West Seattle business news: The Bohemian has closed

Rod December 13, 2010 (3:12 pm)

Terrible news…we loved the Bohemian!

Dawn December 13, 2010 (3:16 pm)

oh no! not another beloved west seattle restaurant… when will it stop?!?! so sad!

squareeyes December 13, 2010 (3:17 pm)

I was quite fond of Boho as well, going 3-4 times per month. They’ve been really busy every time I’ve gone in the last couple of months so thought they were at least getting by. Sad.

TD December 13, 2010 (3:20 pm)

Gah! Not the Bohemian! I loved that place, and the owners were great. Damned economy – you’re why we can’t have nice things!

I. Ponder December 13, 2010 (3:21 pm)

I ate there for the first time about a week ago and it became my favorite West Seattle eatery. Excellent food, service, and atmosphere.

mama2papa December 13, 2010 (3:26 pm)

DAMN!!! The smokey blue cheese pasta was the BEST!

funkietoo December 13, 2010 (3:32 pm)

Sad. I took liked them for all the same reasons.

Scar December 13, 2010 (3:33 pm)

Good. That place was so overpriced.

marty December 13, 2010 (3:34 pm)

That’s too bad! Ate there for the first time last week and it was excellent.

Ed December 13, 2010 (3:39 pm)

Weird…they just celebrated their two year anniversary. I kind of knew something was up when Prost right next door was always jam packed, and the Bohemian was mostly empty.

Jiggers December 13, 2010 (3:44 pm)

Apparently the beloved restaurant didn’t have enough cutomers to stay open.

Libertybell December 13, 2010 (3:45 pm)

This is sad news. We have worked with the Bohemian starting before they opened. Jason and the crew has always been great to work with. It is sad to see another business have to shut their doors.
Best wishes and good luck in the future to the Boho crew. You will be missed.

Maria December 13, 2010 (3:47 pm)

Bummer! The servers were really nice. And I still have a gift certificate to there…

Cali December 13, 2010 (3:54 pm)

Boo! I loved this place. I was sad when I saw they stopped serving brunch and now this. I thought they would be able to weather the economic climate. :(

boho December 13, 2010 (3:54 pm)

Lynne was the best host/bartender in WS, and the Boho had some of the best food in the area. Will miss this place :(

squareeyes December 13, 2010 (3:56 pm)

Coincidently, I just had a conversation a few days ago about how Prost is always packed, but we never go there because they don’t have much in the way of food other than sausages & sauerkraut. We thought that if Bohemian were to ever close, Prost should take over that space, and add a full menu.

@Scar – I don’t think they were overpriced for the quantity and quality of food served. I took home half or just split a meal with someone else most of the time and it was always satisfying.

crystal December 13, 2010 (3:57 pm)

This makes me incredibly sad, this literally was my favorite restaurant! I hate how hard it is for unique little places like this to stay in business :( My sincere condolences go to the owners, it really was an amazing place.
Oh and, I hope everyone got to at least try the yam fries with lavender honey because they were heavenly!!

Scar ~ independent business owners loose their dream and you feel the need to make a rude comment, classy

GaryGnu42 December 13, 2010 (4:12 pm)

Isn’t it curious how easy it is to blame the economy, conveniently ignoring the fact that plenty of new businesses are thriving including food places. The two times I went to the Bohemian I found the food OK but not worth writing home about. Some of it was sort of strange. The Bohemian probably closed because it wasn’t managed sufficiently for them to turn a profit. Pure and simple. If the economy was involved it was just that when dollars are tight mediocre places like this just can’t squeak by as long as they might in boom times.
)
Seems like the only business that can’t blame its difficulties on the economy is the one headquartered at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

ellenater December 13, 2010 (4:14 pm)

I am going to miss this place too. Agreed on the yam fries, and they always knew how to pair things really well. I will never forget the brownie (which was like no other brownie) I had there with some firesteed pinot noir; super happy mouth party. Thanks Bohemian and sorry! Good luck in all your future endeavors!

Scar December 13, 2010 (4:17 pm)

Crystal: Believe it or not, not everything is great. And some places go out of business for a reason. It’s not unclassy to have an opinion. Bet you loved the gourmet cuisine at Table 35, too!

James December 13, 2010 (4:22 pm)

“The Bohemian probably closed because it wasn’t managed sufficiently for them to turn a profit. Pure and simple.”

