Elliott's Oyster House
Categories: Bars, Seafood [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown1201 Alaskan Way
(between Seneca St & University St)
Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 623-4340
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Best Nights: Mon, Thu, Sun
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
80 Reviews for Elliott's Oyster House
One of Elliott's Oyster House's Favorite Reviews
Took my best girlfriend who was visiting from out of town here Saturday night and we both loved it. It was the perfect setting for showing off Seattle's waterfront. We started out with delicious pear martinis and then decided to eat ourselves silly! Started off with house salads and chowder. Then since I am now a bad vegetarian and eating fish again we split the dungeness crab. It was delicious!! For dessert we shared the fried chocolate truffle dessert and had Chocolate Mochatinis. Both were heavenly. Also, our server was fantastic. Totally on top of his game. I mentioned that I was somewhat new to the area and this was my first out-of-town visitor and he actually took the time to write out a list of places he recommended me to take her too. I will definitely be returning!
Sweet outdoor patio overlooking Elliott Bay. Pretty good $5 hh marg. The Salmon Bisque needed salt, lots of it. Rockfish taco was very good. The bread and whipped butter they serve is delicious. HH prices are decent. Service was expedient and friendly. Shhh, I think this is a little well kept hh secret.
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All the stars go towards the outdoor seating on the pier! HEAVEN! :)
On a sunny day it's the BEST to sit out on the deck w/ refreshing alcoholic beverage in your hand/ & your shades on.
My dirty martini- wasn't so dirty :(
The portions for the HH were skimpy. Although, my HH partner in crime said it tasted decent! Don't skimp!
Too bad I didn't try their progressive oyster happy hour special. What was I thinking?? The star rating may change after this....
I've enjoyed coming here for several years now. Happy hour is great for oysters and beer. Calamari is good too. The clam chowder is alright, nothing special. Outdoor seating while it's sunny is great because it's right on the pier.
For dinner I had wild mushroom ravioli with dungeness crab. It sounds much better than it tastes. Needless to say, I didn't finish it. Boyfriend at the time ordered a whole crab, steamed. After a long wait to get our food, they brought it out spicy (grilled). After sending it back, it still took a while to receive the steamed one. I believe they comp'd the crab, but we were still disappointed.
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Elliott's has great outdoor seating when the sun is out and the clam chowder isn't bad... Not so keen about the open face pesto sliders but I do think their true cod and chips are some of the better I've had in recent months.
The warm rolls brought out with whipped butter before the food comes out are tempting and always fresh.
Good waterfront choice for lunch when I'm feeling something better than Red Robin but not as expensive as Anthony's.
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I love oysters and they have oysters here!
In order to sound like a oyster pro, I usually just order the ones with a Japanese sounding name. They usually end up being the small ones that I like and make me seem like an "Oyster Pimp" in front of a group of people, even though I just took a wild guess at what oysters I ordered. The oysters were delish and the frozen champagne mignonette was a great pairing.
I also had the cioppino and that was balls-on delishush. I was full of seafood and the soup was bursting with awesome delicious-ness. It would be a definite recommend if you come here.
My only qualm was that the service was kinda slow. It took forever to get anything. We would have gotten speedier service from Bill and Karolyn Slowsky. (The Comcast Turtles, duh!)
If it weren't for the slowness of the service this place would have gotten a 5.
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The first time I came here was for a Sunday lunch -- 2.5 stars -- nothing special, a bit pricey for what you get, definitely a tourist attraction, etc.
The second time I came here was dinner with friends on Friday night -- 5 stars. I've never been so physically pained by a meal (in a good way). Everyone at the table ended up eating an obscene amount of food because it was so good. It was one very expensive night out but definitely worth it.
The third time I came here was dinner with friends on another Friday night (about four months after the PAINFUL dinner) -- 2 stars. So, why the big discrepancy? At first, we couldn't figure out why the food was so much less interesting and then it hit us: the first time, the daily specials looked awesome and we ordered mostly those. The second time, we ended up ordering mostly from the regular menu. This brought me back to my original lunch experience here: items off the regular menu, not good (especially for the money).
