Ponti Seafood Grill

What a great meal!!! I haven't had such agood meal in a restaurant in years. Ponti really gets it. Try the wild salmon with squash risoto and chantrelle mushrooms. I loved their lemon tart and the crab threeways, you could taste the dungeness crab and the three preperations each were better than any I have had in any restaurant antwhere. I loved Ponti and the service was excellent too.

Pros: Food, Service, Wine List

Cons: n/a, n/a, n/a

Posted 11/14/05

I dined at Ponti's this last weekend in celebration with family. Our other family members who were out of town and could not attend phoned ahead and suprised us with a bottle of champagne. We were seated promptly, and it was waiting for us at the table, on ice, even though we arrived 20 minutes ahead of our reservation. When one of the members of our party unexpectantly fell ill and had to depart, our waitress was more than accommodating when she cancelled the entree order and, without asking, provided a complementary bottle of water. Neither the salad nor the entree were on the bill. The food was excellent, and we were able to enjoy our meal - even in light of the bumps our group provided along the way!

Pros: Service, Fine Dining, Valet

Posted 10/09/05

I went to Ponti with a group of friends, some from eastern Canada. The service was over the top. Their comment was that Ponti is the only US restaurant that really understands service adn delivers. The attention to detail was wonderful.
The food was exceptional as well. I had the house smoked black cod, it was so good, like eating candy. The wild king salmon with chantrelle mushrooms in phyllo was a hit as well.
I noticed that Ponti grew their own tomomatoes, they have a tomato garden on thei patio. I ordered the heir loom tomato bread salad, it was delicious.
All in all Ponti was great. Even the owner came buy our table.
What a treat. I will go back often.

Pros: Service, food, ambience

Posted 09/25/05

I very much enjoyed my evening at Ponti. The ambiance is relaxing, the staff is pleasant and friendly, and the food is terrific. We were seated promptly at a table with a great view of the ship canal. The wine steward was very helpful in answering our questions. Dungeness crab 3 ways, and ginger brown butter scallops (appetizers) were excellent. The Caesar salad was perfectly dressed. The Rosemary braised lamb shank entree was INCREDIBLE. Trio of custards was a perfectly sweet an excellent end to the meal. $2 valet parking was a plus! Especially in a city where it's common to pay $10 to park at a restaurant where you will spend $200+ for dinner for 2.

Pros: $2 valet parking, pleasant staff, ambiance

Posted 09/25/05

With the hype about the "Night in Tuscany" I expected much more than a mediocre or less meal. I've eaten at several excellent restaurants and found not a single course outstanding in any way. A spartan appetizer plate that required entries to be cut in half and shared was followed by a pasta dish that was completely uninspiring. The ling cod was overdone and cool when delivered to the table. OK, I retract my earlier remark because the small mixed green salad was excellent but should not have been the highlight of the meal. Wines unremarkable but inoffensive. At about $200 after gratuity I consider this to have been one of the worst value meals I've experienced. On the plus side, I don't have to go to Tuscany to know what it's like to eat at an Italian Denney's.

Pros: Great Setting

Cons: Average Food

Posted 09/21/05

I am sorry it took me so long to finally try Ponti. Lots of friends have recommended it, and finally after 3 years in Seattle I went. It was wonderful! Our party of 4 sat on the patio, and had a glorious evening. The view and ambiance of the passing boats on the canal was very relaxing. Our server, Jon (very gracious, thank you!) made sure we had everything we could possibly want, (my mother is a picky one) which put everyone at ease. The Dungeness Crab Spring Rolls and dipping sauce were rich with flavor and so delicious. My husband had the Filet, which he says was tender, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. I could eat their Thai Curry Penne every day of the week. My mother proclaimed it was the best birthday ever. My husband and I are certainly going back again, very soon!

Pros: great wine list, very unique, great view

Cons: not open for lunch

Posted 07/06/05

They are trying to be a high end restaurant as reflected by their prices of both their food and their wine but they don't execute the service of a fine restaurant. Servers had to come back several times to confirm what we wanted. They were out of the majority of their oysters and after they spilled half the water down one of our guests from the oyster plate we were put off. Squeezed our party into a place that was too small only to be bumped by other customers and servers throughout the evening.

Pros: good somalie

Cons: overpriced, uninspired menu

Posted 07/01/05

We had our 1st anniversary dinner here. The staff had a signed Happy Anniversary card at our table when we sat down. The dinner was delicious, the wine was good; altogether a really nice dining experience.