Bingo. Prost right next door seems to be doing fine. Restaurants are a vicious, unforgiving business. It’s not enough do it because you love it, it’s got to be run to make money, and to constantly work on ways to improve food, service, and ambiance. Didn’t seem like the Boho was driven to do that.

shihtzu December 13, 2010 (4:35 pm)

Ahhh man! The Bohemian was one of my favorite places. Unlike any other place.

Beth December 13, 2010 (4:40 pm)

Where was this place? We frequent so many WS cool places. Never heard or saw; did they promote themselves?

Sierra December 13, 2010 (4:44 pm)

So sad to hear this! The Boho had great drinks, great food, and was one of the MOST kid-friendly restaurants in West Seattle. Our family went there as often as we could, and Lynne, Erick, and Jason were gems.

For the record, I haven’t spent a dime in Prost in over a year when I realized that the servers practically ignore anyone of the female gender. Their service is poor, the food options are a joke, and the ambiance is like a frat house. Yeah, they have great beer, but so does Metro Market.

It’s always a shame to see restaurants that care so little for the community succeed when others who are invested totally fail.

on board December 13, 2010 (4:46 pm)

“Prost right next door seems to be doing fine.”

Maybe two German restaurants next to each other was part of the problem?

crystal December 13, 2010 (4:50 pm)

Ahh Scar, breaking out a Table 35 comment, Im insulted! I wasn’t blaming you for your taste in restaurants, just for your need to say “good” to the loss of someone’s hard work.

It looks like most people here will miss this place, I guess we should have done a better job of promoting it huh?! Im craving the yam fries even as I type this… Good luck to the owners and crew, Im sure you have great things ahead of you!

Jack December 13, 2010 (4:52 pm)

Jason is a great guy and chef…I am sure he will move on to bigger and better things. We will miss them and those Garnet fries (how about a french fry truck ala Marination?)

Stranker December 13, 2010 (4:59 pm)

I am sorry to see anyone’s business close, but come on! The food was not very good, the prices were high, the portions small and on at least one occasion the service was horrible.

I am not sure if I just described Bohemian or black board? Blackboard should look to spring hill and Bakery Nouveau, expensive smaller portions can work then they should look at Bohemian and ignore the “its the economy” comments.

Good restaurants thrive in west seattle. Bad ones close. Sorry, but its true.

squareeyes December 13, 2010 (5:05 pm)

Prost is not a restaurant, it’s a bar that sells a small variety of food.
Bohemian had an eclectic menu, but nothing German that I can recall.

Under_Achiever December 13, 2010 (5:07 pm)

I’ve been a resident of West Seattle for nigh on 13 years now and remember when restaurant choices were limited, at best. Now, dozens of very good diners beckon us to stop by, nosh and drink — even good ones go out of business. We’ll miss the Bohemian and at the same time enjoy Shadowland, Circa, Joe’s, Eats, Abodonza, Mashiko, Buddha Ruska, Jak’s, Cactus, La Rustica, Korkoras, Lee’s, Duke’s, Ephesus (our favorite), Guadalajara, Matador, Spring Hill, etc. etc, etc… Heck, choice is good — restaurant saturization has occured.

Chris December 13, 2010 (5:14 pm)

It always seemed to me to be a bit too “precious”, lacking the hang out factor. Besides that it is a tragic end to a dream…so sad for the owners and a definite loss for the community.

seaview December 13, 2010 (5:33 pm)

Just celebrated my birthday there friday night, enjoyed the music, creme broulee & many delic drinks. I’ll miss you Bohemian!

Bluesmom December 13, 2010 (5:36 pm)

oh, I was heading there tonight! I am crushed…a major loss for the ‘hood

Jill December 13, 2010 (5:38 pm)

Noooooooo!!! No no no no… :(

Silly Goose December 13, 2010 (5:39 pm)

This is horrible, I was just heading there to purchase a gift card for my parents!! So sad they have closed.

Cait December 13, 2010 (6:00 pm)

NOOO!!! :( I loved them…

Jim December 13, 2010 (6:01 pm)

I only went there once. They sat us next to a very loud and obnoxious group. We were the only two parties in the place. They waitress never even offered to seat us elsewhere and never apologized. Other than that, it was a great place. However, the small details make all the difference. The restaurant business is very competitive and there are a lot of choices. If you have a staff that is not customer services oriented you’re finished – plain and simple.

Special K December 13, 2010 (6:08 pm)

What a shame. My wife & I loved breakfast there. The W Seattle selection keeps getting thinner. : (

mightymo December 13, 2010 (6:12 pm)

We went there a couple of times, once for brunch and once for dinner. We were underwhelmed on our breakfast, but we tried again. Dinner was tasty enough, and those yam fries with the lavender honey were very nice. I had a great burger.

