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Bamboo Bar & Grill

3 star rating
based on 57 reviews

Category: American (Traditional)

Neighborhood: West Seattle
2806 Alki Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
(206) 937-3023
Hours:

Mon-Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.

Sat-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.

Attire:
Casual
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Price Range:
$$
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
No
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
Yes
Good for:
Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
Alcohol:
Full Bar

57 reviews for Bamboo Bar & Grill

Review Highlights   

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"…to eat their wraps and huge, hot steak fries until I can't move anymore…" (in 4 reviews)
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"…THE PLACE to go when I lived on the beach, good happy hour and great staff…" (in 9 reviews)
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"Great place for Happy Hour on sunny day." (in 4 reviews)
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Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites'
Photo of Rosey J.

 

2

73

Rosey J.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
11/12/2009

Bamboo B&G is just another spot on the Alki strip that overlooks the beach and water. It's a popular place during the summer because it offers outdoor seating. The decor of the exterior and interior of the restaurants reminds you of a Pacific Tikki Island feel. The atmosphere is exudes fun and energy, however the small space and amount of folks in the one area makes it sometimes difficult to hear conversations within your own party.

The food is okay, nothing to rave about. With that said, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here and if I was ever in the area this would not be my first choice.

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Photo of Cameron M.

Elite '09

2

65

Cameron M.

King, WA

2 star rating
10/29/2009

This is a good place to sit out on the patio during the summer. Otherwise I'm not all that impressed with the food or staff there. I have been there a number of times, so I'm just not writing this review after going there 1 or 2 times.

Good place to grab some drinks though, just don't really care for the food at all.

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Photo of S. Alicia S.

 

124

439

S. Alicia S.

Seattle, WA

4 star rating
9/10/2009

If Bamboo Bar & Grill was in Key West it would definitely be an Ernest Miller Hemingway dream hideaway. The beach motif establishment is stuck in the fifties, but they are very clean, lively and colorful. Everyone seemed to enjoy chilling-out with sports television and reggae.

The waitress gave her unreserved support as I decided what to order. That's good when people are indecisive about the menu options. Flirtini? Lemon Drop? Mia Tia? Beer? Ginger Ale? More water?

Great salad choices. Everything else seems to be pretty standard fun food. But decided on the Portobella Burger with grilled bell pepper, baby spinach, tomato, red onion, creamy pesto and side of steak fries. Garden fresh and light. Washed away with by a super-sized Appletini.

Bamboo Bar & Grill is a tourist-like retreat for local beach bunnies and surfers. Duddeee!

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Photo of Kelly M.

 

17

138

Kelly M.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
11/14/2009

The interior looks like stereotypical Hawaii exploded inside.  All they need is a dude playing ukulele and it'd complete the picture.  It's fun though, if just a bit over the top for my taste.  The food was pretty good, though I thought that it was just a bit on the pricey side.  I also like that they seem to serve food pretty late.  I'm looking forward to how the outdoor seating is in the summer!

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Photo of Angelie V.

 

0

2

Angelie V.

Seattle, WA

1 star rating
11/6/2009

The first time in the summer I sat outside with a girlfriend. The Mai Tai had a lot of syrup no alcohol gross.  The food was standard. So I decided to give it one more chance which is what I do for most places.

So I recently went for Alki Idol on Thursday night. The waitress was too busy making out with her boyfriend and singing Kareoke than worrying about serving people. The Kareoke competition was a joke.  My fiance ordered a beer in a bottle it took the waitress forever to bring his drink.  Again my Mai Tai was full of syrup.   Bad service, rude staff, standard food, not worth it. I recommend going to Hula Hula in lower Queen Anne.

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Photo of Elena M.

Elite '09

10

199

Elena M.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
8/31/2009

I got carded here recently and I found that to be highly amusing since a) I honestly cannot remember the last time I'd been carded in a restaurant and b) I'll be eligible for AARP before my server will be eligible to rent a car without all the under 25 rigmarole.  But, I do understand that places do what they must do.

