This ambiance of Pair has a warmth and charm that always melts away the stress and worries of my day. The small dishes are lovingly crafted with high quality ingredients in sometimes. We usually... More

This ambiance of Pair has a warmth and charm that always melts away the stress and worries of my day. The small dishes are lovingly crafted with high quality ingredients in sometimes. We usually share 3-4 small dishes, or bring another couple and order nearly one of everything. Because this is handcrafted artisan food, they run out of some dishes later in the evening, so show up early for the best selection. We enjoy romantic dinners here as well as lively conversation filled evenings with friends. Getting a seat can sometimes be tricky, so show up before you are hungry and anticipate the wait. Often there will be space at the bar to enjoy a glass of wine before a table is ready for you. Pros: small dishes let you sample lots of tasty things Cons: doesn't take reservations, so sometimes the wait is around an hour for a table
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Wonderful food! Wonderfully prepared! Wonderful atmosphere!

Wonderful food! Wonderfully prepared! Wonderful atmosphere!
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We love Pair. First, we love that it is right near our house. Second, we love the waiters- they even recognize us other places around the city (strange but true). Third, the food is amazing: flavors... More

We love Pair. First, we love that it is right near our house. Second, we love the waiters- they even recognize us other places around the city (strange but true). Third, the food is amazing: flavors are just right, portion sizes are excellent, wines are amazing and...we like the fact that they rotate the list. It keeps us coming back for more. An insiders tip: try to get the waiter with the chin length hair. He is extremely knowledgable and should be voted "Best waiter in Seattle". The only negatives... the hostess. She tends to be rude and makes guests feel invisible- and we think she might even be the owner. She tends to "forget" the order in which guests arrive, which has resulted in more than a few heated exchanges that we have observed. The other negative, the brisket. Pros: Waiters, Food, Ambience Cons: Hostess, Brisket
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Pair is an adorable little place that is great to go to with a group of friends so you can try many of their dishes. Parking is not fun and the place is very small so get there early or grab at... More

Pair is an adorable little place that is great to go to with a group of friends so you can try many of their dishes. Parking is not fun and the place is very small so get there early or grab at least 5 friends so you can make a reservation. My husband and I have been there about 5 times now and we certainly plan on going back again. One thing we have noticed is that Pair does meat and starch dishes very very well -- we've always been disappointed in the seafood dishes they have there. The menu changes pretty often and is also usually different than the one posted on their website. The real standouts to us are the roasted chicken, potato gratin, mac and cheese and pork involtini (not sure if I spelled that correctly). They recommend each person order 2 to 3 small plates to equal a regular sized entree. So it's a wonderful way to try many things. All dishes are served family style so you can just pass all the plates around the table. Our last visit there we brought 2 friends and ordered about 12 dishes. There was some problem with the timing of how the dishes came to our table. We would get one and then all of a sudden about six more then a lull and then a bombardment of the rest. We had not previously experienced that problem when there with several people. I've also found the staff's wine recommendations to be great but be forewarned their wine selection also changes often so the Rioja I had loved was no longer available when I returned but they recommended another that I really enjoyed. Also there is a "share" table there. Meaning if there are just one or two people you can sit at this table with other singles/couples. I wasn't excited about that option at first but it turned out great sitting at a table with several strangers. One couple told us we had to try the restaurant Crush and we did and loved it. Gotta go write a review for that one too. ;-) Pros: Starch and Meat Dishes Cons: Parking, Limited Seating
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Tried the restaurant Pair on a whim and was pleasantly surprised at the incredible flavor and preparation of food. And when they call it "pair", they must have done so because each one of their... More

Tried the restaurant Pair on a whim and was pleasantly surprised at the incredible flavor and preparation of food. And when they call it "pair", they must have done so because each one of their dishes always has a perfectly matched partner. Wait, let me back up. Pair is an adorably decorated, small restaurant on the corner of the U-district and Ravenna. There's just the right amount of French country nicknacks and French country flair (water served in chilled pop-top bottles) to make you feel comfy and ready to eat as you walk in the door. My date and I sat at the bar, which is always my favorite place to sit, and let the very capable bartender help us through our menu anxiety. Everything looked delicious, mouth-water even, trumped only the special which was pan-seared scallops. YIKES! It's all moderately priced and nothing is more that $13 for a plate. Generous portions as well. It's easy to run up a tab here, because you want to order some cheese, then a yummy raddichio salad, oooh then the crabcakes, oh and what about the salmon toasts - Know what I mean? But, it's also easy to stop in for a cheese place, charceuterie and a glass of wine on the cheap. Either way, an extremely comfy, delicious example of chefs putting the wonderful Northwest food to good use.
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We live in this neighborhood, and we were dying to find a good, solid restaurant whenever we were in a lovey dovey mood. So it's not very surprising we liked Pair, since it fit the bill quite... More

