Easy Street Records and Cafe
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Music & DVD's [Edit]
Neighborhood: West Seattle4559 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116 (206) 938-3279
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: None
- Good for: Breakfast
- Alcohol: None
56 Reviews for Easy Street Records and Cafe
Lots of staring at the menu...do you go with something solid, or try something new? It pretty much all tastes good, as long as you are true to what you are craving (meat and potatoes vs. healthier options vs. a hybrid of both). They have good tunes playing, which might get you to shopping after the meal.
I love this corner of the world, just wish it was 8 minutes away.
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man oh man!! i love this place. I am far from cool and don't like hipster music, so when i brought up my Patti Labelle and Debbie Gibson CD, I expected some 'tude. none. The hipster vibe has been completely removed from this location. The Queen Anne one is a little much at times with the "we only listen to cool music" staff.
I ALWAYS ALWAYS hit EASY STREET even before I will order something on amazon.com. The staff is very friendly and chatty and even helped me look up the right title of Dionne Warwicks gospel album after i called it THE MAGIC OF GOD.
Their used section is the best place to find rare and weird oddities. I have found some stellar LP's and CDs there. The upstairs can get a little crowded at times, but usually is worth the "excuse mes" you have to say.
I haven't eaten there before, it it seems to be packed for breakfast and brunch. It smells good,so that is a good start.
My husband and I come here for brunch most weekends. We've tried a lot of different things on the breakfast menu, and everything so far has been really tasty. Their bacon is, perhaps, the thickest, juiciest bacon this side of...well...you just have to try it.
On a weekend morning around 10am you can expect to wait around 20 minutes for a table for two, but since Pegasus Book Exchange is right next door, it's easy to spend the extra time browsing the shelves. The waitresses are nice, but the service is slow -- I'll be the nerd with the crossword puzzle.
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Is there anything better than a place that combines my two favorite things: music and food? The answer is no. Chowing down on the Go-Go Fritatta while listening to some Wolf Parade is a good start to any day.
The cashier on the CD side was maybe the least friendly person I interacted with the entire four days I was in Seattle, but maybe he was just having a bad morning.
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I love Easy Street, and usually their food is good but I have to say something about the entire experience I had here today:
The cashier was so rude to me and honestly, I lived behind this store for about three years and was a very regular patron and never have I been treated with disrespect or rudeness from any of the staff. But today it was like I was a huge bother to her, and all I wanted was the new Coldplay CD rung up, and my stamp cards consolidated! There were a ton of exasperated sighs and annoyed looks flying my way~
Then we sat for brunch and I ordered the grilled cheese and tomato and basil soup. The soup was really overly peppered, the cheese was centered in the middle of the entirely too thick egg bread and the side salad was wilty and full of purple cabbage. Then we had the case of the disappearing waitress and were finished with our food for about 15 minutes.. trying to find her and we look and see she is sitting at a nearby table chatting it up with a friend. Again, it felt like we were a nuisance to her...
Whine whine whine... blah blah blah... I feel bad complaining but I had to speak up. People! I know it's Sunday and you're probably tired of the weekend crowds but keep your food, service and friendliness up to par- cause this sort of experience won't make me willing to drive all the way over to the bridge to visit you again and I really miss you from time to time...
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Just slightly less than the Queen Anne store, but mostly because it seemed more crammed into it's space with the snack bar (which I didn't try but wish I had!). The CD selection seemed great, but the vinyl was upstairs and seemed crammed into an even smaller area (sharing that with used CDs and some DVDs). The selection of new LPs was amazing, but the used section was just okay. This store lacks the Queen Anne stores markdown bins, which was a bummer, and there were a lot of records in crates underneath that weren't priced. Still, the counter help was extremely friendly, offering suggestions on other things I might also like when I purchased a Notwist CD.
Other people come for the music or coffee, I love the food and weirdly eclectic atmosphere, especially at weekend brunch. Close your eyes and open them really fast, look at table of resolute punks nursing coffee drinks, and pretend it's Eugene in the 80s. Look to your right or left and see the youngish yuppies relaxing down into their Johnny Cash Special (steak and eggs) and James Browns (hash browns topped with ham or tofu, veggies and cheese), and pay your respects to the dot com boom/bust and the economy's current financial woes. Somewhere among one of the booths or tables will be at least three generations of a family, laughing and celebrating something.
