and very friendly. It's really hard not to take notice, because there are so many of them! Regardless, the service is always adequate and fast.

    (4)

  • Kristin W.

    Huuuuge breakfast portions...one meal enough for three people! Food was tasty. Great service. We got a table on a busy Sunday morning in 10 minutes.

    (4)

  • Justin W.

    We left Tumwater (heading for Monroe) before breakfast, so we stopped at the Kirkland Brown Bag Cafe (No Sissy Food Here!). IT S GOOD TO BE SATISFIED It was packed! They said it would be a twenty-minute wait, so we used the facilities and started looking at the menu. The wife spotted the word CHIPOTLE in a spicy breakfast item called the Diablo. Julienne spicy chicken sautéed with fresh jalapeños, cilantro, tomato, red and green bell peppers, onions and spices. Made with spicy black beans, cheddar and sour cream topping. Served with a side of chipotle salsa. This one is hot as the devil. 10.95 Served with hash browns and toast Our server asked, "Omelette style or skillet style?" We asked, "Skillet style? What's that?" She replied, "With the hash browns on the bottom." So we tried that with Rye toast. Ordinarily I prefer my hash browns crispy. With skillet style, the pressure and trapped moisture of the ingredients on top fused the potatoes together, like chunky mashed potatoes. It tasted more like a Shepherd's pie, but soft and warm and yummy anyway. We split it. The wife let me have the chipotle salsa. I loved it. I'd love it again Omelette style.

    (4)

  • Rebecca L.

    the power of the brown bag it's really sad when i wake up at 9 ish on a weekend just so i can eat at brown bag. just so you can understand the caliber of this statement let me provide you with some comparatives: I wouldn't wake up before noon to meet with friends to go jogging to meet a hot guy for a coffee date to go shopping to partake in the crazy black friday sales brownbag, you make some delicious breakfast stuff and for that i commend you with four stars.

    (4)

  • Jen B.

    Just ate at the Brown Bag Café yesterday morning for the first time and have to say it was pretty darn good. We got there around 7:30 AM so it wasn't very busy and we were seated right away. The waitresses were really nice and attentive (always kept the coffee/drinks full) which is always appreciated. The other reviews are spot on, their portions are HUGE! I got a smaller sized meal and couldn't even finish half of it! The hash browns are great, definitely made there (not out of a freezer bag), and the bread - Oh. My. God. the bread - is AMAZING! I tried both the whole wheat and the white and it was soooo good! As for the rest of the meals, aside from the bread, which obviously we all loved... I got the "Specialty Sausage & Eggs" which came with three links of the apple cinnamon sausage, bread, hashbrowns, and two eggs. It doesn't sound like much but the links were extra-large and the plate was completely full with the hashbrowns, eggs, and toast! I really recommend this one; the sausage links were just a little sweet from the apple cinnamon and were perfect. Another person at the table got the got the "Breakfast Quesadilla" which was ridiculously huge and, to be honest, was more like a quiche than a quesadilla. It was seriously an inch think with eggs, scallions, tomatoes, olives, cheese, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, all inside a tortilla, topped with sour cream and avocado with salsa on the side. I didn't try it but the person who ordered it said it was very good. They said they would definitely order it again. The third person ordered the Biscuits & Gravy which came with hashbrowns, eggs, and bacon. The plate was towering, just like the others, and there was a ton of bacon! He said the gravy was a bit on the peppery side for him but everything else was really good. Overall eating at Brown Bag Café was a very good dining experience. I am glad we went early and beat the rush that everyone talks about in their reviews. We left right before 9:00 AM and the place was really filling up... I imagine by 9:30 or 10:00 AM there would have been quite the wait. I will definitely be back.

    (5)

  • London B.

    I've dined here a few times so far for breakfast, and I'll definitely be coming back. And just like their sub-moniker clearly states: "This ain't sissy food." They serve you enough food on one plate to feed the entire country of Rwanda. And that's why they are well loved and what sets them apart from other dining establishments. After my first ginormous experience with the brontosaurus portions, I decided to order from their lighter fare menu, which definitely was a wiser choice. The two slices of scrumptious and cinnamon-kissed french toast along with the light, fluffy eggs and two sausage links was just the right amount of mid-morning grub. The coffee's hot and fresh, the water is always refilled, and the last waitress who served us was awesome!! My goodness, she was sweeter than condensed milk! Nobody is that nice. Nobody.

    (4)

  • William M.

    I am not impressed!! I have a hard time trusting a place that doesn't serve any waffles!! In a place where we can get so much fresh fruit and no Strawberry Belgian waffles, come ON!! On the plus side the breakfast scramble was really good and you cant beat the size and thickness of the bread, coffee takes like someone should clean the coffee maker and both of our coffee mugs had crud on them and we needed to ask for clean ones. All things being said I don't think I will be back, Brown Bag could do a better job in cleaning and maybe selection of fresh foods that are in season on the menu.

    (3)

  • Julian H.

    Although the portions were truly epic, and the atmosphere was a pleasant home family friendly greasy spoon, Brown Bag doesn't make my short list of favorite breakfast joints. This is mainly because I have become a breakfast snob. The waiting area was cramped and the queue was long. When we were finally seated it was in a part of the restaurant where we were the only patrons with kids, so we got to endure the entire meal with alternately leering and adoring glances from other tables every time one of our kids made a peep or dropped something on the floor. Most restaurants will put everyone with young kids in the same section, in the back corner of the restaurant--and for good reason. It's more comfortable for everybody. The food was good but nothing to write home about -- with one exception: the bread was fantastic. The prices are reasonable but value only gets you so far... when you haven't updated the interior in 25 years.

    (3)

  • Chris F.

    My girlfriend and I were waiting to get some new tires on her car and decided to grab a bite to eat. Based on the reviews here, we had to give the Brown Bag Cafe a try. Ironically, this breakfast haven is located directly beside a Shari's, which I'd like to note was EMPTY at prime time! We were greeted as soon as we walked in the door. They managed to find us a table within minutes, and we had a waitress almost as quickly. Now on to the good stuff, the food. WOW. The menu is layed out very well. They offer a large variety of items for just about everybody. I chose the sausage and potatoes plate and my girlfriend, the french toast. We were both VERY pleased with our food, but my only complaint would be the amount they managed to squeeze onto the plate. its a great value and delicious food. There is no other breakfast place on the eastside that can compare. KUDOS Brown Bag, keep up the excellent work! We'll be back!

    (4)

  • Jesse D.

    Disregard Nanny T's review, this place is amazing. So much food and it's in very large quantities and it is VERY good. The food is NEVER "cold" or "dry", the temperature is just right! Even on the busiest of days, the wait staff is pleasant :)

    (5)

  • Rachel B.

    I love this place for breakfast. Yes, I wish the parking lot was better, the wait wasn't so long and very very much wish they served bloody mary's. But despite those few shortcomings, I continue to frequent this place. My favorites are the omelettes and I also love their benedict. Defnitely don't pass on their wonderful homemade bread, the wheat is so good! Good place for groups as well, as long as someone comes a little early to wait for a table.

    (4)

  • Ben B.

    The California Breakfast sandwich is amazing. Simply Amazing. And Courtney is pretty rad too... If you are looking for a great breakfast place with huge portions and great service this is the place...

    (5)

  • Nanny T.

    To forewarn others: I have been to this restaurant about four times. Either the food is cold and the bread is dried out and toasted until it's black, or they give you mounds of mushy potatoes for which I've never had anywhere else. I've had the worst cold, thick, dry pancakes ever here as well. The sausage is good. The wait-staff don't seem to care whether or not the food is served at the appropriate temperature. If the food is not well made, the wait staff cannot control that and the problem is with the cooks. But when the food is delivered cold when it should be warm, and the toast is burnt, they plop it on your table anyway. I do not like this kind of attitude or service and is what I think of when I pass by this restuarant (often). This would be my go-to breakfast place, but unfortunately, it's not up to par. I also went to George's in Kirkland and the waitress served me a brown awful salad. Because I was with a friend for a special outing, I didn't complain, but I will never go back there either because obviously no one is paying attention to the age of the product they are serving. Restaurant employee's need to work as a team and each employee take responsibility of doing a great job. .

    (2)

  • Lewie G.

    If money and heart attacks did not exist, I'd eat here every meal. LOVED it! I was pretty hungry, so we wanted something that will fill a person up. We were not disappointed. It was a little $$ for a breakfast, but the food was absolutely perfect. My wife got a 'lighter fare combo' and I got the biscuits and gravy and we had leftovers to spare. The serving size is HUGE. My recommendation for your pocketbook and stomach is to go with someone. Get one plate and one side order (like a half-order of french toast) and go half and half. It will be plenty of food for two adults and you'll love it - I promise!

    (5)

  • Tien N.

    Great food!

    (5)

  • Jens J.

    If you have low blood sugar and don't want to wait for 45 minutes for a table on the weekend, just continue on to the Shari's in back of Brown Bag. People will be spilling out of Brown Bag onto the sidewalk but you can immediately get a table for six at Shari's. And Shari's is better than Brown Bag anyway. When all is said and done, eggs, bacon, pancakes and toast are pretty much the same in one place as the next.

    (3)

  • Josh E.

    I've been visiting the brown bag since the smaller location in downtown Redmond, and there is no better place for breakfast on the eastside that I'm aware of. Huge portions of really good breakfast food, and they don't seem to cheap out on the quality either. They also serve lunch, but 9/10 times that I visit this place, I tend to order the breafkast. When people come in from out of town, this is where I bring them. Additional note: If you go during the "prime breakfast hours", there is usually a wait, but it will probably be worth it.

    (5)

  • Laura R.

    I've been to the brown bag numerous times over the years and I expect a long wait on busy weekend mornings. So, when we decided to order take out and pick it up on our way home from picking our son up from his grandparents we allowed for plenty of time. After being on hold for 7 minutes I was finally able to give my order. I was quoted 20-25 mintues for the food. We timed our arrival so we would not have to wait long to pick it up. I went to the counter as soon as I arrived and paid for our breakfast and was told it wasn't quite ready yet. I waited, and waited, and waited. After waiting an additional 25 minutes (on top of the quoted 25 minutes for the food) I approached the counter to remind them I was waiting and had not received my order yet. Oh, but wait... My order had been sitting on the counter for 20 minutes because they put the wrong receipt on the wrong bag. At this point I told them I wanted my money back, since my food had now been sitting out for a half hour getting cold. The response was "Oh, so you don't want the food." I said that, no I wanted the food, but I didn't feel that I should pay for it, since it was their error that had left it sitting on the counter getting cold. They agreed and started crediting my transaction. While this was going on another hostess was assisting another to go order being picked up and proceeded to give our food to the gentleman picking up his order. By the time they figured this out he was long gone and I was left with having spent over an hour of my morning getting breakfast with no food to show for it. Needless to say, I have no itentions of visiting this place anytime in the near future. In addition to screwing up my order, there were also at least three occasions while I was waiting that the hostesses called to seat people, but didn't bother to go outside (it was a cramped standing room only), and barely raised her voice. This resulted in three groups not being seated in their turn. They are in dire need of a better system of handling to go orders and seating guests. Yes, the food is good, but it's not that good. On a side note, we called in an order to the Woodinville Cafe when we left and, even though they were packed and had a long line to be seated, our food was ready to go when I walked in the door.

    (1)

  • Aiana L.

    I've been here twice with my boyfriend and his aunt. I love this place for a few reasons. ~ Prices are great here, meals are about 10$ give or take ~ Meal portions are huge, eat half and take it home for later ~ Meals are freshly made to order and tastes delicious I highly recommend the Rueben Sandwich :d I don't usually pick the same thing overtime but their rueben's are pretty amazing! Service is a hit-miss kind of thing, they usually get busy during brunch hours and because of the popularity it gets out of hand. (So if you intend on going call-ahead or expect to wait 10-15 minutes). The waitresses that we had were great though, they knew their stuff and kept an I on our drinks just in case we needed refills, and they got our orders right.

    (4)

  • Laura B.

    I have eaten here twice. I can't remember what I ate here a year ago, but I remember thinking this place has huge servings, and the food is pretty good for a big breakfast place, and the coffee, for once, is not watery and burned tasting, but strong! So I came back today and had the Diablo omelet. Holy jalapenos for breakfast, Batman! Nice and spicy and totally full of protein, I could not make it a third of the way through. I limped through the remaining 2/3 for lunch and had to give up. Yeah it was $12.95 but it was great! Service was nice, the coffee still a leg up on any restaurant's drip coffee anywhere, and they did a good job being fast so we could get to work. The biscuit was tender and warm and I'm glad I was in a hurry or I would have snarfed the whole thing. They let me swap fruit in for the potatoes for 0.75. Most places will do that for free, but they gave me some pretty nice fruits (oranges in a twist, melon, watermelon, and kiwis! Haven't had kiwifruit in a long time) so I'll let that slide. It was all very fresh too (having had strawberries with brown spots at the Cheesecake Factory the night before, I was refreshed). I bet this place is crowded on weekends (today's a Friday) so not sure I'd come during busy times.

    (4)

  • Adine L.

    I almost feel like it's not fair to write a review about a place like Brown Bag Cafe until you've tried all the awesome things on their menu, but since my favorite is a breakfast benedict, I feel it's my duty to share my experience in this review. I drive past this place every morning on my way to work and every evening on my way home. Pretty unassuming outside. And it's right next to Shari's, which is kinda weird, but my sister wanted to take me out to breakfast this weekend and I didn't want to drive to downtown Kirkland, so considering this place was right down the street from my place, we decided to check it out. Inside, it looks like grandma's house. Not my grandma's house, but what you would think the inside of a grandma's house would look like. The service is good. At least, our server was. Actually, she was freaking adorable and I totally hearted her. The food: I found my east side benedict place! Fiercely loyal to Glo's hollandaise sauce, I find it near impossible to find a restaurant that even comes close. Brown Bag's wasn't nearly as lemony and all but still savory and delicious. They bake their own breads (giant english muffins, GIANT cinnamon rolls, which, evidently they turn into amazing-looking cinnamon-roll-french-toast!) and serve up giant portions. I can't wait to go back!

    (4)

  • J.R. Z.

    Food is always good here but today it was horrible. service was garbage they over cooked my food water wasnt filled and it wasn't even busy at the time I went. our server desiree was probably the worst sever I've had. she was lazy, unaware of her tables and paid more attention to other tables. Maybe she should also realize that fake tanning isnt a good look

    (1)

  • Brian P.

    Huge portions but not the best food. Ordered the eggs benedict and the hollandaise sauce was just ok. It wasn't very smooth and I could see the milk fat proteins in the butters separating. The hash browns were like a lump of mashed potatoes also. A lot of cute girls working here and giant portions. I'd come back if I was in the area but if I was craving brunch I'd head over to Seattle eat at the other spots that I've reviewed.

    (3)

  • Nio S.

    Every other Sunday my wife and I grab breakfast here. Their portions are quite large so make sure you come ready to grub. The wait is well worth it, if you don't like waiting then you got three choice, come in early before the rush, call in an order to go (which we do majority of the time), or just don't come in at all (but I would not recommend it) cuz this place generates enough business to miss out on someone being grumpy cuz they have no sense of patience for good food. So if there is anyone who is missing out it would be the ones who decide not to come in for some good breakfast....plus they got cute girls to greet you good morning and serve you all morning....so good food and cute girls, can't beat that!

    (5)

  • Vlad K.

    Really big portions, they know how to feed you. The waitresses can be slow sometimes.

    (3)

  • Jon T.

    Massive servings, long wait, good food. You get about 3 or 4 meals worth of food.

    (4)

  • Tirza M.

    My favorite breakfast place. Hands down. My favorite menu item is their biscuits and gravy. Their portions are humongous! I love sharing a meal with someone. They just charge a split meal fee, but you still get a big plate full of yummy goodness. And don't forget their milkshakes. Definitely a great way to start your day!

    (5)

  • Andrew L.

    The sound of the word, "Cinnamon Roll French Toast" got my mouth wattering, I HAD to get it! When the order came out I was surprised about the portions they give you. They're HUGE! I swear if it wasn't this good I would of packed it home, but it is so good! Every bite was like a orgasm in your mouth (seriously). And the service was amazing, always checking up on me to see if I needed more coffee or whatnot. One of the best experiences of breakfast outside the house. *two thumbs up*

    (4)

  • rose m.

    I thought my first time at the Brown Bag was memorable enough for me to take my sons and future daughter-in-law to this morning. I thought because my kids are giants they could appreciate a place like this, I guess I was mistaken. Both of my older larger boys had the "BIG MIKE" one ate it all down saying it was nothing, the other asked if it's safe for the dog to eat potatoes and pancakes. The DIL had biscuits and gravy with links and my youngest son had the ginormous burger with jalapenos (forgot what it was called). They both enjoyed those items, probably because they didn't have to pay for it, no complaints from either. I had a dry piece of ham (paper thin to boot) with 2 eggs and a ridiculous amount of potatoes, I had to ask for gravy to make them editable, at that point I wanted to cry. All I can say is that I must of been extremely hungry the 1st time I went and upon leaving intoxicated by the amount of pancake I had. Next time I travel from Columbia City to Kirkland I will be much more aware of the risk I run. I think my sons liked the servers most of all, it was like a breakfast Hooters.

    (2)

  • shane h.

    Brown bag is THE place to go for breakfast if you're in Kirkland. No skinny bacon, wonder bread or eggs in a milk carton here. This is fresh, made from scratch, guaranteed to put some meat on your bones, Grandma-style breakfast. The cinnamon roll French toast is incredible, but super rich and probably reduces your life-expectancy by several months. I usually opt for an omlette and their homemade hash browns. The only place that comes close to Brown Bag is The Original Pancake House, which I recommend for their Dutch Babies. Both places are typically packed out, especially on the weekends so go early.

    (5)

  • Marissa G.

    This place is excellent. It tends to fill up, so expect to wait if you go during a busy breakfast time. I got the spinach, swiss, and bacon omelet, and it was very tasty. I also had enough leftovers for two other meals since it came with two huge pieces of toast, and hashbrowns. The hashbrowns were awesome as well. I'd say they had more of a breakfast potato consistency. The service was fast and the people were friendly. I would definitely return!

    (4)

  • Rachel P.

    good. a bit overrated. i'd rather hit Coastal Kitchen for breaky. this is your typical greasy traditional breaky- the location in Redmond is a tad smaller and homier*? big portions but then again- how good are leftover eggs and hash?

    (3)

  • Rachel S.

