The place lives up to its garden-themed namesake. When you walk in, you can see two seating areas – a greenhouse space, full of palm trees, and the more traditional restaurant/bar space with greenery lined up beneath the window.
There are air plants at every table. If anyone needs to understand why people have better moods by being around plants, they should come here for lunch. I mean, it’s hard to not be happy just by walking in.
The rest of the space is welcoming, too, from the salvaged wood bar and local art, to the community event board by the restrooms. If you’ve been to Portage Bay Cafe and wanted less pancake and more trees, you’ve found it.
I started with their cringer ($3), a cranberry-ginger cider made on site. Garnished with one large slice of ginger, you can smell it all before you take your first sip. It’s actually pretty mild on the ginger/spiciness scale – it did build, but not so much that I wanted to stop drinking. It’s refreshing, in that tart, earthy way that good quality cranberry juice can be.
The meal started with a cinnamon roll ($5.50). I love this type – the bready exterior with a fluffy interior, covered in soft spiced walnuts, heavily scented with cinnamon. With the cream cheese frosting and a sweet sauce and the nuts, it got a bit too sweet at times, but you could slather on as little of the frosting as you liked. It was what you wished your family made for Sunday brunch.
The seasonal watermelon salad ($10) was a surprise. On paper, it sounded mild and sweet, with sunflower sprouts, watermelon, and daikon. The warning should have been the kefir lime dressing, but that first bite of peppery, vinegared daikon was a wake-up call. Taking a composed bite of the salad, though, was a balanced mix of savory and sweet. I’d love more melon in the salad, as I felt like I needed to cut through that first bite of daikon, but it’s still a gorgeous combination of peppery, leafy greens, and crunch from the cashews and noodles.
As I sat between courses, pondering my day, all I could think of was bringing my friends here for the ridiculously awesome-sounding brunch. It’s a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, but I don’t feel like that’s a reason to limit carnivores from trying their impressive menu. It’s full of nice people, nice things, and food that just looks and feels good. I left full, but content, and that’s the best review I can give a restaurant that gave me that much food. I can’t wait for an excuse to return.
Cafe Flora
2901 East Madison Street
Seattle, WA 98112