Pros: nice extra touches, delicious food, warm capable server

Posted 05/22/05

i've always wanted to try ponti and had high expectations - totally set myself up to be let down. that did not happen. we were seated quickly by a very nice host and the waitress was quite attentive. we had a baby in a high chair and they were great at working around the baby and never made us feel like we were in the way. the food was great - perfectly cooked fish in a sauce a bit heavier than i like. there was a bit of a lag between salad and entree so we stuffed ourselves with bread and skipped dessert. i'd return.

Posted 03/04/05

I read a bunch of reviews before going tonight, and I was pretty impressed. The ambience is modern with pretty dim lighting, the menu was obviously focused on seafood items. We had the steamed clams in saki broth (very good), my wife had the grilled salmon, and I had the miso marinated halibut. Both dishes were definitely above average, the fish on both dishes very moist and the dish presentation was on par with the price. The only thing I can frown upon was that our table was very close to the people on either side of us and I had to literally wisper so they couldn't hear what I was saying. We finished up dinner and moved to the bar, and that was much more enjoyable. Overall I'd go back again, except wait till the summer so we can have a balcony table overlooking the water.

Pros: seafood dishes, wine selection

Cons: tables too close, delay in getting food

Posted 02/12/05

I have enjoyed the expensive happy hour, but the dinner on the patio is a much finer experience. Upon entry I was greeted very nicely and seated promptly at the patio which is great during the summer (the candlelit lounge is good during the other seasons). Our waitress was average and took a while to bring out the bread. The bread here was very delicious, and we went through three baskets of bread before the main entrees came out. The food did take a noticeably long time to arrive at our table, but the quality outshined the wait. The calamari appetizer is a delicious addition to the bread. The soft shell crab was awesome, especially for fried food lovers. The lamb shank was also very delicious, and was a surprisingly large quantity. What is even more surprising was the price, which seems significantly less, and more reasonable, since my last visit. I use to avoid this place because of the once heavily over priced menu ($30+), but something must have changed. On the down side, the limited outside parking gets full fast, so you may have to find parking across the street or pay a couple of bucks for the valet. The frites were no better than fast food quality. Overall, the experience was good. Keep in mind, if you fill out the commentary cards that are brought with your receipt, you will get very good coupons for the month of your birthday and notifications for special deals (such as the 25 for $25 deal). The best time to check out this place is summer time, so you can see the boats going under the Freemont Bridge.

Pros: Seafood, View, Happy Hour

Cons: Parking

Posted 10/16/04

I was looking for a romantic place to take my girl friend. I heard about Ponti, so I gave it a try. It is very sexy and romantic. It is on the canal near the Fremont Bridge. The decor was like some of the nice restaurants I visited in Italy last year.
And the food was really good. I had a king salmon with a chantrelle mushroom ragu and pom frits that was as good as any dish I have had anywhere in the world.
I have told all of my friends about Ponti. It is my favorite restaurant anywhere!

Pros: romantic, food, sexy

Cons: , expensive, non smoking

Posted 09/29/04

I have always liked Ponti. And now I like it better than ever. The new wine steward, Daryl, is very well informed and such a nice person. He made me feel very comfortable picking a great Italian Bunello.
I highly recommend Ponti and Daryl.

Pros: Very Sexy, Great Seafood, Patio dinning

Cons: , More steaks

Posted 09/20/04

For fourteen years Ponti has always been exceptional. The food; very fresh, cutting edge menu; the service is always superb and professional; great wine list. wonderfully intimate views of the ship canal. An exceptionally warm and romantic restaurant. Go there and go there again and again and AGAIN! IT IS GREAT !!!
The White King Salmon I had on 8/07/04 with arugulya and heir loom tomatoes was out of this world.

Pros: menu, seafood, winelist

Cons: overlooked

Posted 08/07/04

My wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Ponti Seafood Grill last night (3/12), and the amazing experience is still resonating with me. From the wildly charming German Maitre'd, the stunning menu of an impossibly talented and young chef, to one of the most reasonably priced wine lists in the area. We will return with great haste.

