Matt's In The Market

Recommends

ThouShall

Joined 5 years ago

A mixed bag but good overall. My partner and I had been wanting to eat here for years and finally we made it to Matt's with a few friends. The service was top-notch throughout the evening which was a pleasant surprise given some of the prior reviews posted here. The wine list was impressive with a decent selection for every budget. I tried a couple of Pinot Noirs and Cab Blends and all were very enjoyable. The food disappointed at times and at other times it was great. The smoked catfish salad was very well balanced and I thought there was a genereous amount of fish. I opted for the muscles and clams for dinner which turned out to be a mistake. I thought an ingredient had been left out because the sauce was incredibly acidic ... to the point that I couldn't eat the dish. Our server was very appropriate and cool and offered to have a new version made with butter and wine. They got the replacement dish out quickly and I'm glad I got to try the shellfish both ways. Turns out that the muscles and clams were so tasty they didn't much of anything to make them shine. My partner had the cod rellenos for an appetizer (great) and the salmon as a main course which was very unimpressive. It was cooked well but totally lacking in flavor. The pea risotto it came with was nice and refreshing but the overall dish was disappointing. One friend had the steak but I was once again surprised at the lack of seasoning. Our other friend got the black cod with muscles special and it was excellent. I was surprised that it was mostly the dishes that are consistently on the menu that were lackluster. Perhaps a bit more attention needs to be paid to these menu staples. With all the great places to go get seafood in Seattle, most likely we'll stick to some old standbys that are a bit more consistent and provide more value for the money. I'm sure we'll come back with out-of-towners every now and again ... for the amazing views, the quintissential "Seattle" vibe and to try some of Matt's new seasonal additions.

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mjmorgan

Joined 9 years ago

A must eat. What a great place to grab a lunch bite OR linger over dinner. I did both while visiting Seattle. Absolutely top notch ingredients served by professionals in a warm, inviting atmosphere. Very high food value. We ordered all over the map and every dish was well-prepared. Excellent bar, too!

Doesn't Recommend

sesilc

Joined 6 years ago

Disappointed Twice in a Row. I love almost all restaurants in the market and had been dying to try Matt's.. Last month I had a friend visit from out of town so I thought this would be a great excuse to try Matt's. I called and made reservations the same day. When we arrived, they did not have our table ready. The host or the "pony tail hair guy" other raters were also referring to told us it would be another 20 mins. Right about that time, my boyfriend saw that there was room at the bar. So we headed there and sat ourselves. Now, I know better than taking up room without asking but the host stopped by and said "how nice of you to help yourself". Yes, sarcastic but we all laughed about it , including the host. We ordered wine and appetizers as we waited for a table to open. 20 mins later, the host sat the next party down and when we asked he first said "well you changed your reservation time on us" which I did NOT. When I explained that I never changed the reservation time, he said "well you did help yourself to the bar though". My friend and my boyfriend were both dazzled but I asked them to let it go. Literally 10 minutes later, the host came by again and said "Sir, you don't have to dine with us if you don't want to" Out of nowhere... Seriously... We waited. I did not want to let him spoil our evening. In short, we got sitted an hour after our original reservation time. I am really sorry to say it took another 20 minutes for us to get our food. And my potatoes were not cooked through... Disappointing!!

Anyway, I don't give up on places too quick but my boyfriend said he would never go back so I took another friend to the restaurant last week and my God, same rude, unattentive service. I will not be back and just for the record, this is the FIRST bad review I have ever given in city search since I became a member. I hope Matt wakes up to the fact that service and atmosphere is part of the whole dining experience.

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jl32

Joined 6 years ago

I don't know what the last reviews are talking about! Amazing service and great food!. My fiancee surprised me with reservations for Matt's on Sat Dec 1st for my birthday. We had the most amazing time! We were warmly greeted by "pony tail" guy, he sat us and even though he didn't wait on us, he checked on us a couple of times throughout the night and said good night when we left. (Also gave perfect directions to the bathroom) The gentlemen that waited on us was honestly some of the best service I have had in a long time! My fiancee and I are both servers at very nice restaurants in Seattle and we commented on this more than once. We didn't even tell them it was my birthday but they brought over a sample of a different dessert wine along with the glass I ordered just to compare it with the dessert we ordered. We both had the beef tenderloin...wow! The carmalized onion, brussel sprouts and squash served with it were perfect accompaniments. We made sure to tell all of our industry friends how great everything was and we can't wait to come back to our now special restaurant at the market!

