Restaurant Review: Quinn’s on Capital Hill

by Mary Jo on June 13th, 2008

Wandering around Capital Hill one afternoon, and trying to decide on where to grab a simple meal before heading to the theater, I happened upon Quinn’s, and said to my dining companion, “sure, let’s give it a try.”

I didn’t know much about the place, and hadn’t read any of the great reviews and buzz that it had been receiving. Probably a good thing, because I rarely choose a restaurant based on buzz. The choice wasn’t made based on great reviews or popularity, or even referrals from friends, it was sheer happenstance.

The restaurant touts itself as a gastropub — pub food with an upscale bent — and is owned by local restauranteur Scott Staples, who also operates Restaurant Zoe in Belltown. So with that in mind, we went in.

We arrived at the front end of the dinner service, and that’s probably the reason we were seated immediately, despite not having a reservation. (Within half an hour the line was down the block, and it was still like that when we left.) We were seated upstairs in the loft, at a two-top jammed very closely to the next one. Our waitress was cheerful and helpful as she moved around the remaining three sides of the table with barely enough room to navigate.

Deliberating over the menu, the first impression of the room came into clear focus. It’s loud! While I expect a certain raucous level of noise at a pub, this was way beyond a conversational level. No conversation was possible without both of us leaning far in and across the table to hear one another. This was not going to be a meal accompanied by pleasant conversation.

We started out ordering beer from a nice selection of 14 available on tap, and additional selections by the bottle. I wanted to try something new, and the waitress was knowledgeable in helping me make a selection that she though I’d like. This was not an easy job, as she had to kneel down to my level in order for us to hear one another. Beer is such a personal choice, and I’m certainly not a connesseur, but it seemed like there was a broad enough variety to appeal to all taste preference.

So what about the food?

For our meal selections, we chose the wild boar sloppy joe (braised, then pulled, and piled on a bun, topped with a fried sage leaf and served with a grilled pickled jalapeno on the side; $10) and the wagyu burger (topped with cheese and bacon and served with a side of fries; $12), and a side of spinach (sauteed with currants and pine nuts, $4).

The sloppy joe was delicious, with the pepper adding some nice heat to it, and was a solid choice. The burger was fine as well, just unremarkable as most burgers tend to be, without anything that really distinguished it. The spinach was a disappointment, over-cooked nearly to the point of being slimy, with little flavor. Over cooking spinach is a death knell to both flavor and texture. If you’re going to have it on the menu, learn to do it right. Every time!

I later started reading some of the reviews on Quinn’s and wondered if it was the same place that I had been! Seattle Magazine listed it as one of the Top 10 Very Best Restaurants (not even close!), and it has received good reviews all around the city. The line out the door certainly speaks to the fact that it’s popular.

But, honestly, I don’t get it. I don’t know what all the fuss is about.

I think Quinn’s is just very average. The place is loud, not conducive for a relaxing meal, and the food is fine (not great, not horrible, just fine). Service is fine, again not great or horrible, just fine.

Would I go back? Eh. Probably not, unless there was a compelling reason.

Would I recommend it: Eh. If you’re in the neighborhood and want to stop in, great, although with their long lines stopping in might not be an option, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there.

Location: 1001 East Pike Street, (corner of Pike & 10th) Capital Hill (map it)

Hours: Open daily. Lunch served 11 am - 3 pm; Dinner served 5 pm - 1 am.

Menu: Gastropub fare, that is, pub food with an upscale twist. Check menu for full selection. Good selection of beer and ales.

Price range: Light appetizers $3-9; meals $6-19, sides $4-5.

Have you been to Quinn’s? What did you think?

Photo credit: flickr

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Tags: beer, city blogs, destination blogs, pubs, Quinn's, restaurants, seattle, Seattle attractions, Seattle tourism, Seattle travel, seattle-traveler, the-seattle-traveler, travel, vacation, Washington, Washington-State

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