Once upon a time, Sur La Table was a single tiny store in the Pike Place Market area of Seattle, with delicate glassware and overly substantial ceramic platters crammed on crowded shelves. A maximum hip diameter # should have been posted at the door, to ensure safe passage between the aisles. Sur La Table is now a national chain, and the additional inventory bounty isn't necessarily warranted. But keep a sharp eye out, as there are still practical and reasonably priced essentials interspersed between the frivolous whips, worthless timers, and silly skillets. E.g., $1 for a perfect molded plastic scrapper. I generally buy these by the handful, and toss them when their edges become too nicked or scratched. read more

This is my most favorite kitchen store in the whole world! This location is actually the best one I've been to. I try to avoid going on the weekends because it gets too hectic, so I go on a quiet Tuesday or Thursday afternoon. The staff has always been super friendly and I feel like they share my enthusiasm with cookware. They have the Le Creuset line there, and while I can't afford most of it, I just LOVE looking at the colors and the different styles and they whole section is just adorable. Sur La Table is much better than Williams Sonoma because they have such a wide selection. From cookbooks to mixers to cookie cutters, they have it all. They have a lot of pricey product, but they also have products that the average Joe (or Jen!) can afford. I get so inspired to cook just by walking in, and upon walking out I am often in a happy daze! read more

My favorite SLT in the area. It's bigger and the staff has always been very attentive and friendly. i am always greeted and a few times when I've needed help finding something, someone is always available to help. I'm here twice a month. When there has been a price discrepancy it's always been resolved easily. I don't feel like I have to haggle here if something is on sale or there is a slight blemish. All of my items (unless boxed) have always been wrapped in tissue paper. While some of their items may be pricey, the quality of the product they sell is top notch. I've never bought something cheap or poorly made here. I'm really impressed with their bakeware section here--a lot of great brands and a decent selection. I've also had good experiences with their grilling items. Bigger selection than Williams Sonoma, better quality than Bed Bath and Beyond, but not as many things. Their clearance and sales are spectacular. I love coming here and I've made special stops for gifts. They don't do the bag charge thing and the big lot behind the store with free parking earns this SLT 5 stars. read more

This is my dream kitchen ware store. But in reality, it is out of my budget. But everything is so beautiful, well made and useful. I find myself never wanting to leave this place! So I come here for inspiration and try to find a less expensive version elsewhere. They trained their staff well. They give you space to browse freely, and appear when you have questions or need assistance. read more

I always wander into kitchen gadget stores like I have my own kitchen...at this time it's my mom's that I inhabit. But what is the deal? Do I really need all of this stuff? YES! Okay, maybe not, but you will find things that will make your kitchen life a little easier. This is not for the faint of wallet, but you can be guaranteed to find things that are going to last you in the long run rather than a quick and easy cheapie piece you'll probably replace in a year. read more

a golden gem of kitchen finds that you can peruse after a good brunch at either betty's ocean dinner or cafe m. i love coming by here for their samples of espresso and coffee from their high end machines. if there was anything ridiculous to sensible you needed for your kitchen.. you'd find it here. gorgeous sets of knives, pots, and every stirrer, pot, ladle, etc. you could ever want in your dream kitchen. consistently great service and great find. prices can range and you may be able to find better deals online but what a fun store! read more

Sur La Table is just as bad as a bookstore for me - I can get lost wandering their aisles looking at kitchen items, tea towels and glassware. I always find something that I didn't realize needed and the staff are always helpful and friendly. They have a big, juicy "clearance" section where I often find great deals on little items. I recommend you go in with a list of what you need or set a timer on your watch or you will find yourself sucked into a time warp! read more

This Sur La Table is bigger and not as crazy as some of the locations in various malls. Come here if you're looking for some of the best culinary equipment for the home chef. I usually come here to look and compare. What is surprising is that I happen to scan some items using my iphone Amazon application and some of the items came up with the same price or lower (and sometimes higher) so you just have to check. read more

