We had a lovely dinner there on Halloween. The food was delicious and the service was great. This is a very special little gem in the CD. read more

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Came here for dinner with the family. The dishes we enjoyed most were: the ris de beau, the poached halibut, the gnocchi, and the desserts-- mousse and creme broulee. All well executed! What fell short were the escargots-- too salty, and the steak-frites- very chewy, lacking flavor, the meat seemed "off". Btw, kudos to them for getting rid of the reservation cancellation charge they used to have on Resy! Maybe that was more of a Resy policy than theirs. read more

This place was delicious and authentic. The duck liver pate and scallops are a must. Loved the Luxembourg cocktail too read more

L'Oursin - Scallops - French Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Friday night at bar for dessert and wine, nice France-ish decor Bar tenders quite nice -Sebastien David Hurluberlu cabernet: Smooth, medium bodied, not strong in any particular way -Creme brûlée: really nice mixture of flavors: sweet, salty, warm, cool, crispy, liquidy (custard on the flowy side): quite good read more

L'Oursin - French Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Cute place with some fantastic food. We tried all the entrees as a group and each was better than the last. Service was excellent, overall nothing but great things to say! read more

Very friendly atmosphere, our team paid attention to details at our table and asked all the right questions. The food was amazing, tasty with a very nice touches to highlight hints of citrus for example on the scallop dish. The chicken dish was super moist with just the right amount of spices, not overpowering. And if you love chocolate mousse then you must try theirs for dessert. We'll def be going back. H read more

These people nailed it!! Safety protocols were excellent and the fondue and wine were so appreciated. Staff is super attentive. Must reserve in advance. Then shop their take home provisions for more deliciousness. read more

L'Oursin - Apres Ski Covid offering - French Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Insane and delicious menu. Highly recommend the fried calamari, the braised leeks and the ravioli. Really cute spot for a casual date night - also DELICIOUS wine like damn read more

I've been living in the First Hill area of Seattle now for about 4 months and one of the things I am learning is that there are so many hidden gems, as far as restaurants, all within walking range, in the neighborhood. L'OURSIN is one of those gems. Tucked away near Seattle University field is a little, multi-purpose restaurant that does several Other than just French food. they have a small wine store and bar where the very knowledgeable staff can help you pick out exactly the wine you are looking for and make recommendations on pairings. The bar itself caters to wine lovers but is full service with the ability to make cocktails and a small selection of craft and common beers. The seating area is small, intimate, and inviting. I think there are only about 15 tables MAYBE which only adds to the service you get and the quality of the food they serve you. This is a place where people who are native to the area are known by the staff. The type of place where you can go for a first date or the start of a romantic night out. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that you might want to prepare yourself for the cost. I'm not saying it was high but, I'm glad they figure in the tip as well. All in all, I can highly recommend this gem of a place. read more

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Delicious creative food! And the best service we've had in a while even though the gratuity is included (you can opt out). We ate here for dinner and started with the Gougeres Mimento (hot cheese puffs) and could have eaten several more. Next was lobster salad (with lots of lobster) and liver mousse. Then Cabillaud Poche (cod) which was melt-in-your-mouth, and Steak-Frites. Then dessert with a large crème brûlée and a chocolate mousse. What a great meal - come hungry! read more

Came here on a Friday night with reservation and was seated right away. Can never go wrong with the raw alaskan scallops. It literally melts in my mouth . The lingcod entree was 4/5: the lingcod itself was pretty dry but the squid and clams made up for it. read more

L'Oursin - Food is good but not too impressive. The raw scallop was a must. - French Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Please put the lobster wedge salad on the menu! I've been thinking about it for a month straight. We went for apps and everything was incredible. Excellent wine recommendations from the bartender. We love it here. read more

L'Oursin - Shrimp cocktail - French Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Perfect date night spot! L'Oursin has a great selection of cocktails and wine that pair perfect with the french cuisine. I really appreciated the bartender and his suggestions for wine based on the food I was eating (without trying to up-sell on the most expensive!) Menus change seasonally so you can always expect a little something different to try on each visit. You can either pick a few items or leave it up to the kitchen to pick for you if you're feeling more adventurous. Not a huge amount of vegetarian options, but plenty for meat eaters and pescatarian. The atmosphere is quaint and cozy, excellent service and delicious food. cheers! read more

