Cafe 56

Great oysters and beers. Give it a go.

We just popped in for drinks. Hostess was terrible, she lied about a section being closed which kept us waiting, asked if we were really there to dine there or wanting the place next door… Put a damper on a great location and what looked like great food.

Service was good, rockfish tacos where disappointing! They had the smallest fish portion I have ever seen in a taco.

Good service. Great location. Gave me some tasty chips while I waited. Several Seattle brews on tap. Not too touristy. Try the Salmon Rueben

I’d actually give this a 4.5 but rounded up bc the food made up for some of the service.
First the pros of this place: the food is amazing, unique & a good price esp since this is an extension of Elliot’s. For starters the server brought us homemade chips. It was a pretty fun way to start off the meal: something we’ve never experienced. As a chip lover I was pretty satisfied once I added a little salt & pepper.
My husband ordered the rainbow trout. It was perfectly cooked, tender & a great portion size. I saw on the menu they had a salmon Reuben. I’d never heard of this so took a gamble which paid off! It was amazing! For health conscious moms, the kids menu offered salmon & veggies. I was thrilled to see this and even more impressed to see what a large portion they provided. My 20 month old gobbled it up!
The only minor con about this place was the service: the host couldn’t give us an estimate on how long the wait time would be get a table (isn’t that part of their job?) & once seated they were a little slow to have a server get in our orders. Thankfully, the wait to get the table was really short & our server turned out to be great over all. No one should really be in a hurry when you’re out on the pier so if you are then this place might not be the best spot. However, if you’re ready to relax & enjoy some casual good food then this spot is perfect!

Found out that the place is affiliated with Elliott’s, which explains why the seafood was AMAZING, but not nearly as expensive.
What a great place! We were seated outside immediately, and the server brought us some housemade chips. Perfectly done… not too much salt, and still warm. We ordered wine that came out in a timely fashion, and then proceeded to order dinner. I ordered the grilled salmon, which came with seasonal vegetables in a mustard beurre blanc… to die for! I ate the entire thing. This is my new favorite stop for seafood.

They would of gotten a 5 star if the service didn’t absolutely suck.
The food was fantastic! I got the brisket sandwich and my husband got the fish and chips! Delicious!!!
Took about 30 – 40 minutes to get the food.
Waitress didn’t check on us — drink refill came from the bus boy.

Café 56 was fantastic!
We were visiting Seattle for the first time, and stepped into this place just to use the bathroom. My friend decided to order a drink while I was doing my business, which took about 10 mins (wink wink). When I came out, she and our boyfriends had drinks and fresh-​fried calamari and chips. And were laughing and smiling.
The calamari and chips were delicious. We also ordered pork won tons, and those were delectable. And everything came out super fast!
We only ordered those few food items, but the real gem at this place was the bartender. His name was Jose, and not only could he make a great beverage, but he was very enjoyable to sit and talk to. We all had a hoot. Jose anticipated our needs and offered us samples of many different drinks, which is something I had not experienced at a bar before (besides the normal beer samples). He let us taste gin, beer, and even whipped up a small cocktail sample!
The rest of the staff was really nice too, but Jose was extra personable and just all around world class when it came to customer service.
As for the place, it smells ultra yummy when you pass by because I think they make their own waffle cones? It’s a little small, but they have outdoor seating. And it was very clean. I wish could stay in Seattle longer to taste more of the food, because the item we did have were very good.
To sum up my review, If you come to Seattle, do NOT pass this place up!

I must say, I quite enjoyed Café 56! Came in & got sat right away. Our waitress brought out some homemade chips and water right away. The chips were a nice touch. I always enjoy getting a little something to snack on (for FREE) before my meal!
I got the chicken sandwich which came on Rosemary Focaccia bread. The bread and the garlic butter the chicken was cooked in made the sandwich great! My mom got the fish and chips. I am usually not a fan, but I tried it and it was good. Not greasy, just nice and crispy and light!
The service was fast and friendly! And the setting (outside on the dock) was great. The smell of the sound, and the sun glaring down made for a great atmosphere!
The only downside; the 5 tour busses worth of people waiting to get on the stupid Argosy Cruise. People that stare at you while you eat, makes you feel like a caged animal. That was annoying to say the least. However, it was too nice of a day to sit inside!

Decent food, but fantastic view for sitting outside and watching the sunset. However, smokers outside of Elliott’s are about 20 feet away from the patio tables which can quickly ruin your dining experience. The waiter was kind of a space cadet and couldn’t remember who ordered what, or how many drinks (I clearly said water and my fiancé ordered a drink).
I got the salmon tacos which were pretty spicy, but the salmon was great — blackened and crispy.
Fiancé got the brisket sandwich. The meat was great, the fries were yummy.
I might come back simply for a great view of the sound on a nice patio.

The service was fast and really good, the server recommended really good stuff and was very attentive.
The food came out fast and was hot and fresh, both the salmon and grilled chicken sandwich were delicious and fries were great. Would highly recommend just not a fan of their iced tea it was really bitter.

