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Lucas Draper

Oddfellows Cafe + Bar (Capitol Hill)

1525 10th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 325-0807
Website

Created by bar maven Linda Derschang (of Linda's, etc.), Oddfellows is a crowd-pleasing Capitol Hill fixture. The space—a giant, high-ceilinged, beautifully beamed room with scarred wooden floors, exposed brick, stern photos of old-timey people (including the building's founding fraternal order), and so forth—is a grown-up dream of a cafeteria, good for hanging out anytime. Stumptown coffee and light breakfasts are served in the morning, then a full menu until midnight (followed by two hours of straight-up bar time). On offer: an array of hot and cold sandwiches, salads, and comfort-food favorites (from mac 'n' cheese and beef stew to shepherd's pie and braised pork shank). The food is generally fair to middling, but the baked goods are great—the Bullseye, which is an egg baked into a cheddar-bacon biscuit, is a brilliant idea executed marvelously, and the sweet things are fantastic, too.
Hours: Sun-Thurs 8 am–midnight, Fri–Sat 8 am–2 am
Categories: Bakery, Bar, Cafe, Restaurant

Restaurant Details

Bar Details

The Stranger's Reviews of Oddfellows Cafe + Bar

 
 

Average Rating:
  • 3.00000/5 Stars.
Reviews/Comments (17) RSS

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Tracy 17

Heard good things for awhile now, but finally stopped in on a busy Thursday evening. They have DEVILED EGGS as an appetizer. I'm not sure I've ever seen that on a menu before, but we totally ordered them, and they were delicious (not sure how late Oddfellows is open, but man, we decided that two or three orders of these would be the perfect late night drunk munchies). Topped with crunchy caper berries (maybe?) they were a bit fancier than what you make at home, but every bit as tasty. Served with a lovely and bright small arugula salad.

The steak dinner was perfect...an interesting but not overpowering dijon-infused sauce, but it really allowed the beef to shine. Cooked to the perfect medium, we were very impressed. A small but perfectly adequate side of new potatoes, and more bright arugula rounded out the plate nicely. At $16 it's not unreasonable, and was very tasty.

All of the dining room tables were taken, but the hostess said there were two seats available at the bar. We were happy to be able to be seated, but the bar is pretty uncomfortable and VERY squishy. Not only are you VERY close to your neighbors (one or two less stools at the bar would allow folks some elbow room), but much of the actual counter is covered by stuff that the bartender is using (a variety of fruits and drink toppings, etc). So that was less-than-ideal. Also, it wasn't readily apparent which staff members (if any) were in charge of our orders. It's a bit of a journey to the restrooms that are shared by most of the businesses in this building (and you have to get the code from your waitstaff first).

Still, all in all, it was a really lovely dinner. The atmosphere/styling is really lovely and fun, without being so chaotic it's overwhelming...the perfect blend of rustic charm, it's busy without being too much. The place had a lovely buzz from the other diners. We'll be back.
More...
Posted by Tracy on April 25, 2012 at 4:44 PM · Report
16

great for coffee/pastry...... bad for meals

Portions are small (not something I usually complain about) and the food is not up to par. I paid $8 for an openfaced sandwich consisting of a thin slice of cheese and a dozen raisens(?) on top with a miniscule salad.
I noticed that it is way overstaffed during certain hours, such as in the morning. Cut down on your staff and use the $ saved to improve the value/quality of the food you serve
Posted by s. milley on September 13, 2010 at 9:49 PM · Report
michael strangeways 15

Charming waitress; bland, bland, bland, overpriced food.

Really? $18 for a TINY, Safeway quality piece of meat without any flavor and THREE super bland ravioli?

Really?

The drink was ok. The waitress was sweet, but the host dude seemed like he had a stick up his ass. The acoustics: dreadful.

Another Linda Derschong yupster/hipster hangout with lousy, (or, at least bland) food. Has NOT improved since it opened. Avoid.
Posted by michael strangeways http://www.seattlegayscene.com/ on July 4, 2010 at 6:15 PM · Report
14

Don't plan on lingering

Great service from the server, but then the hostess comes over when we are finishing up our drinks and asks if she can "buy us a cookie" if we will change tables to accommodate a large party that is queuing in the entry. Ugh. At $11.50 per drink, I think I am entitled to use the table for a few minutes. I also felt cheated at $12 for the cheese plate with "house made crackers" that were actually just three slices of bread and three tiny slices of cheese on a lonely plate with none of the advertised "fruit." The cheese plate right upstairs at Tin Table is twice the value at the same price.
Posted by Sparkie on November 6, 2009 at 8:36 PM · Report
13
too bad, in other cities this would be a great bustling place. Instead its a mediocre bustling place. The staff acts like they are doing you a favor and are more lackadaisical than other CapHill joints. The food is still barely improved since their opening and the price is still around 30% too high. Unfortunately, we have stopped trying after many weekly visits. Perhaps in its next incarnation the price, menu and attitude-driven service will be different.
Posted by Odelia Johnson on June 30, 2009 at 11:57 AM · Report
12

Empty & bad service

Went last night with my gf at 10pm. Place was very empty: 10-15 people. We sat at the counter in front of the grill. Menu came. A couple of minutes later wait staff took beer order. Then we sat for 5 minutes waiting...no beer...nothing. We got up and left. Noticed our beer sitting at the serving station but I'm not sure. If it was our beer the order was wrong; if it wasn't our order were the heck was our order??? This was our 3rd time there. The first two were good, not great experiences. We live close to Smith and love Smith and usually go there. Oh, well.
Posted by fARTing on May 6, 2009 at 9:23 AM · Report
11

Delicious!