    Anyone on a diet should avoid this place like the plague! The servings here are so big that you will have some food to take home. That's at least two days at the gym to make your pants fit again! But is it worth it? OH YEAH! The dishes here are so good. Eating here makes me feel right at home. I love the skillets and a big glass of fresh squeezed oj. The service has always been wonderful. The only thing I would change is the seating. The tables are set a little too close together. On a couple of occasions I have found myself smashed against my table. Not because of my own girth but because of my neighbor sitting behind me. And nobody really wants to tap the shoulder of a stranger and ask them to move so they can go to the bathroom, do they?

    (5)

  • Steve K.

    I approve of the Brown Bag. When I had visited the area before I moved here, this was one of the few breakfast spots that I went to, and I have to admit that it was a motivational factor into moving out here. To all the naysayers COMPLAINING about portion size?! What, are you nuts? For once, you get your money's worth when you go to a restaurant. If you want child size portions, order off the child's menu then! So far, I have found the service to be very good and the food to be even better. Some might complain about the wait getting in, but you know you have something good coming if you have to wait for it. I would rather go to a frequented breakfast spot than a hole in the wall that makes dross for food. If you wake up hungry, this is the place to go my friends.

    (5)

  • Marie O.

    My mom and I come here whenever we get a chance when I'm on the eastside. What's not to enjoy about little ol' Brown Bag Cafe? The servers always have a sweet smile to offer and service is good, the rustic barn decor is charming, portions are generous, prices are decent, and the food is good. No not amazing or the best you've ever had, but I can always count on it to be hearty, tasty, and satisfying, and then have leftovers. For me, that's about all I need from breakfast.

    (4)

  • Betsey W.

    I'm only ever at the Brown Bag on Sunday mornings, and I love that for every two tables of families enjoying a post-church meal there is at least one table of hungover 20somethings in hoodies and sunglasses. I usually fall into the latter category, so let me just tell you that if you're looking for some grease and starch to soak up Saturday night's excessive libations then you'll leave satisfied. Portions are huge, and the large menu has a nice variety of homestyle entrees. If you're into eggs, you're set with omelets and skillets and they've also got amazing pancakes and sides. It's a gut bomb though, so if you're planning on doing anything with your Sunday beside sitting on the couch and watching a Law and Order SVU marathon, then maybe stick with something lighter. There is definitely a wait though, so if it's life or death I suggest you head for McDonalds. Service is pleasant and they're quick to fill your water, so if you're into those morning-after breakfast recaps with your friends I would Brown Bag it for sure.

    (3)

  • Michael Raymond G.

    Order... BEWARE! OF FOOD PILED HIGH!! I had the Vegetarian Sandwich. The bread is great... zuchini green peppers, swiss, mushrooms, spinach.... SOO YUMMY! The salad is meh alright. Its just lettuce and red onion... but,... a lot of it. Very reasonably priced food for anyone,... go here and not the Denny's right next door.

    (4)

  • Lisa M.

    I love the food here and the size of the portions always leave me having some for the next day. The staff is friendly and the only reason I am giving it a 4 is because on major holidays you do have to wait quite a bit but the food sure is worth it.

    (4)

  • J K.

    It's a fun place to eat. Their sandwiches are great. But sometimes there's a long wait, which I'm not a big fan of.

    (3)

  • Dae Y.

    i got a $10 burger. their signature burger. the ones with mushroom, swiss, and sweet grilled onions. it was good. maybe coulda used more onions now that i think about it. it was a big burger too. maybe a little bland for my tastes, so i had to salt it some. the fries were especially good. but again i had to salt the fries. they were fried just just right - a little more than just right, so there was a little extra char which i liked a lot. my friend commented too that the fries were very good. probably more like 3.5 stars for my specific meal, but i give them the benefit of the doubt b/c most of the meals i saw around me as i sat on their deck looked very good. this past saturday, the weather was just perfect. not sure if that affected my enjoyment of the meal.

    (4)

  • E H.

    I so wanted to love this place, but oh what disappointment. Went here to have some late breakfast on one of those days that you have been working pretty early in the morning and it's about 1:00pm and you are dying to eat anything. Going back to the food... I knew that it was going to be a little bit of wait because we were there before and the food was good (that's the reason I was so eager to come back and willing to wait) We got seated and we knew already that we were going for the Cinnamon roll french toast special of the day and planning to share it because the last time the serving was pretty big (I hate wasting food) The special included 2 eggs, potatoes and sausage (that we can't eat because we eat Kosher) I asked if we could get something different and our waitress said that they were not allowed to make substitutions on meat, So we told her that was fine, just not to give us the sausage. We also told her we were planning to share so she said it was a charge for sharing the plate, fine again was the answer. So our food arrived and OH DECEPTION it seemed that they just scramble one egg and they split it onto both of the plates and it was also pretty easy to count the pieces of potatoes in our plate. The cinnamon roll french toast another big DECEPTION it wasn't fresh at all, was so dry that it was easy to figure it out that was a 3 or 4 day cinnamon roll, not even the dipping in the batter to make it a french toast could revive that death cinnamon roll. So sad I was so into buying a couple of their cinnamon rolls to take home but I was afraid of them of damaging my esophagus :( Not planning on coming back. I hope maybe in the future they will make sure their quality of food if is not the greatest at least is average.

    (2)

  • Sarah R.

    First thing: Is there anyone working here who is over the age of 20? All I saw was about 7 young girls serving and hosting. This could be good for business though. Our server was very sweet and helpful... and my guy friend did not mind the eye candy... Anyway, I ordered the Country Breakfast.. The scrambled eggs were average, the bacon was way too thick for my taste, the hash browns were yummy, and the show stopping part.. the toast! They make their bread fresh! The toast was thick cut and had incredible flavor. The next time I visit this place it will be for a carb overload... Toast and hash browns! So this place is a little pricey.. especially if you go alone. But if you split these ginormous meals it works pretty well. Not so spendy and definitely enough food on one plate for 2. I liked the cozy atmosphere and the service was very good. I would go here again.

    (4)

  • Will L.

    Whenever I'm forced to travel across the lake--and let me emphasize the term 'forced'-- there isn't much on the East side that is worth the drive, the aggravation at the moronic layout of streets (why must I do circles to get into business on the opposite side of the street?), the lack of street light timing, the idiots in their SUVs with their cellphones plastered to their faces, etc. etc. etc. etc. ... where was I? Oh yeah, whenever I'm in that self-masochistic kinda mood and decide I should head over one of the bridges to sub-development heaven, and I wind up far enough North, I treat myself to breakfast at the Brown Bag. Regardless of whether it's lunch time or not. First off, the Brown Bag is conveniently located near The 5 (yes I'm from SoCal and I don't call it 'eye 5'), and you don't have to make 15 right turns to get to it. Or out of it. Second, the food and the coffee are always just what I needed to cure the headache of dealing with suburban nightmares. Though... the hash browns aren't quite what I like in a hash brown, but there's a mountain of them, and I figure with that amount one day I'll learn to love them. Besides, is there any hashbrown Tabasco can't cure? Third, the waitresses are all so cute and friendly. Fourth, no one bats an eye if I'm reading Heinlein or the newspaper (or both at once!). Fifth, you get to write whatever you want in their notebook by the counter. As I was leaving today, I noticed someone had written "Trogdor!" and I had a laugh even though it took me until I got home and could Google trogdor to remember why.

    (4)

  • Eric H.

    I used to be a big fan of Brown Bag and go there pretty often when I lived nearby. The wife and I had some extra time this morning so we decided to stop for a nice breakfast - boy has this place gone downhill! Being a Friday morning, the restaurant wasn't terribly busy - maybe about 1/2 full with 3 servers and 2 hostesses. However, the wait was pretty long because the waitresses were standing around and chatting with their regulars. When our food came out, my wife's food was cold while my skillet was nuclear hot. It seems that their kitchen timing was a bit off and her meal must have been finished first. Or maybe the 1/2 inch thick layer of cheese (not exaggerating!) kept my skillet hot while the waitress ignored us because my toast was burnt but not warm. My wife also ordered a club sandwich to go for lunch later that day. She ordered it when we placed our breakfast order and we literally waited another 15 minutes AFTER we were done eating and had paid our bill before it was done. The excuse was that there was a large table (which we had arrived and ordered before, incidentally) ahead of her to-go sandwich order. So, poor service, cold food, and high price gets it a 2 star rating. Maybe it's better on the weekend when the place is crowded and the pressure is on, but I'm not going to go back to find out.

    (2)

  • Ryan C.

    the Brown Bag i REALLY liked was the one in Redmond. it was much smaller, quaint, and homey feeling (even the menu mimicked the shape of a brown paper bag!). and although bigger isn't always better, this bigger Brown Bag in Kirkland is pretty darn good. the omelets are good, but i really like the Country Fried Steak and Banana Walnut Pancakes.. YUM! and yes.. the portions are that ridiculous! but you can request to have half hash browns or toast, which is still plenty. but the wheat toast is really good, btw. despite the high capacity, there is always a wait. and despite how busy it is, the service is very friendly. i'm hanging at 3.5 stars, but because the Redmond location was so awesome.. i'll round up: 4 stars!

    (4)

  • Jeny R.

    I have been here for breakfast and lunch a few times and always had a good experience so when I was asked to get food for a company lunch I immediately thought of this place. I have to say I am very disappointed and will probably never eat here again. The first person I spoke to one the phone was very helpful and nice, sadly I didn't get her name. I was excited to place my 17 sandwich and burger order! I was told to fax it over and talk to the manager Jeanice. I faxed my order in a day early as per the first girls instructions and then called to make sure the fax went through and there were no questions about the order. I could not get anyone to talk to me. They kept telling me "they were very busy right now". I get that you are a busy restaurant but you cant take two minutes to talk to someone who is placing a very big to-go order? I couldn't get Jeanice to talk to me at all or call me back. I called the morning of the lunch to make sure everything was in order and had to wait on hold 10 minutes for Jeanice to even pick up the phone and when she did she was very rushed and really didn't seem to care at all about my order. She stated she was "very busy" and pretty much brushed me off. I could barely get a total for my order out of her. When I got there to pick my order up it was in a HUGE box that I couldn't even pick up so I had to wait for someone to help me. The names on the boxes were all written wrong so I had to go through sandwich by sandwich to make sure everyone got the right food. They even wrote Gary on one of the boxes and we don't have a Gary at the company and there was no Gary on the order!! The fries were cold, bland and disgusting. The sandwiches and burgers were cold and the bread was soggy. The pickles were watered down. One chicken sandwich wasn't even cooked all the way through! Everything else was just ok. So we have crappy, cold, bland, soggy, un-cooked food.....wow. If you are doing a company lunch DO NOT go here. Bad service and food. We wont ever be ordering here again.

    (1)

  • Shane B.

    Awesome, huge, well-flavored breakfast food!!! Kitchen staff came into restroom and didn't wash hands, that was a real bummer!

    (4)

  • John O.

    great food, great coffee, great staff. they bake their breads fresh and you can purchase loafs to take home, as well as huge fresh cinnamon rolls! the coffee is Cafe Vita which is delicious. breakfast is served all the time and it is by far the best. unlimited toast with most meal, and the bacon is done perfectly. only thing that I would say against Brown Bag are it's limited hours. it is only open till 3pm. large banquet room as well for big groups.

    (5)

  • Thomas S.

    This is a great place for breakfast food. The portions are great and it is good for large families. My wife loves it as well since she is not a breakfast person and she can order a hamburger while the rest of the family can get breakfast. The only 2 negatives are its' hours are pretty short and the wait to get a table can be long.

    (4)

  • Erin M.

    I've only eaten at brown bag cafe once- about 2 weeks ago. I probably won't have the opportunity to eat here again; but if I did, I would. There are a few things I really appreciate about a place like this: **The laid-back, hometown, simplistic vibe. I didn't feel like I was 20 miles outside of a major city such as Seattle. **The friendly, helful servers. ** The fun, interactive (for kids at least) waiting area- I feel like a grandma for saying that I really like the antiques. **The portion size was more than decent--- although I have to counter the rants and raves of previous reviewers by mentioning that most of my "large" portion was potatoes. I would have loved a bit more eggs. **For your side, I highly recommend the biscuit. YUM. **Relatively good value for low price.

    (4)

  • Sarah M.

    there was a time i was frequenting this brown bag every other sunday or so. brown bag is the ultimate breakfast chain joint in my book for its food and amount of hash browns. seriously. could a lady and/or a fellar get any more hash browns? ooooh-then again, mr. bills does serve up some pretty big plates-i am now lost in the dream of a hashbrown showdown between mr. bill's and brown bag. it's not really that interesting, but for a monday morning when my brain has refused all askance to start working, its pretty much the only thing my brain is doing really well right now. anyhow, yes. so brown bear. very kid friendly, too many long waits, but food that will feed you and make for enough left overs to warrant no breakfast prep for two days-five if you include the hashbrowns. i'm partial to the 12 fruit omelette and or the hot links. the bread, jam & everything else included is very nice. i always have fun at the brownbag-and because the kirkland location is a ltitle bigger, it lends for a little more breathing space than the redmond branch during and after your meal.

    (4)

  • Becca S.

    When my husband and I moved to the Eastside, I was really concerned...no, panicked... about the lack of brunch options. Living in Seattle, there was such a wealth of options that my biggest choice was where to go and not what to eat when I got there. Luckily, we just happened to move down the street from Brown Bag. The food is great! The portions are huge, but I have tried some of the "lighter fare" options that are reasonable enough to eat in one sitting. My favorite thing on the menu is the California breakfast sandwich. I get it with egg whites, and ask for the toast without butter and they always honor my quirky requests. The service is always fast and friendly. If you go on a weekend, you'll wait but weekdays tend to be quick. I'm so thrilled to have a great brunch place in Kirkland!!

    (5)

  • Rileigh G.

    The food is good, the portions are huge. I wish they were open for dinner. They need to get a larger place as the lines are horrible on weekends. They could also use some new tables & chairs.

    (4)

  • Kazuo O.

    Yes you do get a lot of food but so what if the food is just okay. The cinnamon roll is huge too but nothing spectacular. Come here if you want to just stuff yourself and look at the cute waitresses.

    (3)

  • Jennifer S.

    We went on a Sunday morning. I was blown away by the amazing service and food. When we got there, it was PACKED. But the wait wasn't as long as expected. I personally was shocked how fast we ended up getting seated and served with how packed they were. Our waitress was the sweetest thing always smiling and chipper. Not stressed out one bit (as I would have been if I had to be her). Now the food was yummy too! It is called Brown Bag for a reason...always too much good food that you will bring left overs home with ya. We love their hasbrowns...make sure to try them yourself! Honestly my husband and I could have spilt the pancake breakfast order and it still would have been too much food for us...it came with everything...2 huge pancakes, eggs, hasbrowns, sausage...I think I'm forgetting some more...all I know it was two huge plates just for that order. We will be back!

    (5)

  • Strax T.

    I've been to the Brown Bag Cafe three times now and each time left disappointed in terms of food quality and overall value. #1) Meat-Lover Omelot - This was very dry. The eggs were overcooked (I can forgive this as I like my eggs more "wet" than normal), the meat was way overcooked, and there wasn't enough cheese. It made for an extremely dry taste. Very disappointing as I had my mouth set on something akin to the famous Tybee Isand Breakfast Club. Not even close. #2) Sausage and Gravy Biscuits - Coming from the south, when I hear that you make "homemade sausage gravy" I expect thick grey gravy with chunks of sausage. The gravy at Brown Bag is runny and has only a hint of sausage taste to it. The bisquit was good and so were the eggs (but then again, you can't really mess up over-easy eggs!) #3) Steak and Eggs - Another trip to the Brown Bag - this time for $35 - and another major disappointment. The steak was absolutely terrible. It had no flavor whatsoever. The only way I could eat it was to mop it up with the over-easy eggs. For the first time in my entire life, I actually asked for A1 Steak Sauce to give the steak some kind of flavor! On top of bad quality food, these dishes all cost between $10-$15 and it usually runs $30-$40 (with tip) to eat there. I figure that three times is enough to give any restaurant a "fair chance". I won't be going back.

    (2)

  • Alex G.

    I love a good breakfast. I dont normally indulge in eating breakfast out.. but Ill brave the weekend lines to eat here. The bread and potatoes are worth it alone.. but the bacon is thick, the eggs are always perfectly done.. everyone always leaves happy. It might be because we have all overdosed on carbs.. but I embrace the bliss.

    (4)

  • Adrienne H.

    I ate at Brown Bag about 5.5 hours ago, and I am STILL not hungry, not even in the slightest. I ordered the Eggs Benedict Croissant, "San Juan" style - meaning with smoked salmon instead of Ham and it was probably the best eggs benedict I've EVER had. The flavor combo of the eggs/salmon/croissant and hollandaise was amazing! Romeo ordered the "Heart Attack Plate" as we dubbed it after we saw it. Otherwise known as the "Country Breakfast" there were 6 GIGANTIC pieces of thick bacon, 2 HUMONGOUS pieces of wheat toast, 3 or 4 LARGE eggs and about 4 potatoes worth of hasbrowns. Are you noticing a trend here? The portions are GARGANTUION. Every plate could feed Paul Bunyon! You pay at the front, which was fast and convienent. ($22.00 for 2) Expect to wait for a table on Sat. or Sunday - we waited 10 minutes, but it was well worth it, we will be back - perhaps when we are NOT watching our waistlines. ;)

    (4)

  • Larry S.

    They serve huge portions, and i always leave here with a doggy bag. Your breakfast comes with a half pound of hash browns which is sure to fill up the hungriest diner. Breakfast is always available and the Pecan Pancakes are fabulous. Pick up a loaf of bread or cinnamon roll on your way out.

    (4)

  • Mitch M.

    Funny - my previous review disappeared. Got to go one star here. Popped in early one midweek morning. The place was maybe 1/4 populated. Place is cute enough, if a little contrivedly so, and staff is friendly. Got sat in the Old Single Guy section and ordered a basic eggs over easy, hash browns, sausage, toast, and OJ. Foolproof. After what seemed to be an inordinately long wait for business being as light as it was, my plate arrived. Looked ok, except the hash browns looked like they had been sitting on the grill since the day before. They turned out to be so hard and crunchy that my fork bent when I tried to stab one. I did find a few chunks that weren't hard-charred, and they tasted of griddle oil. Tried the eggs, same thing. Tried the toast (which is huge and airy, and certainly LOOKS impressive), same thing. Tried the sausage, and it was COLD. The whole plate smelled and tasted like industrial griddle oil, and was inedible. However, the OJ was "fresh" squeezed and very tasty. The waitress finally came by and asked me what was wrong when she saw that I'd barely touched anything. I politely explained about the crappy oil smell and flavor, and she said they don't use "Griddle Fry" (a seriously cheap industrial restaurant lubricant"). But she was kind enough to offer to comp the meal, which I accepted, but I insisted on paying for the OJ, since it was the only edible part of the meal. I must note that the old single guy at the table across from me had a big scramble or skillet thing. Looked good, if excessively cheesy. I might give them one more try one of these days, but I'm not in a hurry.

