Woodman Lodge

We knew this was going to be a bit on the expensive side and were not disappointed. But, the décor was fabulous, staff were friendly and prompt. Food could have been of a higher quality for the $ but was certainly above average. I sampled 2 house red wines and both tasted like the $ 10 variety from QFC. The staff were definitely not up to speed on the wines, which surprised me considering the general pricing of the meals. Overall it was a good experience.

The Woodman Lodge has more character than a dozen chic bellevue restaurants. Antiques, copper roof, taxidermy… a bit of everything. The environment is very warm and friendly, nice but also laid back.
I had the chicken and ribs — both were perfectly tender, flavorful, and fell off the bone. My friends who have been many times suggested that dish and I’m glad they did. The Mrs had the soup and salad, both good but nothing to write home about.
Drinks were on the expensive side for sure. Having said that the boozy coffee was strong and a pretty good value.
Service was excellent — very friendly and prompt.

As the sleepy suburb of Snoqualmie is, this place is laid back and easy. It’s in the heart of downtown (yes, Snoqualmie has a «downtown») next to the train station — a great place for the kids to run around if you’re waiting for a table.
If you’re lucky enough to be out without the littles, the bar is a much cooler place to wait than the train station. The running-​water spittoon, the copper ceiling, the woodwork and the taxidermy make this one of the most interesting and visually entertaining spots in the town.
The food is high quality and is served in a timely manner. My highlight is Tuesday’s all-​you-​can-​eat rib night. Our waiter always fires 2 – 3 extra orders of ribs ahead of where we’re at so we almost never wait to reload. Once we tap out, we take the rest home.
4 stars for ambiance and really good food, all served in this appealing little town.

This is my favorite restaurant in the Seattle area. I love the big-​name places as much as the next guy, and let’s be honest, this is a city and region with a wealth of great restaurants, talented cooks, and an amazing variety of cuisines and experiences. But for me, the Woodman offers a sublime confluence of quality food, delightful atmosphere, and outstanding value.
The food: As others have noted, you will find the standard steakhouse fare along with some surprises. During happy hour, I can be persuaded to forego the entrée menu for a truly delicious burger, but the main event for me is prime rib. When it’s on point (and it’s worth noting that this is not the case every night, so you should consult the staff before ordering), it’s a masterpiece. Salt-​rubbed and slowly, slowly, slowly roasted to a perfect rare, it coats my arteries and haunts my dreams.
Atmosphere: There is something really honest about knowing where your food comes from, and at the Woodman you can literally look your dinner in the eye. I love taxidermy, dark woods, rich leathers, and classic details, and this dining room has all of these in spades. If you have a bit of a wait, you can even take the stairs to the upper level event space and enjoy a staring contest with the stuffed bear. Classy without being stuffy, comfortable while cool enough for date night, this is not a place for your hipster t-​shirts, flip flops, or trucker hats. Do yourself a favor: Grow up, put on a real shirt, and save the patchouli cologne for another time.
Value: Ok, fine, this is not a «cheap» place. Dinner for two with a moderately priced bottle of wine is going to run you somewhere in the vicinity of $ 100. But I’m telling you, that price point represents a very decent value. For your dining dollar you are getting a great experience in a cool space, with very good food. It’s a balance I defy you to strike more successfully elsewhere in our region. Try it at John Howie and you are easily 2−3x the price and 4x the douchebag factor. Daniel’s offers a very creditable meal, but the atmosphere is soulless and generic. El Gaucho? Meh. The Metropolitan? Seriously?
Make the trek to Snoqualmie. You will not regret it.
My guide for a great meal at Woodman Lodge:
1. Make a reservation. Even though well off the beaten track, they get busy on Friday and Saturday nights.
2. Spend some time with the wine list, and ask for advice from the staff. They carry an impressive number of vintages; your server can help identify some great values if you’re unsure what to order. Give them an idea of what your planning to eat and how much you’d like to spend, and ask for advice.
3. Ask how the prime rib is running. If the answer is «on the rare side», your only remaining decision for the evening should be what to have for dessert. Seriously, you can get a steak, and they are very good, but if you like prime rib, a good night here is like Christmas.
4. Take your dessert to go (ask for takeout cutlery), and drive a few miles down the road to Snoqualmie Falls where you will have the place almost completely to yourself, and the falls are eerily (and romantically) illuminated after dark.

Big disappointment!!! We thought the food dry and tasteless, and there were three of us. Each one of us ordered something different and each one of us thought it one of the worst meals we’ve ever had. The place was fairly empty and now we understand why.