So, my advice to you would be to check the daily specials and go only if there is something that really excites you. Otherwise, go to the Waterfront Grill or Oceanaire if you want great seafood. Again, I don't want to sound like I'm badmouthing Elliots (heck, I gave them four stars) but the regular menu just isn't worth it.
BUT BUT BUT
The fourth time I went to Elliots -- Wednesday afternoon oyster happy hour. If you like oysters then get out of the office and get here by 3:30 for the most insane oyster fest.
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DAVID LECK!!!
David is my friend's nephew. He is the greatest oyster shucker of his generation. He has already beaten the world-record-holder in competitions, and he just turned 27 years old. Come in when he's working, and you will not be disappointed. The other food here is supposed to be really great, but I don't really care about it (i.e. it's nothing special...) The oysters are where it's at. The crab-cakes are a bit bland, the calamari is very salty, the fish mostly tastes overdone and too dead. But the oysters are SUBLIME. My favorites are Kusshi and Kumomoto, 'cuz they're small and sweet. At first they made me gag, but now I can down like 30 of 'em.
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Another pretty restaurant with only a 3-star in my book. I think this is a tourist trap with not so great food. Plus it's pretty expensive for bland food, confused servers, and a small menu.
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I'm over almost every one of my childhood food aversions. I hated all tomatoes, asparagus, avocados, peppers, mussels, oysters and mushrooms. It's still a big not on the fungus - everything else I would eat in trough sized portions given the opportunity. Especially the little oysters. I am also over a couple other things in my life, I won't go into too much detail; let's just say I've had my fill of the anyone with an over abundance of the Y chromosomes for the time being. Except for the one I made - he can hang out.
Anyhoo....
As we meander, crawl, drag our beleaguered winterized asses into "spring" (y'all know why that's in quotes this year) the one taste of bittersweet I experience is the end of oyster season. You need an R in the month for them to be the good ones. April is it kids. So a happy hour filled with some of my favorite ladies of Yelp and, oh, I don't know... 10 dozen or so half shells was just what Mama needed last night.
Thanks Elliott's for having $1.30 oysters, clams with Chorizo and peppers at $4 a bucket for me and my girls to gorge ourselves on. And thanks ladies for indulging with me and commiserating, and supporting, and making me laugh when I just want to scream and run away. *FIVES*
Oh, and Craig - good to see you too.
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Maybe I would've liked this place better if I like oysters, but I figured you can't go wrong getting crab on the waterfront. WRONG. Here's a list of my complaints:
1. It took us at least a 1/2 hour to get our drinks, and when we got them, the *very nervous* waiter poured my pear martini into my friend's margarita glass. After we discovered the mistake, it was another 1/2 hour till we got the corrected drinks.
2. I got the "cracked" crab at market price. Dude, that crab must have been on a diet cause there was hardly ANY meat. And it wasn't even cracked! When I pointed that out to the waiter, he didn't even offer to go have it cracked for me. I had to do it myself.
3. The asparagus that came with it was also on a diet and looked like it had been laying in the sun for 9 hours. It was terrible.
4. The service was HORRIBLY slow and the waiter was constantly confused. If he was new, fine. But I just got done reading other reviews of this place and people have said similar things. From start to finish it took us a little over 2 hours to eat lunch. Glad I was on vacation! The people next to us had to interrupt our waiter who was taking someone else's order because they needed their bill because they had a plane to catch and couldn't wait any longer. And they got there AFTER us.
5. The view? Cool I guess you're down on the pier but that's pretty much your view. The pier. Want a good view? Go to Salty's on Alki. THAT'S a view.
6. When we finally got our bill, the waiter had put the extra drinks he had to fix and had to take the bill back to fix it. ANOTHER FIFTEEN MINUTES GO BY. At that point I was pissed and just wanted to get out of there. Finally we get the fixed bill and he didn't even comp us a drink or anything.