The Mum discovered this place when she came with a friend--she had been to the other two locations in San Francisco. The Mum loves sales. . . one of her favourite four letter words. There were some cake pans she had her heart set on and was chuffed they were on sale! She got a huge cake cooling rack that was at a price that was right! As for me, it is definitely a kitchen heaven! Definitely the place to come to when it is time to restock and replace items in the kitchen! We'll be back. . . . read more

Probably my favorite Sur La Table in the area (sorry San Fran stores, you're sales people are either snootie or ignore customers altogether, see posted review). They have a shared parking lot out back, street parking typically available during the week, and are directly across from a Peets, good food (Pasta Shop anyone?) and have great customer service. Just came in to pick up a large mixing bowl and there it was, sitting on the shelf. The stainless steel glimmering caught my eye, and the 9qt capacity definitely got my attention. The sales associate immediately saw my intentions, grabbed it for me, and kept it at the register for sale. Excellent. Quick and efficient, in and out, done and done. So far my favorite place for anything kitchen... p.s. They routinely have things on clearance in the back that's worth looking through. Discontinued but GOOD bakeware, serving pieces, etc. read more

Knife sharpening review only: I got what I should've expected for a $5 "sharpen". Sent in a dull chefs knife and returned with a dull chefs knife. Plus one star for not screwing anything up so I can take it to an actual sharpener. read more

Sur La Table makes for great window shopping; as a bit of a gear-head, I admit I do get a kick out of browsing, fondling the stainless steel pans and manhandling the spatulas. Of course my fascination has never gone so far as to motivate me to actually buy something here. Part of it is the cost: It's not extravagant, it's fancy stuff after all, but it's still more than I can afford. As well, we have different sensibilities when it comes to cooking utensils (I think primarily brought on by my lack of funds). Of course, all of this doesn't stop me from coming in and groping that new All-Clad skillet. read more

Sur La Table is perfect for those people that have disposable cash coming out the wazoo, and feel the need to spend it on over priced kitchen gadgets. I will say that the cooking classes offered at the store are fantastic. I had so much fun, learned some great techniques, and by the end of our meal, I was so friggin' buzzed! There's all kinds of courses, different price per class, but I am sure they are all fun. read more

This is a cute store and I always love dropping in whenever I'm on 4th street. As many have mentioned, things can be pricey here. It is a specialty kitchenware store, so I wouldn't expect any different. It has a big selection of almost anything you'd look for for your kitchen, or for grilling, maybe with the exception of large kitchen appliances. read more

"I love kitchen stores! I can't get enough. I truly can find something I need even if I really don't need it. I'll just talk myself in to needing it! But, this is so much more than just a kitchen store! They offer classes! I took a cutting class here once and realized i've been cutting my onions, cantaloupe and basil ALL WRONG!" read more

Mmmm! Go get the Vanilla Caviar! It's vanilla GEL with vanilla beans...it makes eeeeeeverything sooooooo gooooood! Massive cookie monstering. OM NOM NOM NOM NOM! Oh yeah, and everything else there is very cool too. Except all of their clothes fit someone who is 5'5 and 92 lbs. Doesn't help when you're a six-foot-tall powerlifter...although I could definetly get down with another handmixer, baby! read more

Minus two stars cause I'm not rich. This is a fun store to browse in. Also makes me wish I'd become some sort of soulless stock broker or gone retro (gender slavery yay) and married one. The place is overflowing with kitchen gadgets galore. You got your emersion blenders, your fancy knives, gadgets, chef's hats, aprons. You name it they got it. The staff is friendly, though there are only so many times I can be offered help in a store before I start to get creeped out (do they have to do that? can they tell i'm not going to buy anything?) Despite the high prices, they do have items within a 20-somethings price range. 30 bucks for an emersion blender, 10 dollars for a cutting board - but don't worry for every affordable item there is a pricy doppleganger that I want much more. All-in-all if you got it, spend it, baby, spend it. read more

