Skillet - Capitol Hill

Reviews 4

NI

Nicholas Diak

On a business trip back to my native area of Seattle, so a group of my friends and I decided to get together for a nice dinner to play catch-up. None of us had been to the Skillet Diner, so it was decided to be the place. We went on a Wednesday evening. It was crowded, but room at the bar to hold us over until a table could be made ready. The restaurant is not aligned to accommodate a lot of people, and if your party is greater than 4, then woe to you. The restaurant is roughly L shaped, and real estate is a precious commodity. Watch our if you find yourself in the thin lanes were the wait staff come and go – they don’t take kindly to that. The restaurant is deep in scenester territory, where most of the patrons were attractive hipster couples and bearded tattoo collectors. Drink is served in mason jars, and the general décor of the place is metal-oriented. A nice atmosphere, you definitely feel electro-popular just by being in there. The host was quite pleasant, allowed me to give her high-fives and fist-bumps as we were shuffled to the bar and from the bar to our table. The bar tender was equally friendly and approachable. Our waitress proper was big smiles, checking on us constantly, and taking pictures of us when asked. Quite accommodating. The menu is quite large for a big-plate small-food type restaurant, and the vegetarian items were nicely noted. I got a jalapeno margarita which was proficiently made, but not really to my tastes. I wound up ordering the chilaquiles while others ordered waffles, chicken, and steaks along with communal orders of poutine and biscuits. The chilaquiles were new to me, and they were adequate. I imagine a Mexican-oriented restaurant would do them one better. Everyone else vocalized their approval with their dishes. What did steal the show were the sides: the poutine and biscuits were amazing. The poutine and its gravy was quite smokey, the French fries done to perfection. The biscuits were softball size and with the provided butter and jams, turned out to be really delicious. So we enjoyed our food and our waitress and the other wait staff, but I suspect since we were a party of 5, I think there was a subtle hint to get us to scoot so our table could be quickly bused and the next round of patrons serviced. Regardless, we had a lot of fun and enjoyed dining there.

A

A Private User

My first Skillet experience started poorly when I arrived alone at 5:30 PM and requested a table for two (I was expecting my dinner companion to arrive within 10 minutes). The hostess/server said "Sorry, we dont seat incomplete parties - its our policy." The place was only about 1/3 full, but I waited in the entrance area as I was told. After 5 minutes I asked if I could order a drink while I waited. This time I was told I could sit at the bar and order a drink..."Sorry I cant seat you at a table - you know how it is!" (No, I dont). I sat at the bar and ordered water. When my dinner companion arrived we were seated at a table. We ordered poutine to start, a large orange juice, a milkshake, "The Burger," and the pork belly cornmeal waffle. The poutine and drinks arrived about 15 minutes later. The poutine was basically soggy fries smothered in a thin, bland gravy and melted cheese. The taste was just okay, kind of weird - not nearly as good as they serve at the Whistler/Blackcomb slopeside restaurants. The orange juice tasted fresh-squeezed (good), but was NOT large - I estimate about 8 oz. The $7 milkshake was served in a small Bell jar (so WAY overpriced), was a little too thin, and essentially tasted like Breyers ice cream blended with milk - nothing special! Our main courses arrived about 30 minutes after we ordered (too slow), and my burger, which was supposed to be cooked medium rare, was instead served medium well. I had heard "The Burger" is what made Skillet "famous," so I was disappointed that my particular burger was overcooked and not at all juicy. I do credit our server for removing the burger from our tab. The best part of the meal was the cornmeal waffle, which was very dense and tasty. I get the feeling the servers and other staff are overly concerned with projecting an ultra-hipster urban vibe, and not enough concerned with service, food quality, and pricing.

BI

bianca bott

Now I am not usually one to leave a review, but my family and I are visiting seattle from England, and we have been loving the customer service everywhere we have been the last few days, everyone is so happy and friendly, but we came here tonight and were completely blown away, being British we are pretty picky about prices, yes its true, but this place is well worth every penny. The food was impeccable, but not only that, the atmosphere, the music, the staff, they were all 5stars easy! I read some reviews before going and expected small portions, I ordered a salad which when it turned up was huge! Not only that, absolutely beautiful, every mouthful was a delight! My other half had the macncheese and was so happy, but couldnt quite finish it all, and before you know it theyre offering you a box to take it home! (Which for is Brits is a rarity). My father in law had the steak, which at $26 you get a bit nervous, but it was cooked to perfection! We all ended up eating off of each others plates we were so amazed by the beauty of it all! Its generous, welcoming, busy (but comfortable of course). The staff are more than happy to help you pick and Explain what certain foods are without making you feel like a Derp! It has all the cuteness of a kitten, with drinks served in preserves jars and even real napkins! Water handed straight to you in generous bottles! Being a young couple with the in laws it can be hard to find somewhere we all agree on so well! But heck, we are here for three weeks and I can certainly say we will be going again more than once! Thank you for your hospitality, friendly faces and beautiful food!

SA

Sandy Tang

Im surprised how empty it was for a Saturday night, although we did get here around 9pm. Happy hour was at 10pm but it was still quite empty. Oh well, more for us! PORK BELLY + CORNMEAL WAFFLES Simply delicious. Trust me when I say this: you have GOT to eat each bite with all 4 things together. Thats a slice of pork belly with your fried egg and cornmeal waffle, drizzled with maple syrup. Ohman, it was so good. Even though Im not too big a fan of cornmeal due to the grainy texture, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. BEA ARTHUR Whoooo! If you want a strong bourbon drink, this is it! First few sips, I could feel the burn going down but as I continued eating my meal, I started to enjoy this as I took more sips of it :P POUTINE I had some bites of the poutine and it was good! Not too salty, not too soggy, and just the right amount of flavor. You can substitute fries/salad for poutine for $3 when you order a burger or sandwich. Skillet Diner is a nice spot. Wanted to try foie gras but didnt see it on the menu ): But thats okay, I had a great meal here regardless. Will save this place for future trips to Seattle!