Tigertail
Categories: Bars, Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: Ballard704 NW 65th St
Seattle, WA 98127 (206) 781-8245
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Late Night
- Best Nights: Wed, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
24 Reviews for Tigertail
I wanna like this place. My hubby does. I just ... ehhh. To be fair I am a harsh bitch. We have been in 3-4 times, though not in a while. He has been in more. I didn't like the bartender we had on a couple of occasions, he wasn't bad, just seemed like he thought he was too cool for school. Was wearing shades inside, at night. Not friendly, lacking customer service, etc. The food was good, just not great. The crowd had been hit and miss. This may all have been due to the newness. They've been there less than a year, we haven't been there in 4 months+. I will go back. Probably more than once. Will update if the situation improves!
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Betsy and I rocked the creme sake here last night, and I'm starting to turn.
It was a fluke last time I was here, and they DO have rotating art on said blank wall. Also, the cubbies were more filled out with trinkets. And the bathroom! Coy all over the place.
But, big thing: Arcade Tetris and Ms. Pac-man cabinents.
Wow. This place is starting to morph into something cool. How many awesome bars could we possibly fit on 65th?
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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06/08/2008
I've avoided Tigertail since it opened because it looked sterile and snooty inside. Plus, with it… Read more »
Cool little place with yummy food! They are no bar food. They have chefs cooking small Asian dishes in the kitchen. My friends and I like their creamy chard potstickers, and chicken potstickers. Char shu (sp?) is also yummy! Drinks are good, too. We usually go there for happy hour. This place is not crowded which is good for us.
Well - at the Tiger Tail I experienced two things I haven't before; the most lackluster decor I could imagine (well, almost - the cardboard box maze I crawled through in college one Halloween had a bit less art on its walls) and an almost offensive creamy Sake. OK - it wasn't that bad, until the girl at the bar wearing a Blake Lewis t-shirt decided to mock me for my tipsy-ness. I was there with a friend, (he liked the creamy Sake, to be fair) and the beverage became more acceptable to me the longer we drank (isn't that the way?) but other than the fairly comfortable seating and the friendly bartender, I wasn't overly impressed. However - I feel as though I should return some day to sample their food and give a more comprehensive review. After all, I didn't know how much I liked that cardboard box until I licked it! Yuck....
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Yup. This place rocks. It has booze, 80's era video games in the corner, and a Jukebox full of great stuff. I love that On my way home from work, I can stop and listen to Wanda Jackson, and The Buzzcocks, and have some great small talk with friendly bartenders and patrons.
I've not tried the food here, but it all looks pretty good coming out of the kitchen.
This is a great addition to a bunch of nice bars on this street. Check it out.
Freddy Got Fingered is on ON-DEMAND. I gotta go.
I went to Tigertail for the first time last week. A friend of mine told me that the place was always completely empty and it would be perfect to go on a first date. So I did exactly that! The staff was very cool and attentive while we were there. It was pretty empty but by around 11pm on a Thursday all the tables were full. The Asian-fusion theme has been a little overdone but I thought the specialty drink list was pretty solid. I had to have the asian-style margarita, the Pacific Rim Job, strictly because I am immature and just wanted to order it. It was good but a little on the sweet side. If you like drinks with lemongrass in it then this is your spot! Virtually every drink on the specialty list has it as an ingredient.
I didn't have any of the food but it looks promising. It definitely smelled good. I know this because once they started cooking the entire place filled up with meaty-bacon smells. I mean so strong that I walked outside and smelled it on my clothes.
If the Seattle Weekly still had the category of Best Place to Cheat on Your Significant Other in their best of issue then I would vote for Tigertail. At this point it is flying way under the radar.
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I actually had a great experience at Tigertail with two of my girlfriends. We went on a Thursday night and the place was only half full. We seated ourselves by the window in a great pillowed corner. We had service right away and I started with the infamous Pacific Rim Job. It was pretty damn rockin. I then told the guy I was craving a Bloody Mary so he mixed me up an Asian inspired fusion with Sriracha. AMAZING!
The food was decent. We had the veggie potstickers and the tofu skewers. I think a Lark alum should be stepping up to the plate a little more, but I'm sure there is a bit of a growing curve. We'll let it slide this time.
All in all....great drinks, fast service (our experience), and a chill environment....yet another winning Ballard institution!
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I have given Tigertail more than enough chances to try to redeem themselves but no luck. I have been on week nights early and on a weekend but the service is so bad and the attitude is the worst. If you work there and have no clue about the menu, get another job. It took forever to even get a drink. Then the food arrived at room temp and was such small portions for the price. I think with those prices and that attitude, you opened in the wrong neighborhood.
