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Categories: Japanese, Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: International District
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I'm a waitress, so I can tell you straight off the bat how much I hate it when a "table for about 8?" turns into a table for 18. Yeah, but sometimes that's what happens -- and I'm not gonna lie, that's how I roll on my birthday -- I guess more people love me than I thought. How does that relate to Fort St. George? Yeah, I had that birthday party here.
Strong, tasty drinks (Momotaro!), attentive service and all-around awesome were in abundance here tonight, helping me reach the necessary level of "smashedness" required to go downstairs to Venus Karaoke so I could belt out *NSYNC, Lady Gaga and Japanese hits from the '80s. Thank you for dealing with the fact we were the sucky growing party and being totally awesome about it. There's a reason you've always been one of my favorites, FSG -- and you proved it again tonight!
PS: Korokke makes for happy times. I already want to go back to Fort St. George for kimchi fried rice, and I've only been gone like, 4 hours... mmm!
I've been going here for years and I still enjoy coming back. Had the chicken cutlet curry and the lunch special with hamburger steak & fish. The hamburger steak was a bit dry and the curry didn't have as much chicken and carrots as it usually does, but still great flavor and portion for the price.
The service was non-existent despit being only 1 of 2 tables, but hey you're in Chinatown you shouldn't expect more.
Must try is the Melon Cream Soda. It's just melon syrup and soda topped with vanilla ice cream, but so damn good!
I'm going to be honest, I used to fricking hate this place. The spaghetti noodles are always undercooked, the salad dressing is too salty, the service is inconsistent and impartial at best, etc etc.
So why the "okay" rating? This restaurant grew on me. I know, sounds disgusting. Like, 'this weird mole grew on me' or something. I got used to the undercooked noodles, the bored staff, and just started ordering my salads plain. This makes me a sappy pushover, and I will openly admit it.
This restaurant is hip and fun, come here with friends when you aren't in a rush. Order some miso soup and a cream soda and relax. Come on a Saturday night and sit near the windows while you're at it and watch an embarassed guy walk his too drunk girlfriend to the car. Good times.
for anyone who bitches about this place I've got news for you: you're in chinatown...what are you expecting? Bell town services? Then you should expect to pay Bell Town prices. Fortunately for the rest of us, the food is very well priced and tasty here at FSG. And the beer & glasses are always chilled, and the prezels free (if you ask). The music can be eclectic, but never a nod to mainstream. While the lines may be long during rush hour, would you really trust a place that DIDN'T have a line during lunch/dinner time?
So ease up people, at its core FSG is still a mom & pop shop serving up home-style japanese/american food at reasonable prices...and it's damn tasty too after the club lets out!
DORIA!!!!! What a crazy discovery!
I went here for lunch last week and it wasn't bad. The food tasted like Americanized Asian food. The service was quick - after we ordered, the food came fast. I ordered the doria with mushroom and bacon and it came with miso soup.
The first thing that surprised me about this place was that they served my miso soup in a tiny little mug. How cute! But weird at the same time. For some reason, I thought to myself that my miso would taste different if it was served in a different container, but it still tasted like regular miso.
Then - my doria came. It smelled like cheese! I love cheese. Like, the kind of cheese you smell off a pizza. Actually, it did taste like a pizza, other than the fact that there was rice on the bottom instead of dough. Very interesting!
With a bill of $15 for two people, I say this place is not bad for lunch.
craving some Japanese curry or Japanese spaghetti? yummy, just like my grandma makes it. curry is only given in one temp, not mild or spicy and u pick what u want in your beef curry, like hamburger beef or veggies.
they've got a bar in there too. it has what i love about the I.D. some interesting regulars at the bar where i can eat my meal and hear weird conversations.
o and the bathroom is over at maekawa bar.
I've heard the hype from a few different people about this place. Unfortunately... I can't say my experience was that great.