    (1)

  • Jacob M.

    Bomb breakfast plates. They are huge so either go hungry, with a friend, or prepared to take some to go. It took me a few times to build up the courage to order the fruit omelette but when I did finally - it was a nice suprise! Be adventurous - try it!

    (4)

  • Tom B.

    Excellent food, outstanding service. The Farmer's omelet was excellent, didn't need nearly the amount of hashbrowns they gave though. The english muffin was the biggest one I've ever seen.

    (5)

  • Matthew H.

    This place is great. For a few dollars more (Clint Eastwood, anyone?) than Denny's or Shari's you can get some real food and good service. This place tends to be packed, and parking is a problem as it is next to a Shari's and a hotel, but it is worth the wait! Big portions and a great variety of food.

    (4)

  • Renee H.

    Now, I wouldn't typically order a quesedilla at a place like this...but there was jus so much to choose from I panicked and ordered the 'dilla. Much to my surprise....it was great! They pack it full of goods and top it with sour cream. What more could you want? Unless you haven't eaten in weeks you won't be able to finish it, but at least you'll have leftovers :)

    (4)

  • Ka T.

    I read a lot of reviews about this place, and I have to agree on the gigantic size portion of their meal, which is huge, but packed with flavor. The main problem all their meal comes with a pound of homemade hash brown (except for sandwiches I believe). If you are not fond of potato, you might want to get something else as a side if possible, or stay away from the huge platter dishes. (I love the potatos.) My solution to the size problem is looking at price of the meal before ordering. Because the price of meals on the menu is pretty consistent, I figure that you would spend roughly 6-8 dollars on food to be full and not over eat (not including your drink). So if I were to order a regular one meal by myself (12 dollars), I would not be able to finish it, but if I ordered the meal plus a French toast for me and my friend, we could walk away feeling full, without getting the guilty feeling like we just murdered our puppy. Yes, the wait for the food can be a bit long; it is not a fast food place. (Even though most of the days when I go there I don't wait too long) If you want fast food, head to Ihop or Denny's, but if you want quality homemade stick to your rib type of food, come to Brown Bag Café. Other than those "problems", you will find appreciation in their out of this world good French toast, soft and fluffy pancake, perfectly cooked eggs, endless cup of local bean coffee, daily fresh bakery, and friendly and beautiful waitress staff. I'm a fan.

    (4)

  • bailee. ..

    Sorry dudes, but loading up a plate with mushy hashbrowns (not even shredded, just sort of mashed and a little bit fried but mostly just disgusting) and then slopping some egg-type entree into a little corner of the same plate doesn't make up for the overwhelming mediocrity of your food.

    (2)

  • Dan W.

    I really wanted to like this place, I really did. Again on local advice, Brown Bag (which closed in Redmond I was told) is the best local spot for breakfast. Maybe with your old college buddys in town it'd be better but with your girlfriend and her parents, it was tough to keep my eyes 'focused.' Damn lazy eye. After I found a shovel out back and excavated all the potato chip things off my plate, the omellete I found was ok. If I went next time, I'd ask for no potato's and probably split the meal as we probably threw out half our meal due to the large portion sizes. It's not a good sign when you leave and you just want to take a nap for two days.

    (2)

  • Lori P.

    I'd go back for the louisiana hot links plate because I'm a sucker for spicy food!

    (4)

  • Tara L.

    Oh, my lordy! On our culinary quest to eat phenomenal food in the Northwest, this place was recommended by some friends who used to live in the area. We drove an hour to the Redmond location, only to find it was closed. Ugh! We found that the Kirkland location was closeby, so we made hungry tracks to get there. We ate there late on a Tuesday morning, and it wasn't crowded at all. Our server was super-friendly and helpful in making some recommendations. She really touted the lunch menu, but we were told to do breakfast. I had a traditional breakfast plate (can't think of the name) that came with eggs, choice of bread (biscuit, english muffin, or toast on your choice of 5 or 6 homemade breads), choice of meat (bacon, sausage or ham) and hashbrowns. I went with scrambled eggs with cheese on top, bacon, and biscuit. Take 2 bites of whatever your bread option is, and move it to the side. You're just giving up space! The eggs are well, eggs. The bacon is to-die-for good!! Thick, long, hearty, no-fat pieces - 4 of 'em - grace the plate. SOOO good! The hash browns were amazing - and intimidating! Those things had to stand 2 inches off the plate and took up about 2/3 of the surface area of the plate! Ooooh, such delicious fun! Our server also recommneded the cinnamon roll french toast, which came with apple sausage. Our party split an order, and it was phenomenal! Surprisingly not too sweet, the cinnamon roll french toast was fluffy, cinnamony, and delicious! They take their homemade cinnamon rolls that stand about 4 inches tall, split them width-wise, put them in an egg wash, then cook 'em up like french toast. Oh, soo very good. The apple sausage rocked, too! It had a touch of sweetness to it. We also got a side of Louisiana hot links, and they had good flavor, too! All in all, this place was fantastic! You can also get cinnamon rolls and bread to go - if I wasn't flying back home that day, I definitely would have brought some with me! And our server was saying the lunch menu is where it's at?!

    (5)

  • Claire M.

    It has been years since I ate at a Brown Bag...I made a visit to the Kirkland location today. I ordered the Apple Sausage Breakfast. It was sever with 4 apple sausage links, a bucketful of hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, and toast. The sausages were tasty however my entire meal was cold. It felt like it had been sitting out for quite awhile. On the plus side, the server was friendly and efficient. Coffee refills were frequent. Next time I go I will take the advice of one of the reviewers below and order half an order of hashbrowns. It is seriously overkill. The "Muzak" was quite annoying too.

    (2)

  • Joey J.

    This place can get busy on the weekends; however, service here is usually great. The food is best if you stick with the average breakfast fair.

    (4)

  • Liz J.

    I LOVE THIS PLACE! There's not many good Breakfast places in Kirkland, this one blows all of them out of the water! Been going there for years, great service with a smile, I've never had a bad meal. Lunch is also good, but I definitely go for the breakfast. Try the skillets, OJ, and any of their homemade bread or cinnamon rolls. Nice outdoor seating in the summer, typically at least a 20 minute wait on weekend mornings.

    (5)

  • Kristopher C.

    walked in for the first time just the other day. it was quite a drive for an early lunch/late breakfast but well worth the drive from issaquah. the first thing i thought walking into the establishment was wow, this is alot of kitsch. sat down and noticed they had a disclaimer for cell phone users in the restaurant and how restaurant patrons dont deserve their company. the menu was full of very mouthwatering breakfast, lunch, and lighter fare items. i couldnt decide between the alaskan halibut and chips or country fried steak, biscuits and gravy and the whole shabangabang. but as soon as i caught a glimpse of one of their colossal burgers it was on!!! only after realizing i was about to have a busy day i decided to go with something less elephantine. the club sandwich with side salad was next on my lipsmacking list of scrumptious desires. im pretty sure they keep their fridges stocked with local produce, poultry and meat. i know their bread is baked in house and tastes amazing! the club didnt have the customary 3 slices but 2 super thick slices of homemade toast. a brick of turkey and the thickest slices of bacon this side of the colorado. this sandwich paired with a side ceasar salad and a glass of triple filtered water was deserving of a 6 at least. portions are massive! everything was perfect but meals came sans service. +2.24.09 Came here again. ordered a plate of fries n a cheeseburger. food took a while to get out. the bread was made inhouse but wasnt all that. the bun was huge, like abnormally huge and i wasnt gonna try n struggle with my food. the fries were pretty lame too. thick, soggy, cold. the seasame seed side of the bun + burger n trimmins was made to perfection. i ate it open faced cause the other half of the bun was kind of a turnoff. my aunt ordered eggs, sausage, french toast n coffee.. she killed it and maxed her belly out with what im assuming was tasty coffee. thumbs up.

    (4)

  • Angie M.

    This is for sure the best breakfast place on the eastside. Yes, the portions are huge but you can take home your leftovers and eat all day!! Service is also pretty good, decent coffee. This is my favorite place to come after a long night the night before. Great comfort food also!

    (5)

  • Wen D.

    Breakfast is anything with a large, fatty slab of fried mashed potatoes. These aren't hash browns. We had a long wait, even though the place wasn't half full. Bad service, messed up order, horrible coffee. My breakfast was disgusting. Too much food, and most of it inedible. Just know that you have options. Shari's is right next door.

    (1)

  • Aaron L.

    They always have great service and the portions are great no one leaves without a brown bag to take home leftovers. I recommend this place as the best breakfast in town. The homemade baked breads are my favorite. I love the buttermilk biscuits, they weigh a ton.

    (5)

  • Jake R.

    I will start this review off by firmly stating that you need to get there early! Preferably before 9:00. I got there a little after 10:00 am and the line was out the door! The wait took about 45 mins or so, even though they assure everyone that asks that it will only be 30 mins or less. I guess we were getting there just after church was letting out, it was Sunday after all. The wait was long and uncomfortable! You have people who apparently go to church but don't know how to use there manners, bump and squish their way past you, or just stand ridiculously close to you and tell there moronic stories that you have to endure. Finally salvation comes as you are led passed the hording masses to your cozy little table. Now I've heard that there are supposed to be some great looking wait staff, not that it matters to my review, but they must have taken the day off because I didn't really see any. A couple of ok girls but nothing to write home about, but I digress... So I ordered the "Growler" meal, which is basically Country Fried Steak, Hash browns, eggs and bread. The food was good but not great. The Hash browns were the best part but shouldn't have been. I was really craving some Country Fried Steak and the one I received tasted like it had been previously frozen and just nuked to warm it up, not impressive. The gravy was ok, the bread however was great, nice thick pieces and the orange juice was good too. My son had the biscuits and gravy meal, once again the portions were huge. He made the mistake of betting me he could eat all his food, before he actually saw his plate mind you, I knew better. I won the bet of course and got a free pass on using a curse word, it usually costs me 25 cents and can really add up sometimes, lol. When I asked he said his food was good, his usual response. We both got "to go" boxes and had a nice snack for later. Overall the experience was ok, not bad but nothing to really get excited about. The food was mediocre, the portions were large but the wait had tainted my day. Once again I would strongly encourage you to go there early or else...

    (3)

  • Sue F.

    The food and decor were very good. Cozy, warm and well decorated. Went on a Saturday around 12:30 and only had to wait about 5 minutes. The place was packed. The restrooms are pretty cold and have no decor - looked like they did the restaurant and forgot about the RR. You got an ample supply of hashbrowns - we had the regular eggs, HB, sausage, toast type of meal - the regular link sausage were hard to cut but good tasting. Service was excellent.

    (4)

  • Gerald H.

    Solid breakfast spot. They serve monster portions and you don't leave hungry. I got the "lighter fare" french toast and it was still a ton of food. Their skillets are really good and they also make their own bread and french fries. They also sell these huge cinnamon rolls for $5. Wait times can get long in the morning so go around 1pm (they close at 3pm I think).

    (4)

  • Firsto C.

    Good breakfast place. The amount of food you get is unreal which mean that's too much I normally go on week day simply weekend you have to wait so long for food and service. Service is not the best one out of the box ,but since the food so great I'm giving four star rating

    (4)

  • Kelly Z.

    Back in the day I was a server at the Brown Bag Cafe. It is not only a great place to eat but a fantastic place to work. The management trusts the staff so if ever there is something wrong, the Brown Bag is quick to fix the issue. The Kirkland Brown Bag is larger than the Redmond branch, and they have a true parking lot. The portions are ridiculously large however convince a friend to "split" a meal and you will both leave happy and full. It's less expensive that way too! Typically there are a lot of potatoes so either order half the amount or take full advantage of the flexibility with substitutions. You can always get fresh fruit or vegetables instead of potatoes. It's better for you anyway. If you're dining alone and do not want leftovers you should ask your server if you can order off the kids menu - remind them that we're all kids at heart. Lastly, if you are in a hurry avoid ordering a burger or grilled chicken. They simply take longer to cook. Yelling at your server won't make the grill any hotter. So know that ahead of time. Here is a link to the menu, Enjoy!: brownbagcafes.com/breakf…

    (4)

  • Edward J.

    The portions are BIG BIG BIG... we went home with a bunch of leftovers. We had the omelette and it was good. I haven't tried their pancake and look forward to trying it next time I'm there.

    (4)

  • Gnat S.

    Volume wins out over quality. Good place to watch the decline of America. Customers as large as woolly mammoths come here to feed. Portions are humongous. Flavor is consistently mattress filling.

    (1)

  • Mariani A.

    If you want HUGE breakfast and don't care about quality, this is the place to go. It definitely emphasizes quantity over quality. My cinnamon french toasts were soaked with too much syrup. (Not sure why the syrup wasn't served separately.) The hash browns were so thick and were more like mashed potatoes. I heard that the omelettes were good, but I don't think I will come back.

    (2)

  • Kati P.

    My husband and I have been here twice (I try to give a place a second chance if they blew it once---big mistake this time!) Our first visit was HORRIBLE when we ordered the special peach/cream stuffed French Toast. It was so overly sweet and gloppy that we took three bites and left the rest. THAT'S A CLUE TO A COMPETENT WAITPERSON TO INQUIRE IF A CUSTOMER IS UNHAPPY OR WOULD LIKE SOMETHING ELSE. The full dish was removed and nothing was said. Upon our departure, the hostess/cashier said the proverbial "Was everything alright??" and I said "Well actually NO, our special breakfast was inedible." She smiled and that was it. What's the point of asking if no one cares?? I slept on it and then called the manager to relay our story. Again, she didn't care nor did she try to make it better. Why we went a second time is beyond me. Oh yeah, we were very hungry and closeby.... So last time we ordered the normal fare, a veggie skillet over what they claim are hashbrowns. NOT! Our so-so eggs and veggies were piled over what seemed like 5 lbs. of mushy flavorless soggy potatoes. Hashbrowns are shredded, pan fried and very crispy. They should get their terminology right. The portions are huge, but the flavors are small. NEVER AGAIN---they've had their two chances.

    (1)

  • Sarah K.

    This Brown Bag location has the same menu items as the Redmond (now closed) location. The atmosphere isn't quite as cute as the Redmond location was, but the food is the same and the people are nice. My only complaint is that every time I've been here, three times so far, it is freezing inside! The coffee is good and the food is good, so I'll probably keep going back even though it's so cold inside.

    (4)

  • Pru i.

    I was definitely unimpressed with this place. I went for breakfast with a friend who likes the place and I have no idea why she liked it. I ordered hot chocolate to drink and even it was bad!

    (1)

  • Alice C.

    I agree with the slow service, but the food is worth the wait. Gigantic portions and yummy breakfast. The food is the same as the Redmond branch, although I found it a bit less greasy. If you like the Redmond Brown Bag Cafe, you'll love the Kirkland location.

    (4)

  • Joshua M.

    The service was really really slow during the lunch that we went here. The turkey sandwich I had was decent, nothing spectacular. I wasn't super impressed with the place, but I'd give it a second chance.

    (3)

  • B L.

    Homestyle breakfast place. They also have a lunch menu, but I've only been here for the breakfast. The portions are huge, the prices are reasonable, and the food is good. They have thick sliced bacon. The pancakes aren't the best. but they are really big. Their giant cinnamon rolls are yummy. It comes with or or without raisins, either way with icing on top. I always get one to take home. It gets busy on the weekends. Expect to wait for a table if you get there around 11 am - 12 pm on weekends.

    (4)

  • Melissa C.

    Just a greasy spoon that isn't much better than Shari's next door. Gigantic portions.

    (1)

  • Denise B.

    I've been here multiple times. Taste is amazing! Portions are huge. I get the skillets every time and it takes me two days to finish.

    (4)

  • Carlo V.

    Breakfast here is so good... especially the French toast. They're nice and fluffy and come with a side if bacon or sausage. They also have great customer service. Our waitress was always there to refill my coffee so that it was nice and hot during my breakfast excursion today. I'd highly recommend this place anytime to all of my friends and family. Cheers!!!

    (5)

  • Karen L.

    Be prepared for a long wait, even for a table for 2. We had the egg's Benedict and Italian omelette. The egg's Benedict was pretty good. Instead of a English muffin, it was on a split croissant. The omelette was good, and I also liked the hash browns, which were more like sliced potatoes. As everyone has also mentioned, the portions are huge, so you're better off sharing unless you want to take a to-go box home. If you're looking for a good brunch, you'll find it here, although I wouldn't say I'm a fan of this place.

    (3)

  • Brian M.

    This is actually a little bit better then the 3 star rating. When you see The Brown Bag from the outside you would think it's a mom and pop greasy spoon with a waitress that greeted you with a gravel smokers voice but this place is actually nice inside and has pretty good food. The decor is like a nice country sit down. I did research on yelp to get breakfast ideas before i went and I saw a repeat comments on the beauty of the waitresses and it's true.When you walk through those doors it's like your walking into a gateway to the Swiss alps with very attractive ladies all around you and your sitting in a ski lodge but other then that let me say about the food,The bacon is too thick it's like eating slabs of leather and I ordered biscuits and gravy that were decent. So hot friendly waitstaff and OK food why not 4 stars? well I don't think breakfast should cost the amount they charge: 8+ dollars and with tax,and i gave a 4 dollar tip it was 17 Dollars and some change for one plate.Food is OK not amazing if it was that good I would try to justify spending close to $20 every time i go here but that's not going to happen because the food is OK, perhaps on goods boarder. Sure they give you big portions but I am a Fat guy and I did not even came close to eating everything they gave me. If the whole meal was smaller and making the price go down I would of been happy. I felt the whole meal should of been with tax and everything around $8. So would I go here again..eh maybe.. I am not rushing back.perhaps a nice B-spot when the folks are in town but I would not want to see the bill and it's casual but I felt uncomfortable in jeans and a hoodie it's more like Sunday clothes going to breakfast after Church small town USA back east type of place.

    (3)

  • Kristen W.

