Crow Restaurant & Bar

My wife and I were just there for our anniversary. Our initial impression was that it was a bit loud for our tastes. The restaurant is pretty much one room with high ceilings, so the chatter of hungry couples gets reasonably loud. It's not like you have to yell to hear each other, but don't expect to be whispering to your love. The parmesean salad was unique and delicious. My wife had the chicken, and I had the steak. The steak's flavor and texture were very good. The peppercorn sauce was also very good. The chicken was perfectly prepared and super juicy. The side items that came with our dishes weren't terrific. My red skinned potatoes were overcooked and a bit bland, and I love potatoes. My wife ordered the side of smashed potato pancake, and it was decent but nothing earth shattering. Included veggies were pretty good. The deserts were perfectly portioned and flavor was solid. I wouldn't go just for desert (as I would some places), but it was a nice way to cap off a good meal. Overall, We were happy, and would likely visit there again for another special day. It's a little bit expensive for an every week treat. Pros: Steak and Chicken were phenominal Cons: potatoes were pretty bland more

Crow is consistently one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle. Honestly the best chicken in the city. The prosciutto wrapped pan roasted chicken with green beans in an exquisite au jus (sauce of pan drippings) always wows me. The chicken, perfectly crisp on the outside and tender and moist throughout the inside. Order a side of the smashed potato cake and you are golden for an delicious meal. The menu frequently changes highlighting seasonal ingredients with the chicken and lasagna being cornerstones of the menu. Portions are decent sized so if you want you can share with a friend. Usually we share an appetizer, salad or soup and entree so we can sample different parts of the menu. Desserts also tend to be delectable, so save room! Affordable for the quality of food, Crow is your neighborhood restaurant or a special place to bring out of town guests. The space, large industrial style with open ceilings and brightly colored walls, is quite sleek and sophisticated. However the drawback is on a busy night it can be very noisy. My experience with service is usually positive, wait staff are knowledgeable about dishes, suggested wines that pair accordingly and mostly friendly. Consistently busy may be hard to get a table at the last minute without a reservation, however if you like, sit at the back kitchen bar and watch the chefs work their magic. Pros: The Chicken Cons: Can Be Noisy more

The Crow is close to downtown and the Seattle Center, and all other attractions the city has to offer. And certainly is a deluxe American neighborhood bistro. The Mediterranean platter worked well for starters. The Kumamoto Oysters were superb, and three of us had the chicken (which I will certain repeat next time around). Generally oysters cost about the same, big or small. Smaller oysters are usually tastier. The wine list worked well with the food, complementing the entire dinner experience. Let them help you select, and you will probably have a bottle both better and cheaper than if you go it alone. As stated in the Seattle Times "They do everything absolutely right." more

The first and second time I tried to go to the Crow, I was alone. I was not allowed to make a reservation over the phone for one person, so I thought I'd go later and grab an empty table. When I got there, several small tables were empty, but I was told I had to sit at the bar. Well, alone with a book, it was too dark to read at the bar, so I left. I ran into the same problem at Betty, the Crow's sister restaurant on Upper Queen Anne. I've since been to Crow (and Betty) with other people and have had pretty good experiences. The service was a bit slow, but our waiters and waitresses were very cordial. Bottom line, if you're alone and don't want to sit at the bar, go somewhere else. Chris Pros: Loved the salmon Cons: Do not like being forced to sit at the bar just because I'm alone more

We had two birthdays yesterday, and out of several suggestions, we decided to go to Crow to celebrate. My partner called earlier that morning to make a reservation for 4 at 7:30 pm and told them that we had two birthdays. We showed up at 7:30, and weren't seated until 8:00 pm (my partner wondered why they took the reservation in the first place if they couldn't seat us.) While we waited, we weren't invited to get a drink at the bar, or even spoken to until our table was ready. When we were seated, our bored server said, "I apologize for the wait," but by her tone, we could tell she didn't care. The food was alright, you can get the same "foodie" items in other restaurants, but frankly, it was the service that drove us away. My friend was offered cracked pepper, but it wasn't offered to me. When my partner asked the server to bring pepper - she brought a ramekin of already crushed pepper (umh, I had to restrain myself from saying "what the hell?") Oh yeah, forgot to say that there was absolutely no mention of our birthdays at all. My partner quietly informed them when we got there that we were celebrating two birthdays, and our server said nothing, and neither did the 3 other people who interacted with our table badly. When the dessert menu came, we politely declined, paid our bill, and went to Molly Moon's in Wallingford for ice cream. I might be a bureaucrat now, but I've waited tables before, and it's really not that hard to be nice and welcoming to people, even if you're having a terrible day. Overall: Food = okay, ambience = attractive, service = pretentious and bad. Pros: Ambience Cons: Service more

