Quinn's

07/16/2008 Posted by Foodie2008AList

I love this place. The oxtails and gnocchi, fois gras, pate, marrow bones, everything. It's very rich, so be careful with ordering too much at once, but I can assure you that this place is worth its weight in gold. Delicious, great friendly staff. It can be really busy, but I can assure you it's worth the weight. The beer and whiskey selection is exceptional. Oh, and did I mention how nice the staff have been every time I was there? Awesome food, see you soon.

Pros: delicious exotic foods.

Cons: not big enough

06/17/2008 Posted by SeattleCritic

Quinn's is our favorite restaurant right now in Seattle. Great atmosphere, not a long wait on most nights (Friday night: 20 minute wait...not bad), the best Mojitos in town and the best burger in Seattle. Get the burger with Fontina cheese and demi-glaze on your fries! YUM!! We have gone here with friends and by our self and we love it everytime. You mus try it!

05/14/2008 Posted by beanweb24

My parents and I went to Quinn's for an anniversary celebration, the draw being the Belgian beer and higher-end pub food. We started with a cheese plate (good), olives (also good, but watch the garlic - very strong), and the brandade and chips. My dad commented that the brandade tasted like cod in mashed potatoes, but he did eat it all. For an entree, I ordered the spiced seared tuna (with ramp, mushrooms, beans, and lobster nage). The dish came out with 3 slices of tuna, and I barely choked down 1.5 of them due to the extreme fishy taste and smell of the dish. (I wish I had read all of the reviews here because one customer claimed the dish was disappointing.) My mother ordered the buttermilk fried chicken breast which she enjoyed very much until she was about half way through and discovered the rest of the chicken essentially uncooked (to the point that it looked raw, she was unable to cut it with her regular knife, and when she tried to eat a piece she could not chew it). She did enjoy the salads (potato and slaw) that came with the dish. My father ordered the sloppy joe and enjoyed it very much which is why I'm giving Quinn's two stars. Our waiter did not comment when I said that I had not enjoyed the tuna, and my mother politely told him that he might want to inform the chef that the chicken had been raw. He came back from the kitchen saying that the chef had cooked the chicken for hours and that they have a very different preparation, which made the chef sound defensive. Had the chef tried to cut the chicken, he would have realized it was indeed raw. The beer list was expensive ($10 for a Konigshoven?!) and not very exciting in my opinion, especially compared to a place like Brouwer's. Go for the atmosphere - very cool interior and vibe - but steer clear of the chicken and the tuna! I will not be making an effort to return.

Pros: Cool interior and vibe, good people watching

Cons: Tame and expensive beer list, entrees very disappointing, no reservations allowed

05/03/2008 Posted by mesembrianthemum

We (about 10+) went to Quinn's for my boyfriend's brother's birthday several months ago. We were promptly seated upstairs, in our own little area at a large, long wooden table. Our server was so amazing! He was prompt, he was patient (I always take forever to order), and he was so funny and sociable. I ordered a daiquiri made from an original, almost 100 year old recipe, and was absolutely floored! It was the best cocktail I'd ever had, and have had since. I finally stopped at about 3-4 drinks, while I could still walk in a fairly straight line, though I really wanted more. I tried the duck and duck rillette (one dish), which didn't suit my own taste, but when a friend asked what it was and saw that I didn't want it, he gobbled it down with gusto, saying it was the best rillette he'd ever had. I did however love the soft boiled egg, sea salt, and boccarones (white, spanish anchovies marinated in vinegar. My favorite!) dish, as well as the assorted cheeses and fruit mostarda. My boyfriend, who is not a foodie and always says he's not hungry, loved the fries, which I think at the time were seasoned with herbs and truffle salt. I had ordered a plate myself, knowing he would want some, and turned back from a conversation with a friend to find my plate empty, my man licking his fingers and asking for more. His brother loved the Wagyu burger and split another order of fries with us. Last Saturday I went back to Quinn's with a friend. They no longer serve that beauty of a daiquiri, but we had the same waiter (who remembered us), and he suggested a mojito, the Cuban, which was equally good. My friend dined on the meatball sliders, which I tried and thought were heavenly. I had a white bean soup, made with preserved lemons and a thin parsley pesto drizzled on top. I do not like parsley, but this soup was divine. I'm going back tonight. Caution: It's very popular and always packed, so unless you don't mind an hour wait, go after 9pm.

Pros: Delicious food, amazing cocktails, awesome service, kitchen closes at 1.30am.

Cons: They don't take reservations. It's always packed, so go late (9pm or later)

05/01/2008 Posted by twentiethcenturybeatnik

I'll certainly go back. Quinn's is hip, and they have a great-looking menu. My biggest beef was with the beef -- the Wagyu beef burger. It comes on a nicely-sweet brioche bun a little too big for the beef patty, with already greasy Wagyu beef, topped off with bacon and cheese. This has the beginnings of a great burger, but it needs something fresh! I'd love to see them improve upon the burger by dressing it up slightly with a nice leaf of butter lettuce and a thick slice of tomato. I'd go back for it if they did these things. As it stands, this super-rich burger is a gut-bomb, and really needs to be lightened up with some "green" flavors. Obviously, I chose the burger, but this is pub food, and I was expecting it to meet my expectations. Also, I have a problem with any pub that doesn't automatically offer me mustard with my fries/burger. Both my boyfriend and I got items from the menu which would have been improved with a little grain mustard -- I didn't ask, but I think this should be standard with pub grub. The drink was fairly balanced and nicely stiff (I got the Sage Margarita, twice). Definitely a good place, I just hope they don't let their busyness detract from the improvements that could easily make Quinn's more of a hot-spot than Smith -- its all too familiar neighbor a shot distance away.