    If there is nowhere else to eat eating here is probably going to be okay. A lot of people really really really like this place (I would guess it is because of the ridiculously huge portions) I am more into quality versus quantity so I don't love it. It's a few notches above Denny's or some other greasy spoon for sure but nothing to get super excited about.

    (2)

  • Robyn H.

    If your stomach is gnawing at your backbone, this is the place to get a fill up. The portions are HUGE and could feed a family in Bangledesh for a month. Meal costs are moderate but you will likely go home with a doggie bag so you'll get two meals for the price of one. Quality of the meals is also moderate but I wasn't looking for gourmet when I visited. Breakfast is my favorite meal and I always eat way too much. This place does not help curb that desire in any way.

    (3)

  • Kim S.

    great food, huge portions!

    (4)

  • Janis H.

    Good breakfasts here. Nothing fancy and great place to bring the whole family. Nothing too spectacular but a good solid place for breakfast (or lunch). Tip: ask for a box when you order, the portions are astronomical! And the service was very attentive.

    (3)

  • Cora L.

    Tremendously large portions, delicious and heavy breakfast foods without the nasty grease, and very friendly staff. Even though you won't have room for dessert, order the cinnamon bun anyway. It's so big you'll have to cut it down to squeeze it into your to-go box, but it's seriously amazing.

    (5)

  • Kaylynn C.

    I was pretty excited to come here cause I've heard such great things... from start to end we were there for about 2 hours. Food was luke warm and we found 3 different hairs on 3 separate food items. Needless to say, we won't be going back. Not to mention when we initially told the server about the hairs they took the plate away and didn't apologize or say 'Oh wow that's gross!' or anything!

    (1)

  • Rachel L.

    Love this place! Always so flavorful and delicious. Huge portions too! I always leave feeling stuffed (and on the verge of clogged arteries but worth it!) only negative is the wait times, since it's a popular place expect to wait for a table.. And then your food.

    (4)

  • Duane M.

    Quick service with generous portions. Had the biscuits and gravy which were good; the hash browns did leave something to be desired as they were more like mashed potatoes that had been crisped on the grill. My coffee cup got to empty one time (a big no no in my book) but after that it was well tended. I will be back.

    (3)

  • Tommy E.

    I know everyone loves this place so I checked it out. I got a scramble. Lots of food but ALL potatoes. Barely anything else to it. Ok service for how busy it was

    (1)

  • David C.

    Worst service ever! took a half hour to be approached by our "server" been here often over the years, that's over never again!

    (1)

  • James G.

    Quantity does not equal quality. Just bad. Servers and kitchen must be overwhelmed, because it takes forever to get a server to show up, forever to get coffee, forever to get food. And then, when the food arrives, it's bland and poorly prepared. Plus, who needs a pound of bad hash browns?

    (1)

  • Emmy R.

    I really wanted to jump on the Brown Bag bandwagon, but it was just ok for me. Their platters are gigantic and I love big breakfast portions like the next gal, but more food doesn't necessarily equal better food. I got the highly recommended eggs benedict, thinking a croissant instead of an English muffin was genius. The croissant actually killed the dish for me. The light and fluffy texture soaked up all the hollandaise, which turned it into mush. I could hardly tell there was any sort of bread product in the mix. The hollandaise was good, just wanted it slathered on a denser piece of bread. I did like the hashbrowns, which are basically a heaping pile of potatoes, not of the shredded type, but still with a little bit of crunch. They can get really busy, but the wait is usually pretty short, so don't be swayed by the packed lobby. I made an out of the way trip to try it out, but I wouldn't make an out of the way trip to return.

    (3)

  • Theresa F.

    Brown Bag Cafe is simply A-OK. If I were reviewing the parking lot, this venue receives a solid negative three stars. This is one of the tiniest parking lots I have seen for a busy restaurant, ever. While waiting 20 minutes for a parking space to open up, I was nearly run down by a large, angry, hairy man in a lifted pickup with oversized tires and an ego to go along with it. As Mr. Cheerful screeched on by he yelled some profanities that made this girl blush! Once i secured a parking spot, I made my way into the restaurant and was seated within five minutes. The waitress was helpful, answering the questions we had regarding the menu. I ordered the Diablo Skillet, hold the sour cream, the menu warned this dish was "hot as the devil". I had visions of my taste buds burning with delight, my brain receptors shorting out and my stomach revolting as I filled it with explosive fires from, well, H#ll. The food arrived pretty quickly and the food was piled so high that it really should have been a serving for two. I gingerly took my first few bites, trying to judge what type of Devil I was dealing with. The chicken was pretty good, nice and seasoned as were the potatoes. The eggs were lost in the mixture of chicken, potatoes, bell peppers, black beans and cheddar...as was the Devil and the Jalapeno Peppers. The DIablo that resides at the Brown Bag Cafe is the Diablo from Sunday School vs. the Fire and Brimstone Diablo I learned about while attending Mass. If you are expecting spicy, you will be terribly disappointed. I ate less than a quarter of my meal and I was finished. If the food were amazing, I would have plowed through it until I was sick. Breakfast is my favorite meal and since I only have it a few times a year, it is a splurge! The waitress kept trying to talk me into taking the leftovers, but it wasn't good enough for me to splurge on more than once. The service was okay, but the waitress left empty glasses on the table, when I left, I had four empty glasses (all mine) sitting next to me. I may go here again if one of my friends insists on it, but I wouldn't make the suggestion myself.

    (3)

  • Christopher M.

    Wonderful service when you can find a parking space and get in! They are only open until 3pm, and often have a 20-30 minute wait, because they are that good. It's a local favorite among the Kirkland weekend breakfast scene. They have hearty 'country' portions, and a delicious selection of lighter fair for the more picky eaters. A favorite meal of mine is the Meat Lover's Omelet with extra crispy hash browns. If I'm going to splurge, I might as well splurge right! They also have ginormous 5inch x 5inch x 2 inch cinnamon rolls. They are amazing to take home, warm up, and eat as an afternoon snack with you and 4 of your closest friends. All of the cinnamon rolls and bread that can be purchased at the cashier are made onsite daily! The wait staff is great! Some of the most smiley girls I've ever seen at a restaurant. They are always on top of when I need my coffee refilled, and ready to order. I thoroughly recommend trying them out if you're ever on the East Side some weekend morning. Just make sure to get there a little early, I find that Sunday, before 10am is best. But that could have just been luck. I hope this helps any weary travelers looking for a delicious meal. Thank you Brown Bag Café, you guys are amazing!

    (4)

  • Candice W.

    As time has gone on, my love of the Brown Bag has faded. When I first tried it on a visit to the area (I lived out of state), it seemed like the bee's knees. Fast forward about 5 years, and I now live in the Seattle area. Since moving here about 9 months ago and have gone probably 3 times for breakfast and, well... I choose other places over the Brown Bag. Why you might ask? The food is just meh. If done well, the hashbrowns can be good; the biscuits can also be hit or miss. But, it all starts tasting the same to me, kinda bland. I love me some sausage and I think theirs stinks! We kept going thinking it would be just as good as the first time but are now convinced our first visit was anomaly or just that the place has changed over the years. Also, why does anyone need that much food??!?!?! It's just plain wasteful! Take the average meal here and cut it into thirds, give two-thirds to the homeless person sitting on most Seattle corners, and you'd still have enough for a large breakfast. Yes, you are reading correctly, I am complaining that there is too much gosh darn food!!! Like most of you out there, I'd prefer to feel like I get my money's worth when eating out, but the amount of food you get here is KrAzy! I guess if you can convince somebody else in your party to share with you, paying the sharing fee is the way to go. I'd personally rather pay a few bucks less for a normal sized portion! Took my visiting father who eats every meal like he's getting ready to hibernate for a few months, and even he said that the portions are ridiculous and maybe ate half his meal. I think some people are convinced they "love" this place because it has mammoth-sized portions for about the same price as any other breakfast joint but do they seriously eat those leftovers? I'd rather have tasty, quality food. In regards to the wait, we've gone earlier (~8 AM) so the wait is reasonable. However, I have seen the lines as we have been leaving and I can concur with the other reviewers that if you go past 9-10 AM, expect to wait. Service is typical of any semi to fully busy restaurant. Decor is trying to be country charming, but it just looks outdated. Bottom line, if you want HUGE portions and a run of the mill breakfast, this is your place.

    (3)

  • H P.

    Wife and I ordered the diablo and French toast it was great. The price was just right and portions were huge just the way I like it. The white chocolate was a little sweet. Customer service was great. Will be back!

    (5)

  • Danielle L.

    We have come once a month since moving to the area and the food here is great! But the service is awful. In previous visits, it was that noticeable with the food being great. This time we were sat and order taken..... AN HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTES LATER our food arrived. Our waitress only began to check on us after the first hour when I complained. If you are going to come here, come earlier in the morning or prepare yourself to wait and be ignored.

    (1)

  • S S.

    Asked the hotel we were staying at for some breakfast options. They pointed us this way. The portions are extremely huge here. And by huge, I mean enough to feed 3 people easily. Regardless of what you get, you'll end up having to ask for a brown bag so you can take the food home. Good stuff!

    (4)

  • Vivian Clair M.

    Brown Bag Cafe could be a wonderful place. It has helpful servers, a pleasant, homey decor, and much better than usual coffee--better than Patty's Eggnest, btw. However, restaurants which seem to focus so much on carbohydrates should make butter an option. The viscous oily slime they call "butter", even when you ask for butter, makes pancakes, French toast, English muffins, etc. basically tasteless. Why bother ingesting those calories without any real taste payoff? Similarly, why bother with French toast and pancakes when you serve tasteless syrup without any maple syrup in it? I'd avoid the French toast, since it is basically just very thick toasted bread with hardly any custard. The only way I could enjoy one of their breakfasts is by bringing butter and maple syrup from home, and at these inflated prices, I expect much better. In my opinion, they are serving bargain-basement-diner food at upscale pricing. No way.

    (3)

  • Glenn S.

    Parking here is a mess on a Saturday morning. There is always a long line to have breakfast here. The quality of the food has gone down thru the years along with the service. Prices are over priced here for the food and service. Years ago I would say it's worth it. Sad how most business are getting worse.

    (2)

  • Robert S.

    The food was good and the portions were bigger than I expected and the staff was great. I am coming back.

    (3)

  • maz b.

    you get a huge portion but so what??? What a ffkknn waste. Maybe the owner should go to Africa for a few days. The food was totally mediocre ,a little better than Dennys. Th coffee was average and the price was RIDICULOUS. 17 bucks for 1 person. DONT GO HERE. Seattle is a stupid ripoff but you can find way better prices than this. Disgusting overall.

    (1)

  • Jenn F.

    Awesome breakfast! The servings are huge so you can have leftovers!

    (4)

  • Tiffany S.

    Prepare for a long wait. Great food for a great price. Got the cinnamon bun to go and lasted me for a week.

    (4)

  • Shelby J.

    You want giant portions? You've come to the right place! No seriously, if you order one of their "normal" sized breakfasts, it will probably be a two meal affair. Make sure to ask for a to-go box, lets not be wasteful. I got the crispy bacon I asked for, food was all cooked well, it's fairly cheap and they were extremely accommodating of our large group we had for breakfast when my husband and I were visiting home during the holidays. Now, lets get one thing straight. If you're trying to come somewhere to get a "healthy breakfast" I'm going to warn you this is NOT it. I'm going to be realistic. I'm sure with some effort on your part you could make something out of the menu options. But this is more of your fried breakfast potatoes, bacon and big plates joint. So be forewarned. With that being said, Brown Bag you're A-Ok in my book.

    (3)

  • Carolyn H.

    This place is amazing. Yes, there can be a wait; yes, it takes a little while for the food to arrive; yes, the service staff is not always as attentive as you would like. However, the food makes all the negatives worth while. Everything is made from scratch from the hash browns, to the gigantic pancakes, to the down-right delicious cinnamon roll fresh toast. The portions are huge. Not only will you leave feeling full and ready to nap, but you will leave with a full plate of leftovers to eat after your food coma subsides. I cannot wait to go back!

    (5)

  • Nikki V.

    This place always leaves me with at least 2 extra meals. Seriously. HUGE portions. I've only had their country skillet (or omelet) and banana pecan pancakes, but both are to die for. Service is decent. Seems like they mainly have high school/college students working there most of the time. Fine by me.. just get me my food & refills! The one thing I highly dislike about this place would indeed be the seating, I wish they would get booths. I feel like I'm eating breakfast with everybody else and their mothers. BOOTHS?! Please! :)

    (4)

  • Jamie R.

    The Brown Bag Cafe consistently makes me and whoever I meet up with very happy. Their breakfasts are just great. You must come hungry or come willing to share your meal or take home a doggy bag because the servings are ginormous. I appreciate that they have some veggie options like veggie sausage patties which are great. Their mocha is also huge and SOOOOO good! Did I mention the english muffin is the size of a 3 year olds head? So the food is big but is it good? YEAP. Nice crusty potatoes, perfect poached eggs, toasty breads, and artfully places fruit garnish :) Service is good too. Plan on waiting and having a hard time finding parking, as the lot is shared with Sharis and a hotel. Oh and as a side note I've come many times for breakfast and once for lunch. The lunch made me and my compadre feel oogy all day so I've kinda steered clear of the lunch menu, but it was tasty!

    (4)

  • Joshua B.

    I have been here a handful of times and every time I leave in an induced food coma ready for a nap. The hostesses are always very friendly and get us seated right away. I know Brown Bag isn't the cheapest place to eat but you really pay for what you get since the portions are out of control. I have yet to try anything other then the breakfast but I am sure the rest of the menu is as good as the breakfast menu. I remember my first time coming here with some coworkers and saw some the food that the other people were eating as we walked by and I couldn't believe the heaping plates of food. It was an awe inspiring moment. I ordered the Meat Lover's Omelet that had New York Steak, bacon, diced ham, link and bratwurst sausage, onions, mushrooms and cheddar for $13.99. When the waitress brought out the food my jaw dropped in amazement and I thought to myself there is no way in hell I am eating all of this. The omelet was packed and huge, then they give you a heaping pile of potatoes that is enough for two people along with my favorite their homemade english muffins. I gave it a valiant try but came up a little bit short and had to get the rest to go. I was so full I felt like I needed a wheel chair to wheel my ass out the door. That was a damn good breakfast. Another great dish is the Diablo which I get as a skillet. The Diablo has spicy chicken sauteed with jalapenos, cilantro, tomato, red and green peppers, onions, spices, a spicy black bean, cheddar and sour cream toppong, and a side of chipotle salsa for $12.95. It is a bit spicy so be prepared. I can say that all of my other experiences here have been about the same but now I know what to expect when my food comes out.

    (4)

  • Tammy C.

    Wowsa! Wowsa! Wowsa! Bacon. My love of it is bigger than your head and Brown Bag's bacon is delicious. I had the standard country breakfast with homemade hash browns, two eggs, home made bread, and several slices of thick bacon! The portion was immense and I could not finish it all. My meal came with all you can eat toast and I wish my stomach and thighs would have allowed me to have more, more, more! Around me people were ordering the most amazing looking sandwiches and salads. The photos others have taken and posted really do represent their offerings. I so wish I could go back there right now! Bonus- the servers are very easy on the eyes. Now I know why the boys love going to this place.

    (4)

  • Michael R.

    Looking for a place to have breakfast? Can't go wrong with Brown Bag, the food is good, prices are reasonable and they give healthy portions. Downsides? The long waits on Saturday & Sunday mornings if you get there are the wrong time.

    (4)

  • Garrett W.

    One and a half hours until food arrives. The food is average at best but you get way more than a healthy portion. On top of it all they charge you for this wonderful experience. It seems like the place to be for late morning hangover breakfast. I'm going to have to pass in the future.

    (2)

  • Matt M.

    It is with a heavy heart I write this review. YEARS ago I had gone to this place . . .actually their OLD location down In Redmond - a couple times a month LOVED IT. I had been to this newer location shortly after they opened it but since then . . . 4 + years, I have lived a bit out of the area. Yesterday a friend asked me if I would like to meet there for breakfast. I was a bit excited to go again - been a long time. Kinda of like meeting an old friend through facebook I guess (more on that at the end). Anyway, ONE of the things I looked forward to was sort of an old favorite of mine: the apple sausages. Over the years I have been trying to cut down the carbs and grease . . . eggs . . . cholesterol etc. . . so although I ordered the sausage, I ordered with scrambled egg whites. 1st off, they totally burnt the sausages (as well as a lot of the hash browns). 2nd, I would guess the amount of egg whites I got was well less than that of the volume of 1 egg (S K I M P Y). As I stated, not a huge fan of carbs so I only ate 1/2 piece of toast and maybe 2 tablespoons worth of the POUND + hash browns they brought me (I ate what I could find that was not burnt/scorched. Neither I, nor my companion ate but 1/2 the food we were given. Partly because the volume of food is a little crazy - but mostly because . . .well . . . it really wasn't that good! A real shocker to me - I had pretty good memories of the product in the past - maybe I've been more of a pig in years past? At any rate, we both decided we would likely not return in the future. T H E N . . . it gets worse. After breakfast, we each went our separate ways and I just found out we EACH got SICK when we got home. Not a flu - it was something we each ate. The only common item was the hash browns I guess . . . maybe the toast . . . or the coffee. It doesn't matter I guess - water under the bridge. We're both still alive . . .not like we were going to go there again anyway. I just didn't get anything done that I had planned that day cause I was in the bathroom all afternoon. In short, if you are trying to gain a lot of weight in a short amount of time . . .if you are looking to drive your cholesterol through the roof - go there, just take some Pepto with ya. Oh yeah - SOMETIMES old friends we run across through facebook are not worth catching up with - many times, quite the let down. Well, the revisit with Brown bag was JUST LIKE THAT . . . a let down . . . to say the least.

    (2)

  • Taylor C.

    Has always been one of my favorite breakfast spots anywhere I've lived. The portions are large and can best be described as "breakfast comfort food" in my opinion. If you're in a decadent mood and plan on being up for the next 12 hours, I suggest indulging yourself in the cinnamon roll french toast. You can't go wrong with anything "normal" on the menu either (admittedly haven't had any of the lunch stuff but this place does breakfast the best anyways). Plan on whatever you get being well portioned, and coming with a giant side of pancakes/hash browns/etc. You may get a wait but don't let that discourage you. Enjoy

    (4)

  • Jen C.

