Kelly’s Cafe & Espresso

This is honestly the best place in the city of Gig Harbor. I would go as far as to say that it is the best restaurant in the Washington state. You should definitely try this place because it is always good. Any review on here that is negative is just jealous and stupid!

Honestly this ish was turnt. Some steezy service and all employees were very gracious. If someone disagrees, I’m finna dab on that ish.

Normally this place is to die for. Food was cold but decent. Please train wait staff how to wait on a family of young children. Will return again, in hopes things return to normal expectations.

Arrived on a Thursday mid morning.
Café approx ¼ full.
Ordered a latte, had to send it back for no flavor and again for not being hot.
Ordered breakfast (classic), hash Browns & eggs cold.
Sent it back. Ten minutes later breakfast served.
Asked for butter for toast, server pitched butter onto plate. The butter landed in the eggs, the server reached into the plate with her hand to retrieve the pat (wrapped) of butter.
Asked for manager, sent food back.
My wife’s breakfast was Okay.

Why have we not been here before? Breakfast was VERY good. The service was friendly and prompt. The food was delicious. I had a breakfast sandwich and it was really good. My husband enjoyed his as well, though I am blanking on what he ordered. Next time we’re in Gig Harbor we will be sure to pop in for breakfast or some ice cream!!!

I’m giving this place 5 stars because the food was DELICIOUS! We asked our waitress for suggestions and the two things she recommended were the exact things we were thinking of ordering. So my husband ordered one thing and I got the other! He got the breakfast burger, (it had cheese, bacon and an egg on it). I got the two piece fish and chips-​halibut. Each plate of food was SO good. The fish was so fresh and flaky, with a great crunchy coating. The burger was perfect, exceptional flavor! The bacon on it was the best I’ve ever eaten in my life! So I had to order a side of bacon to have more! The fries on each of our plates were crinkle cut, nothing special, seemed like frozen brand, but this wasn’t a big deal because the main dish items were so crazy good. Only negative of the visit was waiting 15 minutes for someone to even talk to us after being seated, then after eating, waiting 25 minutes for the check so we could pay and leave. The food prep time was normal. The restaurant was definitely not understaffed, plenty of waitresses for the number of tables. Prices were reasonable. I will forever now be comparing every piece of bacon to what I had at Kelly’s today!!! And probably the fish too!!!

Great little place to stop for dessert when you are in Gig Harbor. I had the no sugar added praline and pecan made into a milkshake, yummy! The store was rustic and in an older building with plenty of seating inside and out, the facilities were clean.

Food is basic greasy café food. The service is horrible! Once our was taken we got our food in normal time but then that’s it. We had to get up and go ask for drink refills etc. won’t be back

Hit and miss. Had good and bad food/​service. Biscuits and gravy was god awful. Dont expect resolution if you are served poor quality food. Doesnt respond to complaints.

I decided to drive over the bridge after spending the morning in Tacoma. I didn’t know where to go get lunch, but I decided to get off the Wollochet exit and see what I could find in the city center. I’m glad that I did as Kelly’s was fantastic. The service was great with friendly servers. The only time I eat fish is when I’m in the PNW so I thought that I would give it a try. The fish was 2 pieces of cod dipped in tempura batter with crisp fries and coleslaw. The fish was fresh and flaky. It’s definitely a place I’ll stop at if I’m back in the area.

Go seated at 9:30am and got our food at 10:20, 50min to get our food and our check arrives fairly quickly only 5 min after our food got to us.
Never got our water, no one checked on us.
Waitress is rude and in a hurry. People who seat after us got their food way before us.
We even try to let them know that we haven’t been taking care of, but we couldn’t get anyone attention.
I’ll give it zero star if I can.

Wow ! Never again at this shoddy outfit. They actually served my steak to a guy that sat after me then want to take my order again 15 min after ordering my steak. Shitty !

They have the best hash browns I have had in a long time! Cool place with awesome service!

Good food and such friendly staff.
I won’t lie, I’ve had better tasting breakfast (maybe not in the harbor though)
But if you’re looking for an awesome, cozy environment, full of friendly, hard working staff and honestly pretty darn decent food, try Kelly’s. Keep finding myself back there and always happy I went.
Eggs Benedict is great!!! The only thing I wouldn’t recommend is the Belgian waffle, although I only had it once so I suppose it could have just been an off day.

I’m really surprised to see some of the reviews for Kelly’s. My girlfriend and I were looking for a breakfast joint while our husbands are doing groomsmen duties for a wedding this weekend. We briefly heard someone mention seeing «this Kelly’s Café place» on the main stretch of town. So, onward we went.
We found a parking spot right on the street and walked into pandemonium. Not in a bad way, but this place was packed around 10:30 on a Saturday (holiday weekend perhaps had an effect?). We were seated fairly quickly – as soon as a waitress/​hostess got a few other patrons seated. We waited maybe 2 minutes and started perusing the menu.
We sat down and asked about mimosas, which weren’t on the menu. They brought us mimosas, a tea for my friend, and an Americano for me. We asked for sides of steamed milk and honey and she graciously accommodated our requests. We then ordered a cinnamon roll to share, a scramble for me, and the breakfast sandwich with bacon for my lady friend.
That cinnamon roll was perfectly warmed and had just the right amount of frosting. Nom nom nom. The breakfasts were great – but those hash browns. They were the real winners.
The ambiance is nothing special. It’s crowded, it’s a small town feel, and service wasn’t particularly amazing. But for a Saturday morning with two friends looking to post up and leisurely chat, Kelly’s more than satisfied our breakfast craving.

