Scout

One star is generous! Service was awful. Ordered breakfast and the meal which came out was completely different than what I ordered. Asked for a breakfast sandwich with egg, sausage patty, and sourdough bread… Received egg on two pieces of cheap wheat toast with nothing but fat bacon. The kicker while we were eating the gentleman behind us stormed out on the server because his food was also so awful! One good thing… Amazing Bloody Mary! But don’t think I will be back.

We needed a place for 11, and thought Scout was the place! With the large sign out front announcing breakfast, we gladly came in to sit at 30-​place table, plenty of room. That is where the convenience stopped. From the get go, the waiter was completely stressed out. It was our table and two others, hardly bustling. No coffee, no silverware, no water, nothing for more than 5 minutes. Then came our ordering…
Out of a few things we tried to order, including wheat bread (seriously?) and no more French toast (seriously?). We had 7 kids and 5 adults and the waiter was very short with all of us when ordering. I understand food for a party of 11 takes a while to arrive. We were prepared for the wait, but not for all of the incorrect orders. Hubby’s breakfast sandwich came without the egg, forgotten side of bacon, extra hot chocolate, messed up pasta dish, no coffee refills, no water refills, all while we watched 3 sets of couples come in sit down, wait without being welcomed and leave. We had to remind waiter of syrup (we ordered 4 waffles), he was snappy when we asked for ketchup, and finally arrived with a coffee refill when we were heading out. Side of bacon never arrived, so I paid for that but took it out of the tip.
Bottom line — won’t be back. This waiter doesn’t have the demeanor to work at a restaurant. Absolutely zero patience and frazzled from the get-​go. Super cool interior, so bummed out that the service is crap.
p. s. Hubby and I had been in before with friends for drinks and didn’t get acknowledged for easily 10 minutes.

The wait staff seemed really responsive to get us our menus, but they didn’t really have a clear drink menu. After moving to the bar for drinks we found we had a really friendly bartender. I enjoyed myself, but i found it odd that on such a busy night as first friday that they were empty. The atmosphere was really cool once you were inside. I’ve driven past lots of times and gotten the impression that it was usually empty and for an older crowd. After reading other people’s reviews they might also be suffering from a history of customer service issues. From my own experience I would return though.

Scout isn’t bad. The best thing they have going for them is that they’re attached to The Montvale hotel which is where a good portion of their morning customer base comes from. I have eaten breakfast here twice while staying at the hotel and on both occasions the food was pretty standard. You could eat a comparable breakfast at IHOP or Perkins.
Things get a little better with the lunch and dinner menu. They also have a couple of good bartenders if you can get their attention. At least they have a pool table so that you can entertain yourself while you’re waiting for the staff to get around to you.
Scout does have a nice atmosphere and plenty of space, however the cons are outweighing the pros in my opinion. Sad to say it, but you’ve got better options within walking distance.

We’ve eaten at Scout many times over the past year-​ish that they’ve been open.
We’re still a bit sore over the closing of Farwest, but understand the circumstances. Scout’s interior* alone is worth it to me. I adore all the vintage mounts and other kitsch. It’s got a really wonderful vibe that I haven’t seen anywhere else recently.
Most recently, we stopped in for dinner, and the menu was a little different. I had the Tap cider (great!) and he had hot chocolate. For dinner, Burger and Mac n’ Cheese…
The burger was just perfect and the fries were terrific.
I wanted to cut out all my guts and fill it with the mac n’ cheese. I never wanted it to end! Blue cheese and bacon on top?! BRILLIANT. I’ll go out on a limb and say that the new recipe is even better than Zola’s (albeit pricier)
The bar had some activity, but the restaurant side was fairly deserted and our server was wonderfully attentive. I am glad they kept the televisions contained to the bar, since I don’t particularly care to watch sports every time I go into public.
Overall, worth the trip downtown.
*For the folks who don’t like the taxidermy, you’re free to eat elsewhere! Anywhere in town, actually! There aren’t designated nights, on which you’re required to eat at restaurants that you don’t care for! Don’t take it personally. It’s just an aesthetic. Unless they’re killing your dinner on your table, I suppose… in which case, you should be a little skeeved out. But go ahead and get a grip otherwise.