I first saw Sur La Table in Seattle,walked in and I was in heaven.I whispered to myself that the bay area should have one....hello,fast forward to a few years later and we get one.Not only did they open one in the bay area,they opened one first in my own backyard - Berkeley ,Ca. two thumbs up for them... I can spend the whole day looking and shopping here.Always something to get.Always a Le creuset calling my name or a spatula.My fiance's Mom is a fantastic home chef and it never fails when I get her something from here ( she lives in Ohio, they don't have it there)...I know, I know there is the Internet and catalog...So stock up your kitchen and get cooking or just look like you know how ... read more

Way over priced but I was buying Le Creuset cookware which is the same price everywhere so I may as well get it here. My only complaint is that they did not have the color for one of the items I purchased and now I am stuck waiting until they get that color back in stock. If your stores is going to be insanely expensive it should have everything in stock all the time or at least the ability to procure an item on short notice. Oh well. read more

It's not a good feeling to give a 1 star to this store... This use to be my favorite spot every time I'm on 4th Street. I love cooking and have all kinds of gadgets in my kitchen and most of them actually came from this store over the last 7 years. I use to be able to ask questions to anyone in the store and would definitely get a knowledgeable answer, whether is how does the item work or comparison of different brands. Everyone in the store was very friendly and helpful. Especially their store manager Morgan who was extremely knowledgeable about all their products. Whatever questions I had about a product she never disappointed me. However, the culture of the store has changed... Workers are still very friendly but I felt that some of them are not as knowledgeable about their products. I have been shopping online at William Sonoma lately simply because of this reason. But I still go to 4th Street often with my friends on the weekends to have coffee or walking around. Sometimes I still walk around Sur La Table just browsing. I found a French press coffee pot in the clearance section today, the design is a little different than the regular French press so I went to the counter to ask about what's special with this brand. The lady at the counter was very nice but she didn't know anything about French Press. She called one of her coworkers over and the gentleman basically explained to me how to use a French Press which I am familiar with. I didn't say anything to him because he was being nice and explain how a French Press works to me. I decided to buy it anyway and figure out what's special about this design on my own. I had an email coupon from Sue La Table that's 25% off of one item in store or online and I was planning to use it on this item. The lady at the counter didn't know how this coupon works so she called another coworker over to help. I told this young lady that I would like to buy this item and use my 25% off coupon. She looked at me and said: "this item is already on clearance and most coupons doesn't apply to clearance items." I asked her if she would at least try Enter the coupon code to see if it works since the coupon fine print didn't state exclusion on clearance items. She didn't want to try just keep telling me that coupons doesn't apply to clearance items until I said 'it would not hurt to at least try, could you please try? '. She scanned the item and told me:" this item doesn't even have any coupons attached to it. Usually when the company sends email coupons out to you guys( I guess she referred to the customers) they also attaches the coupon to the products and it'll show in our system. This one doesn't have anything attached to it." I showed her the email coupon again and it clearly stated: present this page at the register in store or enter the code when check out online. There was nowhere stated that clearance items are excluded. Another sales person walked by and looked at the email coupon on my phone and looked on the register screen, he quickly found the coupon option that's attached to the item and showed it to her. She went quite and finished the transaction for me. The coupon actually took off almost $18 off of the item. The whole time she didn't not even say anything. All it takes is actually a simple apology that she was unfamiliar with how their system works. I was happy that I got the French Press and the coupon worked but very unpleased with the poor customer service. read more

I want one of everything in this store. Some of the stuff is waaaay over priced, tho. Some of the help.... a tad, just a tad, bit snooty. But, they have great items for yourself or gifts. I can't ever walk out of here without buying something. They have beautiful linens (esp kitchen towles) and they even have specials on cookware sometimes. I got a beautiful ceramic baking dish (made in Italy) for $25! Not too bad and it's beautiful. They have every imaginable gadget, spatula, knife, flipper, towel, pan you can imagine... Go, you won't be disappointed! read more

Great selection and excellent customer service. When a gift that was bought at this store broke, I came to the store with the broken item and received a gift card of equal value. The store rep was good natured and said she would call me when the item was back in stock. She called about a month later. When I returned to pick up the replacement a new rep noticed that the item's cost had increased and my gift card didn't cover the new cost. She waived the extra cost and I left with a perfect replacement, as promised. The "Clearance Table" offers temptations at 75% off retail value. We always seem to find a quirky fun thing for under $5 at this table. read more

