Rosebud Restaurant & Bar

I’ve been here twice, once for brunch and once for dinner and have been impressed both times. The service is great.
You can’t beat $ 15 — all inclusive brunch: Coffee OR Juice, any entrée off the menu AND either a double bloody mary or bottomless mimosa. And my mimosa was never empty. I was happy with the benedict, the breakfast potatoes were a tad over seasoned for my liking, but the benedict was amazing.
We went back for dinner and was also very pleased with all the entrees I sampled (tuna, chicken fried chicken and my entrée was the steak). The portions may have looked on the smaller size, but the taste made up for it and then they ended up being PERFECT. I finished my entire entrée and was completely satisfied. It was «just right».
I’m glad to live so close and hope to keep in front of mind in the future!

This has been a favorite, go-​to bar for my friends and I for years! After a loud night at the Redwood or Linda’s, it’s a weekend routine to stroll on over to the Rosebud for a nightcap and conversation. We loved our regular server and the bartender, the drinks were strong (and cheap!), and the food, when we got there before the kitchen closed, was always a treat. I’ve even been here a few times for brunch and been impressed.
Sadly, new ownership has changed all the things I loved about Rosebud. We stopped in for drinks on a weekend, music was pumped too high to hear ourselves talk, despite the empty room, and our server — though good hearted — was terrible. She had obviously never served before, messed up our drink orders, sat down to «chat» with us twice — which I would never mind with a conscientious server I was familiar with (in fact our old regular server used to do this quite frequently and it was fine), but in this case it was bizarre and interrupted what should have obviously been a private conversation.
All the old, wonderful staff has been replaced. The owner was rude and basically kicked us out by turning up the music to an unbearable level at midnight (on a weekend!) and gruffly asking us to leave before our drinks were finished.
I thought maybe this bad experience was a fluke, and that Rosebud would find its feet in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, reports from friends who have been more recently have also been disappointing.
I will miss you Rosebud! You were a gem, but I won’t be visiting you anymore.

It really breaks my heart to give Rosebud a bad review. This was my favorite bar – and a special place that my husband and I would go to frequently, as it was where we had our first date.
Recently, we went in for happy hour drinks. We were shocked to learn that Robert was gone! The drinks we had were sub-​par and the bartender couldn’t even remember to do something as basic as adding a lime to my vodka tonic. The worst was the cold, limp fries that we ordered. Not a single one was crispy. Also, we ordered well drinks, but they charged us for top-​shelf liquor! Scammers! My husband was ready to forsake them, but…
We decided to give Rosebud another chance for brunch. The food was disgusting. I ordered an omelet and potatoes. The omelet was just warm – the vegetables in it were raw and there was no seasoning. The potatoes were heavily seasoned and RAW! No even the weak mimosas they were offering could make up for it.
I liked the décor changes, but the food and service has gone so down hill. Sadly, I will not be going back.

The Rosebud is one of those places everyone sees as they walk through Capitol Hill. The name is striking, harkening back to the way things were when movies were not just ‘movies’ but ‘films’. And walking in you learn that the mood is completely on par with what you’d expect; classy with just a splash of hipster.
It started with a walk through the lounge (where the bar is). As I walked to the table I made a personal note to return, regardless of the meal to check out this front room. The dimly lit atmosphere full of people having a good time holding some interesting cocktails (and I will someday return).
Fully anticipating a meal reminiscent of times gone by I am happy to report I got just that… well almost.
The menu is quaint and filled with artistic combinations, that execute in a so-​so fashion. The meal (like any classic film) had potent good and bad points.
The mac and cheese was heavenly. So much so that I would dare to mention it up among the Seattle foodies who so often banter over the famously simple pasta dish. My Guinness broccoli gouda soup was on the other hand not so lovely. It had a mix of flavors that likely should not have existed, however it was interesting (I know the title should have clued me in but I, like you Unilocalers, am a food adventurer). The tuna was cleanly executed but did not prove extraordinary, unlike the Caesar salad, with real anchovy, that blew me away with surprising simplicity.
It was a good meal but the price tag makes me think it should have been more so. Still it was not so expensive as to the point of avoidance and I would try the Rosebud again. However, it is a restaurant where the simple choices payout (again I emphasize the mac and cheese) and but for adventurer seekers you may want to look elsewhere.