I have never been particularly wow'd by French cuisine; the food to me seemed either too bland or buttery/fatty, especially compared to SE Asian seasonings like fragrant lemongrass, basil, ginger etc. So when my friend and wife asked to go to L'Oursin, I didn't have high expectations. Coming in on a Friday night without a reservation was also a bad idea. But as soon as I tried the oddly smooth and satisfying concoction of cognac, espresso and creme (their Cafe Francais), it kept getting better and better. We ordered pretty much everything on the menu--though the bartender helped point out the better of the bunch. We had some very creamy uni which we paired with some amazing dessert wine (courtesy bartender again), endive salad, their chicken (seems bleh but was WHOA). It was an amazing meal with amazing staff, drinks and crowd. read more

We were excited to try this restaurant after hearing great reviews. They were kind to accommodate our request for a Pescetarian tasting menu. The courses were very flavorful and cooked well. We tried l'oursin (sea urchin) for the first time but unfortunately ended up not liking it (it's on us, that says nothing about the sea urchin itself since it was as fresh as it could have been). The main part of the experience we were unhappy with was the fact that we spent So. Much. Time. Waiting. We were there for about 2- 2.5 hours and there was a big gap of time in between each course. It would have been nice as well if they gave us a bit of bread with the tasting menu but there was no bread included with it. We took the 5 course tasting menu and left still a bit hungry. Oh well... read more

I came here with my boyfriend and two friends awhile ago. This is a lovely restaurant overall-love the ambiance, and really love the cocktails they have here. We had a pretty good wait time but we did call ahead. The only thing I did not like here was the l'oursin itself- I just didn't like the flavor, but it was fresh. Their other dishes were wonderful-the foie gras, duck, octopus and their bread were my personal favorites! Really good place to come as well to learn about wine :) read more

I have been looking for a place to enjoy casual French food, yet authentic and creative. The place offers just that! It was a great find. The place has a cozy neighborhood restaurant atmosphere. It has a nice bar area which would be perfect for couples. The menu offers many seafood and fish dishes. Three of us ordered several hours d'oeuvres, salad, and one main dish and shared. It was wonderful to be able to try many different dishes. I highly recommend sharing. My favorite were Salade Lyonnaise, Grilled garlic butter prawns, steak tartare, and poached salmon. The poached salmon was fresh and particularly good. They offer good variety, but not an overwhelming number of wines by the glass at a reasonable price. The Cocktails menu looked good too. My friend enjoyed their original old fashion. I can't wait to go back. I want to try Steak-Frites next. It looked delicious. read more

During my quick, last minute stop to Seattle, my friend brought me to L'Oursin for dinner. I had wanted your standard Pacific North West seafood meal and this place did not disappoint. The menu selection was amazing and they recommend wine pairing with many of the food items, which is always a plus. The staff was incredibly nice and knowledgeable. If you're visiting, do try the bean salad, if you like mushrooms and brussel sprouts then this is the dish for you. While the salad may look heavy it's actually quite light and very flavorful. read more

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This is my first time trying French cuisine in Seattle and how impressed I was! The menu has a variety of appetizers ranging from chicken liver mousse to raw sea scallops. The ingredients tasted incredibly fresh and all of the appetizers were not over seasoned allowing for the main protein to shine. For the main course we ordered the beef brisket and the butter poached halibut. The beef brisket was amazingly tender that the fork slides smoothly through it as you take a piece. The halibut was also light and moist and it complements well the tangy greens on top and Brussels sprouts. Overall, the flavours that were produced show that less is really more and that simplicity can still provide an excellent dining experience. read more

L'Oursin - Butter Poached Halibut - French Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Great selection of wine and cocktails. I really liked how the labeled the wines adventurous/traditional, so we could try some new wines. The food itself were a disappointment. We got the pork belly and scallops. The pork belly was dry, but the scallops were well seared, creamy and delicious. The braised lamb shoulder was super fatty. The sides for both lacked flavor. The corn and cauliflower soup was creamy and would have been better with a dash of acid or some granular textural component. Overall this is a good place for drinks. read more

My partner and I met some friends here for a dinner before a show, and we loved it. The staff was lovely, and the food was wonderful. We ordered some oysters for the table, the bread & butter, and then we both had the Steak-Frites. We will both absolutely dine here again next time we are in the city. read more