I've been here twice, and I wasn't all that impressed either time. It's been a while since I've last been there, mainly because of the "unimpressiveness" i was met the previous two times. The last time I went, I ordered some sort of rice dish that was praised by a friend. When it came out, I was completely disappointed because... it ended up just being a simple fried rice w/ hardly any chicken... topped with ketchup. Yes, rice topped with ketchup. I could've made that blindfolded. And even though I'm sure a lot of care went into making that dish... it's still just ketchup on rice.
Another thing that bothered me a little, was the very sub-par service and extremely slow kitchen. Both times I went, it took forever for me to get my food. Not cool, when the food you're getting can easily be made at home.
Perhaps I just ordered the wrong things... went at all the wrong times... I really wanted to see the full potential of this restaurant, but at the same time, I cannot find many positives. Food quality, service, and even ambiance was uninspired and didn't cut it. However, seeing this restaurant's proud tenure, I might give it another shot and order something else. Just gotta order the right thing at the right time...
Wow.
I haven't seen so much go wrong in such a little time period. Before you think that by 'go wrong' I mean super late food, super rude servers I should probably rephrase. I haven't seen such an incompetent staff in a while.
We sat down quick enough, were given our menus and glasses of water. We waited about 15 minutes for the waitress to come take our order. No biggie. Between that time, I saw her set down a glass of water and promptly spill THE WHOLE ENTIRE GLASS in a poor customer's lap. She laughed, she giggled and she barely mumbled an apology.
As for the customer, he brushed it off and she walked off to return with a dish cloth. Not really much of an apology, not so much as a [ here I'll provide you with something something ] just a towel shoved in the poor customer's face.
As for the second table next to us - she got their order wrong, had to take one to the back and made the two of them wait another 15 minutes so they could both eat at the same time. Not so much as a "Oh, I'm sorry, let me get you a free soda" but a - "oh! I thought you both ordered chicken."
Granted, I'm coming across as nosy and bitchy. But I still can't believe that these customers O_O were treated like this. With hardly any apology at all.
As for us - our food was fine, some came out late. The doria was delicious and definitely what I recommend, the green tea they offered (a genmacha) was deliciously toasty but although I required several refills. Each time I needed a refill, in spite of trying to telepathically signal the waitress (pleaaaaaaaaaaaaseeee, PLEAAAAAAAAAAASEEEEE give me some hot water? pretty pretty please?) Sadly, I ended up being one of those super rude Asians who have to either a ] wave down the server or b ] go up and ask politely for more hot water, please and thank you and sorry to bother you.
We asked for Tabasco sauce three times. They dropped by to drop off the check, more hot water for my tea (yay!) and still, unfortunately, sadly no Tabasco.
Yeah, yeah. I'm kind of a bitch. Why should I be ranting about this when really the prices are about $7 a plate? God only knows that if that waitress had spilled ice cold water in my lap, I would've tossed a second glass in her face.
P.s. the food was decent, and the male waiter while not great was at least mildly competent.
Went here for lunch today. Had the lunch special -- hamburger steak, pork cutlet, heap of rice, side of spaghetti, and miso soup. At $6.50 it's a good deal. Not fancy, but it's got charm. Love the 2nd floor perch; you get to people watch.
My friend had mentioned he was heading to this place for drinks and I had to make it a point to tell him that everything, I mean EVERYTHING comes with ketchup...
and that is what sparked this review. I am not going to glamorize this restaurant and make you say ooooh or aaaah. It is what it is. American food with a Japanese twist. Some like it, while others don't. But I suggest trying it out before making that judgment. The food is simple and tasty in the most interesting way. I say this because everything comes with Ketchup! That may seem odd, but as odd as it seems... it works! Fried chicken with Ketchup... yes! Omelette with Ketchup? You betcha! Rice mixed with Ketchup! Of course.
The service is not fantastic, but it gets the job done. Orders are taken, drinks are served. But I can look past that to say, "Hooray for Ketchup."
To me this place is, uh, well, weird. I have only been here once, but honestly, I don't think I'll ever go back. Maybe the food works for some people, but not me. It's kind of a strange bastardization of western food with japanese flavors. The salad had corn in it, the hamburger patty was fried, and the spaghetti was meaty and cold.
oh, and the service was kind of haphazard...it was slow and apathetic.
