If I could put no stars I would. Â This place is the worst!!! Â Bad food, terrible service, just an overall bad experience.
I normally do not write reviews, but in this case I just could not resist. Â We will not be returning and I strongly urge anyone thinking of going to Top Shelf Broiler to reconsider.
Let me first say that their service is great. If just rating their service I would give them a 4. But it's not all about service.
That being said now lets get down to why I only gave it 2 stars. We went for Happy Hour and their drink selection was alright. I specifically go for the wells drinks and they were pretty strict on what that was. Usually I am able to get away with some stuff. Anyways then we ordered some of the happy hour appetizers and noticed that they were pretty expensive, around 8-10 bucks a plate and only 2 dollars off the original price. When our food came out the portions were damn small. The coconut prawns came with only 4 pieces (they were decent), the Kirkland dip came with only 4 small pita slices (eh, tasted store bought), the calamari portion (although very good) is comparable to that of a 1.50 plate at Sushiland  and the house salad was kid size. My drink was very very very weak. Tasted like water.
The place is super super empty. And I can tell why now.
This place is all about the location. Â
The menu is just average. Â I had a steak, it was average and not worth the price. I have had better taste and value at Earls or the Lodge.
The beer selection was horrible. Â The tap beer was the typical PNW microbrews and bud light. Â They had no bottled beer. Â No midrange option like a Heineken or Corona.. Not even Stella. Â
I am hoping this location continues the tradition of changing every few months so we can get something better in this location. Â I thought Olive You was actually pretty decent (just a little expensive).
My wife and stopped in Saturday and completely enjoyed ourselves. We both ordered the tenderloin and had a spinach salad with mine. The tenderloin cut was perfectly cooked and tasted amazing! My spinach salad was very fresh and very good. Our service was fantastic and the drinks were perfect delivered by the very friendly bartender. Absolutely looking forward to our next visit. We love this place!
Review Source:bad. Â service, bar, food, etc. Â I'm not sure what they are shootin for here, but they missed it. Â We had one of the most bizarre, twilight zone, are there hidden cameras on us experiences ever in a restaurant. Â This place inspired me to join Yelp, it's so bad. Â Let's take bets on when this place will be gone.
Review Source:It is really sad when people get laid off or lose there job have there friends go make fake complaints.
also people who think they can go to a half way nice place down town kirkland during the busiest time of the year and want there food in 15 minutes come mine people it takes 20 minutes to cook a good steak.
the place is just getting going and people go there once and think that it should be ran like it has been there 20 years.  the place over the last couple months has made a 100 percent turn around catered to the public revamped there menu to get the people a great place to eat with great food and a great price  they also have  all kinds of differant drinks on special   they also have a great friday and saturday night venu that has been packing in all types of great people so come try to have a open heart
I do not recommend coming here for any reason. You will find better food, drinks, and service anywhere else.
My boyfriend and I arrived late afternoon on Saturday and sat outside. We planned to start with appetizers and a couple drinks before thinking about ordering a main course later.
We opted to share the Kirkland Dip, Eggplant Salad, and Clams/Mussels.
Tzatziki was runny without much flavor - hummus was just OK. Not a fan of the small portions a la teeny tiny ramekin dish presentation. Eggplant salad was not as described on the menu, with Kalamata olives - instead, there were only a few slices of regular black olives sprinkled on top.
Clams/Mussels were so awful, we could not eat them. The one I tried left a fishy taste in my mouth for the rest of the day. They were overcooked to the point of being shriveled, and most had fallen out of the shells. Texture was mushy and just wrong. Worst of all - they were not even hot. Serving lukewarm bad fish is going to get someone very sick here!
Our server was not who delivered the food and did not check back. (Too busy doing who knows, because the restaurant inside had only one table, and there were multiple servers on the floor.) Someone else stopped by to ask how everything tasted (after we had already finished the other plates) and apologized for the inedible mussels, but didn't bother to ask if we wanted anything else. Maybe he was doing us a favor?
After a long while, the server stopped by asking if we wanted more drinks. She didn't mention the plate we had sent back, or bother to ask if we cared to order the rest of our meal. (Again, maybe doing us a favor?) We asked for the bill and a long time later, she returned again asking if we were ready to go. (Yes, seriously.)
It took two more delays before we had our card returned (the credit card book delivered FROM UNDER THE SERVER'S ARMPIT no less - maybe that's how they get their clams delivered too?), and we could finally leave.
Trust me - there are many good reasons why the restaurant and its adjoined "nightclub" side are always the emptiest places in Kirkland.