But their burgers were $14! The Happy Hour discount brings that down to $12, but that’s a lot for a burger in a neighborhood where options range Zippy’s to the $17 Spring Hill version with a lot of $10-ish options in the middle.

Also, they always seemed to want to sit us on those tall chairs/tables in the back that were sort of uncomfortable. Maybe that place was nice when it was more crowded, but I think they might have drawn more folks in with a reasonable Happy Hour menu. Still, I hope another restaurant tries out that space because it’s nice and big. Or do I dare wish for a Trader Joe’s?

E December 13, 2010 (6:28 pm)

Maybe it had something to do with the terrible service. The only time I ever walked in there the staff ignored me and my husband for 20 minutes until we left. And it wasn’t even crowded. Never found out if the food was any good or not.

SarahScoot December 13, 2010 (6:44 pm)

E, similar occurrence with me, my husband, and two friends of ours when we tried to dine there one evening. All four of us have worked in the service industry, and my dad’s a chef, so we’re quite understanding when a restaurant is busy or understaffed. However, this particular evening it was not. Nearly all of the two-seater tables were available, but the few four-tops were full. We told the hostess we’d be fine with pushing two two-tops together. She looked displeased with this request and said she’d have to check. Off she went to the back, near the bar, to consult with a waiter. They appeared to be arguing, and continued to “discuss” the matter for many minutes.
We finally gave up and went down the street to Mission, where we were greeted warmly and seated promptly. I don’t mind waiting for a table when necessary, but to make patrons wait simply because the right kind of table isn’t open, when no one else is waiting? Unacceptable.
None of our group of four ever did go back after that night, even though we heard the food was decent; a restaurant that doesn’t want to seat guests is automatically ruled out as an option for me. I have many other options in West Seattle for delicious food with prompt and friendly service (or at least the willingness and courtesy to acknowledge when service is lacking).

Krystal December 13, 2010 (6:53 pm)

Well said GaryGnu42.

Dwight Gaut December 13, 2010 (7:22 pm)

I am so sorry to hear they are closed. I spent a memorable evening there when Victor Janusz was playing the piano. The menu included a number of noshes that were the perfect accompaniment to an evening of wine and music. The Bohemian introduced a number of elements that were unique to West Seattle dining and I will miss them.

kumalavula December 13, 2010 (7:40 pm)

jason did one tremendous job of bringing to our community and peninsula some of the best, most lovingly prepared food that was available in the area. for those of you who don’t know, he’s a highly trained but incredibly humble chef who worked like crazy to make this venture work. i agree that it’s downright unfair to see places like this succumb to economic and assorted other pressures when other establishments in the vicincity with lesser quality food/options have lines out the door. those who frequented the bohemian will know what i mean: we’ve lost a dear friend in more ways than one.

Barb W December 13, 2010 (8:09 pm)

Seriously bummed! I got some of the best lamb chops I have ever had at the Boho! And the gin martini was always done perfectly. We also argued over whose burger was better – Springhill or Bohemian. Jason is a great guy and a wonderful chef; He was so welcoming to our 2 year old son making him special mac and cheeses, and other delicious things that appeal to a little kids palette. Look forward to seeing where he lands next so I can follow him there.

Catering? Let me know how to contact you Jason.

kc December 13, 2010 (8:51 pm)

Dang, I drove by 1000s of times, but never made it in and now I regret it. It sounds like the place was great. I’m going to challenge all my friends to stay on this side of the bridge before we lose more great WS establishments.

anonymous December 13, 2010 (10:04 pm)

@Stranker:
Not sure what you’re implying with the Blackboard Bistro comment. We’ve heard nothing but fabulous, positive comments from folks that have been there not once, but multiple repeat visits. We’ve personally dined there multiple times. The food is always fantastic…Jacob is an amazing chef and mixes up the menu often to keep it interesting. Tish and the rest of the team are always friendly, prompt and apologetic for delays when they’re busy. The place has been packed every time we’ve been there which is a sign others in the community love it as much as we do! Plus, what you get is a great value when you see how cost effective the bill is. The name your price, small plate menu is a great option for keeping the dining experience fun while recognizing what folks can afford in our current economy. This is our new favorite regular restaurant in West Seattle!

