Frontier Cafe

I just had lunch here. The iced Americano was definitely up there at the top of my list for good coffee. I ate the Mimosa salad with chicken… it came with a corn bread muffin. The chicken was excellent… I loved all of it.
Even better… they accidentally overcharged me and then hand delivered several dollar bills to me while I was eating.

I’ve only been here for coffee, but every time, the staff have been friendly (if not sleepy).

I went here for a lunch, as it’s close to the office I’m working at. Tried the mac and cheese and was not impressed. Flavorless, dry, and crappy bacon on top made me pretty unhappy. The cornbread muffin was decent, but nothing special. My coworker didn’t really like the BBQ either. There are better places to eat downtown.

It was ok. I might be spoiled by my grandpa’s barbeque, but the pulled pork bbq sandwich was bland. I didn’t even get through half of it. A lot of meat with some bbq sauce just not very good… I really wanted to like it since this place is right next to where I work, and the people behind the counter are friendly. I liked the caesar salad though, nice and light sauce with a lemon. I had a smoked salmon caesar from them a few weeks ago and that was good.

Meh – loud (very difficult for a business lunch) – cold décor – empty feeling inside – very unusual seating arrangement. Also FC has a front-​row seat to the down-​on-​its-​luck end of downtown; expect to be panhandled as you enter.
Food is okay but not amazing enough to make up for the downsides in my opinion. If you want BBQ, there is a place around the corner that is more authentic. But the coffee (they use Caffe Stella beans) is good.

Heey, nice. Perfect center island for a big lunch group. Expect one per lunch, so, yeaahh… awesome wood and great vibe & design. my salmon bbq sandwich was yum; slaw ain’t nothing special.

I walked by this place many times seeing the tobasco sauce on the tables, meaning to give it a try. I finally did. Barbecue and coffee joint… interesting combination. I ordered the beef brisket sandwich, and it was pretty tasty… the sauce was juicy, but, not spicy… so I added some tobasco here and there. I’m no expert on barbecue, but, I felt that this place compared pretty well to Longhorn. Like Longhorn, it’s probably not the best barbecue in the US, but, it’s good enough that I still crave it when I’m hungry…
Two random connections to my past are near the table: Tim’s Cascade potatoe chips (since my prom date was Tim’s daughter) and Tobasco sauce (my ex’s dad was from Tobasco, Mexico). But, as I head toward the door, I’m thinking of my future with a full content belly.

Ok and only ok. Thought that the meat lacked the flavor of a pulled pork sandwich that I would consider good. The sauce had a decent flavor but lacked kick. And holy crap was the thing juicy.
I will probably come back and try other things, but for a pulled pork sandwich, I will continue to go to Hole in the Wall.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop!

Finding good food down town can be hard. So I wasn’t expecting much and I was still disappointed. I’m a big mac and cheese fan and decided to try theirs. It was just gross, nothing but a slimy mess; seriously Kraft is way better.
Also the staff at this place is just downright strange (and not good strange).

I was pleasantly surprised with this café. When it first opened in Pioneer Square I was skeptical, but it turns out that they really know barbecue. I had baby back ribs that literally fell off the bone. I will definitely go back.

Frontier became my go-​to lunch spot when I was working at the Dexter Horton building next door.
The BBQ is solid, if not mind-​blowing — the pulled pork is better than the brisket. Being an out-​of-​towner in Seattle, I also ate a lot of the salmon Caesar salad — great with some BBQ sauce on the side.
Really like the beer/​wine selections in the fridge, as well as the upscale soft drinks.
Service was a bit iffy — it seemed like every time I went they wanted me to place my order in a different place (sometimes at the counter where I walked in, other times at the register). Felt a bit slow and disorganized over all. Also, I wish the cornbread was better.

Had the chicken caesar salad here and it wasnt bad at all. I thought it would be nasty when it came all packaged like a McDonalds salad. Nice fresh romaine, smokey chicken, parmesean and a tasty dressing. I also like the fact that it is a block away from work so I dont have to trekking half way across the city if in the mood for some BBQ, Mac n Cheese or a tasty caesar salad.

I give them five stars because I’ve been there four times for their pulled pork sandwich and each time the sandwich has been so freakin’ good. The pork is in fairly large pieces (not stringy pieces like other versions), the sauce is a just-​right level of spiciness and… and… well it’s just so good. And somehow it’s not too messy to pick up the sandwich your fingers.
However… yes, they’re not the friendliest people. That’s OK. I do have one suggestion for them… No espresso from 11:00 to 2:00… the cashier guy is the person who has to make coffees… and there are no SBUX-​like efficiencies here… so hot drinks take an unforgivingly long time to make, all the while a line is forming out the door for food.
And you know how sometimes a full pork meal at lunch can make you feel bloated and all greasy inside and fat-​headachy? Not this pork.

You ever been so hungry that if you didn’t get food you might cut a bitch?
Well, that’s how I felt this morning.
So I wandered over to Frontier Café. I’d only stopped in there once w/​a friend and perused their menu. Today was the day that I was gonna get fed by them.
I ordered the veggie strata, took it back to my desk and decided that I will go back to Frontier again sometime for something else b/​c this thing was mm mm good.
And b/​c I’m such a lazy ass, it’s convenient that it’s right next door to my office bldg.
Yippee!

the mochas are my favorite in the city. The food is hit or miss – the breakfast bagels are yummy, the mac & cheese is a little dry, the pork sandwich is good, but not outstanding. Prices are a bit high. I’ve been there enough that the servers are friendly, but it’s not a super-​welcoming place.

Three of us all agreed that the food had no flavor and the add on BBQ sauce was similar. I had the ribs, maybe I should have gotten the brisket sandwich, but I’ll just not.
Plus one star for a cool vibe and a carrot cake cup cake the size of a 6 year old’s head.

I’m a currently enjoying one of their brisket sandwiches, accompanied by a large pickle wedge (crunch and taste of a Clausen) and cole slaw (oddly spicy with a lot of citrus undertastes).
The brisket is teeeeeeeeeender and tasty. They don’t skimp on portion either. Lovely, soft roll-​bun thing loaded with slabs of briskett and just a smattering of a sauce (there’s a side of BBQ sauce for those that like their sammies drownin’ in it). The BBQ sauce is a bit spicy for me so I choose to dip my sammie’s corners into it from time to time.
This is my second visit to Frontier Café and I’m certain it will not be my last. My first visit was more of a recon trip where a group of us ventured down the street and picked up sides instead of entrees. I had their mac&cheese and a side of beans. Good portions again, with the mac&cheese not too generic but yet not too avant garde and the beans oh-​so yummy. A co-​worker picked up their greens side and it looked very hearty and smelled good.
The service these two times has been friendly and quick. They have beer and wine, as well as something called Dry Soda (a tad spendy at $ 3.50 a bottle, but looked worth trying — the Rhubarb and Lavendar flavors really stood out).

I stopped in at this place a couple times during jury duty at the King County Courthouse, across the street. The coffee is amazing, but the lack of atmosphere left me wanting. For example, here’s a place that serves Vivace Coffee — arguably THE coffee around Seattle — but then offers up the mediocre-​quality Tazo teas. C’mon, I expect to see Mighty Leaf next to Vivace. Are you high-​end or aren’t you? And what’s with the giant cow statue? Are you going for a country theme? Is there a theme or a hodge-​podge of themes? Anyway, in the end I’d go back for the coffee but brought my own tea for this afternoon’s wait in the jury pool!