Place Pigalle

I’m in love with this charming little gem of a restaurant hidden inside Pike Place Market! I came in for lunch with a coworker one day and was beyond satisfied with my experience.
The steamed mussels were delicious. In the bowl with them were smoked bacon, shallots, celery, and balsamic vinaigrette. The mussels were fresh, the sauce was a great mix of sweet, tangy, and smoky and had numerous bits of smoked bacon.
My coworker ordered the salmon plate, which I didn’t get to try, but she enjoyed it a lot.
Our server was nice and sweet (and had a really nice voice!). She was friendly and made small talk, and when she found out we were lunching there to celebrate my upcoming wedding, she gave us dessert on the house — a chocolate pots de crème that was so amazingly silky, light, and decadent. Mmmm. What an excellent way to finish a meal.
I think it’s a great date spot. As many have pointed out, you get some gorgeous views of the Puget Sound from the restaurant. It also feels cozy, and its modest — even dated — interior gives it a lot of character. I loved that it didn’t feel the least bit pretentious.
Definitely a new favorite. I’m going back for dinner with my husband and some friends this coming weekend, and I can’t wait!

This place is tucked away behind the hustle and bustle of pike place market, with the entrance reminiscent of a fire escape hung off the side of the building.
We were greeted warmly by the host, and though we requested window seating, we really should have do so much further in advance because the gorgeous view this place affords is a hot commodity. Even sitting away from the window, you could still see the sun going down in the distance since it wasn’t that big of a place.
The bread from grand central bakery and the butter were a little hard, I don’t know if they were stale from sitting out. We had the escargo, which was actually very tender and buttery. The chicken we order with potatoes had tiny bones in it. I thought they could have taken more care butchering. The bouillabiase broth was a little watery. The seafood in there was cooked well, but flavor profile could have had more depth of flavor.
Overall, it echos french cuisine well enough, but there was a few missteps in execution.

The food is mediocre to poor. Service is lacking. We waited for over an hour for our main courses and we left before they showed up. I don’t mind waiting, but I would appreciate our waitress keeping us informed of what’s going on and not just left us hanging for hours. It’s one of the worst dining experiences I have had in years.

Great views. Nice staff, fun small bar, great seafood. Appetizers good. For a smaller Resturant good wine list & value. We’ll go back …

For me, this place is a tourist trap you never want to go again.
A joke :
we are in the heart of the Pike market, and oysters we ordered weren’t fresh as most of them didn’t react with lemon juice. Their taste were very common and they were not served at the good temperature = too warm ! They put it on a «bed» of salt and not one ice. That is so stupid.
The Seattle beer was not fresh. That is very unpleasant when it is hot outside.
The 12 $ cocktail was just ok.
The reception was an insult. There were only one couple and a table with 4 persons around. So the place was pretty empty and the waitress asked us to wait. So my girlfriend and I waited in the entrance for few minutes and we didn’t know why !
Nor one time the waitress (the other one who took the order) asked us if everything was alright, nor the man who seemed to be the boss.
The decoration is a little bit cheesy and the «view» is not so good as the windows are not very big.

French food at moderately expensive prices but lack luster to poor service. Took my mom here for French because it used to be one of her favorite places back in the day but I think they’ve since gone down a bit.
Upon arriving we were not greeted for a solid 5 minutes as the employees walked back and forth multiple times. I can’t say they did this because the restaurant was busy because there were probably only 4 people seated in the restaurant and we had made a reservation a week in advance.
The menu had a very small selection and I can’t say I was impressed by it either. Despite this, the food they brought out was quite good (we had the onion soup, steamed mussels, bouillabaisse, and duck confit). Portions are teeny tiny, they charge for bread and butter, and there is a $ 3 plate sharing fee so don’t come with any friends. My family was pretty disappointed and I’m not allowed to pick the restaurant for Mother’s Day anymore.

It was a very odd experience. The server came to take our drink orders after we were sitting there for 35 minutes. We waited another 15 to 20 minutes and the server came back to verify our drink order. It took another 10 minutes to get us our drinks and he brought the wrong bottle of wine. That’s never happened to me ever, so I had to laugh a little.
The food was above average; the crème brûlée was good (a bit burnt on top); the pot de crème was awesome!
The length of dinner was 3 hours, not because we wanted it to be that long, but because service took that long from drinks to paying the check. We never felt rushed to leave until we stepped out the door and then they were literally shooing us up the steps.
The best thing about this restaurant is the view of the sound; absolutely stunning sunset! Otherwise, unremarkable service.

