Squid & Ink

So they have dropped over half the items the severed I can no longer give them the 5 star I did before. I hope they bring the food back but I am not holding my breath. I would have sent anyone here now it is little more then a bar with a few bits of ok vegan food that you could make better at home
My review before the menu changes * * * * *
Ok let me start this review by saying I am not a vegan. This place has some of the best food and the coolest people I have seen in Seattle. Just go there eat the food and tell me I am wrong I double dare yea. Yes that is right I said it I DOUBLE DARE YOU. the food is that good

cheapest place to drink in the neighborhood, unless you’re doing happy hour around the way, and also the easiest bar to get into conversations at.
food’s not cheap for what you get, but that’s seattle, i guess. have never had a long wait for service or food. have had three platters here, all of ‘em mackin’! (dude, the poutine, for real!) lil’ tip: order what the cook likes making, you can’t go wrong. that goes for any restaurant, really. der.
cats there have always been pretty friendly, ‘cept for like one chick that was kinda stand-​offish and was the only one to never give me the locals’ price on pbr, but whatever (i’m kinda salty, can you tell?). having reviewed some of the reviews, i’d like to offer this for those hesitant to visit: i use to work at a vegan punk spot that use to serve up the attitude like nobody’s business (‘cept me of course!), but i personally haven’t gotten anything like that here; though, i also don’t look like a complete douche (cue the crusties rambunctiously disagreeing) – so caveat emptor, i guess.

Okay, I’ll be honest… when my boyfriend took me to Squid and Ink for my birthday, I started tearing up. And we are not talking about tears of happiness, people. Don’t get me wrong; I love a dive and am totally up for vegan food (I am a loooong time vegetarian) but on my birthday??? I was just hoping for something a little more… special.
However, I definitely perked up when our food came. Both of us got delicious sandwiches on swirly rye bread, and they were some of the best either of us had ever had, vegan or otherwise. We’ve been talking about them ever since. Our server was totally sweet and adorable. I can’t comment on the crowd since the place was completely empty (save for some kid who came in trying to scam a free soda). Over all, a really fun, tasty experience. Just don’t take your girlfriend there on her birthday!!!

So my boyfriend and I had driven past this place a few times, and the look from the outside is pretty eye-​catching, and we both wanted to try it. A couple of vegans in Seattle had mentioned the food being decent.
The atmosphere could be intimidating or off-​putting for more traditional or conservative partons; their was hardcore music playng pretty loudly, the patrons/​staff weren’t overly gregarious/​friendly, and the bathroom was on the unclean side with political and band stickers everywhere, including one with a molotov cocktail reading «KEEP WARM: Burn the rich». Heh.
It’s a cool little place though, with photos from local artists on the wall, high stools and tables, and a menu with a pretty huge selection for a vegan place. We just wanted a small lunch so we decided to share something. We went for the «BBQ wrap» which was «chicken style tofu» with BBQ sauce and assorted veggies, and came with choice of soup, salad or fries. We chose fries.
I thought the fries were pretty bad. They were overcooked/​burnt on the outside, but still pretty hard on the inside.
The wrap, however, was delicious. The flavours were great and the veggies were cooked just right.
The one weirdish thing to me was that it seemed like every single item on the menu had a fake-​meat item, some processed soy thing pretending to be something else. It’d be great if there were some other options as well. Overall, since I’m not actually vegan, I’m not sure how often I’d make the trip, because it was pretty mediocre, but it was a decent experience, and that wrap sure was good.
Also, they only take cash, but there’s an ATM in there.

I’m nowhere near vegan but I am a total foodie. I have had many great vegan and vegetarian food experiences and am just fine with meat substitutes… Actually my co-​worker and I are on a mission to try all restaurants in Georgetown and today we were quite excited to go to Squid and Ink… We never got to try anything though. the man working there was so rude we ended up walking out before we had even ordered.
First off there was a ‘be back in 10 minutes” sign on the door– luckily (or not) we tried the door anyway.
Next when the neighbor came in threatening to tow our car for parking in his lot (no sign saying not to) the guy working at Squid got all a hole huffy dick face towards us for parking in the wrong place!!!
I was so shocked I mean we had never even been there before!
Not to mention it did NOT smell very good. I am glad I did not give them my money and I would recommend that everyone else follow suit– there are sooo many other great places in this neighborhood!