The good:  Friendly server.  Was given the happy hour price for wine even though I did not ask for that and ordered about 32 seconds before happy hour ended.  Yummy salad full of fresh greens.  Side veggies that were steamed and still had a crunch and weren't covered in some unnecessary fatty sauce.  Location looking over at Alki Beach.

The mediocre:  The rest of the food.  I was just not in the mood for my usual chicken burger and, so, ordered the chicken cordon bleu.  This was was fine, but nothing special.  The accompanying "bamboo rice" was also ok, but was more of a Mexican rice and completely wrong for this particular chicken dish.  Mr H had the halibut and chips which he reports were fine, too, though he prefers shoestring potatoes to the accompanying steak fries.

The bad:  Nothing, really.  Unfortunately, nothing really great either.

If we lived in the 'hood, would probably stop in on occasion for a quick sandwich/salad/etc.  But, since this is a bit out our way, will probably not go back -- especially since Alki has so much more to explore should we be over that way again.

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Photo of Amy H.

 

26

46

Amy H.

Brier, WA

5 star rating
10/1/2009

Come on in, water's fine!  The mango mojito & macho nachos will always treat you right. Kowabunga!

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Photo of James H.

 

2

4

James H.

Seattle, WA

5 star rating
9/24/2009

I have been going to west seattle with my family for a number of years and recently we have had some questions on the quality of the restaurants in the area. Not only are a lot of the places expensive for the quality they offer but the staffs are below par.
  We tried Bamboo for the first time this weekend and they really renewed our faith in a fun and tasty place to go on the beach.  Just steps from our beach spot for the day, we walked in at the peak of lunch.  Usually this tends to be a bad time to judge a restaurants because they are busy out there but not Bamboo.
  Our server was this beautiful young woman named Gabrielle who got to us within moments of our being sat.  She really went the extra mile the entire time my family was there.  From her sweet must-be-southern demeanor to her great recommendations, she had my children laughing and my wife asking for shopping advice.  
  The only negative that i can say about the Bamboo Bar and Grill would be the clientel. While the entire beach has become a little difficult at times, Bamboo was a little loud and some of the "locals" were a little rude to their servers which was a real put off.  Other than that though, the food was great, quick , and well presented.  Since my wife is amazing and offered to drive, I tried a couple of the drinks Gabrielle offered me and they were perfectly made.  
   Overall, Bamboo is our new favorite on the beach and thank you to our great server for helping us to avoid a food melt-down from our children by bringing us pre-meal snacks for them.

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Photo of Carly L.

Elite '09

269

532

Carly L.

Kirkland, WA

4 star rating
4/27/2009

So after attempting to get a table at a pizza place down the street and being ignored for about 15 minutes with tables obviously open, my date and I came here.

We were pleasantly surprised! It was very crowded as it was a warmish sunny day, but our server was spot on! She greeted us quickly and brought us glasses of water soon after. My drink was strong and one was plenty for me. My date enjoyed his beers.. and his food! I ordered the club sandwich, and it was huge! Everything was fresh, the fries were hot, and that sandwich didn't get all the way finished, no matter how hard I tried.

We told our server she did a great job, and she smiled and graciously said thank you. She said it had been a rough day... but her friendly service the entire time we were there did not show it.

It was a pleasant final stop on Alki yesterday.

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Photo of nick g.

Elite '09

16

64

nick g.

Bellevue, WA

3 star rating
7/18/2009

This place is alright. The food is standard American: burgers, fries, nachos, salads. They have an extensive specialty drink menu, but I just ordered Mac and Jacks.

Our waitress was really nice..the hostess was a snot..

Since it was a sunny warm evening, we wanted to wait for a table outside, we ordered nachos and drinks while waiting at a table inside (not airconditioned and uncomfortably warm)

I requested to be on the list for the next available table outside, one of the hosts was really rude about it and said, "that's fine if you order drinks, but we're not going to move your food."

Bah. I can bus my own table if it's that serious.