This isn't a bad restaurant, but it's also not particularly memorable - the kind of place that you thought was decent, but wouldn't come to mind when a friend asks for a restaurant recommendation. L'Oursin has a very small, short menu. We tried a handful of appetizers, including the pork belly (tough, chewy, impossible to cut with a knife), bread & butter, peppers (similar to shishito peppers), and scallops with morels. None of the appetizers were bad, but none of them stood out as particularly tasty or special. I got the hanger steak for my appetizer. The steak is sous-vided overnight, and comes with some (flavorless) grilled polenta. The steak was pretty tender, but again, nothing special. The space is nice, and the waitstaff was attentive throughout the night. The drinks list is creative and have entertaining descriptions. Something I don't love that 20% gratuity is added PRE-tax, so that that amount is a part of your taxed total - what is up with that? I'm not a Scrooge; I fully intend to tip at least 20% for good service, but it bothers me that they not only add the tax ahead of time, but it is added to the pre-tax total. Overall, I didn't hate my experience at L'Oursin, but I can't say that particularly enjoyed anything I ate here, and given the price, would not recommend it to others. read more

Pleasantly surprised. Based on my first experience 4.5 Nice ambiance, service was fine, Pricing is good, food was great! Fish was perfectly cooked with nice flavors. Seared Albacore $14 Salare "Savoyarde" $14 - the cheese with hazelnuts was nice but my least favorite dish. Poached Artic Char $29 Steamed Halibut $28 Mousse au Chocolat $10 read more

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L'Oursin receives 5 stars for what it is, and 3 stars for what it is not. That averages out to 4 stars. Let me explain. L'Oursin is a very, very nice place. Everything is delightful. It's all spanking-new and nickel-chrome clean. The wine menu, although quirky, is complete and correct. You'll see lots of cute details. They try to look French. They write in cursive on the mirrors. It's all very nice. I went last Tuesday to treat my partner for a birthday meal, and everything we ate was absolutely delicious. We had the seafood "charcuterie" with glasses of bubbly to start. I enjoyed the smoked fish, the graavlax, and the terrine. The seaweed butter and the nut bread that came with it were both very good. We ordered two glasses of rosé, and moved on to their version of oysters Rockefeller: chopped oysters, baked with a toasted panko topping, and served room-temp in shells that were resting on a bed of gravel. Yes, I said gravel. Now don't lose a tooth thinking that those tiny stones are lentils. It's really gravel. Who serves food on gravel? Anyway, our main courses, the cod and the steelhead, were both mouth-wateringly scrumptious. The sauvignon blanc we ordered was just perfect. Everything we ate and drank for 210 dollars was flavorful and tasty. The food definitely gets 5 stars for what it is. But, we were so disappointed with what L'Oursin is not. It's not really French, and they do not serve "fruits de mer." We went there because the words "fruits de mer" are boldly emblazoned everywhere, and with a name like "oursin," we expected fresh seafood to be in the spotlight, especially urchin. Disappointingly, not so. Even the signage outside proclaims "fruits de mer" and "apéritifs." They've got the apéritifs for sure, but sadly, no "fruits de mer." Any real French restauranteur would know that "fruits de mer" refers to fresh seafood, normally crustaceans and shellfish, which are either served raw, or slightly steamed or just barely cooked. That's what we came for. Fresh seafood. Fruits of the sea. We wanted to order that sparkling tower of seafood, the giant "plateau de fruits de mer" that is the calling card of cafés in so many seaside fishing villages (and cities) in France. You know what I'm talking about: a gargantuan tray of shaved ice, cradled upon a stainless steel frame, and loaded with crabs, langoustines, clams, shrimps, tiny conchs, oysters, sea snails, fresh urchin quivering in its own shell. We expected diners armed with pliers, hooks, and forks, donning paper aprons, digging into sea critters with delight, washing it all down with bottles of muscadet. None of that was to be found here. They can do a rockefeller, but not oysters on the half-shell? Ironically, they do have a cute little French placard on the wall, entitled "Poissonnerie," or "Fish-monger" items, the very same items that you would expect to see offered as "fruits de mer," but regrettably, none of them were on the menu. They didn't even serve urchin. Urchin! That's the name of the restaurant, for crying out loud, and they didn't even have any. Now, to be fair, they did put some urchin in the sauce on the salmon, but I could barely see it or taste it, and yes, I do know sea urchin! A little sliver of sea urchin on a tiny toast would be the perfect accompaniment to one of those apéritifs! Maybe some urchin butter? Maybe next time. Here's my scorecard: 5 stars for having truly delicious, imaginative, and well-prepared food, with excellent service. 3 stars for gross negligence in trying to pass themselves off as a French seafood restaurant. Average: 4 stars. I'll change my rating to 5 stars if they have that giant platter of raw seafood next time I go. read more