SCOUT: Ate here a couple times throughout my stay in Spokane. High marks for what it is — a imaginative diner /​bar food concept in an awesome historic hotel. The interiors are not only appropriate, but really engaging. It’s well thought out, as is the menu. It caters to almost any interest, while still providing the diner /​bar experience — it’s just that the menu has more depth than you would expect. It’s concise, but I never had an easy time deciding. My breakfast sandwich was fantastic, and the Grinder was a very simple italian hoagie, but warm and delicious. With an obvious nod to local purveyors, they source from as nearby as possible. When I make it back, I will be back to this place… cheers!

Lunch: Great fish and chips. Stellar fries! Awesome bar atmosphere/​décor.
Dinner: returned to see how it is at night. Dinner was fair, fries not as good.
Consistency of the food is poor! I was really hoping to have a better review. However, as others have noted, the service is an issue.
The bartenders were 2 guys who could not care less about service. They were preoccupied with… (who knows what, the place was empty!). Not only were they unfriendly I felt like I was intruding on their space. they were scruffy, non existent when it came to providing another beer or anything. It was like I walked into a restaurant that just learned they were going out of business and nothing mattered.
Pathetic!

While visiting Spokane from Seattle, staying at the Montvale next door, I had the pleasure dining for Breakfast at Scout. Corn beef hash was wonderful in every way, atmosphere was eclectic and vintage, Lindsay kept the coffee coming. If only the Scout was in Seattle…

Scout has gone in the wrong direction, when they opened just recently, taking over the old Far West Billiards, they opened to good fanfare and reasonable success. The food was rated very nicely. After tonight’s dinner, I have to say Scout has lost it’s way. I Have dined at Scout 3 times previously with no real problems, nor any substantial revelations, as it still remains to serve «bar food». I have had their fish and chips when they first opened and remember it was not memorable, it was adequate.
Tonight I ordered fish and chips again and they were atrocious. I could smell them before the plate was set in front of me. It seems Scout has a new head cook in the kitchen has decided, rather than make the beer battered food better, they would re-​invent the common entrée. They decided to add a huge amount of dried oregano into the batter. There was so much oregano in the batter, you could actually see all the flecks even though the fish was cooked to a very dark brown. Never mind the batter was soft and not crispy at all, you could smell the oregano from four feet! I bit Into the fish and even though the fish was moist, the powerful pungent flavor of dried oregano just overpowered the fish. Amazing anyone can think dried oregano and fried fish go together! Not close at all. Even the tartar sauce could not soften the odorous oregano.
Scout has turned into their old past of the last ten years… actually, Far West had better fish and chips!
I advised the cocktailer of th problem,. She sent the short order cook out and he even admitted that oregano was accidentally put into the batter. I didn’t ask to be comped, nor discounted. I expected they would do the right thing and not charge me since I could not eat it. The cocktailer saiid she was giving me a discount… Ready? $ 1.80 off the $ 12 price. Hahahahaha!
Do I recommend anyone try this place? Hahahaha! I don’t think so.

3 stars fits this cool establishment. Great atmosphere and really friendly staff, the dining room is absolutely fun. Service was slow but the food was good, better than most places and the portions were generous. Some unique items on the menu made the decision a hard one.

Cannot recommend this place. What we experienced suggests that Scout should be closed for top-​to-​bottom reorganization and re-​training (think Restaurant Impossible). Here’s the details:
1. Seat Yourself — which can be okay, but when all the tables are dirty and the wait staff does not see you sit down, you wait endlessly until a waiter is alerted to the fact. «You mean none of this [dirty dishes, previous bill] is yours? Sorry, we’re just busy.» We supplied our own menus from the maitre d’s podium. No silverware, no napkins. Clear sign management is not present and doesn’t care to train staff to provide a great experience. Unwelcoming, unprofessional, low standards (and in Spokane, that’s frightening).
2. Coffee — was served in dirty cups. What’s more, they were never checked for re-​fill, but the offer to fill them came after we asked for the bill. Water, however, was thoughtfully provided, but never checked or refilled.
3. Orders — came back cold and incorrect. El Gringo plate arrived without sour cream (see photo on Facebook page) and eggs over hard, not scrambled as ordered. Onion rings on burger plate cold. Egg plate was returned within minutes with scrambled ones, but onion rings never arrived. Hamburger was overcooked, slightly warm. Silverware arrives, no napkins.
4. Restroom (women’s) — filthy, with gigantic TP roll on back of toilet.
Server was nice enough — not her fault (and excuses about being busy should be the strongest indication that this place has no idea how to operate). Management has not adequately trained this staff (floor and kitchen). In fact, thoughtful management seems absent.
It’s too bad. Great location. Will not return unless we learn of a complete transformation.

