Vegan
American
Pizza
International
Organic
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Caribbean
Fusion
Vegan restaurant offering a changing menu of dishes with Southern and Caribbean influences, from salads, sandwiches and pizza to burgers to different platters and appetizers. Sunday brunch menu. Finer dining setting and bar drinks. Est. 2009 by operators of Hillside Quickies. Black-owned. Reported closed January 2025.
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1429 12th Ave (at Capitol Hill), Seattle, Washington, USA, 98122
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 27 Jan 2025 by drae
Update business info
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263 Reviews
First Review by Soules
juliotnunes
Points +744
Plum Bistro - Edit
Wonderful vegan restaurant. BBQ Po'Boy sandwich. It was amazing. Good service and nice atmosphere. Will be back.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Saturday November 28, 2009
Pros: Big portion, Good selection
Cons: Small tables
Guest
stormka
Points +30
First experience with Seattle's veg - Edit
Coming from a city that is known for its off-the-chain veg options, I was pleasantly surprised to have my first experience in Seattle completely blow me away. Tiramisu pancakes is just in another league as far as breakfast. I even had my omnivorous guest reeling over this place. The staff is really casual and friendly and I love that the kitchen is open to the restaurant. Inspiring to see a well-run kitchen. My only gripe is that I couldn't eat more in one sitting.
Read moreGuest
Meggie and Ben
Points +1786
Great for a night out - Edit
Perfect place for a celebratory meal or a night out. Their food is to die for and their Mac n yease is heavenly. A little pricey, but worth it.
Read moreGuest
DollyWiggles
Points +699
Stunning - Edit
Really lovely location and beautiful building. Quite cozy too.
Read moreI had the Really Big Burger is by far the best tofu burger I have ever had, but everything is just wonderful. The Quinoa burger is awesomely spicy and the Seitan Steak is just fantastic. Not to mention the the amazing homemade buns for the burgers.
The icing on the cake is that the whole menu is all vegan AND organic. The organic bit does make it a little more pricey, but I actually found that my portions were more than genorous.
Pros: Ambiance, Fantastic food, Great service
Cons: Dining area on the small side
Guest
melrow
Points +32
This place is amazing! - Edit
We have eaten here twice so far and LOVE it! The first visit was for dinner- you must try their specialty- mac n ease (?)! I had a quinoa burger with sweet potato fries and it was fabulous! We had excellent service too! Later that week we went for brunch and had a seitan benedict and chocolate crepes, both of which were very very good too..and French press coffee. Will definitely go back again and again!
Read morePros: great service, generous portions, delicious!
Cons: family-style seating with strangers
Guest
twinkle
Points +61
I fell in love with a sandwich - Edit
I went to Plum when I was visiting a friend in Seattle. We popped in because it is in her neighborhood and we were so glad we did! We shared 'a sandwich' and a salad, and there was so much food left that we had to take some on the road with us.
Read moreThe atmosphere was very beautiful and the service was great.
But the sandwich, sweet sandwich, was the most delicious thing I have ever eaten in my entire life. It was a Jamaican jerk tempe wrap, and I would go back to Seattle just to eat it again.
If you have a chance, be sure to stop in!
Pros: Jamaican jerk tempe sandwich, Atmosphere
Cons: Salad just so-so
Guest
Nomeatforme
Points +41
Yes please. - Edit
I've been here a few times and always enjoyed what I had. At first they seem kind of pricey, but once you start eating you realize "we should have shared." I like decor as well and the staff is very friendly!
Read moreThe menu is pretty small though and I'm not a big fan of restaurants offering different things at different times of the day. I understand the need for it though considering I have never seen more than 2 other groups of people in here at a time. But I was very unhappy once when I specifically went there for a sandwich and found out I didn't come at the right time for it.
I wish I could give it 4.5 cows as I think the small menu is a bit of an issue, but I really enjoy it and will definitely go back!
Pros: Good sandwiches, friendly staff, Very clean
Cons: Small menu, menu time dependent
Guest
·X·
Points +28008
Plum Bistro - Edit
We really enjoyed Plum Bistro, but there were a few things that fell short. We went ate here late on Friday and it was slightly busy, but one thing that we annoyingly observed is that our waitress was serving all of the tables while two waitresses lounged around doing nothing - our service was very slow and many things were forgotten because of this.
Read moreWe started our meal with the cauliflower appetizer, it was good and had nice flavor overall. Then I ordered the Double-Dipped Seitan and my bf ordered the El Besito Caliente. We shared our meals and we both really enjoyed the seitan dish, it came with potatoes and asparagus covered in gravy, it was great overall. But the burger, El Besito Caliente was a different story. While the flavoring of the burger was nice, the texture of the tofu killed it. The tofu was actually hard to swallow and actually scrapped our throats like brillo pads - we had to drink tons of water to get it down. That said, we highly do not recommend the tofu burgers, but the seitan dish was a definite hit. Despite the service aspect of our experience, Plum Bistro would definitely be a regular place for us to eat if we lived in the area.
