Went for brunch and had an exceptional time. The food was amazing, the servers were fun, and the quality of the ingredients was stellar. Really enjoyed my dinning experience.
sarah
I'm so sorry they're closing! The food was excellent and the recommendations on how to order were spot on. The pork chop was done to perfection, probably the best I've had at a restaurant. The setting is casual and comfortable. I wish them luck in future endeavors.
michael
I'm dumbfounded but, not surprised to read Sea Creatures ownership claim's having "tried everything" to make Whale Wins a profitable restaurant while the $150 meal (per person) we had was entirely lack luster. Should they not think to just go back to basics and actually make good food, with American sized portions, that feel substantial, and deliver real value. It's insane to me that with all the bounty on display within Rene's cookbooks, and her early day's successes with Boat Street Cafe, that they would decide austerity was the way to go. You get about a thimble full of chicken liver pate with four anemic toasts to spread it on for $26 bucks. I think you'd be run under the guillotine if charged that in France. And the pate was terrible, flavorless, not at all fresh with a very poor and grainy texture. The gnocchi was also terrible, the portion was minuscule, no depth of flavor, no garnishes, no salt. They whine about not having the support of a regular customer base as one of the main reasons for closing. Yeah, duh you gotta be wealthy and ignorant gourmand to wanna go back for this type of subversive culinary abuse.
Ginnilyn
The food has been consistently excellent since this restaurant opened. People should continue to enjoy this dining experience.
Charles
Creative very carefully prepared food. I have been a number of times and it is always good!
Matt Casey
Their halibut is amazing. Thought I was done eating halibut bc it’s so often over done but this was perfect. Gonna miss this spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A T
Walked in for Brunch and was easily accommodated for two. Ordered the sardines toast, frittata and breakfast platter. All delicious and light. Not sure how this guy is doing it but all the food is cooked in an oven- even the eggs. There’s fresh Parmesan on the frittata and the sardine toast was light and not fishy at all. I thought I’d try it since sardines have a lot of calcium but I haven’t ate sardines in years and this place presented them lovely and tasty. Looked like a lot of people share the brunch items. The perfectly roasted tomatoes were delicious on the breakfast platter with the homemade red beans. The breakfast sandwich though didn’t have the cheese melted which is a pet peeve of mine so glad I didn’t order that but my meal was excellent and glad we decided to eat here instead of another overcrowded place across the street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Howard
A great meal (as always). The pork entree was excellent as well as the clam entree. I would have your dinner date prepared to share plates, from the appetizers to the entrees so you can get the get the best tasting experience. And definitely try the pork dish, it was prepared to perfection but the funny thing is that I would have order the flat peas as a salad they were delicious. It is sad the Whale Wins is going to close in October when its lease ends. I will miss it.
Nicola Kalderash
I loved the ambience and decor of this spot on Stoneway. I popped in for brunch and picked up an egg sandwich with bacon and Rachel's Ginger Beer. The latter is standard if you've ever had it.
The egg sandwich arrived piping hot but not hot enough for the cheese to melt. It is quite a big sandwich stuffed into tiny bread. It was falling apart on me when I grabbed it, so I cut it in half to make it easier to eat. It still basically exploded in my hands with the spicy mayo. The bacon had good taste and the mayo was good. Egg was standard and only reason why it lost stars and rating is just how messy and explosive it is. Personally I don't want a mess everywhere, but the taste was good. Price a bit high, but what isn't in Seattle. They do auto tip, take this how you will.
I'd return to try their French/English style dinner and I do love the look of the space.
6/10⭐
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Stephanie
All the food was great with the exception of one dish, some kind of grain crêpe with mushrooms, which really had no flavor at all, and the mushrooms were sautéed, but still felt cold and uncooked, and the crêpe was filled only with mushrooms. There was no seasoning no vegetables no cheese no nothing. It was just a brown grain crêpe with I suppose sautéed mushrooms inside but that was it so that was very disappointing but everything else was great. It's a unique little spot. The service was great. The waiter was outstanding.
Our first experience - glad we were able to get reservations. Really enjoyed the sardines and the pork coops. Gotta do the Zucchini bread as well. The Ribolla Gialla was a nice complement. Thanks for a very enjoyable evening and meal.
amanda
I can't believe you're closing! You're my absolute fave go-to place in Fremont for years. Such a bummer.
Isaac
Amazing food. Small portions. Waited 25 minutes for a table on which we made a reservation for. Ordered a martini and it was all water. Food came out at different times. Brought us our potatoes after we ate all of our food. I don't mind having a tip included on our bill....but I would expect great service if you're going to automatically include a 22% gratuity.
loneoceans
We were excited to visit The Whale Wins after hearing great things. The atmosphere was lovely, the service attentive, and the food clearly above average. That said, the pricing, portion sizes, and added 22% charge made the overall experience feel less satisfying.
We shared a variety of dishes: Matiz sardines on sourdough toast, lettuces with lemon juice, Parisienne gnocchi, Hama Hama clams, Alaskan halibut, and zucchini bread.
The standouts were the gnocchi, sardine toast, and zucchini bread. The gnocchi had a perfect sear and texture, and was beautifully presented. The zucchini bread was moist, flavorful, and not at all soggy. The sardines paired nicely with the excellent sourdough and fennel.
The halibut was cooked to perfection, though the salsa morita felt a bit overpowering and the size just too small for $48. The clams were fine but unremarkable, and the lettuces, while tasty, didn’t justify the $23 price.
While we enjoyed the meal (quality at least 4*), the high cost, small portions, and a significant added charge (would appreciate just increasing menu prices) left us feeling underwhelmed and still a little hungry, making it difficult to justify a return visit and ultimately falls short of a recommendation.
