The Whale Wins

3506 Stone Way N, Seattle - 98103
417 reviews
European American Tapas/Small Plates
(206) 632-9425

Dropped my previous review from a 5 star to 1 star based on our experience today. We made a reservation online for 2pm today. We were sat inside, one of 3 seated parties inside so it wasn't busy. When we ordered our food the waiter seemed put out that we didn't want any beverages when he asked. He asked "should I leave the menu here?" as if we needed to look more in depth into the beverage list. My wife was on call and I was driving us back to Portland so neither of us wanted to drink. We had plenty of coffee earlier so that didn't sound good either. Regardless, it's not our fault we didn't want anything other than water. Even then we were not perturbed, but another server dropped our food, which is fine, but about 2 minutes later our server very politely checked on a nearby table that received their food around the same time but had 2 glasses of wine, then glanced at our table and went into the kitchen without checking on us. I felt this was when I started to feel like a second class customer. When we finished our food the server came by and asked if we were finished, did we want a box: yes, no. Then instead of clearing anything he left and returned with our check. He did grab a couple of plates at that time. I paid with toast using the qr code and left. I never had an offer to refill our water even though it was empty. The food was good but nothing close to what it used to be when we visited in the past. We had raved about the cuisine and service to our friends but sadly now we won't recommend this establishment and furthermore I don't think it will be a place we'll return to in the future.

Though it was not a dinner restaurant the portions were too small for the price. The sardines on toast was pretty good but the gnocchi was overcooked. Overall, wouldn’t come back unless for wine and snacks.

Great service- food and wine pairing!

Excellent first experience! Food was very tasty and service was great! It was a wonderful place to celebrate my husband’s birthday!

Let me start by saying the food was wonderful. I would especially recommend the Halibut Dip with housemate chips. So good! What wasn't good was our service from the moment we arrived. The person who eventually greeted us was far from friendly. The main restaurant was empty and only two patio table were filled and we had a reservation. We were told they were all reserved although the website says you cannot reserve an outdoor table. She told us you can call the day of to get a patio table. We then asked for a table right next to the patio and she told us it was also reserved but she would see what she could do. She then disappeared for about five minutes and when she came back she reluctantly gave us that table. We felt from the first moment we arrived that she did not think we belonged in her restaurant as we are in our 70's. She was also our server and rarely gave us even a tiny smile. It's a good thing the food was so wonderful. By the time we left only three of the patio tables had diners so we easily could have been accommodated. Not sure if we will return because Seattle has many excellent restaurants.

very nice place. no view. way too expensive just like most places of this quality.

I just took my partner to brunch there and the service and food were perfect. The restaurant is so cute, everything came out fast and fresh and we got a baguette to go - it all made for the perfect Sunday!

Everything was perfect about this place. Service and food were outstanding.

Outstanding! Excellent food and service. Highly recommend! One of my favorite places in the Seattle area.

Excellent food! Friendly staff. Lovely patio. Romantic! We ll be back.