Our plastic outdoor table covered with cheap vinyl that was sticky was horribly crooked and uneven, with a slope angle so far that was comical. Can't management fix this?

The condiments were placed in cardboard boxes of Budwiser. Classy.

It's not cheap, but not overly expensive...

I'd prefer Cataus a few blocks over, but the wait was over 30 minutes...

Overall: decent and acceptable

I grew up on Alki Beach behind the Coast Guard lighthouse and remember when this was a Chinese chop suey joint..I hear the bar gets busy in the summer evenings..

We ordered: nachos, drinks, bamboo skewers that came with steak, chicken, vegetables, and pineapple with the monster burger that had 2 patties of beef w/cheese and split everything.

Bill: $60

Not terrible. "A-Ok"

- one star for tackiness cheap tables, dirty (filthy) bathroom, and bitchy host.

The location is excellent!

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Photo of j k.

 

13

104

j k.

Oakland, CA

2 star rating
5/25/2009

For all you Oakland/Berkeley folk - this place would feel like the Kona Club hiring some rude people and serving food.

The service was ok: an equal mixture of sometimes nice and sometimes rude.

The ambiance was ok: an equal mixture of  of tiki + sports bar = trying to be cute and going kinda stale.

The food was ok: an equal mixture of trying to be a bit creative and then somehow missing the mark.

It was the alternative to waiting an hour and a half to get in to Cactus and by the end of dinner, my tummy was nourished so who am I to complain? I surely wasn't blown away but it was better than a sharp stick in the eye.

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Photo of Bogdan G.

 

2

6

Bogdan G.

Seattle, WA

1 star rating
6/4/2009

Terrible.

It's unfortunate that people have come to associate "American Cuisine" with this crap, because there is plenty of actual good food all over this country - think southern, coastal, etc.  This is actually junk food:  thoughtlessly put together burgers and tex mex, using the cheapest possible ingredients.

As for the service... the waitress was super pissy, we had to ask for the beer menu twice before we finally got it 20 minutes later, then screwed up our order.

We waited 55 (fifty-five) minutes for a burger and a taco salad.

We asked for a bill, waited another 20 minutes and it never came so we eventually left some cash on the table and left.  No-one seemed to notice.

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Photo of sara s.

Elite '09

62

67

sara s.

Seattle, WA

4 star rating
4/21/2009

I like to eat their wraps and huge, hot steak fries until I can't move anymore.

Quick service from helpful servers, but they seem a little harried (is this a word?) because the place is so busy and maybe they're a little understaffed.  Reasonable prices!!!  Right on Alki!  Yay!

**Also, karaoke night is a very serious and well-attended event here (on Thursdays).

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Photo of Nikki B.

 

1

22

Nikki B.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
7/10/2009

My sister and I went to Bamboo last night on a lark. We've been there before, and it's always been decent -- like, one of those places that's too expensive to go to all the time but the view's so nice that you have to stop by every so often in the summer.

The food: Pretty standard American stuff with some tiki-fied surf'n'turf options. My $13.99 caesar salad was fine, even though Alki is the only place in Seattle any restaurant could possibly get away with charging that much for lettuce and squid, but whatever.

The drinks: I ordered a vodka press, and I have no idea how much it cost, but I was sort of afraid to order one of their waaaay expensive specialty cocktails. It wasn't very strong, but it was served in an oversized glass. Quit fucking with my perception, Bamboo!

The service: Our server was great. Leah, I think? She was very good-natured, and a good sport even though me and my sister were being big old goofballs. It was moderately busy, but she was totally on top of it. Honestly, based on the quality of the food, I would have given this place two stars, but I'll bump it up one star for the good service.

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Photo of Mollie T.

Elite '09

8

45

Mollie T.

Kent, WA

2 star rating
4/22/2009

Omg where do I start.

Okay so a friend and I came down here on 4/20/09. As we all know sun is something we don't see a lot of here. So on the beautiful day of course everyone and their mom was down here. The whole beach was packed.

