Black Bottle Gastrotavern

EDIT FOR TONIGHT Once again we had a fabulous dinner today on June 26. We had the same server and he was great once again. What a sweetheart! We will be back before summer's end. My partner and I had such a wonderful experience last night here. Our server seemed to be working alone and they were quite busy and there was only one bartender. So even with all of that he took time to explain to us the menu and he was professional but so friendly and quick to provide us everything we needed. Our drinks were great. I had wine and my partner had a cocktail. And the food was heavenly. We will definitely be back.

Was in town for the annual Out & Equal conference with work colleagues and we had a group dinner here on the evening of October 14th. We had a fantastic experience! The restaurant is small and lively. Our party of five was seated in the back room, which was a total game-changer. It felt incredibly private, almost like we had the entire place to ourselves, while still enjoying the energetic vibe of the main bar and dining area. ​The food was excellent and the service was top-notch—attentive without being intrusive. It’s the perfect spot for a group that wants great food in a setting that allows for conversation. Highly recommend!

Have been here twice now. The most recent experience was fantastic. Food was nothing short of delicious and the Chicago bartender/server was ideal. We overall felt that nothing lacked. Also I personally loved the pear Gorgonzola flatbread.

It is Wonderful to return after a decade away and find this gem of a spot better than ever! I enjoyed a fabulous birthday dinner with a friend who also loves creative cuisine and fine beverages. The host/bartender/server Ryan provided excellent friendly service and spot on recommendations for both food and beverage. We were amazed that he was able to do so much for so many tables and still remain personable, even with my silly banter and birthday requests. The chicken pasta dish that didn’t sound as exciting as other items on the menu was the stand out for us- very bright and flavorful. We also very much enjoyed the bread pudding and the wine selections. Pricing was very reasonable for the quality and freshness of everything we had. We definitely want to return and try the happy hour, too. Our sense is that Black Bottle changes up their menu fairly frequently, which keeps things fresh and interesting, but it leads to more hit and miss. I’m good with that, because i like to experience new and creative dishes, but for someone who might prefer to have more predictable flavors, it might not be as much fun. I expect that’s why some reviews aren’t as high as i would expect for food. One suggestion- give the server assistant more training so she doesn’t tell guests she can’t answer questions about the menu. She literally told us she hadn’t received any training, so she couldn’t do much.

I am very pleasantly surprised with the food here. It was awesome and I genuinely liked all of their stuff but Falafel with boondi Raita and pomegranate seeds was the best! Pear based stuff bread was something new for me.. 10/10 would recommend

First time in. Great service, well lit with good window views, good food and cocktails. Excellent flavor in all 3 small dishes (cod tacos, garden dust fries, and halloumi cheese) and dessert (lemon curd ricotta cake). Alcoholic cocktails (Strega things, gilded julep) were inventive and tasty. Only downside was that herbed fries came out cold and non-alcoholic Phony Negroni was all bitter with little balance. We.would definitely come again though!

Very good restaurant find in Belltown. The small plate portions were plenty for two. We split the Mezz plate and a salad and were fine. Great drinks and great service!

Replacing my original (unhelpful) review. I've visited Black Bottle many times before the pandemic, frequently ordering a big chunk of the menu. It has consistently been one of my favorites. Last visit, we stopped by for a snack and dessert. - Cauliflower fritters. Just fried cauliflower with an uninteresting red sauce. Presentation and flavor seemed dated. Lacked the originality I expect from Black Bottle. Didn't finish it. - Smoked chicken and cherry flatbread. A classic, but this time the bread was tough, the chicken was dry, and the cheese overwhelming. Using the same garnish as the fritters seemed a bit lazy. Not bad, maybe just an off night. - Bread pudding with bourbon caramel. The texture was extremely slippery and off-putting. My first impulse was to spit it out. The caramel was salty and runny, like they had just mixed straight bourbon into caramel sauce. The flavors here weren't good. The whole thing seemed amateurish. We barely took a bite and left the rest. - Flan with chocolate cake. The flan was hard and mealy, and the sad little brownie it sat on was so dry it was curling up from the plate. Again, amateurish. Weak flavors, awful texture, unattractive presentation. We barely took a bite and left the rest. Makes me sad thinking back on the simple excellence of the blueberry kettle tart. - Service. Perfunctory. They noticed the barely eaten food and said nothing when we declined a box. Which is... sure. The onus was on us to send the food back. Just didn't have the energy, didn't plan on being back, and, frankly, no longer seemed like the kind of place that would care. Glad Black Bottle is still committed to their vision, but let's agree to disagree that it's my tastes that have changed.

Whoever was tending the bar on April 11th at 4:40p is an amazing human being. We need more humans like him in this world. ☮️

My absolute favourite space to host private events in Seattle! The food is so delicious, service is on another level, and the location is perfect. Be sure to give their cider ane curated cocktails a try!