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May need to redo this review after eating - but came in last night for a drink with some friends.
The waitress was kind of snotty, and they were out of a beer that was on the menu, after they had already crossed a lot of things off the menu. Also, they had two different drink menus?? Some had the same stuff on it?? I was way confused.
The lighting was cool, and I liked the mural in the bathroom, however if this is the coolest thing about the place, is it really that great?
They also wouldn't start a tab because there was 7 of us at the table.
NOT COOL, Tigertail. Not cool.
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A solid three.
Add major points for opening a non-Irish-pub, non-punk-rock bar on 65th St., within, as a friend put it, stumbling distance of my house.
Add points for the ginger lemondrop. The first one I had was delicious; the second, less exciting; the third, better. Hmm. Remove points for inconsistency.
Add points for the simple, stylish, adult, non-pub, non-punk decor.
Remove points for tiny portion size on the manila clams, but add points for the sauce and currants, which made bread-dunking a joy.
I'll come back to this when I've had a proper meal. But I'm inclined to agree that there's something fundamentally wrong with stuffing potstickers with kale and cream. Wouldn't that just make them fried ravioli without tomato sauce?
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So much potential but didn't live up. Went here on a rainy Tuesday with a girlfriend who loves trying new places. This was number one on our list for a while. I must agree with Carrie H that the best part with the bathroom. It still has potential to shine, but when I ordered nuts and a blue moon and the nuts never came despite that fact that I was one of three parties in there I was less than pleased. When they did come I was even more-less-than-pleased, cause they sucked: dry with coconut shavings? How am I supposed to eat coconut shavings with my fingers? Gross. Not a good happy hour and less than par wait staff (where are the cool guys who opened it?? They should be there until this place takes off or at least hire people who give a damn)
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I came all the way from San Francisco to give this place a try. I brought in a party of eight, which was no problem. We were seated right away and treated like the VIPs that we are. Everything tasted great. Essentially if you have a problem with Tigertail, you have a problem with the Lendog. He will eff your ass up!
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I took a friend here for her 21st birthday and the bartender just asked what she liked and her was response was Strawberry's. Soon after she got a nutty drink that was adored by here and everyone there. Tasted like strayberries but actually had none. That is a good bar tender in my opinion. The food was good and the non-strawberry drinks were also good. They know their sake and are glad to tell you about it and make good recomendations. Give it a shot.
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I am with you T.L. This place is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO dissapointing.
Our waitress decided that talking with her friend was WAY more important than even giving us the "be right with you nod"... that is all I need, just a "hello, i am going to be slow, but i acknowledge your existance."
The waitress finally came over. My wife wanted wine so she asked the waitress if she could recommend one as she didn't know any of the four they had.
"no, I don't know anything about the wine"
hmm. ok.
I realize that all the art on the far wall looks like Daniel Johnston originals. There are probably a good 15-20 of them. The only art in the whole place... so I ask "are those Daniel Johnsten originals?"
"I don't know who Daniel Johnston is".
hmm ok.
Lady.... you have 4 wines, and 1 artist.... even if you aren't a wine buff or an art buff... that really isn't too much to ask if you know... anything... please?
Fine so we get our beer and wine and have some time to admire the place. The physical space really wasn't that bad to be honest, but our opinion had already been tainted by the service. We Hoped the food would make up for it.
We had the potstickers, pork and a side salad each. When the food came out, I thought the portion sizes were not great, but if the food was going to be good.... then it could be justified.
The pork wasn't too bad... the salad was just a salad... but I can honestly say, without exageration, that the potstickers was just about the grossest thing I have ever eaten. I thought I was on Fear Factor or something. They were absolutly overcooked, and if i didn't know better, I would say that they were stuffed with sewege. I am not joking. Both my wife and I took a bite and both of us gagged and spat it out....
Anyway, the second star is for the decor... but the wait staff and food were horrible.
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Tigertail is our laundry time hang out. They start serving food at 4 whereas the Tin Hat and other bars down the street start serving at 5 or 6. So, our time away from the nearly teenage kids on the weekend to do laundry can now also involve a few drinks and tasty bites that won't ruin dinner.
The first time we went we tried almost everything on the menu. And we are sooo very glad they left behind the butternut squash potstickers. That was the only thing we didn't like on that outing. Next time around was after a terrible experience at Il Giardino next door. And I have to say that I love the nuts. Spicy and sweet, no peanuts, and tasty bits of coconut and we do use our fingers. Mmmm.
The pork belly melts in your mouth like it should. The chicken satay with a tea and citrus marinade is an aromatic, delicious bliss.
