Home › Forums › West Seattle Food › West Seattle restaurants suck
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June 30, 2013 at 7:52 am #792685
2 Much WhineParticipantIt’s all about perspective. I can’t wait to get back to our “mediocre” restaurant mecca. I am three weeks away from returning from a 9 month assignment in Brindisi, Italy. Brindisi is a nice town of about 150K people. The Italian food is incredible – it’s REALLY good. But in Southern Italy we have the choice of Italian, Italian or Italian. Seriously. In this large port city there is not one Mexican, Indian or Thai restaurant. There is one average Chinese restaurant in this town and we recently found a single decent Greek restaurant. Forget about BBQ or Pho. My ex-landlord summed it up nicely when he was asked why he knew all the best Italian restaurants in Prague, Athens and Amsterdam. He said “why eat anything but Italian? It’s the best food in the world!”. He might be right but variety is the spice of life and I’m ready for a real breakfast, a real burger and ANY kind of Mexican food. West Seattle has all that and more. Don’t get me wrong, that lack of outside influences in cuisine is one of the things that makes this place special but it is also what makes me miss my home in WS.
June 30, 2013 at 5:26 pm #792686
JimmyGMemberI thank my lucky stars that I no longer live in Federal Way where my eating options were limited to Red Robin, Billy McHales, the VIllage Inn (OK decent breakfasts there), Applebees, Azteca, and a zillion bad teriyaki joints.
Long live the wide range of non-chain choices I have here in WS. If the places I frequent here in WS are mediocre then I’ll take this mediocre over what I had in South Hill Puyallup or Federal Way ANY day of the week.
July 1, 2013 at 6:15 pm #792687
F16CrewChiefMemberYeah, West Seattle food sucks. I long for the chain of fast food joints like in Kent and Federal Way. A neighborhood of 90,000 and we serverly lack a Burger King or a Wendy’s. Better yet, we should have two or three each…LOL. Okay, just kidding of course. As someone who travels a lot, and is actually currently in Santiago, Chile as I type, West Seattle is home for me and the food in my opinion is fantastic. I’m not going to sit here and name all the restaurants I like, but there is a lot. I kept hearing how great food is in Santiago, and for the most part, it is. But you have to travel from one end of town to the other to find what you’re looking for. A little ceviche and a Pisco Sour is great down here. But, when it comes to finding anything beyond that, good luck. West Seattle is great in my opinion for diverse selections. We could use a Brazilian joint and an Argentinian. Nonetheless, West Seattle Rocks and thats all I have left to say:-)
July 2, 2013 at 12:04 am #792688
Michael WaldoParticipantWhen we moved to WSEA 15 years ago, we went downtown to get good food. Not anymore. We rarely have to leave to eat well. Ephesus is one of the best restaurants in Seattle. Friendly, excellent food, cool decor and now is the time to enjoy their covered outdoor deck. Circa is consistently good. Cactus, in the winter when it is less crazy. Endolyne Joe’s is good, if a little pricey. I ate once at Fresh Bistro and was shocked at the high price for tiny portions. I had to go home and eat afterward. I am happy with our dining out choices over all.
July 2, 2013 at 12:37 am #792689
CountingCoupMemberIs it really an area of foody mediocrity? After traveling I tend to enjoy coming home where I can find a good ethnic or specialized restaurant in such a concentrated area. And that ranges from International traveling or outside of our county… And we are only 10-15 min from downtown to expand the listing. I do admit that I do frequent some restaurants because of the atmosphere and (ahem) beverages ~
July 2, 2013 at 2:50 am #792690
WFMemberthere are a few decent restaurants in ws, dukes is ok, salty’s is fine yet a bit pricey, pailin thai cuisine is good. and i am sure others can name more decent ws establishments.
July 2, 2013 at 4:52 am #792691
datamuseParticipantI don’t know that I’d go so far as to say that they suck, but I honestly can’t name too many WS restaurants that I’d describe as out of this world awesome. Ephesus tops that short list, though admittedly I haven’t tried most of the Italian places. There are a few that I think are a cut above the rest, mainly Mashiko and Bada Bistro. That’s not to say that I think the other places I frequent are bad, but they don’t blow my mind.
And sometimes that’s not what you want. Tonight, for example, I wanted pizza from Proletariat and a beer, and that’s what I got.
I do have to agree that the options seem to fall into just a few categories, though. And when somebody does try something a bit outside the norm, a lot of people are pretty quick to insist that that can’t work here and nobody will want to go. Remember when Bang Bar first opened? I like their current menu and frankly they blow the pants off Buddha Ruska, but I kind of liked when they were trying something a bit different.
