Sawyer

Amazing food and even better service!!

Had the foie gras, ceviche, duck fat fries, hush puppies, and baos. All were terrific and our server was great. Definitely coming back again. Also, the outside deck is pretty awesome.

I love Sawyer. Great food, Attentive service & awesome cocktails. Mitch knows what he’s doing & does it extremely well!

A wonderful experience as always. Food was amazing, cocktails were delicious as well. Hostess and waiter were lovely and as new parents we are a little hesitant taking our infant out to restaurants but nobody bat an eye, they were accommodating and lovely. Made for the perfect first Father’s Day for my husband. Thank you!

The monkey bread is worth the visit alone.

First timer to this place and the food was fantastic, best meal I’ve had in a long time. If you book a table at their first seating on Friday or Saturday at 4:45, and you’re waiting outside and see the hostess messing with the door and walk away, try the door after she leaves. Cuz even if you’re waiting outside for them to open, they won’t just open the door for you after they unlock it. Also, put in special comments about sitting on the patio. We were able to get a table out there but had a one hour time limit to finish our meal.l because we hadn’t specifically requested it. Next time will put in special request for that because the food is so epically delicious, we will definitely be back and would love to leisurely try more items next time!

Food just as amazing as we remember pre-pandemic. Thank you Sawyer! You rock!

Our hostess was very rude. The server and food was great.

Food was really delicious! Our waiter Avery was wonderful! He was very personable, provided great recommendations and was lovely to interact with! We highly recommend Sawyer! Enjoy!

Great food, great service, great atmosphere!!! Definitely try the pork belly buns!

The food was quite good but the waiter was absolutely fantastic. Great recommendations, fun, and attentive. Also, the bork belly buns are out of this world.

Perfect date night spot. Portions were larger than expected and everything was delicious. Will be back!

I was excited to return after my first visit. I didn’t remember how heavy-handed the flavors were. The composition of the asparagus sauté was gorgeous, but the sauce was unexpectedly cheesy-rich. A lighter version would’ve honored the asparagus. The pork belly buns could’ve used a tad more veggies but the pork was thick and delicious. The artichokes were fabulous by themselves. The side sauce was unnecessary. The marinade for the bulgogi fajitas was heavy handed. A really nice portion of rib eye, cooked perfectly medium rare. And the carmelized veggies underneath were colorful and delicious. But the beef and veggies were overwhelmed. Nice spice level. Again, keep the flavor, just thin out the cloying sweetness. Oh, but wait! The nan was absolutely incredible- initially thought I’d pass on eating it-but then I tried a bite. Pillowy soft and ummm ..unlike any bread I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time. A perfect 5 stars. I’ll be back to try again!

Absolutely the best food we’ve had on our week-long Seattle vacation! And we haven’t had any bad food....

This kitchen had it going on—inventive & creatively curated local and seasonal ingredients, perfectly executed dishes, and a server who was both knowledgeable and passionate about every item on the menu. Avery’s enthusiasm for the menu selections was contagious—we really wanted one of everything. Even using restraint we still over-ordered, and I have no regrets.

Two people shared five items: Dungeness crab hush puppies, pork belly steamed buns, pan-seared cod, bulgogi ribeye fajitas, and a Dilly Bar with cookie dough. We had to leave some of the fajitas behind because we just were so stuffed. The only reason I gave the ambiance category four stars instead of five is that the booth where we sat faced a white bare wall and the drink refill station. We could see nothing else, and it felt as though we were in time out. As we traveled here from out of state, I wish we could’ve been seated in a more scenic part of the restaurant.

Make your Sawyer reservations NOW!

Food was really good, a great mix of different styles/influences. Only complaint I have is the size of the portions is a little all over the place, so it's probably best to ask the waitstaff about the plates you want to order so you don't overeat like we did. I don't think that's a problem unique to this restaurant though. Great building, friendly service, overall would definitely recommend.

Pretty good. Some dishes were a little salty for my taste, but overall the food was good. Would recommend the ceviche and the pan fried cod.

All of their food is lovely, but their vegetarian options are what really hit home for me. I could have eaten bowl after bowl of the grilled asparagus with baby artichoke hearts. I loved it so much I had to lick the serving spoon and scrape the bowl clean. My only recommendation is to balance your ordering choices. My husband was with me and went a little heavy handed on the pork products, which ended up feeling to greasy and heavy. Portions were good family style sizes, and between the two of us we were beyond stuffed with 4 items ordered. Will most definitely go back.

