CJ’s Eatery | Facebook
2619 First Ave. (map it!)
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 728-1648
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y
Visited: Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 8:30 a.m.
You just know we’re going to seek out breakfasts anywhere we travel, right? During our November trip to Seattle and Portland, we explored breakfast in the vicinity of our hotel, wandering a little north into the Belltown neighborhood to follow a suggestion from fellow Columbus blogger 614orty-Niner (thanks, Joe!).
We were nod led astray. We found CJ’s Eatery, a lovely corner establishment that was warm and welcoming early on a Sunday.
With a little guidance from our server, we easily selected a worthy breakfast spread, from pancakes to biscuits and gravy, eggs benedict to country fried steak.
The first winner was the biscuits and gravy. A nice, chunky, well-seasoned gravy drowning a couple of biscuits. Bonus points throughout for the hash browns.
Giant, thin, buttery pancakes. A hit with Will, who is our sweet breakfast connoisseur.
A lovely classic eggs benedict: shaved ham, poached eggs, a well executed hollandaise, and a big side of hash browns.
I know Ohio is home fries territory, but come on… hash browns are the best. Better texture, better crisp, better vehicle to mix with hollandaise or runny egg yolks.
I love a good country fried steak, although for the sake of my waistline I don’t order it often. But it was certainly worth breaking the rule for CJ’s version: a tender breaded steak, easy to cut with a knife – plus a chunky and slightly spicy gravy. All with a couple of (slightly overdone) over easy eggs and a mess of hash browns.
CJ’s location is hard to beat. It’s within sight of the Space Needle and the Seattle Center (I visited the Marzocco Cafe after breakfast). A couple blocks’ walk from the Olympic Sculpture Park and other waterfront parks. Several blocks from the Pike Place Market and other iconic Seattle stops.