So we decided to go down to the bamboo. We waited for about 10 mins before the host even acknowledged us. We wanted to sit outside and when we walked in noticed there were two tables open. The host said there was not any tables open. So she had as step to the side and waited another 10 mins and then she seated us outside. hmmmm

Our waitress took about 15 mins just to get to us. When we ordered our food and drinks we didn't see her again. Our food came out about 20 mins after we ordered. At that time still no drinks. 10 mins later came the drinks. My friend had ordered a beer and they told us that they were out he ordered something different. The waitress came back and was like you are in luck we had one last glass. Well needless to say it was bad and had to wait another 10 mins to get another beer. It took almost two hours to get appetizers and drinks.

Oh and yes do you know how awesome it is to be trying to enjoy the sunset and you have a group of kids hanging out in front of you screaming and caring on and smelling like weed. Oh and yes we also had the guy who had a 300M with Lamborghini doors pull up and blare his music. He just stood there thinking people were interested in his car.....no one came to look at it.

Needless to say.....horrible service.....food was tasty.....and that's about where it ends :(.

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Photo of J H.

 

0

8

J H.

Renton, WA

4 star rating
6/24/2009

I didn't have any food, so this probably isn't the best review to read if you're wondering about the food.  I did look at the menu, and it seemed pretty reasonable and had a wide variety.  

The beer was great.  I was happy to find Landshark Lager on draft.  They have a pretty good late-night happy hour as well!

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Photo of A. R.

 

0

61

A. R.

Seattle, WA

5 star rating
9/17/2009

Everytime I go here, I have to order BBQ Ribs! Personally, it's the best ribs I've tried. That alone made my 5 stars. Service is ok. Atmosphere is good especially when it's crowded. They usually have this live dj or live bands every weekend. Sometimes it just gets too loud and hard to make a good conversation. But yes, go here and try their ribs, you won't be disappointed.

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Photo of Susan W.

 

0

69

Susan W.

WA

1 star rating
5/17/2009

This was our third visit here and they were either having a very bad day or they have gone way down hill.  3 of us split 3 appetizers that each had something wrong with them.  

1.  The Coconut Shrimp were ridiculously small!  6 of them for $9.99!  I felt totally ripped off.

2. Egg Rolls served with a "weird" hot sauce & a "weird" sweet chili sauce.  Just give me some chinese hot mustard & soy sauce please.

3.  Crab & Artichoke Dip with tortilla chips, chips were stale and dip lacked pizzaz.

Service was slow.  Drinks were the only highlight.  4 star Mai Tai.  "Jolly Rancher" too sweet for my taste but my friend loved it.  Also 3 of the outdoor tables were unusable due to a "leak" problem.  They better get that fixed soon as that is why we went there to sit outside & take in the nice day, instead we had to sweat in the stuffy restaurant.

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Photo of wes y.

 

0

37

wes y.

Bellevue, WA

1 star rating
5/31/2009

Like someone earlier said, read the latest reviews for this place. Went on a date on a nice night with the intention of having a bottle of wine and dinner.
Waitress brought menus, we ordered the wine, waited 20 minutes then asked our waitress "what's up?" Wine came 10 minutes later. We sat there another 40 minutes then the waitress asks "are you going to order food?"
It was at that point that we decided to just have wine. Unbelievable.
I asked for the manager as we left and told her about our experience.
Graciously (and to her credit) she comped our wine.

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Photo of Paul M.

 

5

28

Paul M.

Seattle, WA

2 star rating
5/10/2009

I've come here a few times now and both times have left not really satisfied.  They do have a decent draft beer selection and good prices on the 25 ounce size, but overall the food and service just aren't on par.  Usually we are seated fairly quickly because unlike other Alki spots it isn't that popular.  After being seated, the waitstaff was very slow to come over and even take drink orders.  Chips & salsa took like 10 minutes to show up, although our waiter made sure we weren't charged for them.
The food is just bar food and very salty and not super tasty unfortunately.  I'd really only come here again as a last resort to hunger when you can't get in anywhere else, like next door Cactus.

