Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar

This place is truly a treat. Those of us that live in the greater Seattle area… are all very lucky to have Seastar in our lives. The staff is terrific, and the food… oh man. the food. The Crab cakes almost made me cry. They were so full of flavor and… CRAB!
I had the Mahi Mahi with cucumber salsa and I didn’t ever want to be done with it. I started eating really small bites. My wife conquered the king crab legs (with my help.) and moaned so loud with every bite, I thought they were going to ask us to leave. Seastar is perfect. No other word can describe it. Go, try it… and try to find something to complain about. I dare you.

Was here for restaurant week. Dishes were hit and miss, I liked their mushroom soup, it was rich and flavorful. Main course of fish was decent and cooked well but the flavors were not to impressive for the price and décor of this place. Dessert was not that good. Portion wise the plates were all on the smaller side.
In terms of ambiance, this place has a pretty nice feel. It’s a bit fancier and more upscale but still quite comfortable if you are dressed more casually. Loved their high ceilings and airy rooms.

I had the trout and it was the best seafood dish I’d eaten in all of Washington. Their appetizers are pretty good too.
They’re comparable to John Howie which is a couple blocks away — you get high quality food for around 40 $/​person.

Basically the John Howie of seafood.
Good non traditional food that is high quality and tastes good. It’s perhaps overly expensive for what you get — especially when we went as the entire staff were wearing Seahawks shirts (on a Friday) — how tacky!!!
They could use some lessons from New Orleans restaurants on he to properly serve customers in an upscale restaurant.

Very tasty place in the Bellevue area. Perfect place to enjoy a quiet dining experience with seafood and wine. They do have some steaks here, so even if you’re not a big seafood fan, there is still something for you.
To try to get a little bit of everything, we ordered the Seastar Tower, which is a multi-​level platter with a variety of items such as Dungeness Crab Cakes, Scallops, and Shrimp. Perfect for sampling and sharing. And if you’re an oyster lover, this is definitely the place to order them! You can definitely feel them taking effect on you. ;)
Service was also fantastic, as it should be at this price point. Servers were very attentive and offered great suggestions in terms of wine pairings.
The desire to try out other excellent restaurants while visiting Bellevue is the only real reason why I wouldn’t come back. If I were local, I’d eat here all the time.

We had pesto steamed clam, scallop ceviche, ahi poke, mahi mahi macadamia nuts, seafood stew, steelhead. The pesto steamed clam was not bad but I can tell they put lots butter in it, which made it a little tiring. I also thought the scallop ceviche was average. But the ahi poke had just right amount of sauce, the seafood stew is rich and the shrimps were big and fresh. Steelhead and mahi mahi were fantastic. Service and atmosphere were awesome.

Great service and amazing food! Location is superb with nice views. Coconut pie desert is to die for! I had grilled mahi with sticky rice, served in Thai sweet curry coconut sauce, and it was cooked to perfection!

Exceptional! Seastar came highly recommended when I asked my foodie Facebook friends for Seattle dining recommendations. While not in Seattle it was easy to get to with via car or über and offered both valet and nearby parking and validation. The place was busy, which was nice to see. The mood lively and guests in good spirits. We waited at the bar while our table was prepped (tip– make a reservation) and I ordered from their very extensive wine list a wonderful glass of rosé champagne.
For dinner we started with the scallop trio, pear and Gorgonzola salad, and cedar plank mushrooms– all equally amazing and offering completely different flavor profiles. Entrée was the famous cedar plank salmon– it’s a must have, in my opinion. For dessert I had a bite of the coconut cream pie goodness– my only regret is not having dessert first. The restaurant makes it easy for those of us who are allergic to gluten to dine by providing a complete menu with changed sides when applicable. Thank you Chef Joe for a wonderful meal and experience– I look forward to dining with you again on my next trip to Seattle.