Service is up and down, when we go we kinda want to be left alone. But that's just us. I can see how the service here might put some folks off, but we've never been ignored or treated rudely. Adequate and happy to share info. That works for me.
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This spot has a lot going for it. Not only is it a great place to just hang out at the bar and drink a couple of pints, its also a great place to sample amazing food, sake, and beer.
The food: small plates...as is the new fad in the seattle dining scene but they leave you wanting to order more because that first dish was just so good! I had the char-sui served cold with a soy dipping sauce, spicy mustard, and sesame seeds. I had to order another one! The satay was ok but the coconut rice wrapped in banana leaves that came with it, reminded me of nights in bangkok.
The beer, wine, and coctail selection...well formulated...adventurous, and not too fufu. But careful of the chinese whisky! it bites back!!
I
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Edgy asian rock and roll good times with an awesome selection of japanese beers and sakes. Do try the red rice beer. The service, very friendly and fast. The food is good. We especially liked the kabocha squash potstickers. But they are small plates, which in my book translates to empty wallet and empty stomach. Good for early evening appetizers or late night snacks but not dinner worthy. Tigertail is a welcome addition to the hood and we will be back.
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This place is great. I just got back from the grand opening of this place that is down the street from the tinhat. This place has a big asian feel to it. The food isn't yet available, but will be served in the next couple of days.
The atomosphere is great. Fun place that is totally ballard but has it's own feel to it.
Great beers on tap, has the likes of Sapporo, Rogue, Elysian, etc.
Nice bottle selection, including the great Hitachino beers.
The staff is awesome. It is nice to see peopole that are not yet jaded about their job.
Check this place out, it is really fun with good beer. I can't wait for the food.
Oh and the music selection that was playing is top notch.
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The drinks are fantastic. They are just a little different as to be original but still comforting. The food is also familiar but unique. very fresh flavors and i always feel like the chef had a drink on the menu in mind when she made her dishes. Especially their drink specialties. I recommend any of them. You may feel a little stupid ordering a "Pacific Rim Job" but you will never regret ordering this drink. You may recount the first moment you had one in your memoirs. The atmospere is nice. I enjoy the layout of the bar/restaurant. When crowded it really snaps into shape and it works pretty well. You will also never be without excellent artwork on their west wall. Daniel Johnston and Jim Blanchard have both been featured lately. The whole place has the potential to really shine. The service needs a lot of attention. the firing kind to be honest. they need the fear of god put into them that they have got to stay out of the kitchen when customer's are at the bar or have been waiting to order for a long time. And please don't assume the change is your tip until we hand it back. it ruins everything.
Went here last night for the first time and really enjoyed it. Rachel the bartender was awesome and kept our drinks coming at just the right pace. She was really responsive to our (slightly high-maintenance) group. We didn't try the food, so can't give five stars, but drinks were great, and my boyfriend was sooooo excited that they had The Jam on the IPod.
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I don't get it? If I were hanging out at a rooftop bar in Tokyo, Seoul, New York or maybe even at a trendy place in downtown Seattle I would understand the portions and prices of food offered at the TigerTail?
Frankly, I don't understand how they can offer a small plate of Potstickers the size of 50 cent pieces that taste like bread dough and charge $12.00? After we spent $50 after tip on three beers and three plates of small appetizers, we went to Dick's Drive In to satisfy our appetite. If the food were stellar, maybe I could justify the price for the small plates (that are really small). After two visits, you can bet that I won't be eating there unless it is on someone elses dime.
On the plus side, they have a good selection of Beer, nice atmosphere and helpful wait-staff.
Reality check "TigerTail", even though Ballard is slowly changing, it is still Ballard.
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Tigertail is a fun new bar with a modern Asian flair in that little growing strip of bars and businesses by the Tin Hat along 65th. Is this neighborhood Ballard or Phinney Ridge? Who cares. The bar has big inviting windows, cool lighting, a large bamboo bar, a DJ area, really nice bathrooms with bowl sinks, lots of little tables, and a long couch with a table in front of it. While it recently opened and just has a few food items on the menu currently, the vegetarian spring rolls at $5 were big and delicious, a great 10pm snack to help soak up the alcohol from a few drinks. The drinks were good, I tried one of the specialty menu drinks in the $7 range and then had a cheap Pabst, they seem to be trying to accommodate both the low-brow and high-brow crowd with their selection. The bar seemed mostly filled with hip 20s-30s folks and had Daniel Johnston artwork on the walls. I've already been back once!
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Supercool atmosphere, awesome music, and great service are the best way to describe this brand new Ballard spot. I sadly couldn't make it to their packed opening night, but I made it down there on a Sunday for a great time.
Can't wait to try their food!
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