    As a huge fan of breakfast food, this place is AWESOME. The portions are huge, the setting is sweet, and they serve breakfast all day :) The last time I was there, I ordered the spinach, swiss, and bacon omelet and it was delicious. Usually when there's a side of eggs or hash browns, there's just a small portion of it right? When I got my plate, there was just as much hash as there was omelet! The plate was so heavy I thought the table was going to collapse. :P Oh by the way, there's also toast that comes with your dish. So make sure you have an appetite before you go :)

    (4)

  • Alex W.

    Let's begin by saying I had high expectations about this restaurant based on my girlfriend's recommendation of their eggs benedict when they were still in Redmond. The restaurant was full as to be expected on a Sunday. The staff was a group of what appeared to be high school kids. Decided to order their country fried steak and my girl ordered the salmon benedict. We waited 40 minutes for our breakfast to arrive so I had high hopes, because naturally a restaurant packed with people all awaiting to be served is usually a good sign... boy were we wrong. The batter on my country fried steak was completely unseasoned along with the bland tasteless sauce they considered to be country gravy all piled on top of burnt and soggy hashbrowns. You could still taste the undercooked flour in the batter. My girlfriend's salmon benedict was so salty, it tasted like it had been marinating in a brine for 24 hours. The waitress asked how was everything and I didn't have the heart to tell her this was the worst breakfast I've had in years. Needless to say I will not be returning nor recommending this restaurant to anyone I know or at least care about.

    (2)

  • Tim H.

    You want HUGE portions for brunch-ish style food? This is the place. Simply put there is no small portion food on this menu...none. If you aren't a big eater, then split something. My daughter had a cinnamon roll and loved it. I had their special french toast the day I was there and it was great (too much food but I still ate it all). My wife had some california breakfast sandwich which she loved (eggs, avocado, etc.) but I didn't care for the mixture of stuff. The downside of this place? Price. I left with my family of four spending $55. Yikes...didn't see that coming. I knocked my rating down one star because of price for me. For families it is hard to find a place that won't break your bank. The food is good, atmosphere is fast-paced. It's not a Denny's, but not a 5-star restaurant either. It is PACKED most of the time, so if you are in a hurry this isn't the place, but if you want some good breakfast type food, this one shouldn't do you wrong.

    (3)

  • J R R.

    I wasn't impressed. I had the chicken fried steak, It looked good, but it wasn't. The breading was kind of doughy, kind of yuckie. The hash browns, though crisp, were closer to mashed, completely overcooked... a crunchy mush... kind of a weird texture. The worst english muffin ever, looked like bottom half of a hamburger bun, very breadlike... not even marmalade would help! For the price my breakfast, the food was very, very unimpressive.The portions were huge! and the larger portion of my breakfast ended up in the slop bucket. It was just BAD! JR

    (1)

  • Fran M.

    I'm writing a negative review not based on the quality of the food or service, so if that's all you care about - don't worry, the place is great. My bad experience falls somewhere within the category of being abel to run a quality business, which these folks loose points on. Look at their website and note their locations: brownbagcafes.com/locati… That's what I did last weekend. I saw the first place was in Redmond, so I invited a group of 7 of us to Redmond (we live on the other side of the bridge). Turns out when we got there the place was closed. We found out later that location had been closed for two years! And in two years no one had updated the website? Well, I called Brown Bag to tell them, and they just said, yeah we know. BROWN BAG! UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE!!! You guys are in Seattle for heck's sake! - I'm sure you can find someone to help you out. Heck, half your servers probably have a degree in web design!

    (1)

  • Lynette W.

    I have been coming here a few times a year for the past 6 years or so. It is in a central location by the freeway. I don't get out for breakfast much and when I finally do pull myself out of bed it would be way too long of a wait for me to come here. The portions are large and their bread products rock. Love the freezerves jam too. I don't like their fountain coke/diet coke which is hard for me when I am eating in the morning to go without. We were up early and went there. Poor Drew hadn't ever been here before. He had smoked salmon benedict and was extremely happy with his meal and the crossiant it came on. I have had the big growler several times over the years and this time it just wasn't good. The breading on it was funky and falling off and the gravy had too much flour and tasted a little grainy and overall off. One half of my english muffin was good, but the other was a little over toasted and dry. We also went there first thing in the morning, first people in and it seemed to take awhile to get our food. Earlier I said the portions are huge. This time they were large, but definitely not the norm. Usually your plate is piling over, this time it was less. Drew ate his entire dish and a few bites of mine. Hopefully it will bounce back next time. The water is passable.

    (4)

  • Jan C.

    The portions are huge, but the food is extremely greasy. Expect to decrease your life expectancy by a few days after you eat here. The food is not too bad, but nothing memorable. Just your average breakfast diner. The weirdest part is that they had a plate sharing surcharge for sharing food with our toddler. I've never seen any other restaurant do that.

    (2)

  • Andrea Y.

    It never seems to amaze me that every time I come here it is extremely busy. I wonder why? Its good homemade American breakfast and brunch food. They have great portions and good service (gotta be attentive) Its pretty hardy/fulfilling so I only come here once-n-while.

    (4)

  • Jeremy R.

    Please...show me the homosexual who doesn't LOVE breakfast food and I will show you what's most likely a crack addict. It's part of the genetics of being gay. Similar to impeccable taste in women's shoes and being the son of parents who choses names like "Courtney" or "Kris" & "Erik" (with the K). Now, I have been coming to the Brown Bag in Kirkland since I moved here in 2006. Being right around the corner from my first apartment, it was a logical choice to try this place out and I am totally pleased that I did. Did I say that I LOVE breakfast? "No Sissy Food" is written right on the menu. At first I was offended...but that turned into excited anticipation when I read a little closer. Everything sounds delicious (simple - but DELICIOUS). I love-love-LOVE Country Fried Steak for breaky. They have this creation called "The Growler" and it's like they took heaven, somehow bred it into a cow, slaughtered the cow, dipped it in more heaven and then fried it to perfection after which it landed on my plate. It's THAT good. Coupled with eggs (almost always perfectly cooked to order) and some country potatoes...yum yum yum. *Hint* Always ask for the cheddar and onions on your potatoes. It takes what looks to be an unsurmountable pile of starch and turns it into a super-yummy unsurmountable pile of starch (and cheese...and onions). Now the downside. Luckily so far, I have run into only a couple of disappointments. First, their hollandaise sauce isn't that great. It's just so-so. And I am a hollandaise connoisseur. So it's a touchy subject for me and if it's not as good as mine, I'll have to pass. (Or bring my own with me...but that's crazy! Or is it?) Second, their wait is usually super long. Even right before closing. It's weird though. This place is huge...even bigger in the summer months when the patio is open. So it should be able to accommodate quite a crowd. And it does, I guess .... because the parking lot is next to impossible on Sunday/Saturday mornings. Normally, I would consider this a mark in the "plus column" but I can see why it's so crowded all the time...and it's not only the wonderful breakfasts. The Brown Bag seems like a family-run joint and without a seasoned professional running the show, they trip up. You can tel that it's really the reception/busing staff slowing down the roll. The pretty good waitresses seem to have too many tables in their charge and without anyone to tell them they have a new table....it's left up to them to notice. And they are already busy service the many many other groups. All that aside, everyone is super-nice. It's been getting better and better as time goes by and my heart would break if they closed down. So GO!!! It doesn't matter though. The food is worth any frustration caused by the wait and when I can find a parking spot, that means I'm in for the duration. Make sure you goto the Brown Bag starving because you will leave (or be assisted out) feeling like you never want to eat again. I love this place and it's part of my world here in Washington. They welcomed me to town and I am sure they'll be one of the places I have to eat at before I leave. *Update* English Muffin is AMAZING! I know, random, right? It's so yummy that I want to go back and just order a plate of them.

    (4)

  • mandar j.

    The coffee was not great .. (too much roasted ) The veggie soup did not look good ,and taste too. The french toast was no special not bad though .. (same about pan cakes..) one cant go wrong with over easy eggs so no points for that .. Overall its not good enough to call it as local favourite ...

    (2)

  • Lisif W.

    The Brown Bag is notable for its huge portion sizes, and the coffee is good. That said, I'm not a huge fan of the place - partly due to the food, partly due to the service and ambiance. This place likes to cook eggs until there is no possibility of any harmful organisms, bacterial or otherwise, present - unfortunately, that also renders the result inedible. Omelets and frittatas emerge from the kitchen leathery and... well, certainly safe to eat. I give the BB 3 stars because some of the other options are tasty - skillets and the like are fine - and if you don't mind your eggs cooked well done, you'll probably like everything on the menu. There is often a wait at prime breakfast time. I have not tried the lunch but I have heard the sandwiches are good. I am a huge breakfast fan so places like the BB, that serve breakfast all through lunchtime, get thumbs up in my book - but it does mean I'll never get over to the lunch side of the menu. Good value for the food, especially considering the portions. You can easily split a plate for 2, and they have a very reasonable charge for doing just that.

    (3)

  • Nathan H.

    I have been coming here for about 2 years now. It's better than Denny's or Shari's by far. The food is good and there is lots of it. Service is good but, if they get too busy, you might have to ask the waitress to warm up your coffee (which they will gladly do, have never, ever had any waitress here be anything but helpful and friendly). I usually grab the chicken fried steak and eggs...but watch out for the hashbrowns...they give you enough for four people. :) If they aren't too busy, you can ask to be seated in Paige's section, she is who I usually ask for but, all the waitstaff is friendly. Great place to meet some friends for breakfast!

    (4)

  • Janie D.

    Amazing place for breakfast. Good food and huge portions! Gets busy! Adequate service.

    (4)

  • Bridgette F.

    My boyfriend and I just went here for brunch. We live right down the road so he has been here before but I've been dying to go for a year now. We got biscuits and gravy ($13), The "Big Mike" - pancakes or french toast, eggs, hashbrowns, and your choice of meat ($15), apple juice, and orange juice ($2.50 ea.) The french toast was enormous! The half slices were the size of a normal whole piece of bread and were double or triple the thickness. Service = good, all girls Ambiance = okay, like Shari's or Denny's Food = HUGE, delicious Price = $$ Crowd = Families Personal Favorite = Hashbrowns with onions and cheddar Worst = there's always a wait Meal for two = 38 before tip! Final Say = Is worth the 25 minute wait. get here after the morning rush, and before the lunch rush - around 1030 am

    (4)

  • Bill W.

    I hadn't been here for a while and had to be reminded how good it is for breakfast. Yes, the servings are huge, but what restaurant isn't doing that now. Everything was freshly cooked/baked and delicious. This morning I got the stuffed french toast, a special with great blueberry and strawberry mixture with cream cheese on their terrific french toast. She had a big combo with eggs, bacon, deluxe hash browns, and two pancakes bigger than any human should eat. It was all delicious and filled us up and we took home enough for breakfast tomorrow. Service was great and prices are reasonable. We'll be back for sure.

    (4)

  • Lisa L.

    I love the toast here! Unlimited fresh-baked toast, comes included with most breakfasts offered on the menu. It's really thick, crunchy, hearty and delicious with syrup! I make my agenda clear when I order from the waitress, bring out the toast first (whole wheat for me), with syrup, and keep it coming. The syrup really soaks into the nooks of the bread and it tastes better than french toast. I usually end up taking my actual meal home and eating it for lunch and/or dinner. One stop here provides enough food for me to last the entire day. We had the California Breakfast Sandwich, which tasted great, and the Garden Skillet, which was ok, high on the fat content. Did I mention I come here for the toast?! Service was fine, lots of options on the menu, portions are huge. most items are around $10. Get the thick-cut toast with syrup, you won't be disappointed!

    (3)

  • Bridget K.

    We waited to get a table then waited about 25 minuets for the actual food and it came out cold. They took a coffee and a soda off our bill to fix the problem. It was just not very great and if i should be stoked about saving $3.00 they shouldnt price their other food items as high as they are. The server was great, i was irritated and she was very nice. I added a star just for her.

    (3)

  • Lisa B.

    This is a standard breakfast place. I was told it was really good so I tried it while I was living in Kirkland. The portions are HUGE so splitting a breakfast is totally necessary even for the big eaters. I was pretty dissappointed by Brown Bag as I had heard such great things. It was OK, but nothing great, I've come here a couple of times but I prob. wouldn't come back.

    (2)

  • Jessica M.

    I've been a couple of times now and really like it! The portions are absurd - even if you go hungry you will be leaving with leftovers. I've had the eggs benedict and the potato sausage skillet and both were delicious. Their bread is really amazing and next time I'd like to try a cinnamon roll.

    (4)

  • Shane L.

    Brown Bag is a bit of a tradition to a group of my friends; any time we have a long weekend event coming up we get up early to have some early morning breakfast. These Brown Bag outings are something I always look forward to. Now, I don't think Brown Bag is the culinary center of the universe when it comes to breakfast. However, it's decent food with ginormous portions and friendly service (my coffee cup is never empty unless I ask, a sign of excellent service). I usually get a skillet which usually is more than enough for breakfast and lunch later on in the day; I think nearly everyone in our group ends up with similar left-overs. A random plus I love about this place; you pay up front so the staff is always super happy to split checks for groups. So many other places seem a little annoyed by this. One of these days I want to try one of their giant cinnamon rolls; they look so delicious but I feel so full and ready to take a nap afterward that I never dare buy one.

    (4)

  • Joey S.

    I came here for breakfast on a Wednesday morning on a whim to try somewhere new in the area. I was seated and had to wait about 10 minutes before placing my drink and food order. At this point I felt like walking out and going to my usual place, and I should have. I ordered the croissant eggs benedict with salmon and hash browns. When I got my order I could tell right away it wasn't going to be good the way it looked thrown together. Starting with the hash browns, they use an o'brien type where they're sliced instead of the shredded type. I prefer the shredded type, and would have been ok making an exception if they weren't horrible. Half was soggy, half was burnt and like cardboard to the point I couldn't even cut them with a knife. Now for the eggs benedict. First off I learned why they're usually made with english muffins. Using a croissant with hollandaise sauce leaves you with a soggy mush, not at all appetizing. The hollandaise sauce had little flavor, but the worst part was the smoked salmon if you could call it that...more like salted salmon. It was so salty I took one bite and was done. It literally tasted like a mouthful of salt or soy sauce. I managed to pick off most of it eating the egg, croissant, and a few bites of hash brown. What a complete disappointment.

    (1)

  • Saveth R.

    It was my first time going to this cafe and I can see why this place is a totally hit for everyone. A good friend of ours, my fiance and I thinks its worth the wait for their yummy food. I ordered the short stack pancakes and a side of biscuits and gravy. Just beware the portions are huge but its ooohhh sooo yummy. I will definately go back.

    (4)

  • Enrique B.

    I really enjoy the breakfast food at Brown Bag. For years, my friends have talked about going to Brown Bag for weekly gossiping. On a recent saturday morning, I just had to know the current gossip so I showed up. Dude, the food at this Brown Bag in Kirkland is just right. You are already up way too early cuz the place closes at like 3pm, so they make you forget all that mess with their gigantic portions and sincere service. I can't speak to the Redmond location since I've never been there, but if it is anything like the Kirkland location it should be pretty awesome.

    (4)

  • Coki B.

    portions are enormous. food is pretty tasty. they bake their own breads/biscuits. pancakes are especially good. i recommend omelets instead of scrambles because the eggs are fluffier in their omelets. hash browns are so buttery and delicious.

    (4)

  • Jennifer W.

    If you're going to eat here on a Saturday or Sunday, you better eat first, cuz it's going to be a long wait. The portion sizes are epic, so you get your bang for the buck. But, the food has always been simply mediocre to me. Nothing special. In fact, I would argue that it's actually leaning more towards "not that great". Dunno, I would rather venture to Cousin's Cafe or the Family Pancake House.

    (2)

  • Chris O.

    Giant portions, good food. They also have a large dining area so usually not a wait. The cinnamon roll french toast is excellent. I went there Feb 07 on a weekend and was disappointed though. The service was slow (but pleasant), much of the food was lukewarm, and my order was wrong. I'm guessing that the weekday experience trumps the weekend.

    (3)

  • Guga D.

    We arrived for a weekend brunch. Yes, we expected a long wait, and we accepted even the fact that someone from the staff told us "Oh, you're next to be seated!" and then took 4 other families to their tables. When we were finally seated, with three kids who were starting to get fussy, a very unpleasant waitress took our orders, didn't even offer crayons for the kids, and disappeared. Half an hour later, still without food and with even crankier kiddos, we asked another waitress to check on our food and bring crayons for the children. She returned with the crayons, and with a general "It's 35 minuted per ticket wait time today, this is how it is on weekends". Combined with the 20 minutes we spent waiting, this was getting a bit too much. Then, about 10 minutes later, our long-gone original waitress showed up with an uncalled-for cinnamon roll, dropped it on our table, and just said: "It will still be a while for your food, so I brought you this". No, "I'm Sorry", no apology. We're talking ONE HOUR after we arrived at the restaurant!!! At this point we just got up, took our melting-down hungry children, and drove to Burger King. With all due respect to the scrumptious uber-popular combinations of eggs and fat that this place proudly serves, they can use a lesson in customer service and basic human respect.

    (1)

  • Shawn N.

    If you are looking for a no frills high carb meal, this might just fit the bill. The portions are larger than life, and the coffee keeps flowing. Their signiture thick bread is a nice change in a wonderbread infested world. The service is nice enough, but not the most brilliant minds behind those pretty faces. Wouldn't eat here every week, but it's a must visit establishment on the eastside.

    (3)

  • Brad K.

    Brown Bag is a wonderful breakfast and lunch restaurant in Kirkland. They specialize in breakfast food, such as omelets, scrambles, pancakes, and waffles. Unfortunatey I can't eat wheat anymore, but I remember their waffles being amazing. They also do a French Toast made out of Cinnamon Rolls. Their hash browns are also fantastic; very crispy.

    (4)

  • Michael A.

    First, parking is always a bit of a hassle here, but only because the food is so good that everyone is already there. What makes the Brown Bag good, is what makes it different. It's home style breakfast goodness served the way your grandmother would serve it. In portions large enough to feed you and a friend. Everything is home made; the breads are amazing and the cinnamon rolls are a delight. Everyone is friendly, the food is worth the wait and the French Toast is just wonderful. Get a side of bacon and be swept away by some wonderful pork goodness. I can't say enough good things about the Brown Bag, but I'll try. See you there!

    (4)

  • Lisa B.

    Huge portions. I have heard some people complain of how big the portions are but I don't know that language. I have been there for breakfast mainly when I need an extra large portion to soak up the extra large dose of alcohol I consumed the night before so bring it! I also have had their club on a normal lunch and it was also really good and enormous. I love when I can make 2 meals for the price of 1.