Very solid 4.5 stars based on my stop for dinner while in the area on business.
I ate by myself at the bar, where the service from the bartender was very pleasant. I had the Seafood Stew (basically a cioppino), and it was excellent … lots of mixed seafood, very nicely prepared in a tasty tomato broth. What pushed it over the edge was the delicious fresh, warm bread that made the perfect sponge for soaking up every bit of the stew goodness.
Next time (if there is one), I’d hope to try a few different things, including the fresh fish and ceviche.

Four stars because it was good but not amazing. I ordered Meyers lemon drop cocktail, it was good but that lemon liquor was so Sugary. I’m praying that once I’ll get that magic cocktail that won’t have crazy amount sugar in it and won’t be whiskey/​rum based. We ordered their raw bar platter –72 $. It was good, worth it, however I didn’t like scallops with ceviche, I left it for my boyfriend to finish :)
Quiet, classic restaurant, good level, no loud nonsense people. It’s around the corner from my house, it’s good place, but won’t be my favorite.

Friendly staff, slightly upscale atmosphere. The seared ahi appetizer was great. The Purple Rain cocktail was so-​so. The cedar plank salmon was tasty – well prepared and well seasoned, but nothing really interesting, sadly. The chocolates we took home for dessert were huge and really good. And the salted caramel pieces they brought with our bill were outstanding.

I would give this place a 3.5.
Came for restaurant week a while back and I was not as impressed as I thought I’d be. The two hosts we came in contact with were merely adequate. The server was great, though.
I ordered a calamari ceviche. I asked if they could remove the avocado because I was allergic, and she said she wasn’t sure if they were able to do that because the ceviche was pre made, but she would try. She came back without the avocado, which I really appreciated! My appetizer, though, was completely lacking in all other areas. With ceviche, you expect lots of citrusy and fishy flavor. Lots of freshness, as well. I don’t even remember what it tasted like; it was that lackluster. My moms spicy Thai soup was pretty good though! I should have gotten that.
Next, I had the smoked salmon linguine in garlic sauce which was probably my favorite of the three dishes I ordered. Flavors and textures were spot on, the amount was perfect. Sadly, I kept finding fish bones in my chunks of salmon while my mom didn’t find any in hers. A minor setback, but it still took away from the experience.
Lastly, my dessert was the chocolate torte with raspberry and whipped cream. It was good; very rich! The raspberries were fresh and balanced well with the powerful rich chocolate. I didn’t finish my dessert though. Again, I felt it was lackluster: chocolate cake and straight up raspberries? I could do that at home. The crème brûlée was good, though. Not overly sweet, and has a very smooth texture.
I’ve had better SRW experiences in the past so I’m a little disappointed with this place. The workers, décor, and how they promoted their awards made it seem like a fairly pretentious restaurant but I honestly didn’t feel they delivered. I’m glad I tried it, but I don’t think I’ll come back.

Yum! We shared the:
Cedar plank roasted mushrooms with lemon chive oil arugula — Yum! it was a spicy small plate mostly because of the arugula and raw garlic on the mushrooms but very delicious. It’s a dry style dish. Flavor was powerful and fun. Eating the garlic mushroom with the lemon oil cold greens was a fun dance on the palate.
Halibut with bacon and caramelized onion relish with corn, bell pepper, edamame succotash: AMAZING!!! I rarely finish my dinners but this I scooped up every last drop! Perfect balance of salty sweet between the bacon and caramel onions. Texture was fun with moist halibut and crunchy fresh edamame and corn. A party in the mouth that brings much satisfaction! Highly recommend!

Happy Hour review: Their bread was fantastic. Ahi Poke was amazing.
Then it all went downhill. The grilled shrimp was ok. Rolls were so-​so. Oysters weren’t that great.
The experience as a visual graph would kinda look like climbing a steep hill then jumping off the cliff.

