The Crawlspace Gastropub

So happy to have this spot on Mercer Island! The vibe is welcoming and relaxed, and I really enjoy the wings, fried rice and spam musubi. Great place to go with family and/or friends.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Used to come here all the time. Food was really good.
This last time I went all the food was bad.
Soggy Korean noodles, Ban Chan Salad was tasteless.
Butter mochi was too sweet, they added a syrup to it. Not good.
We are sad that we won’t be going back.
Quality control is not there anymore.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 4

Huge shout out to the assistant manager. I feel horrible I can't remember his name! Plus I didn't know his role until the end of our meal. He was a champ to deal with our office group their for lunch. I have been in customer service for over 20 years and I feel like he is the definition of what customer service once meant. I will never deny and will apologize with forewarning that I am a pickier eater than a five year old. I make a point to tip well when people accommodate and put up with me. Thank you for the great food, awesome personalities and all around service!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Among the best eateries anywhere in Seattle. Worth a special trip for the fusion Korean food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bulgogi Tacos

Went for a busy event. The place was crowded and the server stretched thin but she was friendly and patient with our big group, itemized bills per person, and checked in with us not just on now orders but how we felt about our orders. Probably some of the best service I've had in years!! The fall themed drink special I had (pumpkin pain killer) was delightful and not too strong and the happy hour burger seemed overpriced at $13 but was delicious (a la carte). If I lived closer I'd definitely visit again. My friend had the red sangria and it was fruity and strong. She also got the bread pudding and it was good but the apples were still too crunchy for my taste and the salted caramel ice cream served with it was too salty for us. Everything else was amazing!! There's a big parking lot, free, and easily accessible, and 2 single-person gender-neutral bathrooms which I thought were also great!

Amazing food and super fun service. The only problem is I keep buying the same thing because I got one dish and it was so good. I keep on buying it again even though everything else looks great. Yeah, let’s steak tacos.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Easily the best restaurant on the island.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had a very unpleasant dining experience here today.

Food was just okay overall. We ordered the bulgogi taco, kalbi bowl, and huli huli chicken. The taco was actually pretty good — not your traditional taco, but flavorful. The kalbi was edible, though way too salty, and two pieces were literally burnt into black ash. The big issue was the huli huli chicken.

My family doesn’t eat spicy food, so when I ordered I specifically asked the waiter and even double-confirmed that the chicken wasn’t spicy, aside from the side dressing. But when it arrived, the chicken itself was way too spicy to eat. My mom tried one bite and had to stop. She just picked at the sides while I called the waiter over. He checked with the kitchen and came back saying they had changed the recipe but didn’t inform the staff. He apologized and offered to switch it out for another dish, which was fine.

The bad part was the way the bill was handled. When it was time to pay, the waiter brought the card machine with only a total — no itemized receipt. I thought the total seemed high, but I went ahead and paid. When I asked for a printed receipt afterward, I was shocked to see they had still charged us for the huli huli chicken (at “half price”) even though we couldn’t eat it and had already replaced it. The waiter explained it was because my mom had eaten the sides. That felt really unfair — it wasn’t our fault the dish was spicy, and more importantly, why wasn’t this explained to us upfront before we paid?

Only after I complained did they finally remove the charge. By that point, though, it just felt shady, almost like a scam. Between the burnt kalbi, the spicy chicken mishap, and the sneaky billing, the whole experience left a very bad taste.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 1

Fantastic! Food was heavenly. Wife had the Korean bbq chicken tacos and I had the Korean bbq chicken plate. Very very good.
Ben the bartender was awesome, funny, and made a great old fashioned. Ben had double duty bartending and serving the high tops. He was extremely attentive and never missed a beat.
Appreciated that they had a few runners for the food, water, and cleanup. I also had a nice conversation with Thomas, another server, who was very informative of the history of ‘The Crawlspace’ and it’s food.
Great time. Definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Place is overpriced. If you pay $26 per dish and $10 per beer, you expect something above average. The food quality was okay, and the recipes were standard. For this price, you can find places with much better flavor and overall quality.

Aside from the food, the service was great.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 4

Just called and attempted to place an order for later pick up (1 hr away), Kelsey answered the phone and asked me to “call back closer to that timeline” because “she couldn’t…… (xyz)”, I don’t think the connection was made that it wasn’t about her, but about me, and what I could and could not do. Horrible customer service. I am in an adjoining business and have a small window for lunch. It ISNT about her. It’s about my timeline and what I am able to do. I will go elsewhere for lunch from now on. This was such a rude interaction!

Service: 1

The food was amazing! Korean short ribs and pear bread pudding for the win! Amazing service and atmosphere. Will 100% be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing!!

Blessed and grateful to reconnect with The Frank Ohana and meet Jason, the owner—a local boy from Hawaii. 🌺

This is a must-visit restaurant if you’re ever on Mercer Island! The menu is packed with local kine grindz with a delicious Korean BBQ twist you’ll absolutely love. Their hostess Mirin greeted us with a beautiful smile and aloha. Jason came to our table to check on us and knowing we were locals from Hawaii, he sat down with us to talk stories. Truly a customized experience.

Jason’s story is inspiring—his grandfather founded the original Liliha Bakery, and his uncle opened Yummy’s BBQ on Oʻahu. Truly carrying on a legacy of aloha through food. 🌈🍴

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

UPDATE: After the restaurant posted a response to my review, we have traded emails for fair compensation for the rice debacle. One month later, the restaurant has yet to follow through with their commitments. It is so disappointing. Not sure if they will. I will update if they do the right thing.
ORIGINAL: I am appalled that the restaurant staff acknowledged that our entire table were served inedible rice with our dishes and did absolutely nothing to make it right. What is a poke bowl without its rice?!? No discount offered. No future gift card. Didn’t even offer to get us new rice!! What an absolute rip off.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1