Cafe Juanita
9702 NE 120th Pl, Kirkland
(425) 823-1505
Recent Reviews
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Terrible experience tonight. We were so looking forward to this but came out 800 poorer, 3.5 hours water with uninspired, flavorless food and mediocre at best service. Save yourself the poor experience and go elsewhere.
Amuse Bouche - too much flavor with caviar in a pastry filled with crème fraiche, would have been good just with the caviar. The halibut was so sad looking and tasteless that I left half of it uneaten, the ibercio was over salted and over cooked. Yes the bread is good and unfortunately the best part of the meal and we didn’t go there for bread. Dessert pics are missing but the panna cotta and strawberry cake were both less than mediocre:( the servers seemed distressed and not happy either, we saw one being told off by someone while she was making a drink, not a good vibe.
I feel like this is a must try place if you’re at all able to. It’s pricey, but seattle doesn’t have many options like it. The service was impeccable and the food was amazing. We were actually more impressed with how the simpler ingredients like the vegetables shined. It’s a great experience for a very special occasion. One thing to check is if you like the flavors incorporated into the menus. There’s 4 different options but you’re likely to experience a lot of the same flavors across different menus and different dishes (ie right now peas are in season so they used those across all menus and lots of dishes were Parmesan and morel mushroom heavy). If you really dislike a certain flavor and it is heavy on all the menus maybe wait a season :) that said I loved the flavors when I went but if someone didn’t they might repeatedly be let down by the various courses. Our reservation was for an early dinner around 5 and it started out quiet and fairly empty and by the time we finished around 8 it was quite busy and a bit louder. We had a wonderful time and will be back to try another season’s menu
Went this week for an anniversary dinner. We had the vegetarian menu and substituted a few dishes from their accompaniment choices! Loved all of the dishes we tried! And loved the bread options that they provided as well :) Vegetarian risotto was our fav!
Worst food I’ve ever had. Not even the worst fine dining. Worst food. Smallest portion. No service. No atmosphere unless you enjoy eating on the lower level of a split entry house. This is the most ridiculous restaurant I could ever think of. I’ll give them a zero star if I could. This restaurant is like a scam. Trash.
Love, love, LOVE this place! Never anything other than a perfect experience. We've been dozens of times and expect to continue the trend.
Very nice!! The ONLY good restaurant in Kirkland.
The food was just okay, but the service truly stood out thanks to Alejandro. He was incredibly attentive and went above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience. His attention to detail and friendly demeanor elevated the service from good to great. Thanks to him, we left with a smile!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Love the dining experience and server. Our server is Kendra (if I'm spelling right). She is the best! So energetic and welcoming. Her introduction made me feel her passion about food and wine that she was serving. Will definitely come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Croccante
Recently brought two friends here to celebrate their wedding and had a great time. Matthew and the team delivered an excellent experience and the food was great, especially the truffle amouse bouche. I will definitely consider Cafe Juanita for future celebrations.
Parking: Valet service for $10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
An amazing experience. Fabulous serive and outstanding food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent restaurant. If Seattle was Michelin-rated, they’d surely have a star.
We were in town for an event on Bainbridge Island and decided to try this restaurant out the evening prior. They offer various iterations of a tasting menu - including omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan - with an optional wine pairing. We had the omnivore option with the standard wine pairing, which was wonderful. We also were pleased to see they allowed replacement courses to the standard menu - we substituted in the burrata for the second course and 2.5 oz of the A-5 Wagyu for the fourth course, both of which were excellent.
Service was very attentive, personable, and well informed. Atmosphere was also very minimalist chic - reminded me of Napa or Sonoma. We had a perfect corner booth, which was ideal for conversation and an overall pleasant experience.