To the team at Bohemian, it’s sad to see you or any local business close. It is small, local businesses that make the West Seattle community so unique and livable. We all need to remember to support local as much as possible to maintain the unique fabric that makes West Seattle home!

neighborly December 13, 2010 (10:50 pm)

Loved that place. Great service, familly-friendly, great atmosphere and delicious food in a variety of portion sizes. They always served up some goldfish crackers for my restless son within minutes of being seated. We loved the meatballs and lambchops and desserts. Sorry to lose you!

3dogslater December 14, 2010 (12:47 am)

So sad..I loved the Bohemian! iF YOU HAVE ARTWORK THERE How does one retrieve it?

charlabob December 14, 2010 (6:50 am)

We loved the Bohemian — the people, THE FOOD, the atmosphere. In fact, I was looking forward to my second annual (2nd) birthday party there in January. Jason and Eric, where have you gone? And where will you turn up next. (I told you WSB readers and participants love you — are you reading (most of) this?)

Tony S December 14, 2010 (7:10 am)

Excellent breakfasts. Particularly their crepes. I will miss them.

CM December 14, 2010 (7:24 am)

I am so sad! This was one of my favorites! Yam fries, BBQ meatballs, raclette, amazing blue cheese pasta. Please can we get the recipe for that pasta!

Good luck Jason and Eric. You will be severely missed in this household and in the community.

barb December 14, 2010 (7:27 am)

I can think of plenty of great Seattle joints that have closed down. O2 for instance. Personally, I have NEVER had a good experience at Circa yet they stay open. Sometimes its not about the food or the service. o2 closing, circa staying open in a prime example.

Anyway, we do have lots of decent resturants – Springhill is above and beyond anything else is West Seattle. But I also love Jaks, Mission, West Five, Fresh, Mishika, Elliot Bay, etc.

Drew and Rebecca December 14, 2010 (7:45 am)

We will miss you Bohemian!

alex December 14, 2010 (8:17 am)

Rats! I loved their burger. There was a decent crowd in there during my last two visits. This saddens me.

Anonymous December 14, 2010 (8:32 am)

I went to the Bohemian twice, both times I was completely underwhelmed. The portions were small, the wine pouring was minimal at best and the prices were VERY high for what was received, especially in comparrison to other resuraunts in the area. I never went back and I apologize to those that love this place, but I won’t miss it.

Rod December 14, 2010 (8:59 am)

@stranker, why do I have the feeling you’ve never eaten at Boho or Blackboard? Both have/had excellent food (crabcakes? mac & cheese?) and Boho in particular served very large portions…I’ve always had to take some home. This is West Seattle, pal, not every place is going to be like Spring Hill. Actually I would be happy if Spring Hill is the only place of its kind over here. Boho was comfort food with great cocktails, pure and simple. The owners and staff were awesome every time we went. Will miss them.

DMC December 14, 2010 (9:57 am)

So sad to hear this. It was our favorite “date night” restaurant. We enjoyed the staff and the food was always a delight. Those fries… And the dessert! I am certain the folks from Bohemian are going to end up doing something else amazing. Best of luck to them all.

sassy December 14, 2010 (10:30 am)

I am so sad! Will miss your sweet potatoe fries & atmosphere. What a drag.

sassy December 14, 2010 (10:42 am)

omg – spelled potato wrong. my bad.

Lisa December 14, 2010 (11:13 am)

I was shocked to hear the news of this unique gem closing so suddenly. We have always had superb service, great food, and Jason is one in a million. He always took time to come out and greet our table, and had such a kind, welcoming demeanor. I know bigger and better things are on the horizon for you all. But damn, I’ll miss those amazing crab cakes and lavender lemon drops! We’ll miss you, Boho!

alki_2008 December 14, 2010 (12:32 pm)

Considering the suddenness of the shutdown, then one might consider that it wasn’t just the business aspect of the business that caused the place to close. Just saying that there a lot of other factors that could have caused the place to close.

Jiggers December 14, 2010 (1:58 pm)

Maybe Gordon Ramsey could have saved it.

Deb_Portland December 14, 2010 (2:17 pm)

NNNOOOOOOO! We are ex-West Seattlites now living in Portland who spent many evenings at the Bohemian. We will be in Seattle next week for Xmas and we were so looking forward to going to the Bohemian again. Best wishes to the owners.

mark s. December 14, 2010 (3:37 pm)

To me, a great loss. Honestly if I lived a little closer, it might’ve been my second home. Always had great food, great service, great drinks. And while it wasn’t the cheapest, I never felt remotely ripped off. I don’t know how many people I pitched them to. Bummer.

