Geraldine's Counter

My favorite place to have brunch in Seattle is Geraldine's Counter, a small modern diner in Columbia City, very close to other local bakeries and restaurants. This place is always packed, especially on weekend brunches, so I suggest arriving early for brunch or having a really late breakfast. Staff here is always friendly. Food quality and taste have always been consistent based on several visits since 2007.

This is not a typical diner. They don't serve up greasy burgers and fries or milkshakes overloaded with cream. Instead, they give a twist to regular diner-type food, serving the best mac and cheese in town with 5 kinds of cheeses, jalapenos and "magic spices." In my opinion, their mac and cheese is even better than Beecher's mac and cheese.

AJ woke me up really early on Halloween morning and excitedly invited me for breakfast. She wouldn't take no for an answer so I slowly got out of my pajamas and got ready for breakfast with the girls. She made me pick between the Original Pancake House and Geraldine's Counter, so of course, I chose Geraldine's Counter as I haven't been there for a while. Choosing from the menu was tough, but I knew I wanted something savory and since K was already ordering mac and cheese, I decided to get the White Corn Scramble, which ended up being a wonderful choice as I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. The corn was really sweet, the eggs were creamy and the havarti and herbs completed the dish. Every breakfast plate comes with buttered toast, fruits and hashbrown.

Like I said, K ordered the mac and cheese. She ordered off the kid's menu and we thought that the mac and cheese would be served the same way it is when ordered off of the regular menu, only smaller. We were wrong. Her mac and cheese came out soupy. It didn't come with all the toppings that the regular mac and cheese comes with. She enjoyed it at the beginning, but soon got tired of it because the cheese was too much and it was too soupy.

The other K ordered a sweet dish - French Toast. She gave me a big piece and it made a really good dessert to my scrambled eggs. They used a multigrain toast for the french toast, giving the bread a nutty flavor. The toppings for that day was berry compote, which added to the sweetness of the dish. It also came with syrup, but adding the syrup in would make the dish too sweet, in my opinion.

I think AJ ordered the Emerald Scramble this time. It comes with pork sausage, spinach, hashbrowns, onions and bell peppers and topped with pepperjack cheese. I had this before and it was just as good as the white corn scramble. If you feel like having meat with your dish, this is a good choice.

Geraldine's Counter is a great place for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The place is always clean and the prices are reasonable. The comfort food they serve makes you feel incredibly happy without making you feel guilty after the meal.

Geraldine's Counter
4872 Rainier Avenue South
Seattle, WA
206-723-2080