JOEY Lake Union

My family decided to try a new restaurant. We chose Joey on lake Union. We were seated promptly in a nice view booth.  They have two drink specials all evening, one beer $4, and one mixed.  Ordered filet mignon, choice grade. I've ate at the finest steakhouses in town and this was the most tender and flavorful cut I've had in a long time.  Came with quirky potato rolls drizzled with cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits and asparagus.
Wife had curry dish and the server suggested she have it toned down as it comes spicy hot. Great suggestion. Kids had  fettuccine and said it was the best tasting he has had. He orders fettuccine a lot. Very light sauce.

I gave 5 stars because of the great server, food quality, food presentation, and cost as reasonable.

I always eat here every time I'm I'm town. Can't go wrong with anything!! Eat up!!

PS: how was there not a yelp-page for this place?!?

Generally I hit up Joey in Bellevue, but tonight we decided to use up an old AmazonLocal deal that we had for this location.

Usually, my go-to Joey dish is the ahi tuna club, but my bf ordered this twice before at South Lake Union and said that both times it didn't measure up to Bellevue's.

So, instead we switched it up; I ordered the chicken souvlaki and he ordered the bacon cheddar burger. The souvlaki was good, but nothing to rave about.  It would have been better with a little more tzatziki sauce.  My bf's burger on the other hand was great!  I would compare it to a John Howie's burger, but much less messy.  The sharp cheddar really complimented the meat. Had I just had the burger I would've given this spot a 4.  

However, the soup that he got to sub out for his fries was horrible.  It was some sort of Thai-style soup that the waitress had assured us was really good.  It tasted like the chef was trying to combine a tomato soup with a spicy Thai coconut curry.  It was so bad that I wondered if the waitress had even tried the dish before; it's really not something that should even be an option to order.

Also, it took awhile for me to get my card and receipt back (about ten minutes).  This wasn't a bad dining experience, but I would probably just stick to the Bellevue location since the ahi club is my favorite.

I just discovered my downfall... LOBSTER GRILLED CHEESE!!!!! OMG!!!! Never in my life have i heard of such a creation. Thank you Joeys for ruining my life... especially since i leave back to California tomorrow...

I will go back tonight again! possibly drunk! and possibly late! but its ok, because Joeys has a full bar and serves food till 1am.

Am I at a club or a restaurant? I feel like I am in LA or the OC. Not sure if this was a place for dining and drinks or a place to "hook up".

One weekend sunny night I came here and met a friend for some eats and drinks.  

POOR customer service. We waited over 15mins to be greeted and had to call over a waitress from another area to ask for menus and water.  I can understand the patio being busy, but inside dining there was hardly any guests.

Prices are outrageous!

However, their Club Ahi Tuna sandwich is excellent! Wasabi aioli is wonderful with this dish!

This place has a great outdoor patio/balcony that overlooks the water. We managed to score a really nice couch sectional in this area on a sunny afternoon in May. The inside was dark, but there appeared to be a lot of seats near the window so that you could enjoy the water view whether you sat indoors or outdoors.

Our wait staff were cheery although somewhat forgetful, but they always redeemed themselves by fetching items once reminded.

I ordered the sashimi ahi salad. The ahi had a peppered or seasoned crust that was too salty for my likes. Despite this, I enjoyed the salad, especially the mango bits and cilantro, lime dressing. It was a huge bowl though, so I was unable to finish it.

There were two drink specials on the menu for every day of the week. Prices weren't cheap, but that was expected considering the location and upscale environment.

We enjoyed watching the bi-planes take off and land on the water. Fortunately they weren't too frequent or noisy, so we were able to carry on a conversation without issue.

There was paid parking all along the marina. It was unusual in that you had to back into the spots. On a positive note, the spots were huge, so even I managed to squeeze my rental car into a spot with plenty of clearance for the door swing radius on both sides of the vehicle.

Overall a decent experience, but with so many great places to try in Seattle, I doubt I will make it back to this one.

What a disappointment.

We called in advance to make reservations for a Tuesday night, knowing that Tuesdays are busy at the South Lake Union location in the summer. The person who took our reservation said she couldn't reserve a table outside - that there were no reservations there - but said she'd secure a table along the window for us and we could wait for an outdoor table, if we chose, when we got there.

When we arrived we found several people waiting around the hostess stand, and an absent-minded, unqualified young woman unable to answer questions or to simply seat people.

