Bannister

Small hole in the wall type place. Came here for the bi-​weekly brunch. It was packed so expect to wait for a table. Seatting is actually community table so don’t be alarm if you’re sharing with strangers. This place kinda reminded me of the Kingfish Café when it use to be open, small & packed. The food was good. Street parking only.
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Great cocktails and a great location. We’re fans of Bannister. Sometimes the seating is a pain, but overall it’s a great place for a cocktail and some snacks.

Came here for dinner in the middle of the week and as expected on a weekday evening, the place had a «Hopper-​ish» (as in one of those lonely Edward Hopper paintings) look to it. We ordered a few small plates, including the Spanish torta, bruschetta w/​cauliflower, Spanish meatballs, and some others I can’t remember. Overall, they were… g-​ood (wish you could hear my voice in a strained attempt to up my tempo) but somehow I was left only mildly impressed. The food sort of lacked the «depth» of flavor I often experience in Spanish food/​tapas. The service was good, price reasonable, décor/​ambiance somewhat prosaic but overall I wouldn’t resist going there again if the opportunity arises.

Had an awesome dining and beverage experience here with three close friends. Even with an upcoming shift in the menu (‘reconstruction’ as the owner, Brian, put it) … we were very pleased with the food. We asked Brian to bring out what he thought would be best for our group, and all the food was fresh and delicious.
Interior is inviting and intimate — perfect for good conversation. Our group talked about the space being perfect if we had a reunion party for our grad class — Bannister easily expands into Tougo next door (equally awesome coffee shop).
Overall, a perfect Central District spot without the craziness/​over-​hype of Capitol Hill. Thanks again to Brian for the experience.

Stop going to the fucking Black Bottle and do something honestly romantic.
This is a great, great place. Bring a date here and it will probably get you laid. Better get here soon though as every time I come here it’s empty and I really want them to make it.

Go to Bannister immediately and order the chorizo with dates, red wine and onions. And then order whatever else you want because it’s all delicious. Sweet little nosh spot with a tidy but interesting beer and wine list and personable waitstaff. Prices are fair and flavors are bold.
My only complaints are 1) I could hear music from Tougo next door (the associated coffee shop) plus the track in Bannister, creating a weird cacophony. And 2) the bread-​to-​spread ratio on the «board» we got wasn’t quite enough.
That being said, I hope the masses don’t discover Bannister because I want to keep this little gem all to myself!

Great neighborhood spot. Good wine and tasty lighter fare. Don’t expect a full meal, though, as the options are limited. This is more of an afternoon glass of wine and bites spot.

Intimate interior, friendly service and delicious flavors. Loved the oysters, bread (with cultured butter) and meat boards and radicchio & cannellini salad.

A great intimate dining experience and phenomenal charcuterie.
This is an adorable spot to dine on small plates and sip at wine. We sampled a great deal of oysters, cheeses, charcuterie, and crostinis and were impressed by all. This will be a new staple for sure!
The wine by the bottle is reasonably priced and our server was fantastic. We didn’t have any issue splitting our bill onto multiple credit cards. (only saying this because I saw it come up in a previous review). What a wonderful edition to the neighborhood.

Delightful place! The atmosphere is very calm and intimate, with low lighting and simple furnishings. The menu isn’t too big, and everything I tried was delicious. Service was outstanding. Our server was friendly and helpful and the food was served in good time. I look forward to going back!

Really nice rustic set up with great inviting atmosphere. You can tell they care about great food. The special this night was crostini with pear and blue cheese, while the presentation didn’t blow my hair back the taste blew my mind. I could have eaten a platter of them. Don’t be scared of the trotter stew with fried prosciutto it is awesome. The charcuterie is the star and should. Curry salami had great taste without over powering heat, paired well with the goat cheese Gouda. The prosciutto was perfect not the cheap plastic-​y stuff you find at the grocery store. Good price on the wine by the glass with a strong drink menu in general without being pretentious. They use local stuff whenever possible which is great. The server was knowledgable and friendly, clearly knew what was going on with the restaurant and not just going through the motions. Over all a hidden gem worth seeking out.

Atmosphere: 5 stars. It’s a small space with mostly 2 – 4 seat tables but one large table for groups/​parties. Open kitchen concept. Dim lighting. Good background music. Cozy and quaint.
Menu: 4 stars. simple and straightforward. It’s a small bites restaurant. Prices range from $ 4 – 20 but could increase with how you build your boards. Multiple Charcuterie and cheese boards boards to chose from as well as tapas style vegetables. I personally wish there was more cooked meat options but I assume their menu is restricted by their kitchen size.
Food: 5 stars. Presented in a rustic attractive way. The mustard was SO good. The charcuterie was great and came in a healthy serving size for the two of us. The goat Gouda cheese was easily one of the best cheeses I’ve ever had and paired perfectly with our meats.
Drinks: 5 stars. the options are local and sit at a great price point on their half page menu. $ 4 – 10 for drinks. Bottles available as well. The wine glasses were great too!
Service: 5 stars. So friendly and full of knowledge around the menu. We were seated right away had glasses of wine within 5 min and were checked on appropriately. Our server was adorable and friendly asking how we were and what our evening plans were.
Great intimate date spot in Seattle.

Intimate little hole-​in-​the-​wall spot with excellent tapas-​style small plates and a nice selection of wines. Stopped by with some friends and tried most of what they had on the menu, and everything was really good. The menu isn’t super long, but it’s obvious that they strive for high quality and won’t just throw random things on there to have a longer menu.
Our waiter was friendly and really knowledgeable about all the food and wine offerings. We asked for a cheese plate to be put together and really enjoyed everything they came back with. Same with the charcuterie selection they made up for us. The Columbia City Bakery bread they serve was really good and you MUST try a pickled red beet egg. Spanish tortilla + aioli was also excellent.
It’s right around the corner from New City Theater, so a perfect spot for pre– or post-​show snacking.

Paying for the atmosphere and pretension. Nice server. Had a Charcuterie plate which was nice, but small and not really worth anywhere near the $ 18 in my opinion. Credit card only and for some reason can’t split bills on credit cards. On street parking was a bit of a pain on a Tuesday night.

Had a very enjoyable shared small plates style late dinner here with a friend. The menu is small but varied; everything is fresh and very flavorful. The seared halloumi was seasoned perfectly, the oysters were kumamotos (how can you go wrong?), the housemade seared pickled beef tongue was delicious. My favourite dish might have been the cannellini beans with radicchio and salumi — beautifully balanced flavors with the mild bitterness of the radicchio and the savory salumi. The wine list is small but nicely varied and fairly affordable. Service was attentive and friendly. A very nice addition to the neighborhood — worth a visit!