Box Bar

I don't enjoy sharing negative experiences because they may be anecdotal vs indicative, but when they feel like the latter, when I feel like I've experienced a systemic issue, I feel like I need to write.Starting with cocktails, I can categorically say they were atrociously bad. Our server, who also made our drinks, took the first 5+ minutes (more? Felt like a lot more but times weird) after taking our order to stand around talking to the other server. When there are only two other tables occupied on a weekend evening, maybe there's less pressure to perform but it should be the opposite. They made one drink, then spent more time talking, then made the other. They weakly shook the drink with what sounded like five ice cubes in it for about two seconds. I watched them casually grab my straw by the mouth end to both insert it in the drink and to move around the jumble of bits of stuff they added to it, which made me lose my appetite. By the time we got our drinks the ice cubes were about half their size, leaving the drinks starkly under-iced and overwatered. And yet, my drink was also still absurdly salty. I had to ask for more ice (they gave me a measly seven of those thin rectangular hollow cubes) and another straw. I normally don't use a straw but the salted rim was not appealing given the saltiness of the drink, plus the edge of the glass I used to sip without a straw (recall the fingers on the business end part) had a chip in it, which was not pleasant and I was not about to clear yet more salt by trying again. My wife's drink was equally weird tasting and under-iced. Not good in any way, except they were like $14 instead of the usual $18-20 Seattle price, which is good considering I couldn't taste any alcohol either, but hey, it could have been the salt blocking all other sensation.Staying on the drink tip, the wine list is weird. I actually am not a wine snob so seeing they serve from boxes is fine with me and ecologically preferable. And yet, ordering a Chardonnay got us a glass of orange syrupy stuff which tasted like a liqueur, which our server insisted was the Chardonnay despite its color, consistency, and tasting nothing like one.The kale Caesar was outstanding and very large. Props to the kitchen.The banh you sandwich was good, but paying $16 for what's commonly a $5 sandwich is odd. You have to do something extra with one of these if you're charging extra.The portobello dip was also good. Both sandwiches were adequately sized and well-made. The supplied knives would not cut through the bread without smushing the sandwich.There's something awkward about a near-empty restaurant but even more so when the ambience is off. The design choices, the ultra quiet playlist on one speaker, the layout, just not a place for my tastes. You can have the same number of tables in 1/2 the space and it would feel much more comfortable.The servers were nice but the casual kind that are doing their own thing vs the kind of servers who were trained in the discipline. Some people prefer it, I don't, but it is more the norm than not. Still notable to me.In summary, the drinks were terrible, the food was good, the space was awkward. Overall it's a place that will work for some people just fine, where others like me will not enjoy it. I won't seek it out again but I won't not go if asked to meet there. That's why it gets the middle 3-star review.I should also add that they have an overall kind vibe - the kitchen staff seem happy, too - where some places treat you bad or have weird vibes, and I do wish them well. We need nice places that do good for their neighbors. I just wish they knew what the f they were doing with their bar and that it felt good to be there.

The food is good, but the drinks are just ok. Given the price of the cocktails, I'd say the they aren't worth it. However the food is SUPER good.

Went here with some friends last night. I really liked the drinks. We tried a couple of them but I can only remember the name of 2 of them: gimme and lemongrass party. All of the drinks were pretty good and well priced for $12 with a good amount of alcohol in each without tasting absolutely horrible. I especially liked gimme because it was vodka with cucumber and lime so it quite refreshing and light. We also got the house salad ($8-10) and queso with chips ($10). Neither were amazing but ok to snack on. We didn't finish those dishes either.The interior is very cozy and intimate. It's a little small and can fill up fast. Service was quick and kind. She checked in on us a couple times throughout the night which I appreciated. Overall I'd come here again for alcoholic drinks.