I returned to the Rosebud once more for a farewell brunch for a very good friend. I didn’t pick the location, but the friend who made the reservation raved about their mimosas and ability to accommodate a large party. I remembered my dinner here being good, so I thought, well, okay.
The brunch menu had a decent amount of offerings, but few of them appealed to me so I settled on the biscuits and gravy (as did another friend). The good: they have a brunch deal where for $ 15 (I think, but I’m not firm on the price so don’t quote me on that) you get your meal and bottomless coffee and mimosas/​orange juice. Awesome, thought we! And truly it was, for our mimosa glasses never sat empty.
The bad: the biscuits and gravy. While my friends who had ordered omelettes and scrambles seemed to enjoy their food, my meal was inedible. The biscuits were hard as rocks and just as dry; the gravy was decent, but bland; the eggs were greasy and cold. I choked down a few bites but quickly gave up. If I had thrown a biscuit at somebody, it would have bruised them. What happened to fluffy, buttery biscuits and meaty, saucy gravy? This was not the breakfast I had imagined. Upon conferring with the friend who too had the biscuits, it was confirmed — the dish was plain bad. He managed to consume most of it, but that kid eats everything.
The ugly: the service. Well, one of the servers. At the end of our meal, I finally managed to flag him down and explain to him that my food was inedible. «Well, what’s wrong with it?» he snapped. I mentioned the dry, hard biscuits and bland gravy and he whisked my plate away without a word. Luckily, another server came by to check what was wrong and even admitted that he thought the biscuits were hard and he’d told the kitchen/​management this before. (Hint: if your waitstaff knows this is a problem, perhaps it’s time to fix it.) He offered a replacement dish, but by that time our group was packing up to leave, so I declined. He was kind enough to take my meal off of the bill (although I was more than willing to pay for the coffee & mimosas) so I ended up full of champagne on an empty stomach. Oops.
That server was the sole saving grace of the brunch. The inedible food, the rudeness of the other server and the apparent disregard of the management ensures that I will never go back to the Rosebud.

This capitol hill staple provides a wondrous brunch on the weekends along with a real piano, it’s a very lovely place to have brunch and I highly suggest it if you are visiting town. The flat price of 15 dollars for brunch may be odd to some people, but it means that all items are equivalent priced (so it’s easy to split a bill). I suggest you give Rosebud a try, I think you will really enjoy it!

I’ve been coming to Rosebud maybe 4 times a year for breakfast for the last 10 years with the occasional happy hour and dinner. Up until my last visit today, I have been happy with them.
On their «winter» menu, gone were some of my old favorites (french toast) and also the fuji and brie omelet (which has been gone for a few years actually –I still miss it). They’ve replaced a number of the fancy dishes, with stuff that smacks of an attempt to make cheaper meals.
The thing that REALLY pissed me off though, and the reason I will never return (until they change this): Brunch comes with *obligatory* mimosas or a bloody mary, with a fixed price of $ 15. No entrée only, no a la carte (unless you want sides only). They were unwilling to sell us food without liquor. I understand this during happy hour, but not at brunch. I think this is totally unacceptable.
Add to this undercooked poached eggs (runny WHITES!) on our last visit (with attitude about what constitutes poached with the staff), bits of food in our water, haughty, cold staff and it’s just a disaster now.
Contrast that the incredible breakfast I got at Linda’s the previous day at a fair price with spectacular service, and it’s just sad.

We came here for a scotch tasting and dinner deal through livingsocial, and it was loads of fun. The staff were all very helpful and friendly, and the drinks were well poured.
I was impressed that even with 25 of us there, my rare steak came out exactly right. As did my hunny’s. Not an easy task with so many mouths to feed!
The potatoes were delicious, the artichoke-​fontina dip… gods… I could have eaten BUCKETLOADS of that dip. It was AMAZING!
The salad and soup were excellent (though the salad was definitely the more interesting of the two).
It was a great experience, and I will definitely be returning.

Hands down, without a doubt, my favorite bar in Seattle!
I really love this place. The spot can get crowded or can get pretty dead. Either way the spot is always good for a drink.
The bartenders are all really good and I have never had a shyly poured weak-​ass drink here ever. Romand is the guy I go to for my spirits. Dude is a bloody magician with those poury spouty things on bottles and shaky metal thingys… and cups… yeah cups. From martinis (usual is a dirty Chopin Martini) to mixed drinks (get a «Something Good,» trust me). Regardless these are some awesome bartenders.
Their drink specials are great! The perfect place to prefunk before a big night out, or even to make this your big night out.
The food is really good too! A few memorable choices are the smoked gouda mac and cheese and the cauliflower gnocchi. Both excellent choices to share or be selfish with.
The atmosphere is bloody ace! The walls are adorned with classic movie posters and (like the namesake) you’ll find a sled and a poster for Citizen Kane in there. The main bar/​lounge area is cozy and while not the biggest place, that’s never been an issue. The best part of this bar is the back. Past a door by the restrooms there is this «backyard garden» like place to hang out, smoke, and drink with your buddies. It’s fairly deserted during the cold months, but once summer time hits, that area is teeming with hipsters, Cap Hill denizens, and bar hounds alike.
This bar has to have been the most diverse crowd I have ever seen in the Capital Hill area. Which is great since varied people make for interesting nights out.
Big ups to Romand and all the guys at the bar, keep pouring and Ill see you blokes soon.