I hate to dissent from so many great reviews, but I have given this restaurant a couple of chances and left underwhelmed and disenchanted both times. For such a high price, unless it’s an expensed meal, I just don’t think the meal justifies the quality. The last time I went, I used a generous gift card, and even without paying for most of that meal, I still couldn’t believe how crowded the restaurant and bar were.
Having been disappointed with our expensive entrees during our first visit, we sat in the bar and focused on cocktails and small plates. We ordered the oyster sampler (with American caviar, melon relish and wasabi tobikko) — although the toppings were refreshing, the quality of the oysters was one of the worst we’ve had in the Seattle area. SOOO glad we tried this before diving ahead and ordering fresh shucked oysters, as we had planned. The other dud we tried are the spicy tuna calamari poppers — basically, these are tubes of calamari stuffed with spicy tuna, battered, then deep-​fried. The waitress warned us most people do NOT like it (really begs the question why they keep it on the menu), but we thought we were adventurous enough to enjoy it. Cool idea, bad execution — it tasted bitter and sour, and the batter was just really strange. We couldn’t eat beyond our first bite. We should’ve listened to our server.
The upside to our dining experience was the Seastar Tower, which included Dungeness crab cakes, saifun shrimp and seared scallops. The crab cakes were far and away our favorite of the trio, but the other two appetizers were ok. I would say our favorite orders of the night was ending with Truffle fries and Caesar salad (because I just needed something fresh). However, avoid the Caesar dressing, it was terrible; I was very relieved I ordered it on the side. Yes, I preferred eating my Romaine lettuce plain.
Drinks were strong and tasty — with the exception of the dirty martini, which was SO salty. I had to chug my water. I didn’t order it extra dirty or anything — lesson learned, next time ask for a martini with olives instead.

I came here for happy hour recently and enjoyed the meal. Seats were easy to find in the bar area, which had a very chill, quiet atmosphere. The hh menu is decent too with 15 items or something. My friend and I tried:
Half dozen oysters: this is at market price, so it’s not listed on the menu, but we asked and it was only $ 8! Pretty cheap and they were good too! I don’t remember what kind they were but they were super refreshing. I’d recommend.
Jalapeño salmon roll: $ 5.50. Six small pieces and not spicy at all. The salmon was fresh though and I love avacado, so naturally I liked this roll. just wish there was more of it!
Grilled calamari poppers with ahi «chorizo» stuffing: $ 8. Really weird dish, don’t try it! You’d think and hope since calamari is good and so is ahi that this dish would be good, but. it just didn’t work. This might be why there aren’t normally tuna sausages. Oh but there was some pear salad that came with it which was good and «saved» the dish. if that’s even possible. Don’t chorizo your ahi!
Garlic grilled shrimp: $ 7.50. This was probably my favorite dish, along with the oysters. First off, nice presentation! The shrimp were pretty yummy with the garlic and it was evident that they were actually grilled! I could taste the smoked flavor! I think there were 5 shrimp? I probably could’ve eaten them all. The mashed potatoes were good too… not super creamy but probably made with lots of butter :/​
Besides happy hour, my fiancé took me here for my bday years ago and I remember liking our meals so pretty sure their dinner entrees are solid too. Seafood can be hit or miss most of the time but I think Seastar is a safe choice for some good food.

I came for restaurant week with my wife for dinner, and we were both satisfied with our meals — there was a great selection of seafood and it all tasted pretty good.
I ordered raw oysters as an appetizer, which were smaller than I would have liked, but still tasty. My wife had a spinach salad with beets, candied nuts, dried cranberries, onions, and blue cheese, which she enjoyed.
For our entrees, I ordered a cornmeal-​breaded trout with one fried oyster over a bed of creole rice, and it was my favorite part of the meal. The sauce was on point, and I appreciated the contrast in texture between the crunchy cornmeal breading and the tender trout. There was a good spice kick to the dish, too.
My wife ordered the Steelhead Salmon with sticky rice and coconut curry. Her dish was also enjoyable, with the highlight of the entrée rightfully being the salmon. It was perfectly cooked, being seared on the outside while still retaining its inner tenderness. The curry sauce was pretty mild, but still flavorful.
For dessert, I ordered the crème brûlée, which was standard, except the addition of vanilla in the custard was a welcomed twist. My wife got the passion panna cotta, which she preferred over the crème brûlée, but I thought was a touch too tart. Still delicious, though.
Our server was unfortunately very disinterested in what she was doing. I mean, she hardly even tried to be engagaed or friendly. She simply took our orders, brought our food out, and gave us the check. There was no courtesy or friendliness to the process at all. I’ll admit that it was all very prompt service, but it also felt very cold. The other servers seemed much nicer — maybe it was just her bad day.
The parking is validated for 3 hours, and is conveniently right underneath the restaurant. Overall, it was a good experience, and I would not be opposed to returning to try more things.