Guest
kindlizard
Points +1144
Updated again x2; STILL dreadful service - Edit
** An update: their service has seemingly gotten worse, or it may just be I forgot how bad service can be. They gave away our table after waiting an hour. They kept taking the kid's menu before they ordered. Took another hour to order. BRUTAL service, don't bring kids. Food still great but small portions. Get it right Plum, please! The blonde boy is lost, as is the short tatted girl. Y'all need to step up to match the effort the back of house gives. Service sadly has no idea of how to be gracious hosts, serve promptly and courteously. You think you must be on hidden camera or that the water they serve makes you invisible. Tragic servers. Good food once you get it. Owners, feel free to hire new FOH staff. *end of 2nd update*
Read moreIt seems like this place is VERY inconsistent. We have had terrible experiences here and delightful times here. The only consistent thing we experience here is DREADFUL SERVICE. This last time we were here we waited to get the check for 20 minutes and waited for the check back for another 20 minutes. It isn't as though they are ever "too busy" either, it just seems like they lack organization and set no expectations for their waitstaff. We heard the diners next to us comment on their service issue as well.
The food here this last time, the same item I ordered previously, was not at all the same preparation. This time, the apple sage seitan was completely drenched and soggy without any texture. When it was "good" it was more on a bread texture than a truer seitan texture. I think they use the short method of seitan production, whereas the long way is so much better.
We order a lot of food when we go. The best item is the arugula-pear salad (w filberts). They also have great onion rings, but that only comes as three or four on the side of my entree, not as a side.
I got a dessert of chocolate w strawberries. She brought it out w cranberries. Not at all the same. She moaned saying she could try to find some strawberries, but... and I told her yes, to do so bc that is what I ordered. The service here is very unprofessional. Seattle has a lot of service issues, granted, but this is truly outlandish; negotiating w a server for what you order.
I have to order everything w/o cilantro. They over-use it here, which is more common than ever sadly.
On their good nights they execute better. Also sadly, it may still be the best of the strictly vegan cafes in Seattle.
Pros: good food, vegan, latin cuisine
Cons: SERVICE STINKS, Wildly Inconsistent, you may think service is pulling a prank
Guest
EP
Points +69
Plum perfect - Edit
Come hungry, thirsty, tired and weary from travel. Leave much later, much happier. Call to see if you need a reservation. Have fun. I did....
Read morePros: Food, Local beers, Ferrari dealership down the block...
Cons: out of date website
Guest
peacenik
Points +59
Amazing atmosphere and food - Edit
The layout and decor makes for a very nice, classy atmosphere and the menu offerings and prices reflect that. We got very average service, nothing to complain or rave about. I ordered the El Besito Caliente and my SO got the Cajun Tempeh Burger, we shared our sandwiches and loved them both, couldn't decide which was best. The sweet potato fries were good, but the sauce drizzled on top of them was to die for. Went in later in the evening so there was only one other table occupied by an older couple and it was so nice having the place mostly to ourselves. The weather was beautiful and the big windows in front made everything feel very comfortable, open and relaxed. A little expensive but the norm for this type of restaurant/offerings. Also, my leftover sandwhich was even better cold the next day!
Read morePros: Excellent food, Fantastic atmosphere, Unique offerings
Cons: Slightly Snobby
Guest
DCvegangirl
Points +46
Not worth it - Edit
First, I'm vegan - and I want to support vegan businesses. This is my first review on Happy Cow - because I feel so strongly about it.
Read moreI ate here with my boyfriend two weeks ago. We were in Seattle visiting for the weekend - and went out of our way to go to Plum Bistro because of the many positive reviews on Happy Cow. I asked for recommendations from our waitress (who was great) and my boyfriend ordered the Mama Africa Burger and I ordered a Seitan Dish with Olives and Mushrooms. His dish was pretty terrible. Mine was worse - it was the saltiest dish I've ever had. Overall, the food was really flat, there was no balance to the flavors and nothing redeeming about it. I wanted to give them only one star, but I can't do that on Happy Cow. Plum Bistro is actually the worst vegan restaurant I've ever been to. And to top it off, the hot toddy I ordered and the cocoa that my boyfriend ordered weren't good either. :(
It could be that the night I went was a complete fluke. What scares me is that the items we ordered were highly recommended by the waitress.
By the way, the service was really great. Our waitress was sweet, which is maybe why we felt so bad that we didn't say anything.
Pros: Service
Cons: Food, Drinks
Guest
Stevie
Points +11765
Plum bistro, Seattle - Edit
I went here this morning. The menu changes throughout the day and my guess is the menu I was choosing from was the lunch menu. Food available was under 3 headings - sandwiches / wraps, salads and entrees. Everything is vegan veggie so I asked the waitress to recommend something for me. I ended up having the sweet & spicy Jamaican tofu wrap. I warned the waitress that I didn't find generally chilli agreeable but she said I would be fine with this so that is what I had.
