For two decades, we’ve had the joy of baking for Geraldine’s Counter. Since the Columbia City favorite opened in 2005, our bread and baked goods have been part of countless breakfasts, lunches, and celebrations at the corner diner that became a neighborhood institution almost overnight.

Geraldine’s has a gift for making the classics feel fresh. Though they’re famous for their French toast — crisp outside, custardy within — it’s hard to resist their pancakes. And those are just two of many temptations: cage-free eggs, hash browns, and toast in various combinations, fluffy omelets, the signature egg casserole, biscuits and gravy, and corned-beef hash. Then there’s lunch! Don’t overlook the chop salads or meatloaf sandwich.

On weekends, families, friends, and neighbors crowd the brightly colored, big-windowed room. If there’s a line, the Geraldine’s team keeps it moving with grace and a smile. Many a friendship has been formed while waiting. The weekday pace eases slightly, but the welcome never does. At every turn, what keeps guests returning is care.

That care starts with ingredients. Geraldine’s turns to local producers, Macrina among them, choosing the finest, freshest goods the region offers. “I think the people who are a part of it make it special,” Seattle hoops legend Jamal Crawford told Seattle Met when naming Geraldine’s his pick for the city’s best breakfast. “It just has this vibrant, community feel. You can see some of everybody in there, and it’s just all kinds of people mingling and interacting.”

The restaurant’s spirit is inseparable from co-founder Gary Snyder, Columbia City’s unofficial “mayor,” who died in May 2023. Snyder believed restaurants should build community, and Geraldine’s still embodies his vision. His warmth still radiates through the room.

Gary’s co-founder and business partner Stacey Hettinger spoke with the Seattle Times about opening in Columbia City, saying that “a community with a diversity of young and old families, mixed races and languages” was essential to the mission. Two decades on, Geraldine’s continues to fulfill that promise.

We congratulate Geraldine’s Counter on twenty years of doing the simple things beautifully and feeding Columbia City, and visitors from across Seattle, with heart. Cheers to the next twenty.

Visit their website for hours and location.