I will never go back again. If I'm gonna spend close to $100 on 2 lunches and 2 drinks, I'm heading to Salty's where the crab is good and plentiful... not crab that's BFF's with Nicole Richie and Mary Kate Olsen.
7. Oh, and I would've given them the benefit of the doubt about the slow service, but we went back for drinks at the bar before catching our water taxi and it took us at least 10 minutes to get a bartender to even look at us.
:(
The only redeeming thing about this experience: the "trademark" saltine cracker hand washing with hot water and lemon left my hands feeling like a baby's butt!
I went here for the first time this past weekend, service and food was good. Food wasn't anything to die for but I would recommend the crab & shrimp & seafood salad.
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138 oysters?! Can one table eat that many oysters? Ours sure can!
The progressive happy hour is among Seattle's best. Oysters start at 50 cents a pop at 3pm and the price increases every half-hour. You can win yourself an extra half-dozen by looking up the daily trivia question on your blackberry :)
$3 martinis, yes, yes, yes! There are other drink specials, but who needs those?
The bar gets crowded, esp on Fridays, so make sure you come early. On busy days be prepared to wait, even if you have a reservation.
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I have eaten only at the actual oyster bar, not ever at any of the tables. David, the main man at the oyster bar, is the best oyster barman in the city. He will help you find an oyster (or a few) you love and shuck them cleanly. He's a champion oyster shucker and a really cool guy. Elliott's, especially when David's working, is the best place in town for oysters. A cup of chowder (New England) is a tasty side.
Elliott's has far more varieties than any other oyster bar. The Brooklyn's nice enough, but it's more expensive and has only a third of the selection. You could go to Elliott's and eat oysters until you're full and maybe not eat the same kind twice. They get the best Totten Virginica and Olympias here too. I haven't found European flats elsewhere either. If you want to eat oysters, go here.
Oyster happy hour - 3pm - 6pm Monday - Friday. They pick an oyster, price starts at 50 cents per shell at 3pm, goes up 20 cents every half hour until 6. A damn good deal if you're not picky about which oyster you eat.
sit at the oyster bar for happy hour, the shucker is very friendly and you'll definitely enjoy a conversation with him.
I flew in from NYC and had myself a seafood binge. A dozen kumamotos, a cup of clam chowder, and a big ass dungeness crab all to myself. All that yummy tasty dungenessness...bliss. I took off a star for the service--but I think our waiter was just having a bad day. The manager more than made up for our waiter's mistakes.
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My boyfriend and I went here for one of your anniversary dinners. It was my first time oyster-shucking, and that was worthwhile. Otherwise, it was mediocre.
Food: The oysters were succulent. The special iced vinaigrette they had was perfect for taking out the "sea" stink out of the oysters. I ordered the trout and it was good, but it got boring about 1/3 of the way through. It was a strange experience, like having good steak so much you don't like it anymore. My boyfriend got seafood fettuccine and the pasta was barely cooked. We sent it back to the kitchen and it returned, much better, but with 3 crostinis that were not there the first time. So...did we just get duped on the crostinis the first time?
Service: Below-average to average. My boyfriend and I were going to a networking/dance type night for one of our business associations at UW, but were rudely mistaken for homecoming-ers by the hostess. I know I look young (hell, I am young, I went to the UW early) but things like that are what the place pays you to NOT say to customers! Our waitress was okay. The wait was ridiculously long. We waited 1 hr for our oysters and 45 more minutes for our entrees. In between some busser came to our table with "complimentary crab cake" only to take it away because he misplaced it. What in the hell? If you make that sort of mistake, you just get another order from the kitchen. The reheat of the fettuccine was quick though.
Ambiance: Busy. The bar is a bit more upscale. Everywhere else is filled with Tommy-Bahama-sporting balding males and their rather young dates. Creepy. Also the restaurant nextdoor has a bunch of creepers.
Price: Expensive. At least for the quality of the food. I felt a bit duped.