July 2, 2013 at 5:05 am #792692
WFMemberpizza anyone?
July 2, 2013 at 5:31 am #792693
HunterGParticipantAnd this is why I cook at home. Not only do I have to worry about mediocre food, and tip for it ( I always tip well, being in the food industry I know bad food is not the servers fault) hubby has food allergies.
I wish there were more places that didn’t look at us funny because we need adjustments to the dish we ordered, then we have to worry if its gonna make him sick when we get it.
Is there any place people know of good for people with food allergies? Peanuts, wheat, milk?
July 2, 2013 at 9:19 am #792694
SueParticipantHunterG, Chaco Canyon is very good with food allergies. They have a binder that you can ask to see that has the full ingredient list of everything they serve. I can’t say how they are with cross contamination if your husband’s allergy is a severe one, but they are very transparent about what they’re serving if asked. It’s a vegan restaurant other than the dairy milk they serve (upon request) for drinks, so at least you won’t have to worry about that.
July 2, 2013 at 3:56 pm #792695
maplesyrupParticipantdatamuse, what restaurants in the Seattle area do blow your mind? (This is not meant to be confrontational, I’m looking for ideas.) The best place I’ve been to in the past few years is Shiro, and it was great, really great, but I don’t know if mind-blowing would describe it.
July 2, 2013 at 4:04 pm #792696
skeeterParticipantMatador has really good food. I’ve never had anything less than a great experience there. Angelina’s is also very good. And Happy Hour all day Sunday.
July 2, 2013 at 6:04 pm #792697
villagegreenMemberThanks everyone for your responses. I really was trying to incite a bit of discussion rather than actually claim all West Seattle restaurants suck. Though, I stand by my claim that most are mediocre. @those that compared West Seattle’s eating options to those of the burbs, it never even occurred to me that favorably comparing the dining options here to Red Robin, Applebees, and Azteca somehow equates to WS restaurants being something more than mediocre. Red Robin, Applebess, and Azteca barely register as more than places where you can put food in your face. Anything in WS that is mediocre beats that by a mile in my opinion. I’m comparing WS to other areas of Seattle. We do live in the city, right?
I guess my question should have been stated more succinctly as, why don’t we have more adventurous dining options where the chef is trying to do something a bit different than what’s already been done here? @datamuse, that’s a good call on the feedback Bang Bar received when they first opened. How dare someone try to do something other than what they perceive to be ‘real‘ Thai food—that is, every other Thai restaurant in WS.
Here’s a list of restaurants around town that I wish had opened in WS: Cafe Presse, The Walrus and the Carpenter, Revel, Dot’s Delicatessen, Green Leaf, Blind Pig Bistro, How to Cook a Wolf, La Carta de Oaxaca. And that’s just a start. None of these are located ‘downtown’. All are located in neighborhoods.
Some stated that although WS has 90,000 residents, we’re mostly a residential neighborhood (which covers a huge area of land). I guess that probably goes quite a way in answering my original question. People living in houses and who have kids tend to eat at home. Maybe once the development in the Junction and Triangle is complete there will be enough density to support more varied dining options. I can’t wait!
July 2, 2013 at 6:16 pm #792698
kgdlgParticipantvillagegreen i do think you make an interesting and valid point in that many of these restaurants are located in “densifying” neighborhoods. at least two on your list are in ballard. while we can all decry the frustrations and problems with density (traffic, parking, etc.) i believe that one of the best things about it is more dining and shopping options. this has absolutely proved true in ballard, and i think it will in west seattle too, but getting there will continue to be painful.
July 2, 2013 at 7:46 pm #792699
sam-cParticipant“Here’s a list of restaurants around town that I wish had opened in WS”
I like your list. you should add Joule to that list. YUM! lots of tasty surprises.
“People living in houses and who have kids tend to eat at home.” you can take kids to Joule; our friends take their 4 year old- (lucky for us, we went on a date night, I don’t think our kid is as much of an adventurous eater.) so just because it’s good, doesn’t mean it’s not family friendly.
July 2, 2013 at 8:32 pm #792700
datamuseParticipantmaplesyrup, I’m actually looking for recommendations myself. The problem is that my husband has very pedestrian tastes (as he would be the first to admit) and so our range of selections is not particularly broad. I’m definitely interested in places that are really-wow-good but not too expensive, especially since I am known to go out to eat without him. ;) Within WS I love Ephesus and Mashiko. I admittedly haven’t been to Phoenecia since they changed their menu, though I did really like it before.
Honestly I would just about kill for a decent Chinese place in WS. Now I am in the ID 2-3 times a week, but still…
July 2, 2013 at 9:00 pm #792701
WorldCitizenParticipantMy favorite spots for food in Seattle:
Paseo
Olivar
Anywhere you can get reasonably priced and fresh shucked oysters.
