"Ampersand Café is just an easy win every time. Great coffee, tasty sandwiches, awesome pastries, and they even have little grocery basics like milk when you need it. Super chill vibe, and the fact that they hand out dog treats makes it even better. Honestly the best neighborhood coffee spot on Alki."

"This place is amazing. I can’t believe I never knew it was here. I was walking to Natalie’s On Alki, which is one of my favorite places besides Alki coffee and I found this place. Everything is amazing and it’s such a cool vibe. Pastries are great. The chai is in Houzz and delicious. I’m gonna go here all the time. I love it."

"Sadistic barista ruins day; should be fired. Last Sunday, I joined a friend who was staying in West Seattle to get rest and relaxation for his chronic, serious illness. After a long walk along the chilly waterfront, we stopped to warm up with espresso at Ampersand Cafe. We ordered outside, took our drinks inside (as per the impractical, Covid-holdover arrangement), and my friend went to get a napkin, taking one from the station nearest the barista counter, thinking it was a self-service station for customers. The interior layout is odd, with an unplugged, short display case (used for storing boxes of macaroni and cheese), apparently intended (or so we learned) as a demarcation between customer and barista turf. As my friend returned to our table with the napkin, the barista yelled, "SIR! This is MY area! This is MY station! You don't come into MY area!" My friend apologized immediately and profusely over a completely innocent misunderstanding, but the barista continued: "This is MY AREA!" as she exaggeratedly shoved a chair into the open space beside the display case (as if my friend would try to return!). My friend repeated the apology. The barista refused to acknowledge it, keeping up the tirade as if the victim of a horrific crime. The barista's manner was utterly humiliating and seemed intended to create a spectacle. Only a mother and child were inside, though, to witness the scene. (Btw, it was cold outside and the location is ideal, so the place should have been packed.) It felt like being in a Portlandia sketch, when, after being dressed down inside, my friend still had to step outside and around to the ordering area to speak directly with a barista only mere feet away. He quietly told the barista that the way she had addressed him was out of line. The other barista chimed in, saying she'd overheard and it wasn't rude. I said it absolutely was (which was being generous). We wondered if it is some kind of twisted game the baristas play with customers---or perhaps they're trying to drive business into the ground---because it would be so easy to clearly mark the area as off-limits. Easier still: accept an apology over an honest mistake. Shaken, we left. So much for avoiding stress. How was the espresso? My Americano was watery, lukewarm, and on the pricey side. The cafe is dirty and strange. Barring major changes, I hope to never set foot in it again."

"A very pleasant little cafe--I ordered chai tea and a bagel sandwich, and I was not disappointed with either. It was not the best food I have had in seattle, and the space inside is rather cramped, but the day was dreary and drenched, and I simply wanted a warm place to go and eat and gather my thoughts. This place absolutely provided that. West Seattle has many cafes situated along the beach catering to tourists, as it seems that West Seattle as a whole has at least as many tourists looking for a calm nautical escape as it does every day residents. If you are here for the day and simply want a space to escape from the rain, I recommend coming here."

"Good sandwich but ordering outside than to go inside to eat was a bit weird for me. Maybe if it wasn't raining it would have not been as bad. Turning on some heat in the place would be nice."