I’ve been a loyal customer of Ugly Mug for years, and this location has long been one of my absolute favorite spots for breakfast in Seattle. My boyfriend and I have a tradition of coming here for our go-to orders: he gets the bacon croissant egg sandwich with a caramel mocha, and I get the avocado croissant egg sandwich and the blackberry cobbler mocha. For the longest time, it was a reliably great experience—delicious food, consistent quality, and drinks we genuinely looked forward to.
Lately, though, the quality has noticeably declined, and it's been disappointing enough that I felt compelled to share. The blackberry cobbler mocha, which used to be perfectly balanced and flavorful, has been consistently underwhelming on our last few visits. It now tastes watered down, lacking both the flavor and the richness that made it a standout.
The food, too, seems to have taken a hit. The croissant sandwiches used to be solid and generously filled—especially with fresh tomato—but today I received a very small croissant with just two tiny pieces of tomato inside. Meanwhile, my boyfriend’s croissant was significantly larger. The inconsistency in portion size and quality is frustrating when this also used to be a major reason we loved coming here.
Unfortunately, the service has also shifted. Where there used to be friendly, welcoming staff who made the experience feel personal, there now seems to be a less engaged team at the counter. It often now feels like the people working aren’t particularly interested in the customer experience, and that change has been noticeable.
I’m writing this not out of malice, but out of genuine disappointment. I love this place and want to keep supporting it, but the drop in quality, consistency, and service has made it hard to keep recommending it to friends—or even justifying the visit myself. I hope things turn around, because Ugly Mug used to be something different and special in comparison to the humdrum experience that most other places around here have to offer. For a $45 dollar cafe breakfast I think it’s fair to want satisfaction.
Lauren
Young girl at counter gave me a snobbish reaction when I came in curious about the baked goodies, I felt so intimidated left immediately.
Liz Ampuero
Loved the sandwich croissant, definitely will return. The chai latte was a little bit too spicy. Great place and music 🫶🏻
Jaewoong Kim
Must go fast
Allyson Bagg
First time trying Ugly Mug Cafe today, and it definitely won’t be my last! I ordered their smoked salmon bagel sandwich on an everything bagel, and it was SO delicious! It had a generous portion of really good quality salmon , so I feel like it was a good bang for my buck. Had the perfect ratio of capers, onions, and other ingredients. I ordered it to go and it was ready in 5 minutes. I already can’t wait to have this sandwich again!
Norma Perez
My fav coconut late ☕️
sriswetha kolluru
Perfect neighborhood coffee shop! Super cosy, in all weathers and greatttt coffee! The staff are really pleasant and they play super cute music that I always add to my playlists.
Vegetarian options: I like their avocado toast
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Avocado Toast and Mocha Latte
Alia Bellwood
I live super close and have been popping in here and there for years but we have rarely felt the service was good. Like, it feels like we are inconvenient. The coffee is too acidic for me. It lacks the depth to balance it. Bagels with lox aren’t bad.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Emilie Cuevas
I love the breakfast sandwich, that and a latte under $15 isn’t bad! All delicious too
The baristas are always very friendly and the place itself is very cute and cozy! The strawberry latte is very good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Jane Hurley
Best cold brew in seattle! and a bomb breakfast sandwich. Great stuff
Mrudula Deore
Cozy cafe to work from. Seating is limited but nice atmosphere with great coffee and food. Staff was welcoming too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Devon Leigh Enriquez
I miss this place already! Been a week since I left Seattle. The staff was so sweet and made me the chai mashmellow cafe that I feel in love with! If they are still looking for name for drink I’d say mellow chai.. ☺️ definitely a must go to if you’re in the area!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kate Ko
Coffee is good, but Strawberry matcha tea is the best ❤️❤️❤️ Also they have some sandwiches and bagels
I’ve been a loyal customer of Ugly Mug for years, and this location has long been one of my absolute favorite spots for breakfast in Seattle. My boyfriend and I have a tradition of coming here for our go-to orders: he gets the bacon croissant egg sandwich with a caramel mocha, and I get the avocado croissant egg sandwich and the blackberry cobbler mocha. For the longest time, it was a reliably great experience—delicious food, consistent quality, and drinks we genuinely looked forward to.
Lately, though, the quality has noticeably declined, and it's been disappointing enough that I felt compelled to share. The blackberry cobbler mocha, which used to be perfectly balanced and flavorful, has been consistently underwhelming on our last few visits. It now tastes watered down, lacking both the flavor and the richness that made it a standout.
The food, too, seems to have taken a hit. The croissant sandwiches used to be solid and generously filled—especially with fresh tomato—but today I received a very small croissant with just two tiny pieces of tomato inside. Meanwhile, my boyfriend’s croissant was significantly larger. The inconsistency in portion size and quality is frustrating when this also used to be a major reason we loved coming here.
Unfortunately, the service has also shifted. Where there used to be friendly, welcoming staff who made the experience feel personal, there now seems to be a less engaged team at the counter. It often now feels like the people working aren’t particularly interested in the customer experience, and that change has been noticeable.
I’m writing this not out of malice, but out of genuine disappointment. I love this place and want to keep supporting it, but the drop in quality, consistency, and service has made it hard to keep recommending it to friends—or even justifying the visit myself. I hope things turn around, because Ugly Mug used to be something different and special in comparison to the humdrum experience that most other places around here have to offer. For a $45 dollar cafe breakfast I think it’s fair to want satisfaction.
Young girl at counter gave me a snobbish reaction when I came in curious about the baked goodies, I felt so intimidated left immediately.
Loved the sandwich croissant, definitely will return. The chai latte was a little bit too spicy.
Great place and music 🫶🏻
Must go fast
First time trying Ugly Mug Cafe today, and it definitely won’t be my last! I ordered their smoked salmon bagel sandwich on an everything bagel, and it was SO delicious! It had a generous portion of really good quality salmon , so I feel like it was a good bang for my buck. Had the perfect ratio of capers, onions, and other ingredients. I ordered it to go and it was ready in 5 minutes. I already can’t wait to have this sandwich again!
My fav coconut late ☕️
Perfect neighborhood coffee shop! Super cosy, in all weathers and greatttt coffee! The staff are really pleasant and they play super cute music that I always add to my playlists.
Vegetarian options: I like their avocado toast
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Avocado Toast and Mocha Latte
I live super close and have been popping in here and there for years but we have rarely felt the service was good. Like, it feels like we are inconvenient. The coffee is too acidic for me. It lacks the depth to balance it. Bagels with lox aren’t bad.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
I love the breakfast sandwich, that and a latte under $15 isn’t bad! All delicious too
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious food!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Avocado Toast and Mocha Latte
Restaurantji Recommends
The baristas are always very friendly and the place itself is very cute and cozy! The strawberry latte is very good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Best cold brew in seattle! and a bomb breakfast sandwich. Great stuff
Cozy cafe to work from. Seating is limited but nice atmosphere with great coffee and food. Staff was welcoming too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I miss this place already! Been a week since I left Seattle. The staff was so sweet and made me the chai mashmellow cafe that I feel in love with! If they are still looking for name for drink I’d say mellow chai.. ☺️ definitely a must go to if you’re in the area!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Coffee is good, but Strawberry matcha tea is the best ❤️❤️❤️
Also they have some sandwiches and bagels
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smoked Salmon Bagel, Sandwich
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