Bluwater Bistro

It looks like it’s a nice restaurant, but it’s most definitely not.
They had Jerry Springer on the television. Classy, huh?
Water was served with a bug in it. Dishes weren’t clean. Spider webs are all over the place; there were four in view right next to me.
I ordered an appetizer. The eggplant, cheese, and tomato were dry and flavorless. It was like eating the fake food you put on display.
I left and went to the Japanese restaurant next to it.
The beautiful view of the water is overshadowed by this terrible restaurant.

Tens years living in Washington and this was my first trip to Bluwater Bistro. Sadly, I think it may be my last as well.
We had reservations which was helpful as there were very few tables available but the table was nothing more than backyard plastic patio furniture. They jam the patio full of tables in an attempt to maximize business but it left me seating on a plastic chair with three legs on the patio and one leg on the brick walkway.
We chatted for a bit and looked over the drink menu. We chatted some more as our server had not come by to introduce herself. When she finally did come to take our orders, I could have mistaken her for a patron. She was wearing a dress more suited for a summer outing than serving tables. However, once she did take our orders, she was rather prompt with getting our drinks out and then our food.
We shared an order of the Jamaican Jerk Chicken skewers and some steamed clams. They call it «satay» but that’s as accurate as Kobe Bryant’s shooting in Game 7 of this year’s Finals. Shoving chicken on a skewer and calling it satay is just wrong. Probably just as wrong is throwing some random seasoning on some chicken two minutes before you fire it up and calling it «Jamaican Jerk». The clams were a pound of average goodness. Yes, I think clams can be fantastic over some pasta with some red or white sauce. But served by itself, you gotta give it a little extra something.
I ordered the Prime Sirloin Burger which came with waffle fries. I could have had the sweet potato fries for an extra $ 2. I love some sweet potato fries but when did the price of sweet potato skyrocket like crude oil in the Bush Administration? The burger was decent. Fatburger serves em up better. Enough said.
Best part of the whole evening? No, not paying $ 4 for parking in the lot adjacent to the restuarant. And clearly it’s not the $ 12.50 for a burger you could get for $ 5 in 10 other places within 5 miles of Bluwater. It was getting to sit with my wife, her close friend and her boyfriend and just converse over drinks and close enough to Lake Union that I really would have loved to just jump on a boat and take off. I had a great time in spite of the average food. Her boyfriend said Bluwater used to be a great hangout place back in the day. Clearly those days have passed and been replaced by Joey’s two doors down.

Because I don’t drink and I wasn’t hungry, I thought I would escape without a scratch when my friends told me to come down here on Friday night — not a chance.
Even the WATER had bits of particles in it. Either pieces of bread or human skin, I couldn’t tell. When the waiter poured it and saw me grimace, he immediately offered another one, like it was something that happened all the time.
The waitresses/​waiters are awful.
Oh, and I had the distinct pleasure of dining with someone who had worked there years ago. We learned that it was the main hotspot for cocaine trade in Seattle (at least when she worked there), and that the «olive oil» that comes with the bread is actually cooking oil.
DO NOT COME HERE. If you do, don’t do anything. Just sit and enjoy the view.

I must have missed the part on my confirmation email reservation that says, «Expect long delays, bring your own appetizer.»
It’s 4^th of July. And every restaurant around Lake Union is pretty packed. We made a 9pm reservation a this place; just enough time to have late dinner and to watch the fireworks after, which is at around 10pm. We ate and watched the fireworks at the same time. Yes. That’s how long we waited for our food! I felt my head grew atleast an inch of hair from waiting.
.and during that one hour wait, all possible crazies happened, one whacko after the other. A bipolar kid across us, a group of really loud Asian kids (I’m Asian, too but there is a girl in this group that spits words off of her mouth 95 mph, loudly audible atleast three tables away from us, rude old dude who smoked right next to my boyfriend – who my boyfriend successfully reprimanded. Lol. I wanted to take a video of the whole conversation, and I was just about to throw the correct RCW citation that prohibits smoking within 25 feet, and these two ladies complaining about the Jamaican music being piped down to the patio) – bunch of loonies.
Then came our food that had to stop twice in somebody’s table because they just sent out this dude clearly clueless on to whom the plates he’s carrying belong to. They doused my salmon with butter and it did literally look like somebody took a bite from it before it reached me, and my bf’s rockfish, let’s just say, contained obscene amount of capers, it should be consider a felony!
This experience sucked big time. Nobody shall ever have to wait for an hour for mediocre food, greasier than the Gulf of Mexico!
PS: being said that it was the 4^th of July is never an excuse for a long ass wait and sloppy service. And also, salmon is fatty and buttery in and of itself that really, you wouldn’t have to skim grease off of the Gulf to sit my fish on.

