Alligator Soul

02/20/2008 Posted by ukukwi

My wife and I, along with 2 friends of ours went to Alligator Soul for the first time a week ago. We had reservations luckily (we know how busy they get) and we were seated promptly. The hostess and waiter were both very friendly and courteous. The food on a whole was very good, but not great. I ordered the bourbon pulled pork sandwich - this was excellent. The meat was super tender and moist, the barbecue sauce was a new flavor for me, but I really enjoyed it. The salad trio (crab slaw, potato salad, and corn salad) were awesome. My wife had never had cajun food before - she ordered the crispy chicken gumbo and enjoyed it but was not thrilled by it. The broth was more like a gravy and there weren't many veggies in it. She did enjoy the okra and the chicken, though. Our friends had the seafood jambalaya - he devoured it. They used to live in the south and were impressed with that dish. She ordered the catfish and hushpuppies and enjoyed them very much. I stole one of here hushpuppies and while decent - mine are better. Theirs were small and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, but lacked much in the way of seasoning at all. Good but not great, I'd go again and try something else on their great menu.

Pros: Good food, great service

Cons: Fairly noisy when crowded

11/08/2007 Posted by southerner

I have heard nothing but good things about Alligator Soul from almost everyone who have been there, although I’ve failed to be impressed except for once when I had Crawfish Ettouffee to die for. Recently I went to their new location on Broadway. The space is certainly nice, and the wait staff couldn’t be nicer. However, the beignets were hard little rounds of deep fried flour dough. Real Beignets are light, airy, and moist on the inside (think French crullers). The file gumbo was heavy on the file, which made it taste like burnt gravy. Totally inedible. I did pick out a few pieces of okra that were nicely done. Being a huge okra fan, I tried okra at their former location, and got hard little nuggets of cornmeal and dried up okra straight from the frozen food section at Cash & Carry. The fried okra if my memory has a light dusting of cornmeal fried in a skillet and served with a little crunch on the outside and still a bit slimy on the inside. Yum! I had the Seafood Hot-Pot and my friend had the Steak Paradisio. The seafood was cooked just right, but the sauce came straight from a can of diced tomatoes, which wasn’t really worth eating, and certainly not worth the $21 price tag. My friend ordered his steak med-rare and it came well done. The side of chips were fabulous, but couldn’t compensate for the dried up and tasteless steak. He was so disappointed he didn’t even eat his meal. To their defense they were extremely busy and were understaffed, not having staffed up for the throngs of people who love Cajun food, but that doesn’t explain my several experiences at the other location. At best this restaurant is inconsistant. At worst there is an Elephant on the table and somehow they have convinced their dinners that it is authentic Cajun food.

Pros: Friendly Staff, nice ambience, parking

Cons: Inconsistant food prep, bad food

10/17/2007 Posted by tjsiws

We ran into this restaurant about a year ago. Our first experience was so awesome that we have been back almost once a week since! The food is extremely tasty and this is the first restaurant that I actually have not used salt on anything. It is very southern/creole cooking and you can find something for just about any taste bud set. A wide range of food from spicy jumbalaya to a fall off the bone ham hock to blackened crawfish salad. The staff is VERY friendly, though sometimes spread a bit thin. They will do anything they can to make your meal really memorable and always have a smile on their face. Try their homemade rootbeer if they have some available!!!! If you let them know ahead of time, especially if you are a regular, they will cook something special up for you!

Pros: food, layed back atmosphere

Cons: service SOMETIMES a little slow

06/03/2007 Posted by jdoke03

the website link is wrong!!! alligatorsoulrestaurant dot com is the right one--the one on the page takes you to their georgia location. i went to alligator soul with my wife and 2 friends on a weekend evening. the food was awesome. not southern like alabama or mississippi, more southeren/cajun like southern la/savannah, ga/charleston, sc. Top Sirloin, stuffed with Dungeness Crab, Pepper Jack Cheese & Alligator Soul Chipotle mayo. Served Medium Rare & perched on a deep-fried corn fritter & swimming in Peppercorn Bourbon Cream. the sweet potato fries are great as well. the food was completely unique in seasoning and flavor. there was live music (a little too loud). quick seating and service. i would highly recommend alligator soul to anyone wanting a unique and extremely tasty meal. i definitely plan to go again.

05/31/2007 Posted by cyam

Tried Alligator Soul last week, (May 07) and had a fantastic time. I've been to New Orleans several times and in my opinion this place is every bit as good as what I experienced down there. Service was excellent and friendly. We were presented with an amuse bouche of their beignets and a sauce. Had a starter of some sweet potatoe fries and some crawdad tails all excellent. I had some of the most tasty jambalaya ever and my wife's seafood boil had a sauce to die for, we ordered extra bread to soak it up. Spicy yes, but to my taste perfect. We were way too full for dessert but they brought us a small sample of their bread pudding which we'll have to order next time. Oh yes, a good selection of local beers on tap. To top it all off, some great live music. Highly recommended

Pros: Nothing to not like here

Cons: We have to drive from Seattle

02/28/2007 Posted by smithmikeg

This is NOT what I eat when I go to MS or AL to see family. No pulled pork anywhere on the menu! It's as if they started with a Southern idea, and then tried to make it fancy (ruining it in the process).

Pros: Good service

Cons: I regret paying for the food.

08/16/2006 Posted by trilllium

From the moment you walk in, you are crowned with attention from the waitstaff. They do not miss a beat. Very patient and, most importantly-they know the food. This is the place to go when you want your tastebuds to be tantalized by delightful flavor concoctions. Everything that I have ordered at alligator soul has been thoroughly delicious and there is not a thing I would change. Don't want an appetizer or dessert? That is okay, as every visit I have made has graced me with a single serving appetizer and dessert after dinner, on the house. This is the perfect way to cimpliment an astoundingly large entree portion. Never have I thought portions to be so exceedingly huge that I actually wish they were smaller but at alligator soul, each portion is enough to feed me three times over! In other words, go prepared to eat or expect to savor your leftovers.

Pros: great knowledgable staff, amazing flavors, many side dishes-perfect for kids

Cons: live music on wed was almost to loud to hear my companions

03/07/2004 Posted by jilly1217

i don't even like cajun food and i loved this place. the waitstaff is helpful & friendly, the atmosphere is fun fun fun, and the food is delish. most of the items are super-spicy but they have one or 2 mild meals for us wimps. if you don't like spicy, ask first or your mouth will be set on fire. and you MUST leave room for dessert - bread pudding in burboun sauce? MMMMMMM!

04/30/2003 Posted by JMinnis

this is a very FUN, and kick back place. Bring out of town guests, who enjoy great affordable food, and blues type entertainment. Foot stomping music. I will definatly go back, the quarters are tight and no fancy frills, just good family fun. Reservations for sure, for parties of 4+

04/17/2003 Posted by katie101874

The best restaurant in Seattle, and it's in Everett! I've been there many times, and I've never been disappointed. From the platter of ribs with 4 side dishes to the crab stuffed steak or the authentic crawfish etouffee - everything is just amazing. You will be far to full after dinner for desert, but get it anyway! Just pick from the 3 options wisely because it will be so good you won't ever want to try the other 2! If you get the bread pudding with bourbon sauce you will feel like you've died and gone to heaven! The atmosphere is casual, but fun and the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. There is plenty of parking. On weekends and holidays you should make a reservation, but during the week it's usually wide open. If there is a wait they will come fetch you from the bar next door!