Smith

Recommends

Lisa Kennelly

Joined 3 years ago

A hipster watering hole that we normal folk can enjoy. Smith is a default stop when out-of-towners visit, because they inevitably think I am super hip for knowing about a place like this. While the English-style pub hits on all the hipster/food trend establishment cliches - taxidermy on the walls, gratuitous use of pork throughout the menu, servers in tight pants and suspenders - it does so fully and unabashedly, and you kinda have to respect that. It helps that Smith is also a great place to drink with friends and large groups, thanks to the communal tables. And when the noise level gets deafening, which it does on weekend nights when the throngs descend, the more protected booths along the walls allow you to huddle close over your pitcher of Oly.

The food errs on the greasy side (did I mention the pork) but it pairs perfectly with cheap beer for a late night snack or as brunch when you're sopping up last night's bad decisions. And you know you've found a friend for life when your pal agrees to split the large portion of poutine (french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy, bien sur).

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Cocolicious6

Joined 4 years ago

I like this place. Great Happy Hour prices! The staff is attentive and friendly. The only drawback is that it is getting more and more crowded. I've been going to this same location for the past 10 years and it has been several different restaurants/bars during that time, it has NEVER been so packed EVER (especially on a Monday night? Who would have thought??). Anyway, the food is pretty good although a bit odd (gastro-pub). I do with they had more appetizers. All in all, I love this place and go there frequently after work.

Recommends

minnesotan_1981

Joined 6 years ago

Unique!. FINALLY, some unique foods....we split a burger which was nice and charcoly-crusty all around....and the poutine and the devils on horseback. We were STUFFED. the poutine was great, it sounds more gut-busting than it actually was. the devils on horseback were rich and tiny, a good cut to the other fried foods. I'll definelty be back. the booths are comfy.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

The third jewel in Linda Derschang's crown offers taxidermy decor, updated comfort food bar snacks and hipsters galore.. In Short
Rustic in style and rich with Derschang's signature scene-making ambience, the Capitol Hill pub evokes a distinct Anglophile angle. Modeled after classic British pubs, with long communal tables, roughly finished wood plank floors, and an exhaustive European beer selection, the space manages to give off both a working class welcome and a upwardly mobile urban energy.

Photo by Chris Daniel

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limonata

Joined 6 years ago

Mixed bag. I can't put my finger on it, but something about Smith weirds me out/annoys me. Maybe because its trying so hard to be obviously cool, with all the taxidermy on the walls and the trying-to-be-offbeat bar menu (I mean seriously, duck tongues??). And the ceilings are really high, so it doesnt have the coziness of King's or Linda's. That said, I still end up here all the time and I never have a bad night. It's a pretty decent bar. And they have Leffe on tap. Just avoid the weirder menu items and go for the stellar burger.

Recommends

ballard24

Joined 6 years ago

Sweet, sweet poutine. How can you go your whole life not eating a food and then once you eat it you can't understand how you got along without it? Thank you Smith for bringing poutine into my life. Along with the fried duck leg, my wintertime comfort food menu is set. The bar, like it's cousins King's and Linda's, is well set up and the service is great. Blessed are the folks at the top of Capitol Hill who can call this their local but I'll be making the regular trip across town.

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gaydudeonthehill

Joined 6 years ago

Just what 15th needed. What a great bar. 15th really needed a "pub" to just go hang out at. The staff seemed to be having fun while working. I don't see that very often. I had the pork sandwich which was so good I went back the next day and had it again. The server told that the chef makes everything in house. So now I have to go back and have the pasta dish. When the dark, cold, wet nights get here this place will make you feel all cozy.

Recommends

barhopperonthehill

Joined 6 years ago

finally. A comfortable place to eat, drink, and be seen. Not your typical bar food either. I mean, where else can you find deviled eggs, a fried duck leg, and amazingly fresh and simple green beans that make you want to thank your mom for insisting that you eat your veggies? A huge selection of beers from breweries right here in seattle to as far away as Poland! There is also a nice and concise wine list that won't leave you disappointed. If a stiff drink is what you are after, the friendly bar staff will be happy to mix up your drink of choice. And the community tables offer the chance to make new friends or slide into a booth and watch the entertaining crowd which is a nice mix of the twenty somethings you expect to see on pike/pine and the rest of us that populate the hill. If you must be "seen", grab a table in front of the giant garage door that looks onto the street. A giant, gaping hole on 15th has FINALLY been filled.

Doesn't Recommend

btonthehill

Joined 6 years ago

Don't Eat Here.. No need to eat overpriced food at Smith. The food is more of a novelty than actual food. The trout is the size of a goldfish and served without any side items for $12. The eggs, while novel, are $6 for 1.5 actual eggs. Go by for a drink to check out the scene but only have a beer, everything else is overpriced and not worth it. Perhaps Linda's 3 (or 4?) is beginning to think a bit too much of themselves.

Recommends

seattle76

Joined 6 years ago

Don't tell too many people. Good ambience and beer/liquor/food selection. A much needed addition to 15th Ave and good alternative to the increasingly developed and B&T Pike/Pine.