Liberty Cafe

Mm more on the 3.5 side when factoring in portion of items. I was in Renton meeting up with my aunt and heard good things about this cafe. Upon walking in, it was very small and cluttered which I guess one could say adds character. The service though is some of the best I've ever received from a barista. Had the pleasure of being served by Emma who was so sweet and understanding of my dietary restrictions. She explained to me all the vegan options and told me the gf bread has eggs in it unfortunately, so I opted for a vegan panini. When my aunt ordered, she let her modify items too. They were out of spicy chorizo which was a shame as I was excited to try that, but there are many vegan options available including alt milk. The inside of the store was also humid despite the plug in fans running, so I was grateful they had an outside seating area on the side walk to catch the breeze. Parking was a bit hard to find as it's mainly street and only free for 2 hours, but they don't seem to enforce that harshly. It is by a street going to 405, so it gets quite loud with cars at time of outside.My aunt and I each got a panini and a drink.Vegan panini: The flavor on this was delicious! It has 3 different vegan cheeses, so the cheese pull was definitely there. I loved that it was grilled and had additional vegetables in the spread/garnish. Roast beef & cheddar panini: My aunt decided to add arugula to hers which helped balance the heaviness of this panini. The cheddar got substituted for provolone and paired well with the beef which was not dry and had good flavoring. Ice latte w/chaga & coconut milk: Tasted a bit too watery for my liking, but still did the job of keeping my energized throughout my day. Think I'll get this again, but with mocha or a syrup. Matcha iced tea: On par with what'd you expect out of powder w/ milk. Nothing spectacular. The paninis were definitely the highlight of our order even they were much smaller than expected. It's like a bite sized snack rather than a filling meal. I all thought some of the surcharges were interesting like an iced drink fee. Other than that though the service and variety of vegan options would make me come back though if I was ever in Renton again.

I know things happen, but to start out our experience at this cafe, we showed up an hour after this cafe was supposedly open, and the owner was just opening. We waited about 15 mins before being allowed in and could order.If I had known how dirty, and cluttered the space of this cafe was, I wouldn't have even waited as long as we did! Literally, there are fridges STUFFED to the brim with baked good from who knows how long, candy bars, milk, anything you can imagine! Also the owner is the only person who works there so it took about 25 mins for 3 coffees and an Italian soda. The toilet doesn't flush; so that made for an extremely awkward moment when the owner had to "wiggle" the handle after my friend used it. The only saving grace was that the owner was very kind and accommodating. She decided not to charge us for one of the drinks, due to making us wait.

So I'm not super familiar with the good spots in Renton but when I searched for Cafes on Yelp and The Liberty Cafe popped up #1 I knew I had to stop by. Located right in downtown Renton, I arrived at this cute little cafe / coffee shop. After a small struggle with the front door (you have to really squeeze the handle) I arrived in this super cozy nostalgic little cafe / coffee bar. I was immediately greeted by Debbie the owner, she is very friendly, and she told me she had coffee, tea, soups, fresh paninis and breakfast food. Far more than I was expecting. I told her I was there for some tea and a lite lunch. After a brief discussion regarding my current dietary restrictions Debbie suggested a custom vegetarian panini with egg plant, sun dried tomatoes, cheese, spinach, and some sauce. It was delicious! (I went back two days later for the same thing) I added a Jasmin green tea and some tomato bisque soup. It was perfect. Debbie and I chatted for an hour and many people came in to say hi to her. She is very friendly and loves to talk about the world. She cafe is very small but it's cozy and just perfect for me. If you find yourself in downtown Renton and you're looking for a coffee, matcha, a tea, or a delicious sandwich give Liberty Cafe a try. And say hi to Debbie.

Deb is so nice for starters... on top of that so accommodating. Not to mention that was one of the best sandos I've ever had. The cafe itself is cute and whimsical and cozy... I went to Dubtown brewing down the block which doesn't serve food but welcomes outside food... took the sandwiches back and it was perfect. I was so tickled by Deb's hospitality and humanness. I really enjoyed this visit! Great paninis!

Great vibes and local feel! Very personable service and delicious food! Highly recommend their panini's with tons of options to choose from

Im sorry... I just couldn't not write a review. Although I wanted to like this place very very much. I think a quality place becomes more than just a good interaction with the owner. It's been years since I've been here but don't think I could return. It's clear this place needs some extreme TLC. I don't know if they typically have other employees but I can understand why people wouldn't be lining up to apply. Walking in as others have mentioned this place is a huge eye sore or clutter, messy fridges, kitchen and counter space. It's not just artsy and witty... it's extremely concerning to see how much food items, dishes, random junk is piled on top of one another in all areas.... Besides the non aesthetics, the wait time is ridiculous. We walked in with no one inside, no other orders. 2 coffees and 2 paninis cost us $39 with a 40+ min wait time with no one else for the first 15min of us waiting. Mind you, the paninis have no toppings besides meat, bread, cheese. The baguettes were small and nothing out of ordinary. Unfortunately eating my sandwich could only think of what the fridges looked like. She gave us 1 sandwich before the 2nd one was available... my partner finished his way before mine came out. We also ordered a pastry item that never came but decided we didn't want as we just couldn't wait any longer.The 5 star reviews confuse me. Possibly regulars? But, I just can't stand behind the lack of cleanliness, slow waits times and inconsistency.... Doesn't make for a 5 star establishment to ME. My opinion...

This is such a charming, quirky, cozy, laid-back, truly local neighborhood spot. We came here for the first time this weekend and breakfast sandwiches and coffee were great, all made super fresh to order. In the short time we were there, there were a few regulars that stopped through that were known by name. The owner is such a lovely spirit and really makes you feel at home.

I love this place for a few reasons:First: It is just like the old Seattle area Cafe's from the way back, a little gritty, cluttered, tons of character, coziness, and small town cafe feel.If you want a sparkly clean Starbucks, please go there, not here. You won't like it and neither will anyone else.Second: The owner is a wonderful human. She remembers you and knows your order. And she has been a Renton business owner for about a hundred years.Finally (and most important): Their coffee is the best you're going to find downtown Renton (sorry everyone else). You are not going to get bitter, burnt or over sweetened coffee here. You will get a delicious beverage (and food) made exactly the way you want it.

I can't really review the food because I wouldn't eat here with a ten foot pole. Walked in to what can be best described as a scene from hoarders. It was completely filled with garbage and junk and absolutely filthy. There was literally junk stacked along all the walls so there was only a small path the to the counter and the tables. So unless you would go to one of the homes on the show hoarders and allow them to serve you breakfast there you probably don't want to eat here.

Horrible service. We waited over an hour for three breakfast sandwiches. When i asked for an update, the owner did not even know what we ordered and admitted they were serving customers that came in after us. The owner (woman with gray hair) was argumentative and frazzled. I asked for a refund when everyone in my party got their sandwich before me (i ordered first). As we left, she blamed her employee of three days for the poor service, when the issue seemed to be that she had no system for tracking orders. I don't recommend considering how many coffee places are in this area.