Maltby Cafe

This restaurant has a warm, homy vibe to it. I was pleased to hear live music playing by a 93 year old man; he played old school slow jazz with his clarinet. Beautiful sound! Although, this live music isn’t always available.
The food was very good. However, overall my 4 star rating is due to the fact that the food was comparable to any local breakfast joint: patty’s eggnest, sawmill café, etc. I’d definitely go back though.

Clarinet player — good
Biscuits, gravy meats and eggs — great
Waitresses — fantastic

LOVE their breakfast but the wait times can be excessive. I expect that but even with reservations our groups have waited. The food is worth the wait and they usually get it out pretty quickly so once you’re seated it’s quick service. Staff are usually very friendly despite the chaotic atmosphere. Really good food just expect a wait.

Food here was pretty good I got the eggs benedict I enjoyed it very much my problem with this restaurant lies in its Service. We had a large 7 party table this morning and I felt like we were ignored for the first like 15 minutes and then the waitress that we had felt that it was appropriate to flirt with my cousins date. I find that extremely inappropriate and it makes me not want to eat at your restaurant.

I really don’t know what all the hoopla is about this place. We waited 40 minutes for our table. It was my husband, myself & our 6 year old daughter. My husband had pancakes & egg platter, I had French toast & bacon and our daughter had the kid’s pancake & bacon. Our first impression was that most of the food is prepared ahead of time and warmed up when ordered. The pancakes, French toast & bacon was tough to chew and was rubbery. My husband’s potatoes were practically raw potatoes, just quickly sautéed. The eggs appeared to be made to order. The only good thing was the coffee. We were all hungry and just ate with the knowledge we won’t be returning. They are very expensive. Our bill with tip came out to $ 60! So not worth it! This was our 2^nd visit and will be our last. Original Pancake House is our usual breakfast place and wNted to try something different. Very, very disappointing.

Great place! Had a wonderful experience here. Warm and welcoming environment, staff was friendly and food was so yummy! Had one of their omelets which was accompanied by a baby red potato hash and an English muffin. My friend had the chicken fried steak with baby red potato hash and English muffin. Portions were very generous, we had to get a to go box. We didn’t order their cinnamon roll but did see one come out and Wow! They are huge! We will be back :-)

OH my! What a breakfast! It’s top 5 ever!!! I had the Prime Rib omelet; mushrooms, onions, olives and a really good Tillamook cheese! And hash browns that were perfect (and I’m originally from Idaho)!! And the biscuits came with it so I asked for a side of gravy (no charge) which was delicious. I’m coming back for sure!!!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
I had the opportunity to come again after a year because my dad and stepmom wanted to try it out. If you’re okay with leftovers or a big breakfast eater, this is the café to go. Out in Snohomish, this café is a frequent spot for truckers (or so I heard) and local residents. It’s uniquely located below an old schoolhouse from the 1930’s Many people actually travel long and far for this.
Start off your meal with their signature cinnamon bun (made for two sweet tooth guests or 6+ not so sweet tooth eaters) or their homemade bread and jam. The wait staff are friendly and the food service is quick. They were able to accommodate any food allergies or preferences our table had, which was great to hear. They have a large menu to choose from and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Though it’s a bit of a drive, it’s well worth the meal.

I am shocked to see any bad reviews. We come here a lot and have loved every second of it! Keep it up Maltby!

This best breakfast by far! Huge serving! Good home cooking! Very friendly service! I would definitely go back for more!

I would really rather not waist anymore time on the Malty, writing a bad review (in fact this is the first bad review I have ever given to any establishment), so let me just say:
They were great for many years — the food was great and the service good.
Our last three visits have been progressively more disappointing with each visit.
I can tolerate mediocre food if the service is good. I can even tolerate mediocre service if the food is good. But after my last three visits to the Maltby, I would rather not spend anymore of my time & money with this place. «Three Strikes and you’re out»

Always Great Food, Atmosphere and Service!
Large Menu to choose from…
You’re mileage may very on your server some are very friendly and some meh but, always polite and pleasant.
This place is always rockin on the weekends so getting there early is key unless you’re some type of psycho that likes to analyze other humans that are hungry and waiting in lines.
Who ever said «Location, Location, Location» got it wrong at this out of the way Location. Always busy and always worth the drive!

