SEATTLE — A beloved waterfront café in Seattle is celebrating 25 years in business.
Agua Verde Café at the University of Washington opened in 1998 with a handful of tables and a New Mexican menu.
These days, it can seat more than 100 guests and serves authentic Mexican cuisine.
But one thing has never changed: the view of Portage Bay.
"You see the houseboats right across, you see the University Bridge going up and down, you see crew boats going by, you see seaplanes flying down,” said owner Travis Rosenthal. “It's a really special spot.”
Long before he owned the café, he was a customer and fan.
“I lived across the water when I first moved to Seattle in the late '90's and used to kayak over here and loved Agua Verde for years, and then had the opportunity to purchase it in 2019,” Rosenthal said.
His first move as owner? Making sure the long-time staff remained. Some employees have worked at Agua since the beginning.
Sergio Gaytan Martinez started as a busser when he was 15 years old.
"I'm the general manager for the café,” Gaytan Martinez said. “I honestly never thought I'd be in these shoes and it's been an incredible journey… (The staff is) truly my family and I don't know what I would do without Agua."
Rosenthal did make some changes to the restaurant itself. He ripped out a wall and built a new bar with views of the water.
Seating expanded to the lower level in an outdoor area with a food truck called the Marina Cantina.
During the pandemic, they developed canned cocktails for to-go orders.
The menu was also revamped to feature more fresh and elevated options, including tortilla made from scratch.
Chef Rogelio Reynoso was passionate about making authentic tortillas using Mexican heirloom corn. The corn is flown in, ground down and formed into fresh tortillas every day.
"There really is a difference,” Rosenthal said.
Summer is the café’s busiest time, but UW faculty and students are steady customers during the colder months. Gaytan Martinez said some regulars are generations of the same families.
"It's almost cliche, but it's home,” he said. "That's the kind of experience that Agua provides, it's just that home base."
Agua Verde Café is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner (no reservations, walk-in only.) Marina Cantina is open Monday – Friday from 5 p.m. – closing, and Saturday – Sunday from noon – closing. Both are located at 1303 NE Boat Street. Street parking is nearby, and there are two boat slips for customers who come via Portage Bay.
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