Crow Restaurant & Bar
(206) 283-8800
823 5th Ave N
Seattle,
WA
98109
47.6266
-122.3477
Neighborhoods: Lower Queen Anne, Magnolia / Queen Anne
Last updated 4.01.09
What People Are Saying About Crow Restaurant & Bar
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
The converted warehouse space has retained its high ceilings and open ductwork, while fresh orange and red walls add warmth and sophistication. The restaurant's surging popularity means long waits for diners without reservations, but the tile-backed cocktail bar and adjacent stone food bar provide plenty of room for overflow. Casually clad servers are friendly, though occasionally uninformed.
The Food
The brief menu makes wise use of the shared plates trend--standout offerings include a generous portion of curried mussels and a luscious cured-meat selection (from Armandino Batali's legendary salumeria). The iceberg lettuce wedge salad is a must-try, especially for fans of pungent, assertive blue cheese dressing. For entrees, it's hard to go wrong with the fish-of-the-day specials or prosciutto-wrapped, pan-roasted chicken--fork-tender on the inside and delightfully crispy outside. Top honors go to the house lasagne, well worth the extra wait for its rich, perfectly balanced sausage-tomato sauce.
User Reviews
jetsetway
December 08, 2008
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."
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ChristopherJa
August 19, 2008
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
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mickeykander
August 13, 2008
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.
read full reviewThe Details on Crow Restaurant & Bar
What to Drink:
Wine novices rejoice--lucid, logical categories like "Full and Creamy Whites" and "Rich and Powerful Reds" make the extensive, affordable list a snap to navigate.
Know Before You Go:
Reservations are a must--and the distracting draft from the front door means those toward the back of the open kitchen are most desirable.