I bounce back and forth among my favorites, every once in a while trying a new item and expanding the list of "must-haves." Right now, the Woody Guthrie Farmer's Omelet - 3 eggs, mushrooms, spinach, onion, sweet pepper, cheddar, with toast and hash browns, and the Los Lobos - veggie sausage substituted for chorizo, sauteed with black bean and corn salsa and three eggs, plus sides, are my favorites. The Go Go Frittata with tofu, onions and spinach and the Billy Breakfast Burrito (eggs scrambled with black bean salsa and cheddar) are past faves.
Eggs can be substituted with low cal egg substitute; english muffin for toast, tofu for meat. Someday I'll get around to trying New Wave O's Rancheros, the Dolly Parton pancake stack, the Low Rider and Easy Rider grilled breakfast sandwiches, Blueberry Hill hotcakes, Frances Farmer french toast, and the Little Richard and the Lil' Kim breakfasts.
Arrive early and leave plenty of time to let your name get to the top of the list while you wander nearby, with someone in the party to wait and hear when your table is called. Cafe Vita coffee and a lunch menu, but why ignore the breakfast menu when it's this good?
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We had NO wait for a table in front of the window on a sunny Sunday afternoon for brunch, so don't assume there always will be! This place is so cool, it's German uber-cool. (I couldn't type the umlaut, but ya know what I mean.)
Atmosphere -- amazing. Awesome music, the staff know their stuff and are SO helpful and nice.
Food -- delish! I had the cranberry turkey sandwich with hashbrowns ("James Browns") and my roommate had breakfast, and it was quick service, good portions, loooow prices.
Service -- A-plus. Our waitress was cool, mellow, and very fast with the food and water refills. Plus I asked to switch my chips to hashbrowns and it literally took like 2 minutes.
One of my fave spots to eat or even just hang out.
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I worked here for a few years back when I was in high school. Matt V. is passionate about his stores (W. Seattle and Queen Anne), what they sell, the music industry in general, his employees and customers. Great people work there and they kind of "fit" with the place. I don't know how to describe that, but I would say that you'd understand if you've been there. :-)
Huge variety of music, great feel, great food, great used selection... this is what every indie music store should strive to be. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly and you can tell they love their jobs. Be prepared to be blown away when you get upstairs at their massive used selection. CDs, DVDs, BluRay (some), vinyl... nearly as much used product as new downstairs. Insane.
Another unique thing that Easy Street does is their window art, most of the time it's very creative and eye catching. You can tell some of the displays have a lot of work and thought put into them before they get put up. While it's a lot easier to just slap a poster or two up, they go the extra mile and make some unique and beautiful displays. The murals on the side of the building are pretty amazing as well.
Make sure you get there on an empty stomach, the food is great and the baristas make a mean mocha. The breakfasts are great, good variety of menu items to choose from and generally an "american" selection of plates. Everything I've had there has always been tasty and served with a smile.
Overall, yet another gem in West Seattle's crown. If you're a fan of any kind of music you owe it to yourself to make a visit here; preferably after payday as you'll likely be walking out with a fair amount of tunes.
One of the largest, best used CD section I've ever encountered. This, combined with the vast array of indie and local music, the cafe, and the in-store performances make it one of my top ten favorite places in Seattle. You're cool just for going there.
Following the tremendous Yelp following I wanted to check out Easy Street to see what all the hype was all about. I was hesitant at first because I was thinking that this place's great reviews were a product of the unique (but gimmicky) Cafe in a record store experience and not necessarily the quality of the food. Luckily, I wasn't disappointed. Yes, it was gimmicky, but i liked it a lot. Even though, there was a bit of a wait, time flew by as I looked through music and videos. When we finally got seated, the food didn't disappoint. I got a Woody Guthrie omelette with hash browns and it was super delicious [see picture posted]. The food wasn't overwhelmingly greasy and the service was great. Easy Street probably isn't a place I would go to all the time, but it's a wonderful place to check for a fun dining (and tasty) dining experience.
Also, if you haven't been to West Seattle in ages (I hadn't), there is a wonderful stretch on California with wonderful shops, bakeries, and a farmer's market.
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Never have I had the pleasure of brunching in a kick ass record store, until today! My favorite menu titles are: the Dolly Parton stack (pancakes, duh!), Lil' Kim, the Culture Club Sandwich, and the James Browns. I am a hash brown freak and ordered the browns which comes covered with veggies and tofu (or diced ham). Next time I'll ask them to plate the veggies separately, since I like my taters extra crispy. Or I'll get the Los Lobos. Still, great flavor and wallet sensible to boot. The rest of the table ordered the Horton Heat Hash (hot hot hot!), the Billy Breakfast burrito (with black bean salsa), and a bowl of a spicy tomato basil soup.
