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Nell's Restaurant

4.0 (226 reviews)
Updated over 3 months ago

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NELL'S RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Quiet
Intimate
Classy
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Nell's Restaurant

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Brownie w coffee ice cream
Mark T.

We came here on the first night of Restaurant week - which was unplanned; but it was my birthday! Which *was* planned. We'd never been here, and it's much fancier than its location or name suggests. We had a great meal trying as many of the dishes as we could. The food was well seasoned, and they didn't push the wine on us as much as I would have expected. The steak was cooked perfectly and the cod was cooked creatively though I felt it could have used a bit more salt. The asparagus salad had a unique presentation with big looped shavings of kohlrabi. The main dish of risotto was amazingly cheesy - in a good way. The service was a bit icy, I don't know why. Maybe because we weren't regulars at Nell's? Our server would actually sit down and chat with other diners, but we got all serious business and not the slightest bit of greeting or chit chat.

Gene D.

Its retro-ness is the entire point. Back when the entire Country was coming out of its steak/lobster phase, late 1970's into early 1980's westcoast nouvelle made a splashy debut. In 2025 a few of us like to be reminded of those exciting experiences. As much as I enjoy all the new things, sometimes it's nice to visit where we came from. In this case, we find a throwback near Greenlake, not Sunset Blvd or La Cienega. Couldn't be happier. Seattle is the right steward for it.

Salad
Sum H.

Here on the first day of Seattle Restaurant Week. Lots of people were actually there even before opening at 5pm. I made reservation 2 day prior at the opening time. It was a good idea as their parking lot was half empty I didn't have any problem. You know parking is always an issue in Seattle. My friend and I ordered soup/salad, iberico pork/cod, apple crisp from SRW menu. Both agreed they were all bland lacking complexity in flavor though ingredients were pretty fresh and generous portion. Unfortunately the plates were cold with warm food on them. They also show black edges from wear. It was good we shared main entree so we could try variety. It's not very common in the US to share dishes but pretty common in Japan. Restaurants there accommodate sharing by serving half each or offering additional plates. Anyways I enjoyed the ambiance of this restaurant very much. SRW menu starts at 35, the pork extra 15.

We went here for restaurant week, and it did not disappoint. I had the asparagus salad and braised chicken, both were quite good. For the quality of the food (good), service was fast, and staff was helpful. Nice place to stop, but not the best.

a plate of food on a table
Niya Z.

Seattle restaurant week is coming! our first dinner in Nells with 3course 35 dollar set its small but cozy with a view of the greenlake. People are friendly spanich salad is delicious with cream and sweet pumpkin and the pumpkin soup is smooth with some to chew. Pork with apple is good because the pork is so tender that you can see the pink texture in the middle of it. Cod is fresh and the outside is crispy, the side dish with cabbage and mashed potatoes is juicy and creamy so that the whole dish will not be too dry , which reach a balance. As to desert I really prefer the chocolate brownie with ice cream, it is not that sweet than the other. Overall, I enjoyed meal there.

Black Cod
Stephen B.

Had an incredible experience from beginning to end thanks to our incredible server Gabriel who ushered us into great food suggestions as we tried some of Nell's greatest hits: The Steak, Cod, Beet Salad, and Calamari. The Caramel Chocolate dessert to finish it all off with ice cream was exceptional. Thanks again Gabriel!

Seattle Restaurant Menu (L), Regular Menu (R) on 11/2/17

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Le Pichet

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First Time Here Our…read morefamily came to visit Seattle for 2 days. We were staying close by and this restaurant is within walking distance from our AirBnB. We had a reservation and were seated promptly for our family of 5 (includes 3 growing hangry boys). It's a small and quaint restaurant, not a good option for 6 or more. Our reservation was at 6:45 PM and the restaurant was full. Of course you have to order bread (baguette)! We ordered the charcuterie for the boys as an appetizer, they scarfed it all down, didn't even ask what each meat was, they just ate it! We all ordered steak/frites and a house special. It was so delicious. They served me (Queen B/Mama) a lovely gin martini, because that's what is needed when you travel with 4 males...and we shared a lovely red blend. I would recommend Le Pichet if you are looking for a nice relaxing/romantic meal cooked with lots of love and care.

This place really does remind me of a cozy bistro in France and I was lucky to score a table next…read moreto the window that overlooks the water! We started with a bunch of appetizers to share including the mussels which I thought was the best because it was not overcooked and also super flavorful. Wish it came with bread though. We also got the pate which was okay but the warm beat salad was fresh and lightly dressed! For the entree, I liked the mushroom pasta the best as the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. The fish dishes and the seafood stew was just okay. Slightly on the overcooked and under seasoned side. Overall, we ate a ton and there were a few stand out dishes!