Pros: Good spot, busy vibe, good drinks

Cons: A little too hip sometimes, gut-bomb menu items without any greens

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04/05/2008 Posted by versingetrix

My wife and I made the trip to Quinn's on the recommendation of several friends, all of whom are in the restaurant business, and had a great time. We sat at the bar, our favorite spot to sit in any place, and where taken care of by a very knowledgeable bartender. He was able to describe each menu item, made some great recommendations, and kept my water full...bless you lad! Had a nice bottle of Rioja, but I really wanted to dive into the awesome Belgian beer selection, that had lots of 750's on it...also a nice selection of an appreciated format, 1/2 bottles of wine, great for one person, or multiple courses that require one red, and one white, and one glass each. Duck, duck, mousse! was very nice and I loved the pickled red onion(shallot maybe?), Deviled duck egg...yum! Pretzel was great and the fondue had great flavor, but just a tad grainy Toasted ham & cheese and pommes frite...to die for! Or so my clogged arteries are telling me, but worth every plate scraping morsal...wafer thin mint anyone? Meringue with ganache was really good, though the cookies where good...till I soaked them in a bit of Blanton's...yeah baby! Overall a really nice experience, and the bartender was knowledgeable in his menu items, and took great care of us. Ambiance is very cool, if your looking for pretty and chic, move along...serious food and serious goodness in a rustic and eclectic spot is what is going on here. Well done Scott and crew!

Pros: great menu to explore, awesome beer selection

Cons: Bar is a tad cold breezy and cold during Seattle spring(winter still!)

04/03/2008 Posted by phronesis1

Great atmosphere, friendly staff and spendid food. Although busy, the staff was speedy and engaing from the start. The food was outstanding. The starters were simple, flavorful and satisfying. Try the fries or the meatball sliders. They were well priced, and returned quickly. The pear salad was excellent, while the bean soup was rich but not heavy. The added goat cheese and pesto in the soup really rounded out the dish. Our main courses (the chicken for my wife and the pork w/ risotto for myself) took some time to reach us, but with our conversation and people watching the extended time was barely noticed. The food was WORTH the wait. The chicken was tender, juicy and like no chicken you purchase in the store. It really tasted like chicken is supposed to. Simple with a depth of flavor you would expect in a much more expensive French spot. My pork was even better! The risotto was prepared properly, not too soupy nor too tough. As Goldie Locks would say, "just right." But the true flavor surprise was the pork itself. Literally melt in your mouth. As a local international celebrity walked by, I sat there looking at my plate and realized this pork was really something special. I barely looked up from my gluttony. Two further things of note: the baretender was more knowledgable about the food and far more friendly than nearly any normal dining-room server we have experience in other restaurants AND the beer/drink list is broad enough to keep you interested. My wife and I will definately return.

03/17/2008 Posted by DoomGoober

Quinn's serves pub style food with a twist. The main courses seemed a bit boring, so we ordered small plates and shared. Each dish has a twist: The sloppy joes were made from Boar's meat and had crispy (breaded?) sage leaves. Unfortunately, the bun was slightly stale and the meat was over seasoned. The salad had grilled romaine hearts, an interesting idea, but parts of it were soggy. The homemade pretzel was a favorite with the table -- warm perfectly cooked and not over salted. Sadly the dipping sauce, while unique, was ultimately forgettable. My table really enjoyed the pear salad, with flavorful asian pears and endives and frisee sprinkled with a fine tasting dressing. The rabbit pate was surrounded by a nearly uncuttable skin and was the least favorite of the table. The soup (a bean soup) was so thick you could slice it, but had a decent flavor. The dessert dissappointed with nearly rock hard orange meringue, clearly refrigerated for too long ganache, and boring, forgettable cake layer. The atmosphere is pub style with big wooden tables which are well lit, but the place overall seems very dark in the corners. It'is a bit too noisy and busy to be romantic but not so bad that you have to shout to be heard. Service was average with a friendly waiter who didn't know how to split soup amongst three people (mugs would have worked perfectly.) I applaud Quinn's for it's memorable innovations but most dishes were also marred by some execution errors. Go if you like something slightly different, don't go if you want your food to be executed perfectly.

Pros: Innovative Food

Cons: Slight flaws in execution

02/29/2008 Posted by nghin

I read the review of others and looked at the menu prior to going to Quinn's. Frankly, I was a little disappointed. The food was ok, a little on the salty side for me. We ordered foie gras & chicken liver mousse (my favorite, very flavorful), rabbit pate (good, didn't care much for the pickled vegetables - it was so sour), oxtails (I like this disk- the meat was very tender and juicy). For dinner we ordered the burger (it was just a burger - if you really want a good burger, try Two Bells on 4th Ave), the hanger steak (too dry even though we ordered it to be cook medium rare), the seared ahi tuna (few slices of tuna serve on a bed of beans & few mushroom- I was very disappointed by this dish), the winner of the night was the pork dish (it was definitely just right with the flavor). The service was just ok. She was not very tentative. Walked by our table several times but didn't bother to stop by and ask us if we need anything else or how was the food...etc. The atmosphere was nice- very cozy, warm, and a great place to hang out and catch up but as far as the food goes... it was just... ok.

Pros: Nice layout

02/22/2008 Posted by lunen

this is a great place, the atmosphere is awesome, the food is interesting, i would recommend the sloppy joe or whatever it is called, good beer selection too.