03/14/09

Great place for bunch

by DrTim

As a former Portlander, I have been looking for a nice neighborhood joint that serves a good brunch and has a good wait staff. I have found it at the Skylark Cafe. It is a very comfortable place that serves very good food and coffee. The wait staff provides quick and friendly service (and only once and while reminds to close my mouth when I am chewing my food.....just like mom use to do). Going there is a great way to start the weekend and that is the reason why I am a regular Saturday morning customer.

• Pros: Always a nice variety of specials available

02/12/09

What happened?

by Fernando75

My partner and I have been loyal customers of the Skylark Cafe since they opened their doors some years ago. We enjoyed coming in to enjoy the feel, food and most of all the wait staff. We consistantly brought friends and family to create awareness of this little gem which is a little out of the way for some people.

I do not forsee goin back after our breakfast experience on Sunday February 8, 2009. The waitstaff is NOT intune with the customer experience. Our waitress was slow to bring us water, menus and follow up. She was however quick to solicit payment because she was about to leave. Under normal busy circumstances I would understand. But there were 3 watiresses for 5 tables. Come on!

To the manager of the Skylark. Your music is way too loud!!!! For Sunday Breakfast.

• Pros: Decent Food
• Cons: Loud Music/Non attentive Waitstaff

03/01/08

Great place for everyone who wants enjoy!

by Jaeyoung

I usually have been Skylark on Tuesday and Saturday. The mood in the bar totally makes me comfortable.

On saturday, I enjoy watching and listening to a band's great music. If you did not find somewhere where you can enjoy on weekend with your friends, I should recommend coming to Skylark.

If you were starving, you should try "pasta of the day."

I don't know who cook is, but maybe a professional cook made it by using magic in the kitchen.

I like drinking a glass of wine and liquor so I have been looking for good place for me, and this place would be my good place. Skylark even uses bigger glass for gin and tonic than I've ever visited a bar.

If you just visit, you would be addicted to this place. Plus, nice and fun bartenders!

• Pros: Good food and service, Big glass, nice music, friendly atmosphere.
• Cons: A little bit small space.

11/02/07

Love it!

by jbrew1

The reviewer who said they won't go back because of the "attitude"... hmmm... how do you know that they have "crappy bar food" if you were such a pain in the tushy that you left before ordering??? Curious.

As for the "attitude", that is part of the wonderful charm of Skylark. If you aren't a person who can handle a little good natured abuse, then the rest of us don't want you there anyway.

The food is great, the atmosphere is fun, and the "attitude" is exactly what is needed. Happy hour is the one of the best!

09/23/07

great food,friendly service,good atmosphere

by lalakill

i love the skylark. my sweetheart and i are so happy to have such a rad place in our neighborhood. we love the non-clicky atmosphere and really enjoy the diverse menu and awsome happy hour. we will continue to visit their establishment on a regular basis. and to the nice waitress and bartender who got a scathing review from the impatient guy in a utilakilt, dont you worry. we were there and we saw how busy it was in there, you were running your tail of and at no time did we feel neglected nor did we get any attitude. kudos on you and your establishment!!

• Pros: comfortable low key atmosphere

09/17/07

Crappy food and service with an attitude

by jblessing

I won't go the the Skylark again if it's the last bar in Seattle. Lousy service, greasy food, with a snotty attitude to match. If this is the best West Seattle has to offer I'm terribly sorry.

We got attitude from the bartender when we walked up to order our drinks, eventhough he was standing there jawing with friends. So we sat down to wait for our server, who walked by us 3 times before coming to our table. Then she talks over us and takes someone else's food order who had been there and was on his 3rd beer. We could have had our drinks from the bar by now so excuse us if we're a little miffed when she finally desides we are worthy of her attention.

Once we placed drink our order and she threw a couple of menus in our face we hear from the bartender that if we have a problem we should take it up with him. Apparently his wait staff doesn't deserve our "attitude". We got up and walked out to go somewhere that actually appreciates business.

Don't go to the Skylark unless you like attitude with your crappy bar food.

08/13/07

A good time

by imageconscious

I love the menu and the atmosphere is great. The Skylark is in my neighborhood and I love going here after a hard days work. I've also seen a lot of the live events they have hosted and I have yet to be disappointed.

• Pros: Atmosphere

A warmly vibrant cafe and music venue provides West Seattle nightlife with a much-needed anchor.

by Contributor

In Short
West Seattle has long struggled to find a solid, attractive spot to function as a live music destination, and Skylark proprietress Jessie Summa-Kusiak has finally nailed it with this café's cozy, neighborhood vibe. The diner-style food is a top-notch combination of the comforting (homade meatloaf with all the trimmings) and the sophisticated (penne with vodka sauce), while the high quality, free-of-charge live music draws appreciate crowds with a mix of indie, rock, and alt-country acts, and the occasional singer-songwriter.

02/27/07

Kids, jump on this bandwagon before *everyone* else does!

by dyslexia

Seriously, y'all, get down here, ASAP, especially for weekend brunch, before everyone else does and you can no longer just saunter in and grab a table with no waiting. The service is beyond excellent (Matthew, you are a god amongst mice-men!), the food is beyond stellar (give their specials a shot; you won't be disappointed!), and there is simply no cooler place in West Seattle (or even most of Seattle proper...).

Oh, and the drinks! Did I mention the drinks yet? No?!? What was I thinking? Best Bloody Mary I have ever had (and I was not even hung over when I had it), with the most amazing hazelnut pancakes with hazelnut butter and hazelnut-espresso syrup...heavenly! (Sorry kids, the pancakes were a special, but if you're really lucky maybe they'll be featured again when you're there--and you *are* going to be there, right??)

Nighttime is also the right time at Skylark. Dinner is great (fries from the upper, cloudy reaches of paradise) and reasonably priced & the drinks, again, are rockin'. And--bonus!--I have discovered lot of great new local music by just popping in randomly for shows. No cover means no risk, my little chickens, so you've got no reason not to show up and support your local live music scene. On non-live music nights the entertainment varies--check their website for details--but I do recommend karaoke, even if karaoke is not usually your scene.

See you this weekend (and the one after...and the one after...) for brunch!

10/02/06

West Seattle just got a little cooler....

by katchoo1138

The Skylark hasn't even been around for half a year, but it's already my favorite bar to hang out in.

Somehow they've managed to capture that perfect blend you look for in a good bar: It's got Good Food (I got 4 words for you: French Fries with Gravy), Great Drinks (Order a shot of "Love" or a raspberry kamikaze and you'll know what I mean), Good music on the weekends (w/no cover...which means more drinks!), Great people (The bar staff are genuinely friendly people...which can be something of an rarity these days), and, Dare I say it, fun karaoke (You can't beat an atmosphere in which a bar full of people are belting out Neil Diamond at the top of their lungs on a work night).

I've seen this bar chilled out & mellow, I've seen them take it to 11, and no matter what the Skylark is warm and inviting. I haven't been in West Seattle long, but the Skylark still feels like a breath of fresh air.