Shuga Jazz Bistro

Always greeted professionally. It’s extremely convenient that you can book you reservation online. Makes it so much simpler. Great atmosphere and the house music is on point. It’s a somewhat dressy atmosphere but ladies can get away with skinny jeans and heels. The food is really good as well. Tonight the service was a tad slow but that’s okay. Greatest opportunity is to check the tables and not assume everyone sitting by each other is together.

We tried Shuga on a Groupon… The food was the best, the music was really fun! The price was the same as a dinner house that didn’t have entertainment. Really enjoyed the experience.

I feel like I can’t 100% rate the place because I didn’t stay for the live music. Maybe that would have gotten me to 5 stars, but the food was pretty good, and the service was good. I’d go back.

Four of us trekked to Renton, Tuesday, ¹²⁄₂₉. First up, we were the only customers in the entire place. Uh, okay. They sat us at a table where it was very dark — but gratefully one of us had a flashlight we were able to use to read the menu.
Rum and coke is easy, right? No. The coke was flat, flat, flat — the drink was awful. The mac and cheese would have been great had the cook not decided to add half a container of salt to it. That rendered it uneatable — the mac and cheese went back, along with the flat rum and cokes. On the plus side, the waiter was very accommodating. He took the mac and cheese back and brought us fresh drinks that were totally in line with what rum and cokes are supposed to be about. The bloody mary my cousin ordered was good.
When we left, there was one man at the bar counter and a couple in the dining area. I realize that the timing wasn’t great — Tuesday before Christmas, but on the other hand, you’d think folks would be out shopping and stopping in. It might be better on a weekend, with the music. If we try it again, that’s when we’ll go — but with so many other cool places out there, I think I’ll try a few others out before chancing this one again.

I want to love this place — but it’s hard — between the expensive food, small portions, and cover charge to listen to a live band ($ 15), I can’t justify the costs to hang out at a local bar. I understand overhead and whatnot but this isn’t downtown nor is it big headliners.
$ 5 cover? i’d love to support, if the food was blow my mind I’ll even pay a little more. But $ 22 shrimp and grits, $ 22 for fried chicken, $ 18 fish n chips is expensive for the small town of Renton. Drink prices are pretty typical, but if I’m going to spend $ 100 for dinner and drinks between two people, I don’t want to have to pay another $ 30 (for two people) to listen to music.
The service I’ll say is nice, the comfort is pretty decent but still too expensive for a simple night out in Renton.

Went there once, won’t make that mistake again. They charge you for the entertainment even if you’re already paying for dinner and drinks. Come on… This isn’t Triple Door! Way too expensive for what you get. Food is sub par and service is marginal. Spend your money at Melrose Grill for a much better dinner and way better service.

Friendly waitress, nice ambiance. Fried chicken ok, shrimp and grits delicious. Collard greens, terrible and lime citron tart very heavy and disappointing.

Having purchased a Groupon, we had been planning but kept postponing our visit to this restaurant. On a recent Saturday night, we drove down from Seattle for dinner, not the music, though we were there late enough to catch some of it.
Maybe I was feeling particularly nostalgic, but it was the best restaurant experience I’ve had in a while. I had the oxtail and my b/​f had the Cajun halibut. Both were very good — well seasoned, and flavorful, with portions large enough for leftovers.
The service was fine; the wait staff was attentive and though the wait was longer than we’d hoped (we were hungry) it was well worth it in the end.

One thing they ALWAYS do right is the music!!! Never been bad or mediocre. Food, service, and drink mixes are hit and miss. Sometimes fantastic sometimes bad.

I would say it in sole words.
Ambiance: ok
Food: looks and smells great but no salt. It was a little tasteless for me
Service: great
Price: fair
Music: great. It was Thursday night and great music

Really good food, really good jazz, really good service. What else could you want? A groupon? Used that too!
I had the fried chicken and my husband had the oxtail and both were super tasty.
I was especially happy that there was a free parking lot here even though it’s in downtown Renton.
Overall I’m surprised this place was not more busy. It seems to have everything it needs to be slammed but maybe it’s a new business or new management or something. Until people start figuring it out I’m going to be buying more groupons and take my husband regularly!

Stopped by shuga again and was yet surprised one more time. Oyster Rockefeller gluten free!!! And delicious. Fried catfish collard greens and rice! Yummy. Still great food, wonderful service.