AK December 14, 2010 (8:28 pm)

Usually I find the closure of local businesses a tragedy. I do all of my eating and shopping on this side of the bridge despite my proximity to Pike Place during work hours. I love West Seattle and our eclectic, friendly, and tasty options for eating out, and had been very excited about The Bohemian at one point. However, some inexcusably bad service during a fairly empty night ruined the anticipation and scared me away for good along with a pack of friends. I understand that many people loved the place enough to become regulars, but I didn’t make it past the doorway and subsequent cold personalities on the clock that night before deciding I wouldn’t go back. Reading the reviews on Yelp made me feel less like the product of some isolated experience too. Thankfully, the businesses that thrive in the West are always at least as friendly as they are delicious.

dubbydoo December 14, 2010 (11:05 pm)

Very sorry for their loss more than mine. Several times we were turned away at the door as they were not prepared for the business they obviously were able to generate due to their good food! Best wishes on their next venture.

BillyReuben December 15, 2010 (12:00 am)

The Bohemian will be missed! Great food, great atmosphere, and great service! Period. Word on the street is, but you ain’t heard this from me, is the staff had no idea this was going on! Holidays around the corner? Sad all the way around! I love West Seattle

Gina December 15, 2010 (6:54 am)

So sad! This was our favorite date night spot. Best Sangria I have ever had! I will miss Jason and the crew and the most amazing sweet potato fries ever :(

lucky t December 15, 2010 (9:54 am)

Boho was Vienna to Prost’s Berlin. Used to love the place until one night, while leaving, someone was road-raging, driving about 5 feet from our bumper. When we pulled over to let them pass, he pulled alongside us to yell at us, apparenly we had tapped his bumper while pulling out. It was then I noticed it was the pierced-faced, cock-eyed-ballcap-wearing, just-off-duty kitchen staff who’d been sitting next to us doing shots and beers. I told the kid I’d never spend another dime in the place.

Dawn December 15, 2010 (10:17 am)

: (

Jason Douros December 15, 2010 (10:44 am)

Wow, so sad to hear they are closing. Me and some friends had gotten into the rhythm of hanging there and talking all spiritual like. Great atmosphere. We started at Prost, but it wasn’t a great scene for discussion. Nothing wrong with Prost…just not for us.

As a former business owner who had to close this year (Revolution Coffee), I can say it is not helpful to hear some of the “mismanagement” and theories on WHY the closure. Fact of the matter is…anytime a business closes it is complex set of factors that only the owners understand. Cut them a break, keep your theories private, and mourn the loss of their child with them.

Later you can get together and bash on them…in private.

Jason, so sorry to see the place go. You were the only one who understood the beauty of New Belgium 1554 on permanent tap. Loved the place and West Seattle is poorer for the passing of a unique and wonderful dinning stop. My biggest regret is not finding her sooner. Hope to see a new venture in the future.

Hang in there man, it sucks really bad, but it gets better after a bit…or so I’ve been told :-(=

Sue December 15, 2010 (11:53 am)

We were there once for dinner and a handful of times for brunch, and it was nice to have as a dining option. Whatever their reason for closing, I’m sorry it had to happen. Guess my husband won’t be playing keyboards there afterall next month, as originally scheduled. :(

Julie December 16, 2010 (8:49 am)

so sad. It was one of our favorite places to go on a Thursday or Friday night. Great burger, the best yam fries, and friendly! Big bummer for WS.

foody December 16, 2010 (6:40 pm)

Lynn was such a great bartender; she always knew my favorite drink. Very creative, the best asset to the bar.

food. December 16, 2010 (7:33 pm)

Lynne is such a great bartende,she always knew my favorite drink. Very creative . The best asset

To the bar!!!!!!!!

stafff December 18, 2010 (5:14 pm)

Employee. Had. No noticed of the Bo closing! !!””!!!!!!!!;

Lewis December 22, 2010 (12:47 am)

So why did they REALLY close? Did the brother’s get a divorce? Was there a family tragedy, or something? I liked the place.

no love on v-day December 28, 2010 (5:16 pm)

Just heard about this and am surprised it took so long. I agree, if a place is good and has good service, it can survive a weak economy.

We went for Valentine’s day last year and it was almost empty. Service was horrible — we were practically ignored — and our server left in the middle of our meal without saying anything. The new server (also the bartender) had to be flagged down before he even noticed we were there. Strangely, the table on the other side of the room had none of these problems. The food was okay, but overpriced and the wine pours were small.

Hopefully a fabulous place will move in. It’s a nice location.