Arosa Cafe

Living close by to Arosa Café, I think I took it for granted. I had assumed that their superior mochas and fantastic waffles would keep their doors open, in spite of rising rent and the Starbucks across the street. Unfortunately, it appears that I was wrong.
Arosa Café, you were gone far too soon

I loved their panini’s and cocoa, made from chocolate shavings. However, I went by there today for lunch and it is closed down! So sad!

Tried to check it out, but it was closed in the middle of the day?

I wanted something more than a chain coffee shop has to offer, so I decided to stop in while waiting for a doctors appointment– WOW! The hand crafted pastries taste hand crafted… Quality ingredients, wonderful texture, etc. show through in every bite. I indicated that I have an appreciation for specialty coffees and the owner very warmly shared info about the coffee I had ordered, the roasters, and the reason she chose that roast. She gave my partner and I mocha samples which were AMAZING! (She uses real Swiss chocolate wafers in her mochas)… I cannot wait to return on my next visit!

Service is incredible, food is beyond amazing and the waffles are out of this world. By far the best waffles I have ever had in my life. So completely different from any place I have been and I would definitely come back every time I’m back in Seattle.

Such a cute friendly little café! I recently started goîng regularly on Sunday’s. The worker us friendly and relaxed. The mocha’s are to die for and the breakfast Sammie and panini are wonderful as well. Can highly recommend.

What a wonderful little coffee shop! I came to Arosa to kill an hour while waiting for my friend to get done with a meeting at Virginia Mason. The owner/​barista was incredibly nice and welcoming, and the mocha I ordered was rich and creamy (and made with authentic Swiss chocolate!!!). It’s an intimate little space and very adorable. Will probably return next time I’m in the area.

I am so glad I came here. I was at Swedish and wanted a snack and I went on Unilocal and found this place. The owner was working and wow, she is so kind and friendly. I know they were known for their waffle and got the dark and white chocolate waffle. Amazing! I would of gotten a coffee if I didn’t have one 30 mins before. She was making some iced coffee and let me have a small bit of it. It was good, sweetened with agave which is nice. We were talking about coffee and Seattle stuff. She really cares about having the best quality ingredients there is. I am willing to pay a little more for better quality. I will come back again when I’m near by.

Don’t be fooled by its outwards appearance, and for God’s sake do NOT make the mistake of going across the street to Starbucks. This little hidden gem is the perfect place to grab an authentic swiss chocolate mocha (get the dark chocolate, trust me), and a bite to eat. Breakfast or lunch sandwiches (option for Gluten-​free bread from local baker, Fran’s bakery – amazing), or treat your sweet tooth to a waffle. A simple menu with incredible tastes.

Amazing service! The owner was so nice, she was busy because a bunch of customers showed up at once, but she made time to talk to us, made us complimentary swiss hot chocolates and treated us like royalty. The sandwiches hit the spot too! She has a quote «may all who enter as guests, leave as friends» written on her counter and it is absolutely true. Not many places live up to this kind of service standard.

Waffle, what have they done to you?!
I’m still mourning this experience because they killed every beautiful notion I’d ever had of a traditional Belgian waffle.
I came in on a Saturday afternoon. The lady at the counter politely offered me a menu. As I poured over it, I thought I must be mistaken because there was no waffle section. And then I realized, the waffle section had been purposefully blacked out.
What the hell? I though in anguish. The only waffles in the place were something called «snack waffles» in the pastry case. I should’ve walked out right then and there, but instead, I decided, hey, I have a lot of dollars. I can afford to throw seven of them away on inedible food.
The waffle I received was like chewing slightly warm multigrain bread with a mild hint of cinnamon. It was so thick, if you took the batter it came from, I’m sure you could use it for spackle. It was warm, which was more than I expected, but it was absolutely dry, flavorless, and inedible. As my boyfriend and I walked away, we seriously considered giving it to the pigeons downtown.
The latte I ordered to wash it down faired no better. I’m not actually even certain of what it tasted like since five minutes after leaving the store when I took my first sip of it, it was still so hot it singed my tongue. Like, epic volcano hot. Hotter than any latte I have ever taken a sip of.
I’m giving this experience two stars rather than one because the service was fine and the place was clean. But will I be back? Hahaha.

I’ve passed by Arosa so many times and I’ve always been curious, so when I finally got the chance to try one of their waffles, I jumped on it. It was about 10:15 on a Saturday morning, and that part of Madison was pretty dead. There were three people there when I arrived and they seemed to be regulars. The one person working there was chatting with them but got up immediately to help me when I entered.
I asked to look at the menu, expecting that a place that boasts Belgian snack waffles would have a dedicated waffle section. Not so! There were snack waffles in the pastry case and it looked like I could choose from a couple of toppings. I asked for Nutella and banana; she didn’t have banana, but she suggested whipped cream powdered with shaved chocolate, and I agreed. It cost about $ 6.00 all together.
The waffle was room temperature and very dry. I didn’t hate it, but neither was I wowed. I nibbled on it for half an hour or so; the Nutella and whipped cream together were very rich and I wished for some fruit to balance it out. The nice lady brought a little sample of chai latte to my table and I enjoyed that much more.
The space is very cozy, clean, and warm on a winter’s morning. The person who worked there was very pleasant. But I probably won’t be back — parking is a hassle around there, and the waffles just aren’t worth it to me.

