Resto

This could have been a great experience. Concept was cool and food was delicious. Portions were off (one meal for us to split), only due to my persistence we ended up getting some stale bread coated in sugar/​cinnamon with some simple sauce for a desert. Was really excited about celebrating my birthday there too. I don’t feel like we got $ 130 worth. If you decide to eat here I recommend going before 8pm, the chef may or may not be willing to cook up the full coarse meals for ya! Chang was nice and I believe we all knew he could have shown a little more appreciation for the money we spent and the occasion that brought us in there.

Very unique and intimate dining experience where a small menu of what’s best from the market is prepared and the menu frequently changes. Food is absolutely fantastic. Also love the owners and how they sass each other sometimes :-)

My wife and I had an amazing meal at Resto on a Saturday night. We had reservations at 6pm and we were the only couple at that time. (There is only five tables). The chef/​owner was very personable. He filled our wine glasses and left the bottle for us to serve ourselves. You get two bottles of wine with your dinner ($ 60/​person). The meal included four courses. The first course was the least favorite only because the pork was served cold. The dish also included prawns. The second course was an amazing salmon and arugula salad. The third course included a beautiful steak served for two with a side of macaroni and cheese. We skipped desert because we had to leave but from his description it would have been wonderful. We will be back!

Best little hidden gem in Seattle. Food is awesome and the owners are wonderful. Personalized service and always a great food experience. The menu is the chef’s choice but always delicious.

Resto is very small with three booths for four people, and single table for two, and a small bar for maybe four to six others. When we arrived, the chef/​waiter/​host (/​owner?) greeted us and seemed to be the only person working.
I’ll just say it — the chef was very weird but he was extremely outgoing and affable. Based on the presentation and the quality, I am positive he is a classically trained chef and he is very good at his craft.
We had the fixed menu which included a bottle of wine, fresh clam chowder, house salad, a wonderful steak, potatoes, pasta, and dessert. Everything was delicious and only cost us $ 130 for two people. This easily could have been a $ 250 meal.
We now know why people do drugs, because after the first bite of steak every other bite was simply chasing that initial deliciousness.
TLDR, we loved it and will definitely be back.

We really enjoyed this restaurant/​experience. We came to celebrate a birthday and were along for the ride. We asked for delicious food family style with wine pairings and it’s exactly what we got. Top notch. Zero complaints. They were so warm and accommodating even when we ended our dinner with a mini dance party in the restaurant. We will be back!

I love everything about this place! It’s very small and intimate, and the chef is the only one working there.
We walked in, he greeted us and started us off with some white wine and a very simple salad. From there, the meal just got better and better. We had clams in butter and white wine with pork belly, lobster mac and cheese, steak with potatoes and roasted root vegetables, and roasted peaches with fresh whipped cream. All paired with as much wine as we wanted (we ended up having 2 bottles). Everything was simple and delicious.
There were no menus, no requests. All we had to do was sit down, have great conversation and food showed up. I loved this concept and idea of not fussing with choices from a menu. The chef himself was such a great character. It was like having a home cooked meal.

This was a different experience for a restaurant. You basically go into the small dining room, and sit where you want. There was just one guy there who was the cook/​host/​server. You don’t have any menu options. He makes you want he feels like making you. It feels like you’re entering into someone’s kitchen. He’ll check with any dietary restrictions, but outside of that, you get what you get and you pay what he decides you pay for. The taste is somewhere in between home-​cooked and restaurant, as is the theme of the restaurant.
We were served scallops with corn, then a huge New York strip steak with veggies. I noticed others got clams, so he said yeah, I can give you clams if you want. He said there is no rhyme or reason who gets what. So presentation, quantity and food type may differ table to table. He brought us some angel hair pasta and then some clams. We were so full. He topped it with a slice of chocolate cake. We didn’t go for wine, so he told us that he gives a discount, but since he gave us two steaks instead of one, we don’t get a discount. We were a little confused, but for $ 55/​person (including tax), it was a decent deal.
So, I might come back again. It was an unusual experience, but it’s not something I’d make a habit of frequenting.

