Place Pigalle - Pike Place Market

206-624-1756

81 Pike St Seattle, WA 98101

www.placepigalle-seattle.com

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Fresh, elegant seafood and a rustic-yet-romantic setting make this one of Pike Place Market's best-kept secrets.

Categories:

Restaurants, French Restaurants

Details:

$$$, Notable Wine List, Outdoor Dining, Romantic Dining, View Dining

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Mon-Thu 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-9:30pm Fri, Sat 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-10pm Sun 10am-3pm

Message from Place Pigalle - Pike Place Market

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While located in the heart of the historic Pike Place Market, Place Pigalle is often called a hidden gem because of its unique location behind the market (giving it an almost speakeasy vibe). The restaurant specializes in seasonal menus combining local ingredients with a variety of culinary traditions. The resulting dishes always have been artful, always entertaining, always fresh...disarmingly successful. Couple such critical acclaim with a wonderful Elliott Bay and Olympic Mountain view, an award-winning wine list and a bar that specializes in the unusual and you have the reasons for this Pike Place Market restaurant's success. Best of Citysearch winner multiple years for "date spot," "best view," and "best seafood." Whether you dine inside or the summer patio, there is a great view from every table.

Editorial by Citysearch

The Story
If this dining room were a movie set, the two strangers would certainly fall madly in love, gazing at the ferries crossing Puget Sound at sunset. Since 1982, diners have stumbled upon this black-and-white tiled, linen-tabled bistro only to discover a taste of romance. Gracefully attentive servers are consistently well-informed about the revolving menu.

The Food
Take the hint as you make your way past the fish-mongers--seafood is your best bet. The day's fresh sheet can be playful: On one evening, reduced balsamic syrup was striped over strawberry-topped ono. Notable starters include terrific mussels steamed in balsamic and bacon; an onion soup laden with Gruyere; and perfectly bitter, wilted greens. Carnivores should choose the tender lamb chops or the hoisin-laced rare duck breast.

Key Points

  • French-inspired Northwest
  • Bistro Feel + Full-bar
  • Sweeping Elliot Bay View

The Inside Scoop

  1. What to Drink - Place Pigalle has a tiny, sociable bar with a bartender who will know your drink--arrive before your reservation and belly up for a Greyhound with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice.
  2. Parking - Between 6pm and 12am Thursday-Sunday, the Pike Place valet is available underneath the clock and neon sign. Or park free with validation at the garage at 1531 Western.
  3. Where to Sit - During spring and summer, be sure to request an outdoor table when making reservations.

Editorial and merchant content by Citysearch

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Insider Pages Reviews for Place Pigalle - Pike Place Market

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Won't be going back....

by Jen R.

Food is good, but service tends to be too pretentious for me. And now that I found out that they are not "pet friendly", even outside, I will definitely not be returning.

Posted 02/26/09 | Report Abuse

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Pigalle

by Jared K. | top100 Top100 | Rank: 50

Comfortable and outstanding french seafood restaurant with water views and a beautiful wood bar. Very attentive service and excellent food, Nicely prepared drinks too.

Posted 01/18/09 | Report Abuse

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Latest reviews from Citysearch.

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Amazing View and Seafood

by jooz

Went here for some app's and drinks on a nice day, right below the market and very friendly atmosphere, not huge, so we had to wait a little while to get a table, but very friendly and tasty.

Pros: View, Scallops

Cons: Good service

Posted 05/27/09

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A GEM!

by hilaryhh44

I discovered this Gem of a bistro tucked deep in the market and it was a terrific discovery. It is truly one of my favorite places to relax and have a late lunch. The staff is absolutely fabulous and along with an intimate dining room overlooking the bay and fantastic menu it all equals a great experience each visit. I highly recommend a visit if you want a unique experience in Seattle.

Pros: Great Food, lovely oasis in the Market - 5 Star Service

Posted 05/22/09

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Incredible Restaurant, Great service, great food.

by vlindstrom

I discovered Place Pigalle about one year ago. This is one of the best restaurants in seattle. The appetizers do just that, but on the soup/salad secion be careful...the bowl of onion soup, while extremely delicious, will leave you full. So if you plan on eating anything else other than maybe an appetizer and desert, avoid it. However if you want it to be your meal, it can be. And a very good one at that. The pork chop, although it changes in serving style, is always delicious, tender, and juicy. Special orders are well accomodated, I went here for prom and my date was a vegitarian. She was still able to request one of the entrees in vegetarian style, and it was delicious. The mussels are one of the best dishes on the menu, and will keep you coming back. The lamb is absolutely delicious, as is the steak, both are prepared with great care, and have accoutremon specially selected for the season, keeping them fresh at all times. The atmosphere is fantastic, great view, ambiance, and with the owners on site, you can tell there is pride in the service and cleanliness of the restaurant. Staff is very helpful, and knowledgable about the wine list, in fact the resident oenophile also is the main wine purchaser at the Columbia Tower Club. The bartenders are entertaining, and drinks are carefully made. They are also very knowledgeable about the establishment, and are wonderful to strike up a conversation with. The owners usually handle any sort of anomoly of service personally, and are very friendly. This is a place where anyone can have a great time, not snooty or pretentious, and the view is to die for. Busy times are some of the best times to dine, and occur on fridays and saturdays. Make sure to make a reservation, but even without one it is still possible to obtain a table. Enjoy this place, (pun intended), you will not be dissappointed.