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Photo of Kiki M.

Elite '09

89

252

Kiki M.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
12/11/2008

I found a coupon for 50% off an entire order in an Entertainment book for this place. How could I pass that up? So on a dreary gray day I headed over to Bamboo Bar & Grill.

The ambiance of Bamboo is pretty comical. It goes for the San Diego/tiki bar look. I think I would feel the place more if it was summer but on a gray day it seemed a bit ridiculous. I'm not hating on Bamboo though. Its going for a theme.

I was greeted quickly when I entered by a nice gentlemen. When my party came the waiter returned and asked if we wanted drinks. He's fast on his toes. I like that. As soon as we gave him our drink orders and he left another waitress came up to ask what we wanted to drink. Talk about pleasing the customer. After telling her our drinks were taken care of she took our order. There are a few options for non-meat eaters such as myself. I decided to go with the portabella mushroom burger. My friend went with the reuben sandwich.

Although the service was right on point at the beginning of my stay, it slowed a bit. I saw the cook put our food under the lights and watched and waited while it sat there. No waiters in sight. It took a few good minutes before a new waitress brought us our food.

My portabella sandwiche was a mile high. It had the mushroom, spinach, pesto, onions, tomatoes, and roasted peppers. I didn't read the description all that well because I didn't know all this goodness would be packed between the bun. I bit in and the sandwich was pleasant. I enjoyed it and the steak cut fries were nice and fresh. My friend said his reuben was okay.

The original waitress was back to ask how our food was and kept an eye on our drinks and was quick to refill them.

Overall, my experience at Bamboo Bar & Grill wasn't bad. I do want to go back and try the variety of drinks they have. On the menu they looked delightful.

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Photo of Allie L.

 

0

26

Allie L.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
8/6/2009

So the only thing that warrants its tropical decor is the drink menu. Nothing about the food is tropical, Hawaii, or whatever it's intending to be. And this is the kind of place you either really like or hate.

First, the service is unpredictable and overall not so great. Most of the waitresses just kind of float around, but the water girl has her act together.
The menu is mostly American with burgers, ribs, and some seafood. From here I've tried the grilled salmon (great), bowtie seafood pasta (tasty), the ribs (eh), the stuffed prawns (excellent), and nachos (like all nachos). Servings were okay, but the prices are steep for what you get. I guess you're really paying for the view. All entrees I've had come with steamed veggies and a choice of fries or mashed potatoes. The pasta came in a thick, garlic sauce and is usually what I order, but the last time I got severe food poisoning.

The drinks are all fun and flavorful with an ample amount of alcohol and average around $9. The atmosphere is fun, but pretty dark and dated on the inside and covered with wobbly, plastic chairs and tables outside. I just tried to look up their website, but it's been suspended and they need to contact the billing dept. Interesting.

If you're going to stop by, make sure it's happy hour and take advantage of the discounted appetizers. Otherwise, this place is pretty hit or miss.

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Photo of Janet C.

 

0

16

Janet C.

Seattle, WA

2 star rating
3/27/2009

OK, Bamboo has been a favorite of ours for several years.  Yes, we are coupon people, (passport) but we are pleasant people and we're all tryin to save a few bucks these days, right?
I usually have the Ceasar with Blackened Salmon, and my husband has the Calamari one.  They are great salads, the salmon is always cooked to perfection, ie. not dry, and the spices are just right.  The calamari is excellent too., but last night the Ceasar got such a quick toss, that the dressing was on about half of the lettuce. The service is what was so lacking, don't get me wrong, there were there, and everything came in a timly manner, but somehow it felt like they were all on automatic pilot.
They waited to approach us till they were really sure we were ready...ie order takers only.  Not the usual "hey, how are ya", "any questions"........just automation all they way....

