Canlis Reviews

The service and atmosphere were amazing! We had the four course meal and everything me and my wife had was cooked to perfection. We will definitely be back.

A must visit spot, the food, the views, it's all amazing.

While the experience is still 5 stars , the food has lost it's finesse ever since the new chef has taken over. Tasting menu seems disjointed and many dishes just above average.

Enjoy the thoughtful and meticulous service, which makes you more reasonable.

What an incredible experience! Top notch in every way. I bought my husband a gift card for dinner together here, and it was the perfect gift! We both had an amazing time

Loved the ambience and the service. The food was fantastic, but for some reason wasn't extremely memorable. The flow of courses made for a nice relaxing evening with plenty to talk about.

I love this place my B/F and I always celebrate by going here. Super nice place very classy and everything we've ever tried off the menu has been amazing . Not cheap eats but if you want a special dinner to remember you should definitely consider an evening at Canlis.

We went to opening night for the Yurt Village at Canlis, great ambiance and Wanda was amazing as our server. Great first experience at Canlis.

Great service, food, and atmosphere! Loved the live piano, and the fillet mignon was fantabulous!

My girlfriend and I had the opportunity to experience Canlis this February. Neither of us had previously been to a restaurant like this and we didn t really know what to expect. I wish I had some eloquent way to express what a beautiful evening we shared together at Canlis. What I can tell you, it was the best night my girlfriend and I have ever had hands down.

Preparations, make sure to have your best outfit! We just happened to look on the website a month or so before our reservation and noticed the dress code. In the time leading up to our dinner we went shopping together and had the best time picking out what to wear and I ended up getting my first suit to wear for the dinner and a few weddings we have this summer. You definitely don t need a suit but they will ask that men wear a jacket. Most ladies there had dresses. We were so glad we made it a priority to look our best. You won t regret it.

The location, I ve driven past it countless times across 99 and I had no idea it was there. Super low key and tucked away. Once you know what you re looking for you ll know what I mean. It s almost like the half wall the Canlis name is on makes it more private. You re not sure if you ve driven to a restaurant or a beautiful home. Valet is complementary.

What to expect, from the moment you walk in the door you re greeted warmly and someone takes your coats for you. You re shown to your table, we were so lucky to get a table near to the windows and no one was sat down til halfway thru our meal so we had uninterrupted views for most of the evening. We re not sure if they seat guests like this specifically but we enjoyed it regardless . Initially the menu can be a little confusing to anyone new to this type of dining. (Definitely us) not to worry though whoever is taking care of you for the night explains everything in a straightforward way that s easy to understand. We opted for the multi course meal rather than ordering individual items. It was all very new to us but absolutely everything we had was fantastic.

Overall we can t say enough good things about the entire Canlis experience. It s a beautiful place and you re treated so well without anything feeling forced or over the top.This is a special place you can go to make memories thank you to the entire Canlis team.

Spectacular view looking over Lake Union from the brow of the hill - and the food matches the food.

Great Ambience.
And nice food.

I'm overly amused with their valet. Both times I've been here, when we leave our table and get out to the valet our car is the next in queue; and they don't even give you a valet slip or something they just know which car is whose. The craftsman cocktails are incredible, the ever flowing wine was a bit of a problem on my last visit (at a holiday party). The appetizers are mouth watering, the starter salad was different but great. The perfect steak; none better. Some sort of cheesy potato thing was heaven.

Great dining experience. The food, the staff everything is great about this place.

What an amazing kitchen!!! All TOP, defo will be back

Only went for a the Hawaiian night pop up. It was lovely, staff was very charming.

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday.I hesitated because I'm a starving artist, who rarely has a ton of money. But I saved up so I could wow my BF...And It was worth it! I tried duck for the first time... Amazing! They gave us truffle fries which were the BEST I've ever had. I dreamt about that desert. Service was great too! Every one was super nice and helpful. They even wrote "happy Birthday" on my boyfriends desert which was a nice touch. This is definitely worth the money for a overall great time!

I am uber driver I am always be there this place may be 2 twice a week I am not problem with the place but the staff of the valet very very rude and disrespectful I dont liked the way they change attitude because I am driving mini van it means am not value I am bring you ..your customer who is paying alot of money to enjoy his/her meal and beautiful view south lake union but my friend you need to change the attitude specially front staff the short man has worst attitude

A bucket list restaurant in Seattle, excellent food and outstanding service

Great service as usual... food is fine but I am still missing the open menu

Pricey, but staff are unbelievably attentive (without being intrusive) and the food is great. Extensive wine and whiskey lists (I don't really care about the former, care deeply about the latter). Views of Gasworks and Lake Union are fantastic on a nice day. And Mark Canlis is former Air Force, but I don't hold that against him.