I was very hesitant at the beginning of our meal, but the food ended up being amazing! Best ribs I’ve ever had in my life.
Their menu has a good range of options, and most of them are gluten free, which is cool. However, it was very difficult to get something without dairy. They had few options other than a $ 40 steak, or a vegetable dish with no meat or anything. I ended up going with the rib special, which was soooooooooo delicious. The server said they are planning to add the ribs to the menu which they definitely should!
Their bar is cool, I’d recommend sitting in there because the dining area was dark and empty. Give this place a try!

Great food, service and even better entertainment!
The grilled pork chops are juicy and the greens are flavorful. The wings have a light crispy crust that is hard to beat.

*Mother’s Day brunch review*
Thought this would be a great mother day brunch and with a price point of 35 $ a person — So needless to say, I expected some pretty stellar food.
Sadly that was not the case. Most the food wasn’t very hot or really fresh when we got to it. The grits were a little undercooked, collard greens also and overly seasoned, and the meats tasted of poor quality.
The fried chicken was actually good but not enough to justify how much the overall bill came to.
Staff were pleasant and I’m sure attending in the evening for the music would be nice but I will never return for the brunch…

This place has great food and even greater music. I had the sweet and spicy bacon wrapped shrimp and it was delicious. Drinksvare great the bartender knows what she is doing. Our server tonight was Christy and she was very hospitable and kind. After the first visit I am definitely coming back for some impromptu weekday live jazz music and southern style Dinner. I recommend this place for a great price on exceptional food and a fun thing to do during the week or on a weekend.

My overall experience was technically a 3.5, but I rounded up because the people at this place were so friendly and warm.
My friend had a random groupon deal for this place and invited me to come along for dinner. I was told that there would be a live jazz band playing, and was pretty excited. Upon arrival, my friends and I were greeted and asked if we were coming in for dinner. We could all see the live band playing in the back, but the view disappeared as the host led us to our table — in a separate dining area than the performance. The lesson here is that if you are coming here with kids or if you are under 21: no live band performance for you. After asking the host to move our dining spots and we had all shown our ids, we were seated right in front of the band (who was pretty freaking amazing btw).
As far as food goes, I ordered the braised oxtail which was recommended by our waitress. It was cooked perfectly in my opinion. The meat completely fell off the bone and was so tender. The sauce and the juices of the meat were infused together and had a lot of flavor yet not overpowering. The dish was served with a dirty rice and broccolini. The vegetables were also cooked very well — it had a very nice char and a good crunch. We opted out of dessert because we weren’t in the mood for any of the items, so I can’t say anything about that.
The place is great and I had a nice time, but not a place I would personally frequent. They definitely attract and older crowd — we were literally the only people under 40. This is your go-​to place if you want to enjoy good jazz music while dining — but not catching up with friends, because the music is quite loud.

Shuga took over the Fin N Bone space a while back. The logistics of the space haven’t changed much. This is good news for the bar because it is a great layout. The dining space is big and works for the Friday & Saturday live Jazz but leaves something to be desired for an intimate dinner.
Danny, one of the main bar tenders is a riot and convinced me one Friday night to buy tickets for the next evenings live Jazz. I am not a huge on Jazz but I was glad I went. The food was terrific, fresh, flavorful and well prepared. The chef nailed the presentation. The show was sold out by the time I got there, so I was glad I bought tickets the night before. The saxist and singer were FULL of energy and played all through the night with only short breaks. People got up and danced in the small space by the stage. Drinks were flowing and the service was on top of it. It was a great time and everyone enjoyed themselves.
I have been a repeat customer to Shuga, so I am voting with my money, not just my Unilocal review. I’m giving Shuga a review star for the great bar, a star for the great food, a star for the live music and star because the owners have created a social space where people love to go and have a great time.

We dined here using a Groupon but would certainly go back without one. Delicious meal… I had the pork chop which is something that I would not normally order but it just sounded good and it was AWESOME. Mitch had a steak and it was also delicious. I want to go back to enjoy the live music that they have. Blues, soul and wonderful jazz singers!
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We just watched a heart wrenching defeat of the Seahawks in the Super Bowl and we decided to eat our sorrows away with steak.
Our first choice, Melrose Grill, was closed and this was the only place open that served steak.
We ordered their biggest cut, the porterhouse and a ribeye. All three of our steaks were way over cooked, almost well done. Two of our orders, a fried chicken and pasta came late when we were halfway done with our steak.
We talked with management and all they could do was buy us dessert.
Seriously?! We’re paying around $ 40 per steak by the way.
Our server was nice and the house band is very entertaining but I definitely would not recommend this to anyone.
Applebee’s can make a better steak.