Zaha Wolfe
Cute space, but all the dishes we got were small, bland, tasteless, and uninteresting. Prices were high, especially considering the quality and quantity.
Went for brunch and had an exceptional time. The food was amazing, the servers were fun, and the quality of the ingredients was stellar. Really enjoyed my dinning experience.
I'm so sorry they're closing! The food was excellent and the recommendations on how to order were spot on. The pork chop was done to perfection, probably the best I've had at a restaurant. The setting is casual and comfortable. I wish them luck in future endeavors.
I'm dumbfounded but, not surprised to read Sea Creatures ownership claim's having "tried everything" to make Whale Wins a profitable restaurant while the $150 meal (per person) we had was entirely lack luster. Should they not think to just go back to basics and actually make good food, with American sized portions, that feel substantial, and deliver real value. It's insane to me that with all the bounty on display within Rene's cookbooks, and her early day's successes with Boat Street Cafe, that they would decide austerity was the way to go. You get about a thimble full of chicken liver pate with four anemic toasts to spread it on for $26 bucks. I think you'd be run under the guillotine if charged that in France. And the pate was terrible, flavorless, not at all fresh with a very poor and grainy texture. The gnocchi was also terrible, the portion was minuscule, no depth of flavor, no garnishes, no salt. They whine about not having the support of a regular customer base as one of the main reasons for closing. Yeah, duh you gotta be wealthy and ignorant gourmand to wanna go back for this type of subversive culinary abuse.
The food has been consistently excellent since this restaurant opened. People should continue to enjoy this dining experience.
Creative very carefully prepared food. I have been a number of times and it is always good!
Their halibut is amazing. Thought I was done eating halibut bc it’s so often over done but this was perfect. Gonna miss this spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Walked in for Brunch and was easily accommodated for two. Ordered the sardines toast, frittata and breakfast platter. All delicious and light. Not sure how this guy is doing it but all the food is cooked in an oven- even the eggs. There’s fresh Parmesan on the frittata and the sardine toast was light and not fishy at all. I thought I’d try it since sardines have a lot of calcium but I haven’t ate sardines in years and this place presented them lovely and tasty. Looked like a lot of people share the brunch items. The perfectly roasted tomatoes were delicious on the breakfast platter with the homemade red beans. The breakfast sandwich though didn’t have the cheese melted which is a pet peeve of mine so glad I didn’t order that but my meal was excellent and glad we decided to eat here instead of another overcrowded place across the street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A great meal (as always). The pork entree was excellent as well as the clam entree. I would have your dinner date prepared to share plates, from the appetizers to the entrees so you can get the get the best tasting experience. And definitely try the pork dish, it was prepared to perfection but the funny thing is that I would have order the flat peas as a salad they were delicious. It is sad the Whale Wins is going to close in October when its lease ends. I will miss it.
I loved the ambience and decor of this spot on Stoneway. I popped in for brunch and picked up an egg sandwich with bacon and Rachel's Ginger Beer. The latter is standard if you've ever had it.
The egg sandwich arrived piping hot but not hot enough for the cheese to melt. It is quite a big sandwich stuffed into tiny bread. It was falling apart on me when I grabbed it, so I cut it in half to make it easier to eat. It still basically exploded in my hands with the spicy mayo. The bacon had good taste and the mayo was good. Egg was standard and only reason why it lost stars and rating is just how messy and explosive it is. Personally I don't want a mess everywhere, but the taste was good. Price a bit high, but what isn't in Seattle. They do auto tip, take this how you will.
I'd return to try their French/English style dinner and I do love the look of the space.
6/10⭐
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
All the food was great with the exception of one dish, some kind of grain crêpe with mushrooms, which really had no flavor at all, and the mushrooms were sautéed, but still felt cold and uncooked, and the crêpe was filled only with mushrooms. There was no seasoning no vegetables no cheese no nothing. It was just a brown grain crêpe with I suppose sautéed mushrooms inside but that was it so that was very disappointing but everything else was great. It's a unique little spot. The service was great. The waiter was outstanding.
Restaurantji Recommends
Our first experience - glad we were able to get reservations. Really enjoyed the sardines and the pork coops. Gotta do the Zucchini bread as well. The Ribolla Gialla was a nice complement. Thanks for a very enjoyable evening and meal.
I can't believe you're closing! You're my absolute fave go-to place in Fremont for years. Such a bummer.
Amazing food. Small portions. Waited 25 minutes for a table on which we made a reservation for. Ordered a martini and it was all water. Food came out at different times. Brought us our potatoes after we ate all of our food. I don't mind having a tip included on our bill....but I would expect great service if you're going to automatically include a 22% gratuity.
We were excited to visit The Whale Wins after hearing great things. The atmosphere was lovely, the service attentive, and the food clearly above average. That said, the pricing, portion sizes, and added 22% charge made the overall experience feel less satisfying.
We shared a variety of dishes: Matiz sardines on sourdough toast, lettuces with lemon juice, Parisienne gnocchi, Hama Hama clams, Alaskan halibut, and zucchini bread.
The standouts were the gnocchi, sardine toast, and zucchini bread. The gnocchi had a perfect sear and texture, and was beautifully presented. The zucchini bread was moist, flavorful, and not at all soggy. The sardines paired nicely with the excellent sourdough and fennel.
The halibut was cooked to perfection, though the salsa morita felt a bit overpowering and the size just too small for $48. The clams were fine but unremarkable, and the lettuces, while tasty, didn’t justify the $23 price.
While we enjoyed the meal (quality at least 4*), the high cost, small portions, and a significant added charge (would appreciate just increasing menu prices) left us feeling underwhelmed and still a little hungry, making it difficult to justify a return visit and ultimately falls short of a recommendation.
Cute space, but all the dishes we got were small, bland, tasteless, and uninteresting. Prices were high, especially considering the quality and quantity.
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