The restaurant’s website suggests that they make dietary needs a priority. One of our party had a dietary requirement that meant being served no wheat. While GF foods may be a trendy fad diet for some people, for us, for this meal, which was a special dinner, this meant that someone with an actual, real autoimmune disease couldn’t eat two of the five courses. We were brought a couple dishes and the server basically shrugged and said «sorry» when asked, so three of our party of four got to eat, while one person had to look on. That’s bullshit.
We were told that the chef had no problem with this dietary request when asked about at least two or three times when the reservation was made, and then yet again when the reservation had to be remade because the restaurant lost our first reservation. We had to reschedule for a couple hours before the original time, because this was a birthday dinner, time was short, and we didn’t have much of a heads-​up to set up a reservation anywhere else.
For the rest of us who did not have special dietary requirements and could eat what was made, it was okay and — save for all the trouble mentioned — is probably the only reason I didn’t give a lone, single star.
But for all the hoop-​jumping, cost, and the shrugged shoulders shown to someone with a genuine food allergy, I’m not sure I would ever go here again or recommend Resto to anyone.

I can’t speak highly enough for this place. Yes, it is tiny. No, you don’t have menu options. Yes, it is pricey. But it is amazing food in a homey atmosphere from a great guy — as long as you’re not expecting a classic steakhouse experience, this place is perfect.
My husband brought me here this past weekend for our first anniversary. He remembered how much I loved it the first time we ate here. We got in, sat down, and told him that I’m allergic to seafood. Off he went to make our appetizers, when my husband got a phone call. We risked eating out while he was on-​call, and it did not pay off! Long story short, I hung out alone with the owner/​cook/​sommelier/​waiter/​everything else for an hour waiting for my husband to return, and he took such good care of me. He kept the wine coming, paced the food as I finished it, but didn’t start the steaks until I told him my hubby was on the way. Oh, god, the steaks.
I am a huge steak fan. I could eat red meat for every meal. I have had some damn fine steaks in my day. This steak was, without question, the best I’ve ever had. No fine steakhouse can compare in my mind. I’m pretty much drooling just thinking about how good it was.
Resto is a unique experience and worth every penny. Please don’t go there if you want and expect the usual restaurant experience — this place is different. Looking for the best steak of your life? Go to Resto.

We sit down. The owner and his server /​girlfriend or whatever start having a fight, which is hilarious at first, until it becomes just awkward. That same server lady had definitely «eaten» something a little strange because she then proceeded to stare at the wall (about 3 inches from her face) and laugh hysterically.
We get up to leave. The owner throws some hissy fit, starts cursing, makes some racist comments about Chinese people (this guy may or may not be Chinese himself) and slaps a bowl off one of the tables. And that’s the end of our Resto experience!

Overall, I thought this place was okay, but not amazing. Everything was good, but I just didn’t feel like it was worth $ 55/​person. Its a great date night place with 2 people, but with 5 I was expecting more since the bill came out to be pretty expensive.
I will say though that the service was great because it is a small restaurant. I feel that if you love sitting down, talking, taking your time and drinking wine/​beer, it’s a great place. It’s incredibly homey and it feels like you’re at home without having to cook.
For dinner (when we were here at least), everybody gets served the same thing, and you can get more if you want. The $ 55 includes all the drinks and the food, so it could be worth it if you make it worth it. However, I felt that the food wasn’t amazing enough. We had clams, but they were a little tough. The meat was good, but I’ve had better.
I really wanted to like this place because of the reviews, but I think it’s just too expensive for the quality of the food. You’re paying for service and the homey feel, but… I don’t know if I would pay $ 55/​person for that.