Everything was phenomenal. We ate lighter fare and had a fabulous bottle of wine recommended by our server, Allie. Highly recommend the onion soup, asparagus gazpacho and mussels. Felt like we were part of the family.

This restaurant has it all… Gorgeous view of the water, cargo barges and sunsets! The food is unbelievable and the service charming. Our waiter, Guy was a gem. He had wonderful suggestions and was very attentive. The crab is sustainably caught and fresh every day and their endive pink lady salad with vinaigrette dressing was indescribable. I’d advise making reservations since its quaint and seats only about 64 max. This was our first time in Seattle and we will definitely be back and this will be one of our Haunts :-) Thank you guys.

This place was a nightmare and the service was UNACCEPTABLE.
I was in Seattle for a weekend trip and had a tiring day of walking and exploring. Staying close to the Public Market seemed like a good idea so we picked Place Pigalle based on the Unilocal reviews and pictures. I honestly picked this place to have a view of the ferris wheel during dinner. Lesson learned — don’t book reservations for any restaurants near the most touristy spot of any city.
Ambiance:
As soon as we walked into the restaurant, we knew we had made a mistake in booking this place. It looked old and dark with cheesy, outdated artwork (the kind you find at Pier 21 home furnishing stores). Quite the disappointment as every other restaurant, café, coffee shop we visited throughout the weekend had beautifully and thoughtfully designed spaces. I felt like I was in an old nursing home’s dining area. Want to kill my mood? Look like this place during meal time.
Service:
We were seated at the smallest table in the restaurant… it was a table for ants. This really should have been reserved for people who planned to have dinner alone. Oh, and our waiter smelled like cigarettes.
Food:
The menu didn’t have anything special; it had the usual items particular to sea town restaurants. We had already decided to share a dish as soon as we were seated to save room for a second dinner at Shiro. We didn’t want to be the rude guests who change their minds and leave without actually trying the food. I ordered escargot to start with and the bouillabaisse for the entrée.
First of all, why were my snails not in their shells? Second of all, the seasoning was sub-​par and all I could taste was cheap butter. I’m not an escargot connoisseur, but I’ve ordered escargot in a multitude of places, including France, so this isn’t my first rodeo and these were an utter disappointment. Flavors were poorly balanced and the bread they served alongside didn’t go well with the dish.
The bouillabaisse was bland, flavors were not well rounded, and the seafood was not fresh. For a restaurant RIGHT ABOVE Pike Place Market, I expected a richer, heartier broth with seafood cooked to near perfection. Not something that tastes like it was boiled together with tomato paste in 20 minutes.
Lastly, the server came around to both tables on either side of us to ask how they were doing, each time skipping our table. Um… I need my water refilled to wash down this bouillabaisse. We were charged an automatic 18% gratuity for a party of TWO. What??? Not that I wasn’t going to tip my usual 20% regardless, but doing so without my consent? UNACCEPTABLE.
I normally eat out 90% of the time and try new restaurants every weekend ($-$$$$); I know my foods and I know good service. If someone told me I’d have the best doughnut of my life for $ 60, I’d try it, but hell, I am not down with a crappy bowl of soup and escargot done wrong for $ 60.
Skip this place if you’d like to be treated with respect and courtesy like any normal guest would at any business related to hospitality.

After an all day birthday date in Seattle with my husband we decided this would be the perfect last stop. We did have a tad bit of a hard time finding the place but ran into a kind gentleman who pointed us in the right direction. Turns out he was the manager. After walking us in he asked if we would like to wait a few minutes for him to set a window table for us. We decided to wait. He was so kind, quickly set the table and walked us back. He was so genuine, and it was a great start to an even better dinner.
I cannot begin to say enough about Guy, our host for the night, we would come back for him alone. My husband and I both asked for a drink recommendation and the white wine I was suggested hit the nail on the head for what I was in search of. My husband started with a grapefruit cocktail which he also loved. Guy was knowledgable, gave us background stories on the wine, and then brought us bread and butter. He came to check on us many times made sure we enjoyed his suggestions and offered some pleasant but not «too much» conversation.
When it came time to order we started with Escargot which I have had before. It was my husbands first time. We both enjoyed them and he said it is definitely something he would eat again, however I believe they could have used a little more garlic. It was a good start. For our entrées we chose the Pekin duck breast and the Chef’s special for the night. My husband loved the duck breast and risotto it came with. I tasted it and there was depth in the flavor and the different textures on the plate complimented each other perfectly. The Chef’s special was a recommendation from Guy, it was Prawns with pork, smokey mushrooms, potatoes and a little salad as well. It was delicious. The prawns were cooked beautifully and the pork was so tender and full of flavor. I was told the Chef knows the man who forages the mushrooms personally and that they are local. Their flavor was so smoky and delicious. The salad was not my favorite but only because it was spicy and I do not eat spicy food. For dessert we chose a pot de crème which was semi sweet and a wonderful compliment to dinner.
Overall, the experience was better than I could have imagined. We ended up buying a bottle of the white wine I was recommended and we had such a memorable evening. Plenty of times we go to restaurants and feel that the service is different because my husband and I are both young (22). That was not the case here. Everyone was so friendly and it was the best dining experience we have had in quite some time. We will definitely return and recommend this wonderful place to our friends. Thank you again Guy for such a perfect evening.

