"I was pleasantly surprised by this place. I’m originally from Russia, so I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to good food and service, which makes it hard to be impressed in the U.S. But this spot delivered!! The pastries are excellent, the coffee is solid, and their lox & bagel sandwich (as they call it) was the standout!! so good and worth coming back for. I also appreciate their service model: the 15% gratuity is already included, which I think is very fair, and there’s no pressure for additional tipping. Everything feels transparent and relaxed. Parking can sometimes be a bit tricky, but that’s pretty standard for Ballard. Overall, in terms of food quality, this is one of the best bakeries in the area. The coffee is good, but the food is where they shine. Highly recommend!!! ❤️"

"Holy hand pies!!! If you're looking for baked goods that would earn a Paul Hollywood handshake, this is the place to be. Fantastic flavor combinations that packed a punch, nothing too sweet, crumbly pastry—absolute heaven. We got the spinach and sausage hand pies, a pumpkin muffin, and the orange cardamon bread, but I EASILY could have ordered anything and everything else in the case. Cortados were fantastic, vibes were vibing, the staff was kind, and everything was lovely."

"Overall, I’d recommend Preserve and Gather! It’s a great spot for meeting up with a friend, sitting down to read or study, or just enjoy a nice pastry before carrying on with the rest of your day. The beverages were mid. I ordered the drip coffee, which was too rich for my preference. My wife had the Matcha latte which had a really mild Matcha flavor. Their pastries were pretty good with a tahini something (had the black sesame seeds) that was so unique and well balanced. The breakfast sandwich was pretty good as well, though I wish I got it with bacon instead of ham (my fault). It comes with a dill mayo sauce. One final note: even though the café was nowhere near busy when we had arrived, the cashier seemed to be impatient with us."

"Atmosphere was great and the shop was full of lovely people! I’d have stuck around there if I didn’t have a flight to catch. Got a double espresso which was DELICIOUS and a toasted pickled egg sandwich to go. The sandwich was good but desperately needed a hit of pepper, paprika, and more (or any???) celery and parsley. It was all very very Pickle and very very Egg. I would not get it again but I’d make something like this at home. Good foundation of a great sammich. Portion was nice n big so I offloaded the other half to my brother. He lives close and I told him to check it out - they had a bunch of interesting pastry flavors I wanted to try like pear and ginger scones. I’d come back fo sho"

"This coffee shop has a lot of options to choose from, which is great! I tried the cold brew, but it was a bit too strong for my taste, that’s just a personal preference. If you like bold coffee, you’ll probably love it! The servers were really nice, and the place wasn’t crowded, which made for a relaxing visit."