It just felt like they couldn't care less if we were there or not.  We haven't eaten out in a long time and our expectation was higher.
When we left we didn't get a "thanks for coming in" , probably cuz I didn't tip on the original amount as the service was seriously lacking.......I'm sure they just thought we were amature diners.  Oh well........sad...maybe the whole staff will change again in the summer.

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Photo of Judy L.

Elite '09

5

51

Judy L.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
9/12/2009

Service is hit and miss here. They're usually busy at night so sometimes it feels like you're waiting forever for the waitress. Once my bf and I waited so long even for our waters to come out, and 2 people asked us if we'd been helped and then we assume they went to go look for someone to help us but no one ever came. So after wasting our time for 20 minutes at our table and then another 10 at the bar we just left to go some place else. Another time was more positive when we came right before happy hour, and the lady was cool with us waiting until happy hour to order. They also have "Alki idol" which is pretty cool, sometimes you'll hear good singers and sometimes drunken off key ones :-/ Also, there's a drink called the "bamboozle" which as bacardi 151 -which I HATE!- and 4 kinds of other hard A which usually sounds like bad news, but it actually just taste like a fruit juice! Be careful though, it will hit you all of a sudden in 15 minutes so don't have too many of these in a row! Drinks are usually strong whenever I come here and prices are average ($7-9). Nachos are yummy and they give you a huge pile! Worth it for happy hour!

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Photo of Manuel A.

 

0

23

Manuel A.

Seattle, WA

4 star rating
10/5/2009

Food was tasty and good price, Burger special and Ribs, yum. Service was friendly and attentive. Food was reasonably quick. Don't really care for the atmosphere though, it was kind of loud too, but the food and service were good.

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Photo of Jaymie B.

 

2

32

Jaymie B.

Seattle, WA

2 star rating
6/24/2009

Sadly... this place SUCKS! It used to rock. It was THE PLACE to go when I lived on the beach, good happy hour and great staff... NOW it is so lame. HORRIBLE food, and even worse service. I am loyal... so I kept going back, praying the service/food would get better. Nope. The last time I went I scrapped 1/2 my crappy/cold burger, and finished my watered down reisling. SAD!! The tab was $89, for a short, 2 person happy hour. Even happy hour has risen in price, lowered in service. Man... this place sucks. It only gets 2 stars for the fact that is USED to be fun

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Photo of Alicia O.

 

15

37

Alicia O.

Reno, NV

5 star rating
4/20/2009

Seriously? 3 stars? I thought it was great!  The drinks were stiff and delicious. Our waitress was adorable and great, the food was fantastic, fresh fries...yeah doesn't get any better for me! My friend got the Burger dip and I got the chicken caesar wrap. The caesar wrap was very good but the burger dip was TO DIE FOR! I mean, it was so, so good.  baby likes.

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Photo of Stephen W.

 

3

15

Stephen W.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
7/9/2008

I like this place.. They have good food for the most part, and decent drinks.

Watch out though, it's kinda spendy...

.... and wear neutral gang colors....

Anyway, I'll keep coming back because it's pretty good!

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Photo of Shekinah S.

Elite '09

89

282

Shekinah S.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
Updated - 2/11/2009

My friend's band played their last gig here on Fri. I doubt I'll be back in their absence. For whatever reason, my tolerance for the "mixed" crowd eroded. I felt kinda old and got tired of people bumping into me.

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1 Previous Review: Show all »

  • 3 star rating
    10/16/2008

    I used to go to Bamboo about once a month to see a friend's band play.  It's not my fav place in the… Read more »

Photo of Chris M.

 

0

8

Chris M.

Seattle, WA

1 star rating
4/25/2009

As you can see, the reviews from 2009 so far go from 3 stars to 1.  Went there with my gf last night as we walked along Alki.  We had been there in the past and liked their skewers.  Well we were directed to sit anywhere and then forgotten about.  I had to walk up and get menus, got some water after 15 min., and ordered 20 min after that.  I would normally wouldve walked out by then, but we were hungry and giving the floosy looking waitress the benefit of the doubt. Food Ok. Nothing special.  Waited for to go box forever. Never came. Waited for bill. Never came. Went and got both.  The waitress gives me a "it's supposed to be 70 tommorrow" comment.  Zero tip.  Felt like I was my own waiter.  Last time going to this un-managed mess.