Like many others have commented, the service is really good and really fast. We had heard this place gets busy so we arrived at about 7:15 on a Friday morning and by the time we left at around 8, the place was almost full.
We had the giant cinnamon roll that friends had recommended. It is the size of a whole plate and 7.25 plus tax. They sell some in front that are already in plastic boxes of you want to buy one on your way out. I liked the cinnamon roll and we got it for the novelty of how big it was– but as far as cinnamon rolls, It was just ok. The roll itself was dense and I would expect it to be because it’s so big. I prefer my cinnamon rolls to be fluffy and buttery. If you’re expecting something like a Cinnabon, this is not it.
I ordered the California scramble which was tasty with bacon and had dollops of sour cream and salsa. The homemade biscuit was good. My café mocha was also really good.
My husband had the salmon eggs Benedict and he raced about the biscuit, perfectly poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce, but said that the salmon was not good. I could tell from my end of the table that it was really dry.
Overall, I would still recommend this place because the service is great, atmosphere is good for families, and the food is decent!

I love this place. Everything about it is amazing. It’s the only place in the area I tell all the downtown city folks to drive for.
This is the best breakfast you can get. Great service as well. Get their homemade bread and jam to go as well.

What can I say about this place that hasn’t already been said by the thousands of people who flock here on weekends, wait hours outside in gravel parking lots, and leave stuffed with giant smiles on their faces.
The food is fantastic, the ambiance makes you never want to leave, and the service is like you’re at a big family breakfast.
This place defines PNW living. Make the drive, it’s worth it.

Food was lackluster, but service was fantastic! So how do you choose which is more important? Definitely the service, as long as food isn’t horrible. Our coffee and water was always full and our waitress smiling. An overall enjoyable experience!

My family just moved to this area and we heard nothing but rave reviews about this café. My hubby ordered the country scramble, I had the French toast with crème fresh (sp) and our baby had a Mickey Mouse pancake with a piece of thick cut bacon. Everything was AMAZING! The biscuits were tall and moist, the fruit fresh and sweet, the crème fresh was the single most beautiful experience I’ve ever had! I could’ve eaten just simply that and walked away happy! There was also and elderly man playing a flute (oboe?) at the front of the restaurant that made our son dance and our bodies sway in time to his VERY talented playing. It was a great breakfast, service was warm and friendly, the open room was quickly filled with families and our coffee and water cups were kept full. We will absolutely be returning!

The biscuits and sausage were excellent, the chicken fried steak was amazing, the omelette was fantastic, and the cinnamon roll was out of this world.
It’s clearly always busy but the wait is well worth it. Making a reservation in advanced will help tremendously. The service is excellent even if not perfect, but for how busy it, it’s understandable. Great place for breakfast, and a great place for families.

Been here a couple times now.
We got here right at 7am (opening) on Valentines Day, a Saturday, no line seated right away.
Love the kitschy décor, bright lighting.
The specials board only had a couple items, one bfast one lunch, the bfast item had grilled chicken in it so we passed on that.
I got the Roughneck (Country fried red potatoes, bacon, mushrooms and onions, topped with Jarlsberg Swiss cheese. Served with two extra large eggs any style, Maltby bread toast or biscuit — and a fresh serving of raspberry jam) $ 12.95 Portions were decent. My wife got the smoked salmon hollandaise eggs, she liked it, the salmon was a little skimpy there, but otherwise beautifully prepared :) Came out pretty quick.
Service was fantastic, attentive server, lots of people running around making sure water/​coffee was topped off.
Prices are fairly high compared to places like Kozy Corner or Woodinville Café. For 3 of us (we all had coffee & water, no juice) it was about $ 60 after tax/​tip. When we left the line was out the door, glad we got here at 7am.
Maltby Café still uses Styrofoam containers for takeout and leftovers — at these prices they have no excuse for not being eco-​friendly.
Pro: pretty good food, great service
Con: high prices, eco-​unfriendly

We came in on a Monday around 11:30 and it was pretty crowded. Heard the wait gets crazy on the weekends but we were seated right away.
Maybe I ordered the wrong thing but didn’t really feel like breakfast so got a cup or soup it was chicken and veggie and the Turkey club.
Overall both items were okay. Nothing wrong with them but Not amazing either. The soup was good but the chicken in it was pretty dry. The sandwich was ok and had flavor because of the bacon and avocado. The Turkey in it was flavorless.
The service and décor are also not memorable. So I would go back if I was near by and in the mood for breakfast but won’t go out of my way.