Pros: Wine list, Menu, Service Staff

Posted 03/16/04

Recently we went to the Ponti Seafood Grill as first time guests to celebrate a very special occasion. What began as a splendid experience, the evening quickly went down hill. The extreme length we waited for each item that evening, one has to wonder, "will it be worthy?" While the spring rolls were very tasty and still hot, the soup (which undertook an overwhelming delay) was not hot and certainly not worth the wait. The delay of receiving the bowl of soup was unmatched by the overwhelming delay of having the empty soup bowl removed from our table. The $25 bowl of bouillabaisse could I suppose be enjoyed by someone who delights in onion soup with an occasional seafood item. The real kicker was when we politely asked for our check so we can make it to an 8:00 show. The waiter replied with, "Sorry to have wasted your time!"

Cons: , poor service, rude service

Posted 02/18/04

Some friends and I went here for my birthday. After sitting and not being recognized for 20 minutes, I asked if a waiter was assigned to our table. No apologies or compensation made. Service continued to be slow. When the food arrived, most of it was the wrong temperature and none of it was worth the steep price. All of us felt we could have eaten just about anywhere else and gotten a better value.

Pros: reasonable ambience

Cons: slow service, food served cold, overpriced

Posted 11/03/03

We made reservations on line easily. When we got there, we were seated promptly. Our hotel gave us a free appetizer card which we used to get the crab spring rolls.
There was a slight delay in getting our food, so they came and explained the situation to us (we did not complain that there was a delay) - so, the gave us free desserts as well. All in all, we got $26 off our bill and free cab fare there and back.
The food was great, so was the view and ambience. The service was excellent. I would highly recommend this place to everyone. It was a great night!!

Pros: service, food, atmosphere

Cons: little pricey

Posted 07/27/03

Food was good. But the size of the wine serving for the price was outrageous.
The glass was small to begin with and the 3 to 4 oz wine serving for $8 was clearly a rip off.

Pros: good food, hot plates, good service

Cons: wine glass size, cost of glass wine

Posted 03/12/03

I celebrated last Valentine's Day there and had one of the most exquisite dinners ever. We were seated promptly and had a magnificent view of the ship canal while we enjoyed five courses of bliss. I have been to Ponti before and they have a way of making all sorts of new ideas come together in a way that suits anyone's palette.

Posted 02/20/03

Recently went for lunch.
Pasta was just barely warm and dry. We had to ask for their basil and tomatoe soup to pour over it.
A friends sirloin was difficult to cut and hard to chew.
The waiter had to be asked a number of times for coffee refills!

Pros: valet parking, greeted at the door

Cons: food lacked flavor, waiter not aware, food lacked warmth

Posted 01/30/03

Ponti's is a great place for a date, business dinner, or to take your parents to; but sadly, it's not as good as its reputation. The menu does not change much and after a couple of visits you've pretty much seen everything they have to offer. Still, its safe and consistent and the service is snooty enough to make you think you are getting what you paid for.

Pros: Fremont, Consistent, Good Service

Cons: Expensive, pretentious, predictable

Posted 01/16/03

My wife and I went there for our 5th wedding Anniversary after we first moved here. It has since become our favorite Seattle restaurant. The ambiance elegant, but not stuffy. The staff is energetic, and helpfu, if not sometimes a little slow. The wine list is great, and Dan the Manager is always ready with a fine suggestion depending on the occasion and taste. We last went there two weeks ago, and took our 6 year old son. We were shocked when they pulled out a kids menu. They brought him a small bowl clam chowder, and told him they would bring him more if he liked it. He did, and they did!

Pros: Food, Location, Staff

Cons: Speed

Posted 11/24/02

We had a disappointing experience. We had a reservation but were seated in the center of the restaurant instead of along a wall or window. We ordered a butternut squash soup that was inedible. Our dinner took a long time to arrive, and when it did one entree (the salmon) was lukewarm instead of hot. When the replacement entree came out it was only cooked on the top, and the rest was raw. It was a fillet of salmon. The wait staff never asked us how our dinner was. They seemed distracted & a little overwhelmed, even though it wasn't very busy. The capper was when we left. Ponti has required valet parking. My friend was handed his keys & the valet parker pointed to his car & said "there it is". Nice ! This was after he had collected his tip. We will not return.

Posted 11/10/02

We had a wonderul evening. The service was timely and the appetizers and dinner were superb,.

Pros: view, food

Posted 08/25/02

Our meal was Amazingly wonderful. The service superb.Our server, Andrea knew the menu by heart and was excellent in reccomending certain dishes. I loved it! Will be back!

Pros: wonderful view

Cons: loud

Posted 07/24/02