Japanese versions of Italian dishes, huh? Hmm...
Came here last night w/ a group of 5. When my friend and I came to get a table, there were 0 people there. I was trying to practice listening skills (our server was nihonjin). There's something about the way Japanese men speak, it's gruff and hard to understand, at least it is for me. but listening to my friend speak japanese was ... kinda painful. he's 1/2 Japanese and there was 0 accent. I dunno, maybe it's just me, but it wasn't hitting my ears well.
Our party arrived and service was slow. I couldn't understand why because we were the only ones in there. The bartender seated us.
C got doria. Doria is a rice casserole type deal, I didn't have a bite, but I heard it was extremely rich. I don't know what kind he got. Y got a spinach bacon and hardboiled egg salad, it looked good, she claims she ate too much earlier. M got a oroshi cutlet, pork I think. It was good. W had fried chicken curry. I dont' like fried chicken, but it looked good. I got spaghetti. But with a japanese twist, it was in a white sauce, it was a real subtle sauce with bits of chicken and enoki mushrooms. I'd recommend it, it was quite tasty. I like those mushrooms, so maybe i'm biased.
Bill for 5 of us came out to be $45. Dishes are all in the $7-9 range. It was good. not really any ambiance, but it filled up really quickly while we were eating.
The Fort St George is one of those places in the ID that would scare aware most people. First all, the place is up some nondescript stairs from a lobby that always seems to be dirty and littered. You walk into the place and the tables are beat up and the chairs look like they came from the DIY section of Fred Meyers. Why do I come here? Why, what everyone should come to this Japanese restaurant for: spaghetti.
Yes, this place does pasta. Spaghetti with meat sauce is the base and to that you can add items such as a hamburger patty or god knows what else. I have the meat sauce and leave it at that. The plate is filled with al dente pasta and a good amount of "meat sauce" is spooned over that. No fancy presentation, no garnish, just pasta and sauce. It isn't haute cuisine but it does fill the belly for $8 and that comes with a small salad or miso soup. Love the dichotomy of this place
Try their Katsu Sandwiches (with beer, if possible)....AWESOME!
St. George makes me feel like I'm back in Japan.
I'm ashamed to say I hadn't tried the food here until this past year, because I should've had it a lot sooner. This place is tucked away on the second floor of a typical, old building in the I.D., and crowds have never been an issue for me here.
I like sitting at the bar, ordering a hamburger steak (Japanese style) with a spaghetti noodles and a salad. Sometimes a beer does the trick with the meal too :-)
Bartenders and servers are nice, as I once had to ask them to call me a cab while stranded during the snowstorm. Menu options are robust and fun (lots of Japanese/American style food), prices are reasonable in this tough economy and service is prompt and unassuming.
Fort St George is a staple of the I.D. for a reason.
The food here is great. It brought back good memories of eating "western food" when I lived in Japan.
Their Hamburg steak is quite exceptional.
My thoughts on the whole Japanese "western food" group:
Never has getting it wrong tasted so right.
My friends hate this place. And I can't blame them. Their food has sometimes never came out. Sometimes an hour late. Some think its gross. So I usually just leave them at home and come by myself for lunch. The wait can be unbearable during busy hours. And I always wonder if I volunteered my services in the kitchen would food come out faster. (the food is not that complicated) But regardless, the food always comes out the same. Quality control is there. Japanese style italian food. Another notable aspect of this place. Other people have mentioned their favorite dishes. I would rank all of them across the board, "Japanes-ish" and somewhat bland. B/c that's what Japanese food is...mastery of basic palette. Less is more in this case.
If you like fusion food, this is a great place to go. When I tried it for the first time many years ago, I was a little skeptical but this place proves that you get such great results when you combine two great things into one.
I like the cheesy dishes - risottos are great! The spaghetti is good too. Portions are big enough to share. I took a friend there awhile ago-it was her first time and she was so excited about the different dishes that she saw at other tables and had trouble choosing just one.
This is my favorite Japanese restaurant (its actually more like a cafe) of all time. I've been going there for about 10 years now and I'm sure I've been there 200+ times.