If these lazy guys aren’t capable or rolling off of their couch by 10 am, they shouldn’t list their opening time as 9. Drove all the way down here for a vegan breakfast at 9:30. Not open. Should have known better, I guess. Went down the street to Hangar Café, not the best vegan breakfast spot, but they had a sandwich for me at least, good coffee, and the place was 5-​stars. Totally great discovery.
Walked by Squid and Ink on our way out at 11, and they were JUST putting the open sign on. wtf? You are business-​owners now. Grow up.
Historically their food is good. It’s a good vegan breakfast with variety, and you sadly can’t find much of that in Seattle. And the poutine… mmm yes pls.
Service his hit-​or-​miss, sometimes they don’t want to be bothered, other times they’re real friendly.
Expect to wait a long time for anything.
This slacker thing was kind of charming at first, but now I think that being able to eat when I’m hungry would be nicer.
I kind of hope the pizza pi guys buy this joint like they did the wayward and slap it into shape.

i tell my carnivore pals you won’t have tasteless meal
and I tell my veggie pals you will feel guilty from the savory tastes created by Jared and others at Squid and Ink
I always take out of town visitors so they can envy our lovely choices in the great NW

You don’t go to Squid and Ink for the food. It’s more for the atmosphere. I’ve never been when they have live bands, but I bet it’s a cool place to go to.
The food isn’t that good. It’s not because it’s vegan. I’ve had some really delicious vegan food. The first visit, I had the stroganoff dish and it was really bland. The second time, I had the monte cristo. The french toast was good, but everything else was just tasteless. I will say that that the fries were good.
I’m really disappointed with this place.

Ok… so I ate there a few times… My friends and I all ordered different things so we could try a lot… the only thing I tryed that I actually liked was the «steak» wrap & it was just ok… my poor B/​F happened upon the Tofu Scramble. It was bright yellow mush sitting in a pool of what looked like yellow water… I tried it & almost couldn’t swallow it. it was horrible.
If you are going to attempt to make «fake» foods, why not at least taste it before you decide to charge people for it?!? The idea of a vegan Calamari is interesting, but logical? no.
I know the place isn’t going for normal (I think they are going for dirty crust punk, actually) but I feel like the cook’s ambition far surpasses their skill. Eating a tupperwear full of microwaved carrots in a parking lot would be a better time for me.
On the flipside, it’s a great place if you sit at the bar & drink the cheap booze.

Yeah! Another vegan place. I was so happy to find out about this place from a friend one night. We went the next day. The western omelete was excellent and the TLT great think BLT with Smoked Tempeh!
Hashbrowns were great. The only reason that I don’t give it a 5 star is that I’d like to have a vegan and gluten free option.
We’ll definitely go back!

[update: its beeen pointed out that this review is out of date, and that many of the issues mentioned herein have been addressed. that may be true, and i will give them another chance. I just haven’t been able to make myself go back after the last few bad experiences, but I do believe in integrity so will do so and repost if appropriate.]
I love good vegetarian food. I love good vegan food.
Even though I live within a few blocks of S&I, I never go there anymore. I gave them a bunch of fair chances. What a cute name. It was even really almost decent once. I have a distant memory of it actually being good once, too. but I’m not sure I believe that anymore based on my horrid typical experience.
Every other time it has just been plain nasty. Tasteless slimy food. Or worse. Simple dishes completely ruined, in a way that baffles. plus, bad service.
I’m all for the friendly neighborhood punk hanging out kind of feel. The music can be good. I get that the cheap photocopied and barely readable menus reflect an anarchist zine culture. Or maybe they just are poorly funded. [Update: they claim to have laminated color menus now. Cool.] But there is a very very basic level of attentiveness and respect which one expects wherever a storefront is put up and a customer/​server relationship is at least feigned. It doesn’t involve sitting around for 25 minutes wondering what happened to your order after sitting around for 15 minutes wondering if someone will ever talk to you. Maybe they think I’m ugly or not punk enough?
A long while ago, they had real tables… comfy booths. About 6 months ago they tried to get creative and had someone who didn’t know the first thing about building things make replacements. The craftmanship was awful. They were poorly balanced, poorly supported, don’t have routed edges, and so they were a combination of uncomfortable, unsightly, and nonfunctional. [Update: I’ve been told that they have comfy booths again, and the tables were a temporary hack after donating their old booths to wayward.]
So eventually you’ll get some of what you ordered on your uncomfortable wobbly table, and it might be good, or it might be completely nasty.
for me, Its not worth the risk anymore.
The Georgetown Liquor Company right down the street has vegan options and is always really delicious. Go there instead.