I came here the other day for seattle restaurant week. This is my third time here, and I only came back because of the promotion. However, I now know that even with the promotion, I probably would not come back; I don’t even think $ 30 is worth whatever I had here. The food was just alright, and I think that this place overvalued themselves. However, service was pretty good.
We ordered the Four mushroom soup, spinach and beets salad, Steelhead in coconut curry that came with kaffir lime slaw, cornmeal fried trout, olympic mountain ice cream, and coconut cream pie. The only thing that I thought was good was the trout and the kaffir lime slaw that came with the steelhead. Everything else was just okay. Since it was the seattle restaurant week, the portions were cut down by a lot, so I didn’t feel quite satisfied.

Came here for Seattle Restaurants Week of dinner with the family. Our reservation was at 7, but we’re weren’t seated until almost 7:25. The restaurant was packed!
The wait staff was very nice and friendly providing great service throughout the entire meal. This made it a very enjoyable experience.
I ordered the Jalapeño Albacore Sushi Roll, Smoked Salmon Fettuccine, and the Vanilla crème brûlée. Yum. The sushi was a large portion for an appetizer. 6 pieces! The smoked salmon fettuccine was good, but a little too rich for me. I wouldn’t order it again. The crème brûlée was another generous portion size and did not disappoint.
My boyfriend got the ginger chicken which was great option for the non-​fish eater and my dad got the Grilled steelhead. It came with a curry sauce and sticky rice. It was great. I would recommend it!

My girlfriend and I meet monthly in Bellevue so this month we met at Seastar. Neither of us were disappointed.
Validated parking can be found in the Civic parking garage. Seastar validates for 1 hour during lunch and 3 hours during dinner hours. Discover is an accepted form of payment.
Happy hour runs Monday-​Friday from 3:30 — 6:00pm.
My girlfriend and I each ordered an 8oz pour of red wine for $ 8 (hh). During our conversation my girlfriend tipped her wine glass over, spilling the remainder of her wine. Our server promptly and em-​pathetically cleaned up the spill. Our server then brought out another glass of wine at no additional charge.
My girlfriend doesn’t care for raw food so we chose:
California Sushi Roll (6 pieces) for $ 6 (hh): dungeness crab, avocado, cucumber, and tobikko. The roll was served with shaved pickled ginger, a mound of wasabi and a lemon wedge. Absolutely delish.
Seared Kal-​bi Pork Medallions for $ 7.50 (hh): sweet-​spicy Kal-​bi pork tenderloin medallions are flash seared served with toasted sesame seeds and Kal-​bi glaze. So tender the pork melted in your mouth. Quite tasty.
Per our server’s recommendation we also ordered the Truffled French Fries for $ 4.50 (hh): crispy shoe-​string fries drizzled with truffle oil and sea salt, served with roasted shallot aioli. These addictive fries were hot, crisp and salty. A basket could also be found on every table in the lounge.
A cup of Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup for $ 6 (hh): spicy Thai chili broth, white shrimp, tomato, straw mushrooms, lemon grass, Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime and cilantro. I absolutely loved every single bite of this soup. My girlfriend not so much. The soup was too spicy for her taste.
Thank you Seastar for contributing to our wonderful girl talk.

Ceder plank crab legs. Excellent service.