The food they serve here is Japanese comfort food so don't expect anything fancy or even sushi. The food is very simple and "homey".
I honestly love every dish on their menu and I've had each one many many times. I've also been here for lunch, dinner, and night-time drinks and it's always great.
(Sometimes the service isn't so fast but if you just ask for a menu or ask to order, it's not a big deal. I don't even notice it anymore since I don't even need the menu.)
I just love this place.
I am a curry fiend.
I love Jamaican, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian...you name it, I will tramp my way around the world to taste it. New York? Check. Miami? Check. San Francisco? Check. Saigon? Check.
Oddly, the best place in the United States where I've had Japanese curry was....in Ogden, Utah. Prior to that, Japanese curries always disappointed me for their sweet/savory taste. That was until I went to Fort St. George on a tip of a friend.
I love their curries here! This place feels like a Japanese diner intrepreting western dishes. The curry spaghetti dish? Very disconcerting but tasty.
I love their curry dishes here --- you can customize the toppings -- I highly recommend a croquette and port katsu to try. The prices are decent too. Great place for curry-fiends and friends whose only concept of Japanese food is teriyaki and california rolls.
I've been going here ever since I first discovered it in the college days, through friends that were big fans of the place. I quickly became one as well. It's a small place that's great for having a drink in the evening, but I usually go for the food. It's Japanese cafe style, so the prices are reasonable and they offer some dishes you don't usually see elsewhere. My favorite is the curry spaghetti with hamburger steak, where the noodles are cooked al dente. I've tried cooking noodles al dente at home, and have never been able to quite replicate how perfectly they do it here. They have some tasty beverages too, so try one if you have a chance.
I love the omurice (or omuraisu) here! (On the menu, it's called "chicken fried rice with omelet" or some such.) It's basically fried rice with ketchup in it and topped with an omelet. http://en.wikipedia.or... Technically, the egg is supposed to enclose the rice, like a little sleeping bag or something. But I'm not gonna quibble that the egg was served on TOP of the rice. It's still delish.
The rice was very flavorful and moist. And the egg on top was the softest, fluffiest omelet I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. Get a side of kimchi and you're good to go! Their hamburger steak dish is also delish. It comes with rice, a side of Japanese style spaghetti (which I didn't care for) and a salad.
This is MY comfort food, people. Screw mac 'n cheese. My mom never made mac 'n cheese for me as a kid, but she sure as hell made some excellent fried rice with egg and kimchi! :)
At first I was a bit skeptical of a place that serves steak, with meat sauce topped with 2 slices of bacon. It's like meat to the 3rd power or something. But, that being said, I'm always glad to be proven wrong!
Their spaghetti is strange but good, definitely nowhere near authentic, but good. They serve some seriously tasty Japanese Curry *yummo!*
I really can't complain about anything here.
I mean of course there is the poor service, shabby interior and lack of parking. But, all of these things are expected in the I district. If you walk in knowing the above things, then you're golden!
I'll usually give things a go a couple of times even if my first experience isn't that great. However, I've learned that sometimes it's best to let go...
My friends love it here and this was the first place they took me to when I came up to Seattle for freshman orientation at UW. Personally, I didn't like the food the first time, nor the numerous times thereafter. I need to get it through my head that this place is just *NG*.. NO GO! But again, I am an exception because it's a favorite to many, so you should definitely give it a shot before cutting it as NG.
I just don't get Asian Fusion. It's a cute place though. And if you're lucky like my friends, you might even spot Ichiro drinking Sapporo!
When I was still a student at UW, many of my friends loved to hang out at Fort St. George, which was quite confusing to me cuz I didn't feel their food was that good. But I guess it could be a great place to hang out if the reason is based on nice-looking waitress and waiters.
I'm not a big fan of their curry rice, and the only item on the menu I do enjoy is ham & egg sandwich which reminds me of the sandwich I used to have back in Taiwan and Japan. I actually ordered this sandwich to go once for the picnic on a beauiful sunny day. I would also recommend the green tea tiramisu, very refreshing.
