I have lived in Sunset Hill for almost 21 years. Walter can be a grumpy old man, but give him time, hes a softie deep down. I went to Picolinos this morning for a soy latte and it was pretty bad, in favor of them I will blame that on their use of Pacific soy (EW.) The barista was very friendly and chatty though. Walters gets bonus points for the afternoon pastry discount (is he still doing that?), the ice cream, the casual atmosphere, and the lemon aide! Picolinos does have those delicious fresh pastries and adorable polka dot mugs. Oh, and I know that they have a new chef, but I went there with my family during the opening week... we found it over priced, loud, and not very tasty. They did have a decent wine list though.

Laura,
Give Walter time.He'll piss you off sooner or later.
But he's lovable in a weird way and good for the
village.

Laura,
Give Walter time.He'll piss you off sooner or later.
But he's lovable in a weird way and good for the
village.
Meanwhile..try the drip coffee and pastries
across the street the nice warm smile of the
baristas..very nice surprise.

I've been going to Walter's for some time precisely because I find the baristas so friendly and interesting to talk to! I've never found Walter to be rude. Maybe he's not very chatty, but he's always been polite. I go out of my way to be friendly and can rarely think of a time when I've been rebuffed.

History teaches us that, sometimes, the worst of enemies become the best of friends.
Wouldn't it be nice if Tom and Walter could join forces and come up with a busniess plan that would benefit the citizens of the local community? Maybe Rain City Video, Gene's barber shop and the Green Grocer could be included in the mix too.
(From Barney my daughter's favorite show.)
It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to everyone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

Ballard resident for a 4 years, stopped going to Walter's after first 6 months. Anyone that's worked in retail/ service knows customer service is king. Walter was rude to my wife and rude to me a completely separate occasion...
New decor, fresher pastries won't change his crappy service and attitude.
Sorry.

went to picolino's cafe this morning. fantastic latte, and AMAZING apple tart thingy that they made in house. very happy with the place

In this vein, I'll pose suggestions for Walter's:

1) Redo on the interior/atmosphere
2) Refresh on the pastry and maybe some other breakfast assortment
2) Keep the Ice Cream thing going
3) Keep the good beans and pour

And I like the crotchety old Walter-thing! Key above would be the use of space for the atmosphere. Feel like I'm in my friends garage getting loaded on beans sometimes which makes me scamper quicker.

Sounds like some good feedback on the coffee at Picolinos. I'll give it a run.

I can't stop: service on the restaurant side pre/post chefs blows! Pick it up, please!

Fine latte,good beans and good foam.
Fabulous drip coffee in
push pots. Walter owns the scene up
here but this is very good coffee.Nice
seating too.

Qualisha:

Don't know when you went but I think there was something on myballard saying that Picolinos wasn't happy with their chef and were bringing in one from Italy...or something like that. That in itself is great to hear....so many times restaurants don't make the changes and then end up closing up shop in a year or two. At least this says that they want to do whatever it takes to make this place great. Kudos to them!

I didn't like the food at all when Picolinos first opened...we actually were so disappointed that we didn't go back. But after hearing about the new chefs and menu we tried it again this week and we were amazed at the difference. We thought the pasta and salads were great, and the service was much improved. We'll be back, and look forward to trying the espresso bar too. I really like to support local businesses but I also have had bad experiences with the customer service at Walter's, and they don't have a great variety of baked goods.

I went back to Piccolino to give it another chance. It's no better, even with 2 new chefs. It just doesn't seem to be professionally run. There are problems with service and food quality (pizza not doen in the middle, chicken swimming in olive oil).

Is the Picolino's Cafe open the same hours that Walter's is?

Is the Picolino's Cafe open the same hours that Walter's is?

I tried out the cafe early this morning on their second day open. The friendly barista, also a ballardite, served me the perfect cappachino. Her and I had a nice chat as well. This place hits the mark for a nice, relaxing place to sit and have a coffee + croissant, and read the paper to start your day. Job well done.

foo, i am with you on walter. try asking for a drip and see what kind of response you get. or a decaf if you are feeling quite masochistic that day.

however, i am no spokes person for picolinos, but i do like Tom a lot, and i do want them to succeed.

the food wasn't great when it first opened. i think everyone (including tom) knew that. they have changed it up, and brought in a bone a fide pizza chef.

if you don't want to go back..., your call, but for the record, it has changed, so maybe give it another shot.

Well I really like Picolinos. I enjoyed my dinner & the price is the same as if you ate at the other neighborhood Italian restaurants in Ballard. And I agree with foo, "Walter" hurts Walter's business.

*Walter* hurts Walter's business. I'm so tired of getting an angry look when I walk in the door and *bother* him or his staff by actually wanting to buy something from him. I'll be giving Pic's cafe a try soon (tho won't be back to the restaurant any time soon, too $$ and bad!).

I hope the new cafe doesn't hut Walter's business.

Stopped in today and had an AMAZING brownie and some friendly chat in a lovely, warm atmosphere.

Picolinos is a great addition to the neighborhood, and Tom has already become a great supporter of our neighborhood schools.

Bravo -- may Picolinos live long and prosper!!

I've tried Picolino's twice. Both times were very disappointing. Its ashame that a neighborhood restaurant is so pricey for such mediocre food. I hope the coffee shop is better.

Hung out, had a GOOD cup of coffee and had a chat. I like it.

They serve Cafe Umbria espresso.
We got two drinks: an americano and a latte. Both were good.