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Photo of Brynne M.

 

1

11

Brynne M.

Bothell, WA

1 star rating
4/9/2009

Bamboo? Well, they have the "boo" part right... BOOO! Where do I even start?

I ate here the other day with my daughter and my Aunt... popped in after reading the menu outside and decided to give it a try. We were directed to take a  seat anywhere. It was a magical sunny day in Seattle so there were quite a few people there, but there were still a good number of empty tables. We selected a booth and sat down... and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, a guy came by to drop off our menus and water and then disappeared. A good ten minutes after we very conspicuously put down our menus, a girl came by and said whatshisname is really busy so I'm going to help him out and take your order. Ok great. I was going to go with the Bacon Bleu Cheese Burger, but that's what I always get when I can't decide what to get so I thought I'd branch out. Settled on the Lobster Sandwich, which was purportedly a "house specialty" or something like that... Sounded good to me. Our food came in a reasonable amount of time... a little long, but whatever.

Booo. It was so gross! I really have no better word for it. The mixture of "lobster" and whatever they used to bind it, ended up just being a hot, mushy mess on toasted sourdough. It was more of a big, hot, mushy condiment on the sandwich. Goodness it was bad. Not that anyone really came back to ask about it.

I did get the ranch I asked for though... for dipping my fries. That was a plus, I guess.

I won't be going back here, ever.

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1

49

Michelle M.

Seattle, WA

2 star rating
5/10/2009

We get a discount here after playing volleyball in Underdog Sports League. The discount is nice to have, but the food was meh. It was a great selection of beer, and I always love the option of having a 25 ounce beer over a 16 ounce one, but if I don't have to come back here I won't. I had the nachos with chicken which was a generous portion (plenty for 3 to share), but the cheese was like... melted slash dried and it wasn't the gooey deliciousness nachos should be.

I will say the service was pretty good from the friendly blonde (and pregnant) waitress. The other waitresses seemed to be standing around. I was shocked at how full this place was.... maybe it's the view but all in all it's just ok. I would even pick Chrsto's (shock!) over this place.

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4

17

D.J. L.

Los Angeles, CA

4 star rating
7/22/2008

Great place for Happy Hour on sunny day. Make sure to grab a seat outside so you can enjoy the sun and breeze. The outside seating can be a bit tight for large parties over 4.

Drinks are pretty good. It all depends on which bartender is making the drinks. It can be nice and strong on some visits, and so-so on others. When ordering from their Happy Hour menu, get the Nachos! The serving is huge, and definitely worth the $5 as opposed to some other things on their Happy Hour menu.

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Elite '09

164

931

Mitzie H.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
1/9/2007 4 photos

You never know what to expect when you go to Bamboo.  The crowd tends to, at least appear to be, locals during the winter and everything else you can image in the summer, you should ask me about the Russian and his vodka one day.  I can say I've NEVER liked any of their specialty cocktails but the bartender sure knows how to make the perfect tall stoli and tonic with just the right amount of squeeze of the lime.  I have however had two people get sick from drinking beer here so I'd watch out for the.  The food is hit or miss I guess it all depends on what you are looking for.  

It's key selling point to me is that it's walking distance to my place.  If you're on Alki and want to feel like you're on a fake tropical island stop in and have a drink or two or seven, it can happen trust on that one.

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Teresa J.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
1/30/2008

The food isn't bad, pretty standard. But the service is TERRIBLE!!

We came here on a weeknight, a bunch of friends having dinner. There's 7of us and an infant. We order our drinks with one waitress, wait about 20 minutes and nothing comes. We ask another one (that took our food order) and discover the drinks were never ordered.