I love this patio. When the sun is out, it’s totally relaxing, and feels a little tropical, too. Boats, water, setting sun, crisp wine, cold brews, and tasty apps. Classy but casual. Perfect summer happy hour.
The caveat…
Inside, not too impressed. It seems a little drab. And service has been spotty — one time it was great, the second time, sub-​par. That’s what you get when a place has much higher volume in the summer, so it’s understandable. The food is definitely really good, but not blow-​your-​mind good.
So make sure your next visit is on a sunny day.

John and I decided to check out this place since we were in the neighborhood. It’s tucked away in the corner and we walked right past it at first since there is no sign near the street. We looked at their menu and decided sure why not. It turns out they had a specials menu as well which had some interesting things as well.
The inside is very gorgeous and while the deck was closed, I bet it’s nice in the summer and we’ve already decided we are going to go back.
John order from the specials menu and I just ordered a burger since I was feeling simplistic, which I usually am.
He got Blackened Halibut with a berry garnish and roasted potatoes, while I had the Bluwater Prime Sirloin Burger with sweet potato fries.
While we waited we both order the Blu Press Stoli, which consisted of Blueberry vodka over ice with a splash of soda & sprite garnished a spear of fresh blueberries.
Let me tell you it was delicious and John ate all the blueberries which was cute.
The best part was it was quiet and relaxed and the food came amazingly fast and I loved the burger and fries. Maybe I’m just simple like that sometimes lol.
John said he loved the halibut but did mention to the waitress, who was amazingly sweet and helpful, that the potatoes were really bland. She apologized and said she had heard that from a few people and would certainly let the chef know.
All in all we had a quiet and relaxing dinner, the food was fantastic and the whole place was just perfect. I’d recommend it to anyone.

I met Snooki in Seattle. Go figure.
I was here because I was leaving… and I wanted to be on the water and enjoy the water that was already there and not rain as the usual Seattle situation.
Walk into here and greeted by a nice hair bump, full face of M-​A-​C makeup, and a girl wearing an outfit made for Snooki’s guidette cousin.
She was nice with her service, it was a one-​woman show since it was dead in the middle of a slow Monday.
Let her decide on the burger special of the day, which was a Mexican burger. It was missing a spice such as a jalapeño and all of the watery ingredients ending up just making for a very very soggy bun.
It was all really okay experience. Unremarkable, but a few things to say… The waffle cut fries were great. Blue cheese dressing was so watery, that it was like ranch’s evil whorey stepsister.
I would maybe come back. But this place would also make me continue my search to find something good to eat in Seattle. The one in Belltown was much better when it was open…

My husband and I have decided that every time we return to Seattle there are a few spots that are a must repeat. Bluwater being one of them. Any place that has Stella on tap is A-​OK in my book.
I’d definitely suggest coming for lunch so you can sit out on their wooden patio looking out onto the water. Our first time here, we came for a late dinner-​a bit too dark for me but the heat lamps were a nice touch on a cool night. Bathrooms could use some renovations not to mention more than 2 stalls.
I started with the clam chowder and boy was I glad I did! Talk about a chunky chowder packed with clams potatoes and a ton of creamy flavor. Next time, I’ll get the bowl rather than the cup.
Entrees here are a bit pricey anywhere from $ 18 – 25 but if you try one thing let it be the dungeness crab mac & cheese. HA-​MAZING! It’s so creamy and rich with the perfect blend of oozy cheeses and they sprinkle panko breadcrumbs & parmesean cheese on top for a little salty crunch! Yes, $ 17.50 is a bit steep for mac & cheese, but this tastes oh so much better than anything Kraft ever boxed up.
For dessert, don’t even ask for the menu. Simply say, «Tollhouse Magic!,» and out will come a cookie the size of your head! It’s served in a cast iron skillet with a huge scoop of melty vanilla icecream. I really did not want to share! It was definitely magical!
*Blu Hour daily 4 – 6 & 10pm– kitchen close: beers $ 2.50, wine $ 4, half price appetizers
*Join their email club for free meals & specials