It came as no surprise that she somehow didn't have our reservation on the books. What was a surprise, however, was that she told us it would 30+ minutes for a window table - one we had clearly reserved earlier in the day. (What the...?!?)

She also told us the wait would be more than an hour to sit outside.

During all this, another man came over - who had been waiting on an outdoor table - and pointed out that there were three empty tables outside and had been for quite some time.

A manager quickly stepped in and offered us a quasi-window table. We took it, fearing that if we waited any longer, we'd never be seated.

We sat, and, after being somewhat neglected by our waitress, we ordered. (Our waitress was the only one there who seemed to NOT fall into the trap of incessantly flirting with the mostly-male clientele.) She brought, among other things, a warm glass of white wine for my companion.

Trying to remain unfazed, we walked outside to enjoy the view. That was lovely; seeing the lingering empty tables was not. (They remained empty and unseated for a solid 15 minutes more.)

When we came back in, our orders eventually arrived. The salmon was delicious; the ahi tuna salad was not. It was basically a huge plate of lettuce, six tough pieces of tuna, and six hail-sized chunks of mango. It was supposed to contain avocado and cilantro - but no dice. When we FINALLY flagged down our server, we pointed this out to her. She checked the menu and came over with about a tablespoon of avocado. That was it.

We made it through our meal and made plans for dessert elsewhere - looking forward to a place where the customer came first and the food was something to care about.

I am in absolute disbelief over our experience.

First, the reservation SNAFU. Then, a hostess who seemed to either not understand or not care. After, a warm glass of wine. THEN... seeing the constantly empty outdoor tables that we were told would be a 60-90 minute wait. Finally... a "salad" that was basically mixed greens and mealy tuna.

For the price that we paid for that meal, we'd gladly spend it elsewhere.

I am really surprised by all the low reviews as I have been to Joey numerous times and have always been impressed.  My service has always been friendly and helpful.  The ambiance is nice - a bit upscale with great views by the window or on the patio, great for date night!  It does seem like everyone else here is dressed to impress, "cool," and ready for a night out, but the food is good so we can't complain even if the crowd is not so much our thing!

The wine list at Joey is awesome.  I don't think I've ever been disappointed.  I love the Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc.  

As for appetizers, the Ahi Tuna Tacos are AMAZING.  A very creative dish and super flavorful!  This appetizer alone is worth a visit.  We've also had the Chicken Lettuce Wraps, which were pretty good but a little salty - go for the tuna tacos instead!  

For entrees, I highly recommend the Sashimi Tuna Salad.  It's definitely citrusy almost to the point of being sour, but it's very refreshing.  The Chicken Souvlaki is also pretty good.  My boyfriend has had their burgers a few times and likes them.  The Steak & Sushi dish is good as well.  Basically, we have yet to have an entree here that has disappointed us!

For dessert, we've had both the Chocolate Souffle and the Italian Donuts and both are really good.

Tip - if you sit in the lounge, they usually try to seat you towards the front of the restaurant, but if it's nice out, ask for a seat by the window.  These tables seem to always be empty for some reason but the view is great!

Beautiful view of South Lake Union and fairly decent food at moderately upscale prices. I think normal entrees range from $15 - 35. Bar grub like burgers are available for less.

I have had the lobster ravioli and more recently an Italian pasta dish with seafood. Both were very nicely executed. And the calamari appetizer was very good. Service is also good.

Nice bar with drinks on the high side.

Depending on business in the overall free public parking after 6p is available in non-prime dining out evenings otherwise there is a pay lot right in front.

I have made quite a few visits here duiring both happy hour and the weekend night run. Happy hour is great, you can usually find a seat during these hours, and the drink specials and apps are quite good. The weekend is over crowded... but anywhere along the South of Lake Union usually is... especially during the summer hours. If you are looking for something more casual, check out Duke's Chowder House.

The wait staff all look like something out of a Abercrombie modeling catalog... and they are proud to hire ONLY Seattle's eye candy. It's part of the appeal. This is an upscale atmosphere, and the crowd usually dresses and acts accordingly (less so on weekend nights, when frat boys tend to put on a nice shirt and bounce between Stix and Joey's).  

If you are looking for a great dinner, I would highly reccomend the food. The view of Lake Union can't be beat during the summer months, and even during the winter the cozy booths and gracious staff will always treat you like a valued guest.