For what it’s worth, I did get a chuckle out of some of the reviews critiquing the restaurant for portion sizes - especially with photos of the amuse bouche and palate cleanser as evidence of said portions. It’s an elevated tasting menu, folks, not the Golden Corral. As frequent flyers of myriad Michelin starred restaurants, we thought the portions were actually quite generous here - between the focaccia, amuse bouche, bread service, and palate cleanser, I was starting to fill up by the time the third/pasta course rolled around - with the entree and dessert still left to go!
Overall, it was an stellar experience all around and we’ll definitely go back. A hefty tag - about 1K for two people - but totally worth the splurge. As a visitor, just wish it was closer to the downtown area to spare us the 30 minute Uber ride!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food is really good and the portions were as expected. Our server did a great job and the team responded to our doubts in a proper manner, always ensuring we were enjoying our dinner.
They were able to accommodate our dietary restrictions throughout the course, which made it better for us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yes - Please eat here at least once. I will definitely come back again this year; worth the splurge imo out of all the time dining I've done in the area over the last decade.
House Focaccia: O.M.G. They have the bottom soaked in a high quality olive oil, and the best part is it's topped with a touch of rosemary and smoked sea salt. Holy cow the smoked version of salt adds a fantastic depth of flavor.
Amuse bouche of the night: !! One of the best flavor journeys I've ever been on. 3 items on a wood board = mini pastry with caviar and lemon yogurt - light and amazing, hint of tangy and sweet. A hunk of super legit high quality parmesan D.O.P. - started out classic flavors and blooms into a pear flavor. Last, a heirloom gazpacho - OMG the flavor was so balanced and on point, the garlic was best friends with the basil and the tomato, they all got a long as one balanced happy family with the depth of ones eternal soul haha
Next: WOW. Ok full disclosure, I'm a medium cooked steak girl and tonight was my first raw beef experience -- raw A5 Wagyu on a toasted crostini with light chive butter, hint of jalapeno and was topped with cooked shallots and petals. In layman terms, it tasted like amazing pizza.
Burrata with stone fruit puree and charred endive and pistachios: It was alright. The burrata quality was very good. The stone fruit puree was not too sweet and complimented the sweetness of the burrata well. The texture of the pistachios were a little too taffy textured for my preference.
Ooh ok ... 2nd round of house breads... Holy cow. The potato bread melted in my mouth, the rye bread was incredibly earthy and (see pic) the world's fanciest cheeze-it with that aged 1000 days D.O.P parmesan they featured throughout the menu. All really well done.
Tagliatelle w/chanterelles: The flavor was earthy and a little brighter/ tangier than I was expecting. The fresh noodle texture was on point. Tho, I only found this flavor profile ok.
Fancy Beets with a bunch of words I don't remember: Mmmmm yes! Very much like. Perfect texture. The Vermont goats cheese adds the foundation base flavor to the bright, slightly sweet and tangy beets and aged sherry balsamic
Venison Loin with charred cabbage and huckleberry sauce (I added the Black Truffle to mine ($20 4 grams) -- HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Hands down the best venison both me and my friend have ever had in life. And the truffle on top compliments the depth of flavor perfectly. The whole combo melts in your mouth in a warm comfy arm chair by the fire type of way.
Dessert: I don't remember all the words but chocolate with hazelnut and apricot puree with porcini ice cream - it's ok. Not my fave dish, kind of sour and tart (I'm more of a sweet girl). Great combo of crunches and caramels tho and still very well made and high quality flavors. My friend really enjoyed this dessert.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Café Juanita offers an intimate dining experience with a warm, elegant atmosphere that feels both luxurious and welcoming. The service here is impeccable, with staff who are knowledgeable and attentive without being overbearing, enhancing the overall dining experience. The setting, combined with the attentive care from the team, makes every visit feel like a special occasion, regardless of what you choose to eat or drink.
This was our second time dining at Cafe Juanita and it turned out even better than the first. My wagyu croccante and wagyu New York steak were both standouts for me. My partner loved his halibut and chanterelle tagliatelle. My tajarin with sage butter and the vegan chocolate mousse were also fantastic.
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