Cafe Aura At Sunset

I find myself here for lunch fairly often, but I can’t say it’s for the food or the prices. This may or may not be the only place to purchase food near this office complex that doesn’t require the use of a car and I also may or may not bus to this office and may or may not forget to bring a lunch often when I am here… Anyways, you’ll find a selection of sandwiches, salads and soups that most small cafes catering to an office café might carry. I have so far only ordered the sandwiches and salads. Both options involve over-​paying for a lunch that just doesn’t cut it. Over eight dollars for a medium-​sized sandwich that I could probably recreate at home after finding all the ingredients at QFC? It’s not that satisfying. The salads fall in to more or less the same category. If this place were located around any sort of competition, I doubt that I would continue to visit. Part of me feels bad being so critical because the staff is quite possibly the nicest and friendliest I’ve ever encountered (they seem to remember every regular as well as their orders). That being said, their general disposition only raises this establishment from 2.5 stars to 3 stars. I’ll be back, but only out of sheer convenience

It’s close to work. Some of the daily specials are great (chicken teriyaki) and some are just overpriced for so-​so food (soup and sandwich days).
Some of their food is fantasticly home-​cooked, and some strikes me as heated-​off-​the-​Sysco-​truck even though maybe it isn’t.
It’s a little far from my office to make the walk all the time, and so I don’t. Also, the fact that it’s ~$ 6 PLUS a drink often keeps me from going. I can buy something to chuck in the microwave for $ 3. and then I know exactly what i’m getting. Café Aura has been a little hit or miss.
Finally, they REALLY made me angry right after I started going there. They will email you the daily-​special menu once a month if you ask them to (great!) However, they do so by putting their entire email list in the To: line, therefore revealing everyone to everyone else (NOOOOOOOO!) Seriously. Do they use AOL?

The complex I work in is oddly situated in Bellevue/​Factoria area and in order to go anywhere you have to wait about 209 834 hours at the 2 390 420 834 lights that seem to be everywhere there is food. Thankfully, Café Aura is in the building I work in which means despite the people who insist on taking an elevator from floor to floor (seriously people, there are stairs), the commute to this coffee/​deli establishment is quite short.
I’ve gotten coffee here a few times and sandwiches on a few occasions. The sandwiches (which seem slightly on the expensive side) are well worth what you pay. The fillings are abundant, fresh and otherwise tasty.
The coffee is good, too. I don’t like the ice they use for their iced drinks… it’s the shaved ice type stuff that melts really fast and makes drinks watery, but otherwise I’m a fan.
Plus, the people that work there seem to be really nice and are very efficient. They remember lots of people’s names and drinks which is always nice.