When ever we go here we order breakfast meals… never had a bad one, never had poor service! We’ve lived in GH for 7 years and go here often enough to say it isn’t hit or miss with us. We’ve always had a positive experience at Kelly’s!
We love to get the ice cream here, too!
Only «bad» food I’ve tried is their scones. NOT GOOD, but to me that doesn’t warrant the loss of a star. :)

Loved it!
Great food! Terrific service!
Breakfast burrito was excellent, my husband loved his omelet as well.
Glad we got to stop in here while we were on vacation.

A really great short order café. Had lunch with family. The menu is basic, but relatively large. Sandwiches are especially hearty. I had a great grilled Reuben and another diner had the club. Well made, delicious, served w fries (or other options). Third person had chicken tenders, which appeared to have been freshly breaded and were nicely seasoned.
Super friendly wait staff and busboys who keep coffee and other beverages flowing. Small town, earthy ambience. Bright, clean and comfortable. Recommended.

I’ve eaten here off and on since the restaurant opened in Gig Harbor and had always enjoyed my meals up until recently. The last several times, I always give businesses a second chance just on the off chance it was just a «bad day.» Apparently the «bad day» has turned into just a poorly run restaurant.
My daughter and arrived late morning and I could tell our dining experience wasn’t off to a good start. The employee was brusque and appeared to be more interested in talking with her fellow co-​workers than seating us. We apparently pulled her away from the group she was socializing with when we walked in. We were seated and the employee walked away without a single word; I guess she was all talked out after all the talking she did with her fellow employees!
After waiting about 10 mins our server came over and took our order, after another 5 mins we received our drinks. I can fully understand the time IF they were busy, there were two other tables in the entire restaurant at the time AND there was PLENTY of staff on hand so I’m not sure what the delay was caused by.
Our food was well eh, just okay. Luke warm (hello health department???) and what took it so long to get it to our table — I know Gig Harbor is scenic but my food didn’t need to take the scenic route to our table!?? 15 minutes after ordering, with just a few tables occupied is unacceptable. I have really enjoyed their food in the past and the friendly atmosphere, not so much now. I had to ask several times for more napkins as the server passed by us, after the second time the employee pulled herself away from the counter area and finally brought some over.
I really wish this place would go back to the great restaurant it used to be. I’m not sure what happened! Between the lack of service and the crowd of employees standing around conversing and texting… I feel like we were putting them out asking for service. I won’t be back until I start to hear good things again.

I am a little late in getting this review out, but I feel as though I would be remiss if I didn’t. And I sure hope Kelly’s management (if there is such a thing) reads Unilocal and understands if someone goes to the trouble of posting a review that it PROBABLY means that it’s important enough to at least consider.
I am an out-​of-​towner, and was visiting Gig Harbor back during the first week of April. I took my family here for breakfast. This is the third time I’ve eaten there over the last 10 years. I visit Gig Harbor frequently.
The décor of the place is homey, and I appreciate the feel, as it does fit well with the overall «small town» vibe of that part of Gig Harbor. And that’s about where I stop finding things to be very positive, at least based on my early April visit.
We were waited on by someone who seemed nice enough, and efficiently got our drinks. But what was amazing to me was the FIFTEEN MINUTES it took to get our food. 15? On a relatively light late morning? What makes it worse is that when asked where our food was at about the 10 minute mark, our waitress was less than pleasant, snapping back, «It’s being worked on.» That’s not how you answer a customer who is hungry and wanting a simple plate of bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns. And then to add insult to injury… I watched the wait staff gather around a counter area (near the ice cream) and laugh and joke around. It’s nice they get along, but, shouldn’t our food being delivered in a timely manner and our satisfaction as customers be taken care of? It wasn’t this day. Not even close.
Food we got was standard… barely. If it had come out piping hot and not after sitting on the service counter for a few minutes (yeah – I watched… amazing), then perhaps I’d be willing to cut some slack to the young 20 something wait staff that was more concerned apparently in joking around and texting (yes…a waitress actually was texting WHILE WALKING to go take an order – it’s amazing what you notice when you’re hungry and ticked off having to wait for a simple order of food).
Kelly’s needs to train their folks better… and whatever the breakdown that’s happening in the kitchen (was there just ONE cook) needs to be fixed. I can’t be the first person to wonder why the food takes so long here.
I probably won’t be returning. Nor recommending it to anyone. Sad… it’s sort of a cute place.