Dined here for our anniversary, just the two of us. Seated near a table of 8 women who got louder as more alcohol was imbibed. Seems a lot of restaurants put 2 tops near large tables so you don't have a chance of easily conversing. I get they need to put tables where they can to get the most guests in. Pork belly buns and crab hush puppies appetizers were delicious and creative. Entree of steak fajitas sounded good, but difficult to eat. The flatbread is supposed to have a pocket to fill with steak, vegetables, pickles and kimchi. My flatbread did not open as expected and couldn't get much filling. Steak should be fork tender in an application where you have to take a bite with flatbread, and all the accompaniments. It was a tough and the whole piece comes out when you try to take a bite. We returned to Sawyer because we previously had the roast porchetta done in this style, eaten with flatbread - and it was great. Was disappointed this meal did not live up to expectations. Were also underwhelmed with the desserts.

Exquisite. The food was excellent and our server was a true professional

Everything was excellent - from the pork belly buns (melting unctuousness) to the rib eye carnitas (where to begin? Perfection.) to the cuatro leches cake. So so wonderful. Our server was so friendly and knowledgeable - he met our every dining need. We will definitely return. So fantastic.

Excellent service, drink and food. Requires multiple visits to get an opportunity to explore the whole menu. Thank you!

Awesome sea bass preparation and great as always!

The food is exquisite. Everything was even better than described.

One of the best meals I’ve experienced in the Seattle area. Our server was knowledgeable and so fun!

Our waiter was incredible. The food was great too!

Great food, classy cocktails, amazing service!!

It was wonderful. Our table outside wasn’t ready but they put us inside near and window and we couldn’t have been happier. Wonderful food and service. Lovely ambience. Stoked to check out the brunch menu.

Fantastic server, recommendations with food and drinks that were just as amazing!

Overall the experience and food was good. A little disappointed at the surprise 3% added to the bill for “kitchen wages”. I’m happy to tip well and support restaurant workers after the year they’ve had, but on principle this added mandatory fee at the end of the night left me with a bad taste in my mouth despite the great food.

Our server was amazing

Best dinner in Ballard in the last 14 months !!!!!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ all the way. My wife and I were told to try your restaurant out about 6 mos ago and we have received Fantastic Food (and drinks) EVERYTIME. Service has been great too! Sawyer has become our new favorite in all of Seattle. Even better it’s right next to where my wife gets her hair done. We live a ferry ride away but we will try to take a 1/2 day to come to Ballard about every 6 weeks just to eat at your restaurant then do other stuff just for a date. We will be back as often as we can! Thanks for the great food!

We ordered a few dishes to share between the two of us while seated outdoors for a birthday dinner. The pork belly buns, grilled artichokes, ceviche, and quatro leches cake were incredible and great value, but we found a couple of the more substantial dishes (the steak with tots and dungeness crab hush puppies) were just okay and overly-seasoned/too salty. I found the cocktails to be a bit overpriced as well. Our experience was unfortunately not as good ambience-wise because the guests at the next table over were quite loud and crass, which sullied the experience somewhat since we couldn't hear each other well over the chatter and couldn't move to a table inside. We'll definitely come back for another meal now that we know what to order, but will try to reserve a spot inside next time.

Great food! Bring a small group so you can share lots of plates. :)

Our server was excellent, too. A taller bald gentlemen. Can’t wait to go back and try what we didn’t get a chance to.

They always have the quality food that matches the price. The cocktails are great. There are many places in Ballard that are decent but Sawyer is a step above.

This restaurant was recommended by a friend as we are from out of town. So happy we chose to go here. Service and food were excellent. Some of the dishes are unique and I am a little picky, but I was able to find a few dishes on the menu that would work for me. We sat outside, which is covered and they had heaters on which made it very comfortable. Note that the menu does change so what is shown on Open Table might not be the menu when you arrive. Highly recommend!

Always great service and delicious food. Sawyer has it down.

Best restaurant in Seattle for quality, ambiance, fun staff, unique spin (but not crazy) on dishes.

Excellent food. Tastes much better than it sounds in the description. Gourmet level food without the gourmet prices

Do yourself a favor and make a reservation at Sawyer! Our delightful server, Avery, made our experience magical! Our group of 4 had 1 person allergic to gluten and the restaurant was so accommodating, knowledgeable, and communicative about what could be made GF. Every dish was beautiful and delicious, perfect for a group of foodies. The cocktails were really fun too!