I went here on a weekday afternoon, thinking this place was a hot spot. Once we got there, it was completely dead! Just me and the bf. Oh, and the waiter. We wanted to use our groupon, and at first the waiter denied it, because it was ‘suppose’ to be valid for dinner. Except, it didn’t say that anywhere on the coupon itself. Also, because they just came out with a new lunch menu, he wasn’t sure if it would qualify… but we eventually got him to honor our groupon, which was kind of him.
The lunch menu is limited by choices. There are four separate categories, and we got one dish from each category: a green salad, mac & cheese, sandwich, and lamb wrap. Salad was plain, yet tasty (dressing definitely topped it off!), my favorite was the mac & cheese. MMMMMM, delicious! Definitely not the kind you would expect from the store. The downside is that the portion is kind of small. (see photo) I would have loved for it to be more in size, since it totaled about $ 9 for the dish. The lamb was also great, but I didn’t expect it to be the way it was. On 3 lettuce wraps, which I gobbled up pretty quickly. Overall, food was decent but I don’t think I would be paying that much for lunch, if it wasn’t for my groupon deal. :P
The nice thing is that we sat by a open window, so lots of fresh, cold air… but also kinda dirty at our table. Overall, the place in daylight looks classical, lots of old school musicians/​autograph of pictures/​posters. Pretty dead during the day. Not sure about nighttime though… atmosphere could change? And possibly more people, than just you/​your date and the waiter? But also beware that dinner menu is also more pricier than the lunch menu, buut portions could be just a little bigger? Don’t know… but not planning on coming back anytime soon for now.

It’s not just a sled.
This place was spectacular. I’ll review it with subheadings below, because subheadings make writing more readable and they make me look smart.
Service
A pair of slightly older gentleman with similar casual style and the same slightly effeminate inflections acted as our servers. Both were outstanding. One was friendlier and delivered everything with a smile. When I asked him for wine advice, he didn’t immediately point to the most expensive drink. Instead, he asked what I liked, and picked out the least expensive glass because it met what I requested. That has never happened to me before. The other server didn’t smile as much, but he was helpful and clearly wanted to make sure we were enjoying ourselves, without rushing us to leave. I have nothing bad to say about them at all.
Price
The total bill was expensive, but the individual dishes are shockingly cheap. In fact, the best item on the menu was only $ 7.00 at dinner time, and it was large enough that I could have ordered just that item and been satisfied.
Food
My friend and I ordered 4 different items that we shared. The first was an artichoke dip. It was legitimately amazing. One of the reasons I don’t think I could make it as a true Unilocaler is because I don’t actually care about food that much. Food doesn’t wow me. I don’t yearn for some type of flavor and food has never improved my mood. Never.
With that in mind, the artichoke dip tasted like fresh boiled artichoke with hints of olive, garlic and basil and for the first time ever the «hints» in a dish actually impressed me.
I also ordered the grilled veggie baguette. I am a terrible vegetarian. I am a vegetarian that does not like vegetables. Yet this thing melted in my mouth. It was a treat to eat.
The only not-​great food was the linguine marinara with spinach. It tasted like something I could make at home with little effort. It would have been delicious with cheese or salt, but there wasn’t any.
For dessert I had a molten chocolate cake that was as good as it sounds. Everything, with the exception of the pasta, was tremendous, and the pasta was barely a knock against this place at all, since it was exactly what it was supposed to be.
Setting
Despite being the two most poorly dressed people int he restaurant, we were sat right by the window, which was nice. Out the window I saw:
— a smoking female dwarf.
— a man in neon green hot pants.
— an obese woman dressed like Marilyn Monroe.
— Jesus?
We also watched a woman in a red station wagon try to parallel park in this very small space and hit the car behind her an amazing 3 times before parking awkwardly diagonal and leaving her car. Once she left, the entire restaurant cheered and clapped but she couldn’t hear us.
So I’d give the setting another 5 stars.
Overall
I will never be the kind of person that «savors,» and in general the only descriptive word I’d use on any restaurant is «good» but this place was impressive from start to finish, so it gets honored with a novella and very few jokes. Go here. Enjoy.

