Smith (Capitol Hill)
332 15th Ave E
Seattle, WA 98112
(206) 709-1900
Website
Smith is a pub-with-upscale-grub on Capitol Hill's 15th Avenue, brought to you by Linda of Linda's/King's Hardware/Oddfellows Cafe. The hunting-lodge interior is dim and nice—burlap-lined walls, cozy wooden booths, myriad taxidermy (check out the spoonbill). A revolving-door chef situation meant food of varying quality for some time, then under Eliot Guthrie and then Chris Howell, it was really good; at this writing, the chef situation is again up in the air. Try the specials (the salad is usually hyper-seasonal and super-fresh), the lemony whole trout, the brick chicken, and the always-good Painted Hills burger.
Hours: Daily 4 pm-2 am, brunch Sat-Sun 10 am-3 pmCategories: Bar, Restaurant
Restaurant Details
Bar Details
The Stranger's Reviews of Smith
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At Last, Actually, Really Good Apr 16, 2009
Something Startling Has Happened at Smith
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The Happiest Hour: Smith on Capitol Hill Mar 27, 2008
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Marrow Worship Jan 10, 2008
Sampling Animal Ambrosia Around Seattle
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Poutine Jul 11, 2007
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Bar Exam: The Gun Club, Cafe Presse, and Smith Jun 28, 2007
- Write your own review of Smith »
Average Rating:
Reviews/Comments (37)
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37
The bar however is terrific
The bartenders are swift and friendly with their service, and the drinks are crisp and plentiful for what you pay (which is less than most bars, even outside Happy Hour). They've got a wide selection of fairly unique beers aside from the beer staples, and a wealth of liquor plus some neat special drinks, which are frequently switched up for variety. The food may have its limits but the drinking experience is one of the better ones you'll have.
36
An updated review... hmm
After a hiatus from visiting due to various factors, I came back to discover, much to my chagrin, that the brunch menu was changed and my preferred sausage/potatoes/eggs plate had disappeared. I now have to order sausage and eggs a la carte but can't do potatoes if I want to reprise the experience.
This did force me to try other items, though, and I really enjoyed the baked eggs, though the cream and my kinda/sorta lactose intolerance didn't mix. The burger is still a satisfying stuff-your-hole after-drinking meal. Everything else is just too weird and ill-fitting of my tastes for the price requested and is probably a pass.
I still love drinking here and the bar staff still knows me by name, so that's awesome. I wish their chef would quit screwing around with the menu, though.
This did force me to try other items, though, and I really enjoyed the baked eggs, though the cream and my kinda/sorta lactose intolerance didn't mix. The burger is still a satisfying stuff-your-hole after-drinking meal. Everything else is just too weird and ill-fitting of my tastes for the price requested and is probably a pass.
I still love drinking here and the bar staff still knows me by name, so that's awesome. I wish their chef would quit screwing around with the menu, though.
35
Please!
Please! Bring back the old poutine! It was perfect the way it was. The new concoction has gross brown gravy that tastes like it came from a pouch. Sure there were plenty of curds, but it is just not the same without the cream-based gravy richness that was all my joy in the first incarnation. Linda, or the powers that be, please remember that not all changes are necessary. The bloody marys are always awesome, and I have never had anything but good service from the staff.
34
Good food, Great Service!
My boyfriend and I have been there a hand full of times. The only thing that we have had that wasn't good (really bad, honestly) was the lentils with kale. This dish over so very over vinegary I could only handle 3 bits. The bartender was great; saw was disappointed and removed it from the bill. I can't wait to go back and have the marrow!
33
Convivial Atmosphere-Meet the locals!
Smith does a fine job of maintaining a convivial atmosphere-inspired staff lead by a dedicated young manager-Keara! She will ensure that you have a great time, and yes they serve Grey Poupon Mustard! The food is consistently good and service is personable and snappy! It's a true pub!!
32
The new Poutine SUCKS!!
Smith is one of my all time fav spots. I used to go there just for the Poutine but the new gravy looks and tastes like BBQ sauce! It is terrible! Bring back the old gravy please!!!
31
So I eat brunch here a lot
The older comments about the weird menu were accurate at the time, but they've since fixed it up a bit and there's more familiar standard fare. They ditched the pork belly for brunch, and now serve sausage/egg and bacon/egg plates, plus the occasional special, some of which are worth a shot. The sliced/fried potatoes are larger and I have yet to have an unsatisfying brunch here.
The service has improved a bit as well. They have more servers, and more attentive servers.
It still becomes a hipster madhouse at night, even on weeknights, so if you're not into that, avoid. But it's not a bad place for a couple happy hour drinks or brunch. And with regards to the problems previous diners/drinkers found... they've been addressed to some extent.