I do enjoy the mocha made with authentic swiss chocolate. The snack waffles are also delicious, just make sure they heat it up for you!
The reason however that I am giving this a four star review is due to the fact that they seem to be often under staffed at peak morning hours. This has resulted in missed orders, miscommunication, and long waits for something that should have taken a few minutes. I was once completely skipped in line by the lady making the drinks.
Overall, I love supporting small business, and this one has something going for it in a world of coffee mega-​chains. I will return.

The first time I came here I ordered a Chai Tea and they really took their time time with making it. I only go to one place for a Chai Tea because all other place usually taste watered down. I have now made this my second place to get Chai Tea from. The waitress suggested have spicy, half regular and it was a perfect combination. They’re small but private and relaxing.
Breakfast sandwiches are made with real eggs and it tastes soooo good. Cheese all the way melted and meat cooked separately and not just heated up in the microwave somewhere. It really tastes like a sandwich I made from home.
Baristas are really nice and I always have a pleasant experience when I go there.

Overpriced (seriously, $ 2.75 for a drip coffee that it cost maybe 30 cents to actually make?), average quality (it tasted like it had been sitting there for a while), and the barista was pretty rude.
I brought in my personal/​to-​go cup (because, you know, it’s Seattle and we like saving the environment), and she asked how much coffee it was … I told her 16 oz, and she felt the need to fill a paper cup with water to check the volume, just so, you know, I didn’t get an extra ounce and a half of coffee for free or something like that.
I just wanted coffee, not your attitude.

We walked in while walking aimlessly around Swedish. Truth be told, we had an aim: to get lunch. Unilocal didn’t recommend us Arosa Café for lunch though and the places recommended weren’t open at 11am so walking into this tiny coffeshop was a risk. The café has an intimate feel but that’s not what makes the experience 5 stars.
The service is outstanding, Isabella went out of her way to make us feel welcome and got us to taste some chair (we ended up buying the bottles to make our own at home). She served the scrumptious sandwiches with nice glasses of water and neatly folded napkins and shiny cutlery. My sandwich had black forest ham, artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese and a pesto that was not too overpowering yet savory (turns out it’s imported so the food snob in me would say of course that’s why it was good).
Overall, I get the feeling that the ingredients used are high quality and the edibles are prepared with love. I want to go back and leave a proper tip since this time I was out of change.

Real Swiss Chocolate Hazelnut Milk Mocha w/​Mint syrup… are ya kidding me?!
As I had never been in before the gal made some suggestions… and great ones at that noting their mochas were indeed some of the best. I first opted for Almond milk but she told me to try the hazelnut. Boy oh boy was I in for a treat. Now I’m usually one for just straight up coffee, no milk, or any of that mumbo-jumbo.but this… THIS drink was flipping phenomenal. After one sip I was in heaven. It literally tasted like dessert in my mouth.
$ 4.65 very, very well spent. I highly recommend coming here. The place is small and quaint, but tons of goody options and waffles! I will most certainly be back.

As everyone else has said, the mocha is excellent, as are the snack waffles. But the woman working there is incredibly nice and generous too. She gave me a second snack waffle for free because she forgot to give me the one I ordered after it was done toasting (she was busy serving other customers so I didn’t mind or make a fuss, but she insisted on giving me a second one). Another customer ordered a 12oz chai and she accidentally made too much so she gave him the extra for free (customer said he was fighting a cold, I don’t think it was an accident that she made extra).
Overall she was just a sweetheart, which is what makes visiting little cafes like this such an enjoyable experience. Highly recommend if you’re in the area!

Very sweet place! Seems very close to heart. Isabel is very nice lady. It was our first time and she gave us many samples and had us try different things. I will be coming here instead of Starbucks across the street. Must try!!! :)

I am so disappointed with my latest trip to Arosa. My daughter and I have been coming here on and off for years, and were huge fans of the delicious, handmade waffles. Hans, the affable Austrian owner, was always sweet and friendly, and made us feel welcome and appreciated from the first time we walked through his door.
I was incredibly saddened to learn that Hans had sold the business in order to pursue a new venture, but hopeful that he had passed on his recipes and know-​how to the new owners.
Alas. The waffles looked the same, but were bland and undercooked. The inside of my daughter’s waffle was actually raw. After taking five steps out the door and one bite of the waffle, we headed back in to ask that it be cooked thoroughly. The two young girls working there seemed dismissive, and not at all concerned. They gave us another waffle, and we left. Again, raw dough. We ended up tossing it in the trash, and chalking the $ 3+ up as a loss.
I will not return to Arosa. Its sad that the new owners have taken Hans’ delicious waffles and turned them into inedible mush… and that their employees don’t even seem to care.
I should add that the new employees advised us to wait 5 minutes to eat the second waffle, allowing it time to «cook» thoroughly. We waited the 5 min. Still raw.