Cafe Darclee

So, we had gone to the Lucy exhibit as well and had worked up an appetite. We wandered over to this cafe only to be EXTREMELY disappointed.
First of all, although there were not many people in the cafe, we had to wait several minutes before even being acknowledged by the three people standing behind the counter. The person that ended up helping us was very clumsy. Something was a little 'off', as it took him three tries to get our order straight, and he had a hard time counting the right change as we paid. AWKWARD!
I ordered a lunch crepe and a cafe mocha. As I watched them prepare my food, I noticed the cook did not wear gloves most of the time, and there appeared to be other people behind the counter picking at the food with bare hands as well ...GROSS!!!
Also, the coffee was very lackluster in taste and preparation. I watched the barista handle the espresso machine in an extremely unsanitary fashion...she dumped out the spent espresso by hitting the coffee holder several times on the inside lip of the garbage can behind her. She then turned around, and WITHOUT cleaning the thing, put fresh ground espresso into it. I could see brown streaks on the inside of the garbage can, which looked like it was from 1972. DISGUSTING.
By the time we finally got our food it wasn't very hot. The silverware was spotty and had dried, crusty food on it, so I ended up having to ask for plastic utensils instead. By this time, my appetite had pretty much disappeared.
I wanted to demand my money back but did not want to deal with the slow grease ball behind the counter again, who was in desperate need of a breath mint as well.
This place is just waiting to get shut down.
Don't waste your time and money here! Even McDonalds is far superior to this dump!

Pros: ?

Cons: Here we go....

Posted 03/29/09

Stopped in for an Espresso and left there after having a Great Crepe to go with my coffee.. Yum! Great place to sit for a while or stop for a quick drink. There were others that were reading the paper I noticed as I waited for my drink. The staff is very friendly and quick. I had a banana and nutella crepe which was wonderful... as I just stopped by for a coffee, but I saw a crepe being served and I decided to have one too. I will for sure stop by again for more of the same...

Pros: Wonderful Espresso and quick Food!

Posted 03/16/09

Three of us recently chose Cafe Darclee as a meeting place and lunch spot because of its proximity to an exhibit we were attending at the Pacific Science Center. We were all very disappointed. Except for the initial delivery of food to our table, table service was virtually nonexistent. We had to go up to the counter several times in order to complete our order, get coffee refills, and pay our bill (maye it's supposed to be cafeteria-style?), and we had to wait a good while each time in order to get anyone's attention. The food was lackluster in terms of quality and price. We all ordered a panini with a small side of uninteresting salad greens, and a small bowl of soup. The bill with coffee drinks was nearly $50 for three of us. By the time the soup, panini, and coffees were served, they were all barely warm. The goat cheese and mushroom panini was mostly bread and very bland in flavor, possibly because it included only the most skimpy amount of goat cheese and mushrooms. The small side of salad greens included quite a number of rotted, slimy greens and had barely a 1/4 teaspoon of vinagrette dressing drizzled on top. We were definitely not impressed, and wished we had chosen someplace else to meet for lunch. We really enjoyed the Lucy's Legacy exhibit though, and we highly recommend that!

Posted 10/12/08

I wouild say for Seattle it's good! I mean we are by no means Paris!!
If you feel like a Crepe Suzette? Give them a try i don't think they are top of the line but it's pretty good for what we have to offer in Seattle...Crepe Wise i mean!

Posted 09/02/08

I've had better, and I've had worse. For being a pioneer in the creperie circuit here in Seattle, I think Cafe Darclee is a fine spot for a well made crepe with a contempo spin. I worked with the owners to throw a small party at Darclee, and they were very inviting and flexible. I was surprised, at my first visit, to find the space as small as it is, but we were accomodated to the best of their ability. I find it odd that another review said there was no liquor license....as we had the choice of several cocktails when I was there. I've had every crepe this town has to offer, and although I still prefer the creperies in Paris, Darclee makes my tummy happy.

Posted 06/13/08