Thanks to Rosebud, my search for the most outrageously delicious mac ‘n’ cheese I’ve ever laid my taste buds on is officially over! An unbelievably creamy smoked gouda bechamel hugs every curve of cavatappi pasta, and a flurry of Panko adds the perfect complementary crunch. For $ 7 you get a nice-​sized portion of the best stuff on earth. Move over, Snapple.
Sliced artisan baguette with an olive oil-​balsamic-​basil dip was served on the house, and my bf and I split a nicely dressed green salad before our entrees arrived – grilled flatiron steak with roasted yukon gold potatoes, blue cheese, caramelized shallots, and demiglace. Yes, it tasted as good as it sounds. The steak was fork-​tender, and strong flavors from the cheese, shallots, and demiglace were balanced just right. At $ 13, it was a steal for the ample portion and quality of ingredients.
I had no idea what to expect from Rosebud. I never read about it, heard of it, or noticed that it even existed. It turned out to be one of those places that took me by complete surprise and exceeded all my expectations. No hype, just great food in a super cute and charming environment. And I mustn’t forget to give a shout out to our fabulous waiter, Jimmy, who rounded out an awesome meal with his humor, wit, and flawless service.
All-​in-​all, an experience I’d love to have over and over again. Next time, though, with enough room for their white Russian tiramisu.

I went here based purely on some snippets of reviews read from my phone, and I was not disappointed. A nice little place, with just a few tables, maybe 8 or 10 total that I could see, with windows flung open to a really pleasant evening that I would like to rub in the faces of all my coworkers, family, and friends stuck in Chicago in August.
There are a lot of things on the menu I wanted to try, and so I asked, «how big are the small plates — if I ordered two, is it a stupid amount of food?» They weren’t terribly expensive, so I thought I would try some things. And I honestly expected small plates to be small. The waiter confirmed — two would be perfect for dinner. So I ordered the baked mac and cheese with smoked Gouda (couldn’t resist, even though I never like «real» mac and cheese made with real cheese) and the seared scallops with pear, parsnip, pancetta, and apricot ginger glaze. The waited asked if I wanted a salad, which I didn’t, looking at the menu — I just didn’t need the food. But he said he could do just a small greens salad, so I took him up on it.
The salad was big — and delicious. Nice spring mix greens with bleu cheese and little cherry heirloom tomatoes. All the tomatoes were good, and the dressing was light and tangy. Very good, but more than I expected, for certain. Then for the «small plates.» The scallops weren’t huge, but it was a nice portion. Could have done with a little more sear or crust, but they tasted good. The accompaniments were also good — soft, cooked sweet pears with the more herb-​y parsnips, plus nice chewy pancetta and a delicious glaze that went perfectly with the salty scallops. I didn’t taste much ginger, but the apricot was out in force.
Oh, and then the mac and cheese. Like, a vat of it. With panko bread crumbs on top, Baked golden brown. Yes, it was good. But the cheese tasted awfully processed. I don’t think actual Gouda would have melted like that. But then again, you’re talking to a guy who sanctions the use of Velveeta for mac and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches, so who am I to complain. I just don’t know if I would order something that… processed…again. I could be wrong, but I swear, real cheese doesn’t melt like that. Either way, far more than half of it is sitting in my hotel fridge right now.
When it comes down to it, this is another strong three star. Better than average, by far, but not quite pushing in to four star territory. They have a nice menu, and it’s close to where I’m staying for the next couple weeks. If I get bored with whatever else is around, I’ll have to go back and try some more things.

Was hoping for the best…
We had a
coupon to use so we decided to come in for dinner. And it was nothing but down hill from there.
I ordered the lamb sirloin with couscous. The couscous was a congealed ring mold pile. It was disgusting, pretty sure the cook had never cooked couscous before. The lamb was crap, and the potatoes on my plate were barely cooked.
The bread that was served for our meal had been microwaved to try and freshin it up. I could continually hear the microwave going off during the preparation of our meal. The bread should have been in the trash and not on our table.
My wife had a pasta dish that she did not care for as well. I was totally disappointed that I had to even pay for this meal at all. The $ 25 off coupon I had was not worth the price/​quality ratio that comes out of their kitchen. We will not be back for the food. Maybe a cold drink on the bar side?

