Established 1954 Food type Greasy Spoon | Current owner(s) Chris Dalton Street address 7311 Aurora Ave N State Washington | |
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Beth's Cafe is a 24-hour restaurant in Seattle, Washington. Located on Aurora Avenue North in the Green Lake neighborhood, it is known largely for its "greasy spoon" cuisine and large portions. Beth's opened in 1954 and remains much the same despite a small fire in the late 1990s.
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Beth's Cafe is popular among young Seattle residents during late-night hours. The walls are covered in artwork produced by the patrons and quotes such as "I lost my virginity at Beth's" and "Pre-Game for Beth's" accompanied by a depiction of a young man smoking out of a bong.
The restaurant was featured on a Travel Channel program that showcased the best places in the country to "pig-out". The restaurant and its "Southwestern Exposure" 12-egg omelette challenge were featured on the February 11, 2009, episode of Man v. Food. The cafe is also noted in Seattle guidebooks by Lonely Planet, Moon Publications and others.
History
In 1954, Beth's Cafe was opened by Beth and Harold Eisenstadt. It started out as a nickel slot gambling parlor but transformed into a restaurant to keep customers around.
On June 1, 1998, the cafe had to be temporarily shut down after some cardboard in a dumpster behind the restaurant unexpectedly caught fire and caused substantial structural damage.
In 2002, Chris Dalton (owner of the now-closed Hurricane Cafe in downtown Seattle) answered a classified ad selling Beth's and became the latest owner of the breakfast eatery. After Dalton's purchase, Beth's started to add home baked goods, many previously frozen and canned ingredients were switched over to fresh ingredients (such as meats, chili, corned beef hash, etc.), and vegetarian options became available. Beth's is famous for its wide array of breakfast food, accounting for 80 percent of its business. Beth's runs through more than 450,000 eggs per year. In 2014, Beth's celebrated its fortieth anniversary with weekly specials that included 1950's pricing and hosted a 1950's themed party.
12 egg omelette
Beth's Cafe is well known for its 12 egg omelette. There are six varieties of their omelettes, with the "Triple Bypass", a mixture of bacon, sausage, ham, and two types of cheese, being the most popular. The 12 egg omelettes are served on a pizza tray with all you can eat hash browns and toast and is intended for sharing. Prizes are not awarded for finishing the 12 egg omelette.
In a 2009 episode of Man v. Food, host Adam Richman took part in the 12 egg omelette challenge. Richman and a previous omelette challenge winner competed to finish a Southwestern Exposure 12 egg omelette (filled with cheddar, sour cream, salsa, and brisket chili). Richman and his competitor could not finish the omelette. After the Man vs. Food episode aired there was a significant rise in business that sometimes resulted in an hour and a half wait times for patrons.