Love their service, Quality, innovation. In the summer we attended their parking lot pool parties and Hawaiian pork roasts; in the other seasons it s THE fine dining restaurant in Seattle. Their love for their craft and love for their staff and mission are top class. Their ability to be flexible and creative set them apart. Bravo Canlis!

I took my friend here for his birthday.I hesitated because of prices , rarely have a ton of money for this type of dinning. It was worth it! I tried duck for the first time... Amazing! They gave us truffle fries which were the BEST I've ever had. I dreamt about that desert. Service was great too! Every one was super nice and helpful. They even wrote "happy Birthday" on my friend's desert which was a nice touch. This is definitely worth the money for a overall great time!

Five stars are not enough. This must be on your bucket list if you are at all a serious foodie. Every aspect of my dining experience here way too long ago was exemplary. The flashes of molecular gastronomy in several amuse bouches between courses showed creativity, humor and continued relevance.

Super expensive but for that special occasion why not?

Great views. Fantastic servers. We were there with a group. Disappointing food choices if you are whole food plant based. We chose the mushroom risotto without cheese. They couldn't do that but they had a carrot entree instead so we said More

Amazing. We loved it. Go try it out, you will definitely not be sorry.

Great views! Fancy though and very iconic of Seattle. Get their canlis prawns!

This is the place to go dressed to the nines. Wear your fanciest dress and prepare to step back into time. Love it.

I worked at the Canlis when i was 17. John Wayne and Angie Dickinson had personal ised engraved wine goblets above the doorway. Best view in Seattle! $$$$

Overrated place to eat. You only pay for the view. The food is nothing to rave about nor does it justify the cost.

From the start, at reservation, the experience was fantastic. I have never had such a great experience just making a reservation.
The whole experience upon arriving to departing was such a stellar representation of what guest service is, only one-upped in every single possible way. The staff seem to innately know what you need or want before you do. Even watching the staff interact with each other was amazing. Very little words between them, they function like a well tuned machine. They just seem to mesh so well it is hard to see a flaw, so I saw none.
The meal was totally unexpected. I knew it was going to be good, but this is really next level here. I can't even remember what I ate, what it was called. All I know, and my fiancee' agrees, the flavor and tastes were in the territory of " I didn't know food could taste this way" and " flavors I never knew existed".

Even if you have dined at other fine dining, you must go here.

Easily the best food in Seattle and beyond-superb service. Some think it is expensive, and it's not cheap, but we have been in similar restaurants around the world (Troisgros, Bocuse, etc) and we felt for this level of food and service it was a bargain.

We have been to Canlis several times over the years, and while impressive, what has most impressed me during these challenging times are the ways in which Canlis has stepped up in the community to help. Both with incredible meals delivered to our door, but also in its efforts to offer community support, outreach and engagement. Not to mention Bingo! We loved the benefit concerts on YouTube and the fun of a Bingo date night. :)

Most exceptional culinary experience. Special occasion place! Excellent customer service.

Looking forward to coming back with my coworkers. Prices were average for the menu.

Review canlis delivers great food,one of the best restaurant in seattle.

Canlis is a Seattle institution, serving up some of the city's finest dining for decades. After living here for almost 20 years, my wife and I figured it was time we finally partook. Sadly, we had a mixed dining experience: the atmosphere, ambiance and decor of the restaurant are first rate along with the spectacular views, but the food and service did not live up to expectations given reputation and final bill.

Along with two of our friends, we booked a 5 PM seating on a Sunday (perhaps this was part of the problem, some critics swear Sundays are the worst day to go to a restaurant given food delivery and senior staff work schedules, but I'd expect better from a place of this caliber). We all planned to drink with dinner, so we took a Lyft to the restaurant. When we arrived at about 4:50 PM there were four or five valets standing around, and not one of them moved to open the car's doors. Part of me wondered if this was because we were in a Lyft. But isn't that the responsible thing to do if everyone is drinking? Did we need to show up in our own car or a limousine to receive basic valet service? Also, no one opened the door for us when we entered the restaurant, and yet there were staff standing on both sides of the doorway. In my everyday life I would never fuss or be bothered by this kind of inattention, but valet service and attentive doormen is supposed to be one of the reasons to go to a restaurant such as Canlis. It s why I wore on of my suits and my wife bought a new dress for the occasion.