Squid and Ink is hands down the best tasting, best priced vegan food in Seattle. I absolutely love going here. Georgetown is a trek, but it’s more than worth is.
I would avoid anything with ham in it, though. Vegan ham is not the most delicious.
Best Breakfast:
Western Omelet, Biscuits and Gravy, Icarus
Best Lunch:
Steak Seirtaire, The Popper, TLT, «Tuna» Sandwich
Best Dinner:
Stroganoff, Sea Monster
I love the ambiance here. They’ve always got good music playing, new art on the walls, and a punk rock vibe. The waitstaff is totally nice and accommodating.
HUGE PLUS: Wide variety of hot sauces. I have never seen this much hot sauce in one restaurant. I’m a fan.
In short, Squid and Ink is delicious, has a great vibe, and has the most affordable vegan food in the city!

I may be a vegetarian but even I am put off by vegan food. I mean, fake cheese and eggs? No way! This is why I haven’t gone vegan. There is no possible way for the deliciousness of eggs and cheese to be replicated and actually be good. Despite my hesitation I had to give Squid & Ink a chance.
I started out with a bowl of french fries which were fried just right. I was actually taken aback by how good they were. I decided to get the Monte Cristo sandwich. I used to love those sandwiches when I was eating meat and wanted to know how it would taste in vegan version. Once again I was taken aback by how not disgusting it was.
Squid & Ink wasn’t bad. That’s about all I can say about it but I don’t think people should avoid it because of a rather bland review.

The chickenfried (seiten) steak was rock-​your-​socks-​off delicious, as was the gravy on both the steak and the bisquits. I enjoy the attitude, and found the pace to be fine.
I’ll have to go back to see if things really vary that much, or if it’s differences between palates that makes the reviews so different.

I’m not sure if I love Squid and Ink so much because of the food, which is fucking delicious, or the company i’ve had both times that i’ve been there. Well I can’t really «rate» my dinner date – not here at least – but i can rate the food. The squid and ink has great food. there’s not much else to say. I was going to give the restaurant four stars, just because i don’t really enjoy handing out fives to any vegan restaurant (i have such low expectations of most vegan food after eating at chain restaurants that just having options is magical), but I couldn’t because both times I’ve been there the service and food have both been amazing.
First off, get the poutine. it is amazing, but also kind of slimy and for me, since i’m vegan, is as close as i’m ever going to get to real poutine, which i imagine is even slimier. it’s one of those dishes you expect to hate, and kind of want to while eating it, but the fatty «cheese» curds and gravy atop a giant pile of fries is irresistable.
Second, make sure you get a drink. If i had one small complaint, it would be that my mojito was just a little too sweet. seemed like too much simple syrup and not enough rum, but for something like $ 5, it was still well worth it. all the drinks are really reasonably priced. i was going to order another, but i had to drive. too bad georgetown is so hard to get to on bus.
Third, order whatever the fuck you want on the menu. I’ve tasted four different things and they’re all delicious. mouth-​wateringly good. it’s one of those restaurants that you just keep eating, even if you’re full. after the poutine and about half of my dinner, i reached that point, but i kept going. if there is a rise in vegan fatties in seattle, i’m going to blame it on squid and ink. we all know you ain’t getting fat from the health food up at chaco canyon… maybe if you go often enough to the buffet at araya’s. haha.
anyways, squid and ink is great. eat here in good health, talk to your servers (they’re all really nice), and people watch. grab a booth on the right hand side as you walk in with seats that face the bar. the people at the bar can be great. i wish i was even a tenth as hip as most of them. restauranteurs of squid and ink, i will see you again when i return to seattle; keep a plate of poutine on the stove.

I’ve already reviewed this place, and my previous experience was essentially a «vegan Denny’s» in regards to the food quality.
I’m writing again because I’m looking over the reviews and have to wonder — why is the experience so inconsistent? If we could pinpoint which nights resulted in the good reviews, would we discover that there’s a «bad» shift and a «good» shift in the kitchen? Seriously — I wish I knew so that I could plan accordingly! I want love this place, but there’s just something wrong going on here…

Great little room. Clean and small and comfy. Self serve coffee is great for a guy like me who needs coffee every two minutes.
Vegan poutine is genius. Genius. Do not go there and not get it. But it is huge and can easily be split between multiple people.
i had the green chili burrito. Pretty good, but a little sloppy.
The bloody mary was not good. Not recomended.
If you like good vegan food and dont get freaked out by tattoos and black cloths, this place is worth checking out. If you are freaked out by a kid in a Crass tshirt, you should shut up.