That’s it really. There’s other decent options, but they’re generally uninspiring. Seattle is all about the beer and wine to me…and more about the beer.
July 2, 2013 at 9:32 pm #792702
JanSParticipantwe all have different tastes…what I may think is wonderfully gourmet, you may think is Meh! pedestrian…it’s all a matter of taste ;-)
July 3, 2013 at 12:21 am #792703
shed22ParticipantWhen does Panda Express open in Westwood Village?
July 3, 2013 at 5:53 pm #792704
villagegreenMemberSince several people have mentioned Ephesus, I’m wondering what your favorite menu items are? Amazingly, after living in West Seattle for almost nine years, I finally made it there for dinner a couple weeks ago. It was definitely a shock walking in the door and seeing the decor of the place—I had no idea it was so extravagant.
I found the food quite good, but not mind blowing. What I did find mind blowing was the awesome deck outback with views of the Sound. That alone qualifies it as a place I’d bring out of town guests.
July 3, 2013 at 6:18 pm #792705
cjboffoliParticipantConstantly insisting that everything is a matter of taste is a REALLY good way to both defend a lot of mediocrity and your own lack of taste.
July 3, 2013 at 6:18 pm #792706
JanSParticipantwhy does everything that you eat when eating out have to be “mind blowing”? Good isn’t good enough? I love the place, and the esme is incredible, as is the freshly made pita that goes with it. Yum, yum, yum !
I have eaten at places like Cafe Campagne, and thought while quite good, was not mind blowing either…yet it’s packed for brunch on Sunday, elbow to elbow…and, frankly , have had better meals at Meander’s
July 3, 2013 at 6:19 pm #792707
JanSParticipantChristopher…thanks for the insult, …what an effing crappy thing to say…and snobbish, too…oh, please…it IS a matter of taste. So sorry for not being as refined as you and your wonderful palate. Do you even realize how snobbish you sound?
July 3, 2013 at 6:44 pm #792708
cjboffoliParticipantJan: What you perceive (incorrectly) as snobbishness I see as recognizing that the world is a much more complex place where things can have objective value beyond perception. Promulgating the idea that everything is of the same quality is entirely simplistic, politically correct, and untruthful. I guess I believe more strongly than you do about being able to directly praise those things that are good and to be critical of those things that aren’t good.
There are chefs in this town (like Maria Hines, Jason Wilson, Scott Carsberg) who achieve an amazing standard of food, as a result of great skill and experience from decades behind a stove. I think they deserve more respect than food businesses who open an oyster or throw a pizza in an oven and call themselves restauranteurs.
Food doesn’t need to be fancy to be good. It just needs to be made by someone who cares passionately about what they’re doing and constantly working on something to make it better. My grandfather – who never made it past the 8th grade – understood more about the chemistry of his tomato “gravy” than I could ever hope to know. He loved making it so the result was sublime even though the food was very simple.
There is a LOT of bullshit in the food industry with people very willing to take the money of people who don’t know any better and can’t taste the difference.
So your constant harping on this idea that “everything is good to someone” frankly is insulting to everyone. I know that plays into the hippy-dippy ideal of no one being made to feel “less than” and have their feelings hurt. But the truth is that bad taste and mediocrity are everywhere. And in order to ever want something to be better you need to have the cajones to call things out for what they are.
July 3, 2013 at 7:02 pm #792709
datamuseParticipantwhy does everything that you eat when eating out have to be “mind blowing”? Good isn’t good enough?
I believe that I specifically said that it didn’t–but villagegreen asked because I’d cited Ephesus as an example of same. Their specials are consistently excellent, as is the spinach in phyllo dish (in a Greek restaurant it’d be spanikopita, I forget what it’s called there). Their pasta sauce, while simple, is delicious–flavorful without being too heavy. And they are about the only place I’d get a seafood kebab. The esme isn’t quite out of this world but I’m addicted to it–and also, now that I’ve written all this out, very hungry! Good thing it’s lunchtime.
A sublime dining experience is a special thing. I don’t need to have my mind blown every time I go out to eat any more than I need every sunset I ever see to be spectacular. But gosh, one of those every once in awhile is one of the things that makes life worth living.
I agree with cjboffoli that it’s not just down to personal taste. Example: my husband hates fish. Won’t eat it in any form. But he recognizes the care and attention that Mashiko pays to their sushi, and has heard my effusive praise of same. Is he going to say that Mashiko sucks just because he doesn’t care for 90% of their menu? No. That’s the difference.
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