After we handed off our coats we were lead by the hostess to the bar, as we were early. We ordered drinks, but after about 10 minutes we were ushered to our table. While we waited at least another 10 minutes for our drinks to arrive we were asked by two different servers if we wanted to order drinks. At a standard restaurant I wouldn t mind this, it means the staff is being attentive, but at a place like Canlis there s a different expectation, that there should be total coordination between all sections of the restaurant, it s part of the experience and reflected in the cost. It was apparent the staff were doing their best to be attentive and coordinate our service, but lapses such as this continued to occur. At one point my friend wanted to order another glass of wine to go with his main course, but a server never responded to our visual cues or came by of their own accord before he finished the entire course. In between entrees and dessert, we ordered coffee, which did not arrive until we were almost done with dessert. Finally, as we left the restaurant, in anticipation of our departure, the hostess was waiting with our coats, however she attempted to hand them to the people in front of us! A fitting end, I suppose, to a night were the staff tried hard to anticipate our needs but continuously came up short.

As for the food, which is really the reason I go out to places such as Canlis, it was good but not spectacular, and there were even a couple of misses. I ordered the salsify (I m a big fan of root vegetables), but the outer skin (shell, husk?) was overdone to the point of being tough and slightly burnt tasting. I liked where the combination of flavors in the dish were headed, but this ended up undermining it. For dessert, I order the pumpkin churros which I can best describe as woefully inadequate. Churros bring to mind crispy and chewy, slightly sweet, fried batter, but the cake portion of the dish was a round, flat puck, that had an almost crumbly and dry mouthfeel. The yogurt sorbet added nothing to the dish and mostly overpowered the other flavors. And to top it off, there were strips of steamed/baked(?) pumpkin flesh that felt rusticly out of place.

All said, had we spent half the price for this meal I would have been satisfied (probably two more stars). But, taking everything into account, I simply can t recommend Canlis.

Top restaurant with amazing views, great service and courteous staff, great food (though I was expecting somewhat better execution in the main course).
Ambience: 11/10
Staff and service: 9/10
Food: 8/10

Great service. But for 200/person the food left a bit to be desired.

Ever the Seattle shining star of culinary culture. Imposing and incredible wine list. Premier service and, of course, the Canalis salad. This is a dining experience that lives up to it's reputation.

Great service. Excellent food. Quite and serene environment.

Excellent. Superb service and atmosphere, and the food is extremely well executed and delicious. A very stylish restaurant.

The most amazing food I've eaten in my entire life. Months later and I'm still talking about it. Prices were $165/person (no alcohol), not including tip. So worth it though. Also note their strict dress code - blazers/slacks only for guys

Came here with my monthly dinner club and OMG yum!! It's definitely worth the hype. Try to get a reservation a few weeks in advance!

Easily the best pizza and pasta I've had in a long time. Definitely come with a group so you can order a bunch of different dishes to try -- sharing is fun!

We also tried an orange wine that was pretty good. Overall would definitely be back! Perfect for a special occasion.

Best dining experience I've had in awhile. Amazing food, service, and view.

THE place to go for a special occasion in Seattle but be prepared to take out a mortgage to cover the cost.

The atmosphere overlooking the water is outstanding. Their service is over the top and the attention to detail is unbelievable. This is fine of a restaurant experiences I've had in recent years. from the chefs appetizer taster two salads to the main course the atmosphere and food cannot be beat. The Canlis family is on the 3rd Generation with this restaurant don't miss it if you go to Seattle

I am humbled by the graciousness and the warmth of the staff and Canlis. Wanda took the best care of me and made the evening special and she has worked there 29 years! She has the best customer service of anyone I have ever met in my whole life and I am thankful for her service. The owner, Mr. Canlis, stopped by our table and introduced himself as well! This restaurant lives up to their reputation and I am a customer for life :)

Beautiful food, incredible presentation, and impeccable service.

Ribeye was cooked (as requested) with a pink centre and grilled to perfection. Smoky carrots were still a bit crunchy and paired with the forest mushrooms to make a perfect veggie break in between tartar and Dungeness crab. That cheese though...<3

Greg was very genuine, and knowledgeable - took the guesswork out and selected some wonderful wine pairings for our courses.