Japanese cafe without the sushi! Top faves: spicy fried chicken dinner, hamburger steak japanese style, spaghetti with meat sauce + texas toast, pork cutlet curry and shrimp doria. A staple for chinatown foodies. try the sister restaurant across the way for cheap japanese izekaya.
this is is always a must when i go visit home...and i always get the same thing every single time....chicken omlette ketchup rice + ham samich to share with the friend...
i just got back from seattle yesterday for the weekend and the food is still the same and yummy as always...service used to be pretty good...but this time around, it was n o . g o o d
our server was pretty nice when she sat us, took our orders, filled our waters, and served us our food...but after that, she was pretty non-existent...we were all done w/our food and chit chatting, but she didnt even give us our check until we had to wave her over...and mind you, the place was EMPTY! she was over talking to coworkers at the bar...*sigh*
but i'll still probably be back when i visit again in july...i can't help it, i have to have it
I've been going to the joint FOREVER and yeah, it's not the best but it is decent and I know what to expect when I go there. I hold a special place in my heart for the spicy karaage and squid.
Another place, along with Maekawa Bar (across the hall), to go for Japanese food that you wont find anywhere else in the city. I think Fort St. George is at it's best when presenting the Frankensteinish blendings of Japanese and Western cuisine. My favorites so far are their Salt Cod Roe & Kim chi Spaghetti and the Omelet with Ketchup-flavored rice. The Doria (rice bake) dishes are also great for when you're in the mood for a lot of molten cheese.
This place is proof that asian people either do not know or do not care that they are lactose intolerant. This is the essence of what it is to be young and asian in the modern world. They serve an interpretation of western comfort food for the asian palate. Cheap comfort food, booze, and super cute asian girls, what more could you ask for.
Day three of Jury Duty, and we finally have an hour and a half for lunch. I decide I'm heading back to the ID, it's cold out but the sun is shinning to I walk, it's a nice walk but cold. Not sure where to go I walked down Fourth to Jackson, than up to Sixth and lo and behold the infamous Fort St George was right in front of me. I headed up stairs and was seated at a nice little table under a plant that wanted to attached itself to my head.
I went for the pork tenderloin basically breaded pork with a katsu sauce (?) on the side. It was served with a salad that had corn on it, I found this odd for some reason, the meat sauce spaghetti which I didn't try because it looked like it had beef in it and I don't eat beef and it came with a side plate of steam white rice. The pork was tender and moist and delicious. The salad was tasty even with the corn on it and the rice well it was like any other steam white rice.
I noticed they have a full bar and it appears they are open late so the next time Michael O and I are looking for a place to grab one more drink I know a place we can go and drink while listening to J-Pop!
oh.
how i miss thee.
ketchup rice.
i no longer see.
but everything else is quite yummy.
I often go there for lunch with my coworkers. The ambiance is nice and the food is quite delicious. (I love the Kim Chee Fried Rice and their Spaghetti w/ Curry Sauce.)
I have had mediocre service during the last few visits, however. I don't know if it is because they are short-staffed since I only noticed one waitress working in the entire place at a time. During the last 2 visits, the same waitress has forgotten to bring our soup or salad (they come with most meals) and was unapologetic about it. Anyhow, I'm willing to forgive the sub-par service since the food is really good.
When I lived in Japan the food I lived off of was very similar to the items they serve here. Some people may look at the menu, scrunch their nose, and think this isn't Japanese. And if they did that they would be partially right and partially wrong. While traditional Japanese food doesn't consist of spaghetti or doria, Japanese cafe style food does. From the Katsu Curry to the Spaghetti with Garlic Mayo...I have never consumed anything here that I did not like.
My one piece of advice - only order the bacon and egg Doria if you are starving. This dish is SO good but extremely heavy due to the white sauce and cheese browned and melted over rice mixed with bacon topped with an over easy egg.
No - not a Japanese restaurant - yes, a restaurant you would find in Japan. Yay!
One step in to the place and I turn to Michael O., "This place smells like Japan." Totally. Fried food, catsup, old cigarette smoke and curry all wrapped up together...mmmmmm.....mmmemories. Fort St. George offers it's diners the food version of Janglish or Engrish - whatever you want to call it.