We live in this neighborhood, and we were dying to find a good, solid restaurant whenever we were in a lovey dovey mood. So it's not very surprising we liked Pair, since it fit the bill quite nicely. People are right - yeah, it's not spectacular, jaw-dropping food, maybe the maitre d can be friendlier, but that didn't discourage us and we'll be back for more. The place is cozy with nice warm ambiance - candles, dim lighting, mixed wooden benches and antique kitchen tools. The red French Toile curtain into the kitchen is a nice touch. We sat at the bar, which is highly recommended if you are a couple - the server/bartender was very friendly and knowledgeable, and you don't have to wait for your server to come around to ask questions or place additional order. The wine selection is sensible and appropriate for the kind of laid back food they have. This is not to say their food is not worth nice wines, but they wouldn't go with pretentious wines. Besides, new studies indicate that having cheese with wine numbs the part of your taste buds that decipher subtleties in the wine taste. So if you are having their yummy Cambozola Fondue with apples, pears and bread (highly recommended), their reasonable wines are just fine. Their bread is a good traditional bread with good creamy soft butter. This is important to me, since one of my pet peeves is fancy restaurants serving too cold, not-serving-temperature generic butter. This shows they care about the food. Their warmed olives were nicely flavored, although it may have needed a bit more warming (the big ones were a bit cold on the inside). The special of the night, rack of lamb with fingerling potatoes, were nothing but excellent with I think apple and dates chutney. I'm not usually into too much lamb except in Indian food, but this was very good. We were also very happy that the Sautéed Vegetables had Swiss Chard in it - good nutritional value, and the earthy flavor compliments their down-to-earth cuisine. We wanted to try more things, but run out of room in our stomachs. Nothing was disappointing. I don't remember the exact name of the dish, but the dessert we had was a pot of chocolate/coffee creme, which was excellent with one of the dessert wines (again don't remember the name - sorry - but it's the one from Australia). The server/bartender let us taste a couple of ports and dessert wines to see which one may go with the dessert best, which was very nice. We spent about $75 with wines and food, and were comfortably full. We observed that some single customers would wander in from the neighborhood, sit at the bar, and enjoy their meal with newspaper or a book. This is always a good sign - that people don't need social excuses to come here and enjoy food - they just come because they wanted to eat. We decided this is a solid, good comfort food restaurant which we would come back to again when we want something pleasant and one notch up from our home cuisine (meaning food with more preparation and ingredients than we care to do or stock in our kitchen). As others mention they don't take reservations for parties under 6, so there would be a little wait if you don't go early, but you can sip wines and chat - don't go there starving, and it'll be worth the wait.
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Maybe I had really high expectations of this place since everyone has been raving of it but the food was just OK. I think LARK has much better food than Pair. I do have to say that this place is... More

Maybe I had really high expectations of this place since everyone has been raving of it but the food was just OK. I think LARK has much better food than Pair. I do have to say that this place is very cozy and the service is great. We were a bigger group and we tried 16 things on the menu my favorite was the asparagus, lamb, pork and the lemon crème brulee. Don’t take me wrong the food was not bad at all and I would go back it just wasn’t amazing. And if you are looking for this kind of food I would recommend Lark instead. Lark is just more flavorful.
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In my opinion, this is a great place to bring a small group of close friends. The menu encourages sharing; the portions are small and a definitely double or so the number of people menu options... More

In my opinion, this is a great place to bring a small group of close friends. The menu encourages sharing; the portions are small and a definitely double or so the number of people menu options should be chosen. Though the portions are small, the quality of the food is really emphasized. Very interesting flavors for a small neighborhood restaurant. If I could suggest anything it would be the fondue. Nothing like chatting with old friends over a warm fondue. The service was fair enough-- the restaurant was maxed out with people the night we were there and the no-reservation policy left some people lingering unhappily on the street corner for awhile. Get there early or get there in the later hours 8-9 to guarantee the quickest seating. Enjoy!
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Went there on a bustling Thursday night and it was crowded, warm + fun. Bar was full and all tables max'd out. Manny's and Pilsner Urquell on tap and some good wines on the list. The small plates... More

Went there on a bustling Thursday night and it was crowded, warm + fun. Bar was full and all tables max'd out. Manny's and Pilsner Urquell on tap and some good wines on the list. The small plates / tapas like menu and sharing is not everyone's favorite way to dine, but if you're with a group it works and the food is good at Pair. But mainly liked it for the ambiance. Would go again.
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I'll admit to high expectations of this shabby chic European style cafe tucked into the Bryant neighborhood. What a disappointment. The service was so sharp and cold that it sucked the lemon... More

I'll admit to high expectations of this shabby chic European style cafe tucked into the Bryant neighborhood. What a disappointment. The service was so sharp and cold that it sucked the lemon right out of my creme brulee. The wine was a measley pour and the barkeep insisted on correcting our (poor, but earnest) pronounciations of the wine brands. Taking itself entirely too seriously on such small plates, Pair still packs the house. If service doesn't matter to you - and small portions help you stay slim (I know, I know...it's intentional..."tapas" style for sharing) - enjoy the creative and delicious food. As for me, I'll find a stool at a more friendly, heaping bar.
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