These are all my own opinions, I’m not sponsored by Tatte, though I wish I were!
This is the first of my new series to share different bakeries and restaurants that I love! It’s daunting to talk about the admirable Tatte, but I think it deserves the first blog here. While I’m based in Seattle, I’ve been to Tatte probably more times than I could count on my fingers! It all began when I was following food photographer Sarah Fennel of Broma Bakery and envied her gorgeous photos from this bake shop. I savored every picture of Tatte’s food that I found on Instagram. Everything about Tatte screams millennial girl. From the aesthetically pleasing floor tiles to the open air set up of the bakery, it’s incredibly inviting and is truly an instagrammable place. It’s great to stay a few hours and work on your laptop or a relatively quick pastry run if the lines are short enough. It serves both the younger and older crowd. Whatever the purpose of your visit, you’ll definitely be spending your dollars here and with such delicious food, you’ll no doubt be willing to buy out the whole cafe and try all the amazing dishes.
The magic of Tatte is that it’s a chain bakery, but it doesn’t feel that way. It first started out in Boston, founded by Israeli-born former film producer, Tzurit Or. She grew this business from farmers market and now, Tatte is essentially her empire. But everything about Tatte feels homey, approachable. The marketing and design is so powerful that it made someone like me crave the bakery without having visited. It pushed past any Michelin star bucket list restaurants because while it is pricey for a bakery, you can feel like you spend less with the lower cost pastry items.
Tatte has grown to reach nearly every neighborhood in the Boston area and as far as several locations in the DC area. Between work trips and personal vacations, I probably visited at least 6-8 different cafes. What makes them great is that each has their own unique personality. The interior designs are always slightly different with the same elements, so you get a fresh new vibe with a familiar taste whenever you visit a new Tatte location. It’s now under the wings of the Panera Bread owners, which I’m not sure what that entails, but it’s way more sophisticated than its older sister chain. It’s designed with the atmosphere that you want to dress up like a girl boss and walk in all confidently to dine in during your lunch break and at the same time the perfect place to grab a pastry and house latte before running to your next meeting. It’s also the same atmosphere where you’d walk in with your yoga pants and hair in a bun to chat up a friend over coffee. Whatever they’ve done, they’ve done it right.
The great thing about Tatte is that it opens for pretty long hours. From breakfast to dinner, you’re sure to find something there. I particularly like breakfast or brunch there, where you can also get the Tatte House Latte, made from honey-halva and cardamom, reminiscent of Mediterranean-Middle East flavors, a nod to Tzurit’s heritage. I get it every other time I visit! Each cafe may have a varied menu, but they’re all essentially the same with a few seasonal rotating flavors on the menu. I honestly could never quite figure out the difference between their all day and brunch menu, but basically you can get breakfast for dinner here.
I haven’t tried everything, but their Lamb Hash is truly lovely! I had one outside in a snowstorm once, ha! Their Egg In A Hole was mind-blowing the first time I had it because it exceeded my nonexistent expectations. Honestly I think that their Jerusalem bagel (elongated than your normal American bagel) is the king of the show for this dish. The flavor of that bagel is impeccable!
Saving the best for last, Tatte is first and foremost a bakery! They have so many baked goods, but it’s hard for me to diversify from croissants. I love that they offer a pistachio croissant, not too many places have that in Seattle, so I’ve been known to cart a couple over the long cross-country flight. They also have truly delectable desserts. Just like the atmosphere of a Tatte cafe, their sweets have both an exciting flavor platte that is also familiar at heart. Everything is made with such precision, so make sure to treat yourself when you’re there. The Halva Bomb and Lemon Krembo are two of the most unique individual desserts they offer. But then, I’ve never had anything I didn’t like at Tatte. So what will be your order when you visit?