This restaurant is run by the owners only. The person who told me about Resto warned me that they were crazy but that the food was worth it.
When I called to make the reservation, the female owner asked for my credit card and told me she would be charging the entire cost of the prix fixe meal to cover the cost of the ingredients. It was ridiculous but I went with it. I saw the charge appear on my card, and was looking forward to the dinner.
On the day of the reservation, only hours before we were scheduled to dine at the restaurant, the female restaurant owner calls to tell me that the restaurant is closed!!!
She said she would refund the cost of the meal that I would not be having to my credit card and that the credit would appear by the following Monday… Wednesday comes along and it is not refunded and now I have to file a dispute with my credit card company.
This is wildly unprofessional and I recommend you save yourself the hassle and headache and stay far far away from Resto.

Here’s how texting with Resto for a reservation for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner went:
Me: Hello! My name is Kat and I was wondering if you had a reservation open for 2 this Saturday, Jan 10, at 7pm.
Resto: Yes we sure do! Please confirm. :)
Me: That’s great! We’ll take it. Would I be permitted to bring in a small birthday cake or is that frowned upon?
Resto: (Weird kitty emoticon inserted here)
Jan 10, TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE OUR RESERVATION:
2 067 346 104: Hi Kat, Resto closed today, sorry.
I’ve included a pic of the texts.
We went to Crush for his birthday dinner instead.

This is a neat place if you’re looking to try something new and different. Like all the other reviews, there are about 6 or so tables so very small. I think it once an apartment the owners converted into a little restaurant. Not knowing what kind of restaurant it was, we called to make reservations but when we arrived, we still waited about 15 minutes — seemed like a first come first serve.
Something that would have been good to know (and maybe I just didn’t look hard enough) is the menu is a pre-​fixed menu — so it is what it is! There was one waiter (one of the owners) that was very personable and he also helped out in the little kitchen that was fully visible to the seating area. Neat to see everything happening!
They only served one type of wine, a very limited selection of beer, or water for drinks. Parking in the area is very hard to find (this does not reflect the review I gave though — just a side note).
As far as the food — it was ok. The meat was very very rare in the middle so where it couldn’t even be eaten. The flavor was ok — not too seasoned but not completely bland. The owner did bring out a side of macaroni that was decent, but overall the salad was probably the best part of the meal.
Overall — the experience is what gave this place the 3 stars. Food I would rate a 2, maybe 3, but a interesting/​neat experience.
One last thing — they try to highly encourage cash only so we placed two bills on the tab, obviously needing a lot of change back but the owner just came over and took the bill and money and said thank you and have a great nice. Needless to say, we left about a 40% tip with really no choice.

Fantastic little spot (seriously, only like 5 – 6 tables) with delicious food and awesome staff! Parking can be fun… (not) but I just walk over, so I’m not going to complain!
Sit down, have a drink, and then food just keeps arriving. The only complaint is that we are slow eaters and the food would come out too quickly and it would cool before we got to start eating. :-(other than that, it would have been perfect! We started with clams, moved to a salmon pasta, progressed to a beet/​arugula salad, and then finished with beef and potatoes! YUM!
Get your butts in here quick! And make reservations if you can!

After battling traffic in the rain, I eventually managed to find Resto at Capitol Hill. Other positive Unilocal reviews recommended this place so I wanted to try it out.
What a hidden gem! Upon entering (I was the only customer), the Chef/​owner/​waiter asked me if I was hungry. I wasn’t but did not want to admit that so I decided to respond with «what’s on the menu»? He pointed to a chalkboard on the wall that stated «55/​person» and a list of 4 items — pork belly salad, fish soup, steak matsutake, and tiramisu. I asked if there was any other options and he said «nope.» I sat down.
The not-​so-​hungry me devoured everything that was placed in front of me. Words cannot describe how well the food was prepped and cooked. The fish soup (branzini fish with potatoes) was so good I really think the fish were probably alive only hours before. I love the open kitchen where I could watch him cook. He came out of the kitchen carving the BIGGEST matsutake mushroom I had ever seen and said that he was excited about cooking it. The grilled mushroom took me to another world. It was so good I actually bought matsutake mushrooms at the farmers market the next day. The steak was from a porterhouse cut — seared to perfection.
I find it amazing that all the amazing food comes from a normal flat household-​type electric stove — not the fancy gas-​type ones that you see in most restaurant kitchens. Every single ingredient was fresh. I understand the chalkboard now. the Chef decides to cook whatever he finds fresh in the market (and feels like cooking). Take it or leave it. I’ll take it again, for sure, as I’ll be back. Kudos to the Chef!
Quality: 5
Service: 4
Cost: 4