A friend and I had been galavanting about town all day and wanted to eat somewhere semi-fancy for dinner. After wandering up and down the pier looking for a restaurant that my friend wanted to go to that he couldn't remember the name of, or where it was, or what it looked like, we settled on Elliot's.
The food was great, and the waitstaff was very attentive.
We started with the Appetizer Tower, which the waiter seemed a little shocked that we wanted that much food between the two of us for our APPETIZER, but neither of us had eaten anything all day, and hell, we were in for an adventure. I didn't try any of the calamari, but my friend said that it was very good, and I really enjoyed the crab cakes, and the dip was good as well. Ate my appetizers with a very tasty Lemon Drop.
For entrees, I had the King Salmon and chips, he had the Blackened Rockfish. I'd never had breaded salmon before, and while it was good, it left a little to be desired taste-wise. The Rock Fish I was told was tasty, but could've tasted a little Blacker. Had my entree with the best Mai Tai I've ever had!
For dessert, I had the Granny Smith Apple Napoleon, which was AMAZING, despite not a hazelnut to be seen. My friend had the Deep Fried Truffle Sundae, which I had a bite of and thought was very good.
Finished the meal with some Kenyan coffee to sober us up enough to make it to our next destination :)
All and all, it was a very good dining experience. They do get docked a star though do to our complaints (listed above) about the entrees, and the fact that while there was not another person out of the bar/lounge area, they still tried to hide us (a very pierced, tattooed, brightly colored duo) in the furthest table in the back.
Plentiful, briny and sweet oysters, $3 martinis (the real ones), and friendly service...what more could you ask for? When the month has an 'r' in it, I am more than happy to tolerate the bridge-crossing to get to this happy hour. I usually take my oysters naked, but the champagne mignonette is a great accompaniment. Sometimes the shuckers get backed up, so it takes awhile to get your bivalves, which just means that you need to order many dozens up front.
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So Diana L says to me:
D:Mel, I've got clams
Me: wow, um, that's unfortunate. Do you know who you got them from; I'll be sure to avoid him
D: CLAMS not Crabs you retard
Mari: Mel sweetie, you need to clean your ears?
Me: well I don't want crabs! No sir, not me, I'm a sweet and pure young lady
D: seriously Mel...(Diana crooked eye look and head shake)
Mari: How bout some oysters sweetie?
Me: Hells no, those are like chewy pieces of snot that look like a woman's nether region
D: but they're good in my belly, snot and all
Bounce: pay attention server! Another dozen
(Boys walk by, girls giggle)
Katie: Mel, stop checking out the boys
Me: What?! I'm just minding my own business eating my clam chowder and drinking my $2 beer
Craig: there is a lot of estrogen at this table
Janaene: what's the progressive happy hour deal?
Me: they make the first move and don't call you in the morning
D: MEL! Not aggressive-are you fucking kidding me?!
(maybe a little)
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I love Seafood, and I love eating by the waterfront, so I was pretty stoked when my brother recommended that my family eat here for lunch during a visit to Seattle. All accounted for, I was in a party of 8 plus baby, and we arrived without a reservation. We got seated in less than 10 minutes. Granted, it was a little late for lunch (2 PMish?) but getting a table for a large party in a popular restaurant isn't a given. Loved the oyster bar and the oysters themselves were pretty fresh. They had a well-stocked beer menu that included lots of tasty local brews. Apparently we dined when a rare salmon was in season. Although I had the halibut, my brother and sister said the salmon was fantastic (the halibut was good, too). My dad and brother-in-law had the oyster poboys which were huge-- too big to eat as a sandwhich, while my sister-in-law and mom had the cioppini which was so big, we were able to split one entree into 2 meal-sized portions. Service was pretty good-- our waiter knew the menu inside-out so we got good recommendations for what to order. At the end of the meal, my sister-in-law got the saltine hand wash while the rest of us pointed and laughed at her. A really good eats and especially highly recommended if you're with family.