Unfortunately, like most of the reviews, my experience last night was a bummer. Service was slow and inattentive. Food took a good 30 minutes to come and there was only about 10 people at 4 tables. When the food did come, my fries were cold along with my mom's risotto. Her salmon was completely overdone and they forgot my girlfriend's pita bread. Asked the server for water twice and never got a refill.
I will say my dad really enjoyed his ravioli and it looked delicious but a small portion. All I could do was keep looking over at The Slip and smelling their burgers wishing I was eating there.
I have no reason to ever go back and the new owner that posted on here has a lot of work cut out for themselves.
I went to Top Shelf a couple of months ago wanting to check it out. The service was so so and food as well. A  month or so later a friend of mine told me that the new owner was making some changes to the  menu and  staff. So i thought i'd give it  another try glad i did. I have been back a few time now and each time has been a pleasant experience. The new ower seems to be working hard at making it a better place. If you like blues music you should check out there Thursday nite jam stopped into eat a couple of thursdays ago and stayed around to check it out. i was not disappointed
Review Source:If you go here, be sure to bring food or eat before because the wait staff is a bona fide cluster f***. Â After they finally came over to ask what we wanted (we were sitting there about 40 minutes before anyone bothered and my boyfriend went to the bar to get a menu), we were told the majority of appetizers they had "run out". Â We ordered the caprese and pita-olives-feta plate. Â 10 minutes..20 minutes.. 30 minutes...40 minutes...50 minutes later, we were finally brought an anemic platter of bread-the saltiest of olives and feta straight out of Costco and a caprese salad with pathetic tomatoes and the only saving grace was the mozzarella. Â After nibbling at it, we waited another hour for the bill but at one point my boyfriend said if we just left, I bet they wouldn't even notice but we decided to do the right thing and waited until we could finally flag down someone to get a receipt. Â They obviously can't handle more than 5 customers at a time.
We went to see a friend's band play and was glad to support them but this restaurant needs to be put out of it's misery, and ours.
I had a painfully bad experience at this restaurant.
When I went there a few months ago, I did not even realize that Olive You had gone out of business. This saddened me, because I thought that Olive You's outside seating was easy to get into on a hot day (unlike The Slip, across the street) and the burgers were just as good if not better.
That said, I was not in a bad mood when I walked into this place with 2 friends on a slow weekday afternoon. I was optimistic and interested to try out a new place.
The place was COMPLETELY empty. Not a soul inside or out when we got there and the waitress was in the back talking to the cook. I had to yell about 3 times just to get her attention.
All we ordered was 3 beers and she couldn't recite the beers they had on tap. I would understand this if they had a massive selection of taps, but after she went to check she found that they only had 2 beers on tap and rest were empty. Okay, easy enough, I guess, but why didn't you already know that?
It took forever for them to come out (which shocked me considering there was no one there) and then she dumped all of the beers on our laps. Now, to be VERY clear, I don't really blame her for that. Accidents happen, but I still feel the need to mention it to describe the full experience.
When she returned with a rag, she could only find one menu so we had to share it (wtf?). When we all agreed to order a simple cheeseburger she said, "Oh....I'm sorry. Um, we are actually out of burger".
Out of burger?!?!
How the hell do you have a burger joint and not have burger? I seriously thought this was a joke.
At that point, we just had to get our check and leave. I don't know what is going on with this place, but the owner needs to worry less about getting a brand new sign out front and worry a lot more on making sure they are stocked up with ACTUAL consumable items like food and beer.
Beach side restaurant.
No burger and no beer.
Why do people try to start businesses in Kirkland without a solid business plan? Park Place Pub. Charlies Burgers. ALL trainwrecks that have gone out of business because they don't understand the SIMPLE concept of catering to your customers. All people want is a burger and a beer on a nice sunny day in downtown kirkland while sitting outside.
This is why the Slip has a 2 hour wait at lunch time. I'll give you a hint, it's NOT because their food is particularly spectacular. It's because they deliver this simple combo of feel-good items on days when people like to feel good.
If a decent place like Olive You went out of business, this place will be toast with that high Kirkland rent. I wonder what will be in this location next summer?
Where do I even begin?
We had friends visiting, and after a gorgeous afternoon on the lake we decided to grab dinner in Kirkland. We headed for Cactus, but after learning there are a 45 minute wait we decided to venture elsewhere.
Coming in from the marina we'd seen signs for Olive You, a nice little Mediterranean place we used to frequent when they were located on Greenwood Ave in Seattle, so we headed over there. We arrived at the hostess stand and were pleasantly surprised to find a couple of outdoor tables available (on a gorgeous, sunny, perfect weather day at prime dinner time on a Friday). This was our first red flag, but we didn't know it at the time.