Meh indeed.
The interior is outdated, uninspiring, unremarkable, and completely devoid of any personality. No, waiter, lighting the tiny tea light on our table at 4:30 in the afternoon does not help your so-​called ambiance. (If there was any ambiance in this place, I certainly didn’t spot it.)
For bar food, the meals are alright. I will cop to quite enjoying the sweet potato fries, but that’s about it. The grilled turkey and swiss sandwich (sans bacon, but complete with a tomato slice about an inch thick, thanks) featured griddle-​burnt turkey and a meager amount of swiss cheese on sourdough that didn’t have that sour bite to it. Seriously, I’m still kind of pissed about the tomato slice that was thicker than the bread slices. Who wants that on their sandwich? And I’m a tomato lover! Hmph.
This is definitely a don’t go. Some of their other locations are quite serviceable, good even, but not this one. Not on any level.

It’s a cute little establishment that is cozy on the inside with a majority of the floorspace dedicated to the heated patio on the water.
We stopped by for a quick drink before heading to dinner next door. The bartender on duty was friendly and very sociable. Best part of the visit. However, he seemed to focus more on prepping orders for diners so it took a while to get our drinks.
The reason why he seemingly neglected us was probably due to this gawd awful person of a waitress who would whine orders at him. She had a grating nasal whine in her voice, which wasn’t helped by her lazy and pissed off tone of speaking and overall demeanor. Instead of being clear with her order (two Jack Daniels in shot glasses), she held up the glass as if it contained human urine and whined «What’s this?» Bartender looked at the half-​filled old fashioned tumbler and replied «Double Jack Daniels, neat.»
She sniveled «I don’t want that» and proceeded to watch with a dumbstruck expression as he split the drink into two glasses (what she wanted, right?). «No…I want a rrrregular glass», whatever the fuck that means. Ahhh… she wanted the frat-​boy/​clubbing shot, not the grown up shots served in stylish tumblers.
She completely ruined the mood of the place. Just because we’re sitting at the bar doesn’t mean we’re not customers too. Maybe put on your Game Face in front of customers instead of that perpetual sneer you think makes you look hot/​expensive/​desireable/​unattainable. Her whiny voice that inflects upwards at the very end of sentences will haunt my dreams. I can only imagine the caliber of bullet going through the brain of this chick’s unfortunate beau.

I ate here a while back 3 times and was soundly dissapointed every time. The first time we got a few appetizers and some drinks. None impressive, mostly being greasy and served by a disinterested staff.
The bar scene was just 2 cosmos away from turning into a douchebag meatmarket. That’s a subjective call, but you might know what I mean.
Visit two sat us outside with a nice view (Including, I swear, seeing a older guy drive his boat up to the end of the dock, and come out wearing nothing but a bathrobe. With a young 20-​something girl on each arm. Hilarious.)
We ordered a spendy Mac N Cheese (I think it was w/​dungeness crab?) and then waited 48 minutes for it to arrive. Completely not worth the inflated price, or the wait. Both myself and my date didn’t even finish it. So far…2.5 stars.
I’ll save the best for last… a 50cent credit card surcharge on the bill. Politely I say to the reader… what. the. f*ck. You do not tack on a 50 cent surcharge onto someone’s $ 70 bill. I asked the waitress and she said, «yeah, well, I can take that off it you want.» Yes I want. I’m insulted. Bury the 50c into the cost of the other items if it’s so important. Don’t nickel and dime me like I’m at a local convenience store using a credit card to buy a 99c pack of gum. Total fail.
To be fair, I complained and was comped a $ 25 gift card. That prompted a 3^rd visit which resulted in equally unimpressive food and service. The view was pretty nice, and that’s all I can say positive about this place.