Mike suggested the place because I was wanting some Curry Rice (Nihongo de: Kare Raisu). If you haven't tried, you should. You might like, you might not. I love it. It's oddly sweet and served with these little red pickled radish things that I always forget the name of. Googling Kare Raisu garnish did not help me. At any rate, Fort St. George has every possible option available - from the basic beef curry, to the very popular Ton Katsu, to veggie...even Croquette (Nihongo de Korokke: fried mashed potato discs). Makes me want to go back every day and get something different covered in this, the ambrosia of Japanized food.
They also have the best (and honestly only) selection of Japanized spaghetti dishes I have seen in Seattle. Everything from your basic oddly sweet meat sauce on your basic over cooked spaghetti to Nori topped roe covered noodles. And yes, you can have some meat sauce with garlic mayo on top. I have never gone there...it could happen.
If you want to find out what you would REALLY be eating if you went to live in Japan for a spell, this place will fill you in. Unless you literally shit money, you ain't eating much sushi in Japan. Real - and by real I mean make less than $200K a year - people eat this stuff.
And ramen, but that is a review for another place.
-Some of the best damn spaghetti I have had. Evah!
-Learned about the wonders of Saporo and Kirin beer.
-I am sure there is a lot more to this place (read the other reviews) but I am perfectly happy with good spaghetti and beer.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop!
I've been going here for years and this has been my comfort food! The prices are still reasonable after all these years and the food has remained the same. They have the best lunch specials - two entree choices with a side of rice, salad, tomato spaghetti and miso soup. Try the hamburger patty as entree choice..its just a regular thick hamburger patty but its soooo delicious!
They can work on their service though and hire more waitresses because every time I'm in there, there's only one waitress taking orders for 10 tables.
My friends and I come here a lot when we want to avoid the crowds @ Bell Town. The prices here are reasonable and their late night menu is awesome. I loved their smoked salmon and Karage (Spicy Chicken), alongside a bottle of Asahi and a shot of crown.
Hooray! My co-worker (B-squared) has been wanting to take me here for ages, but apparently, it's sweltering and uncomfortable up there in the summer months. Today however, was the day! I could totally see coming here to get an inexpensive and satisfying meal while reading a book or transient watching from the second floor. There's a full bar and today's musical selection brought me right back to the 80's (good/bad... you decide).
I have to admit: I wasn't overly adventurous today... I ordered Beef Curry with Squid... pretty darned tasty and filling. It came with a cup of miso soup... all for only 6.50!
B-squared had the Kim Chee Fried Rice... he gets it all the time, and loves it. I tasted it, and was surprised to find it rather delightful... It has a slow heat that builds up in your mouth, but wasn't overwhelming.
Art had the Beef Curry with Fried Pork Cutlet - Pretty much the same as mine, but with pork (SURPRISE!). He snarfed the whole thing down.
All of us had some sort of bright red pickled radish or something on our plates. I was a little hesitant, but it was good! Seriously enjoyable crunch factor going on there! :-)
Next time I think I will branch out a bit and get the Fried Rice with Ketchup and Egg... or Spaghetti with Red Sauce and Mayo... just to try it!! :-)
Adventures in the ID!
There should be more yoshoku japanese restaurants around! I love yoshoku style food. There's only one of those in SF, so when I found FSG on yelp, I was excited to try it out. I went with Kerrie L and Robert M, specifically to compare FSG to On the Bridge in SF and we weren't disappointed.
Did they change the menu since Michael O's review? I did not see omuraisu on the menu. I settled on the hamburger steak fort st george style. No matter, my dish was interesting. Strong flavor of meat and onion. So strong that I kept burping hamburger flavored belch throughout the day. Karaage chicken was nicely spiced and hot. It inspired us to try buffalo hot wings with japanese mayo next time.
Place was nice. Much more spacious than on the bridge. Service was better and more attentive. I still love on the bridge, but they could take note from fort st george.
Are you reading this, On the Bridge??
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Sushi Bars
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