For a fairly small store they carry a lot of great stuff. I got a very expensive garlic press that has changed my life, no - seriously - it is a dream! I've gotten great knives there and great cookware. The ding of one star is that some items don't come with a lot of selection. Example: I really need new oven mitts and they only have the "one size fits all" SLT brand. I'm all for promoting your own brand but one size does not fit all. I have learned that the hard way and for oven mitts it's pretty important. Also the timer selection is not very good. So for a few items I find myself having to go elsewhere but I usually do find all I need here and I cook A LOT. Friendly staff and a return policy that isn't out to get ya. Definitely recommending them. read more

I could spend an insane amount here (on knives and Le Crueset alone)! They are awesome for little stuff, like different sizes of whisks, and bigger things, like Kitchen Aid mixers. The prices are better than Williams Sonoma and the selection is superior. This is a place for people that actually cook, where sometimes WS seems like it's more for housewives that want a showy kitchen to impress there friends with. My best purchase ever was a huge Lodge cast iron skillet. It is the best for dinner parties when you want to sear big pieces of meat but it weighs a ton so don't plan on moving it around much. read more

Returns are impossible here , they Wouldn't even consider it because my receipt was from another location. Come on man you guys are still just another corporation what's the big deal? I wouldn't have cared if the woman behind the register treated me a little more respectfully, but she was an absolute bitch. read more

What's your best beast of burden? Not having a car, I'd say that my roadbike is, but in my kitchen it's definitely my red KitchenAid Artisan Series stand-mixer. I gifted it to myself when I graduated college a few years ago. Gone were the days of snorting espresso and writing papers all night, and gone were the days of beating my own egg whites til I was brow beaten-or sweating from my forehead. I came to this Sur La Table to indulge and scoop up my status symbol mixer, and several other goodies. I had been by before for miscellanea-a soup ladle here, cake decorating tips there, but during this particular visit I was on a mission, and had cash to spare. I noticed that the service is always really helpful-if you're buying a spatula or if you're about to spend six hundred like I was, everyone is treated well. I always find Sur La Tables to be delightfully cluttered and somewhat unorganized, and this location is no exception. Stuff is stacked high and really close together. While this makes me feel nervous in the china area, it's fun it the gadget section! Anyway, on this visit I bought some other beasts like a pasta machine, and some smaller items, "forgetting" that I would be the one to bear the load because I don't drive! Oops. The Sur La Table staff was super concerned about how I was to lug a stand mixer, pasta machine, and lots of other stuff home, offered to store the stuff there, call a taxi, etc. Being intoxicated from buyer's endorphins, I became the beast of burdens for my 'beast of burdens'-and carried them all home right then and there. And pulled several arm muscles and a few hamstrings en route. Oh well. I loved the experience so much that this Sur La Table will always be my go-to branch for big purchases. I might zipcar there next time, though. read more

Offer's same or competitive product to Williams Sonoma and has a lot more selection. Sometime's I feel overwhelmed in Sur La Table because of the plethora of choices and variety especially when the store isnt set up or organized right. I like the 4th street location, everything is where it seems it should be and I like the Sur La Table at Broadway Plaza even though that one is less organized for sure. I think they could do a better job with the layout but always a nice experience inside Sur La Table for sure. I love so much of their selection, they could do with a better entertaining china or serve-ware. read more

Sur La table is Sur La Table. Not as well-curated as Williams-Sonoma, but also not as pricey, you are sure to find whatever kitchen item or gadget you need or want here. Also, if you are into grilling, there is a better selection here at than at Williams-Sonoma. Sure, the store is a little cluttered, but the employees are pretty knowledgeable and helpful. read more

I love this place for all the kitchen gadgetry you could ever want. They have it all and then some. William Sonoma ain't got nothing on them. I've bought JA Henckels cutlery here, when Macy's didn't carry a particular size. Their prices are usually a little cheaper than Macy's sale price. They have a great selection of cook books for the aspiring cooking library that you want to build. They do offer cooking classes here, but I've yet to sign up. I really like their new line of stainless cookware...better than All-Clad, IMO. Should I ditch my SS Calphalon pieces??? Not just yet... read more