Great local feel and a good variety on the menu. We say inside and it was not sweltering like some places. We had the blackened salmon tacos, spicy and delicous, the brioche French toast, thick and sweet, and the fish and chips. You get homemade chips when you sit down and they were fantastic. Great food and service. Not kitchy like other places around it.

This place only received 1 star because of the one waitress that sat us. My husband and I just moved here from Philadelphia. His brother came to visit a week or so ago. We arrived around 830 – 845 at night. Not being from here and never having eaten here before, we did not know that they closed at 10.
With that being said, we were seated outside and our waiter was very rude. We ordered our drinks and when the waiter came back he asked us for our order. We asked for 5 more minutes and were told «oh we are closing, i need your order now» we were shocked and taken back by that. So we just picked a few things off the menu. Our food was actually delicious, but our waiter ruined the experience for us.
Our waiter barely came to check on us, we actually had to ask another waitress for a few things. I would eat here again but i will make sure to not be seated in his section.

Along the waterfront it’s a nice stop to grab some lunch and enjoy the outdoor scenery. Solid 3.5 — 4 star restaurant.
Beware that this place is next to Argosy cruises and can get crowded during peak hours and therefore food may take an extra moment to come out. The food however is great. First, you get served some homemade complementary chips which are light and crispy. My fish and chips were pretty decent as well. Lightly breaded and not greasy. The edges were a touch chewy so perhaps overcooked? Fries were OK, nothing special. Coleslaw was a bit overdressed. All in all good meal though. The only thing that bugged me was that the meal is served in a basket so the coleslaw and fries mish-​mash together while the hot fish sits on top. Kinda made everything soggy.
Service is great here — no complaints about that. Good lunch spot.

We walked around the pier area and checked out all of the restaurants. We chose this one because it looked decent and there wasn’t a wait like there was at the others.
The view isn’t as good as a few others but it has a partial view so it was nice enough! I just love outdoor dining. There are a few indoor seats as well if you don’t share my love for the outdoors.
We ordered a basket of fried calamari, shrimp and cod as well as a Caesar salad. The salad was mehhh, the Caesar dressing was just not that great. The calamari was cooked nicely but the shrimp and cod was a little too deep fried for my particular taste. It was still good though, just a little too heavy.
Like other Unilocalers have said, they have a smaller menu. Overall, it’s decent food with a decent view!

Great place for quick and affordable seafood. Nice outdoor seating and a tiny little bar section. Staff is very friendly! The oyster po’ boy is okay and the Salmon Reuben was quite good!

Decided to stop by with the boyfriend before the Argossy Cruise to watch the fireworks.
1 star for my boyfriend’s burger with gouda. It was DELICIOUS!!! The bun was soft with enough crust crunch, the meat was medium done-​perfect and the cheese wasn’t too thick and just melted everything together.
1 star for the available seating and the view.
BUT…
–The $ 9 bloody mary lacked seasoning and spice and tasted extremely watered down. Not worth the price.
— Our service was TERRIBLE. She didn’t give us silverware or napkins till I asked (twice)…hello!!! My boyfriend is eating a burger and is wearing a nice white shirt… and she also ordered the wrong fries. The fries arrived when we were done eating.
— The Ahi Tuna poke was beautiful when it came out, and the mango and avocado were fresh… but the tuna was in huge chunks and didn’t bite easily. The deep fried tasteless chips kept breaking it was not easy to scoop up what was on the plate… hence needing a fork.
Maybe I’ll go to their restaurant next door that has a wait next time.

Happy hour bar review only.
I met the host and told her we wanted oysters but had limited time. 5 minutes before HH started we were sat at the bar and ordered their $ 2 HH oysters.
Bartender came with a sample of their clam chowder too. It’s chunkier than Ivars and very good.
The oysters were shucked ok. A bit of shell grit but a sweet bright taste with the cocktail and horseradish. Oh and lemon and Tabasco. Don’t forget those things.
Service was great and we got a smaller spin off of «Elliot’s» quickly and I really appreciate it!

I think Café 56 is onto something with the feature of their familiar-​yet-​reinvented small dishes.
I stopped on in for a happy hour (4 – 6 PM) on the umbrella covered patio and ended up ordering two small plates of fried calamari and spicy crab. The crab featured two fresh claw meat pieces with a side of grated green apples. It was tasty, but more so, different.
Being a spin-​off café of Elliot, I think they would do well to feature small quirky plates like the above mentioned and keep the traditional dishes to the mother restaurant.

Café 56 is located right on the water front near Argosy Cruise and Elliot’s. We had a great server who was always checking on us!
This is the go-​to place for a later Happy Hour on the water. (starts at 6p) Perfect for nibbling on oysters, fish tacos and fine beverages as you people watch and sunset watch.
The patio has very industrial strength patio heaters so you can sit outdoors even as it gets chilly later in the eve.
Note: the location can be confusing as it looks like they are part of Elliot’s but they are not… so be mindful of which Happy Hour your are searching for, as one is early at Elliot’s and one is later at Café 56, the restaurants appear to be connected but they are separate.
Cheers to summertime patio time!