My fiance and I decided to try out Crow on a Friday night without reservations around 6 pm since it's nearby where we live. When we walked in, half the tables were empty but the hostess--after looking at her list for a good 3 minutes--wouldn't seat us because she said that people were coming. So we sat at the "chef's table," which we ended up liking better anyway. I had the gnocchi, which I loved. My fiance had the roasted chicken. It was good except for the sauce, which lacked taste. We kept seeing a lot of the steak over salad dish (not sure what it was) but it looked amazing. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and chit chat with the chefs. When we were leaving we did take note that 7 of the so-called reserved tables were still empty. Like I said, we ended up liking the chef's table probably more than we would have liked a booth, but I still found it odd. more

I eat at Crow 2 to 3 times per month. I usually sit at the food bar because it is really fun to watch them prepare the food. The servers and chefs are friendly and attentive. I love that Crow's menu changes every month or so and there is always something new and great that is reasonably priced. Lately, there have been a couple of great salads, a crab salad and beet salad, each of which I had a couple of times. Last month, I had a great hangar steak served on a watercress and tomato salad with blue cheese on top. Recently, I had the gnocchi with brown butter, corn, and morels and it was a little bit of heaven. Their gnocchi is flour based - not potato - and melts in your mouth. I'm going to try the lamp chops and ribeye they just put on the menu next week. Crow may get a little loud and busy on the weekends, but it is always a sure bet for a great meal. Pros: Great food, reasonably priced, nice servers and chefs Cons: can get loud more

NEVER EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! The food is tasteless and the main ingredient in every course is BUTTER and chef when asked questions is extremely arrogant.... TERRIBLE SERVICE. NOT RECOMMENDED. Stay away from this place! Pros: none Cons: too many!!!!! more

A friend took me there for dinner a few months ago. I was really disappointed when I saw how small the menu was. I ended up ordering the chicken and was blown away. Hands down, it was the juiciest, tenderest, piece of poultry I have ever had. The martini I had wasn't to shabby either. more

Our first experience with Crow was a total success...We had heard so much about if we made a reservation and went on Wednesday night a few weeks ago. We were greated at the door with a big smile from the hostess. We chose to sit at the bar and soak up the atmosphere and some delicous oysters and bread. I had the best mojitos ever in the history of the drink. We moved on to a dinner of divine scallops and perfectly cooked lamb...WOW...it was so much fun to watch the 3 women chefs at work... It was easy to tell the staff really enjoys working threre by how well they all did their jobs! really a special night...I highly reccomend it! My favorite neighborhood restaurant in Seattle! Pros: Great Service, Great Food Cons: none more

This is my kind of place. With a simple and limited menu, Crow is great bistro food done right! My husband and I ordered the soup of the day, a yellow split pea with creme fraiche and it was delicious and comforting ( and piping hot - how it should be!) The lamb kebabs were fantastic and are pretty much a meal in itself. The lamb was perfectly cooked - still red inside (love rare meat!) and served with a cool, tangy plain old yogurt and tabbouleh flavored with harissa. So freakin' good. The pan roasted chicken was exactly what it was - perfectly cooked moist chicken with a crispy skin and a savory pan sauce. We were too full to order dessert but the chocolate bread pudding looked tempting enough to bring us back just to order it. Oh yeah, the service was great too! We will be back! more

this place sat well with us. the menu is limited but the food was really good...back to the basics style. the lasagna was divine and they had a few specials to choose from. we tried one of them that had a nice combo of seafood and sausage. both dishes were rustic, not too overdone and very tasty. nice little touches like good bread and delicious balsamic to start and big big wine pours! good service and though the place is a little loud it felt cozy enough to our little party of 2. might have to yell a little with a bigger party given the acoustics. Pros: food, decor Cons: parking tough more