Doesn't Recommend

greenclimber

Joined 6 years ago

This restaurant needs an intervention. I had dinner here with friends in early November. We love restaurants that care about the quality of food they serve and want to share this with their customers. The food was quite good...the salmon was perfectly done. It would have been a great meal if not for the indifference or ineptness of our waiter and the rudeness of the "ponytail guy" who showed us to our table. The meal's timing was off, orders were forgotten, requests were taken with disdain. Our wine that we brought from home and paid corkage for was decanted with all its sediment -- a rookie move. Anyone of these things might be forgiven if we felt like the waitstaff even cared whether we stayed or left. There are so many other places in Seattle to get great, well-prepared food in a friendly environment to waste an evening here.

Doesn't Recommend

bruceseattle

Joined 6 years ago

Never Been Treated This Badly. The servers are rude, unhelpful and give you the impression that they don't want you to be there. Not even in New York and Paris have I been subjected to this kind of service hostility. Two minutes after the check was signed one pony-tailed server (Todd Perry) literally said to us "Happy? Great. Now Leave!" The fact that Todd has been there 20 years says alot about the management style of this restaurant. Requests for the bathroom were responded to with "Down The Hall" (and no direction). Only when the diner returned because the bathroom door was found locked was she was issued a key by the same person (Todd) who had provided the helpful directions in the first place. This is the kind of place I love and I am so dissapointed to be even writing this review. This is the first time I have ever written a review about a restaurant and believe me when I say that I am no drama queen. Save your money for a restaurant where the staff don't treat you with distain and the management actually appreciates your business.

Doesn't Recommend

eramberg

Joined 11 years ago

It once was a must visit...now it's a must avoid. OK, the kitchen still knows it's chops, but the front of the house is horrible at the new Matt's. The servers are either incompetent, rude, or condencending...the host is powerless...fortunately there are many better options in the area.

Please fix this place! I used to love this place!

Recommends

tummyphat

Joined 6 years ago

great for special occasions. The place has recently finished expansion and now fits about 30 people or so (compare to 17 before). It has a very lovely ambiance and view, overlooking Pike Place Market. The servers are very personable and thoughtful. They have an open kitchen where Matt cooks at =) Portions are very reasonable (not overly filling that you can't have desserts afterwards). It's priced on the higher end thus more suitable for special occasions. We brought our own wine which helped with the bill. On and all, it was a lovely evening and everybody's happy.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Charming Market ambience and tasty seafood selections make for a fine low-key dining experience at this lilliputian spot.. The Scene
This is quintessential Pike Place Market--clean, quaint, stylish and literally overlooking the Market clock and Elliott Bay. Located in the Corner Market building, the restaurant's soaring space holds a handful of tables, with seating for more diners at the counter or the bar. Tables afford a view of the Market, but the counter's birds-eye glance at the chef's antics is an all-right second. Expect a lunching business crowd at lunch; later, romantic couples canoodling.

The Food
At lunch, there's a big fuss over po'boy sandwiches, either the catfish or the oyster. Dinner changes every two months; a late-spring seafood menu may feature a Moroccan sea bass tagine, pan-seared halibut and wasabi-crusted albacore. Shellfish aficionados might want to try Manila clams steamed in beer and chilies, or the Penn Cove mussels in lemon-herb ouzo broth and wild-mushroom ragout. Try the bread pudding with whiskey-caramel sauce or the chocolate espresso-stout cheesecake.

Hits: Matt's makes the most of fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced from the Market, making it a great choice for your palate and your conscience.

Misses: Service can be spotty, especially when the dining room gets busy.

Recommends

maseman99

Joined 6 years ago

How to be Romantic on your Anniversary, in 1 easy step: GO TO MATT'S!!!. I recently took my girlfriend to Matt's for our 1 year anniversary and we had an amazing time. It's interesting to read some of these other reviews because there is no way they are talking about the same restaurant. All I can fathom is that there were some wrinkles to iron out with the grand re-opening and it sure appears that they have done so. We were there a few minutes before our reservation time and were promptly offered a seat at the beautiful new bar, with a view out across the Pike Place Market to watch the sunset over Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains. Within 10 minutes or so (less than 1 drink) we were seated at our table next to the window, even closer to the view. My girlfriend and I could not have asked for a nicer setting to spend such a lovely evening. The staff was friendly and attentive from start to finish so perhaps there has been some turnover for the better.

The food and wine were excellent and we found the wine recommendations from our waiter spot on. And it was one of the less expensive wines as well. After dinner we were given a complimentary dessert wine to help us celebrate, something that made Matt's feel like the quaint neighborhood restaurant that it remains. We will definitely be going back for the food, for the drinks and for the scenery.