The Seafood Mojito and the Oysters were great, the tower trio was hecka salty (calamari, dip and crab cakes: the vegis help lessen the salty.) Though the extra sodium would make folks with thyroid complications swell up (like my mom), beer is a great pairing with the tower.
OK.....this review is from before the remodel that just happened. Assuming they got rid of the turquoise colors that abounded (I know, it's the whole sea thing), I might alter my review to 5 stars. Actually, maybe not....a little panache to the wine list would make it 5.
Anyhoo, onward. Simple reason to go there: the oysters frickin rock. They have the widest selection of oysters of any joint I've been in, seasonally selected, shucked perfectly (keeping the liquid in the shells...even in the Euro flats...brilliant!), and presented with an unreal lightly peppery frozen mignonette. I'm telling you, bring some Pioneer Square types over here and they might kick their crack habits for these.
The rest of the seafood is prepared well, the fried stuff not too fried, the grilled stuff very nice, all environmentally sourced (i.e. line caught)
Then, the CHOWDAH! (Sorry, can't help myself...GO SOX!....dammit, I did it again). Put the NE style chowder up against ANY snobby Boston seafood house and it will fight to a draw or win. It's fantastic.
All in all, for a corporation-owned establishment, this is very well done. It's the one place on the waterfront where you don't smell the fryer 3 blocks away. Now, about the wine list......
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My wife flew in for just a day...I was hoping to experience the best of Seattle for the short time we had there together. And....WE FOUND IT! The best food and greatest staff of ANY restaurant I have been to in Seattle. Wonderful! I will update this soon with a couple of pics form the restaurant! But for now...know... This place rocks, and great oysters too!
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Is it just me, or when reading a review on here, three stars seems average meaning you could possibly have a good experience at the place being reviewed? But I don't see the good that does for people looking for honest opinions - go or don't go, eat or don't eat, spend the money or not. So as a long time user of Yelp and now a new reviewer, i refuse to take the middle ground.
Elliot's has one thing going for it - the water view. At first this seems like the place to take out-of-towners who want a bit of tourist sensibility served alongside their seafood, but I took my visiting company here and they ended up getting sick. Oysters ordered were just not impressive. We got three different kinds and really all were flavorless. The stuff they give you to put on the oysters just ruins them further - it was really unappetizing - a pink gritty mixture of shallots, champagne, and sand perhaps. Don't order the paella, again flavorless and tiny shrimp throughout (not my favorite as it reminds me of cup o noodle shrimp), as well as unopened clams which doesn't fare well when you only get two. The rice was the worst rice i've ever ordered out. I've made better rice from a box. It was overfluffy and drenched in butter - the only flavor that came through except for the sausage spicyness.
My friends had the lunch special which seems like a really good deal - you can get a salad or soup with your half sandwich and only spend $11 at a seafood restaurant with a view. Don't do it. My friend had the salmon salad and was in the bathroom directly after eating. The cucumber salad was a nice garnish i guess. Spend your money on crab legs if anything, or wait for happy hour to start and save some bucks while experimenting with their other options.
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I looked forward to trying this place for its oyster selections from a number of local waters. We ordered a dozen Pacific Northwest varieties consisting of Penn Cove, Totten Inlet, Snow Creek, and Qui Icene. All of these were served with champagne ice to serve atop of each oyster. All were small, tasty, and smooth. My entree of herb rubbed grilled salmon was cooked just right where it wasn't dry and over cooked. It was served along side grilled zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, and broccolini. The dessert, profiteroles filled with coffee cream appears appetizing but upon breaking into the cream puffs, it was not soft, buttery tasty but dry and kind of hard. The coffee cream was good. I had a sleepless night eating this coffee cream. Service was spotty as our waitress wasn't attentive. We didn't get our bread until the oysters came. The strawberry lemonade wasn't delivered correctly the first time around and had to be returned to the kitchen. Our dinner was served by another waiter.