This is definitely one of Snoqualmie valley treasures. We’ve eaten here on numerous occasions, tonight was one of our impromptu dinner visit. Saturday, no reservation — they managed to seat us anyway. The upstairs dinning area was bustling with several large groups, we were attended to very nicely by our server and the rest of the staff made sure we didn’t sit idle. As always, food is great and the ambiance unique.
Only thing «unsatisfactory» for us is that the food was a little salty. I don’t think this would be a problem for most diners. We typically use very little salt at home, so when dining out, the average salt on food surprises us. Presentation is always very nice wether you are eating their specialty steak or seafood selection. If you’re not a valley resident, I think you’ll find the charm and character of the building worthwhile, so you get your money’s worth.

I stopped in on a Saturday night kinda late. The place was packed, good sign? So the nice girl at the door asked where I would like to set, I’m a single man so yep the bar ;-). The help was very nice and helpful. I had a very nice glass of red wine and order dinner. Everything I seen past me looked great. I being a hard working man out of town, picked the prim rip and it was just how I ordered it, and was very good also the sides very very good.
Great place stop if you like great food. And good wine !

This is one of the better restaurants to eat in Snoqualmie. It’s located in the downtown corridor, with plenty of street parking that’s easy to find. The restaurant is a historic saloon, which has been preserved to keep up with its charm and town’s history. We came here during happy hour when beer on tap and appetizers are discounted at the bar. I ordered Fish & Chips, which was not the best, but not bad. The batter was a little much, making the fish greasier than I would’ve liked. The fries were tasty, but the coleslaw was dry and not edible. Knowing the reputation of the place, I expected the food to be better than what it was, but I guess it’s more reputable for the steaks and ribs. I’d like to come back on a Tuesday night for Ribs Night, which I hear is quite popular among the locals.

Okay let me say this, this place literally has the BEST bacon cheeseburger I have ever had. I am not joking when I say this, the BEST.
It is made from a filet mignon, then they add two pieces of delicious bacon (I believe applewood smoked), white cheddar, a garlic aioli, and put in between a very good bun. I am not sure if they are house made buns, but they are diffidently not store produced buns. Then to add even more awesomeness to the meal, you get a side of garlic rosemary fries, which are excellent in themselves.
I usually get a Bloody Mary with my meal, and of course their bloody marys are pretty delicious also.
The place is a super cool building. They totally restored it from an old hotel. The décor makes you feel you walked into an old lodge.
The place is a little pricey, the burger is about 14 dollars. But, well worth it.
If your in the North Bend/​Snoqualmie area you need to check this place out.

I’m sure the food would be great but the prices seemed pretty crazy when we can go to Jaks and get amazing food for less. I would’ve like to try it but didn’t want to spend the prices and ended up driving down to Issaquah instead.

My husband, son and I came in for lunch after a day spent at the rail museum «A Day With Thomas». We were hungry and it was right next door.
We were very surprised how great this place was. My son had Mac n Cheese and it was delicious… not from the box.
The waiter was thoughtful enough to bring my sons Mac n Cheese out first.
My husband ordered a bloody Mary and it was delicious.
We had the French Dip & Cod & Chips. Both great.
We don’t live close, but if we are ever back in the area we will stop by for sure.

We came here after a short hike in North Bend because people we met at the trail recommend this place. Their happy hour menu is great! All bar menus are ½ price. We got there early so we were able to order HH 4p-​5p special burger for $ 5 :). It was delicious especially after the hike!
Just to be aware of their additional topping options. Since our server asked if we want cheese and/​or bacon to the burger, my friend opted for both which ended up her burger to cost $ 9. The burger itself is very flavorful, juicy, you really don’t need to add anything, cheese & bacon won’t worth additional $ 4 and extra calories!
This place (quite frankly HWY202 itself) was a great found! For a future time I will skip drive I-​90W back home but take HWY202 and stop by this place!

The food was great. The service on the other hand was disappointing. We made reservations well in advance for the Mothers Day Brunch. We arrived 10 Minutes earlier before our 12:15 Reservation. We did not get seated until 12:55, and it was another hour before we got our food. I get it, It was «Mothers Day» I know they were expecting a crowed because of all the reservations they had. We did not expect to be there over 3 hours. The unfortunate part was the manager or the service not once apologized for the long wait.

Woodman lodge is always great. The service is always attentive and the food is always good.
Today we had the chicken bleu sandwich which has pecans and blue cheese broiled into it. Amazing.
The dip sandwich is usually ok, but sometimes slightly bland. I think it needs fattier meat and a saltier crush.
Th appetizers are very good. Clams were amazing and they’re served with this cheesy toast.
No complaints. Great spot off the beaten path

The perfect package of great food, good wine and AWESOME décor. Do it!
We came here under the advice of a local who said «the food is great! AND — you should totally sneak into the men’s washroom and check out the circa 1920s mug shot photos.» While I was quite tempted to do so, I eventually asked the manager (Rob — who was pretty hilarious even when I first called ahead to ask if we needed resos), and he said «oh ya I’ll take you in there… «. Next, the owner (Peter) showed us the actual book these photos came from! It was absolutely amazing. Better than a museum. Their willingness to entertain our silly wish to see these photos really hammered home the uniqueness of this place. It’s not just a restaurant — these guys are totally dedicated to customer service.
Oh — and I should say, the food (we had the clams, the coleslaw, the scallops and a massive steak that could’ve fed 3 people), was pretty darn good.
If you happen to be driving past this area on the 90, it’s totally worth a 8 min detour to have dinner here!