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I was looking forward to going to this place. Ambience was great and service is ok. Food wasn't good. Chicken was so salty we didn't even want to take it home. Meat was chewy there were pieces I chewed for so long I resorted to spitting it out. Price was high. Our meal was more than $300 for 2 people. We did get 3 drinks and an appetizer, but that is still a bit much for me. read more

I went here for the first time this past weekend, for brunch. This is a great space, an attractive and open interior with two sets of big doors that open to the little sidewalk patio, which makes the space feel very open and airy on nice days. When I went there it was a hot, breezy summer day and sitting outside in the shade of L'Oursin's patio was very relaxing. They have a great brunch cocktail list. Many drinks incorporate grapefruit in some form, which I appreciate. The brunch menu looked great all around. I went with the cold smoked sturgeon and "l'oursin boursin" (sea urchin cream cheese spread) with a bagel, and it was a very tasty and memorable meal. They bring it out on a board and let you construct it yourself, with thick slices of sturgeon, the boursin, greens, capers, sliced red onion, and a couple slices of some really fantastic tomato. I was told the bagel was baked fresh that morning. It was a pretty good bagel. The sturgeon was phenomenal and so was the spread, and all put together, the balance of salty and rich and acidic flavors was perfect. I don't normally enjoy fresh tomato but the tomato they provided was so juicy and flavorful that I ate most of it - it complemented the other ingredients well. The whole experience made me very interested to return and try some of their other offerings. read more

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Casual vibe, funky natural wines, attentive waiter, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. food was good as well - especially the black cod. We will be back? read more

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First time back to L'Oursin in ages and it was amazing. Started with kushi oysters from Taylor Shellfish . Followed by crab and morel bucatini and finished with the butter poached king salmon (market fish of the night). Everything was spectacular and can't wait to go back!! read more

I had a chance to try this place out recently and I think that it has some really great things about it that you should also be checking out! Their drink menu... oh their drink menu. Not only is every wine on the list amazing, their house-made cocktails are simply inspiring. I remember specifically loving the Referendum and their take on the Irish Coffee. Can't wait to go back and try their in-house Amer Picon apertif. In addition to the above, the food was simply delightful. Not only was it beautiful to look at (the plating on some of the dishes is nothing short of art), it was so tasty too. I remember specifically loving the pickles (may be the best pickles I've ever had, actually. And I am a self-proclaimed pickle aficionado), the yellow tail and the chicken dish. Give this place a try, you won't regret it! read more

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Loved the intimate little table for 2 on a chilly winter evening. The fondue was nice & warm, pâté was amazing (bought more for to-go in the shop), and the warm wine was a delight. Super respectful & health/safety-conscious staff read more

This is not a review of their typical menu, as we went on Valentine's Day. Don't get me wrong, I'd never have high expectations for a prix fix menu on a holiday, but god this one was bad. We started with a salmon crudo that desperately lacked flavor - it was completely bland, tasted like nothing. A shame too because the fish was good quality. The next course, scallops, was the real kicker though. It came with what appeared to be 3 scallops, covered in a veloute sauce and... salmon roe? Was so bizarre to pair super salty/fishy roe atop scallops, which are typically very flavorful themselves. It made them almost inedible, not to mention the scallops were lukewarm and undercooked. One of them was hard to the touch, and I almost spit it out when I bit into it and soon realized it wasn't a scallop - it was a potato. They clearly had run out of scallops so they disguised a small round piece of potato as the third one and didn't tell us. We honestly had a pretty good laugh once we realized but it's so crazy to think they would do this and not mention it lol? The potato was also half raw. Anyways, I'd like to try their actual menu as I've heard good things but I really hope they never do that holiday menu again read more

adorable French restaurant near Seattle University service was friendly, polite, and attentive food was delicious, better than my experiences at Renee Erickson restaurants I recommend the rillettes and the kale and yam salad. read more