Pros: ambiance, parking, service, FOOD, view.

Cons: Cost, but well worth it

Posted 10/16/08

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Who brings dogs?

by Babosa79

I'm sorry, but to the person below this review, who brings dogs to a nice restaurant? This place is awesome, and I agree with the waitress. Sorry, but I don't want fleas and dog hair in my meal when I am out on a special occasion! Leave your dogs at home and get real!

Posted 07/21/08

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Rude, Pretentious, NOT PET FRIENDLY

by Yvette1985

Some of my friends were visiting from out of town and they brought their two small dogs. We stopped here and simply ASKED if we could dine out on the patio with our pets (mean while the dogs were outside.)
The hostess flipped an attitude and said "Dog's aren't allowed in restaurants."
And when I went to grab a paper menu that happened to be the drink listing she said, "Oh are you going to take that?"
My response was, "Is that a problem?" Her response was, "well it's only the drink menu not the dinner menu."
She was so rude. Acting as if my fellow pet owners and I should not dare set foot near that place.
Needless to say we'll never go back even without our pets.
It looks like, from the other ratings, that if you get a chance to get past the troll guarding the front door it may be a nice restaurant. Maybe they should consider hiring a new hostess.

Pros: There are plenty of restaurants close by once you get rebuked by this one.

Cons: Terrible Customer Service

Posted 07/06/08

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One Word "WOW"

by nghin

First off, the service is exceptional. They were very tentative, never let our wine glass empty, checked on us occasionally to see if we needed anything, and we were the last people to leave so they were having their dinner I assumed and they got up just to thank us for coming in. Now let get to the food, we had the escargots and the sauce was so good that we asked for more bread so that we can dipped. The beets salad was fantastic and I wouldn't recommend the sautee seasonal greens (it was just so-so). The seafood in Saffron Tomato broth was awesome, very flavorful. The venison medallions (deer meat) was great if you like that kind of exotic meat but for me it was the taste that needed to be acquired but I love the sauce. The best that night was the Carlton Farms Pork Rib Chop. It was so tender and juicy that it just melted in your mouth. We were too full by the time for desert so will save it for next time. : )

Pros: Service, Food, Ambience

Cons: Nothing

Posted 03/20/08

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Delectable Food and View!

by 1965gal

What a great little romantic restaurant! It was recommended to me by a friend... I had never seen it before; tucked away behind Rachel the Pig (and the "fish throwers") at Pike Place Market. The food is delectable! If you go you MUST try the mussels (the best I've ever had....in a bacony balsamic brew that was out of this world) and the scallops (simmered in a pomegrate sauce that was truly amazing). The beet salad with goat cheese was scrumptious too! We couldn't get a window table (first come first serve) but still had a wonderful view of the sun setting over Puget Sound. The service was great as well- very professional but not too over the top. I'm surprised this restaurant (and chef) isn't more well known in Seattle....I guess it's been there in the market for years. This was truly the best meal (and dining experience) I've had in Seattle in a very long time!

Pros: Romantic, outstanding food and service and view

Posted 03/17/08

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Don't trust this place for a special occassion

by skeller2

We recently went to Place Pigalle for my boyfriend's birthday. They didn't deliver on any of their promises, a window table, candle in the dessert, all things I discussed with them on the phone that same day. The waitress was rude when we arrived, our table near the window was taken, and there was an inordinately long wait between the salad and entree (over 30 minutes). This wouldn't have been bad but the temperature in the restaurant was officially freezing, we both froze. The was a staff shift in mid-evening, at the end someone we hadn't seen before took our plates and reluctantly (we had to ask) offered dessert. We chose the Cherry Torte which arrived so cold (sub zero, with no candle) that it had no flavor, and after asking for no dairy (soy for our coffee) the waiter still brought heavy cream to put on the dessert. All in all it was a horrible, freezing, three hour flop that cost waaaay too much ($150 for two, with one glass of wine.) I feel reall ripped off.

