We've celebrated both my parents' birthdays here this year. It's a cool environment with sleek, modern design. One of the best burgers in town with delicious french fries. The service has been outstanding on both occasions. This last time Ryan was our server and really helped make this a special night for my family. People wear anything from casual to dressy attire, making it fun to people watch. This is one of our favorite downtown restaurants and we'll definitely be back. read more

Charming dinner service from Jayland. Dozen oysters (variety of Bonita, Hama Hama, Kuramoto, Shigoku), served knowledgably by Terrell. Excellent King Crab pasta with fresh paccheri and small clams; roasted carrot soup; inventive desserts (peanut butter bar and homemade toasted marshmallow ice cream). Excellent low-key breakfast service with Benjamin: cappuccino; signature lemon ricotta pancakes with berry compote (compared well with Four Seasons Beverly Hills and Las Vegas); smoked salmon bagel. read more

The Good: Went there for light dinner split burger with friend. Burger was incredible. Service was great and when I mentioned I didn't like the heavy rosemary in the corn the manger came over to talk about it and convey message to chef. They of course, took it off my check. The roasted sweet corn on menu looked good, but it was heavy with rosemary, couldn't eat it. The Ugly: I think there is a trend starting because of the new high minimum wage in Seattle. They never mentioned it, but when I got my check for two people there was an automatic 20% tip. 65% goes to server, 35% to back of house. I ususally tip 20%, but it should be my decision. Did not like being blindsided. I would prefer they raise their prices 20% and have no tipping at all. read more

I came here when it first opened and was very impressed by both the new decor, the service and the food. Last night, a few months after it's opening, we returned for another dinner. While the service and decor remained great, the food totally disappointed. First of all, the menu was quite uninteresting. a straightforward burger, chicken and past dish should have had more taste sensation, but didn't. The mushroom ravioli was very heavy and overly salted. I assumed that the pasta would be homemade, but the thickness and weight of it certainly didn't give that impression. The restaurant used to validate parking so there only a $8 cost for parking. They no longer validate and it's $15. Dinner for three (and one of us was pregnant and not drinking) was $223 before tip. After tip and parking, the cost was almost $300 for sadly mediocre food. read more

The bartender at the goldfinch tavern is just awful.he paid little to "no attention" to patrons at the bar.. instead , he was folding napkins in front of us, while tending bar. He shoud be doing his restaurant "side work ". In the back, outside of public view. I was "just "stunned" by his un - professionalism. Shame on you, "four seasons hotel" for allowing this kind of service, @ your hotel. read more

Goldfinch Tavern got everything right! I went out for dinner with a party of 10 and the entire party was very impressed. The food and wine were both very good, and the service was exceptional. And surprisingly, the pricing seemed no different than practically anywhere else in Seattle. At the end of dinner, our waiter politely mentioned that the tip was already included in the tab because of the size of the party. I was very impressed because so many places in Seattle never mention this to their guest when the bill arrives. Goldfinch truly provided a fine dining experience, but maintained a fun and relaxing atmosphere. What a fun night out! Thank you! read more

WHAT a disappointment! Never been here before but was really looking forward to it. Went for Mother's Day brunch. The 1st round of appetizers was pretty good and had us looking forward to the rest. We both got the prime rib which was cool, completely lacking flavor and quite dry for a prime rib. Desserts were pretty good but somewhere after appetizers, our waiter apparently got busy with other tables. Luckily, Bobby, the busser was our savior, Getting us more plates and silverware as needed along with coffee and other little things. He was AWESOME! Had to flag down the bartender for our check. When your bill is well over $200 for 3 people...it damned well better be good. NEVER bothering to go back. read more

It was great they accommodated our large party early Sunday evening but when one of my family members asked a logical question about the wine service, the server asked him sarcastically "if he had ever experienced fine dining". Not funny. When the food finally arrived (the place was practically empty when we arrived, not sure why it took so long) it was very good, wait staff not so much. read more

We arrived here at 2:30 on a Saturday for some appetizers and drinks while we waited for a dinner restaurant to open. I was looking at my husband's water cup because it had some disgusting dried pink goop all down the side of it. The waiter came over and before saying anything else, he started to tell us where we could purchase the water glasses because "aren't they neat?!" My husband then said "so could I get a clean one?" Ok next, we ordered our food and drinks at 2:35. Four appetizers. You think it'd be quick, yes? We got our food at 3:15, 40 minutes later! The restaurant was slow as molasses in attendance and service. The waiter didn't bother to come by to say when our food would be ready, he just seemed to gaze at us from across the room as if we didn't belong there. Thanks, bud. The food was nothing special. We ordered the salmon poke. (Salmon was ok, but the dish looked very plain), Manhattan clam chowder (basically broth with a few veggies and clams), the other soup of the day, and French fries. The fries were the only good food. But we waited 40 MINUTES for that! And, the tip is included in the bill. It seems the server really took advantage of that. So rude. We will not be back unless Goldfinch management wants to make it right for us with another experience on their tab. I'm giving two stars: one for the view, and the other for the clean restrooms. read more