    (4)

  • Julie R.

    We've been eating at either the Redmond Brown Bag Cafe or the Kirkland location a few times a year for over fifteen years. Let's face it, the economy hit hard. Going out for breakfast is a big treat nowadays. My husband wanted to have breakfast at the Brown Bag for his birthday, so off we went last Sunday morning. We invited a couple of family members to join us as well. I made an arrangement with one of the restaurant's employees to bring the birthday boy a celebratory cinnamon roll after his breakfast, too. Sounds great, huh? While it's not the Brown Bag's fault they are located in a lot that now boasts a Sheri's AND a local hotel, the parking situation is frustrating at best and scary at worst. We managed to find a space on the way in. There was a guy so bent on getting our space as we walked to the car he menaced me with his vehicle. After all, I wasn't walking fast enough to suit him. There was another motorist that pulled into the oncoming lane to pass him as well. It's a matter of time till someone is seriously hurt in that parking lot. Truthfully, I would think twice before going to the restaurant with kids in tow, due to the parking situation and over-aggressive drivers. Let's talk about the food. It's good. There's a lot of it. We made our visit shortly after 9:30 on Sunday morning - late enough to miss the early church crowd, early enough to miss another church crowd. Our server was nice enough, but the pre-arranged cinnamon roll surprise never appeared. We'll live. It was frustrating, however. We previously enjoyed our visits to the Brown Bag, but we'll be concentrating on other breakfast spots in the future.

    (3)

  • Mark H.

    Oh... God... Can't ... Move... Breakfast is a killer! Joes Special is massive and tasty. Don't hurt yourself! Service people are pleasant and prompt. We arrived (4 of us, including a child) about 11:00 am and were seated immediately. Breakfast is served all day. I will come here again!!

    (4)

  • Linh T.

    Large portions, long wait on weekends. They should provide coffee and snacks while guests wait, similar to old fashion pancake house!

    (3)

  • Kevin H.

    Huge portions, tasted pretty good. Service was okay, not particularly attentive or friendly, barely adequate. I'd give 3.5 stars if I could.

    (3)

  • Kaarin S.

    Yum yum yum. I don't even care about anything else. I love this place. Okay, so, be ready to wait for twenty years to get in. Then, prepare yourself for the world's most enormous breakfast. I have been coming here for as long as I can remember, and I love being able to take home leftovers. The staff here is super nice--well, I should say that the wait staff is... the front desk girls can be a little rude. Anyway, they are always attentive and very honest when newcomers ask "how big are your plates?" I have only had lunch here a few times in the last... uh, maybe 15 years, but their breakfast is so good, there's no need to have lunch. Do NOT try and eat all of your meal in one sitting! There's so much of it, and this place always has to-go boxes on standby. The food is always worth the wait, and it's a good place for families. Prices are fair and the dishes are consistent. If you don't mind waiting, you'll be in for the best breakfast on the Eastside! P.S. Parking is kind of crap, so just be careful and don't park where you shouldn't! Drop off someone to get your name on the list and then worry about finding a spot!

    (5)

  • Dave F.

    Many years ago, there was a Brown Bag Cafe in Redmond which was excellent. This place has the same name, but not the same quality. If fried potatoes and really heavy food is a must have, stop here. You can order healthy by ordering oatmeal and/or fruit, but neither are very good. It's difficult to screw up oats, but serving these with warm milk and no options was no bueno. Long wait as there's not much in this area.

    (2)

  • Melissa V.

    This is my go to breakfast spot. They are very busy on the weekends so I get there before 9 am to beat the rush. Service is usually pretty quick and every server I've had has been nice and efficient. Food is always hot and tasty.The portion sizes are huge and I have yet to clean my plate for that reason, but I love the homemade breads (unlimited toast!) As far as price goes, I think they can be expensive, but the portions match the price. My kids love coming here since they give crayons and coloring pages. The kids menu is decent and inexpensive. Overall a great place to bring the family for a nice meal.

    (4)

  • Eneri S.

    Ordered the breakfast quesadilla and corned beef hash. Both were yummy with unlimited toast. Portions were HUGE.

    (4)

  • Hina S.

    Large portions yes but do we really need those since obesity is on rise! I had French roll cinnamon toasts today and it was too heavy. The taste was just OK, too much cinnamon and the toast was hard. I won't have that again.

    (2)

  • Josh H.

    Great food and large portions. Excellent breakfasts and lunches. Get there early as there is usually a wait.

    (4)

  • Yessen A.

    Great american breakfast place for huge classic meals. They do really try hard to make it an awesome experience. Meals are accompanied with side fruits and they let you carry out your coffee. The problem though is hidden side chargers and questionable healthiness of greasy meals.

    (3)

  • Amanda L.

    All I have to say is HUGE portions. Please bring someone with you and share everything! They have lots of choices and they are down to earth in ingredients and preparation. Good service, decent decor.

    (3)

  • Ed C.

    Had the big mike! That's on big plate of food! Great service! Good food! I'm a happy camper!

    (4)

  • Camille C.

    I had breakfast here twice. First time I went with family (who raved about it like it was the best thing since sliced bread, nope. WRONG!) The second time I went because my friend wanted to plus every place deserves a second chance. The wait is always soooooo long & I don't know why. Just sayin' Well I guess we were there on a Saturday morning. Meh. Their entire wait staff consists all of girls who seemed to be more worried about flirting with the dude customers (to get a bigger tip I suppose) than actually serving . Took me forever to get the water I asked for. The servings were MONDO. It was like the Epic meal time of breakfast. I guess I wouldn't complain about it if the food was actually good, nope. The hashbrowns were super greasy & cold. My friend ordered the cinnamon roll French toast & it was waaay to rich & sweet for me. Especially for breakfast. All in all, you won't find me here again.

    (2)

  • Dany L.

    Truly, I love this place. They give you enough food to either over-fill yourself or stop when you've hit a limit. Most give portions that clean your plate before you are actually full.

    (4)

  • Mandy S.

    After many trips to Shari's and Denny's...i have finally found the perfect local breakfast joint that is everything I hoped for and more :) First: portions are Gigantic! This is the real lumberjack breakfast deal! Big slices of toast and omelets that tastes like a calzone pizza! (italian omelet) Biscuits and Gravy are the best and there are so many choices on the menu. Prices are decent for the amount you get..lots of people take the rest home. I'm still full from it a day later...this is not recommended for a daily morning meal lol *the hashbrowns are a bit weird...very southern style mushy potatoes instead of stringy crispy hashbrowns. you can get fruit instead ...and it's a great assortment! I LOVE this place!!! ***2nd time around..not as good as i remembered. maybe a different cook was in the kitchen? Everything seemed to taste mediocre and flavorless. this is sad before Brown Bag, I thought you were the one.!!

    (3)

  • Walter O.

    I am giving this 3 stars for the benefit of the doubt. The restaurant had come recommended for breakfast but I was disappointed. I had Eggs Benedict. While the order is double sized, the taste of the hollandaise sauce was almost tasteless. The dish just did not come together for me. My wife had the pancakes but she also was not happy with the taste. Thus this restaurant is not on my recommend list.

    (3)

  • Katharine B.

    Huge portions. Nice selection of all-American fare. Huge english muffins! Gets the job done.

    (3)

  • Jeremy B.

    Mike's Special, Corned Beef Hash, Cinnamon Roll French Toast...I am getting fatter just thinking about it. Enormous portions, great food and great atmosphere. Only knock is the typical wait time (especially on a weekend) and the waiting area can get a bit chaotic. All in all, a great place to bring out of town guests for a great breakfast!

    (4)

  • Heather H.

    Be prepared to go big or go home. Or get the light fare breakfast. That's what I do. So normally this place is pretty good. Service and food. Today was a miss. On the side of service and food. I'll definitely return because I know this has not been our past experiences (which is why I chose to eat here in the first place). The breakfasts are definitely sized fair to giant. And so worth it. For the times I don't get the light fare breakfast, I understand that I'll only be eating half; the other half of which I take home to eat later on. This particular visit, one of our party ordered eggs over-medium and they were less than over-easy. My eggs were ordered over-medium and cooked over-medium. However, I always (when the option allows) ask for sausage links with my breakfast (it gives the option for bacon or sausage) and I was given bacon. Not a big deal because the bacon is thick and delicious, except I don't remember if I simply told her wrong or if she assumed because I don't remember telling her I wanted sausage. Server immediately had eggs recooked and sausage links brought out. Another one of our party found a hair in her hashbrowns - and only found it after I was scooping onto them my plate... she hadn't even dug into them yet so it was probably from prep or cooking. Since it was the end of the meal we didn't bother to ask for more. One guy was charged for his hot tea (which he only got hot water from the restaurant because he's politely particular about the hot tea he drinks) and had to remind the server more than once that he brought his own tea. And getting our check separated correctly was nearly a nightmare as well. There were two couples and a single. Usually the food and service is spot on. Today was an off day. I look forward to returning again for the good service and food we've been accustomed to.

    (2)

  • Shelly J.

    This is a no-frills, pretty smiley waitresses serving up giant stacks of pancakes covered in powder sugar kind of diner. And it certainly is one of the top contenders in that category, because their food is delicious, portions are generous and service is great. If you want the most bang for your buck, I'd say go for the omelette or skillet dishes. I watched three guys unable to finish their portions - sure, they're not gluttons either. They sell their house-made cinnamon rolls and buns at the counter too. So if you just need a quick fix, pop in for some delicious baked goods.

    (3)

  • Peter S.

    The portions are huge and the service is good, but the food has generally become too greasy.

    (2)

  • Paul N.

    This place was packed armpit to elbow. Once we finally got a table, we found that we were literally sitting on top of another table we were so close. The breakfast was decent, but so hard to enjoy with strangers constantly bumping into you while trying to eat. The worst part is the smell....I walked out with my clothes absolutely stinking of grease. I actually had to run home and get a change of clothes before proceeding with the rest of the day

    (1)

  • Rod B.

    All I can say is go hungry! The portion sizes are HUGE. I usually share what ever I order. We have done the breakfasts here so far and have gone back several times. My son loves the cinnamon bun French toast. The potatoes are very good especially when you get them loaded. Good home comfort food. The servers are always polite and efficient. Almost always a wait to get a table and parking can be tricky. Will go back and try more and more.

    (4)

  • Jill B.

    I am a fan. I have been to this one a couple times and the one that used to be in Redmond several times, too bad it closed :(. Still as good as it used to be. Huge portions, upon deposit of said meal in front of me I immediately asked for a box and the waitress laughed. I was with the Gimpy Grumps (We call ourselves that) and there was 8 of us. The only problem was that BB put 2 people on the ends of the tables put together so space for these huge plates was rather cramped, service was a little slow - the place was packed!! and that's why I give it 4 stars. But no worries, will be back for more!!!

    (4)

  • Josh A.

    There are 3 things I can always count on when I dine at Brown Bag. 1) Driving up and down the parking lot waiting for a spot to open up. 2) Waiting in the lobby for at least 10-15 minutes for a table to open. And 3) reminding myself that it was all worth it the moment the food arrives! Seriously, this place is the best. We stumbled upon it while living in Kirkland, and now make the drive from our home in Seattle at least a few times a year. The portions are huge, the prices are reasonable (especially considering the size of the portions), and the food is amazing. My wife and I usually split "The Big Growler" (best name EVER), but there are so many choices that always sound incredible. If you're looking for a great place for breakfast/brunch and don't mind the parking and waiting, give this place a shot. You will not be disappointed!

    (5)

  • Flora C.

    The food portion is so big. It discouraged me to come often.

    (3)

  • Leonard H.

    always a popular destination among what I called the breakfast triangle. choosing between nearby Denny's sherry's for the brown bag is often difficult. I would describe as quantity over quality

    (3)

  • Stacey S.

    Came here for Breakfast today while I was in the area. I ordered the Breakfast Quesadilla and it was really yummy! The portion was HUGE! I could only eat about 1/3 of it. There was nearly a whole avocado on it! I really enjoyed it and will definitely be coming back!

    (4)

  • Jina A.

    This place is amazing for breakfast. Amazing food with great big portions. Definitely the place to be on Saturday mornings.

    (5)

  • Terri K.

    The biscuits are awful but the bread is Amazing! I could live off of there wheat bread! Such yummy food for breakfast and homemade chicken noodle soup with hand made noodles in house! Best ever just wish they were open later!

    (4)

  • Mike O.

    Yummy in my Tummy. :)

    (5)

  • Amy C.

    The Brown Bag Cafe has great food made with lots of butter, friendly service and awesomely large portion sizes. I am not often defeated by portion sizes, but I was totally defeated by the Garden Skillet. It was tasty, contained at least 2-3 whole potatoes and provided enough leftovers for 3 more meals. Quite a bargain for $10.95!

    (4)

  • Shanon M.

    Took them over a half an hour to make a turkey deli sandwich and pour soup into a bowl. In my book that is ridiculous.

    (2)

  • Eric M.

    Went here for my first time after a friend who lived in the area kept talking about it. Portions r huge. Corned beef and hash was very good. Chicken fried steak was flavorful, however the gravy could use a lil more flavor. Hash browns were plentiful and fresh. Overall a good place, enjoy the home style cooking and feel.

    (4)

  • Dalia A.

    Well, I just visited this cafe for the first time today. We (a group of 9) arrived there around 12, and had to wait for 40 MINUTES to be seated. Meanwhile people who came after us found a place to sit within max. 10 min. Afterwards we had to wait for about AN HOUR to receive our orders. And last but not least they got my order wrong, but replaced it in 5 minutes. And we contacted the manager about all of the above mentioned issues and she gave a 25% discount off our checks.

    (1)

  • Yana V.

    I got the sampler and didn't like it at all...the fish and chicken were over fried and the macaroni bites were just not good. However, my friend ordered the cinnamon roll french toast and it was delicious! but so sweet that I couldn't eat more than a few bites. We are planning on coming back one of these weekends though to try out a few other dishes. I guess you just have to know the right things to order in this place. 3 stars mainly for the great service and the huge portions.

    (3)

  • L M.

    Food was not bad, service was really fast and friendly. $16 for a chicken sandwich and cup of soup ia a little more than I want to drop regularly on a lunch like that with Wendy's just down the road. Some of the other dishes being served looked interesting and the place was fine otherwise, so I may return and check them out.

    (3)

  • Sarah S.

    What happened?!?? This used to be my favorite go-to breakfast place! Admittedly, I am predictable and I always order the same thing: the light and healthy breakfast with a.) eggs b.) biscuit and c.) fresh fruit. The last 3-4x I have come here, I have been fed sub-par food that left me feeling kinda cheated! Eggs! How do you mess up scrambled eggs?? Either you are giving me too little (like an embarrassingly small amount, less than my cat would want to eat!) or they just have a terrible texture. Like they have been sitting around for hours and then you tossed them in the microwave. I cannot forgive whatever you have done to ruin your once glorious and delicious biscuit. Once the prize of the east side, now your biscuit reeks of too much Crisco and often is burnt. I can barely take one bite of it before I'm sick to death of it's boring and horrible interior. Fresh fruit.... it's not hard! Do you really have to give me rejected, old fruit that the soup kitchen must have turned down because that's what it feels like. Like you are charging me too much money for rotten, old, over-ripe fruit. Tip? TAKE THE STEMS OFF THE GRAPES BEFORE YOU SERVE THEM! Especially since you bothered to pick them off the main stem so it's not like I'm getting a bunch of grapes, I'm getting 10 rotten, nasty grapes that all still have a small piece of stem attached. Just gross, Brown bag, GROSS!!!! I'd give you two stars but since I once was very fond of you I'm tossing you and extra one. But you do not deserve it. Parking is a nightmare and your food gives me bad dreams too! You are damn lucky the Maltby Cafe isn't closer! Service is often "okay" but on our last visit they tried to kill my husband by giving him a glass of water with a shattered edge and glass in the water.

    (3)

  • Megs H.

    Go hungry! Portions are H-U-G-E and food is so good that you can't stop once you start! I don't love hashbrowns but their potatoes are unbelievable! My favorite is the Joe's Special. Best breakfast place that I always visit when I'm in town.

    (5)

  • Joel S.

    Fantastic food. The Big Mike is seriously super big. Two big plates filled to the max with food. I could barely eat half of it with a full stomach. Good prices too

    (5)

  • Kristen B.

    My better half and I visited the Brown Bag Cafe for the first time today and to be completely honest, I was a little less than impressed with the food. The service was excellent and the staff was friendly, but the french toast was definitely not the best I've ever had and the bacon wasn't crispy at all. It seemed as if it had been submerged in grease and left to soak up every last drop. I was extremely excited for the Hashbrown Deluxe, which had all of my favorites added; cheddar cheese, scallions and bacon bits. When it arrived, it looked like a sad version of scalloped potatoes with toppings. Not my idea of hashbrowns at all. Well, on one note, it is now 7:27 pm and we ate at Brown Bag Cafe at 1:00 pm... I haven't even had dinner or have the desire for food, and I'm a bottomless pit! At least the Brown Bag Cafe successfully got me stuffed like there's no tomorrow!

    (3)

  • Kaitlin F.

    Ok, if you haven't figured this out already, the cinnamon roll french toast here is the sheet, coming here is worth it for that if nothing else, come here and eat it. Beyond that, pretty good. Honestly, I don't even remember my food that well because it was eclipsed by how amazing the french toast was. But I'll do my best. Country fried steak - won't be doing that again. Major meh factor. Bacon - super nummy. Sausage - super nummy. Hash browns - super nummy. Eggs - once, again, major meh factor. Mine were fairly runny, but my dining partner Kristin C. told me that was an improvement over when she got scrambled eggs - brown and rubbery. She and the bf, Jarrett P. shared a delicious looking scramble, and i think that's what i'll be doing next time, if i can ever order anything there that isn't cinnamon roll french toast. Man, that sounds tough.

    (4)

  • Jeremy G.

    Well, it's about time I started a Yelp account and because of today's service at Brown Bag, I feel like I need to vent. Me and my lady live 2 minutes away and come here occasionally when it's my carb day as they have great breakfasts here. I have zero complaints about the food here, as everything is yummy and the portions are huge. But today, actually, I'm sitting at the table right now and it's been 40 minutes since we sat down and still haven't gotten our food. They sat us outside and it took at least ten minutes for a server to acknowledge us, and she didn't even know who our server was, but she kindly took our order. A party of four sat down next to us, and we assume their server was our server, since it was the first time she came out to the patio. After seeing that same server come out with food to other tables, I flagged her down and asked her who our server was, and she said "I am, but we work as a team". That was weird, because two other servers and the host kept walking by us for a while without even acknowledging us. It's now approaching 50 minutes and nothing yet. I'm sure our food will be great, but the service today does not offset that. I'm sure we'll come again, but I hope the service will be better.

