10 Toughest Tables: Seattle
Every month The Daily Meal will reveal how difficult it is to reserve a primetime table at a city's most booked restaurants. This month's feature hones in on Seattle.
We teamed up with Opentable.com's Chief Dining Officer, Caroline Potter, to find out which restaurants customers have established as the most-booked. The ten places below were determined by votes from more than 134,500 diners.
To help you score one of the much-coveted tables, we cross-examined each restaurant to determine how tough it really is to get seated.
Seattle's Most Booked Restaurants
The Metropolitan Grill – 820 2nd Ave – (206) 624-3287
Location: Downtown
Cuisine: Steak
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes
"But only after 4:30pm."
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party? Yes
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? "Any time before 6pm, any day."
Salty's on Alki – 1936 Harbor Ave SW - (206) 933-8484
Location: West Seattle
Cuisine: Seafood
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes.
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party? Yes.
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes.
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? Anytime
"You could pretty much get a reservation at any time."
Tilth - 1411 North 45th St - (206) 633-0801
Location: U Village / U District / Wallingford
Cuisine: American
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes
"Full-service at every seat. It is a four-seat bar though. It is very, very, very, small."
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party? Yes
"We will seat an incomplete party if they have a reservation."
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes.
"We do book the entire restaurant, but if we have room we're more than willing to accommodate."
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? 5 pm.
"Depends on the size. We're a very small restaurant so we can always get you a reservation for two at 5pm. Otherwise there are no guarantees. But coming in in the winter, you've often got a good shot."
Dahlia Lounge – 2001 4th Ave – (206) 682-4142
Location: Downtown
Cuisine: Northwest
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes
"We have a full-service bar."
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party? Yes
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? "Lunch is pretty solid."
Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar – 205 108th Ave NE, Bellevue – (425) 456-0010
Location: Bellevue
Cuisine: Seafood
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes.
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party? Yes.
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes.
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? "Between and 6 and 7:30 pm, and that's on a busy night."
Purple Café and Wine Bar – 1225 4th Avenue – (206) 829-2280
Location: Downtown
Cuisine: American
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party? Yes
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? "11:30 am and 1 pm"
Steelhead Diner – 95 Pine St, Pike Place Market – (206) 625-0129
Location: Belltown / Pike Place Market
Cuisine: Northwest
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party? Maybe
"That depends on the size and how incomplete. For a party larger than five we like to have 70%."
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes.
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? "5-5:30 pm is a key time to get in, especially if you want a seat with a view. That's pretty much the last time."
Palisade - 2601 W Marina Pl – (206) 285-1000 lighting
Location: Magnolia
Cuisine: Northwest
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party: No
"Typically, we usually wait until everyone has arrived."
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? "It depends on the day. It depends on the weather. It depends on a lot."
Elliott's Oyster House – 1201 Alaskan Way – (206) 623-4340
Location: Waterfront / Belltown
Cuisine: Seafood
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes
"There's a full-menu at the bar."
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party: Yes
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? Before 6 pm or after 8 pm.
"Saturday and Sunday night we're usually booked from 6-8 pm, but usually that day you could find a reservation before six and after eight."
Daniel's Broiler – 10500 N.E. 8th, 21st Floor, Bellevue – (425) 462-4662
Location: Bellevue
Cuisine: Steak
Can You Eat Dinner at the Bar? Yes
Will You Seat an Incomplete Party? No
"Typically we'll wait for half the party to arrive and then we'll take them back."
Do You Accept Walk-ins? Yes
What Time Can You Almost Always Get a Reservation? "Any time before 6 pm or 8:30 pm chances are extraordinarily good that we'll be able to put you in for something."