Went here to prefunc with Valerie H. prior to the ‘Yelp! Mustache Bash’. Love the name. It’s sexually suggestive and cutesy Strawberry Shortcake at the same time. Appetizers are splendid, drinks do their job (at least the LITs do); the back area reminds me of somewhere not Seattle. Maybe NYC, maybe SF, maybe New Orleans. It’s red brick, balcony, charming, but not pretentious or anal (no metaphor intended).
Gotta go back for the food sometime soon. It looks wonderful!

You want comfort food?
Then you must come here.
We walked in with pretty low expectations and walked out fat & happy.
Why?
Check it:
Spinach salad w/​balsamic
Giant bowl of smoked gouda mac & cheese
Meatloaf (it was Thursday — and that’s their standard for Thursdays, no joke) served w/​potatoes and yummy greens
Beer
Vodka drink
We had to box up the rest of the mac & cheese b/​c there was so. Frakkin. Much of it. And it was good. DAMN good.
And now we know where we should eat if we want to induldge our inner glutton.

Rosebud plays up their namesake in ways both subtle and in-​your-​face: roses on the table, rosy paint and interior, napkins folded into the shape of a rose, Citizen Kane posters and a sled on the wall.
We went there for dinner and had the smoked gouda mac and cheese (as rich as it sounds) and the sauteed calamari with spinach (a salady seafood dish and considerably lighter) for first courses. Each of these dishes was under 10 bucks, cheap!
Man, even though we were actually stuffed from these first dishes there was a main entrée on its way: the seafood special which was cod over risotto, artfully presented and lightly breaded yet very moist and flaky. Absolutely tasty and food coma inducing, but more than the previous two dishes combined.
You can definitely splurge here (I celebrated with a a bottle of Le Faux Frog, see photo for the amazing label) but next time I’m here I’d stick to first courses and that way I’d have room for dessert…

This is my second time to this restaurant. First time was several years ago that did not impress me much. I think they have new chefs or new owners because the food and service have drastically improved. The décor is still the same. I honestly can’t say I enjoy the dark reddish paint on the wall… made the place feels kinda weird. But the place does have character. I do like the old movie posters on the wall… just not the combo of dark red paint and black/​white lounge chairs.
Anyways, the food was surprisingly very good. I had the special of the day; pan-​seared swordfish with fingerling potatoes, heart of palms topped with jicama. This is sword fish done right. I think this fish is tough to make because too much heat and it will turn hard. My fish came out perfectly seared on the outside, soft and flaky on the inside. The heart of palms were amazing. First time I heard about this was on the season finale of Top Chef. Heart of palms tastes like a cross between young bamboo shoots and white asparagus. The texture was tender, yet crunchy. Flavor was a little tart but goes very well with the sword fish. The fingerling potatoes were very good too.
The wine that I had was alright. You’re probably better off getting a cocktail as the bartender seems very knowlegable. Plus, the table next too me kept ordering more dirty martinis. The chef came with the waiter to talk to us about the dishes. The service was very pleasant and attentive. I discovered on my way to the ladies’ room that there’s a back yard patio. However, it’s filled with smokers so I’m not sure I want to sit back there next time. I gave this place a 4 stars because I’m not digging the décor and the wine but the food was delicious!

Totally adored this place.
I wasn’t there long but it wasn’t overcrowded like a lot of Capitol Hill spots. It took almost no time to order a drink and even less time to receive it and drink it! :)
The atmosphere was nice, the people seemed chill and it wasn’t too loud that you can’t go and hold a conversation with a friend or two.
Another review said they hadn’t been because it looked expensive. I can see that. It’s kinda cute inside but it’s not overprices or snotty at all!

Got my movie start time wrong so I decided to try brunch here… waitress was nice and chose the recommended Italian pasta: ramen like noodle, chopped omelet, bacon, asparagus, and mozzarella cheese. What started as impressed b/​c i thought the dish took long to serve b/​c they made it fresh, ended up a disappointment b/​c 3O min. later, the waitress and host separately said it would be just another minute. Twele to 15 shakes of salt and pepper-​and Tabasco did not help fix the blandness. This was a case of trying to hard to change up a simple dish.
The view is terrible: you face the store front of the BMW dealership. They need to p/​u fabric from Stitches next door-​in red or gold and make curtains. I finished the dish b/​c I was starving; waiting for my ramen to arrive so late.
I passed the café on my way home at 7pm, and no patrons inside… hmmm. Open until 2am?