Squid and Ink is AWESOME! I am so super excited to be moving a mere one and a half blocks away from this place– in fact, it was quite possibly a key motivation when looking for our new house.
Some of the other reviews make me think they were talking about a different restaurant altogether. Squid and Ink is one of the cleaner small restaurants I have ever been in, and there are great paintings adorning the walls and good music blaring from the kitchen every time we visit.
The coffee, tea, and water is self serve, which is great if the kitchen is backed up or the place is busy (or if you are particularly hung over and need a whole gallon of coffee to yourself just to be able to READ the menu and order. Not that I would know anything about that. Ahem.)
All the food I’ve had there has been excellent, and what is really nice are the plethora of gluten and wheat free items available– which is different from a lot of the other heavy vegan joints I’ve been in. Its such a nice change to have a breakfast of biscuits and gravy NOT turn your tummy into a big bag of stone. AND– vegan key lime cheesecake? Whaaaa? Oh no they didn’t!
And I have been searching– EVERYWHERE– for a suitable vegan cottage cheese ever since I stopped eating dairy. And finally, Squid and Ink has offered me the salivating salvation I’ve long been dreaming of. If everything else in the place absolutely sucked (which is doesn’t AT ALL) the cottage cheeze alone would inspire the 5 star rating.
They are open till Midnight, but closed on Mondays. They serve beer– and I think booze, but I don’t know for sure. I will definitely be frequently haunting this fine establishment as soon as I move into our new place.
Thank you for existing, you brilliant little restaurant you!

The menus appear to be photocopies of photocopies, I honestly don’t think it would set the kitchen back that much to have a few menus clearly printed and laminated.
The entire front of the restaurant could use a good scrubbing. As could the coffee mugs. And the condiments with their encrusted residues. You see where I’m going with this.
After waiting what felt like an eternity for what came out of the kitchen, I was less than impressed. But especially when only one order was ahead of ours. The kitchen needs to learn the basics of time management, including food preparation and presentation.
The menu does nothing to celebrate cereals, fruits and vegetables; its vegan replications of basic breakfast meals would fail home economics classes in today’s high schools.
The girl behind the counter was nice from beginning to end, and thank God her face bruises were the result of miscalculating a jump over a fence instead of other nefarious means.
The DIY philosophy of this joint is clearly not working.

Oh man I wanted to love this place and have it become a new regular spot, but it’ll only be a regular spot if I’ve got a long time to kill and am really craving bland, lukewarm food.
Ambiance: Four stars
The dining area is colorful, comfortable, has great art (yay wonderboxes!), and feels really good. The morning we were there for brunch, the sun was streaming in the south-​facing windows and it was really lovely.
Service: Two stars
Our table of seven (big, but hardly insane) waited over an hour for our food in a half-​empty restaurant. Things went further pear-​shaped when my friends’ special order was given to someone else, and 10 minutes after we’d all eaten, my friend got a replacement order that included the ingredients she’d asked to be left out due to food allergies. Our waitress tried to make up for it with a last minute burst of friendliness, which was very much appreciated … but sorta too little two late.
Food: One star
So sure, we waited over an hour for our food, but the company and conversation were good so we were content. That said, how was the food once it arrived? One word: LUKEWARM. As we all dove into our dishes, there was much glancing around the table and muttering, «Is yours cold too? Oh, hmm. Yeah, mine too. Oh, you too? Oh man.» Everyone’s food was cold — oh, except for my friend’s forgotten order that showed up 15 minutes later. It was hot — but wrong. And late.
My french toast was decent (even cold it was tasty), but the pretty scrambled tofu had almost no taste at all (salt? pepper? curry? ANYTHING?!) and the side of veggie sausage was exactly one 2″-wide round. Tiny and definitely disappointing.
Overall: one star
I really REALLY wanted to like Squid & Ink. The ambiance is awesome, the locale is great, the menu looks good … but I won’t be back because the food took way too long, wasn’t that tasty when it arrived, and worst of all, was cold.
It’s really a shame, too. This city needs more vegan breakfast restaurants (Healthy Hedon, I miss yooooooou) and I loves me some bad-​ass punk restaurants, but for now I’ll probably be sticking to Wayward. It might be sort of filthy, but the food’s hot and comes in a timely manner. Brunch at Squid & Ink took over two hours, arrived cold, and tasted pretty bland. I hope they’ll improve, but I probably won’t be back.