Two stars for the excellent lake location (watching boats from the deck on a sunny evening); one star for the decent food (at happy hour prices); and minus seven stars for the service.
Our waitress (Julie?) was good. But the busboys were terrible. They kept trying to take our plates away, and it wasn’t because the place was packed. They don’t ask if you’re done, either — they pick up the dish and make you stop them. And this kept happening. The busboys don’t seem to have assigned sections, so someone comes by and a few minutes later someone else comes by. It becomes supremely annoying.
At one point I literally had bread in my hand, going for the olive oil, as the guy swept the dish out from under me. Perhaps his supercool sunglasses were too dark to see anything. I blurted out, «Seriously? I have a piece of bread in my hand!» That guy did not come back.
It was so bad we stopped at the comment box on the way out and spent time writing a sincere complaint, urging them to create a new policy assigning busboys to sections. I put the paper in the slot — and it was a shredder! This was supposed to be funny. I had to laugh, because it was just perfect.

Went here for dinner on a Thursday night. It was a little chilly, but grabbed a table outside. It was surprisingly dead. You woulda thought that with the prime real estate of their outside seating there would be more out.
For a drink, I had to go with the margarita… huckleberry margarita, that is. It was tasty. As for my dinner… I honestly can’t remember it. Not a good sign. Overall, this place was a bit average.
«I’m yer huckleberry»

If you like rude staff, overpriced food and food that is HORRIBLE then go here!
Not to mention pay parking which is over priced, especially when they charge per hour and they make you wait so long with service once you do get a table… grrrr!
This place has so much potential and is lacking in soooo many ways.
We were seated at a table right in the path for waiters totally blocking 3 tables behind us, we were constantly having to get up or move to let people/​waiters pass. The outside table its self was covered in a sticky moldy looking substance, they could really do with new outdoor furniture.
The service was slow and had a real, I don’t care attitude, you could tell it was not where she wanted to be on a Saturday night.
Once the food came out, my friend who ordered grilled chicken had to send it back, it was raw in the middle. Come on who doesn’t make sure chicken of all things is cooked. The salads came out and for $ 15 you were handed a plate of lettuce, seriously! I ordered the Servichie (sp?) to share with a friend, it was beyond disgusting! not even edible. The corn chips were stale and the seafood was clearly off, real funky smell! And yes later on that night we both did get sick from eating what little we did!
There was six of us dinning and they would only ever bring out enough for 4 people, 4 waters, 4 flatware, 4 pieces of bread to start with… my god can they not even count!
This place is only concerned about one thing, their bottom line and an appearance! The atmosphere was ok, being outside in the sun was great! But it really did have a «Real housewives of King County» feel about it… lol! Very pretentious crowd, not fun and relaxing in the slightest.
I am crossing my fingers this place gets closed down by the health department!
It truly was a restaurant Nightmare!!!
We will not be going back!!!

Went here one night a while back with a group of friends. I was not impressed. You can get better food at a better price and with a better atmosphere at countless other places in the city.
My first gripe was that the restaurant was so dark you could barely read the menu. (I fail to understand why this is considered appealing at any restaurant.) Most everything on the menu was overpriced.
I would not say our waitress was rude, per se, but she was the most egregiously pushy wait person I had encountered in years. When we did not order salads, she suggested we get salads to share. She dropped dessert menus on our table and practically ordered us to order three desserts to share amongst the six people at our table. (We declined.) When one person in our group asked her about her somewhat unusual name, she told us she’d tell us, but that we’d have to increase her tip to get the information.
A few of us were seated with our backs to the window, and, on a rainy Seattle night, at one point realized water was somehow seeping in and the backs of our clothes and our coats were getting soaked. When we told our waitress, she told us she’d «tell her boss,» but seemed completely disinterested in the fact that we, the paying customers, and our clothes were wet because of this, nor that there really was a safety hazard being created as the floor was getting wet and slippery.
I give two stars instead of one only because the food, as I recall, was mostly decent, and this episode happened long enough ago that, perhaps, things have improved there some. Still, I see no reason to ever return to this restaurant.