On a side note, they played the new Interpol Live which further enhanced my breakfast -can't say that my companions were similarly moved. I promptly bought the CD. In my defense, it sounded better at Easy Street vs. when they played WaMu. Oh alright, I'm a marketer's dream for being susceptible to product placement.
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I love the concept of a record store/cafe, especially since I am the girlfriend of a DJ. While he peruses, I can grab a bite to eat. I didn't eat here, but would if I hadn't come from breakfast. It's a fun, quirky music store with a huge record collection. The boy was able to find some Seattle hip hop to bring back to Chicago and some records he's been looking for. Staff was friendly and the store was organized pretty well. I was definitely surprised at how crowded it was, I haven't seen that many people at a music/record store since iTunes became so prevalent.
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duh, duh, duh. So Awesome, and I am not just talking about the grubbing hangover breakfast and good coffee. they have so much to choose from, and this place has character. I have to say "check out the vinyls upstairs" but then there would be less for me. And they don't judge you if you have to buy the Wiggles for the kid you nanny for.
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Update: went there again this weekend, it was Mother's Day and it was packed the wait time was 45 minutes (expected) but I chose not to wait. Why? Unfortunately it seemed like the waitress who took my name was having a horrid day, or perhaps had a bad night, cause her attitude and demeanor just cost them 3 stars. I can wait for a table any day, but this person apparently can't "wait" on customers.
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We adore this place for breakfast - no pretentious potatoes here, by golly, and the coffee is dark and rich. Totally worth the wait to get a table.
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Great service, good cheap breakfast, good coffee (cafe vita)... nothing spectacular but it works. Lose a star for a kinda long wait for the food...but they keep the coffee coming and there is always good music playing....the place to eat in west seattle for under ten bucks!
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I love love love this place. Servers are rad, service is great, coffee is fab, juice is yummy, decor is good...and I can shop before or after which is awesome.
Sundays are pretty packed, if you are planning on having breakfast go early or go late...if you go between 10-12, plan on waiting for awhile. We went this past Sunday and it was a 40 minute wait time. If you aren't in a hurry you can put your name on the list and go shopping for CDs, it's totally worth the wait in my opinion.
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The front of the diner portion of Easy Street is a garage door with the wood panels cut out and replaced by panes of glass, so that you can stare out onto California Avenue while you eat. Doing just that at this very minute is a young man wearing a beige cardigan sweater who looks just like Beck and who knows it. So sure is he that this resemblance, purely incidental, confers on him an almost magical hipness, that he wears a beige cardigan sweater. What can he mean by this, but to say: "I have such a surfeit of cool that I can wear this beige cardigan sweater"?
Unless, of course, he's just an unassuming kid who's cold.
Nick and I sit down and the waitress, a really butch, good-looking lesbian with the requisite ink and piercings, comes up and offers a solid hour of the best service ever. This includes impeccable manners and timing. It also includes allowing us to eavesdrop on her conversation with the people the next table over, in which she explains her taste in women in some detail. Nick is eleven and he is mesmerized.
We've just finished buying music. Nick picked up a Led Zepplin double CD. If you do not think it is unspeakably cool that my my eleven-year-old son turned himself on to Led Zeppelin, I will hook you up with the stool softener of your choice, my friend. On the opposite end of the universe of cool, I am about to become the last man in America who, until now, has never knowingly listened to a Radiohead CD. I picked up OK Computer based on the Amazon reviews. I feel like Andy Griffith even typing this.
The right half of the store is the CD shop. The new stuff is downstairs, and it's a great selection, non-gougingly priced. First, though, go upstairs, where they keep the used CDs and DVDs. You may get lucky.
I'm rambling. OK. What I like about Easy Street is what I like about West Seattle generally. It's inexpensive, it's generally well run, it wears its civility on its sleeve, it's unaffectedly tasteful, and it includes a good mix of people. In fact, sitting right this minute ten feet to the right of Beck is a table full of blue-haired old ladies who really just dropped in for the cheap chow.
Which, along with the music and the general atmosphere of bonhomie, is as good a reason as any.