We came in specifically for happy hour. It was Tuesday afternoon/evening and the place was busy but we managed to find a couple bar chairs. We were given menus but no happy hour ones. We were really looking forward to trying a few things that we had seen online. The first bartender was cordial but seemed impatient when we couldn't decide on drinks. When we asked about the happy hour we were briskly given restaurant week menus and told that since this was going on there was no happy hour. We were disappointed but understood. Another friend joined and we moved to the other side of the bar. This is when Jabriel (spelling might be off) started taking care of us and our night got so much better. He was pleasant, accommodating, and a great bartender. Not only did he help us pick out drinks, he was also able to score us some happy hour food after we mentioned how bummed we were. We had a great time thanks to him and we will definitely be back. read more

This is my third time to the newly renovated restaurant at the four seasons hotel. The restaurant has a policy of adding 20% gratuity. To the bill! This first two times they did not even tell our party, it is listed in the VERY small print at the bottom of the menu! The problem is that our service was not anywhere near tip that we had to pay and the sales tax is added after the tip so we pay tax on the tip too! I did talk to the manager and was informed that we could ask for it to be taken off our bill! I understand that it is nice for everyone to get a decent wage but do not like the way they decide for us what we should tip especially if the service is bad, and was continually informed by the manager that he could get me a copy of the state rules and they were trying to comply with the minimum wage rules! I do not think that the minimum wage rule was established to be paid by the customers by adding in our tips!! We love the food there and the other servers were very helpful but the restaurant need to rethink it s policies!! read more

Unreasonably expensive and loud. Met a friend there for a late lunch at 1PM today, a Friday. The restaurant is lovely and the service was excellent. However, the acoustics are poor, and it was a challenge to hear, even though we both have fine hearing and were sitting in a booth. We each ordered two glasses of nothing special wine, and each an appetizer. The wine pours were modest, which is usual, but the food portions were very small. I'm not into big portions in any way, but charging $16 for a one bite portion of crudo is excessive, especially because the crudo tasted essentially like strong olive oil that drowned out any fish favor. I should have send it back. That's my fault, but the chef should know better. Our bill for total four glasses of wine and two small appetizers was $127, including the required 20% service charge that our waiter explained, somewhat irrationally, was added because of Seattle's move to a $15 minimum wage. OK, fine, but just be aware how things work here. I won't be going back. read more

Loved this place. Not only does it have a lovely atmosphere/decor/view of the harbor, but it also has excellent service and delicious food. We got the chef's tasting menu (4 courses) for 2 people who ate meat, and 1 vegetarian. We were happy to find that they would accommodate a vegetarian and still do the tasting menu for the table. The first course was a selection of small dishes (about 7?) which was my favorite. It was a small amount of many different items, mostly seafood for the meat-eaters. It was such fun trying a bite of each different dish. The second course was a pasta, the third a steak, and the fourth a chocolate cake. Each dish was unique and interesting and delicious. There were a number of dishes (such as the tuna tartare) which I thought I wouldn't like but ended up being real highlights of the meal. I'm very impressed at any place that can serve up a food I don't usually like in such a superb manner that it becomes a favorite. Our vegetarian said that he loved all his dishes as much as we meat-eaters did ours, so they didn't skimp or do a sub-par vegetarian version. A nice little touch was that the chef came out and introduced a few of the dishes. We ended up spending quite a few hours at dinner as we explored all the dishes in each course and enjoyed the beautiful view while we chatted. Definitely loved the whole experience! read more

Went there for Seattle Restaurant week. Me and my girlfriend both had the 3 course dinner. WE both had different items recommended by our server. First of all, it is a nice place, cool atmosphere, but slightly awkward and strangely arranged. Service is just ok. They do INCLUDE 20% to your bill so maybe they just don't try anymore. Me and my gf are servers ourselves so we have a fair idea of what to expect. The beef carpaccio was good, the crab bisque was NOT. The braised ribs tasted like a reheated leftover from a few nights before and the duck leg was incredible over cooked and dry. Desserts were pretty, but overly heavy and made us just want a glass of milk to wash them down. Pricing is set to be in Four Seasons, but not fair for the quality of the place at all. Wine, cocktail and beer selection were also very sub par and unimpressive. Far too many good to great options in Seattle to bother going to a less than decent place. read more

Four stars for their food (tuna poke and crab salad were divine), two stars for service, with the exception of their manager. He was exemplary. We were escorted to the bar by him and he attempted to introduce us to the bartender who blatantly ignored him and us until about the third or fourth attempt to get his attention. Even the three different folks who sat next to us over the course of the evening said they had experienced equally lacking service. The guy next to us was brought his food and never gave him silverware. I get the bartenders are busy making drinks but the restaurant wasn't that busy and there were two people, both who seemed put out with the few requests we had. I really want to love this place and had high hopes for having that Four Seasons experience. The food was so good but bad service can really sour an overall experience. Kudos to the manager though, he was tuned in all night filling in where others were lacking. Hopefully they work this out because I've been wanting more downtown options to frequent. read more