Had a delicious brunch here with some friends! I had the Biscuit Benny and they had the Avocado Toast and Tofu Rancheros. Everything was flavorful. I'm not vegan and eggs benedict is my favorite brunch food so I was a bit nervous about trying vegan eggs for the first time. I need not have worried - these were so good! We also had the Bloody Mary and Key Lime Pie drinks. The Key Lime cocktail wasn't too sweet. The Bloody Mary was perfection - it comes with a little beer on the side as well!

Purely based on the food, I had the Mac and cashew cheese and it had a lot of the "creamy sauce" but was a bit thick / dense. The flavor was great but got confused with the texture. Service was great and the place is super cute.

I've seen this business up in U-village but have never been in, so it's nice to have one in the neighborhood. It wasn't busy during the Friday afternoon I came in. The person on the register was moderately helpful. I can't have caffeine or dairy so I asked for a recommendation. At first, they recommended a couple of green tea drinks, but since those have caffeine they suggested I look for the icon indicating no caffeine. They can also substitute oat milk for dairy. I opted for a mango lemonade with normal ice and sweetness and some jelly boba as well as a brown sugar boba with normal ice and less sweet. The brown sugar is still pretty sweet with the less sweet option and I would get it again on a cooler day. The lemonade is much more refreshing in the heat, although I think next time I'll opt for less sweet with that, too. I like that the lemonade is pretty tart. The cafe is bright and clean. There are a few tables to sit at, but I took my order to go. The music is fairly loud, so I'd imagine when it's busy it's pretty loud.

People often think that vegan food cannot be tasty. You are wrong and box bar process it! I had their nachos be aware it is huge so you better share but you kinda don't want to . Service was great and very laid back vibes.

This is a hidden vegan gem in Seattle, and easily in the top tier of vegan restaurants in Seattle.Both my wife and I are vegan. We had an earlier dinner on a Saturday night prior to seeing a show a half-mile down the street at ArtsWest. (pro tip to Seattleites like us who don't live in West Seattle... this is a great place for a pre-show dinner; also, there is a nearly empty pay parking lot by Rite Aid half way between the restaurant and ArtsWest.)We had the lentil nachos, pizza salad (not on the menu on the web site), a brownie butterfinger sundae (also not on the menu on the web site), and some sort of mocktail with aquafaba that was not on the in-restaurant menu or the web site's menu.Everything really goes on about the lentil nachos, and while they were good, the star of the show was the pizza salad. It consisted of two heads of romaine lettuce, with a cheezy sauce, seitan pepperoni, chickpeas, and roasted tomatoes. Incredibly unique, tasted great, and the flavors worked well.The mocktail was also awesome. In addition to aquafaba, it had simple syrup, some sort of sour... and something else that I can't remember. The aquafaba elevated the drink; I don't know why more places don't use it as an ingredient in mocktails. Great egg white replacer in mocktails.We're going to come back in the future and check out the various sandwiches as well, which all look good.Price-wise it's cheaper than what we're used to paying in Seattle. Generally, when we each have a drink and split an appetizer, entree, and dessert, we expect to pay well over $100 with 25% tip. Our check here came to $90-ish with $25 tip (and post-dinner coffee). The entrees are priced slightly less than what we'd expect, and the mocktails were very inexpensive (for Seattle) at $8 a pop.Ambiance is nice. It's a casual bar, with outdoor seating. We sat outdoors, but I'm not sure if that's the best choice, because the cars roar by. Inside there were a handful of booths and some tables.I wish they offered reservations, but on Saturday night at 5:45 pm it was busy but that there was no wait.Service was good, particularly since we were outside. Server came fairly quickly after we sat down, took our drink order, and when came back to take our food arrive. Drinks and food arrived quickly. He checked in once while we were eating, and then came back when we were finishing up with dinner to take our dessert order. This has definitely become our go-to place for West Seattle!

Don't let Vegan deter you! Amazing nachos!!! And $12 cocktails that are delicious!! Can't leave a photo because we ate everything.

Absolutely delicious food and not too busy! Cozy seating area and a great happy hour menu!