This place was amazing. My boyfriend took me here as a surprise for our 2 year anniversary dinner. My first impression was that the restaurant seemed quite small and unassuming, and it was quite cozy. Upon arriving, the waitress told us that there is a prix fixe for dinner at $ 55 per person. None of us knew about this, but we weren’t turned off since we wanted to try this place out due to the good reviews. We could see the chef who was meticulously cooking in the kitchen from where we were sitting, and it definitely felt like we were eating at someone’s home rather than at a restaurant.
Our meal started off with some fresh salad lightly tossed in a kind of vinaigrette dressing. I thought the salad tasted fresh and tasty. Even my boyfriend who does not care for salads really enjoyed it!
Next, we were served a generous portion of mac & cheese. It was not too rich, and was quite delicious. We could not finish this since we wanted to save some room for the main course.
What came out next took my breath away. 2 HUGE pieces of braised short ribs along with a side of mashed potatoes and sauce, and roasted kale. The meat itself literally fell apart and was so tender and flavorful, I felt like I died and went to heaven. The roasted kale was a bit salty, but when paired together with the mashed potatoes it was perfect. The dish also came with a side of horseradish and roasted capers that gave the meat a nice kick with each bite. I could not finish this even though I wish I could. We were both very happy with the portion sizes and that we were able to bring home plenty of leftovers for the next day.
When we received the check, we were both pleasantly surprised that they did not charge us for the drinks that we ordered. My boyfriend ordered a beer and I ordered some tea, so we thought it was great that those were complementary with our meal. Service was excellent, and the waitress was very friendly.
This restaurant has a subtle offbeat personality that I appreciate, and a little more unconventional than other restaurants. I was very impressed with my experience here, and would definitely recommend this place as an excellent hole-​in-​the-​wall date night restaurant!

Good food, uneven service, horrible prices.
I was so excited to try this place. It’s small, unassuming, run by a loving couple; what’s not to love? Bottom line, the prices don’t match the quality and caliber of the food.
Everything we had was very tasty, but for over $ 150 for 2 drinks, an appetizer, and 2 entrees at a place like this, seems crazy. We started with fried oysters, they were a bit under cooked. Then the hubs got a rib-​eye and I ordered the scallops. The food is good, it’s just not amazing.
Additionally, the service felt very uneven. The server seemed way more interested in my husband’s opinion on everything, never looked at me, then overly served the table next to us. I don’t mind meh service if the food makes up for it. But the combination of how the server treated the table next to us 100x better than us, the price of the food, and the quality of the food, makes this an overall okay experience.
It was good, but there’s so many other places to check out, we likely not coming back anytime soon.

You’ll be spending about 35 bucks a person, excluding drinks + tip — so not sure where the two $$ came from here on Unilocal — perhaps their prices have changed. Our group was in for a shock when we realized the prices. It’s definitely more of a date-​night/​event-​night spot, not your «Let’s go eat out on a Wednesday night» place.
So now that that’s out of the way…
The menu changes regularly — great for adventurous folks, bad for creatures-​of-​habit
Make a reservation (This place can seat about 20 people tops indoors).
Try the Saffron Mac & Cheese (this is enough for one if no salads/​apps)
Do get the scallops — it was all the rave.
Our table also had the shrimp spaghetti which was tasty, but could have been slightly more flavorful.
And for dessert… a fabulous tiramisu that was infused with so much alcohol, I’m thinking it pushed me over the edge!
Resto is without a doubt a quaint, special spot. You don’t find many places with so much character. But for the prices, I feel that there needs to be just a tad more to it. Whether that be through ambiance or… through complimentary bread. Yes, that would be nice.