Decor was...interesting. Very dark, not my jam (classic 50's architecture) but the views were incredible. Fun explanation on the boat "race".

If you're still reading this and haven't yet booked a spot...do it! Books in advance.

If you don't like this, then you are the problem. Food, service, ambience. Tough to beat any of those anywhere in the world.

Shocked at how bad the bar service was. My traditional cocktail was totally unbalanced as well.

Canlis is by far the finest restaurant in the Northwest - nothing comes close to their quality, service, attention to detail and just the overall experience. Best martini s in Seattle as well. They remember our favorite table, drinks, etc. More

Phenomenal food and superb service, so appreciate their effort to make our event special.

I am very disappointed in Canlis. As a Seattle resident and (former) fan of Canlis, I am utterly amazed at the total disregard for local people and loyalty to local people and return customers this restaurant exhibits. My husband and I celebrated our wedding dinner at Canlis ten years ago this month. Do you think we can get a table for two ten years later? No way. I tried a month ago to get a reservation for our ten year anniversary this coming Thursday and was put on a waitlist. The way to get off the waitlist is to respond immediately to an email that goes out alerting you to an opening. I'm sorry but I'm a teacher and I don't have time to watch my email for a Canlis opening. This whole experience has totally soured my regard for this restaurant and I'm now planning my anniversary elsewhere. I won't be trying Canlis again.

Canlis is the best, the whole experience from arriving to leaving is top notch. Nothing pretentious, what's in the plate is really amazing, delicate. Every dish is like a firework on your palate.

Sent my parents here for their anniversary and they only had good things to say. It was pleasing to know that Canlis gave my parents a great time. Would love to personally visit there myself.

Staff was extremely friendly and fun! I've never eaten anything better in my life. 5 stars!

Great view in the large guest room. There is a private bar so you can order whatever you want. Awesome service throughout. The food is among the tops.
Overall great experience here and worth a visit.

Spectacular service, amazing wine, and excellent food. Obviously it's incredibly expensive, but they make sure that the price feels worth it. An excellent choice for special occasions. Our waiter was probably be best I've ever had, incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and he gave us advice on our upcoming trip to Japan!

Tasting menu was rather poor. First two dishes were a crappy salad and beets. Only one dish besides the deserts was exceptional. Cocktail was good but way overpriced. View is wonderful and staff is very friendly. I bet the regular menu is better than the tasting menu.

The pop up drive through delivered a perfect med-rare burger.

AMAZING spot to bring husband to, I knew this place wouldn't dissapoint. The service was phenomenal and the food just outstanding. thank you!

A great, non-rushed experience with great food, an amazing atmosphere, beautiful views, and terrific service. We were visiting Seattle with friends and Canlis has been on my wish list for restaurants to visit. The experience didn't disappoint. For me, it's about sharing experiences and making memories and Canlis delivered on both.

This restaurant has set the bar of what a 30 should be for Zagat. They had the best service, from the moment the valet takes your car to the point you walk outside and your car is waiting for you. They put service first and you have the best view of the city at this restaurant. To throw on top of it, every single thing I ate there was divine. Items were seasoned lightly to bring out the flavors of the ingredients themselves. The twice baked potatos and the truffle fries were highly recommended to us, so we went with them.

I wish every city had a restaurant like this. In fact, I bet there are very few cities that have restaurants that can compare.

I will now go back and rereview restaurants using this place as a bar. I highly recommend it to anyone at any time. Best part, prices were comparable to other restaurants at this range, but you receive so much more for your money. Jacket and tie are required! Also, you're not supposed to tip the valet, as they want to keep cash out of sight.

Stellar service, I'll be dreaming about that bread forever. Or, at least until I come back to Seattle.

Food delicious beyond words. Ricotta dumplings are out of this world. Great views/service/atmosphere but mostly affordable for corporate accounts like $AMZN + $MSFT. Canlis Family knows where to hit the hunger spot!

Impeccable service and wonderfully creative presentations of delicious food. Fit for the most special occasions.

Wow! This place is worth the experience, the amount of details they focus on was so unique to make your night special

Fantastic dinner, service, and ambiance. Best of the year for sure! Our sommelier was also very great! Would highly recommend.

Incredible experience. I felt very spoiled!
Wonderful service!