Habitant

I absolutely love this place. They should have had bars inside of shopping centers years ago. I love sitting here and watching the game or whatever is on TV while the wife does her thing.
The food is very good and quick to come out. Their drinks are very good (My favorite is the Billionaire) and their prices on wines are good too. This place is usually pretty full during the night but if you are quick you can score yourself a place at the bar.
Yep if I have time at the mall to kill; because I am not a shopper, this is where you will probably find me here.

This turned out to be a very good place to meet a client late in the day. Everyone can find Nordsrtom, right? Once inside, the bar is easy to fins as well. Excellent drinks and snacks.

Not a bad place to sit back, enjoy some tapas, and go back to shopping at Nordstroms. The sliders are great, the tacos are great, and the service is not bad. All in all, this ain’t a place to take a date but if you like to go shopping on a full stomach, then this place is definitely a place to hang out.

Ok. There is nothing better than shopping at Nordstrom, finding great things for my daughter who looks good in everything that are on sale then having a cocktail. Unfortunately must have hit at a very busy time as no service or eye contact for 10 minutes! Then folks sit next to us and are immediately served pistachios while we get to stare at the stainless countertops. Good drinks and pistachios did finally arrive but not the Nordstrom experience and service I was expecting. I will try again for ideally a better experience.

Service was slow as the waitress catered to her friends making them drinks to try that was then thrown away because they didn’t like it. Menu is limited and drinks are expensive. It’s not a true restaurant, so don’t go if you are looking for dinner. Appetizers we had were good.

The food’s ok but not great. We ordered 4 dishes for 2. The chicken tacos and the smashed grilled potatoes were good. The meatballs and the garlic-​butter Brussel sprouts were so-​so. The meatballs were too salty, partially burned black, including the bread that came with it. The Brussel sprouts had too much butter — basically soaking in it. It took definitively more than 5 minutes for the order to come, unlike the speediness observed by another customer, and we were not there at a peek hour. The bartender forgot to refill my glass; I had to ask for the water instead — otherwise the service was good and indeed friendly.
I may come back for a drink while my wife is shopping. I am unlikely to come back just for the ‘restaurant’ itself.

I took a quick shopping break during Nordstrom’s half yearly sale and got a drink and a bite at Habitant. Service is prompt and friendly, and my food was delivered within 5 min of ordering.
I got a virgin Mojito which was delicious, and also their hummus plate. The pita was a bit dry from reheating but the hummus was great. They also give you a plate of pistachios to start. Not much seating here so they do get full pretty quick, but the turnover is fast as well. They are especially busy during game days when the TV occupies the men’s attention while their wives shop til they drop!

The bartender here is awesome the food is just ok it’s not mind blowing but if you are hungry and shopping around for stuff you don’t need anyway then this is the place for you located inside Nordstrom it give you plenty of eye candy

What in the world is NOT to love about this place?
It’s on the second floor of Nordie’s, centrally located smack-​dab in full view of the store’s entrance to the mall, abutting the escalator. There are dividers designating this cozy restaurant/​bar from the rest of the store, and signs that say that minors are not permitted (due to this being a bar). There are wall-​mounted tv screens on the wooden panel above the bar and there are always some sports events playing (football or golf or baseball, whenever I’ve been here). You can tell they primarily cater to men: all those guys who were shanghaied by their female friends or partners to go out shopping. lol!
I like how you can sit down and recoup for a while and just order a cup of tea. I like how they have cute bowls of pistachios on the table, to munch on. I like how the foods are presented as appetizers, in smaller plates, prettily plated. (The roasted beet salad with goat cheese is fantastic, btw. And less than $ 7, to boot! Very reasonable, and just the right size for a light lunch or a quick snack). I like how the bartenders and waiters are always super nice. I never feel rushed here. I’ve come to think of this place as a little haven in the middle of a sometimes-​overwhelming store.
What’s not to love?

I love this place, what a cool idea… everyone else thinks so too though so finding a spot is tough! I wish it was a little bigger but if you can get a seat its a nice surprise for your first time. I much rather eat the Grill but this works when in a rush and its open. Please expand the wine list :)

I am a single father from New York. Was in town on business. I am ashamed to have been such an advocate for Nordstrom. Always eating in the Restaurants, my daughter is a such a fan! Saw this new bar concept, was really excited! I was told my daughter and I could not sit and eat, they told me she is a Minor and not allowed… She is 2yrs old! I did not complain we just left… It just saddens me. Thank you Nordstrom for all the years. But today was my last… Your better than that!

