Cedar & Elm had a nice atmosphere and our server was friendly, but overall the experience was disappointing. The food was okay, but definitely overpriced for what you get. Nothing particularly special or memorable. We had to ask several times for our drinks and were even served the wrong dish. For an upscale restaurant, we expected much better.
Ann
Roberto was an excellent host/waiter for our experience. Starting from the free valet parking to the Udon brunch we had above and beyond service. We will be back again for future celebrations.
Russ
Awesome space, nicely decorated. Cocktail (their version of an Old Fashioned) was excellent. Wagyu steak frites with sauces excellent. Pork schnitzel okay. No dessert ordered. Service at bar was excellent. Service in restaurant was good but not really to standard for this price level. Dinner for 2 with cocktail, glass of Brut, 2 glasses of Pinot Noir $220 total inclusive (Feb 2026).
Phil
I want to start by saying our waitstaff was great and my wife and I still had a fun evening. That said, we made a mistake we vowed not to make again years ago- we signed up for a Valentine's Day prix fixe menu. This was our first time at Cedar + Elm. We're new to the Seattle area and truly have really enjoyed the food. This meal wasn't great... in fact it wasn't good. One course had butter poached shrimp that needed to be poached longer... and probably should have been poached in butter as the name suggested. We had a black cod course that was very fishy and under seasoned. The main protein was a shortrib that was fine. Our dessert was a simple cake with kiwi. Sounds like you couldn't mess that up right!? Except this had a peppercorn whipped cream that was waaaaay too heavy on the peppercorn. It made the whipped cream taste like a yogurt side you might find in a Persian restaurant. The meal totaled over $400 dollars and we would not reccomend it. The saddest part for us is that it turned us off to visiting Cedar + Elm again. The space was beautiful, though I think the entire property uses the wrong temperature light bulbs. (Warm lights only please) Our waiter was great. He comp'd our drinks which he didn't have to do, but it was appreciated.
Jennifer
I so wanted to try Cedar + Elm, but I was sadly disappointed. We went for brunch. The frittata was essentially a block of processed egg with no flavor and some mushrooms piled on top. The wait staff seems like they are new and learning how to think about refilling water, bringing sugar for coffee, salt and pepper, etc. My partner had the breakfast burrito, but it was also not flavorful or interesting.
Tonya
Saturday brunch here was disappointing, so I can't recommend this place. Our table had 4 different meal choices and none of them were good. Lattes did not taste like coffee, just milk. The eggs Benedict was unrecognizable. Breakfast burrito and croissant sandwich were both sad. Even the scrambled eggs and potatoes weren't good. Bacon was excellent, though! Maybe if you're staying at the lodge it would be convenient, but I wouldn't make it a destination. I hope it was just an off day - other reviews seem good.
Catherine
The menu is limited but still offered variety. Our top pick entree was sold out by 6pm. The service staff was young and appeared new to the industry. Not a lot of teamwork felt from the team. Lacking warmth and friendliness.
Anastasiia
Perfect place for the brunch with friends. Beautiful place with good food and great service.
Evan
Of all the fine dining we've experienced, this was far and wide the worst. We've received so much more for so much less. The new years tasting menu with the wine pairing for 2 people was $733. I would have rather gone to McDonald's 29 times for the same amount. The location was unique, the valet was nice, and the building was beautiful, but that's where the fun part stopped. Food: Very lackluster. Portions are tiny. They hardly explain what you're eating. They slap a bowl on the table and say one sentence as they're walking away. It's like it's trying to be fancy but it's coming up short. It was the same issue with the wine. The pairings weren't even good, and the staff didn't explain it at all; no notes or anything, they'd just say “Sauvignon blanc” from over their shoulder as they walked away. Half the time he wouldn't even say the wine matching the menu so I don't know if he was wrong, or the menu was. Typically, with fine dining, they replace your silverware between courses; not here. We had to lick our forks clean and set them on the bare table while we waited for the next course. Atmosphere: There's a piano, but no pianist, and that basically encompasses the whole idea of this restaurant. It was way way too bright. They didn't dim the lights until an hour into our service. One would assume a $733 New Year's Eve dinner would be more of an intimate setting as opposed to a hospital waiting room. At that price point, you would also expect a real candle, not a fake little tea candle. There was plenty of staff rushing around, and a different person would bring us our next item every time, yet none of them seemed to care or want to be there. I'm beyond regretful that I chose this establishment for my New Year's Eve dinner. I wish so badly I would have gone to Applebees.
Larry
Excellent food World class Drinks Starters and choice of mains And to top it off unbelievably deserts
It is a very nice Restaurant, but the Menu is not very good for a wide range of people. It was hard to find anything on the Menu to order. Maybe a Chef or food Critic would appreciate it more. The breakfast Menu was fabulous, which is maybe why there was not one at dinner and many people at breakfast
Jim
I really do like this restaurant. I've eaten there four or five times and I've never been disappointed. As a hotel restaurant it's nice to know that they'll be open at odd times or on short notice. I like that the bars close by which are also nice.
Jean
My experience at Cedar + Elm was wonderful. The delicious appetizer we ordered was Fry Bread. The service was prompt. I had one of the best lemon drops that I've ever had. The main courses were one of a kind with goodness in every bite. The valet car service adds a touch that always creates a special occasion feel. I highly recommend.
Scott
I had no idea Cedar + Elm was in the neighborhood. A great value for nicer dining. The staff is awrsome.
Michelle
Amazing. A memorable meal from the food, vibe, cocktails, the staff. Awesome! This will be on our regular rotation going forward.