The service has improved a bit as well. They have more servers, and more attentive servers.
It still becomes a hipster madhouse at night, even on weeknights, so if you're not into that, avoid. But it's not a bad place for a couple happy hour drinks or brunch. And with regards to the problems previous diners/drinkers found... they've been addressed to some extent.
30
Tastey, but Pricey
Went for some beer and fries. Arrived before happy hour was over and by the time the waitress arrived, it was too late, even though she acknowledged us when we arrive, she didn't honor happy hour. So we ordered fries for $5 bucks! and we got about $2 bucks worth. Tastey fries, weird atmosphere, and they need more staff. She never brought us our bill. We ended up leaving the money on the table. Probably won't go again. Sorry folks, your fries are OVERPRICED for the quantity that arrives at the table.
28
Excellent food and a bit of a crush
I've been to Smith over a few times and enjoy their everchanging menu and always am given excellent service. I gotta admit though that me and my friend continue to haunt that place every week because we both have a crush on a certain pierced waiter, whose section we always find ourselves occupying. That's just a bonus. Try the root soup if you want a meat alt. or the mac n cheese. This is definitely a hot spot!
27
Bring over Linda's menu
Smith is a cozy spot, and I love a cold Tecate in a can, but how about some vegetarian options on the menu? Bring over the Linda's menu please, please, please.
26
A would go again
We went on a Wednesday night. The service was great, our waiter was attentive and funny, spot on when we needed another beer. We shared the $9 venison and potato confit. The venison was great, not tough/dry at all. We also ordered sweet potato fries which were to die for. We will definitely go back and take friends.
25
Brunch AND Booze?
I've been to Smith a few times for the casual late night cocktail hour..I mean many hours, and have always enjoyed the dark yet mysterious decor and booze selection. However I was pleasantly surprised and throughly enjoyed the food selection both late night and Sunday morning hungover. The Scotch Egg was probably the best thing I've ever had for brunch. Homemade sausage with egg all encased in deep fried goodness. If Jesus made me eggs this is how he would do it. My friend next to me tried to tell me the Baked Eggs were better, but a quick slap to the face solved that arguement. Anyways if you are gonna spend your Sunday drinking and eating Smith should def be on the agenda.
24
Happy to have a new neighbor named Smith!
I live a couple of blocks away from Smith on 15th and am so glad to have it in the neighborhood (even though I may gain a couple of pounds). I find myself going back at least once a week for some comfort food. Usually, I end up getting one of their awesome burgers and some sweet potato fries...so yummy! The decore is cozy and the people are always nice and have even started remembering my usual drink.
23
The worst burger in Seattle
This is the worst bar none - even worse than Linda's hardware fiasco in Ballard (where it seemed all the food was pretty darn good). You really have to go to Boston, MA to get a burger this bad, and even then you'd have to look for it. I used to say that the best restaurant in Boston was McDonalds (I've heard it has improved, but don't believe it). Actually this may be the worst burger in the world. And what about the fries? They would actually be quite good if they weren't covered in pepper! If I want pepper on my fries I know where to find the shaker. What are you thinking? Please don't go here or the natural selection process will be further subverted and we will end up living in Boston. Help bring back the natural selection of restaurants and let this one quietly go extinct.
22
The brunch was just not good.
In the evening, Smith is okay. Not great, or even good, but when I don't feel like cooking, I can get a decent burger there. My bf and I had breakfast at Smith this morning, and it was bad. I don't know what kids of pork belly these folks have been eating, but what arrived on my plate was almost inedible. Actually, it was inedible. Slimy and salty and just bad. The eggs that came with it were fine. I could not taste much banana in the banana bread. Instead, it tasted strangely like vanilla, and looked as if it had come straight from the QFC down the block's dessert aisle. The potatoes were fine, but nothing special. Good coffee though. Overall, it was bad. I won't back. Even if I had liked everything, it was also too expensive. And I really wanted to like it. The mere idea of the Scotch egg scares me.
21
Yum
I was there with a friend earlier this month and had a very good meal. First off, I love the look of the place. But I don't mind hunting. The service was prompt and polite. The booths provide nice cozy places to eat, too.
I got a salad before dinner, and it was a decent portion of fresh greens. No complaints there. The chicken pot pie was delicious and certainly hit the spot on the cool rainy day I was there. It had plenty of chicken and vegetables, and the pastry on top was flaky and tasty
All in all, I'd recommend this to folks without reservation.
20
Waaaaaaay too expensive--WTF?
