Kingfish Cafe

04/13/2008 Posted by fatties

There was absolutely nothing wrong with anything we ordered. The staff was very attentive, engaging, and friendly! The atmosphere was great, though it got pretty crowded after six- but we still didn't feel cramped. The drinks were wonderful and full of flavor! The appetizer of fried green tomatoes and hush puppies were seasoned and cooked perfectly. We also ordered the fried chicken and gumbo. The fried chicken was very moist and flavorful and the gumbo was soul in a bowl! For dessert we had both the butterscotch cake and berry cobbler. Beware of HUGE portions! when the waitress tells you to split dessert, do it! The slice of cake was the size of my head. All in all, our experience couldn't have been better!! We'll be coming back!

04/07/2008 Posted by jill321

We went to the Kingfish Cafe looking for some soul food. There is nothing fried and smothered on the menu. The catfish was supposed to be fried but it sure didn't seem like it. It was served with grits that I have never seen taste and look like that. They weren't even edible. It would be nice for some cornbread to be placed in a basket on the table while we wait for the food because it is not fast service. The fried chicken my daughter had was awful, Popeye's chicken is a whole lot better. It was a let down. We were looking for some good southern soul food and the Kingfish Cafe is not it.

03/21/2008 Posted by cdog206

Most of the dishes are excellent, the times I've had the steaks, I've been disappointed - but the rest of the menu is excellent! Catfish, pork chop, mac & cheese, all great. Start with some apps and be sure to get a side of rice and beans and cornbread. You can't go wrong with a mint julep to wash it all down with. My only complaint is the wine list doesn't work well with the food, and seems as it was an afterthought. there are some excellent washington wines that would match very well with the menu yet there aren't many on the list. All in all a great neighborhood fixture, and one we will return to again and again.

Pros: Delicious southern fare

Cons: wine list needs help, service can be spotty

12/26/2007 Posted by nanniec

We ordered the mac and cheese, fried chicken, catfish, and a side of yam fries. Out of all the dishes, my favorite was definitely the yam fries. It is SO GOOD. I wasn't too impressed with the other dishes. The fried chicken is pretty good, but I wouldn't rave about it. And, the mac and cheese and catfish were just eehh. Service is great though. I would go back and just order yam fries...lots of it!

Pros: yam fries, good service

Cons: gets crowded fast

12/10/2007 Posted by catlbob

Fearing a long wait in the weather, we two arrived at Kingfish at 5:30 and were seated immediately. Pleasantly surprised at getting in so quickly, we ordered drinks and appetizers to fill the time it would take our friend to arrive. Our very attentive and congenial waitress suggested the crab/catfish cakes or fried green tomatoes. The cakes first, spheres actually, crusty and delicious with a wonderfully spiced aioli. They were so good we had the tomatoes with the second round. They were done expertly, no trace of greasiness, with hush puppies that were to die for. We encouraged our friend to try the fried green tomatoes before a dinner order, so we got one more bite of them – fearing to be rude by letting him eat alone. My wife states that the bar produces some of the best Sidecars in Seattle, by the way. The restaurant had now filled up with people standing in the entry and bar. Time to order our meals. I went for a favorite, red beans and rice. For her, chicken with a barbeque sauce, collards and mashers. Our guest had the pork chop. We sampled everything and approval was unanimous - all were top notch. The chicken moist with a spicy sauce, collards tangy with the slightly bitter aftertaste, the potatoes smooth and buttery. The chop was deliciously spiced, done slightly rare; the beans rich and a bit gooey; the rice balancing out the spiciness of the beans. Our waitress saved us from oblivion by suggesting that, if we could agree on one, one would be enough. How right she was, the bread pudding was actually a small loaf, drizzled with a sweet sauce with hazelnuts and chocolate chips inside. Great stuff. Kingfish was never off the radar, we remembered it fondly, just feared the wait on line. Not everyone can or will want to arrive when the restaurant opens, but for those of us who are less able to stand for long periods, it is a strategy that may make possible more frequent trips to this excellent eatery.