So while we're waiting we order some nachos. 20 minutes pass, 10 more, 5 more, finally my friend asked about the hold up and they finally arrived. So far, forgotten drinks and no nachos. Oh and did i mention the place was dead?

Then our food comes out, and we're missing a french dip. We tell the woman and she (of course) blames it on the kitchen but we overheard her say she forgot about it. Throughout this entire experience the lady was very rude to us.

The last french dip took so long to come that our friend had to take it in a to go box. We get the bill and discover that gratuity has already been added. Not only that, they charged my friend the full amount for her French Dip that never arrived, something any other restaurant would at least offer a partial credit for.

I noticed that gratuity should only be included for parties over 8....we only had 7 adults eating and a 4 month old. So I brought it to her attention. Her answer, "oh, I included the baby" Are you JOKING! The baby's mother replied "uuhhhhhh, we brought our own, she drinks milk" The waitress snatched the bill and exclaimed "I'll take off the french dip and the gratuity but THATS IT!!!!!!"

Awful awful awful. All I have to say is watch out for some of the waitresses. Mean, forgetful, bitter, rude, etc. If only I could remember her name.

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Elite '09

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55

Krista M.

Redmond, WA

3 star rating
2/19/2009

Well, first of all I do really enjoy the food here. I love the shrimp and chips, the nachos and that monster burger is seriously a monster burgar!  But yeah, the service here simply sucks. We felt like we had to mentally prepare ourselves to eat here, get past the service part and just enjoy our food. A few tricks. Don't even think about ordering extra sides like ranch until they put your food in front of you.  Because there's no way in hell they'll remember it the first time (even if they write it down. . . its so strange) so save yourself the frustration.  If they come around to ask you how things are, even if you've only had one little tiny bite, get your bill! GET IT! Get it while there's still a chance!

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22

Stephanie A.

Seattle, WA

3 star rating
5/9/2008

This used to be one of my favorite places for a good drink and tasty food.  However, lately (last 3 visits) the drinks have tasted less than satisfactory, and I had to reject my first drink ever!  They used to have the best margarita in town, but the last few have been heavy on the ice with a dash of tequila.  The staff seems to rotate regularly, with only one waiter ever looking familiar (although he does have my drink memorized).  I'm not sure why things have gone downhill so much over the last year, but I wish they would come back to good service and the strongest drinks in West Seattle....I miss it.  
Another con....kitchen seems to close earlier and earlier every time I visit.

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4

Sam B.

Redmond, WA

1 star rating
8/20/2009

Went there recently for appetizers and drinks during Happy Hour. The bartender or manager (not sure which) was distracting as she babbled on to some guy at the bar about some random drama in her life. The calamari we ordered was underwhelming and a very small portion to boot. My wife also left her sunglasses on accident when we left (note there were very few people in the place when we left) and when she returned to see if they had them, the girl said no and was very unhelpful. Sketchy!

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Elite '09

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190

Lindi M.

Los Angeles, CA

3 star rating
8/6/2007

This place has a great happy hour.

Too bad I missed it because they didn't have a table available for another 20 minutes and some bitch at the bar was "saving" a seat for someone.

This place isn't my "scene". Any place that plays sports channels on their TV's isn't my scene, I guess. It felt kinda trashy inside too. Our table was completely dirty and sticky.

The fruity drinks are good but a little too sugary for me (and this is coming from a girl who puts sugar on her frosted cereal). But, I didn't taste ANY alcohol in them (which I'm sure is the point).

The nachos were HUGE, but a little unsatisfying. Totally worth the happy hour price. Not worth the non-happy hour price.

I wouldn't say the staff was friendly, but they were definitely attentive.

I won't come back unless it's during happy hour, 4 drinks and 2 things of nachos for $50 (not including tip!). Might as well have just gone to Salty's.

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1

35

R K.

Burien, WA

4 star rating
12/11/2008

This is the place that I go on Alki to grab some beer and apps. They have a decent selection of beer and if you go during happy hour the food and apps are discounted nicely.

Get the nachos!

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