I actually think the hardest working person on the floor is Jacob, the busboy. He was always there to fill our water or bring us what we need. You go Jacob! Keep up the good job.
The womens' restroom has special amenities; hairspray, lotion, and mouthwash with micro cup dispenser.
As you are leaving the restroom there is a cute painted picture of ladies doing the oyster dance.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
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Very good oysters, and a hefty selection.
I've never been a fan of oysters. It breaks my heart to say it - oysters are one of those things in life that I really wish I could fully enjoy. I hear other people describe the experience of their first oyster like the first time they made love or heard their favorite band. Life-changing.
My first oyster was horrifying. Salty and slidey, and just no good. I was terribly sad, but carried on. Even through an Elite event where I watched my foodie peers feasting on the little guys. Sniffle. Why not me?
So one night, at the oyster bar with an oyster aficionado, I was hanging out with a drink. The resident shucker-extraordinaire asked why I wasn't having any, and I confessed my shameful secret - I don't enjoy them. Well, this gentleman wouldn't hear of it. He urged me to try again, instructing me on proper technique. Oyster eating technique? I guess. . . .
He shucked a little Kushi oyster and handed it to me, with a teeny bit of the very complex house mignonette. I was skeptical, but I never turn down free food. I slurped. I chewed. I experienced. My, is that what they've been talking about?
I wouldn't say oysters are my new seafood indulgence (mussels are too close to my heart) but I'm definitely game to try a few more and see where it takes my palate. So thank you, Mr. Passionate Shucker, you have changed my culinary horizons forever.
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This is where my boyfriend had lunch on our first day in Seattle for the Christmas break. Here are my notes:
Service - ABOVE AVERAGE - our server was extremely polite, made sound suggestions (especially about the oysters) and aided me in getting the bill first so that I could pay for it before my boyfriend (my pre-Christmas gift to the boyfriend).
Oysters - ABOVE AVERAGE - I LOVED the oysters. I mean, I really loved the oysters. The sheer number of oysters (of various shapes, sizes and textures) is amazing. I can't even remember the names of those in my sampler...but they were delicious! It made me smile that oysters could be described and savored like fine wine...
View - ABOVE AVERAGE - there is a great view of the bay b/c the restaurant is right on the pier.
MAIN DISHES - well...I wish I could say that I loved it...the restaurant had everything else going for it, but the main dish. I found that my salmon was overcooked and oversauced (beurre blanc was a bit overpowering). The boyfriend's seafood pasta was good, but too rich.
In the end I could only offer up a 3 star for the food. If it were just about the oysters and the service...well, it would be much higher in my book...but the main courses need a little more work....
I can't recall the price....I will have to review the receipt, but I believe that it was approximately $75.00, including tip.
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I'm a big fan of this place's Creme Brulee. I tried making it the same way, but just can't do it, which is why I keep visiting this place. Of course, they got good service and oysters!
Elliott's Oyster House is the "little black dress" of the Seattle restaurant scene. It's just perfect for anything.
Need a happy hour spot? Put on some boots and hit up their progressive oyster happy hour!
Need a date spot? Put on some heels and hit up the raw bar. Mmmm hmmm. Some of the best oysters in all of Seattle.
Need a dinner with the parents spot? Put on some flats and peruse their dinner menu. Plus, pay extra attention to their fresh sheet!
Need a "throwing a huge party for a bunch of Yelpers" spot? Put on your comfy heels cause it's going to be a long night of fun! Seriously, these guys know how to handle a large scale event and make it run smoothly.
Elliott's will always be a classic.
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I am a big, big, BIG fan of Elliott's happy hour. Thank god for flexible working hours, because it is worth it for me to get to work at 7.30am and leave early so that I can get to the happy hour early and beat everyone else to it. Plus, due to the progressive happy hour nature for the oysters, it's cheaper overall to get there at 3pm.
