If you’re looking to grab a bite, Seattle has no shortage of really great choices, whether you’re in Pike Place or Capitol Hill. Some places stand out for the food, others have an amazing view or the perfect atmosphere. Then there’s another category. Restaurants that have managed to rack up some seriously rough reviews. That doesn’t mean every diner has a bad experience, but when complaints get specific and start showing up repeatedly, they’re worth knowing about before you spend your money.
The following places have drawn some notably negative reviews on platforms such as Yelp, Google, Tripadvisor, and delivery apps. Ratings vary by platform and change over time, and several of these places have plenty of happy customers too. What put them on this list are the specific complaints that keep showing up, from inconsistent food and frustrating service to long waits and meals that simply didn’t live up to expectations. Whatever the reason, these are 7 Seattle-area restaurants with some really bad reviews worth reading before you decide where to eat.
Tandori Wraps & Pizza, Lake City
Tandori Wraps & Pizza on Lake City Way has drawn some of the rougher restaurant reviews in the area, and the complaints can get pretty specific. Tiny portions for premium prices. Incomplete orders. Pizza that reviewers describe as both burnt and somehow not cooked through in the same delivery. There was one DoorDash customer who listed five different problems with his order, including a missing pizza and a chicken artichoke salad with no artichoke.
The menu is nothing short of inviting. Indian wraps, tandoori dishes, pizza, and other delights. It looks great on paper and it should work. Unfortunately, some reviewers say their experience hasn’t matched that promise. Complaints include food arriving cold or late, incorrect orders, and items that don’t match what customers thought they ordered. When similar complaints keep appearing over time, it becomes harder to write them all off as one unusually bad day.
Grid Iron Grill, Lumen Field
Grid Iron Grill has a Yelp listing tied to Lumen Field, although it does not appear on the stadium’s current concessions guide. The older reviews that remain online, however, include some seriously unhappy customers. Unlike a freestanding restaurant, a stadium concession also has a somewhat captive audience. Once you’re inside the stadium and hungry, your choices are naturally more limited.
According to one reviewer, they paid $24 for a burger, waffle fries, and beer and received what they described as a cold, old burger. The same reviewer said they felt sick later that night. That’s one customer’s account, not evidence that the burger caused the illness, but it certainly didn’t make the review any more appetizing. Apparently, the fries were fine, which somehow makes the whole review even stranger.
Mountain Room Bar, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
©Seattle Airport
The Mountain Room Bar is inside SeaTac Airport, where travelers often pick a restaurant based as much on the location of their gate as the menu. There are other dining options throughout the airport, but convenience matters when boarding time is approaching. Mountain Room Bar has drawn some especially vivid complaints. One reviewer described receiving a Caesar salad that was essentially a bowl of iceberg lettuce with a light dusting of Parmesan. Another customer said his french fries smelled like an ashtray. That’s about as vivid as a restaurant review can get.
The service complaints stack up separately from the food-related ones. Reviewers have mentioned rude interactions with staff, long waits, and dirty tables left untouched. Other diners have had much better experiences, so this isn’t a case where everyone seems to agree. Still, several of the negative reviews suggest walking farther down the terminal and trying another option if you have the time before boarding.
Cowgirls Inc., Pioneer Square
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Cowgirls Inc. is a mechanical bull saloon located in Pioneer Square that has been part of the neighborhood for roughly two decades. It’s a noisy bar right next to two stadiums, and its western theme should work on paper. Online reviews tell a much more mixed story, though. Some customers complain about expensive drinks, including one reviewer who described paying $6.50 for Coors Lights with an additional 20 percent service charge. Others simply describe the drinks as both disappointing and expensive.
Bartenders and door staff also come up frequently in the negative reviews. Some customers describe disputes over tables, frustrating interactions with staff, and being asked to leave. Plenty of visitors stop at Cowgirls before a game simply because it’s right there, and some clearly have a great time. Others say they walked away spending more than they expected and wondering how one quick pregame stop managed to go so wrong.
Sher E Punjab Grill, Lake City
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The Sher E Punjab Grill is located at 12336 Lake City Way NE, in the same strip mall as Tandori Wraps & Pizza. The fact that two restaurants in the same Lake City strip mall have both drawn their share of rough online feedback is an odd coincidence, but the reviews for each stand on their own.
Here, you’ll find Punjabi food including tandoori chicken, kababs, and biryani. Some reviewers describe positive late-night delivery experiences, so this is hardly a case where everyone walks away unhappy. However, Sher E Punjab Grill has also accumulated its share of low ratings and complaints, pointing to an experience that can be inconsistent.
It’s difficult to pin the criticism on one single problem, but the steady stream of low ratings suggests dissatisfaction hasn’t been limited to one or two isolated visits. At the same time, the positive reviews make it clear that some customers keep coming back and enjoy what they get. If you’re craving Indian food in the area, checking the most recent reviews before ordering probably makes more sense than assuming either side has the whole story.
13 Coins, Bellevue
©"classic diner... but looks made for really tall avatars - Torley Linden" by ▓▒░ TORLEY ░▒▓ is licensed under BY-SA 2.0. - Original / License
The original 13 Coins is a true Seattle institution. It opened shop in 1967, and for decades the high-backed booths, round-the-clock service, and consistent all-day breakfasts made it a reliable late-night anchor for locals. Some reviewers of the Bellevue location, at 900 Bellevue Way NE, don’t think that branch has carried the reputation forward quite as well.
Longtime fans of 13 Coins have described the Bellevue branch as a disappointing version of something they once loved. Issues mentioned in negative reviews include badly prepared dishes, excessive waiting even with a reservation, and staff clearing plates before some diners felt they were finished. Other customers rate the restaurant much more highly, so this is better described as a place with a noticeable pocket of disappointed diners than a restaurant everyone seems to hate.
Inchin’s Bamboo Garden, Bellevue
Inchin’s Bamboo Garden, located at 601 108th Ave NE in the downtown Bellevue business district, is an Indo-Chinese fusion restaurant. The Bellevue location has accumulated plenty of reviews over the years, and its overall ratings are not uniformly poor. That’s important context here. Plenty of diners love the place, while some of its one- and two-star reviews tell a very different story and include specific complaints about the food, cleanliness, and service.
The negative reviews describe food that can vary dramatically from visit to visit, along with complaints about service, cleanliness, and dishes that simply miss the mark. Plenty of diners are enthusiastic about the restaurant, and Indo-Chinese fusion itself has a devoted following. In other words, this isn’t one of the area’s lowest-rated restaurants overall. It made this list because some of the customers who didn’t enjoy their experience really didn’t enjoy it, creating a striking gap between the fans and the harshest reviews.
