Muse At Benaroya Hall

Located in the rear of Benaroya Hall, Muse is the premier restaurant choice for symphony visitors that do not wish to travel far or have to risk walking through the rain to another restaurant location.
Parking is almost always at the Hall itself, with the current rate being 14 dollars on event nights.
Reservations are recommended as the location does fill up very quickly when there is a symphony happening. That said, it is not crowded, the tables are spaced far apart and you as a guest will have some privacy to chat with your other guests.
There is a view of the outside and some other areas of downtown. It isn’t spectacular, but you can people watch and relax some while you enjoy their wine.
The menu changes on a regular basis and is quite good. There is almost always a multiple course option that can be selected, meaning $ 30 for salad and entrée or $ 50 for three courses.
The wines are varied and from many of the best wineries in the area.
We have visited Muse a few times now and have enjoyed it each time. I am removing one star for service as the last visit our waiter was overbooked. This meant that when it came time to leave, we had to wait a while to get our check and cut it close to get to the symphony (we ended up flagging down another server). I do think this was a one off due to staffing limitations that night as we have not experienced it prior, however you should plan accordingly if you are going to the symphony and give yourself a buffer zone (of time).
We’ll revisit Muse again next season as the cold sets in and the Seattle Symphony performs!

Amazing dinner with outstanding choices. Loved the filet and lamb and halibut. Great service and amazing food!

Excellent food and service! Their home-​made ice cream dessert was amazing!

My husband, 2 kids (13 & 11 year old daughters) & I had dinner for the first time tonight at Muse. We «won» one of the grand prizes at a auction which included 4 symphony tickets plus a $ 200 gift certificate, so we were only there for that reason. We didn’t know what to expect, but frankly, weren’t expecting much more than passable.
Wow! We eat out a LOT at Seattle’s top restaurants and I have to tell you that Muse holds its own with any of them. The fact that even my picky, picky kids — who we HATE to bring out anywhere «nice’ to eat because they always hate the food — thought it was all amazing. While I might enjoy Sitka & Spruce or Volterra, my kids would hate them, so I’m so glad that we all found something we loved here.
Everything we ordered was fresh, beautifully presented and delicious. My kids each had a cheese plate to begin, which they devoured. Our starters were equally great — prawns for the hubby and a rich but balanced chicken terrine for me. Hubby’s halibut cakes were moist & well seasoned, but my Shephard’s Pie, made with filet mignon, was easily the best dish of the night. My kids got fairly basic dishes — pasta for one and a plate of turkey with mashed potatoes for the other — that they both really enjoyed.
Dessert was a very rich (almost too rich, the slices were double the size of what they comfortably could have been) chocolate ganache that none of us were able to finish. I really wish I could have though — it was so incredible.
The ambiance is just ok — it felt a bit like we were a ballroom at a conference center, although the large bank of windows looking out on the Sound & downtown made up for it. The service was great, though — attentive without being fussy. We were also the youngest people there by far!
Bottom line — we’ll buy tickets again to the symphony in large part to eat again at Muse!

Wonderful food and fantastic service! Heather, our server, was a delight! Not to hands on and not to hands off. I will be returning!

I enjoy this restaurant but only if I want to impress someone, or myself. It has a nice décor and location and they try to make you feel important. I think the staff could do a better job though at little details — -they ask how things are a little too frequently and one server even joked about that. They tried to take my plate away when there was food still on it. Not a big deal but its the kind of restaurant that has an upper-​class feel to it so I’d think their staff would be a bit better in the details. I think the prices are much too expensive for the quality of food but for some, the atmosphere is probably worth the price. The location and décor are sure to impress.
I’m confused as to how someone goes there though if you don’t have a ticket to the Benaroya Hall. We had to show our tickets at the main door just to get inside the hall which then leads to the restaurant. I asked the person at the main hall door if one had to buy a concert ticket to eat at the restaurant and he said ‘yes’ but inferred that they make exceptions. I wasn’t sure what that meant but it sounds like the restaurant is only open to those that have a concert ticket that night.

Mostly a miss (other than the garlic mashed potatoes).
Waited about 5 minutes to be seated as the two guys actually at the host stand told us that they’d likely seat us in the wrong place and we had to wait for the hostess …
Received water promptly and shortly thereafter wine was ordered … then a very long wait for anyone to come back to take our order.
Arrived before a Friday night performance within 20 minutes of the restaurant’s opening. They were already out of the fish (halibut) which several of us wanted.
We all started with the fresh green salad with radishes and roasted apples with an orange vinaigrette. The greens were fresh, but limp due to overdressing … and the dressing was overly sweet. Not enough radishes (my plate only had two very thin slices). Unimpressive start.
My mother and I ordered the lamb and my husband ordered what was essentially a pesto pasta dish.
About 25 minutes after the salad plate had been cleared, a server appeared to tell us that the chef did not want to send the lamb out as the ends were cooked beyond medium temperature and were gristly. We were offered prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes and charred broccoli (which was not actually on the menu we were given initially).
Entrees arrive about 35 – 40 minutes after salad plates had been cleared. My husband didn’t care much for his pasta … nothing special.
The potatoes with the prime rib were warm and delicious. The broccoli was warm and nasty (had a gas grill char taste). The jus or sauce was too salty. The prime rib meat was initially cooked to medium temperature, but was actually cold to the touch (both mine and my mother’s). No one came by to ask how our meals were so I had to flag someone down — when I told her the meat on both of the entrees was cold, she ran off saying she would talk to the manager … how about … let me warm that up for you … or is there anything else you might like? So, we’re now running up against a time constraint for the start of the performance, so we decide to start eating the prime rib even though it’s cold. The manager came over about 10 minutes later and apologized and mumbled something about «taking care of us later» as he walked off … well, we were not offered any gratis desserts (we didn’t have time for them anyway) or any discount off the bill, so we were not take care of at all.
Service was terrible — had to keep asking for more water and other service item and no one checked in on us while we were eating our salads or entrees. Two separate people came by to ask us if we wanted dessert (again no time left) and then we told one server we wanted our check, then another server came by to ask if we wanted our check (we told her no, that someone else is already getting it), then the first server came by again and asked us if we wanted our check as if we had not already asked her for the check. Sheesh …
I don’t believe there’s a full on-​site kitchen; seems like hot items are pre-​cooked and then reheated because the website refers to a catering company.
Won’t be back …