The food is so great, I've tried everything on the bar menu and loved *everything*. My favorite has to be the fried calamari with garlic aioli. So yummy and not too greasy. But what I really come to Elliott for are the oysters. Those tiny yummy morsels are great everywhere else, but it is heavenly at Elliott's , especially when paired with the mignonette (it's like a sorbet for the oysters). definitely better than eating the oysters with Tabasco sauce or cocktail sauce, as the mignonette isn't too overpowering and you can still taste how fresh the oyster is.
So far I haven't been dissapointed with the drinks I got there, though I must say the buttered rum is soooo good. Especially when it's freakishly cold outside...
The service is really great, no complaints. Eating at the oyster bar is a treat because sometimes some unnamed shucker would be extra nice and just put some random extra oysters on your plate so that you can taste different kinds. Gotta love that :)
Elliott's Oyster Bar, I love you, and I'm so glad you've reopened after the renovations. Please don't ever close again.
Unless they're fully cooked, oysters make me want to blow chunks. That being said, Elliot's Oyster House should be considered one of the finest restaurants in the region. They should also change their name to Elliot's Galley or something. Seriously, they have a variety of excellently prepared food there and lets face it, oysters on the half
shell isn't exactly something you can "specialize" in, I ask you!
Twenty years have past since we had probably the best Fillet Minion with Bearnaise sauce ever at Elliott's but last Thursday evening, we revisited the place for dinner. My wife had a wonderful salad with smoked white salmon and another salad with seared Ahi (both small plates) and both were delicious. I had an Alder-Planked King salmon dinner with a smoked salmon and Spinach salad and once again, delicious. Add the following:
-Above average wait staff
-Comfortable atmosphere
-Large, classy and clean restrooms (frosted glass windows on the doors) and splash-back friendly urinals (you guys know what I'm talking about)
-Historic waterfront setting
-Cozy lighting
Well, the place was once again a hit with us. Our bill including tip was around $76.00. We didn't have wine. If you generally split your bills like we do, that's only $38.00 a piece for an excellent meal.
I highly recommend this restaurant.
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I am really amazed.. for being on the pier and being very psuedo pacific northwest restaurant or as much as it can be.. the food was actually good.. yes I had to say wow.. it was amazing.. lol...
so going with this group was funny.. they like to splurge on clothes and all the other stuff.. and I like to splurge on food... so when they mentioned elliott's I cringed and just thought what is the harm in that.. overly commercialized food that is thawed and served??? hmmmm I wonder.. but it was actually fresh and tasty.... --again amazed---so we got a sampling of different dishes from creamy dungeness crab mushroom filled ravioli with bacon asparagas cream sauce... delish!!! to the seafood platter (the bibs are cool...I didn't feel like cracking the crab... or the other cold seafood.. but the girls seemed to have enjoyed it ) it was delicious.. the sauces and flavors were actually mind blowing.. I guess I was expecting shitty touristy food but it was pretty good.. high five.. I wish I were a white guy so I can say I am a high fivin' white .... well whatever I will say it .. totally high fiven' white guy hahah.. oh I must add that I am not much of a sweets person but the deep fried chocolate balls and vanilla bean ala mode was mouth watering.. and the creme brulee was pretty tasty... but I just like the top hahahhaha well the dinner was actually a good surprise and I am happy to have met up with the girls for a great dinner.... :) thank goodness..
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First stop on my cousin's itinerary for our long weekend vacation was dinner at Elliott's. She and her husband love this place. According to them, they have the best clam chowder in Seattle. I ordered the half red/half white (just to try something new). I didn't realize it'd be so tomatoey. I like tomato soup, but it no longer seemed like clam chowder to me. Luckily, Tom switched with me giving me his white. Thanks Tom! Oh...and I'd be remiss to not mention the prices. Pretty pricey...perhaps because of the location of the restaurant being on the water. A cup of clam chowder was $4...normally not a bad thing, but this cup was the size of a shot glass.