    (1)

  • Ninette C.

    Holy...does anyone actually finish one of these plates!? My boyfriend and I were looking for brunch on the Eastside and I noticed several friends had taken photos of and checked-in to Brown Bag Cafe so we decided to check it out. There isn't a lot of parking, just to warn you. It was seriously the most crowded parking lot I've seen in non-downtown Kirkland. It was odd. The restaurant is large and very old country-style. I ordered the smoked salmon eggs benedict and an earl grey tea while my boyfriend had the corned beef and hash. As I mentioned, these portions are ENORMOUS. Seriously, boyfriend ate maybe 1/4 of his plate which was covered in corned beef and hash and hashbrowns. He also had a separate bowl of poached eggs and a plate of unlimited toast. My eggs benedict was very good. I'd never had it with smoked salmon before and I really liked it. I liked the flavor of it more than the crab cakes I often order, but of course there isn't as much salmon as there is usually crab. I also really liked the croissant. The hashbrowns were ok. They seemed a littleee bland. I prefer the potatoes at Genie's in Portland. They serve Tazo tea here. They give two tea bags, a mini-kettle and lemon which was nice. The prices here seem pretty reasonable. My eggs benedict was $11 and the corned beef and hash were $12. I definitely want to come back to try their cinnamon rolls as well. I enjoyed an old-fashioned American brunch here. I can see why this is a Kirkland staple!

    (4)

  • Lindsay P.

    Unfortunately, the Brown Bag Cafe did not live up to the expectations my mind had created after hearing everyone rave about this place. Granted, I didn't have breakfast, which is what everyone raves about. Cam and I split the kettle combo, which was essentially a bunch of fried food (fried macaroni and cheese, fish, chicken, mini corndogs and fries) and I was a bit disappointed that there was only one piece of fish, and the fried macaroni was still cold in the middle. The fries weren't bad at least. And for the price, I was expecting a lot more food. But again, this wasn't breakfast, so I think we'll be back to try that.

    (3)

  • Nidhi T.

    The food was not that great, we ordered skillets. Not worth it! Had expected the food to be better reading the reviews but I wouldn't recommend anyone to come here. Though the service was decent.

    (2)

  • Tracy L.

    The portions are huge. The food was delicious.

    (5)

  • Erin K.

    This place is one of my favorite breakfast places! The servings are huge and the customer service is great!

    (4)

  • Darin A.

    Um. Seriously? That is what went through my head when I saw the portion size of my Diablo Skillet. I LOVED it but hardly made it through half of the skillet. I have a full box of food in the refrigerator that now that I think of it, may go devour... Go here but take a friend who won't order anything so you can finish your meal. Highly Recommend.

    (5)

  • Mariya K.

    We came here for breakfast and waited an hour for our food. We were continuously told it would just be 5 or 10 more minutes and nothing would happen. After talking to the manager nothing was done. Then we realized people who came in after us had already left and were given some excuse that there are two kitchen windows that work at different speeds, they were short staffed and had a big party in the back. Being with a 1 month old it would have been nice if they warned us the food would take an hour instead of the empty promises of just a few more minutes. Then when we were leaving everyone at the front was really rude because we had asked to speak to the manager and weren't happy that we had to wait an hour for food. Unbelievable. Terrible service and terrible staff. Never coming back.

    (1)

  • Diana N.

    Damn this place is still delicious! DO NOT attempt to go here if you're trying to diet. The portions are huge, and even if you pack leftovers, more than likely you will eat it later. All of it. The homestyle hashbrowns are still quality, hand shredded. You can jack them up by adding onions and cheddar, or lots of bacon & green onion (it's delicious). The home made bread and cinnamon rolls are also good, about the size of your face. The pancakes are soft and fluffy, you almost want to rest your head on it. I highly recommend this place as a breakfast spot with friends! The menu has too many options, it takes awhile to choose.

    (5)

  • Kaela H.

    Great place for a nice breakfast or lunch! Yummy food, comfortable atmosphere and friendly and attentive staff. Our waitress Amanda was especially helpful and wonderful.

    (5)

  • J D M.

    Huge portions with huge wait. I'm not sure how the kitchen organizes food delivery, but when we arrived, ordered, and waited, a group that was seated before way us and a new table right next to ours all received their food at the same time... Coffee was mega gross. But my croissant eggs Benedict was fabulous. If you have to chose sweet vs. savory, always go with savory. Words to live by.

    (3)

  • Brian L.

    This place has amazing food but the past 2 times I've been here they seated us in the far corner behind a column, and had us wait 15min before we even got a server and at that, we still didn't get served. We left.

    (1)

  • Sean S.

    I was blessed with stepsons that can eat. For a time I'm pretty sure the household food budget rivaled the national debt. I truly never thought I would see the day that we would get them to a restaurant that they would actually be full after the meal. Well we not only found one to fill them, they had take out bags! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Brown Bag Cafe! We went on a Saturday. It is good to note that if you are going on a weekend, there is usually a pretty substantial wait, but it is well worth it for the food. My boys ordered the blueberry pancakes. It was a stack of two, but they took up the whole platter. One of my sons was heard to let out a breathy "WOW!". Needless to say, they didn't make it through the whole thing. My baby girl and youngest boy had kids meals and they were very happy and the staff was very accommodating and spent a little doting time on them. Sure fire way to get into dad's good graces. I have had many things on the menu, but the one I love most (next to the New York Strip and Eggs) is the Diablo. I prefer this as a skillet rather than an omelet. You can choose either way to have it prepared. The skillet was filled with chicken roasted in peppery spices, jalapenos, lots of fresh veggies and black beans. It was all topped by sour cream, cheese, and salsa all piled on a bed of their famous hash browns. I had a carry out bag too and had breakfast and lunch out of this one. I ordered a side of Louisiana Hot Links and I was in fiery heaven. The prices are perfect for what you get. The staff are very warm and friendly and even though the place was packed and jumping, they never forgot about us or neglected to check on us. Not an easy feat in a place like this one. The quarters can get a bit cramped on a busy day, but it is a very minimal inconvenience. Next time I am out that way, I will have to try Brown Bag for lunch. If the sandwich list is as good as the breakfast list? I will have died and gone to heaven.

    (5)

  • Winnie T.

    The portion sizes are ridiculous. Ridiculously amazing, that is. Two grown adults could easily share one breakfast entree. Everything looks amazing and they really heap on the hash browns. It gets super busy on weekends (think, brunch time) so be prepared for a lengthy wait.

    (5)

  • James G.

    Yummy! Enormous portions. I usually get the Diablo skillet, and it serves me for 3 meals. French toast is also spectacular.

    (5)

  • George C.

    I did my homework and read the Yelp reviews about the bad service, crammed seating, overcooked food, etc... Most Yelpers just nit pick and look for things to complain about. My experience at Brown Bag was great! I ordered the turkey sandwich lunch special. It was served with cranberries and cream cheese. Excellent! The wheat bread was soft and fresh. It really made the sandwich! The french fries were ok and the side of BBQ sauce that I ordered was different. It had a honey/spicy taste and wasn't too thick. I love BBQ sauce and don't normally like the sweeter style but this one was pretty good. My friend really liked her club sandwich and cup of soup. It looked really good! The prices are reasonable and the portions are HUGE. Our server was very friendly and checked in from time to time. They bake the bread on site and even have cinnamon rolls and other individually wrapped baked goods for sale too! I'm not sure if you will be able to find a better lunch experience in the Totem Lake area. Check this place out!

    (4)

  • Chris B.

    Brown Bag is probably the epitome of a 2.5-3 star breakfast spot. I'll give it 3 since the service is generally quite friendly and perfect for kids. However, having a lot of food does not make it better, and I've yet to have anything here that is notable. I'd love to see the quantity go down and quality of the ingredients go up a bit, it has potential to be a great neighborhood place.

    (3)

  • K B.

    Came here for breakfast, the portion was relatively big, while the pricing was average. The workers are decently nice and is quite friendly. If you don't have a big appetite in the morning or in general, I would suggest coming at a different time. Their food is very typical, I also tried their grilled cheese, which they add tomatoes in it. It was a bit too cheesy and it tasted better after I took the tomato out.

    (3)

  • Ben H.

    If I could, I would eat here everyday. This is the BEST breakfast place in Seattle. The atmosphere, the food, the staff; it's just a fantastic, family atmosphere all around. It is crazy busy most of the time, but that just proves it's a fantastic restaurant. The portions are huge, so you will most likely be taking food home. Once you are seated, they are really fast at getting your food to you. Also, make sure to buy one of their giant cinnamon rolls on your way out. You won't regret it.

    (5)

  • Dominick P.

    Everything I've had from there is excellent! Great place to eat! A little spendy but definitely worth it. Just wish they were open later hours. Besides that if you haven't been there you need to!

    (4)

  • Allie S.

    Yay! Tasty food, friendly service, huge portions? I'm there. Unless it's brunch-time on a weekend -- I'm not a huge fan of waiting! Brown Bag now holds the distinction of being the restaurant with my Favorite Hollandaise. I order a side of it and it comes out HOT [which is rare, for some reason it's generally lukewarm at best when I get a side from other restaurants] and is amazing on just about everything. Their English muffins resemble hamburger buns and are the perfect way to transport eggs, Hollandaise and hashbrowns to one's mouth. Seriously, if it's early enough that they aren't closed yet, why go to Shari's when Brown Bag is right there?

    (5)

  • Dee G.

    The staff is super friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is great. We were there for breakfast. The coffee is a bold, dark roast so be prepared to add cream and sugar if you are a wimp like me! The food was ok. Not great. The bacon was awesome, hubby's ham was super tender and tasty. The "hash-browns" are a bit misleading. They are like fried mashed potatoes - very dense and very heavy and a super large serving. My two little eggs got lost in them. The pancakes? Very heavy, dense, tough, and large. We spent $30 for two breakfasts and left 50% of the food on the plates. I actually, was only able to eat three bits of the pancakes before I just couldn't stomach them. They just were not that good. As I watched plate after plate being left on tables with food on them, I kept thinking about all that waste. How many people go hungry in this country and here is all this food being thrown in the trash because there is more on a plate than one person can eat? I was here for lunch a couple of years ago when I was in the area with a friend and I do remember that the lunch that I had was very good, so maybe they are better at lunches than they are breakfasts.

    (3)

  • Melissa N.

    Been here a few times and absolutely adore this place for breakfast or lunch well because that is the only time they are open. Usually there is a wait here because it is soo darn delicious. I don't mind waiting the half hour to forty five minutes to get seated. The service here is impeccable, they get your drink orders right away and always fill your coffee, tea, or water on a timely manner. I love their omelets, pancakes, well anything breakfast!!! They also serve some yummy plates. Their version of the homefries reminds me of breakfast on the Eastcoast. So if you are looking for a delicious breakfast joint and are willing to drive and wait then this is your place!!!

    (4)

  • Ariane S.

    No official GF options/menu. Fairly decent but not overly impressed w/the food. Our server was a sweet pea & on the ball.

    (3)

  • Doug C.

    I'm not sure it's the best yardstick, but when I consider breakfast places, I ponder how they would relate to a Denny's. So when I think about the Brown Bag Cafe, my thoughts idly ponder how it seems to be a mash-up of a Cracker Barrel and Denny's. Not that that's terrible, mind you. It's more of your basic comfort-food type breakfasts here in large portions. Things that you would normally expect to find for breakfast you will find here. No surprises. There's even some slightly more advanced skillets; want a spinach, swiss and bacon skillet? They've got it here. In fact, the breakfast menu is a little bit better than Denny's now that I think about it. But the trade-off is that it's a little pricier. Not a lot, but the aforementioned skillets will set you back something in the $10-14 range. Moons Over My Hammy would set you back about $8. If you considered the meal enjoyment/price ratio (ME/P), they're probably pretty similar. But enough breakfast geekery. The key points are that they serve big breakfasts with a reasonably varied menu, are close to I-405 and have a moderately large parking lot. Is there anything else you really need to know?

    (3)

  • Linda C.

    1) You will never find parking here... The first time I tried to go to Brown Bag, I drove around and waiting in the parking lot for 10 minutes and couldnt find a space. Needless to say I got fed up and went somewhere else. 2) The food is like ihop and Shari's. The second and only time I actually ate there was okay. Nothing to rave about. I ended up with the meat lover skillet. The potatoes were pretty soggy and not too much flavor on the meat, Though the portion is huge even when I split plate with my fiance. I will say they do know how to make english muffins. That will probably be the only reason I go there for (if you can find a freaking parking spot). The english muffin is homemade and big! and buttery and really good!

    (3)

  • Alison T.

    I love this place. It's next door to my hotel and I come by for breakfast on the weekends. The food is great and their homemade bread is awesome. The service is icing on the cake. All the women that work here are very friendly, efficient and never rush u to turn over their next tip. My favorite is Paige the hostess. I see her very weekend and we always have a quick Lil chat. When u travel a lot it makes a huge difference to see friendly faces. I've been here on two crazy holidays and they handled the crowds with ease!

    (5)

  • Mary M.

    Great family restaurant atmosphere, love their breakfast and lunch items. The best part is breakfast is served all day! Staff is very friendly, our server remembers us from a previous visit and said hello to us while we sat at another section. This is a good place for local and visitors alike! Come hungry, their portions are big!

    (4)

  • Dennis D.

    Food is good and the portions are beyond filling. If you're looking for an American breakfast, that's less Denny's or IHOP, but is more of a CrackerBarrel-BigBoy love-child, this place is for you.

    (4)

  • Gretchen F.

    Service slow took 15 mn at 8 am on a weekday to get our food. The claim to make a French omelette but they make a regular over cooked omelette. Food was overall greasy. Servers seemed nice but not as accommodating as I'd have liked.

    (2)

  • Jennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn M.

    I REALLLLLLY wanted to give this place 5 stars. But this time, it was just ok. My husbands cinnamon roll french toast was super dry. However the pumpkin pancakes were very good and so was the Fajita Scramble (yes I ordered both, I really struggle when it comes to sweet vs eggie breakfasts...so I got them both!). Service was great, the girls wear yoga pants and my husband seemed to appreciate that...which is weird because when I wear yoga pants he asks me why I'm wearing my pajamas. Any who, just okay this time but we'll be back.

    (3)

  • N J S.

    I've been here twice...first time for omelets and this time for the country fried steak (which I was so craving for since I haven't had country fried steak in FOREVER, and coming from the south, it's hard not to miss this type of comfort food) and a taco salad that my husband I shared. As much as the portions were freakin' huge, the service was so friendly, the wait time to get our table was within minutes, we were still disappointed with the taste of our meal. It's probably great comfort food for some, but we weren't satisfied at all. For our country fried steak, it was supposed to come with their country gravy 2 eggs, hash browns and toast. We had upgraded the hash browns to the deluxe since it would contain bacon bits, scallons and cheddar, and we had wanted our eggs sunny side up, and substituted the toast for their homemade biscuits. First off, we couldn't really taste our country fried steak since we thought it didn't really have much flavor. all we felt when we ate it, was just the breading. the gravy sauce was just plain white sauce, not the kind that is mixed with chopped sausages. The hashbrowns, were not what I had expected. I thought it would be crispy pan-fried potato strips cooked together, which I think are hashbrowns. What we got was just a HUUUUGE portion of mashed potatoes that seemed to have been slopped on our plate and loaded up with the toppings of salty bacon bits, scallions, and chedder... Their biscuit was pretty plain, even with the strawberry jam we spreaded on, and it wasn't appealing. After the fact, we ate barely half of the meal and left most of the mash potatoes alone...after leaving, we realized, we never even got our sunny side up eggs. in fact, it wasn't even included. As for the taco salad...you can't really go wrong with it, except the fact that they forgot to include the side of chipolte salsa...that I forgot to ask about...with 2 toddlers, we just didn't think about what was missing. In any case, it's good that we did order the taco salad otherwise we probably would've been hungry despite the huge portion we got from the country fried steak meal...but for me, I'd rather enjoy the main course, not the 4 serving "hashbrowns" that looked like mush. It wasn't really a good experience, and I thought this was one of the worst country fried steak I've ever had. their omelets aren't that great either. I had the Diablo a while ago when I first came to Brown Bag, and I remembered it not having much seasoning or flavor to it...and this omelet is supposed to be spicy, and it wasn't. I don't think I'll turn my back on Brown Bag just yet...just because I do like "home-cooked" type breakfasts...so I'll try to give it one more chance sometime...but for sure I'll never order the country fried steak.

    (2)

  • Randa S.

    We stopped here while on a road trip, so we were pretty hungry. We waiteed about 10 min to be seated which wasnt bad for a lunch hour rush. The service was prompt, and friendly. The waitress was attentive the whole time we were there; topping up water, checking if we needed anything. The portions were quite large, but we were really hungry so it was all good. I had the french dip sandwhich and it was delicious. DH had the Reuben with the horseradish sauce loved it. The fries were great, not too greasy. All is all a good place to grab lunch (breakfast menu looked good too).

    (4)

  • Bamf A.

    I would give this place five stars for the ridiculousness that is their eggs benedict. I love their hollandaise sauce, and I'm super picky when it comes to that. But I've had experiences where my hash browns (MASSIVE PORTION) were either way too salty, or literally just unseasoned. And I've received my poached eggs with the yolks cooked a few times, which should be punishable by death. Even once when I requested they make sure they were left runny, it came out with yolks almost totally cooked through. But it's on a super yummy house made croissant (they make all their own bread). I've also had the breakfast sandwich before which was pretty good but within the time it took me to take one bite, I regretted not having my eggs benedict in front of me. The servings are huge, so they always bring a second smaller plate to aide you in working your way through your meal. I've heard their cinnamon rolls are awesome and they're HUGE. I went there for lunch before, and the sandwich I got was pretty good, but not great. I think this is definitely a breakfast place. ATTENTION BRUNCH DRINK ENTHUSIASTS: there is no alcohol served at the Brown Bag. One major hinderance keeping me from dining at Brown Bag more often. & It closes weirdly early. I've gotten there in the early afternoon to a closed restaurant. I get they do most of their business (I've had to wait over a half hour before) in the AM, but after a night of drinking, I'm not rolling out of bed until noon and miss out on my hollandaise experience. Also note that parking can be a bit of a bitch though there is a decent sized parking lot.. this is a really popular spot.