Yeah the selection on the juke is kickass, and you can get a not-awful wine by the glass, and they have -- GASP! -- Poutine! I love Poutine! Sweet Jesus! Poutine! But I'm sorry, ninety bucks for dinner for two? And we had only 3 glasses of wine between the two of us and shared a dessert? Maybe somewheres else, but not here. The food just isn't that great and the portions are laughably small. Someone seems to think they are serving haute cuisine. Trust me Smith, you are not.
19
Lackluster at best
I don't know. My partner and have been twice now. The first time, soon after the opening, we were sat at the long communal table even though there were empty. Whatever, try something new. We sat, and sat and sat for nearly 15 minutes without once being approached by a server. And it was not busy enough to warrant such shitty attention. Obviously we left. But hey, everyone gets a second shot, right? So we tried again. With only two other patrons in the place, I do not know why it took 10 minutes and two servers to get us water. In these 10 minutes, we watched the bartender smoke two cigarettes outside. Finally we order. And we wait. Seriously. Like half an hour. When the food finally came, we were so hungry we overlooked the shitty portion sizes. When asked how everything was, I was honest and said we waiting too long for sub-par food. The waitress grinned and hobbled away. I think she was drunk. I hope she was drunk. In the end, my partner and walked further down 15th, and grabbed ourselves a second dinner. We won't be back.
18
Weak Pallates Make for Weak Reviews
I find some of the reviews here staggering. An argument can be made for a more affordable brunch/menu in general, but writing off the menu as, "weird?" I actually appreciate that Smith offers more challenging and interesting fare than your average bar, and for the most part the execution is excellent. The fried duck legs are transcendent: rich and elegantly seasoned, better than any fried chicken. The Devils On Horseback are an intense assault of flavors: salty, sweet, pungent and nearly overwhelming-- but wonderful. I had brunch this morning and while I too would've loved more sides w/ my dish, the pork belly was rich and comforting, the layers of crip skin/fat to different textures of pliant meat appearing like a little square of pork tiramisu. The herbed butter and egg it came with balanced it perfectly. The Scotch Egg was underwhelming, toothsome and great in texture, the sausage covering the egg itself was lacking in seasoning. Overall, I love living a few blocks from Smith. The highlights of their menu give me phantom pangs even as I type this, and the less than spectacular just need a bit of tweaking to make them sublime.
17
good bar, ok dinner, weird brunch...
when smith opened i was really hoping it would have brunch like linda's has - at long last, brunch is now served there, so it's time to weigh in on the place.
as a bar, smith is pretty good. on most days, from 4-7pm, the place is a lot less sceney (and easier to find a place to sit). the beer selection is not bad though it is a bit expensive.
as a place to eat dinner, stick to the burger - as others have said, the rest of the stuff is weird and/or indescribable. the sweet potato fries are terrible - the regular fries, though, are quite good.
for brunch, well, go to linda's instead. what a weird fucking menu! i had the pork belly which was sort of odd though a lot better than it sounds. the menu could seriously use a little balancing off with some more traditional brunch fare (and more affordable, too...) if they expect to see customers in there regularly on weekends. the competition for brunch on 15th is fierce, and smith just doesn't cut it.
on the whole, though, i really do like smith. also, for those people whining about the animal heads on the wall, take your hypocritical sanctimony elsewhere. if dead animals freak you out, what are you doing ordering bacon or criticizing burgers? please!
16
Disappointing brunch
I live less than a block away from Smith and was SO excited when it opened - no more going down the hill to Linda's! I love it as a local and hoped and wished it would offer brunch. Well, today was the first day of brunch and I'm pretty disappointed. The brunch menu is like a pricier, scarcer version of the cryptic and also disappointing dinner menu. I had the baked eggs, which were very tasty, but for $8 with absolutely no sides? Not worth it. If you want potatoes, that'll be another $4. A baguette with jam? An additional $2. It's just kind of ridiculous when you can get the whole shebang elsewhere for the price of the baked eggs alone. Guess I'll still be going down the hill for brunch.
15
This place is gross, you should know
Don't wait in line for the mediocre overpriced food here. There's nothing at Smith you can't get somewhere else for better prices. Price aside... Those devils on horseback things are DISGUSTING! Think putrid, shriveled candy bacon bites. I had to talk my waitress into letting me buy them, and when they came half an hour after I ordered, my friend and I couldn't stop laughing at how small and pathetic they were. Then we tasted them and stopped laughing, and started being really disappointed with this new place on 15th. The menu is laughable. "Trout with ham"??! Lol. Also, no descriptions of anything on the menu... Just titles of dishes in stylishly difficult-to-read font.
