This place was definitely not what our group expected based on the website and online menu. We thought it would be a higher end restaurant with larger entrees but it was a loud, packed, crowded bar with small share plates that were all just ok or kind of odd. Won't be back.
IronMaiden
It was a quiet Tuesday night. There were two other tables seated. We had the Kale Caesar Salad, Crab Cake, and Sablefish. All the dishes were tasty, although the salad was too heavily dressed for our taste, and the very large expensive ($33!) crab cake came by itself. The small piece of sablefish ($37) had a flavorful broth. For the prices of the entrees, we would have thought they would come with something else on the plate.
MichaelC
We split the crab cake and the scallop risotto and they were both fresh and delicious. It was an unusually cold evening for Seattle and the restaurant was uncomfortably chilly even though we were seated at the communal fire table in the center of the restaurant. Even our server wore her jacket the entire night. So that put a bit of damper on the meal; we basically ate quickly and left. I would go back on a summer evening, though!
Great new seafood spot! Came in with a large group for a birthday and we tried several dishes. Loved the poke and the crab cake! They also let us bring in our own cake for dessert and even cut it up for us. Would definitely eat here again.
Maggie
Overall, we enjoyed the food, particularly the signature crab cake. I'd give a higher rating but for the oysters. They were fresh and delicious BUT very gritty. The grit was partly sand like, but we realized we were also spitting out large pieces of rock salt.
estef23
This place was great! The food, drinks and the vibe are all reasons why I would go again, just not for a celebration. The host at the front greeted us great and acknowledged our celebration, took us to our table and gave us a quick rundown of the menu which we highly appreciated. The rest of our experience was okay. The food was amazing and the highlight of the rest of our dining experience, even without a couple of dishes we wanted to try that had run out. If we were offered a dessert menu or something to enhance our celebration, this would be a five star review.
We had a great date night at Sailfish! We had the best time chatting with our waiter (Joey) and the head chef (Zach) came out to talk to us because we were a huge fan of the blueberry custard pie dessert we had! Everyone was so so nice. The bartenders also love going off menu and creating fun drinks based on your liquor of choice and a flavor - highly recommend this place!
This restaurant is a fun Ballard spot -- I'm visiting from Palm Springs so it was a hike from downtown, but worth the food. I love how they had small plates and sharing plates. We ordered too much food, not realizing how big the portions were. A delicious spot!
Conner is a great bartender, both knowledgeable and creative. Put yourself in his hands and you will be pleased. The lamb was perfectly cooked with nice sides. Will be going again!
Steph
Food was ok but not great. Servers mostly stood around talking to each other. Timing of food was way off delivering one plate after we had been there an hour after we were tired and full. Crab cakes soggy and overworked. Music so noisy, dinner conversation was difficult. Overall not impressed.
Went there for happy hour and was a little disappointed. Food was only so-so. Gazpacho was too sweet and too spicy. Crab cake was soggy and lukewarm. Service was nice. The space was fine but the music was way too loud for 4:45pm on a weekday.
SarahM
We were excited to try Sailfish, but found it a little disappointing. The music was quite loud and not our style, so it made for distracting background noise. The food was not a standout - tings were a little over-sauced and overpowered by sauce flavors. The space is beautiful and the ambience pretty good, but not sure if we will return.
LindaC
Arrived early and were seated in time to order from Happy Hour menu even though our reservation was later. That was unexpected. Great options for HH. We did not feel rushed because HH items came out as different courses. Wait staff was great, food was delicious. Highly recommend the scallops and crab cakes!
AlexK
A fantastic spot for small bites and drinks! The staff were welcoming and friendly, providing an excellent atmosphere for after work happy hour! Did not disappoint! Try the crab cake! Thank you again Sailfish!
Perfectly executed seafood with a variety of flavor profiles. Well portioned plates easily shared between a few people or tailored to a solo night at the bar. Clean, beautiful ambiance and ideal location! Will be back all summer for the outdoor seating and the indoor fire will be awesome in winter.