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Since moving to West Seattle I have really been wanting to try this place and was so glad I did this last weekend. The breakfast is great! Each of us ordered completely different things and each of us were totally sataisfied by the end of the meal...it seems like you cant go wrong with the menu. And if there's a wait- just check out the record store- we ended up with a couple great buys and a fantastic breakfast.
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Smaller, original branch to the amazing Queen Anne store with the addition of a fine cafe. Great selection of music and fair prices. Fun street fair with big clearance sales in the summer. Good used selection upstairs. Support your local independent merchants.
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The best thing about the Easy Street Cafe is that it is in a record store.
After reading so many 5 star reviews here I was expecting a bit more from my breakfast. My breakfast burrito was good, better than average even - but not toe tappingly good. The coffee was great (Vita - Seattle, duh) but the OJ was so-so. The most original thing about the menu was the rock-inspired names, not the dishes themselves. Also, It was a bit chilly inside (thought certainly not because of Steph - my warm and personable server who fixed my wobbily table without even being asked).
It was a solid, inexpensive meal, but not the out of body experience some Yelpers seem to have tripped on.
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The only place I will eat breakfast in West Seattle. The best wait staff in the city. The most affordable and delicious food (where else can you get a GOOD big old breakfast for $4.50?)
Great atmosphere, food, coffee, and staff!
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This morning when I walked in and sat down at the East Street Cafe, John F. Kennedy was president and gas was 20 cents a gallon. When I left it was 2008!
It took me over 40 years to get my BLOODY SANDWICH!
The ruben was okay.
Breakfast there is fun with a group. Go for breakfast, skip lunch.
Seriously, the wait was noteworthy.
a little crowded, but everyone who shops there seems to be super nice and always aware of the space around them. they play great music, and often the new releases so you can hear what the stuff sounds like. i love their used section. i found an eels cd for eight bucks. not bad at all.
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cute, dare I say Indie? I guess I just did. It has good food in a great atmoshpere with wonderful staff. I had the Dixie Chicks sandwhih and a chai from their centrally located esspresso booth. I feel like I'm about 15 yyears older than my 20 whenever I say the word" Hip" so I'll kip it. Take my descriptor of " Indie" of a bit of good natured Irony and some mad props and I think that is a far more appropriate assesment of Easy Street.
I just love how you can have a tasty plate of breakfast and good quality coffee for LESS than ten bucks.
Clever menu with names of music legends for dishes. Nothing more than 8.95 (I believe). So of course, the wait can be long. But if you go on a Sunday, you can use the wait time to check out the farmer's market.
Easy Street Cafe has a great vibe and you can't get more authentic Seattle than this joint. I love my chi chi brunches but this one keeps us Seattlites honest.
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Yummy food, awesome tunes playing and for sale, kick ass staff who can handle whatever happens...... and ohhhh yeah food..... the fucking awesome good old fashioned American breakfast food! Go - just go - you will not regret it.
Thank you for playing George Michael and the soothing sounds of Wham! That's exactly what I needed to hear while eating your perfectly grilled eggbread toast sandwich. I can now close my eyes when I hear 'heal the pain' and it will take me back.
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*Part of Seattle I will always love, West Seattle saw some major growing up of Yours Truly. I have spent countless hours leisurely browsing the CDs here with a hot cup of Easy Street Cafe java. While they sometimes burn the muffins, these giant blueberry pastries are second to none, with a hearty, grainy texture and crispy top.
*Speaking of the CDs, Easy Street Records in both West Seattle and Queen Anne have the best used CD assortment I have seen, with the ability to listen to anything before you buy it.
*Ordering breakfast or lunch is a great part of this record store, as all the items on the menu have names inspired by famous music entities, and all are quite good. Fresh ingredients, perfect doses of seasonings, and fast, friendly service make eating here a very pleasant experience.
*Their bacon is the standard by which I measure all other bacon, and so far, none have lived up to that standard.
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Easy Street has attitude. Lots and lots of attitude. And good music and strong coffee. And the service? No complaints.
Why then only three stars? Simple: The food.
Easy Street dishes up a mix of traditional dinerstyle meals with funked up names and enough grease to give an elephant a heart attack. I don't know how they do it, but they manage to get everything greasier than any truckstop, I have ever set foot in.
And when it comes to dinerstyle food, what better way to judge a place than by its fries? After all, that is what they serve with almost everything. The fries at Easy Street are. you guessed it, greasy. So much so, in fact, that they have given up crispiness and crunch for soft mushy oil-texture. Eck!