Concept: Replacing the sitting area where men would wait for their wives or significant others to finish shopping with a full-​service bar is not only ingenious, it’s incredibly convenient for everyone. Even though Nordstrom has a café and a restaurant already, Habitant does bring something new to the table. The idea is that it is quicker and easier to access good ‘ol drinks and small bites, and you don’t have to walk far.
Drinks: I’m not much of a day-​drinker as my tolerance is pretty low, but the drink quality and price is pretty good for the Bellevue area. They serve their Moscow mules (made with Rachel’s Ginger Beer, yum!) in those copper cups which is a nice stylistic touch.
Food: All plates are more like appetizer or snack-​portioned. Please try the lime cilantro chicken tacos. The shells are crispy and greasy and delicious! They’re also the perfect size for small plate tacos. Everything about them is tasty, without being overwhelming. For about $ 9, it’s also a great deal! Definitely my favorite plate out of anything Nordstrom makes (including what’s in their café on the 3^rd floor)!
I’ve also had the crab cake sliders. These have a bit of a kick to them. They’re presented nicely with these unique chips (I think they’re made out of radishes?). The only downside to this dish is the salt… a bit too salty for me.
Another favorite is the crispy roasted potatoes with bacon aioli! Anything with aioli screams my name so I had to try them. I thought it was a nice twist on the traditional fried potato or french fry appetizer at most bars.
Service: Here is where I docked the most… When this place is busy (which is most of the time during business hours), the service is very slow. There’s only 1 – 2 servers including the bartender. They need to have a bit more staff on hand to accommodate because they are very popular. One time I waited un upwards of 30 – 35 minutes for my tacos. Ah! For appetizers, that is unacceptable :/.

This is a bar inside of Bellevue Nordstrom. At the other corner, there is a restaurant, also inside of Nordstrom. Eat there, but have a drink and a snack here.
My «Billionaire» cocktail was Maker’s Mark based. My companion had a «craft Vodka» based cocktail. Both were excellently made and delicious. We had a hummus and fried Polenta. Both had excellent presentation and taste delicious. Soon, we were smiling and chattery and felt happy.
The waiter/​bartender had the right balance of attentiveness at a distance. Several people were watching football games. Shoppers bumped into friends and had a spontaneous conversation.
This is what made Nordstrom. Nice.

I’m obsessed with this place. My boyfriend and I have been here several times over the past year. It so much fun to go shopping before or after drinks ;) They have fabulous cocktails, I always get an aviation. I think they took it off their main menu but they’ll still make it. I have cravings for the shrimp sliders and we live in Seattle but will go over to Bellevue just to get them. We’ve also watched football here on days we don’t feel like going to a sports bar. Basically it’s my happy place and I hope they put one in the downtown Seattle Nordstrom soon!

A restaurant in the middle of Nordy! Omg, someone please shut this down before my gf finds out about this place!
The food was pretty decent and the waiters are nice a polite! A fun place to hang out!

Sometimes you just need a little break from shopping! How neat is this mini lounge in Nordstroms! I think you can definitely beat the crowd here versus an outside restaurants if you’re just looking for a quick break. There are a few tables and bar seating.
My Sister and I sat at the bar and were served promptly by the nice bartender. Prices were okay. The drink I ordered was good! I ordered their BLUEBERRY LAVENDER MARTINI ($ 10) and my Sister ordered a beer ($ 4.50) and they gave us pistachios to snack on which was really nice! None of that cheapy peanut stuff lol. They also have food available but we weren’t hungry so we didn’t try anything. I’ll have to try a dish next time!

Cool concept that Nordstrom seems to be testing in Bellevue. Fabulous bar with tasty food, cocktails, and impeccable service — right in the heart of the 2^nd floor shopping area. Great place to socialize before or after shopping, and also great for happy hour/​late meetings after work. I definitely recommend the cheese plate, shrimp sliders, and shishito peppers.

Funniest concept, get drunk and buy clothes or get drunk while your significant other shops.
Good place though.

Pub food and a beer, while shopping? Sign me up! To top it off the bartenders were very friendly.
Had the meatballs, smashed potatoes and the shrimp sliders. The presentation of each dish is very good, skillets on top of boos blocks. Classy. The meatballs came with crusty buttery bread that paired perfectly with the tomato/​marinara mix. The smashed potatoes were very interesting, smashed and then deep fried. Some were a little overlooked, but the bacon aïoli more than made up for it.
Both of these dishes were packed with flavor, so by the time the shrimp sliders came they tasted just so-​so. The sliders would probably be great paired with a light salad.
Will definitely be back.

Here to Stay
Ambience: 5
Food: 4
Drinks: 5
Value: 3
Brilliance of the concept aside, Habitant is, in fact, one great bar based on actual substance. The Smoke and Heat (a jalapeño tequila drink) is one of the finest hot pepper infused drinks I’ve ever had; my fiancé is in love with the Billionaire (though sadly, it’s the bourbon and absinthe drink, not me).
In addition to their excellent drinks, their bar food is delicious. This should be no surprise since the Nordstrom Café is a well-​regarded eatery, and they share the same kitchen. Their food have excellent flavor, and are all pretty interesting: from the lamb meatballs (delicious) and lotus root chips (also pretty good), to the smashed potato-​lings with truffle salt and bacon aioli (addictive).
Of course, no discussion of Habitant can exist without discussing its conspicuous location, right as you walk into the 2^nd floor entrance of the Bellevue Square Nordstroms. It is obviously a brilliant idea, not just because guys need all the help they can get, but it turns out ladies also enjoy being tipsy before/​after they go around the mall collecting their ‘free gifts’ (this insight added by my fiancé, not me).
They have no happy hour (lord help them if they did…), though I do have one interesting tip. For those of you that have a Nordstrom reward Visa card. It turns out, you can spend your rewards at the bar. So there you go… your lady spends lots of money and you get rewarded with alcohol. A consolation prize that I can (kinda) get behind.