I don't really know why so many people are quick to judge this place. I went in for my first time earlier today and got the mozzarella, basil and tomato baguette and it was absolutely delicious! It wasn't supposed to be available at dinner, but they were happy to make it and all the ingredients were super fresh. The help was very attentive, bringing us new drinks before we'd even finished and making sure we were well taken care of, even though the restaurant was pretty insane.

I enjoyed the atmosphere, even though it is a little hard to hear yourself, it feels like it's been the heart of Capitol Hill forever. I will DEFINITELY be back.
Posted by Lori on April 11, 2009 at 3:25 AM · Report
10

Not as good as Quinn's, but much shorter wait

We got in without a wait around 6 on a Saturday. Dinner was definitely a couple of cuts above your average pub grub. Desserts are small, and fabulous. The space is awesome, but the seats are uncomfortable, so probably not the best place to linger.
Posted by Dan on February 21, 2009 at 10:12 PM · Report
9

Low Key Yumminess

Great place for a low-key-order-at-the-counter kind of brunch. The poached pear, marscapone, brioche french toast was phenomenal!
Posted by BB on February 1, 2009 at 4:12 PM · Report
8

I hear that the pulled pork sandwich is good

Addendum: Two friends of mine said that their pulled pork sandwich was fantastic ("Epic..".."9.5/10"..). And they have some high standards so must be good. I explored some of the other veggie options - sorry, they were shit. The squash soup and mac & cheese was dull. Worst of all, the $6 fries with 'special sauce' - was that like watered down campbell soup for the sauce? That was awful, my friend had the same reaction. Still, nice space, blah blah..
Posted by biju on January 18, 2009 at 8:20 PM · Report
7

the stranger will print anything...

Like Patrick Swett's 'review' below. As long as jackasses like PAT are allowed PERSONALLY ATTACK a local single mother these listings are just an extension of the slog. after a long ambercrombie photo audition here:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/photo/show…

maybe PAT has some esteem issues. Be thankful you will not run into him at Oddfellows.
Posted by D. Rand on January 18, 2009 at 11:49 AM · Report
6

Oddfellows shmellows.

Who the hell is Linda? No: Who the hell does Linda think she is? No, even better: Who the hell does Seattle think Linda is? If it says "Linda" people love it. I don't get it. The WORST pulled pork sandwich you'll find in the lower forty-eight in the most absolutely horrible presentation you can ever imagine. The MOST grandiose way to ruin a beautiful space. If I defend the delicious coffee (Stumpton Roasters) is to wet my throat to further more attack this insulting menu, ridiculous price list and lack of imagination of the "bar maven" and amateur line cook.
Posted by Patrick Swett on January 17, 2009 at 11:40 AM · Report
5

If you're a hungry vegetarian - 2 stars

They have a decent mozarella sandwich for a fiver but thats it if you're vegetarian. Nice space, (especially if you're into people-watching), friendly service.
Posted by biju on January 4, 2009 at 11:24 AM · Report
4

If you're going to put fine cocktails on your menu...

...please take care to see that they are well-made.

My excitement at finding the "Last Word" on your menu turned to shocked disappointment at the pale green mess that was delivered to me. I'm not sure how you screw up "shake well with ice and strain," but something was very wrong with that drink. It was nice and warm, though. Wait a minute...

Next up: Featuring a drink containing St. Germain? Awesome! But christ, are you hand-pouring that shit? Watch it! My next drink tasted like elderflower bubblegum. Bleh. Bleeeeeeh.

Oddfellows: Stop that. It hurts.
Posted by and then i cried on January 3, 2009 at 8:16 AM · Report
3

Please stay hidden...let this be my place!

I went there on a Wednesday evening (at 5 pm), the place was sort of empty so we gave it a shoot--ended up staying there for four hours! Amazing. The place ended up being back within the first hour of being there--and all kind of people. Families, hipsters, girls night out, friends, and people playing on the computer! The people are wonderful, the atmosphere was phenomenal, and the food was amazing! Portions were the size of what we should be eating--the quality was to die for! The experience was wonderful, hopefully going back again tonight! Linda, you're truly an amazing woman, meeting you last night was wonderful!! And Oddfellows ROCKS!!

--
Betsy
Seattle, WA
Posted by Betsy on December 31, 2008 at 10:30 AM · Report
2

We would have come Friday night

but on Capitol Hill, any time there's three or four of us, at least one is a veg, and man, you have nothing. I know you've got a small menu, but if you can't squeeze one veg entree onto it, you don't deserve to survive up here on the hill.
Posted by sherrold on December 21, 2008 at 10:15 AM · Report
1

please dont tell anyone about this place...

i love it so.
Posted by Julian on December 20, 2008 at 8:59 AM · Report

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