We were seated promptly by our hostess, a pleasant young woman in a black skirt so short that I felt embarrassed for her. I'm not sure the club kids would even be okay with this skirt, it barely covered what needs to be covered in public (in a restaurant setting, at least). Looking around, short skirts and a ton of eye makeup seemed to be the preferred uniform for the restaurant staff, all female except for the manager/owner. No worries, I was still looking forward to a great Mediterranean meal.
Our server arrives and unceremoniously asks us if we want to order drinks. Looking at our menus, we noted there were no drink options there. Any chance of a bar menu or a wine list? Uh no, notes the server as she rolls her eyes, we don't have a bar menu. Okay, let's go with a draft beer, house white wine, and a raspberry-flavored vodka and soda. She notes our choices and walks away (no, thank you, no nothing, just walks away). We abstain from ordering our appetizers as she never gave us a chance to order them.
The drinks arrive and our friend notices that his pale ale actually looks like a wheat beer. Wanting to confirm that he has the right beer, he ventures inside to the bar where the bartender is less than useless, and actually a bit hostile. Afraid that she might spit in his drink, our friend throws up the surrender flag and sits back down, still unsure about his beer but figuring it was not worth further hassle with a hostile bartender (who was not busy at all, by the way - nobody else at the bar and no chits popping up from anywhere else).
Awhile later, our server comes back and takes our appetizer order (crispy fried calamari with warm spicy marinara sauce and  sun dried tomato aioli and a quartet of dips (tzatziki, pesto, and two others) with pita triangles). We aren't given the option of ordering our salads and main courses, so we just hang out and enjoy the gorgeous early evening outside. Our appetizers are plopped down at the table and the server disappears, silently into our good night. We're a bit disappointed because the calamari arrives with honey mustard dipping sauce, a far cry from spicy marinara and tomato aioli. Needless to say, the honey mustard tasted really strange with the calamari. Weird.
Our server then comes back for the rest of our order. We each order salads, then main courses. She leaves the table, again not bothering with a thank you or any other type of general acknowledgment. What, were she and the bartender raised in a barn? Where's the common courtesy and manners that one's parents are supposed to instill? Nice.
Our salads and entrees arrived at the same time and were unceremoniously called out, as the server had absolutely no clue who ordered what. And even better, one of our entrees was missing. She didn't get that at first; it took a few minutes of her staring at the table and us staring at her, expectantly, before she caught on that there were only three entrees on the table and four of us sitting there. She disappeared without a word and reappeared several minutes later with the missing entree. Since everything came out together, we started with our salads while our entrees slowly congealed on their plates in front of us. Lovely.
My salad: Caesar. Several pieces of lettuce were old and brown. Not just slightly wilted, BROWN. The whole piece, not just an edge or two. Yuck.
My entree: pesto spaghetti. I opted for adding chicken for an additional $8. I received about a quarter cup of chicken pieces scattered on top. About a quarter of a chicken breast for the bargain price of $8. Woo hoo. The pesto itself tasted fine, but the cook had gone a little nuts adding pasta water to the dish (perhaps to reconstitute it, or to make the pesto stretch - either way, unacceptable) and the result was a gummy nest of spaghetti.
After finishing our meal, our empty plates sat. And sat. And sat. At one point, another server came along and removed our glasses, but not our plates. Finally, our server came along and removed two plates. The rest sat there in front of us. She plopped our bill down and left, finally - for the first time that entire evening - saying Thank You. But she left the table uncleared and our plates, minus two, remained in front of us.
We paid and left, waving goodbye to our decimated plates.
Oh boy, where to start. I'm out on a date and wanted to try a good local steak house. We arrived at 7:00 on a Saturday and were sat in an empty dinning room. The server came right over and took our drink order. They were not able to make one of the drinks, no strawberry's for the margarita, so the bartender asked if we wanted it made with strawberry flavored vodka. I smiled and said ok , lets try Drambue on the rocks. Sorry, but didn't have that either. On the third try we had a match.. :-) Then came our dinner, my $30.00 steak was just ok, the Keg makes a better one. The pasta dish my date ordered was nothing but a bowl of dry undercooked noodles. The worst I've ever seen. Then to my horror, the sound checks started and some band member started playing the piano so loudly we could no longer carry on our conversation so we left.
The single biggest issue with this place is they don't know who they are ... A upscale steakhouse or a night club? If they don't choose soon, they will go out of business.
