Clipper Café

We stopped here to grab some drinks and food before our Clipper ferry trip. It can get crazy busy right before the ferry takes off. There is only 1 stall for the women’s restroom, I’m assuming it’s the same for men. If you don’t have to get something right away I would wait to order on the ferry.

Acceptable food before boarding but nothing special. Having wifi was nice before boarding.

Waiting for the Clipper to show up early in the morning has finally gotten a little less painful. The Clipper Café is a cute little hang out spot where you can grab pastries, coffee, juice and various other nibbly items before hopping aboard the boat to Canada.
The breakfast sandwich was just ok, the coffee was great, and the cinnamon bun was definitely at least a day old. A little bummed by the food but it’s all meant to be simple and served quickly. I wouldn’t come here if I weren’t actually taking the Clipper but since there are zero other options nearby, it’ll do.

Decent food at a decent price, but like the Victoria Clipper, this place needs much better organization. Lines are long, we were waiting for food and coffee. After a long wait we noticed that there appeared to be our food order sitting there but no one ever called out our number (lady said she called it out but with 2 of us there listening very intently we doubt she did). Then there’s a separate wait and another person calling out coffee orders as they come available. Sigh, could be better.

A nice surprise… I wasn’t sure what to expect from this little place next to the Victoria Clipper but the food was good and the staff was nice. My friend had the turkey sandwich which was good and fairly large. I had the tomato soup which was excellent. The spinach salad was also good although a tad over-​dressed.

Four of us had reservations on the 8:30 am Clipper to Victoria. We were there early and, after checking in, decided to grab breakfast at the Clipper Café. The location is perfect — just steps from where you check in!
They have coffee, some breakfast sandwiches, a few (sort of sad looking) pastries, sodas, bagels, oatmeal, etc.
The register person was pretty grumpy — or maybe she was just annoyed with me being excited that my order number was 007! The rest of the staff was friendly though.
I got the bacon egg sandwich which was very yummy! And I got a soda from the self-​serve machine.
My friend got a coffee though — and the procedure for this needs some serious work. It was quite crowded when we were there. They make your coffee but they DON’T put a lid on it — you have to walk THROUGH the crowd to get a lid which is precarious. Unfortunately, someone ran into her on her way for a lid and she spilled ¹⁄₃ of her coffee. Even though the people behind the counter seemed to see what happened — no one offered to help or even top off her coffee — which was disappointing. It’s a really bad system. The lids need to be RIGHT THERE at the counter — not at a place that you have to walk to with a full cup of hot coffee!
Also, although they have a microwave for self-​use — it’s outside the bathroom in the hall. We thought that was a very strange place for it. There isn’t anywhere better to put that?
3 stars for convenience and location and the delcious egg sandwich — but they do need some work…

Clipper Navigation took over the space recently occupied by The Portside Café, opening their doors for the public (and Pier 69 employees) today. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, the Clipper Café focuses on Coffee (this IS Seattle and it would be sacrilege to NOT have Coffee!), and a few grab-​and-​go items – such as sandwiches and salads. Since today was the first day of business, there were still some menu items that were unavailable (Bottled soda – not a big deal), and the staff was a tad nervous. There was one lone holdout from the old café, who transitioned to the Clipper Café, who was just as friendly, funny, and helpful as ever. I’m glad that employee stayed on!
During the morning, I had an iced coffee with vanilla – which hit the spot. The largest size was 16oz, – a tad small for the price, but not surprised since the nearest Starbucks closed up earlier this year, eliminating any competition the Clipper Café might have had. The drip coffee was smooth, but bold. The flavoring was all concentrated at the bottom – not a big issue – but if you’re not expecting that shot of sweetness, it could really hit you! I swished it around a bit, which helped. Also – the employee had to walk across the room – to the soda fountain – for ice. Not a good idea. Too many opportunities for contamination and/​or safety issue (ice on floor). The new owner really needs to put an ice machine behind the counter – even if it’s a counter top model.
I tried the Sicilian Baguette and had a bowl of the soup of the day (Clam Chowder – a nice treat, considering that Chowder is traditionally served as the SotD on Fridays), along with a fountain drink. At $ 15+ it was a tad steep, but the food was very good! The baguette had a great combination of meats and add-​ins that were refreshing for a warm early summer day. Only complaint was that the baguette bread was a bit hard – maybe this could be fixed with an oil/​vinegar option. The chowder was from Ivar’s – which is the «Gold Standard» for chowder in the Pacific Northwest. No review needed for that.
Overall, I’d say the Clipper Café impressed me. I’m sure the operational kinks will work out as the staff becomes more comfortable in their roles and the regulars start coming back – having been scared off by the mismanagement of the Portside Café.
⁴⁄₅ stars — great job Clipper Café staff!