Still, I have found myself going back there every now and then, even eating something nasty off the menu, and I think it's because of the things mentioned at the beginning of this review.
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This place rocks. Whenever my teenagers come to town, this is where they want to eat. The food is the good, messy and satisfying sort. In the summer months, the front door (obviously at one time a garage door) is rolled right up to give it that outdoor dining feel. Lots of nostalgia in the air as many of Seattle's great rock bands performed here.
After eating, we make our way over to the music collection where those running the registers know their music trivia. This is what record stores used to be--before the corporate cookie-cutter retailers came on the scene. I highly recommend!
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Mmm... Loved the casual ambiance and the clever menu names! Definitely a bargain, too. We went on a Saturday and waited about 5-10 minutes for a table. It was fairly busy, but once we sat down, we were waited on promptly. Service from there was pretty downhill: we waited about 35 minutes for our food (just eggs and hashbrowns, basically!), and once it came, it was kinda lukewarm. HOWEVER, we will go back just because it was totally cheap and delicious, despite not being pipin' hot. Anyhow, I think it'd be best avoided on weekends, due to the mad rush!
I've never eaten in the cafe but I have grabbed a beer and shopped for music, I mean come on how cool is that, drinking beer shopping for music?
The very first time I went I was ignored and that kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but every time after that service has been great. Sometimes I'll go in and say I'm looking for something new, this is who I like/listen too now please suggest something and poof they plop a few CDs in front of me, I buy them, listen to them, and always pretty happy. Visually it's a hip, independent, grungy music store (all meant in a good way) all rolled into one, exactly what I think of when I think of a cool music store. If you're looking for music go here I'm sure you'll find it and if not they'll find it for you.
*Update 02/12/07* I came her for breakfast on Saturday and finally tried their food. I went for the West Seattle breakfast burrito and it was GOOD, very, very GOOD, eggs scrambled just right, cheese and ham perfect if you ask me. The boy went with the the burrito that had potato's in it, he loved his and loved his hash browns even more. We'll for sure be going back for more food soon.
*Update 06/27/07* If the kitchen is close you can not order a beer only non-alcoholic drinks will be served. :(
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Bradford goes blahbaddy-blah-blah-blah! Clearly, there is strength in both numbers and stars! Don't have much to add really except that I HEART EASY STREET!
Katherine S. makes some great breakfast suggestions but I love the Dolly Parton Stack for obvious reasons. (No! Not that! The pancakes, people....the pancakes!)
Eatin' pancakes while gittin' down with some disco grooves? Does it really get better than that?
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Yummy food, I love the fact that I can sit down and listen to virtually any CD available and eat me some scrambled eggs. Of course, wish there were more tables, but it just gives me more of a reason to get there early on a Sunday morning.
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Sure, why not? I don't buy CDs barely never, so it's a moot point (your YOLK is MOOT, sir) but this place has wicked-rad atmosphere, and I've seen not just The Long Winters here, but also The Eagles of Death Metal, and that's wonderful.
I've never eaten here, as it's always packed and more about the scene than anything else, but I'm still jealous of people that have.
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My favorite place to go - great food, amazing coffee, and huge music selection. Great used section upstairs, great vinyl, and no one can beat thier prices.
The Queen Anne store has a bigger selection, but does not have the vibe or the used section that this store (the original) has.
Best Breakfasts: Frances Farmer French Toast and The Reverend Horton Heat Hash.
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The window displays will drag you in the door, the selection & staff will keep you coming back for more. The staff is keen on every scene, or atleast one of them in the shoppe is. The used bins are some of the best in town, when I buy hard copy music IT IS HERE. They discount new releases (usually for the first two weeks) & "their" top 10 albums. They have live selections you will not find anywhere else.
The breakfasts are filling, delicious, & applicable. My current fav is Rev. Horton Heat Hash. The wait staff is the perfect sauce to any meal here.
I have gone in ESR with the intent of burning 5 minutes & found myself 30 minutes late (to where ever) more times than I care to state or remember.
It's a great experience for a weekend morning to last the afternoon.
http://www.buymusicher...
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I've never eaten here, mostly because it's too damn loud for my taste, but have shopped in the CD store. They have a pretty good selection, as far as I can tell, but the CDs are way overpriced and they will try to buy your CDs for almost nothing.