Definitely an underwhelming experience, and although it seems like it would be pretentious — it’s a nice little eatery tucked away in Pike Place Market.
I came with a group of seven of us on a Saturday afternoon and had a reservation, so got seated promptly upon arriving. The service was great, and they made us feel at home with such a large group. They served warm bread and butter to start, and I got the house-​cured salmon with pickles, olives, cucumbers, and cream cheese. Note, this is like salmon lox! (I knew this prior to ordering) While the salmon was great, I don’t think it warranted a place on the menu because of how simple the dish was and it did not taste all that different from other establishments in the area. The price also seemed a little high, for the kind of food they were serving. All in all — I paid $ 20, but don’t feel like I got a whole lot of satisfaction in the meal. Maybe I’ll opt for another dish in the future, but feel like the quality isn’t measurable to some of the better restaurants in the area that are more reasonably priced.

During a weekend getaway with my husband, we waited too long to make dinner reservations on a Friday night. We called several places downtown before finally finding this place. They said if we could be there in 15, then we’ve got a table! We got there and were told to wait just a couple minutes because they were clearing off a table for us. After a very short wait, he brought us to a corner table, next to the window, with the perfect view of the waterfront and the Ferris wheel all lit up! It was PERFECT!
The food was amazing. We started with the oysters (loved the sauce!). I had the filet and my husband and the seafood bouillabaisse. My steak came with a horseradish cream and some kind of brown sauce. I wish I could explain it better! Lol but all you need to know is when I finished my steak, I grabbed a piece of bread and spread the cream and sauce on it and pretty much wiped my plate clean because it was so delicious! We wrapped up he night with an apple pecan crisp with a dollop of cream. I do wish the crisp came with ice cream instead of regular cream, but it was still great.
The atmosphere was perfect, the food was fantastic, and the staff was friendly. It was the perfect date night for our weekend trip to Seattle :)

So it had a good view…
The food and the service were a problem. We arrived at opening for lunch. The first there. Some of us ordered French onion soup. It took 30 minutes to arrive at our table. After our soup was done, we sat there forever. It took AN HOUR for our food to arrive. The person who did not order soup regretted it greatly. People who arrived 30 – 45 minutes after us got their food before us.
The food was mediocre and mine was straight up frustrating. I ordered the crab because I saw some pics of previously served crab and it looked plentiful. It was not. It arrived and the whole table was surprised. If it hadn’t taken an hour would have sent it back and asked for something that would actually satiated my hunger. But we were all so hungry by the time the food came, I just ate it. My companions’ sandwich had dry, chewy beef and unremarkable. My other companions’ quiche was just ok.
Go somewhere else.

Admittedly, the place is charm and they’ve got a nice view of the sun setting on the sound. It is quiet and small. BUT GOD is it difficult to find. We were in Seattle with an evening to burn in the area and wanted to find a restaurant that had reservations available before 9 PM. Our fault, apparently everything in this city is booked well in advance for a Friday evening.
We spent 20 minutes looking for the place at Pike Place market. When entering the market, look above you to the left. The one sign we found we managed to see after doing 2 rounds despite google maps telling us it was literally in front of us. The arrow sign points up, meaning you must go to the back, go up a flight of stairs, and look above you to see the tiny restaurant.
The hostess was nice and seated us at a table with a beautiful view. We picked out bouillabaisse and the salmon special for dinner. We waited about 15 minutes and out the food came. I think our waiter knew we were wanting to get our food, eat, and leave as we didn’t want an appetizer (vacation is vacation but I need to spend my calories where they count) and weren’t interested in the wine menu. This is good and I appreciate that he was observant of this as the table next to us didn’t finish appetizers until we were literally paying for our bill.
My bouillabaisse was beautiful to look at. It had so much seafood! But it was bland to taste. So, SO, SO PAINFULLY BLAND. This much seafood and no flavor?! FOR SHAME! I’ve had this soup several times before at other locations and always it’s a showstopper but this one left so much to be desired. It basically tasted like tepid salted water… and boiled seafood. This is a french place! I am expecting it to be every bit as wonderful as those Unilocalers reviewed it to be… and it was sad.
My date had a much better meal. The sauce was well seasoned, salmon was cooked great, vegetables were crisp tender. Why was my dish so depressing and flavorless? They didn’t seem to be at full capacity. Is bouillabaisse meant to be bland? Was I steered wrong this entire time?