Cedar & Elm had a nice atmosphere and our server was friendly, but overall the experience was disappointing. The food was okay, but definitely overpriced for what you get. Nothing particularly special or memorable. We had to ask several times for our drinks and were even served the wrong dish. For an upscale restaurant, we expected much better.
Roberto was an excellent host/waiter for our experience. Starting from the free valet parking to the Udon brunch we had above and beyond service. We will be back again for future celebrations.
Awesome space, nicely decorated. Cocktail (their version of an Old Fashioned) was excellent. Wagyu steak frites with sauces excellent. Pork schnitzel okay. No dessert ordered. Service at bar was excellent. Service in restaurant was good but not really to standard for this price level. Dinner for 2 with cocktail, glass of Brut, 2 glasses of Pinot Noir $220 total inclusive (Feb 2026).
I want to start by saying our waitstaff was great and my wife and I still had a fun evening. That said, we made a mistake we vowed not to make again years ago- we signed up for a Valentine's Day prix fixe menu. This was our first time at Cedar + Elm. We're new to the Seattle area and truly have really enjoyed the food. This meal wasn't great... in fact it wasn't good. One course had butter poached shrimp that needed to be poached longer... and probably should have been poached in butter as the name suggested. We had a black cod course that was very fishy and under seasoned. The main protein was a shortrib that was fine. Our dessert was a simple cake with kiwi. Sounds like you couldn't mess that up right!? Except this had a peppercorn whipped cream that was waaaaay too heavy on the peppercorn. It made the whipped cream taste like a yogurt side you might find in a Persian restaurant. The meal totaled over $400 dollars and we would not reccomend it. The saddest part for us is that it turned us off to visiting Cedar + Elm again. The space was beautiful, though I think the entire property uses the wrong temperature light bulbs. (Warm lights only please) Our waiter was great. He comp'd our drinks which he didn't have to do, but it was appreciated.
I so wanted to try Cedar + Elm, but I was sadly disappointed. We went for brunch. The frittata was essentially a block of processed egg with no flavor and some mushrooms piled on top. The wait staff seems like they are new and learning how to think about refilling water, bringing sugar for coffee, salt and pepper, etc. My partner had the breakfast burrito, but it was also not flavorful or interesting.
Saturday brunch here was disappointing, so I can't recommend this place. Our table had 4 different meal choices and none of them were good. Lattes did not taste like coffee, just milk. The eggs Benedict was unrecognizable. Breakfast burrito and croissant sandwich were both sad. Even the scrambled eggs and potatoes weren't good. Bacon was excellent, though! Maybe if you're staying at the lodge it would be convenient, but I wouldn't make it a destination. I hope it was just an off day - other reviews seem good.
The menu is limited but still offered variety. Our top pick entree was sold out by 6pm. The service staff was young and appeared new to the industry. Not a lot of teamwork felt from the team. Lacking warmth and friendliness.
Perfect place for the brunch with friends. Beautiful place with good food and great service.
Of all the fine dining we've experienced, this was far and wide the worst. We've received so much more for so much less. The new years tasting menu with the wine pairing for 2 people was $733. I would have rather gone to McDonald's 29 times for the same amount. The location was unique, the valet was nice, and the building was beautiful, but that's where the fun part stopped. Food: Very lackluster. Portions are tiny. They hardly explain what you're eating. They slap a bowl on the table and say one sentence as they're walking away. It's like it's trying to be fancy but it's coming up short. It was the same issue with the wine. The pairings weren't even good, and the staff didn't explain it at all; no notes or anything, they'd just say “Sauvignon blanc” from over their shoulder as they walked away. Half the time he wouldn't even say the wine matching the menu so I don't know if he was wrong, or the menu was. Typically, with fine dining, they replace your silverware between courses; not here. We had to lick our forks clean and set them on the bare table while we waited for the next course. Atmosphere: There's a piano, but no pianist, and that basically encompasses the whole idea of this restaurant. It was way way too bright. They didn't dim the lights until an hour into our service. One would assume a $733 New Year's Eve dinner would be more of an intimate setting as opposed to a hospital waiting room. At that price point, you would also expect a real candle, not a fake little tea candle. There was plenty of staff rushing around, and a different person would bring us our next item every time, yet none of them seemed to care or want to be there. I'm beyond regretful that I chose this establishment for my New Year's Eve dinner. I wish so badly I would have gone to Applebees.
Excellent food World class Drinks Starters and choice of mains And to top it off unbelievably deserts
Restaurantji Recommends
It is a very nice Restaurant, but the Menu is not very good for a wide range of people. It was hard to find anything on the Menu to order. Maybe a Chef or food Critic would appreciate it more. The breakfast Menu was fabulous, which is maybe why there was not one at dinner and many people at breakfast
I really do like this restaurant. I've eaten there four or five times and I've never been disappointed. As a hotel restaurant it's nice to know that they'll be open at odd times or on short notice. I like that the bars close by which are also nice.
My experience at Cedar + Elm was wonderful. The delicious appetizer we ordered was Fry Bread. The service was prompt. I had one of the best lemon drops that I've ever had. The main courses were one of a kind with goodness in every bite. The valet car service adds a touch that always creates a special occasion feel. I highly recommend.
I had no idea Cedar + Elm was in the neighborhood. A great value for nicer dining. The staff is awrsome.
Amazing. A memorable meal from the food, vibe, cocktails, the staff. Awesome! This will be on our regular rotation going forward.
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