This place was definitely not what our group expected based on the website and online menu. We thought it would be a higher end restaurant with larger entrees but it was a loud, packed, crowded bar with small share plates that were all just ok or kind of odd. Won't be back.
It was a quiet Tuesday night. There were two other tables seated. We had the Kale Caesar Salad, Crab Cake, and Sablefish. All the dishes were tasty, although the salad was too heavily dressed for our taste, and the very large expensive ($33!) crab cake came by itself. The small piece of sablefish ($37) had a flavorful broth. For the prices of the entrees, we would have thought they would come with something else on the plate.
We split the crab cake and the scallop risotto and they were both fresh and delicious. It was an unusually cold evening for Seattle and the restaurant was uncomfortably chilly even though we were seated at the communal fire table in the center of the restaurant. Even our server wore her jacket the entire night. So that put a bit of damper on the meal; we basically ate quickly and left. I would go back on a summer evening, though!
Great new seafood spot! Came in with a large group for a birthday and we tried several dishes. Loved the poke and the crab cake! They also let us bring in our own cake for dessert and even cut it up for us. Would definitely eat here again.
Overall, we enjoyed the food, particularly the signature crab cake. I'd give a higher rating but for the oysters. They were fresh and delicious BUT very gritty. The grit was partly sand like, but we realized we were also spitting out large pieces of rock salt.
This place was great! The food, drinks and the vibe are all reasons why I would go again, just not for a celebration. The host at the front greeted us great and acknowledged our celebration, took us to our table and gave us a quick rundown of the menu which we highly appreciated. The rest of our experience was okay. The food was amazing and the highlight of the rest of our dining experience, even without a couple of dishes we wanted to try that had run out. If we were offered a dessert menu or something to enhance our celebration, this would be a five star review.
We had a great date night at Sailfish! We had the best time chatting with our waiter (Joey) and the head chef (Zach) came out to talk to us because we were a huge fan of the blueberry custard pie dessert we had! Everyone was so so nice. The bartenders also love going off menu and creating fun drinks based on your liquor of choice and a flavor - highly recommend this place!
This restaurant is a fun Ballard spot -- I'm visiting from Palm Springs so it was a hike from downtown, but worth the food. I love how they had small plates and sharing plates. We ordered too much food, not realizing how big the portions were. A delicious spot!
Conner is a great bartender, both knowledgeable and creative. Put yourself in his hands and you will be pleased. The lamb was perfectly cooked with nice sides. Will be going again!
Food was ok but not great. Servers mostly stood around talking to each other. Timing of food was way off delivering one plate after we had been there an hour after we were tired and full. Crab cakes soggy and overworked. Music so noisy, dinner conversation was difficult. Overall not impressed.
Restaurantji Recommends
Went there for happy hour and was a little disappointed. Food was only so-so. Gazpacho was too sweet and too spicy. Crab cake was soggy and lukewarm. Service was nice. The space was fine but the music was way too loud for 4:45pm on a weekday.
We were excited to try Sailfish, but found it a little disappointing. The music was quite loud and not our style, so it made for distracting background noise. The food was not a standout - tings were a little over-sauced and overpowered by sauce flavors. The space is beautiful and the ambience pretty good, but not sure if we will return.
Arrived early and were seated in time to order from Happy Hour menu even though our reservation was later. That was unexpected. Great options for HH. We did not feel rushed because HH items came out as different courses. Wait staff was great, food was delicious. Highly recommend the scallops and crab cakes!
A fantastic spot for small bites and drinks! The staff were welcoming and friendly, providing an excellent atmosphere for after work happy hour! Did not disappoint! Try the crab cake! Thank you again Sailfish!
Perfectly executed seafood with a variety of flavor profiles. Well portioned plates easily shared between a few people or tailored to a solo night at the bar. Clean, beautiful ambiance and ideal location! Will be back all summer for the outdoor seating and the indoor fire will be awesome in winter.
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