In Spokane for a concert, we were kind of lost looking for a local breakfast place on a Sunday morning. Lucky for us, we found Scout! We sat at the (full) bar and were able to order breakfast and lunch, beer and cocktails. The staff was personable and seemed to interact with each other in a friendly, cooperative manner. We were a little disappointed with the wait to place our order, but we did tell the bartender (Rebecca) that we needed more time and she was obviously busy and took a bit to get back to us. Our food came as ordered and was well prepared and tasty. Overall, we were THRILLED with this find and plan on going back anytime we are in Spokane! Good job!
P. S. We are both veterans of the food service industry and do not eat out often due to our extremely high standards. :)

I went to Scout to meet some friends before the Primus show. I arrived early so I sat at the bar. The place was pretty empty but it was sure to fill up. The bartender, Rebecca, was attentive and took good care of me.
The Hummus and the Chicken on A Stick is de-​frickin-​licious!
When my friends arrived I moved to a table with them so we were in a different section. My server (Rebecca) was still very attentive to me (as much as she could be with a busy bar).
The server my friends had was pretty mediocre. She barely checked on them. When my friend was able to order food, by the time it got to her it was cold. When we finally got the server’s attention and told her the meal was cold, she said «It is?» in a snotty tone, not the best way to listen to a customer.
When my friends were trying to pay for their tab the server seemed bothered by them and never came back to get their payment. A few of them went up to the bar and paid instead of waiting for her.
On the other hand MY original server, got my tab quickly, and I was able pay quickly with her.
Just a side note, my friends are from Seattle and they’re used to busy bars, just not servers who don’t know what to do when the bar is busy.
I really think when there are shows at the Fox, The Bing and the Knitting Factory on the same night, they may want to increase their servers for the pre-​show/​post-​show gatherings.
I’ll probably go back, just not before an event.

Oh dear, when you tell the waitress this is the worst breakfast you’ve ever had you’d expect an apology, but that was not the case. The «chicken and waffles» was horrible. I like fresh ingredients and good food, so I have a difficult time paying good money for crap that I do not want to put in my mouth! The waffle reminded me of fast food, and I honestly would have rather eaten an Eggo. The chicken had no business being called «fried chicken» at all. Again, this reminded me more of a frozen dinner than down home cooking. If you can’t take pride in the food you make then don’t do it! Maybe this joint will always be more of a beer and pool spot than a restaurant you want to eat at. There are WAY better places to spend your cash in Spokane. Trust me.

Scout is a great addition to the Downtown Spokane food/​drink scene. I attended the grand opening on Saturday night and the place was packed with a fun, lively and friendly crowd. You could take anyone here (a date, kids, friends, parents, etc.) The décor is awesome: kind of a rustic, reclaimed feel that’s casual yet warm and inviting. The bar has great beers on the tap and served me the best glass of Sangiovese I have ever had.
Some of the other reviews have commented on the service: please keep in mind this place is BRAND NEW. I’ve attended countless restaurant openings over the years and service is never stellar on opening night. Take a brand new staff and a brand new workflow and there are bound to be some stumbles. I predict that all works itself out shortly.
The important thing from my perspective is that someone has taken a historic space in Downtown and turned it into an asset for the community. Unlike other vacant buildings or bars filled with seedy patrons, this is the type of an establishment that brings people back downtown and adds to the local restaurant and nightlife scene. For that reason alone it’s a great addition.

When ever I come to this place… I’m faced with some tough decisions… which of the incredible microbrews on tap would I like to try? Which of the tasty items on the menu will I try? No matter what, I know I’ll be happy regardless of my decision.
In reading the other reviews… I can’t help but think these people are better suited for ihop or Applebee’s. This place doesn’t pretend to be mainstream… it’s truly one of a kind. All of the things I love about my favorite Seattle spots paired up with a friendly staff and fun atmosphere make this a «must visit» each time I’m in Spokane.
If you’re looking for the same olé «Flo the ex truckdriver now waitress» slinging food and drinks to you and the 45 tables around you like she’s hopped up red bull and cigarettes, this isn’t the place for you. McDonalds and their disgustingly quick food are just down the road. If you are, however, looking to stop for a minute, have some coffee or a drink and enjoy your day… look no further!
Also, there’s no better place to unwind after work. It’s super chill, fun and you’ll feel like «what job!?» soon enough.
Overall, I’ll continue to frequent Scout when ever I’m in town. You could bring your other half or best friend or come by yourself and still have a great time. Check it out!