    (4)

  • Keira F.

    If you want a huge breakfast and are not specific about the taste, this is the place.We were charged $2 more than what we had put on the bill.

    (2)

  • Nick M.

    If you are looking for a great place to eat breakfast, this is it. The breakfasts range from gut busting to healthy, and both are good. Even the healthy fares are thoughtful, not just a couple pieces of fruit on a plate. The hash browns are far from store bought, they are thin slices strips and excellent. The steak and eggs are cooked exactly as ordered and the service is great. On a side note, this place employs pleasant young women, a lot of my buddies are not allowed to go here anymore per their wives. So, leave the wife at home? Just a tip.

    (4)

  • Patricia C.

    Huge portions but the food was good.

    (4)

  • Ben C.

    This place used to be really affordable for our family. We used to being many large groups including all of our out of town guests here. We could split 2-3 adult meals for our family but now they charge a $2 fee for sharing per person and they're not very reasonable about how they calculate it. I tried to contact them but they do not have any email address on their website. If a company really wants to make money $2 per shared plate seems like a pretty bad way to do it because it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I wish there were more breakfast places around but maybe we'll try Alexa's in Bothell.

    (2)

  • Apollo Y.

    Service was great and the food was excellent. Had a farmer's omelet with hash browns an toast.....FYI only come here if you haven't eaten in like 3 days cuz the portions are HUGE and the prices are reasonable. My leftovers can last me for the rest of the week yeah

    (5)

  • Amanda B.

    Oh, Brown Bag. You saucy lady. Huge portions--getting anything here is like getting two meals. I kid you not, my breakfast fed me, my mom, and my dad had some leftovers. No joke. Good service, good food, and just a good neighborhood joint. A British family was behind us, and I can only imagine what they thought. The good: enormous noms. The bad: burden of options. SO MUCH TO CHOOSE from.

    (4)

  • Heather K.

    Food Poisoning. Brown Bag Cafe, I will also be writing your management about food poisoning on 8/8/2015. We almost left. I was looking at the bad reviews on Yelp and then we got stuck in their TERRIBLE parking lot. Holy hell, you will need a drink after the parking lot -- too bad they don't serve mimosas. About 30 minute wait on a Saturday. The line to get on the list is the same line to pay at the end. Talk about a clusterf----. The food was pretty bad too. Just greasy spoon food but nothing special. The hollandaise on the eggs benedict was separated, thin & bitter. Boyfriend got the chicken fried steak + loaded hashbrowns. he was disappointed in the loaded hash browns. He said the chicken fried steak was cold. A few hours later he was sweating and vomiting. We had not eaten the night before or since Brown Bag. We almost missed a good friends wedding :( Will never return - even if he hadn't gotten food poisoning - too much $ for mediocre food & a stressful dining experience.

    (1)

  • Logan S.

    Awesome place to grab a late breakfast or huge lunch. The fact that this place is only open for Breakfast/Lunch I feel like definitely adds to the quality. Menu has a TON of choices, with huge portions as everyone else has stated. Favorite thing I like to get here is the rueben, easily one of the best in the area. It's massive, really crispy bread, and great meat. The corned beef hash is a close second. It's reasonably priced as well. Come here on a Saturday, order a breakfast, and have enough to last you the next few days for breakfast as well!

    (4)

  • Gina L.

    Just had my birthday breakfast here and it was delish! Our food was so good-and enough leftovers for another meal. Very reasonably priced for the area and great service. This was our first visit and we'll be back for sure!

    (5)

  • Andrea D.

    Was not at all impressed with this restaurant!! Was heard it was packed on the weekends so me and my husband decided to try it for breakfast. I ordered biscuits and gravy and it came with sausage and eggs, I asked for a substitute eggs and was told "there are no substitutions"........ok. The sausage gravy was horrible and tasted like flour....bland bland bland!!! Hashbrowns look disgusting and looked like a big pile of muck on my plate, didn't even want to try them

    (1)

  • Mandie R.

    The hungover American's dream! Nicely appointed, food is very tasty with insane portions, service is polite but it took easily half an hour to receive our food. Can't ding them too hard for it, it is the day after July 4th. I got the Mushroom Swiss Burger with chicken noodle soup, my fiance got a French Dip with fries. We also took the Brown Bag Salad to go for later. My burger was so stuffed it was nearly impossible to actually eat it, but it was super delicious. The chicken soup, I thought, was bland and I didn't care for the noodles. My fiance's sandwich was delicious, but neither of us could even taste the Au Jus. His fries were phenomenal. Overall, I'd be eager to come back, especially on a less busy day.

    (3)

  • Bob W.

    It's about quantity not quality here, large serving yes, if you love potato hash brown on half of your dishes, Carb loading city. The corn beef is bland and boiled small chunks of corn beef. It's just different and under spiced. English muffins are made more like English Toast, Thomas Muffin you are my standard! Cinnamon buns are nice, but the frosting sauce can be over whelming!

    (2)

  • Michael M.

    Very friendly staff, huge portions... I mean HUGE portions, for breakfast and lunch. The food is fresh and good as well. They bake their own bread so toast and English muffins are an experience to behold as well. Check out the cinnamon roll the size of a pie. Be prepared in the weekends to wait, but it's worth it! Best breakfast in the area.

    (5)

  • Teressa L.

    I like this place. Yes, it is always busy and you will wait. But the estimated 20 min is usually on target. They have specials on the board up front. I don't come here for super fast...I come here to relax, eat a good meal, and just hang out for a lazy breakfast. We have had good service both visits. Sometimes it is other servers bringing something or offering more water, but we had good service and our drinks were kept full and they checked back often enough. Food. The portions are huge. We take leftovers every time. The pancakes are just divine. They are THICK...almost an inch! And huge. A short stack can easily be shared. The biscuits and gravy are tasty. Bacon is thick...and if ordered crisp they do a great job! The skillet didn't look huge, but I ate and ate and ate.....didn't look like i had touched it. I took leftovers home and still shared it. The french toast with berries was awesome. And Huge as well. Berries were soft. French toast is made with bread....it has sesame seeds on it. Just warning the allergy people. I had the California sandwich my first visit...it was good and portion wise smaller than a lot of other meals, but they pile the potatoes on the side. I can't imagine how many potatoes they go through in a day!!! The cinnamon rolls up front....yeah you want one. We got 4 for our family. We ate a little each day and it took days for them to get all gone. Wonderful buns. We like this spot and will return. Service has been good for us. Food has been great.

    (4)

  • Lucy W.

    After trying this place out, I have to say it's definitely worth the wait! First of all, the portions are huge. I'd come back and order two dishes to share among 4 people. The banana walnut pancakes were very good - the sudden burst of flavor from hidden pieces of banana made the pancakes my fav dish. We got a short stack, which was two pieces, enough for 4 people to share (yes, they are THAT big). We also tried the meat lover scramble - it was a lot of protein, a lot of calories, and just a lot of goodness mixed together. Over all, a solid 5.

    (5)

  • Monica S.

    If it weren't for the nice hostess taking our order and being very kind we probably would never go back. Our server was, I'm going to guess, having a rough morning and couldn't handle our table of two. The three stars are for the hostess. The food was just ok but might have been better if it wasn't an hour long visit on a not so busy Saturday morning.

    (3)

  • Caleb M.

    I love coming here for brunch. The meals are huge and I usually pay the extra to split and share it. They give you extra bread and potatoes when you do. It's more than enough for two. There are plenty of creative omelets, don't be afraid to try the fruit omelet it's a fun and delicious choice. Parking can be difficult on a weekend. But I've never had to wait too long to get seated, they're pretty efficient that way. Come in for brunch, you won't be dissapointed.

    (4)

  • Tom D.

    I have done about a hundred breakfast takeouts from the Brown Bag over the past year, usually ordering the exact same thing. The food quality is consistent and good. On my takeout I only want an omelette but must pay for the whole breakfast. $14 for an omelette with tomato slices is stiff but worth the convenience. And I always tip. The staff has always been friendly. More times than not I get engaged in a conversation with whomever is at the front counter while I wait. Of minor frustration, however, is the high rate of turnover which makes a regular feel like a first-timer. I have spoken to 20 - 30 different people when calling in an order. Trying to remember names became pointless as some faces would disappear after a week or two. The look of the place is country, down-home including a comment book which is filled with kudos for the staff and smiley faces. So I felt it would be useful to share my experience with the owner via email. His response, dripping with sarcasm, was surprising and disappointing. A lot of goodwill was lost. I can't help but feel that the decor -- cozy 1900's heartland -- is as much a facade along the highway stretch as the owner's interest in hearing comments.

    (1)

  • Alaina W.

    This is my go-to spot for a seriously-larger-than-you-can-eat plate o'breakfast. They keep the coffee and the toast coming. There's excellent freezer jam packets. I'm serious, the portions are huge. They are great for large parties or for single-student study sessions. I love the english muffins! Service is quick and friendly, and the decor is very country-breakfasty. I often come here before school and there's plenty of parking in the lot. The prices are a little more than Shari's, but you get at least two meals in one sitting. So.... breakfast for tomorrow, too!! I still haven't had a cinnamon roll yet, but they're HUGE.

    (4)

  • Susan H.

    Normally we do breakfast or brunch at this joint. We used to actually go in and eat there for many years. Over the last year, though, we've gotten into the habit of ordering to go. I actually prefer doing the to go version. Our most recent to go experience had me ordering their Philly Burger Dip with a salad vs. fries. Wow. I'll be doing that again. I ordered the burger medium rare and even after picking it up and bringing it home that burger was still medium rare. Good job! The Philly burger has sautéed green peppers and onions on it in addition to the swiss cheese. Next time I'm going to order extra veggies and to add mushrooms as I love to overload my Philly with the veggies. I actually did dip this burger in the Au Jus and it was just fantastic. The side salad was really good too. There was shredded radish and little broccoli florets in it in addition to the lettuce, cabbage, and carrot chunks. It was a terrific salad and the 1000 Island dressing was very tasty as well. I will likely always order this salad vs. fries moving forward ... it was THAT good!! My normal breakfast fare with Brown Bag is the Spinach, Swiss, and Bacon Omelet but hold the bacon (it's almost always burned and hard - yuck!) and add zucchini, onions, and tomatoes. This is a great omelet and almost done very well. I get the hashbrowns well done, extra crispy because I like the crunch on the outside but tender on the inside and I add a side of sour cream and green onions. On the few occasions I've tried their deluxe version, it has been a supreme disappointment. The bacon is almost always burnt and very hard and the cheese is either too much or too little. I prefer my version of topping with sour cream and green onions. Much tastier! The eggs benedict have always been a disappointment to us. They have a lot of different types and out of the few we've tried, it's just not very good. When we want eggs benedict, we head to either The Game on 100th in Kirkland's Juanita area or over at The Original Pancake House in downtown Kirkland. I should say too that the French Dip Sandwich is also pretty good; however, if they would add carmelized onions and mushrooms to it, the sandwich would be divine!

    (3)

  • Linda F.

    Excellent fresh home cooking. Huge portions and lots of choices. YUM a great place!

    (5)

  • Shawna H.

    Crazy portions, delicious food, affordable prices. What more could a gal ask for? You will probably have to wait for a bit for your table but it is worth it! Eggs Benedict is god. Amen.

    (5)

  • Lynne G.

    Great place for all-day breakfast. The steak and eggs - fantastic! Meat lovers omelette is wonderful, too. Huge portions. Plan to share or take the brown bag home. Enjoy! Another reviewer raves about the biscuits and has never tried the bread, so let me tell you about the bread. If I eat bread, it's rye. Theirs is light, thick-sliced grilled with a seasoned butter that's delicious. Good luck if you get to the bread, though. The eggs, steak, etc are too good. Can't wait to try the corned beef hash.

    (4)

  • Melody P.

    I came here for brunch after 12 hours plus of fasting for my blood draw appointment. It was the best of my day (other than Brooks tent sale). Well, most people don't go by themselves and they always have company. However, as a single person, I always eat by myself. I am really happy that they didn't discriminate me. (If they do discriminate, at least they didn't show it in front of me) While waiting for my appointment, I was reading some of the reviews about parking. I was very fortunate to find one. Weren't people supposed to work during that time of the day? But, it's packed! Wow! Did they skip work to eat there? I sat down. The table top was padded. It's very interesting! I ordered Biscuit and Gravy with Ham and Hash brown. I loved the biscuit because it wasn't dry and tough. My ham is a bit on the fatty side but it went very well with biscuit, gravy and hash brown in one bite! They really tried to make my hash brown extra crispy. But, the style of their hash brown is a little different than the ones I've had. I feel it's mixed of mashed potato, scallop potato, and shredded potato. Because of the texture, it's difficult to make it crispy. But, I got a lot of the burnt part, which is how I liked to be cooked! Service was good. I must have had 3 glasses of water in 30 minutes. They server filled up my glass as soon as I finished my water. It's really good! I would love to come back and try different brunch dishes!

    (4)

  • Christina K.

    [Dine-In] I'm pretty okay about this place but taste-wise, I'm not sure if I would call it the best breakfast food. However, I do feel that quality is sacrificed for quantity as the proportions are huge! The price is great as well but I would not treat this any better than your average breakfast joint. The only difference is this place gives you a lot of food for practically the same price, if not less. Service was good but two things bothered me: 1) the parking lot is shared between Shari's and a hotel so there is not very much parking during busy hours. 2) the wait for food is a little more than normal, also during busy hours. Dishes Ordered: French Toast, biscuits and gravy, and smoke salmon eggs Benedict croissant.

    (3)

  • Brian C.

    The brown bag has been here for several years and I have eaten here a few times because my friends liked going here for the view of the waitresses. Me I was just hungry. It wasn't my favorite place but there were a few things I thought that were good and other things not so great. Massive portions. I could never eat more than half of most meals here. They give you a huge portion of hash browns which actually are pretty good. It was the rest of the breakfast that was just kind of plain. The wait staff at brown bag is always excellent for the most part. My issues with brown bag is everything tastes the same and their bread is too clunky and big. They use it on everything and it tastes the same looks the same and is oddly large. I think if they mixed it up a bit and added some new bread their menu might have some new life to it. That and the salad and some of the lunch items need to be reinvented. Burger plain, chicken plain, everything just tastes the same. Overall not a bad place but overall not something where it would be memorable if you were vacationing and wanted to dive into Seattle cuisine.

    (3)

  • Anne M.

    Parking is a challenging. Patrols out for Shari's and Beaumont Inns contiguous. Seating prompt about 10 min wait on busy Sunday morning. Meal was good and might return because of convenient location ? Wait staff attentive, pleased with service. Split corned beef hash Corned beef hash was OK, not one of the best that I have had for homemade. Toast , eggs and home fried potatoes were awesome. Biscuit was horrible -dry and rubbery. Think it was microwaved.

    (3)

  • Anna M.

    We've been here twice. The first time was really a fantastic experience. Great service, the food exceeded my expectations. I had one of the veggie hash things. The second time, we had to wait for about 20 minutes. Then our server was pretty absent...and our food took about a half hour. We'll be back, and just hope the food doesn't take so long next time.

    (4)

  • Jean S.

    Let me start off by saying that the staff here was very friendly. The breakfast food was good (not great) and portions were huge. Their bread products, particularly toast and English muffins, were outstanding. The problem was that it was completely obvious they had forgotten our order. As we waited starving with three cranky kids, we started getting the crazed WTF looks on our faces as we watched tables that had been seated 15 minutes after us receive their food. That is not an exaggeration... our breakfast took almost two hours. Our waitress avoided eye contact and finally came by to quickly state our food would be ready soon. When our food finally came out, she was then very attentive. You know, I'm not expecting a freebie or anything, but an explanation of why our food took an hour to come out would have been nice.

    (3)

  • Rachel H.

    My husband and I used to frequent Brown Bag. It's steadily gone down hill over the last several months. Our most recent experience was overly terrible service and below average food. Actually, the food was inedible. We went on a Tuesday at around 10am. Hubby ordered the Eggs Benedict and I ordered over easy eggs and bacon. First off, it took around 10 minutes for anyone to take our drink order and another 10 for the waitress to come back with our drinks and take our food order. Hubby and I sat for what seemed like an eternity, I'm sure it was actually about 20-30 minutes, for our food to come out. When it did we were both amazed at what was on our plates. The hollandaise was sparse and looked like deli mustard, not even close to being emulsified. My bacon was rubbery and bland. At least my eggs were tasty. Hubby did try a bite of his eggs benedict, it was gross. He sent it back and reordered a couple over easy eggs. The waitress seemed very surprised that he was sending it back. What was amazing is that the food made it past the chef, the waitress, and onto our table. Who ever has been in the kitchen the last few months obviously does not know what they are doing and does not care about the quality of food customers are paying for. The same goes for their servers. It would be smart of BB to educate their waitresses/servers about what the food on their menu should look like. This was the last strike for Brown Bag. I'm sad to say good bye, but I think it's for the best. Please see photos posted.

    (1)

  • Giena L.

    I've been here a handful of times. Each time I've only ordered from the breakfast menu. Their portions are HUGE, so come hungry, or expect to have tons of leftovers. Doesn't seem to take long to get a table, but the wait for food seems to take awhile. I've gone in the late morning, and it wasn't busy at all, but still had to wait awhile for the food. The servers are friendly, the food is delicious, albeit on the unhealthy side. But otherwise, it's a good place for breakfast/brunch. They serve breakfast all day (!!!). They have daily specials, so be sure to look at the board (or online) prior to going or being seated, because they don't tell you about their specials when you order (or at least in my experience they haven't).

    (3)

  • Alex D.

    Wow! Amazing portions! Amazing prices! Amazing servers! We are definitely making this a regular place for breakfast! Not to mention they served 13 of us quickly and in a very friendly way! Our wait time was below average for a place that does not take reservations. It was about 15 minutes for 13 people on Easter Sunday. Pretty efficient. The place is a little older than more modern restaurants. It definitely has a older family restaurant kind of feel but it was not bad. Our server was very friendly and efficient. Especially for helping 13 people. The portions are huge. You could probably have 2 people share one portion and don't forget about the unlimited toast. Only recommendation would be to remove the cell phone posting on the front of the menu. It's not 1990 and does not seem like something of convenience for the customer but for whoever can up with it.

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :6:30 am - 3:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Breakfast
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : No
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Brown Bag Cafe

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