Like some previous reviews mentioned, the service really was slow. And it’s kind of hard to find the restaurant. However, their food are awesome, especially the mussels! Love the sauce and the taste of it, cooked just on point! I had the daily pasta special and my boyfriend had the duck breast. They are great and the portion are just right for me and my boyfriend (It’s kind of rare for a French restaurant)
To sum up, I would go back for their food!

Hidden gem located right behind the fish throwing counter.
This place has delicious seafood without all of the noise and hectic crowds of Pike Place Market that is located right in front of it. This place is a little more upscale in décor and service (as well as menu) so you end up getting some delicious food. I had the salmon that was on special and it was deliciously fresh. The oysters we got were also very good although I wish they had more to flavor them with.
If you’re looking for a nicer meal with great quality seafood, look no further.

I’m not a big fan of tourist traps… and Pike’s Place Market is a smaller less odious version of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. However, as a non-​Seattle Resident, I still enjoy visiting when I come into town.
Just on the other side of the famous fish market is Place Pigalle. My husband is a big fan and he has a favorite table (probably everyone’s favorite table), right in the corner next to the wine with a lovely window overlooking the waterfront.
We visited in the hours after the lunch rush, so the place was relatively empty. We were seated at G’s favorite table. Our server was lively and friendly.
Our menu:
Dungeness Crab +++++
Hard to screw this one up… and they didn’t. There are two options a smaller and larger portion. We had the smaller portion as an appetizer. Yum.
Alaskan Halibut ++
Sadly…overcooked and not to their standards.
The special — Steelhead Salmon ++++++
Fantastic! Cooked perfectly, out of this world… loved it.
Warm Roasted Beet Salad +++++
Baby Arugula, Toasted Walnuts, Chèvre, Shallots, Lemon-​Dijon Vinaigrette… who doesn’t love beets and chèvre? The arugula was peppery, the vinaigrette was perfect.
We ordered a bottle of Pouilly Fumé to accompany lunch… and then another.
Service was great. The view was lovely and the food was great.

Incredibly slow service… Food was pricey and was not worth the price at all.
We ordered the green goddess salad (worst salad ever… It was so bland like oil on lettuce leaves), calamari (delicious), French onion soup (nice deep flavor with lots of cheese), rabbit cassoulet, steelhead, and prawn linguini.
I don’t think this place is worth the time spent waiting for food, nor is it worth my money.

Every aspect of my experience here was just flawless and really makes you think you’re in a little French café (after leaving the chaos of the market!) Our host/​server, from the looks and sound of it, was a true Frenchmen. He sat us in a nice corner by the window overlooking the Sound! He had a lot of knowledge about the food and wine, and had an adorable accent. I can’t commend him enough for how mindful, easygoing, helpful, yet not too overbearing he was– a perfect example of how all servers should be!
We started off with:
1. Mussels– hands down the best mussels I have ever had. Had way more flavor than any shellfish dish in Seattle, proportionately garlic’d, and had bits of bacon in it! Yum!
2. French Onion Soup– also the best french onion I’ve tried and I normally don’t love this soup. The cheese on top wasn’t too thick and was thoroughly melted, plenty of bread pieces, and the onions were soft and perfectly caramelized! The bowl was actually pretty big and fed my party of 3 with some left over. Simply heavenly
Then came:
3. Prawn Linguine– I thought it was good! Honestly didn’t rock my world but it was pleasing and flavorful. Came with a pesto sauce, some tomatoes, and a good helping of prawns.
4. Croque Madame– first time I’ve ever tried this French dish and I’m so happy I got it here! Came with a brioche bun, some type of cheesey saucey spread (my cuisine lingo is really professional, I know!) slices of ham, spinach, and a sunny side up egg! A delicious dish for breakfast/​brunch.
Our server recommended a white wine to pair with all our seafood and it truly made the whole meal come together.
I kind of like that this place is hidden, it’s like my little secret but at the same time I want everyone to experience the magic here!