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L'Oursin - salade fermière - farm lettuces with a whipped goat cheese, fines herbes, radishes, sunflower seeds and Dijon vinaigrette GF V

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This is a lovely little French bistro in the outskirts of Capitol Hill, so while a bit out of the…read moreway from the city, this offers a lot of free street parking. We even got lucky to find a spot right near the restaurant. We made reservations in advance which is highly recommended for Friday and Saturday dinner, especially if you want to eat around 6-7pm. We got the following - Amuse bouche was a gazpacho. Builds up the appetite. Very refreshing. Included in the dining experience - Beef tartare - pretty fresh, a little heavier on the pickle. I liked the variety of toast they offered and they topped up the toast when we ran out - French onion soup - a bougie variation as they use veal bone broth. The smell can be a little off putting due to the pungency of the cheeses but when you take bites off the bread and soup, it's soooooo delicious. Super rich dish - Cassoulet - the duck is good. The sausage was very strongly spiced with a texture that is atypical of meat sausage but still good pairing it with the beans. I normally don't prefer beans but it soaked up the duck fat and seasoning really well. This dish was also extremely rich so just 1 entree and 2 appetizers were enough for 2 people - Ice cream - the rotating flavor was crème fraiche which felt like vanilla but extra creamy. Still doesn't beat the Movenpick ice cream from Switzerland but this is close - The wines we got (1 pet nat, 2 reds, 1 apple dessert wine) were excellent and pairs well with the respective food A few positives about this place: - They can pour wine by the half glass at exactly half the price of a glass so you get to try a bunch of wines without breaking the wallet or overcommitting - Some items are genuinely well priced - a double shot of espresso for $3 stood out - Gift cards worked with Resy credit. I stacked 4 gift cards totaling $140 on top of this month's Delta Amex Plat/Reserve $10/$20 Resy credits alongside my Amex Gold for the remainder to run multiple cards in one tab. They were patient and willing to work with me on this to use my credit card benefits fully The con about this place: - 20% mandatory gratuity. But this is one of the very few places that actually delivered service to this standard so I can't really complain - Birthday dinner but all they did was put a cheap candle in the dessert. Expected via reviews, but just a heads up

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Place Pigalle - Liver Pate

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A somewhat hidden gem in Pike Place... or, a quiet refuge among all the hubbub…read more.. We stopped in for early dinner on a Tuesday evening after a hectic day of travel... A little hard to find, we knew we were close but had to call the restaurant to find the kind of hidden entrance... This was the perfect place to unwind and enjoy the views of Elliot Bay, the Seattle Wheel, Washington Ferries, and a blazing red sunset. First off, our waitress Katie was fantastic! She helped with suggestions and gave us the deets on the specials.. We opted for starters of (French) Onion Soup, Saffron Clam Chowder, and shared Green Goddess salad. The Saffron Clam Chowder was a very pleasant surprise with a saffron spiced broth and lots of clams, potatoes and carrots. NOT a New England style chowder... a very pleasant suprise indeed! The Green Goddess salad was perfect with fresh bib lettuce leaves and some small grape tomates. Entrees were the crab cakes and a salmon filet with a fresh house made pineapple salsa... both were so good. Lastly, dessert was Chocolate Pot du Creme and an Affogato. Again delicious and a perfect way to end the evening. We wasted no time in recommending Place Pigalle to friends and family!

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The French Guys - Beautiful desserts

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These were some of the best croissants I've ever had! Each one had so many beautiful, buttery…read morelayers, and the texture was absolutely perfect. The passion fruit croissant was my favorite. I loved that it wasn't overly sweet, which allowed the bright passion fruit flavor to really stand out. My boyfriend loved the hazelnut chocolate croissant--it was completely up his alley, and he was also impressed by how well laminated and layered it was. The croissant looked stunning-it tasted as good as it looked. Service was amazing. The person who grabbed our pastries and bread was super kind and nice. You can tell that a lot of thought, research, and care went into creating croissants that are as close as possible to what you might find in France. The almond croissant was also incredible. Since it was double-baked, it had an amazing crunch with every bite, and the ratio of almond filling to croissant was perfect. I would highly recommend any of their croissants and already can't wait to come back for more! The sourdough loaf, however, was fairly mediocre and nothing to write home about. I would return specifically for the pastries.

Comme ci, comme ça. Assez Bien. Coffee is good, the service…read moreis friendly. This is a better cafe than the majority of the Seattle offerings. It is clean inside, and there are plenty of options. The pastries are definitely not French priced and instead of Seattle prices, as you would expect. Instead of a croissant being $1-2 depending on variation, expect to spend a minimum of $5 and go up from there. But again, that is standard Seattle pricing. This place was recommended to us by one of our visiting French friends. We finally got to try it, and maybe our experience was simply because we were not there in the morning and were there on a weekend afternoon. We got two flavored pastries and a plain croissant. The best test is always the standard croissant.... and this one, maybe due to timing or something, was incredibly dry, stiff, and just not what we were hoping for. This was odd, because they had a huge stack of them, so it looked like they were serving the latest and freshest batch. The pain au chocolat/chocolatine was tasty and delicious, but also a little on the drier side. The fruit cream filled one was delicious, but is hardly a good metric for good lamination/layers and freshness. My wife and I said we will still go back, maybe in the morning as things just are fresh out of the oven. Fingers crossed that we get a fresh batch next time. C'est dommage

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Pastry case

Nell's Restaurant - newamerican - Updated October 2026

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