My husband and I are in our early 30s, Asian, registered here for our wedding. This was literally the only place we registered. Inevitably, some of our wedding guests got us repeat gifts, so we had to make some returns. Woman here that was supposed to help us, Salem, white and maybe late 40s-50s, immediately started to give us shit once she knew we were there to return. Granted we were not the typical rich, white, housewife that seemed to be the population, she treated us like lower class, less-than children. She scolded us for not having shipping receipts, even though the items we were returning didn't even ship with receipts- we had to look on the registry to know who sent what. To add insult to injury, she said that some of our items were "gift with purchase" even though they were full priced items online, and accused us of bringing in non store items just because she had never seen them before. She even scolded us saying we had listed multiple items on our registry, even though we got more than we asked for. All in all, it was a very condescending and upsetting experience, and i can't help but wonder how differently I would be treated if I were white middle aged and toting some overpriced label purse. I wish I had never chosen Sur La Table as a registry. read more

Associate Kathleen is sweet and wonderful. So knowledge that led me straight to my needs. Glad I had her help!! An awesome lady I'm happy to have ran into!! read more

They use such a powerful glue for their labels that I can't get them off. Pulling, scraping -- I'm scratching the tart pans and still can't get the labels off. Called them and they expect you to go out and buy some chemical to do this. Or bring the items into the store for them to do so. !!!!! Why can't they just use peel-off labels? REALLY bad. If you buy stuff from them with labels, MAKE THEM REMOVE THE LABELS IN THE STORE. I'm going to take these back and make them replace the ones that I've scratched up trying to get the labels off. read more

If you're on a budget, you're better off shopping for kitchenware at East Bay Restaurant Supply, a wholesaler that is open to the public. At Sur La Table, you will find the same items (including cutlery and name brand items like Le Creuset, All Clad, KitchenAid) but you'll be paying extra for the pretty displays and a more cheery staff. Plus, Sur La Table doesn't have a giant taxidermy of a polar bear. This location becomes very crowded on weekends, and when they have author events so avoid them if you're just there to browse in peace. read more

It's a great store - wonderful products. But, the customer service has really gone downhill. The employees can be rude, no call-backs for special orders, etc. So, if you need an item, keep in mind you have to deal with the employees. Get in, pick up your item, and get out. read more

I am not big on cooking but I am big on coffee. So I went to purchase a new espresso + built in frother machine as they have the particular selection of coffee machines I was looking for. Oddly, some employee there did not let anyone try the machines while she was chatting with her buddy or may be a customer, not sure. Eventually, I left without the machine as I couldn't wait any longer. Other people around me left as well. It could be a manager's directive to not let the customers try the machines or they just failed at training her, or the employee is not all there. 2 stars because the store still has lots of stuff and other employees might be helpful but it failed at the only task they have--to sell me the coffee machine after I drove specifically there, wasted time on finding parking, walked straight into their facility and waited for 1/2h. read more

i'm a huge foodie and a big time lover of gadgets and anything to do with cooking but this place is too much. i have always liked williams sonoma and i really prefer it greatly to sur la table. sure i could spend hours in these stores that have anything to do with food but i would go bankrupt at this place. with so many options these days for cooking gadgets there is no need for high prices like this and a very disorganized setting. why do they make these places so small? people love to cook and these products so please make some room for the crowds. and i'm willing to bet that most of the people that shop at these places don't even actually like to cook. i'm sure they hire someone to do it or just get the nice things to make their kitchens look nice. read more

Whatever cooking tool I am looking for, Sur La Table always has it, and the prices are better than Williams-Sonoma. Actually, once I was looking for lolipop sticks and they didn't have the size I wanted. They did tell me about a local candy shop nearby that DID have what I needed in stock, so more kudos to Sur La Table for helping me out! The people working here are professional and helpful, and they always know where to find everything. And they laugh at my jokes! read more