That plus the dead animal heads presiding over my table ensured I will never go back to eat there. I could see going for a beer with people who maybe really love shriveled candy bacon bites, but I'd never choose to go there myself, not when there's the unpretentious and jukebox-eriffic Canterbury on the same street a few blocks down.
Smith: too noisy, too expensive, too gross. Two stars for at least serving a decent cup of sweet potato fries.
14
What's not to love?
The jukebox has a nice selection which is just a bonus for this spot. The menu has lots of yummy food I haven't seen anywhere else and beer for days! Our server was super nice and very attentive. He'd smile each time he came to the table which made us not feel so bad about asking tons of questions probably asked all the time. Overall this place has good food, lots of random beers, reasonable prices, a jukebox that you can sing along to as well as friendly employees who are easy on the eyes. I'm sure I'll find my way back there soon.
13
not impressed
Pork sandwich was forgettable, not offensive but not in any way good. Couldn't make a mojito cause they don't have mint, wierd? Waiter was largely clueless about food and bar selection which makes for a bad combo.
12
Get Real
Linda's is a real creepy, low-grade dive, inhabited by astonishingly pretentious dead-end nobodies. This place is no different. Yet another piss-drunk dive for local rock club patrons and their cigarette butts.
Seattle really needs to grow up, and the persistence of Linda's - and, now, its offspring - are a grand sign of this -
11
been 2x, going back
I've been to smith only on weekday evenings, and I've been very happy there. food is quite good. servers and bartenders take good care of you. music's at a reasonable volume. menu is interesting but not overwhelming. they could use a few more items of the healthy variety.
10
Dead and dirty
All the dead animals and birds nailed to the wall really creeped me out and I had to leave. Definitely not a place for vegetarians.
9
if you havent ate everything, eat me!
I'm there a lot and I've had almost everything on Smith's menu with no complaints that extend beyond personal preference. For instance, I dont like beets, but the beet salad is f'n great for being a beet salad! I just dont wanna touch it :-)
Raw/rare is in the eye of the beholder so I wouldn't be bias when it comes to the burger. Think about it. I thought it was great, but that's just me :)
8
avoiding the curse
i think smith is one of the best spots on the hill. linda has somehow managed to create a place that feels brand new, but true to her style. the food is ecclectic yet comforting...mmmm sweet potato fries & deviled eggs! the atmosphere, service & jukebox are great. don't leave without trying the devil's on horseback.
7
Way too loud. Way.
Would be OK except for having to shout over and over. Even then, your friend still says 'What?' until finally s/he just gives up and shrugs, staring into the middle distance instead of talking with you. So...what's the point? Sorry. WOuld love to give it a rave, but can't.
6
Poor Acoustics, Flat Tonic
I love the look of Smith but the acoustics are awful-- even when it's not completely packed, soemthing about the slate floors makes it deafening. You'd think all those taxidermied animals would absorb some noise, but no. While I appreciate strong drinks, theirs have no balance (I didn't order a shot of well liquor!), and their tonic is chronically flat. Their fries are good, but their burger is gamey and weird even if cooked correctly. Maybe after a while they'll get it together and live up to the Linda's/Kings Hardware heritage, but they're not doing it now.
5
Yummy
I had a great time at Smith. The bartenders were friendly and efficient. The drinks were good and strong. And I really loved the Devils on Horseback and the sweet potato fries. The atmosphere is great, but I kind of dark on a sunny evening. Its one of my new favorite places and I am going back this weekend.
4
Yum
What a great addition to 15th. Loved the ambiance, the food was good pub grub, will be going back again soon.
3
caveman food
the absolute best drunk food in town! they know how to cook meat right!!!!!! it's a good thing they don't deliver because i would become a one-ton shut-in with all that poutine. fuck yeah.
2
new fave
the atmosphere is some of the best in seattle, the servers were great and the food was amazing. the sweet potato fries & greens were some of the best i've had & devils on horseback are out of control (blue cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon).
burgers are served rarer than normal, but in some restaurants it's a standard practice. sometimes it is done because the beef is higher quality & the chef doesn't want to take away from that flavor or it's because they'd rather have you send it back for more fire, rather than send it back because it is overdone.
1
Raw deal
I LOVE the atmosphere at this place, and I will certainly go back, but I do not recommend the burger here. I was there last night and ordered a burger medium and it came out bloody rare. I politely pointed this out to my server, who looked completely horrified. I could witness the interaction between her and the cook from where I was sitting and it involved a lot of hand waving and head shaking. A replacement burger came out way too soon, and it was the exact same raw meat with a brown skin. I was so hungry I ate it anyway. But I won't order the burger again until they learn how to cook it right!
Smith
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