Crow was alright. We were seated right away (we had reservations), our server was nice and patient with our group. I agree w/ other reviewers, the acoustics are terrible, the torchiere lighting is bad. I was disappointed the menu was so limited. The right side of the menu offered all their salads, apps, and dinner. The left side: BLANK. Seriously, seven entrees to choose from! There wasn't even a special of the evening. The best thing about Crow was the nice service, the bathrooms, and the company. Pros: Service, nice washrooms Cons: Limited menu more

Let me start of by saying that I am a Chef. I've worked in Manhattan, the Seattle area, and other big cities in the US and Europe. Crow was recommended to me by a couple of people here, so I went to check it out. I had the opposite experience from many of the people that have posted here. I thought the food was mediocre, and the service was rather OK. My problem with the food is that there are many glaring errors in the composition of the menu. Several main courses are served without a starch or without a vegetable. I find it interesting that no one here has commented on that. A non-cook friend dined with me, and that was her first comment upon receiving her food. We sat at the cook's bar, and while the kitchen was clean and flowed acceptably well, many errors were made from dish-to-dish that I found unacceptable for how slow-paced of the evening was. Every lasagna that went out was burnt, and the sauce ran watery on the plate. Several of the "famous" chickens were also burnt, and no effort was put into at least scraping off the char before sending them out. Also, everything was garnished with parsley. No real effort was put into plating sauce so plates going out looked messy as opposed to classy, and the sauces that did come didn't necessarily compliment the dish. Portions by and large were enough for two. Our service was friendly and professional. My complaint is that the server was not knowledgeable about the beverage menu. Food took an acceptable amount of time, but the order in which we received things was off. We found ourselves watching the other person eat, and even items from the same course arrived 10 or more minutes after the first was finished. We also noticed people waiting for a table when a whole section of the restaurant was not being sat. Another complaint is that the beer list is lacking anything of interest, and most of the beers were so similar to one another. I doubt if I would return. If the beer menu were better I might go back for Happy Hour. Pros: Great ambience, decent price, nice wine list with many choices by the glass or half bottle Cons: Only average/unthoughtful food, questionable bathrooms, and a very disappointing beer selection more

So far, we haven't had a visit that we haven't enjoyed. We've had the chicken and lasagna and never go wrong with those choices. Their other dishes rotate and so far, we haven't been disappointed. The heirloom tomato bread salad is fabulous, love the gazpacho, the mediterranean plate is always yummy. Some of their fish specials are really just amazing. We've had nights with long waits but often we go to sit at the food bar with no reservation at all - we typically go midweek and rarely have we waited longer than 10 minutes, assuming we're flexible with where we sit. We haven't gone on weekends, and find if we go with more than just the two of us, a reservation is essential. We'll go back, and back, and back - our favorite in Seattle right now! The new Betty up on Queen Anne, run by the same folks, is also very good and worth a try. Pros: Food for sure Cons: Parking is a hassle - watch for the permit-only signs. They ticket up there. more

My husband took me to Crow last night for my birthday and we had the best time. The atmosphere was very warm, the service was excellent, and the food was out of this world! I highly recommend the duck breast with creamy polenta. My husband had the pan roasted chicken which was also fabulous. For starters, we shared only a crab salad (very delicious as well) to make sure we left enough room for dessert and was I glad we did. Their ice cream sundae is easily the best I've ever had. Our server even brought it with a candle. We also enjoyed a very nice bottle of Pinot Noir that complemented our entrees perfectly. Both of us can't wait to return. In fact, on our way out of the restaurant, we had the host make reservations for next Friday for my husband's birthday. Perhaps next time I'll try the lasagne that I've heard so much about. Pros: Everything!!! Cons: None. more