I'll start with how I am a foodie who is equally interested in preparing the food myself. I have financier molds from France, moon cake molds from Hong Kong and kueh pie tee molds from Singapore. I have been to the Sur La Table Berkeley store on multiple occasions and been quite disappointed. The most recent experience was just looking for a replacement non-stick omelette pan. When I asked for a suggestion, the salesperson suggested something from the Sur La Table - Green Pan collection. I told her I was just looking for a non-stick pan to cook my omelettes and eggs. She informed me she has had the pan for a long time and uses the pan daily to cook her eggs without any oil. So I took her recommendation and purchased the ceramic pan. (After all, most of us have seen the infomercial on the copper ceramic pan. So I thought this ceramic pan would be of equal quality under the Sur La Table label.) Unfortunately when I started using this pan, it was sticking every time. I probably gave it 10 attempts cooking various things. I tried stir frying with peanut oil, etc. I was originally told by the sales person the pan can withstand oven temperature of I think 500 degrees. Like all good consumers, I started documenting with photos on my iPhone.... Eventually I got frustrated and called the store. They said it could be because I used olive oil and it can burn with olive oil because of the flash point. Problem is I cook my omelettes typically with butter and I use peanut oil to stir fry. I only use olive oil as a finishing oil most of the time. The person I spoke with finally said it was ok to bring it back as all Sur La Table products have a 2 year warranty. I thought that was reasonable and had planned on exchanging it for something else. When I made it to the store, the salesperson informed me that my Sur La Table pan was only subject to a 60 day warranty. I would then have to wait to speak to a manager. Really? Is that not total bull shit? It turns out my Sur La Table pan was from Green Pan and that only carries a 60 day warranty. I asked the manager how would I know? "Sur La Table" is imprinted on the bottom of the pan and on the packaging. She kept telling me the store policy. Then she finally said I could exchange it for something else but no refund. Since I did not have the receipt, she could not do so. Somehow she could not pull up my receipt even though I purchased in the same store a few months ago. Maybe they delete their records after 60 days when the warranty expires on selected Sur La Table products. Honestly who thinks about keeping a receipt on a $49.99 pan from a "trusted" brand??? And it is not that I cook up an omelette every day so I would find out within the 60 day warranty period that was never communicated to me. Aside from the issue of private labeled products with poor performance, the manager handled this so poorly. She could simply have said she was sorry it did not work to expected performance standards (i.e.: non-stick) and provide a replacement. The ironic part was when I started asking another representative about what other pan to select, he gave me the same old speech. "Oh, I have had this pan for 2 years and it works great for me." It was very incredulous. I don't think sales representatives should pretend to give an endorsement to a product as being a long term user in lieu of true product knowledge. So why do I feel the team at the Berkeley store lacks product experience? The last time I was at the store, I was looking to purchase refills of coffee capsules for my Illy Espresso maker. When I could not find the ones I was looking for, I asked a salesperson. He directed me to an Illy product that did not have the same packaging. When I asked, he said Illy changed their packaging. When I got home and opened the package, the filter coffee was for filter coffee and not espresso and a completely different Illy coffeemaker. I ended up having to go back to return the product. The salesperson happened to be there and was genuinely apologetic and gave me some samples to carry me over. Bottom line is, this is a high end store for kitchen products. They get 2 stars for the products they carry. However the team at the Berkeley store does not live up to their brand. It is questionable if their private labeled products are that great if they can't stand behind for more than 60 days. read more

funny. i always get the impression that Williams Sonoma is more snobby than Sur La Table. Sure this place might have a bit more expensive things, but they have varieties (from a 60 cent plastic pastry scraper to a $6 silicone one). They have stuff that I'd actually use, though the prices might be a bit steep so only if I can't get them anywhere else. They have some gimmicky stuff, but I appreciate that everything isn't gold colored (WS), though they could do something about organizing the place. read more

I actually like this place given that I rarely cook. This is the treasure troth of all things kitchenware. On the pricier end but still a nice place to stroll if you're on fourth. read more