Great resturant, loved the atmosphere and food.
Waitstaff was prompt and good service.
I had the steak oscar and I loved it. Lots of flavor.
It was a great birthday dinner!

Rib Night — It’s a thing. It’s on Tuesdays. And it’s a must.
For you get your choice of two sides either mashed potatoes/​baked beans/​coleslaw/​baked potato ($ 2+). While the sides are not unlimited — the ribs are. And my how grand the ribs are. Tender and fall of the bone with the perfect tangy BBQ sauce. They have the right amount of burnt bits that caramelize and smoke to perfection. While it’s not on the cheap end ($ 28) it is you can eat and these aren’t puny rib cuts. I made it through two and it was a challenge.
If you are looking for a cheaper spin at a fantastic restaurant — stop by between 4 – 5 for their $ 5 ½lb Filet Burger and other happy hour specials!

The Woodman lodge serves up food worthy of the big city in a small town laden with history. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the food was decadent and worth the premium.
I had the Cowboy Steak Burger which was succulent and so satisfying I almost had to nap on the car ride home. I got to try the Dungeness Mac&Cheese which definitely contributed to The Itis. There was a lot of actual crab in it, and the cheese itself was so dank and rich I almost regretted getting an amazing burger instead. All the ingredients were high quality and fresh, but sadly the rest of my companions devoured their meals before I thought about asking for a sample of theirs.
The lodge is I think over 100 years old, and it has loads of historical photographs and artifacts to geek out over if you’re into that. The atmosphere is a classy, more casual than upscale, throwback to yesteryear. The staff were very helpful and friendly, although they did know my dad due to his position in the community. They were still professional and delivered the kind of service I expect with the price, plus a little more.
The Woodman is a great place to celebrate a success or the good life in general. I’ll definitely be back.

A friend recommended this place to me and said it was «incredible» so I was excited to try it. Sadly, the experience was less than great.
We ordered a bottle of wine, which the waitress brought out and opened. During the tasting it seemed sweeter than in should. Upon looking at the bottle after she walked away, we realized it was the wrong wine. Strike one.
Strike two was when my soup came out. It was a beef and bean soup and parts of the broth were ice cold, and then other parts were steaming hot. It was obviously microwaved:(
The final strike was the meal. We ordered the elk medallions and a steak. The elk was ordered rare, and came out rare, but the steak was ordered medium, and came out cold and bloody. Both the meals, including the potatoes, were BEYOND salty. I love seasoning, but it was excessive. I couldn’t even taste the meat because the seasoning was so overwhelming.
The only reason I gave this place 3 stars is because the server was really sweet, and the atmosphere of this place is pretty dang cool. I don’t plan on going back though…

The Woodman Lodge is an excellent choice for brunch if you can haul your butt out of bed and get to Snoqualmie before 3pm. But it’s worth it. Their brunch is a bargain and a half for what you end up getting.
The décor is woodsy (surprise!) with some taxidermy of deer, turkey, and other forest critters decorating the walls. Davy Crockett would approve.
The brunch menu is more upscale with a multiplicity of benny options. I had the smoked salmon benny. The hollandaise sauce was applied generously and was creamy and delicious. The salmon was smoked on an alder platter and it was interesting. I am most familiar with cedar smoked salmon, but I think the more robust alder was the right choice for this particular benny since the lighter flavor that comes from cedar planks probably would have been drowned out by the other ingredients, particularly the hollandaise sauce. I wasn’t a big fan of the tomato and will probably ask that it be removed next time I order it.
The coup d’etat of brunch was the cinnamon roll, which our waitress noted was just recently redone. I’m not sure what it was before, but now it’s a giant carby cake topped with pecans and a healthy dose of cream cheese frosting. I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to sit in it, or eat it. I chose the latter and it was very tasty. The outer layer of the bread was a little dry and may have been left out to the point of staleness, though. Not a big deal, because even if you removed the slightly stale outer layer, you still had 6 inches of diameter left to eat on that thing!
Next time I feel ambitious for brunch on a Saturday or Sunday morning/​early afternoon, I’m definitely coming here for brunch. You can get a 6oz. steak and 2 eggs for $ 15! What a steal!
I’m curious to try this place for dinner too. The menu suggests that it’s not quite as bargain-​filled as brunch, but I’m willing to trust that they do it well based on their brunch.