Pros: Wonderful food, friendly atmosphere

Cons: Kingfish does not take reservations

11/24/2007 Posted by hsimon221

I attended the Kingfish Cafe on Saturday, November 17, 2007. We walked in to see an array of beautiful waitresses and employees running about the restaurant. My party was greeted by a young, smiley, cheerful hostess who asked if we were all over 21. Puzzled, we responded yes, while my husband joked she needed to check my id. Laughing the hostess responded that she was already planning on having the bartender check my id...no questions asked. She continued to tell us our wait would be 45 minutes, but at this point, I was flattered as it was, I didn't care how long the wait would be. She smiled and sent us to the bar area where we were greeted by 2 cheerful bartenders (one of them extremely cute) that provided us with great service and phenomenal drinks to boot. With standing room left in the little bar, my group mingled around the end of the bar, trying not to drool as all of the appetizing food jetted past our eyes. The hostess returned about 30 minutes later and told us it would be about 5 more minutes, so to pay out our bar tab and get ready to enjoy a great meal. We were taken to a table on a stage in the bar area and ordered our meal from yet another bubbly, personable waitress. My husband had fried chicken, which he adored, while my daughter enjoyed the caesar salad, my son the catfish, and I the mac and cheese. All we could do was nod our heads when the waitress returned to ask if everything was ok. We readied ourselves for dessert and all enjoyed a piece of the amazing red velvet cake and one of the coconut cake. Needless to say, there were plenty of doggy bags to take home. We received fantastic service, delicious southern food, wonderful desserts, full bellies, and a strong feeling of content from the Kingfish Cafe. I would highly recommend it to anyone. As for the wait, since they don't take reservations, you have to wait it out, there is nothing they can do to get tables out any faster (to all of the complainers below), but it is worth it.

Pros: great food, gorgeous people, great customer service!!!

Cons: on street parking

11/06/2007 Posted by caphillfoodie

We arrived at 6:30 on a Saturday night and the hostess told us the wait was 45 min. No problem. We've heard good things, its worth the wait. No room at the bar or in the entrance area so we stood outside. 1hr later and we still had 7 parties of 4 ahead of us. 'Just 15 more minutes' the hostess told us. We'd invested all this time waiting, we should be seated soon. 1hr 30 min, check in on our standing in the queue 'just 15 more minutes' the hostess tells us. We decided to hang in there. 2hrs later and still 5 parties of 4 ahead of us, still no room inside to wait. 'Just 15 more minutes' again. 2hrs 25min later we were seated. The food was an utter disappointment. It was average soul food with fancy names in the menu. The only excitement is that its rare to find restaurants serving this kind of food in Seattle. Otherwise, its not worth the wait. The hostess and frontline staff need a reality check and some coaching. At least giving us some hush puppies to nibble on or a glass of water would have been appreciated. We will not be going back to Kingfish again. It was a lousy experience.

Pros: Soul food in Seattle!

Cons: The wait is not worth the quality of the food

09/22/2007 Posted by seattlestar3

Went one early Sunday evening with party of three and told by hostess of 25-30 minute wait -adjourned to bar. One hour and $35 worth of drinks later directed to a table by front door. Waited for another 10-15 minutes for waitress to acknowledge our presence so had plenty of time to scan menu! Front door didn't close by itself so outside smokers and traffic noise detracted from overall experience. Food (fried chicken&ribeye) were unexceptional and chocolate cake above average.Decor warm and inviting but servers need to step up and make everyone feel welcome. Will try again!

Pros: warm ambience

Cons: spotty service

09/11/2007 Posted by michie131

This was the best soul food I've ever had anywhere! I've grew up in LA and live in NY, both cities bustling with amazing restaurants, but I've definitely never had soul food like this. Everything tasted so fresh and was full of unique and dazzling flavors. Everything we ordered (Peel and Eat Shrimp, Red Beans and Rice, Seafood Gumbo, and Ribs) was amazing. I was stuffed afterwards and it took all the strength I had to not order the Strawberry Shortcake... the next table over had it and it was gorgeous. I highly highly recommend this place. It took an hour for us to get a table on a late Saturday night but it was well worth it. I will definitely be coming back next time I'm in town!

Pros: Amazing food, friendly service

Cons: Wait for a table can be awhile

06/30/2007 Posted by sidandsophia

we were up in seattle on vacation for a few days and a couple friends of ours told us they'd take us out for some soul food. admittedly, i'd never really had real soul food, but i'm pretty sure what we had was close to authentic. we ordered mojitos and crabcakes and fried green tomatoes to start. the mint in the mojito was crushed just right and the crabcakes were crisp on the outside, plenty moist on the the inside. the tomatoes were interesting, never had them like that before, but i guess they were good. the mac and cheese loaf was no joke - i could barely finish a third of it. salad on the side was spicy. my bf had the ribeye which was done perfectly and our friends had the halibut special and the rice and beans. all in all, a very satisfactory meal. nothing too fancy and no complaints about the service at all! would gladly go again.

Pros: hot food, prompt service, yummy mojitos, ambience

Cons: none to speak of