Finally after much anticipation made it to Crow, and I couldn't have been more disappointed. Despite the lovely space (with terrible acoustics), we waited more than 30 minutes after our reservation for a table. After finally being seated, the food service between courses was notably slow (if this had been an awkward first date it could have been disastrous), and the food was unremarkable (we had the halibut special--good sauce but it didn't marry that well with or infuse the fish, which was bland, and the lasagna (good, not exceptional); the lamb skewers were decent though as was the crab/avocado salad; I generally liked their selections on the small menu.). I could understand the delayed seating if Crow had just opened, but the service has been complained about on this site for the past 2 years. I won't recommend or return to this unremarkable restaurant when there are so many others that eclipse it in Seattle. more

Irregardless of the actual dining experience (great salad; everything else mediocre and overrated), we made a reservation for 7:15pm on a Monday night and were seated at 7:47. No explanation, no comped drinks, no warning that we would be made to stand in the cold for over a half an hour. Instead of an honest answer when we checked in on time so that we could've gone next door for a drink, we watched as several couples were seated ahead of us only to hear..."your table will be ready soon." There are lots of places in this city to eat on a Monday and I look forward to going everywhere else but here. Pros: crab and mango salad Cons: reservations not honored more

On our first visit we sat at the bar with the chefs. This was a very great experience for my wife and me. The chefs were friendly and fast. We got to watch them prepare everything. My wife enjoyed an Italian soup with beans that was very fresh. (A+) Then we shared a Mediterranean plate with many different marinated vegetables. (A) Next was the chicken with pancetta. It was fantastic. (A+) Many people ordered the chicken and the mashed potatoes. For dessert, we tried the apple walnut cake. It got high marks with both of us (A+). It was warm with very distinct flavors. On our second visit (our anniversary) we sat at a table. My wife ordered a summer drink that they came back later and said they couldn't' make, but they made a substitute drink that was ok. My gin and tonic was very good. I started with the mint and pea soup. Though the mint brightened up the soup, it tasted alot like mashed peas; very thick soup with no other hints of flavor. I wouldn't recommend it unless you really like peas. (C) For an appetizer, we tried the Mediterranean appetizer with feta, a roasted garlic clove, pitas and hummus. It wasn't the best I've had but it wasn't bad. (B+). My wife had the portabella mushroom with polenta. She loved it as did I. Complex flavors. The texture of the polenta kind of disturbed her but she ate it all.(A+). I had the pork stuffed with wild rice. The pork was good, but a little over cooked. The stuffing was ok, but nothing too exciting. The dish was topped with diced beets which added nothing to the flavor, and eventually turned the dish bright red. Not as great as I had expected. (B+). We also ordered the mashed potato dish that everyone has mentioned here. It was ok, but not as great as we had wished. I found it to be just mashed potatoes with bread crumbs on top. Not great at all. (B). For dessert, we tried the Guinness ice cream. It was surprisingly good and included three scoops with two small brownies (also good). Just right for sharing. (A). more

I visited Crow for the first time the other night and was thoroughly impressed. My girlfriend and I dine out regularly with another couple and this time we decided to try Crow as we had heard rave reviews about this restaurant from several of our friends. Our reservations were for 7:45. We arrived a few minutes early but were seated almost immediately. Our server greeted us with a wide smile, informed us of the specials, and took our drink order. We all started with martinis and then moved on to wine from a very reasonably priced and comprehensive wine list. Our server helped us pick out a wonderful Italian red that in retrospect, I wish I had written down. The night progressed with some of the best food I've had in a long while. We started with curried mussels, antipasti, and a dozen oysters - all of which were outstanding. For main courses, we each got something different and shared around the table. The hanger steak and Black Cod were excellent and the lasagne was very good as well. The pan-roasted chicken however, was unbelievable (I would go back to Crow just for the chicken). For dessert, we ordered one of each of the four choices along with two glasses of sherry that our server also recommended. Overall, our dining experience at Crow was exceptional. The service was flawless and the food was amazing. I will say that on busy nights (like the night we were there) it does get quite loud in there - but this is the only negative I could find. Pros: Great food! Great service! Great restaurant! Cons: A little loud. more