The 5 Point Cafe: Breakfast at Seattle's best dive bar

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The 5 Point Cafe, located in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, is a historic diner and dive bar known for its hearty dishes and stiff drinks. Open in 1929, the no-frills 24-hour cafe has survived prohibition, war, and politics.

Today, the cafe is one of the oldest family-operated restaurants in Seattle and the oldest bar in Belltown. It is also known for being one of the best dive bars in the city.

As the menu states, everyone is welcome regardless of political, social, or religious views. But if you are easily offended by loud music and drunks, then chances are you will have a bad experience.

With that said, the cafe is popular, so you can often expect a wait for a table. But if you like good food, drinks, music, and people, and you aren’t easily offended, then The 5 Point Cafe might be for you.

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The 5 Point Cafe Interior

What do you get when you cross a local dive bar with a hole-in-the-wall diner? You get The 5 Point Cafe.

The dining room was grungy, dark, and cozy. The décor added to the appeal and unique quirkiness. And it was a perfect representation of Seattle.

At the center of the dining room was a bar with limited counter seating. The bar was the perfect spot for a drink at any hour of the day. If you want a drink at 6 AM, without judgment, this is your spot.

Surrounding the bar were two dining sections, one with booths and one with tables. On the floors and ceilings were black and white checkered patterns.

If you are easily offended, then you might not like the surly signs, provocative stickers and signs, racy photos, loud music, and bras hanging on the wall.

As for me, I enjoyed the non-PC, edgy décor. It added to the ambiance. While some might find the décor offensive, I considered it a breath of fresh air in a city full of cookie-cutter bars.

Covered patio, The 5 Point Cafe, Seattle — Covered patio

If the weather is warm, you can grab a table on the small covered patio out front. The outdoor patio, located on Tilikum Place, is the perfect spot to people watch while enjoying your food and drinks.

The 5 Point Cafe Menu

I usually post photos of The 5 Point Cafe menu in this section. But, the menu was too extensive, especially for a dive bar, for me to do that here. Instead of me posting the menu here, you can view it at https://www.the5pointcafe.com/main-menu.

The extensive menu featured an assortment of breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes.

For breakfast, you had everything from benedicts to huevos rancheros to pancakes.

On the lunch and dinner menu, you had sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, steaks, appetizers, and more. As for drinks, you had a good selection of beers, wine, and cocktails. There was something for everyone on the menu.

Chicken and Biscuits with Spicy Corn Gravy

First up was the Chicken and Biscuits, a classic dish with fried chicken strips served on top of buttermilk biscuits.

I also had the choice of two eggs served any style, and I chose sunny side up. And I had the choice of white pepper gravy or chorizo corn gravy for an extra $1. I upgraded to the chorizo gravy.

The size of the crispy fried chicken strips surprised me. They were so large that I knew I was getting my money’s worth.

What also surprised me was the breading. It was thick and crunchy and tough to cut through with my knife. I prefer breading to be less thick, but it’s better than being soggy.

Hidden beneath the breading was a thin piece of chicken. While thin, the chicken was moist and tender. I thought the chicken would be dry because of the crispy breading. But it wasn’t.

Poured over each chicken strip was a rich chorizo corn gravy. As mentioned, I paid an extra $1 to upgrade from the white pepper gravy. The gravy was my favorite part of this dish.

The thick gravy was smoky and salty, and I could taste rich chorizo in each bite. Gravy is delicious, but gravy with chorizo is something special.

On the bottom were buttermilk biscuits. These toasted biscuits were more dense instead of fluffy. But they weren’t dry. Their firm texture held up to the last bite, even with the chicken and gravy piled on top.

Salmon Benedict

Being in the Pacific Northwest, an area known for seafood, I thought the Salmon Benedict was a great choice. This benedict had English muffins topped with two poached eggs, Alaskan smoked salmon, and hollandaise sauce. On the side were crispy hash browns.

The two poached eggs exploded with yolk when I cut through them. The combination of rich, golden yolk and buttery, tangy hollandaise sauce was something special and delicious.

Hidden underneath the eggs was a layer of tender yet chewy smoked Alaskan salmon. On its own, the salmon was smoky and very salty. I wouldn’t recommend eating the salmon alone due to the saltiness.

But, when I mixed the salmon with the yolk and hollandaise, the combination worked as the buttery, rich sauce complemented the salty, smoky salmon.

Two English muffin halves were on the bottom. The muffins were soft on the inside while toasted on top. While soft, each held up to the last bite without falling apart. But I did have to use a knife to cut through them.

Served on the side were simple hash browns. If you like your hash browns golden and crispy on top while soft and tender underneath, order them extra crispy. While simple, these potatoes did not disappoint.

Service at The 5 Point Cafe

The 5 Point Cafe is a dive bar at its core. It’s not Denny’s. And it’s not Starbucks. So don’t expect the servers to suck up to you to get a better tip.

And don’t expect a sugar-coated greeting. The service was no-nonsense and straight to the point. If it’s your first time here, you might find the service cold or unpleasant.

With that said, you get what you give. Be nice to your server, and you will receive friendly service. My server was friendly, though eccentric, gave great recommendations for food and drinks, and was always around when needed. I had no complaints.

Conclusion

The 5 Point Cafe is a historic cafe, diner, and dive bar located in the heart of Seattle. The cafe wasn’t your typical brunch spot. It was dark, grungy, no-nonsense, and offensive to some.

If you like stiff drinks, loud music, and whiskey at 6 AM, this is your spot. The food was hearty, and the portions were big. There was something for everyone on the extensive menu, whether you wanted breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

While not for everyone, The 5 Point Cafe is a great spot in Seattle for food and drinks, especially if you want something different.