Oceanaire Seafood Room

Excellent food more

Went with a group of friends to Oceaniare last week and had a great time. We met in the bar which has a good atmosphere, but is fairly small. We were seated at the appropriate time and the wait staff was there when we needed, but didn't hover. The food was very good and the wine list was fine. The atmosphere was a bit on the loud side, which was ok with our group. I will surely return. more

...when there are so many fantastic restaurants with local flavor in Seattle? The food is decent (although over priced), but it's what you would expect from a good Chicago seafood restaurant. Why fly in fish from all over the world when the Northwest is one of the premier seafood regions in thw world? It's an insult to local food quality. Desserts look like they are straight out of Claimjumper more

On top of this place having fabulous food, their desserts are amazing. Yes, they are huge but sooo good. more

The seafood at Oceanaire is indeed incredible. YOu need a magnifying glass when you read the menu which is essentially one gigantic fresh sheet. I had the Alaskan halibut there and it was amazing. The bathrooms are great, the main thing is that it is just so crowded and loud, I ended up with a headache at the end of the evening (or maybe it was the wine!) The only caution is that they serve lots of endangered fish. You have to be careful about what you are eating. Monterey Bay Aquarium has a great list of sustainably harvested fish that you can bring. They have something called Seafood Watch (http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp) which lets you search. The short list by the way, is that anything from Alaska is really OK to eat. Alaska has the most sustainable harvest. Anything from the Asia, East Coast or Atlantic isn't. The fisheries there are dying. And the final strange rule is that anything that is freshwater farm raised is great (trout, catfish), but please, please, please stay away from farm raised in the sea like 99% of the shrimp and salmon. That kind of farming is amazingly bad for the environment. more

Maybe we just got lucky based on some of the other reviews, but my husband and I enjoyed a memorable dinner here last week. I had the salmon - seared to perfection, still slightly pink in the middle (which the waiter made sure I was ok with when I ordered it) - it was absolutely perfect, melt in your mouth perfection. My husband had the halibut cheeks, which he shared a bite with me - excellent, tender and flavorful. The bathroom is fun - they have hairspray, lotion, everything you need to freshen up properly. We sat in one of the u-shaped booths, which was fun because we could sit next to each other and eat from each other's plates without being too nauseating. The wine list was great, our waiter made a fantastic recommendation. The service is attentive without being over-bearing and the pace of the meal was perfect. I eat slowly and often feel rushed in restaurants - I like a little breather between courses, and this was perfect for me. If you're in the mood for a special treat - I highly recommend the Oceanaire Seafood Room! more

I decided to go to Oceanaire for the 25 for $25 deal going on in the month of March. On a Tuesday night we could only get reservations at 6pm for two. It was definitely slow when we arrived, but by the time our dessert came around the place was packed with people. Our waiter was great, he was very excited to tell us all about the menu and how to read it, which I found to be very helpful. He made a wine recommendation for me and he was right on with the flavor I was going for. He was very knowledgeable about the entire menu including the wine list. I found it refreshing to get something in addition to your typical basket of bread and butter. We also got a nice little veggie dish, the highlight being the pickled cod, I think it was cod, anyway it was very very good! I ordered the Burley Lagoon Oysters on the Half Shell, which were good, I guess I'm a bigger fan of grilled oysters and not raw. My dining partner ordered the Borsch a'la Rousse, I was wary at first, until I stole a bite, and now I'm a believer. From there I went on to order the Pistachio Crusted California Swordfish, which was excellent. My friend ordered the Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder which was even more excellent! It was covered in gnocchi, which I love. Our waiter was attentive to us, but not in an annoying way. We even had the bread crumbs combed off of our table, I don't think I've ever seen that before so I was pretty impressed! The menu is definitely pricey, we actually managed to get out of there for under $100, but I don't think that is typical. You get what you pay for, great service and great food come at a price right? I'll definitely go back, seems like a great place to take family and friends. more

Ghastly expensive seafood, of fair at best quality. A true gouge-em high end chain restaurant. While old and petrified, McCormick and Schmicks is always better and always fresh. The 7 buck fries in a previous review are not a joke. Belongs in Bellevue where people wouldn't know the difference or care about the prices. more

This place has a big menu and you can always find some good fresh seafood. more

Wow. These people know how to do seafood. The scallops and the tuna were seared to rare perfection - easy in theory but rarely accomplished my most restaurant chefs. The squid appetizer was delicious, if not a little heavy on the breading. The mains are where Oceanaire really shines.

There are two kickers to this affair, however, one being the outrageously priced menu. Have you ever in your life paid $7 for a plate of fries? Everything on the menu is priced at a premium above market rate.

The second kicker which, for me, makes the first kicker pretty intolerable, is that the Oceanaire atmosphere is completely manufactured. It has "Trademark" written all over it, a chain of many chains engineered to hit the right buttons of consumer emotion, with kitchy and clever phrases stenciled on the wall, cherry wood veneer booths, and 1950's looking chairs. I think across the board they were trying to evoke the "classy joint" look of yesteryear, yet the cheeseball stock acoustic tiling on the ceiling went untouched. At the prices they demand, the interior should be lavish! I think there are better values around town that will offer a vastly more authentic experience. I would certainly consider going back, but only if somebody else was paying for it. more

Had a super time here, went on a weeknight and the service in the restaurant was just a little slow, but the seafood tower we had made it worth the wait. The oysters were great.......I'll go back! more

I took my boyfriend here for a birthday dinner. The decor is really nice, the atmosphere is great, and the service is excellent. Those are the only positive things to say about the place. The food is extremely expensive and definitely not worth the price. It's a seafood restaurant supposedly of high quality but the fish can be compared to something you would receive at a Skippers or Ivars. Keep in mind the platter I'm speaking of was the least expensive on the menu, so the pricier items may be of better quality. All in all however, I was not impressed. more

OK we love the atmosphere in the restaurant, very clubby. and the location is great -- close to shopping core downtown. but honestly the food has been just adequate every time we've gone. OK the french fries were good but I can get good fries for a lot less than this. The fish and chips was so-so, the grilled fish entries were flavorless and a little overcooked. more

The fish is really good here, I would say one of the best seafood place in Seattle. Had the black cod last week and it was unbelievable, probably the best fish I have had in awhile. The desserts here are huge but very good as well. more

This is a fabulous seafood restaurant...albeit a bit pricey. Had the best piece of swordfish anywhere in seattle. Great oysters. Nice atmosphere and a super margarita on the rocks. Worth going to ... more