Read moreFirstly it's a big sandwich so I am glad I didn't order an entree. Secondly kit tasted great and the waitress was vindicated in her judgement. Good value at $10.
The setting is an interesting building (you'd need to see it for yourself) and is around a 15 min walk outside of downtown. Staff are friendly and all in all this was a big winner for me.
Update - I've just had brunch here and had the squash soup (excellent) and then some pancakes as recommended by the waitress. It was enough for 2 people and a couple of them I have taken away and will have later.
Pros: 100% Vegan veggie, tasty food, Helpful staff
Guest
Ultraviolet
Points +610
Had to go there twice!!! - Edit
My boyfriend and I were visiting Seattle for the first time as vegans and wanted to try out as many places as we could but we were so impressed with Plum Bistro that we had to go there for a weekend brunch as well as dinner! We tried their version of macaroni and cheese and thought it was better than any we remembered eating as omnivores. We also ordered their Quinoa Nachos, Portabello appetizer, cornmeal crusted seitan with mushroom gravy, and the seitan with mole sauce (not all of this was in one visit! ha ha) and thought all were excellent! We also tried their drinks such as Spanish Lemonade and Sangria and were also impressed! We were impressed with their prices because we are used to paying more at the limited vegan places where we live. We highly recommend Plum Bistro for the food, ambiance, price, service and location!
Read morePros: excellent food, friendly staff, open window option on nice days
Guest
fondducoeur
Points +1167
Wonderful Dining Experience - Edit
I went to Plum a couple of nights ago, and was really impressed. The place was very elegant, but was still very laid back (the waiter was in t-shirt and jeans).
Read moreThe food was amazing and the prices were a little high, but actually cheaper than I expected. My husband and I split the avocado sushi roll for an appetizer, which was very tasty (although I have never heard of cheese, vegan or otherwise, in a sushi roll) and served with a spicy chipolte mayo.
I had the seitan steak with wild mushroom gravy, potatoes, and chard. It was so good; I would recommend this whole heartedly! My husband had the potato Parmesan over pasta, which was pretty good also.
We will definitely return when visiting Seattle for a nice meal out.
Pros: Delicious Food, Elegant Atmosphere, Nice Drink List
Cons: A little pricy
Guest
lilmammal
Points +275
Wow. - Edit
Wow! Gormet vegan bistro. The creativity in dishes is remarkable and the desserts are out of this world. The environment is nice, with fresh flowers on the tables and a chic modern design. This is not an inexpensive restaurant, but it is worth the price. I had a mushroom and swiss chard crepe and my companion enjoyed a vegan take on the po' boy sandwich for lunch.
Read morePros: upscale
Cons: expensive
Guest
goldie711
Points +119
Excellent - Edit
Ok, I'm a vegan "foodie" and am shocked that I never heard of Plum before. EXCELLENT. Not in Horizon or Millenium's league but a really great restaurant. So happy I found it on Vegguide's list during my recent trip to Seattle.They make mock white russians and really have a done a great job on the creativity front. I ordered a few items from their appetizer menu. The sliders were awesome. Great location and perfect atmosphere. Will recommend!
Read morePros: cocktails, location, decor
Guest
jevanses
Points +48
Mac 'n' Yease will change your life - Edit
The mac 'n' yease appetizer is the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had, even when compared with those consumed during my non-vegan days of home-baked gooey casseroles, velveeta, and kraft. The place is small but the dinners are outstanding. Do not go here without getting the mac 'n' yease! Can be a wee bit pricey, but it's totally worth it.
Read morePros: excellent food, friendly staff, small
Guest
Mighty Vegan
Points +96
Adorable place with outstanding service - Edit
My husband and I dined at Plum Bistro. We loved the ambiance. It had a cozy romantic feel. The staff and service was outstanding. They could not be friendlier or more helpful. We wanted to love the place. The menu had so many options that sounded fabulous. Then the food came and the presentation was wonderful. Unfortunately though, everything we ordered was excessively salty- to the point that it took away from our enjoyment of the food. We had the Tofu kebabs, the pecan salad, and the seitan/mac & yeese plate. If the food had not been so salty we would love this place. It had all the characteristics of a perfect restaurant.
Read morePros: ambience, service, creativity of menu
Cons: too salty, pricey
Guest
Soules
Points +21
Awesome. - Edit
Absolute dream of a place! Close to my apartment on the Hill, comforting and delicious food, smiling faces, worry-free dining. The Mac-n-Yease is superb, as are the sandwiches and wraps. What's up with the website though (there isn't one as of 8/19/2009). Cheers!
Read morePros: Delicious, Delicious, Delicious
Cons: No website
Guest
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