My high hopes for this restaurant were shattered. I brought my husband here for our anniversary and that was a sad mistake. We went for a late dinner around 9pm. When we first walked in I was shocked at the downgrade in decor from the restaurant previously in this location. It lost the upscale Kirkland feel and to us felt more like a dive bar, but we decided to give it a chance. The first part of our meal was accompanied by the band doing a sound check. How romantic. Our server, I believe a manager was only as helpful as he had to be. He was much more focused on the argument going on between him and the female server on shift, extremely unprofessional. The food? Lets just say my meal was one step up from jack in the box. The only other couple in there spoke with us as we waited for our meal for what seemed like forever. Apparently they are Kirkland locals? They said they have followed this location for years and they informed us that the chef who created the menu had moved on due to all of the "unprofessionalism" and the restaurant promoted their dishwasher to sous chef? That explains our meal. Sounds like a pretty unfortunate situation for the owner of this place. They seem to be heading down the same path as all of the restaurants previously at this cursed location.
Review Source:What the he..
This place is weird. It's like they started a restaurant and couldn't decide what it was. Is it a steak house, dance club, live band place..I dunno.
Whatever it is the my steak was spoiled, I was charged dinner prices for a lunch portion and had to go to the bartender to get my bill. The server was was not to be found.
We went to see a friend's band play. Thankfully, we had eaten already as their prices were ridiculous for the venue. People are willing to pay $28 for a steak not just for the steak, but for the ambience too. Top Shelf has no ambiance. Apparently, they don't have lettuce or French fries either, at least not last night. They also neglect to tell the band that they hired that they need to play quietly so that the neighbors don't call 911.
I did enjoy the chocolate cake I had, but it wasn't made there. Their calamari was good, but their marinara sauce was lacking...flavor.
The final straw, however, was TSB not having the money on hand to pay the band.
I can't imagine this place being open much longer if last night was indicative of how they run their business.
I've both eaten dinner at Top Shelf and gone just for the Thursday night blues jam. The latter is a real joy. To finally have a great music destination and place to have drinks - after 10:00! - it's pretty great. Was blown away by the musicians both times I went. The food is a bit pricy but improved (new chef recently). Drink prices are reasonable. NO COVER CHARGE ON THURSDAY NIGHTS - forgot to mention that. Give it a try on Thursdays.
Review Source:The food was good (though on the pricey side) and the service was very good. The view of the marina from the window was also a plus. But what pushed this restaurant from 3 stars to 4 in my book was the nice guy playing the piano by the entrance, who my waitress told me plays there almost every night and who spent the entire evening alternating between showtunes that my wife likes and kiddie songs that my two-year-old daughter likes. That made dinner memorable in a way that very few dinners at restaurants (pricey or otherwise) ever manage to achieve.
Review Source:My girlfriend and I live in downtown Kirkland. Â Its nice to just walk to a local restaurant. Â We were walking by Top Shelf and said hey lets get a drink. Â We had gone to there once before when it was Olive You sometime last summer. Â
We go in and sit at the bar rail. Â After waiting for 5 minutes to even be greeted at a dead bar, we finally got our drink orders in. Â The woman wasn't a bartender, she was a server that took our order and had to go to the other side of the building where there is a 2nd bar and a dance floor. Â She comes back and gives us our drinks. Â IN PLASTIC CUPS! Â Yes they were clear and look like glass but they are plastic. Â Needless to say that was all we ordered.
This place has a real identity crisis. Â There is a stage in the dining room, man playing piano (Mary had a little lamb, really?), and then like I said there is a 2nd side with a dance floor. Â The location of this place is great, but it has no identity as far as what it should be. Â My opinion, make it 2 separate establishments. Â One side be the night club and the other a romantic restaurant. Â I feel like Gordon Ramsey would have a field day with this place.
I haven't eaten here yet, but with service and ambiance like this, do I really want to?
First time at this restaurant and I won't be going back!! The service was horrible, waited about an hour to get our food, and no one ever came back to check on us. Ordered a grilled chicken sandwich; the chicken was dry and tough, the bread was grease. The sandwich explanation said it came with tomatoes, lettuce and avocado, and cheese. All I got was bread, chicken, and wilted lettuce. This gross was 10.00 and so not worth it!! It's sad this restaurant sucks so bad because they have a great outside patio area to enjoy the marina.
Review Source:Really enjoyed our meal here except for the annoying sound check right in the middle.
We discovered Top Shelf because it was too difficult to get into our pre-chosen restaurant nearby. We enjoyed the menu and good food, and would try them again, Â especially because the service was good. Â However, the piano music was already loud enough to interrupt conversation (probably because there were so few people in the dining room at the early hour) and the sound check on top of that, for not sure what, was very annoying.
In the summer, with all the windows open to the waterfront, it's going to be killer good.
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