I should have been clued in when we arrived and were the only 2 customers there. However, it was Tuesday night, so maybe that was the reason. Not! The waitress was too busy acting bored to bother to pretend she was happy to see us. The food incredibly, jaw-​droppingly bad! My so-​called Reuben was the absolute worst I ve ever had… thick, dry slabs of meat… Need I say more? My partner agreed… so bad. What s the deal? Who is cooking back there? Don t waste your money. Don t go.

It was ok I guess … if you like dead animals staring at you while you down an $ 8 rum-​and-​coke at 5pm. They didn’t have a drink menu yet, so I’m guessing they were still working out the kinks on their pricing. But 8 bucks for a well drink during traditional happy hour seemed a little high. Or maybe she just messed up. The drinks seemed cheaper the other time I went. But I wasn’t really keeping track then.
I’ve heard their food is good though. And one of the bar managers used to be the only guy in Spokane who could make my favorite drink (the Sno-​Cone) when he worked at Irv’s.
So maybe I’ll give it another shot one of these days. In fact, I will. Although, I still don’t like the dead animal heads on the wall. The idea of cutting off part of animal, stuffing it with god-​knows-​what, gluing its eyeballs open and hanging it above your table completely baffles me.

Myself and 5 friends visited on a Friday evening for drinks and dinner.
For the most part we were very happy. The drinks were awesome, I was happy to see Leavenworth Brewery on tap and my Stoli and diet came tall without me asking and the waiter remembered the lime which sadly often is forgotten.
The food was 3.5÷5. Great for this kind of place. I had a caeser salad (with home made dressing, always a plus), the hummus platter and their take on hotwings: chicken kabobs wrapped in bacon with hotwing sauce. I was pleasantly surprised.
The service was good, though slow. For some reason the bartender was having to service our table which is odd for a Friday night. He was a good guy and very helpful. Not sure why, but the food took FOREVER to arrive. They need to work on having adequate wait staff and faster kitchen turn around.
That said, I would be happy to come back. Most downtown bar/​eateries are packed and unpleasant. Scout is well laid out so you don’t feel cramped even when there are quite a few people there.

We were excited to see Scout opening. We live in Browns Addition and have been looking for a weekend breakfast place to call our own. So my husband and I walked there for breakfast on New Years Day.
The service was slow, but the waitress was friendly enough and told us that they were busier than expected for a holiday. It was not that busy while we were there, just seemed unorganized and slow. Three tables got up and walked out before their order was taken. There was no manager there, only the one waitress and I am not sure she was even aware the tables walked in and sat down, let alone walked out. As someone who has owned a café for 12 years and waited plenty of tables, I know that this should be a major red flag to the management or owners of Scout. Those three table will probably never come back and will likely tell their friends to never come in.
When the food did arrive, we enjoyed it and decided to give Scout another try, attributing the experience to the holiday and the restaurant being so new.
So we walked down for breakfast today, anticipating better service and good food. Sadly, we were mistaken. There were about 8 tables there, some had already eaten and some were waiting to order. A table of four that hadn’t ordered got up and started to leave, but one of the waitresses came and took their order, so they stayed.
We sat for several minutes before getting menus. The waitress that brought the menus said they were still trying to figure out what the busy times were and so didn’t always have enough staffing. We had to ask for coffee three times before it was brought to us. Note to the management/​owners of Scout: people want coffee STAT in the morning. Figure out how to make that happen.
Another waitress came to take our order and we still hadn’t received our coffee. I asked her for coffee and she asked if I had asked one of the other waitresses for coffee. I said yes, and she said that the other waitress was probably getting it then. After she took our order, she actually brought coffee out to the new table next to us and we still hadn’t received our coffee. Finally we did get our coffee from the first waitress, but there was no silverware on the table. Note to the management/​owners of Scout: if people have been waiting for a long time for coffee, be sure there is a spoon and napkin on the table when the coffee is finally brought out.
Once our food arrived, it was marginal, at best. The pancake was burnt, the potatoes were undercooked, and the eggs were cold. Perhaps if the waitress was pleasant, it would have helped. Although the first two waitresses that talked to us were friendly, our waitress was extremely rude and inefficient.
Scout is in a good location, has an interesting menu, nice atmosphere and is loaded with potential. Unfortunately it lacks good management that should be there to make sure these mistakes don’t happen.
If you want breakfast downtown on a weekend, head to the Davenport!