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Smashburger via 'Old Scratch': might've played up it too much in my head tbh. Taste is reminiscent of the Big Mac (not a bad thing ofc). Pretty good quality meat, except cooked a bit rubbery and not as flavorful as I had hoped from a fancier spot as L'Oursin. read more

Loursin has been our go-to Dessert, Wine & Date Night spot but have not been able to go there recently with COVID. On a spur of the moment dropped by and tried their take-out menu yesterday. Amazing - their double cheeseburger and Fried Chicken Sandwich were the gourmet version of Chick-Fil-a and Smashburger that we did not know we needed. Simple, fast, delicious, reasonably priced. read more

Wonderful food, service, and setting. This is a neighborhood gem worth traveling for.

We go here often for dinner but obviously haven't been able to recently with everything that's going on. Despite not being open as a restaurant right now, L'Oursin is providing an amazing service by opening a provisions counter! They have responsible distancing for waiting in line (always short), gloves, and hand sanitizer available when picking out your items. We've gotten bread, cheese, duck fat, duck confit, fresh pasta, greens, chocolate mousse, and more from them. They have great items that make your quarantine meals feel a little more fancy. We've been trying to go every few days. Happy to support such a lovely restaurant and lovely people! read more

gambas à l'ail, cassoulet, crème brûlée, $3 oysters as much as you like, as much wine as possible from their natural wine selection, lil French dude in a hat on the menu, take a date, have a good time, great service. read more

Worst restaurant ever. The service is just simply awful and the food sub par. Do not go there!

This place is a charming new little french place. They specialize in seafood, and while it's not the most authentic south-of-France fruits-de-mer that you can get, it's executed with craft. The wine list is extensive. It's presented in a way that's quirky, and won't appeal to everyone, presenting tasting notes like "moldy old wishing wells" and "like a newly-washed Batmobile." Everything I sipped was very good, though since we were prompted for wine before we'd selected on food, I didn't manage to request a good pairing option. For a place that cares so much about wine, I'd like to see pairing recommendations featured more prominently, either in the menu or from the waitstaff. For dinner I ordered bouillabaise, which came in a bowl full of freshly steamed mussels and clams, and a nice flakey piece of rockfish. The broth was added tableside, ensuring that the crouton was crunchy and a lovely compliment to the soup. The broth itself was amazing, full of deep, complex flavour. I'd sit and sip that all day. The seafood was good, clean and fresh. The crouton provided excellent texture, but not much flavour, although the rouille more than made up for that. Dessert was chocolate mousse, a nice, manageable little cup of chilled chocolate topped with two kinds of crunchy topping. Not too rich, but more than enough to satisfy the sweet tooth. They have a wonderful selection of digestifs as well, and we sat and talked comfortably well after dinner. Being a seafood place, there wasn't a ton of selection for the vegetarians in our party, but they were at least accommodated. Everything we tasted was excellent, and I'll be back to try more. read more

L'Oursin - The bouillabaisse, with the broth added tableside. - French Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We came here for a pre-Valentine's Day dinner (just say "no" to joyless prix fixe holiday meals, people!) on a Thursday night. It was a serviceable meal, but I was frankly expecting more given the raves that it gets re: the seafood in particular. Highs for us were the tiny fried smelt, the albacore, and the clams/mussels (mmm, that garlic aioli on the bread!). Lows: the crab/leek salad (granted it's a salad so it should be served at a cooler temperature, but the leeks were icy cold AND undercooked - not our favorite), the bread plate (it's 3-4 very stingy slices, which stands out in sharp relief to the veritable half of a loaf that accompanies the shellfish), and the whole sole (not deboned, sauce was an anemic riff on a Hollandaise, and the side of spaetzle tasted strongly of uncooked alcohol). The dessert menu is a miss (two pudding-ish items, a pre-baked tart, and some after dinner drinks). Even if they served slices of cake from a local bakery it would be a little more tempting/interesting. Last but not least: the tables near the door are very drafty in the cold weather, so if you do go, try to sit closer to the back of the dining room. read more