I rarely give 2 stars to any restaurant that has decent food. BluWater Bistro’s food was not vomit-​inducing by any means, but the service was just plain awful.
A bunch of us were in Seattle for a business meeting, and someone mentioned that they had gone to BlueWater Bistro the night before and that the food was delightful, so we thought we’d go. Because there were 11 of us, we called as soon as we decided to go there, 13 minutes ahead of time, to ask whether we could reserve a large table for ourselves. It was a TUESDAY NIGHT, for pete’s sake — a slow night for restaurants — but the guy who answered the phone gave me attitude. .. so I gave it back:
Me: Hi, can I make a reservation for 11 at 6:30?
Rude Guy: Uhh, as in 4 minutes from now?!
Me: (looks at watch, which says 6:17 — and I am very anal about time) Umm, no. It’s not –
Rude Guy: It is 6:30 right now.
Me: No, it is NOT 6:30 right now.
Rude Guy: Hold on.
And then he actually put me on with his manager or something! Ha!
Rude Guy #2: Can I help you?
Me: Yes, I was just saying that we have 11 people here, and we’d like to come to your restaurant, so we were wondering whether you had enough room for us at 6:30?
Rude Guy #2: Eleven?! Gee, thanks for giving us notice.
Me: Yeah, no problem.
Rude Guy #2: Well, it’s raining outside (it was just drizzling, please!), and we’re pretty full inside. You’d have to really squeeze together.
Me: OK, sounds good! We’ll be right over.
So we walk over. When we get there, they’ve got TWO equally large booths set up, but only one is for us to use.
Rude Guy #2: Yeah, I told whoever it was on the phone that you guys would have to sit REALLY close together.
Me: (to Paula) Gee, I guess Whoever It Was is my new name.
Of course, they made sure they calculated our tip for us and included it in the bill. I realize that is customary when you have a large party, but it’s pretty nervy of them, considering how rude they were! Even the waitress was pretty flippant. I would NOT go back.

This is a summer happy hour hot spot, I’m sure of it! Although today I was there for a business lunch but could see the patio was ready and set for the inevitable afternoon crowd.
I had the dungeness crab mac and cheese. YUM! Baked with bread crumbs and cheese this is a carb and cheese lover’s delight!
I’ll update a review after I experience the happy hour soon to be experienced!

Goal: find lunch spot with patio that isn’t Ray’s.
Decided Destination: Bluewater Bistro on Lake Un.
Seated: far from other lunch patrons, in the dirtiest area of the patio– closest to the outside tiki-​like bar.
Table: filthy. Table next to us? Even filthier.
Ground Underneath: covered with bits of trash from the night before.
Salmon BLT: served without the B. I questioned whether I had misread the description, which I hadn’t, so some B was delivered to us… but only 3 of the four pieces were cooked all the way through. In the future, if you would like a salmon BLT sandwich, you would do better to just come on over the my house, because I will go beyond toasting up some Oatnut bread and sloppily slapping the rest of the ingredients on it, and forgetting the second most important.
Why we were seated so far from the rest of the diners is beyond me. I felt totally segregated (seriously! there was a fence!). Thank god they kept the lemonade flowing, because our server didn’t even try to offer us any alcohol, which we probably would have ordered. She screwed herself out of a 20 dollar tip, no doubt.
I’m not going here again unless I have a really good reason, like… well. Someone come up with one and we’ll see.

Food… decidedly mediocre. Service… ditzy. Wine selection? Corporate swill. Haven’t we graduated beyond Kendall Jackson as a glass pour? Sure sign of a place that wants volume vs quality.
As a couple of reviewers have stated, the beer often does taste skunky. Why you ask? They clean their beer lines shall we, ahem, say… infrequently. I have reliable info from former employees of this, some disgruntled, some not.
I have always been reluctant to patronize establishments where I know they cut a corner… because it usually means they cut other corners.
But then again, outside of Daniel’s, name any good restaurant on Lake Union… go ahead, I dare you.

I laughed so hard when one of the Real Housewives of Orange County took a trip to Seattle and they taped her at this place! If I was the one recommending a place to her, this would be it.
Overpriced, unmemorable drinks and food. The second star is for the views, and the chance to observe Real Housewives of King County in their natural habitat.