For the entree, I ordered the Alaskan King Crab Legs w/corn risotto from their "month long crab specials menu". I was slightly disappointed. It was more like 5 little claws than Alaskan King Crab Legs. The risotto also seemed undercooked to me...perhaps because it was cooked with corn. All 5 other people at our table loved their food. Two different Salmon dishes, crab/mushroom ravioli, crab cakes and oyster shooters were among the dishes ordered. The Bloody Mary my cousin ordered was thick and spicy, just the way I like it. My Skyy and Cranberry was a normal Skyy and Cranberry.
Our server was super nice. He gladly answered all of our questions about the menu. He even apologized when the food came out so quickly after the soups that we hadn't even finished our soup yet. And yes, fresh bread is served as well. I loved the coat racks throughout the restaurant. They came in very handy for the 6 of us sitting in a booth.
We had a reservation, checked in 20 minutes early, and enjoyed drinks from the bar outside on their patio. Overall it was a very pleasant experience. Even though I didn't love my dish, it was still good enough for me to give Elliott's 4 stars.
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YUMMY is all I have to say to this wonderful place called Elliott's Oyster House.
Before my visit to Seattle I had yelped a couple places to go eat and tons of positive reviews led me to my first meal in the rainy city. Yay Yay Yay! It was a great pick to say the least.
Elliott's was a quick walk from our downtown hotel (the W), which was a major plus. Even better was the spectacular view of the ocean and beautiful mountains on the dock. Mt. Rainer was a clear eyes view on our clear Saturday afternoon. A perfect start to our culinary adventure!
Our tasty menu began with a variety assortment of various oysters. I do not eat oysters, however my cousin and her friend (cousin- visiting from Chicago, friend- a Seattlian) commented they were the best oysters they both have had. (Note: They LOVED the Kusshi oysters the best).
We also ordered:
-Bowl of White Clam Chowder- YUM!
-Halibut Cheeks Gorgonzola- the fish had the same consistency of crab meat and had amazing flavor. The cheese along with the tomato sauce were light, but flavorful. Delicious to say the least.
-Maryland Softshell Crab- the least favorite of all my dishes, however cooked very well. Had a very "asian" tasting flavor, but I wished for a big bowl of rice to eat with this dish.
-Alaskan White King Salmon- WOW is all I have to say. The blue cheese was light and the raspberry-Pinot Noir reduction went beautifully with the lightness of the fish. The salmon was cooked to perfection and was completely devoured. This dish was a perfect combination of salty and sweet and a different taste then what you normally get with salmon. All in all, very tasty!
Overall a great meal and a wonderful beginning to my tour of Seattle.
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Sometimes I dream that I'm a giant shark, swimming through the ocean, eating every little fish and crustacean in sight.
Well, my friends, dreams do come true, and tonight at Elliott's, it was seafood extravaganza, and I was that shark! Hallelujah!
I wanted to try everything on the menu, but I settled on the Halibut Cheeks, served some fancy way that I couldn't exactly tell you, but there was asparagus on the side(they were good as well, though my pee smelled funny later on, sorry). So, little did I know, halibuts actually have cheeks. Can they smile? Can they frown? Are they happy or are they sad? I'll tell you this much, when I ate them cheeks, I was pretty damn happy.
But, yeah, they were good.
The small house salad to start was tasty and fresh, and the chocolate souffle that I shared with my mom was heavenly.
I'm not a big fan of oysters, cold, gooey snot looking type food isn't really my thing, but if it is, they have a huge selection from around the region.
From the outside this place looks like every other tourist trap restaurant along the waterfront, but I'll tell you this, it just ain't so. It is easily one of the top 5 seafood restaurants here in Seattle, and I stand firm by that claim. If you don't believe me, try it for yourself and prove me wrong. I triple-dog dare you!
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I love oysters....I love being reminded why I left Boston vowing to never to return again, so when my Uncle Danny came out for a conference last week and decided to take me out to dinner....my first thought was Elliott's!
The service was as close to perfect as you could get, from timing to being knowledgeable about the menu.
We started with an oyster sample platter, very nice.
OH what did you say