The Park Side Cafe

Vegan who? Honestly, I was just looking for a place to kill an hour before job orientation today, and found this place while browsing the Google. I skimmed and was like, that one. Let's go. The barista was super friendly and charming, and if you like cheesecake, get the amaretto cheesecake. You can't even tell there's no dairy in it. Its so smooth, and quite simply divine. I asked if they could do a gingerbread -esque latte, and they nailed it. Its so warm and tasty, I will definitely be coming back.

- Krystal Ricker -

Oh my gosh…what a wonderful little place. The staff was so friendly, the latte was great but the food…it was fantastic. I loved the vegan breakfast burrito. It was so delicious and made to perfection with fresh ingredients and folded by a pro. I ordered a veggie hand pie to go and had it for dinner, not only was it beautifully crafted, the crust was so flaky and baked to perfection. The balance between the awesome crust and the perfect filling was amazing. I don’t know who does the baking, or preparing the on-demand orders, but I hope it never changes. I need to go back and try one of the visually spectacular desserts. If they taste half as good as they look, it will be worth my long drive back to Olympia just to eat at this darling little restaurant. I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan, but I know good food when I taste it. Can you please open a café in Federal Way?! BTW you can’t beat their prices. They have one price for everything on the menu. That is a brilliant business model. I can’t wait to come back and spend my hard earned money at such a well deserving, quality business.

- Rebecca Beasley -

I love The Park Side Café! The staff is incredible, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is super-cozy. Their "lox" bagel is the best I've had. Biscuits and mushroom gravey is one of my favorites! The "sausage" gravey is too spicy for me as I am a huge wimp. Their cheesecake and other desserts are unique, delicious, and not too sweet. It is my favorite stop in Olympia.

- Dog Mom22 -

All plant-based delicious homemade food. Sweet local Oly café with a chill vibe. Kind staff. Lots of variety. The tofu breakfast bowl with mushroom gravy was awesome. Got a peach crumble bar to go. Good coffee too. Can’t wait to come back.

- Caron Igoe -

Parkside Cafe is great! My biggest complaint about Parkside is that they don't open until 9:00am. I work at 9am, so I can't visit too often. But I can on the weekends. Due to not opening until 9am, I have given the Service specifically 4 stars. It'd be 5 if they opened earlier. Parkside Cafe is a vegan friendly coffee shop and bakery. For coffee, they only offer what other coffee shops would consider "alternative" milks. As an oakmilk lover, I'm all for it! I don't have to pay extra for oatmilk? Sign me up! Sometimes, the atmosphere can be a little bit loud due to the kitchen being not entirely sealed off from the dining area. That is why I'm giving Atmosphere 4 stars. Otherwise, it's great! Comfortable, and a variety of choices where to sit, be it at a table or by a scenic window. EDIT: I feel bad for giving this place 4 stars mostly because they open at 9:00am. At the end of the day, I should see this as a cafe, not a coffee shop. 9:00am is reasonable for a cafe, so I'll increase my rating to 5 stars. They are a great business.

- Charlie Carr -

My sister and I split the French lentil soup, the carrot lox bagel, the breakfast sandwich, and the vanilla and earl grey cheesecake. As someone who is dairy free, it was wonderful to have so many options! Soup and lox bagel were my favorite things we ordered. The breakfast sandwich felt a bit dry, maybe better with a sauce. The earl grey cheesecake was good but maybe a bit strong on the earl grey flavor. We also got americanos and they were great! Super kind and welcoming service. Looking forward to going back and trying more things. :)

- Peri Roberts -

Thank you for making our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals so delicious with your wonderful mushroom gravy. Your chefs are true vegan artistes! Everything is so good. I especially love the tempeh chik'n salad and the breakfast sandwich. We're very grateful to have a vegan restaurant great for take out or dine in with such friendly, helpful staff and inviting environment.

- Susan Clark -

As someone who’s tried multiple different places in Olympia this place is the SPOT! Extremely welcoming staff who are always there to help with the menu options. Everything is vegan so there is no dairy products or eggs however that doesn’t matter when the food it amazing! I personally am not vegan but their bakery items and food are absolutely so delicious you wouldn’t even know that they are! So many options for people with any gluten allergies or dairy intolerances this place is the best restaurant you’ll find around Olympia! Everything is made fresh from scratch so you get amazing quality food not like traditional restaurants where they use everything premade all of the items here are made homemade in store and use fresh ingredients! The managers here are so amazing at what they do and they really keep this place clean and organized and you can really feel it when dining with them. The atmosphere is so relaxing and chill I really suggest this place as your next hangout spot if you love coffee and bakery items. Not to mention the prices are actually very affordable compared to most Olympia prices. If you are wanting to try something new and love clean welcoming environments with tasty food this would be my top spot suggestion hands down compared to other Olympia restaurants!

- Mrs. Lily “Li” Kain -