I feel like I have to warn friends and family about Place Pigalle - to spare them a similar experience.
Thanks for listening, hope your dining experiences are bright. Happy holidays!
xo

Pros: Location, view, tasty food, could be romantic if it wasn't freezing

Cons: Slow service, rude wait person, freezing temperature, no attention to detail

Posted 12/12/07

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One of the best dining experiences ever

by mcgib

My wife and I have several years of experience working in restaurants, so we tend to be pretty tough critics. We both agree that our dinner at this unassuming little place is one of the best dining experiences either of us have ever had. All of the dishes--sauteed calamari, beet salad, sea scallops, Columbia River Sturgeon, po de creme--were perfectly portioned and prepared. The sauces--a dijon vinaigrette and a grapefruit butter sauce, among others--were unbelievably delicate and exploding with flavor. The prices are a great deal considering the higher prices at most nearby restaurants, the atmosphere is very romantic without trying to be, the service (by our server and the owner) was thorough and expertly paced--I can't say enough good things.

Pros: Everything

Cons: Can't think of anything

Posted 10/30/06

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Sound views, good food, white table cloths, pleasant atmosphere

by ssaito

We came on a Saturday night after a movie at Pac Place. The place is not obvious, behind the pig in pike place, which is nice. We sat indoors, a four-seater by the windows. The food was good, though the sommelier was a bit peremptory with wine suggestions. I had the red coconut curry seafood bisque. Our friends had the pork mole, cooked medium rare, which was perfect; and a vegeterian dish, also good. For atmosphere (after-hours, easy to overlook place) this place is up there with Chez Shea. For food, it's good. I'd recommend to friends.

Pros: despite tourist location, after hours it'

Posted 08/25/06

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Lovely bistro with a view

by allioop99

Lovely, tiny spot that makes us feel like we're in Paris, but with a fantastic view! Place Pigalle is a French gem--and definitely more French than a "seafood" restaurant. It's a small menu but inventive. I think their best offerings are in the appetizers- every one is beautifully prepared, creative, and delicious. Fairly light too- petite portions (just like in France!). Wine list was good but more weighted to WA and Cal vintages rather than French. I'd definitely recommend reservations. It's wonderful and romantic, definitely a bit expensive, but worth it for a special occasion or a romantic evening out. Especially during the summer!

Pros: French food, Appetizers, Romantic

Cons: Need reservations

Posted 03/25/06

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great place, pity about the service

by thomond_park

nice spot in a great location with nice setting, grat food and good wine list ; I've never actually written a complaint about service in a restaurant but my experience here prompted me to do so. I liked the person that sat us, good sense of humor and understated but our waitress was terrible. Shortly after 9: 30 on a friday night and we were the only people left there much ot her apparent annoyance, cleared our plates away pretty quickly and the empty bottle of wine without asking us if we wanted anything else and decided to sit down with other staff, hav esomething to drink and eat and left us hanging ; after a while all that could be heard in the place was her talking loudly about her difference of opinion on politics with the other staff, finally got the check and got out of there.

Pros: food, wine, location

Cons: service

Posted 02/25/06

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A special treat

by miss_tanguera

I looked on citysearch for a restaurant befitting a romantic weekend in Seattle and stumbled across Place Pigalle. After making the reservation, I was dismayed to learn that the restaurant was located in the marketplace - I was sure it would be touristy with overpriced, mediocre food. Boy, was I wrong. The atmosphere was magical (I loved the bistro tables and the black-and-white checked floor) and the food was elegantly prepared and delectable. When I asked the waiter for a dry white to pair with oysters, he brought the perfect wine. With the main course (halibut in a flavorful sauce), he selected a gorgeous Oregon pinot within our limited price range. We ended the evening with a masterful pairing of pot de creme and tawny port, and creme brulee and orange muscat ... and then went at midnight to the Space Needle. What a memorable experience!

Pros: great atmosphere, delicious seafood, excellent wine advice

Cons: expensive

Posted 12/18/05

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Misleading

by Spanky55

This is placed under seafood restaurants,and just b/c you have some seafood on the menu, you are not necessarily a seafood restaurant. The food is good, the view was pretty good, provided you get one of the 5 tables near the windows. My main disappointment was the lask of seafood (3 out of 11 dishes, 29 dollars for cold half a crab with some veggies and potato) for a seafood restaurant. This is a euro-mix restaurant that has a normal numer of fish dishes, not a seafood joint.

Pros: good view, nice decor

Cons: too expensive, not a seafood place

Posted 04/27/03

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A pleasant surprise

by MadmanAtLarge

I've been around the Market for years - even played music there - but I never knew about Place Pigalle until this year. It was a romantic occasion, and this was a great choice. The staff was friendly and helpful without being "yer buddy", the food was delightful, and the final bill was a very pleasant surprise. If parking wasn't such a pain, I'd go here a lot, just because - it feels like the sort of place I'd love to be a regular.

Pros: pleasant staff, good value, lovely view

Cons: no parking, can be full

Posted 12/17/02

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Beautiful!

by jrt

This place is gorgeous. The food is good, don't get me wrong -- in fact, the chef's curries (of all things) are fantastic -- but this place's view and decor are just gorgeous. Everyone in there looks beaming on a nice day. (Be sure to try the souffle appetizer.)

Posted 08/26/02

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