Nell's Restaurant

This is a higher scale restaurant with delicious French style food. They have a wonderful duck leg confit in their menu, which is my favorite. It's hard to find a good confit duck leg in Seattle, and Nell's definitely nailed it. My husband ordered the beef cheek, which was wonderfully cooked as well. However, the service here was somewhat snuddy. My husband and I are middle aged, but we look younger than we actually are. The typical customers here that we noticed, are silver haired diners. I guess it has to do with the location with a high end old folks home next door. As a result, I think the servers here are not too interested in serving younger people with whatever their assumptions are on us. I heard a group of seniors leaving saying great service. Our experience was VERY different. Last night we went there for a date night meal. The appetizer, onion tart did not come out for 40 mins, and our entres did not come out for another 25 mins. The server offered us no apologies nor explanations, did not even refill water. The diners next to us sat down 20 mins after we ordered, and their entres came out the same time as ours. Hum.......some mixed up in the kitchen? Diners are not stupid, nor do younger looking people. We have eyes! I did not bother to confront nor ask the server because I did not want to spoil our date night mood. With this kind of service, somehow a 20% tip or above is expected. What a joke!Food is 5 stars, service is 0, so a 2.5 star in average for this well respected establishment.

Here on the first day of Seattle Restaurant Week. Lots of people were actually there even before opening at 5pm. I made reservation 2 day prior at the opening time. It was a good idea as their parking lot was half empty I didn't have any problem. You know parking is always an issue in Seattle.My friend and I ordered soup/salad, iberico pork/cod, apple crisp from SRW menu. Both agreed they were all bland lacking complexity in flavor though ingredients were pretty fresh and generous portion. Unfortunately the plates were cold with warm food on them. They also show black edges from wear. It was good we shared main entree so we could try variety. It's not very common in the US to share dishes but pretty common in Japan. Restaurants there accommodate sharing by serving half each or offering additional plates. Anyways I enjoyed the ambiance of this restaurant very much. SRW menu starts at 35, the pork extra 15.

My wife and I went to Nell's last night for our first time. We drove 26 miles from our home in S. King County, and let me tell you, it was worth every mile. This little, unassuming restaurant with the antiquated decor, "Best Restaurant 2010" sticker on the door, and half burned-out neon sign has instead put their energy into the creativity and quality of their food and the hiring of a truly professional staff. We ordered the Winter Tasting Menu with a bottle of "reasonably-priced" Burgundy and then sat stunned staring at each other and smiling as each course came out better than the last. Steelhead with pickled root vegetables completely on point and delicious; cherry tomato risotto with a fresh chiffonade of basil and the perfect amount of Parmegiano; absolutely perfectly cooked pork loin--not dry at all, nor undercooked--served with butternut squash medallions and Brussels sprouts and a plate-licking-worthy sauce; a cheese course; and finished with crème brûlée with fresh raspberries hiding under the crust. Nell's is obviously a favorite with the locals, as we saw plenty of them pouring in for dinner, meeting their friends, embracing warmly, then ordering multiple bottles of great wine and generally enlivening the place with the sweet sound of camaraderie, laughter, and joy. It has been quite a while since I've heard that. I was under the impression that dining out was a dying pleasure, but I don't think Nell's or this little corner of the world has gotten the message.

Seattle restaurant week is coming！ our first dinner in Nells with 3course 35 dollar setits small but cozy with a view of the greenlake. People are friendlyspanich salad is delicious with cream and sweet pumpkin and the pumpkin soup is smooth with some to chew.Pork with apple is good because the pork is so tender that you can see the pink texture in the middle of it.Cod is fresh and the outside is crispy, the side dish with cabbage and mashed potatoes is juicy and creamy so that the whole dish will not be too dry , which reach a balance.As to desert I really prefer the chocolate brownie with ice cream, it is not that sweet than the other.Overall, I enjoyed meal there.

Had an incredible experience from beginning to end thanks to our incredible server Gabriel who ushered us into great food suggestions as we tried some of Nell's greatest hits: The Steak, Cod, Beet Salad, and Calamari. The Caramel Chocolate dessert to finish it all off with ice cream was exceptional. Thanks again Gabriel!

Superb experience! Delectable meals (Trout, Sturgeon, Pork Loin, Lamb Chop, plus desserts); delicious cocktails; personable service. Nell's is wonderfully quiet - no background music - which allows great conversations without going hoarse yelling above the din. We have been a number of times over several years, and like to take out-of-town guests - a place visitors to Seattle would never hear about or find on their own. Thank you, Nell's, for another outstanding evening!

I looked forward to dinner at this well known, well regarded restaurant. Their website reads "Nell's is an intimate, chef-owned restaurant located...". It is not intimate, it is one large room with a strip mall feeling. If the weather is nice, recommend sitting outside.Simple cocktails and wines by the glass were good. Tomato risotto was loose and oversalted, not the creamy loveliness I anticipated. Good quality, good cut, good prepared steak. Good veggies. Good fish. Desserts looked great on the menu, not great flavor.Service was a little awkward.Perhaps this was an off night, perhaps they are resting on their laurels, perhaps my expectations were too high... it was food, it was hot, it was priced right. ***

I visited Nell's for the first time in many years and had a wonderful experience. The food was fantastic - truly some of the best dishes I've had (I in particular loved the fettuccini and the peach crisp with lavender ice cream dessert!). Additionally, the service was fantastic. Gabriel made several recommendations which turned out to be great, and Sky made several fun visits to my table as well, which helped create a fun and wonderful experience. I loved my visit!

My favorite restaurant for enjoying the company of your dinner companion. You can have a conversation at a table of 6 which is impossible in most Seattle restaurants. Food is reliably good, especially vegetables, fish and their iconic onion tart.

Unfortunately this wonderful restaurant is NO MORE. Food preparation and quality is not what it used to be. Second time we are disappointed. No more.