0 Stars
WARNING!
I was served food that was rancid, and it took my waiter about 40 minutes to ask if I wanted the plate replaced or if I'd rather have 50% off the price of the plate. Needless to say, I left without paying, since I"m not going to eat rancid food, and I'm not going to pay for rancid food. Avoid at all costs. All that needs to be said.
West 5 has a great retro feel, harkening back to the late 50s/early 60s Mad Men era. Their signature cocktails are all perfect for this time period emphasizing martinis and tiki drinks.
They do one of the best martinis in town which is worth 5 stars alone, but luckily their food is also great! I haven't been disappointed with anything I've ordered yet, from mac & cheese to beet salad to chili cheese dogs.
I would go here every day if it weren't for my battle with the scale. I LOVE THIS PLACE. The Mac N Cheese is so yummy. So cheesy. So gooey. So... yes. I also love the grilled cheese and tomato soup. They put a few different kinds of cheese in it, with tomato and it's grilled on the yummiest, most buttery bread ever.
Go here. Plan a run and a fruit/veggie day tomorrow. But go here.
Came for impromptu brunch today. Â Small but yummy brunch menu full of some good options though would have liked something a little more lunchy too. Â Mostly breakfast stuff. Â I went in for Corned Beef Hash and was very happy to have gone that way. Â It was a little dry but I should have gotten my egg runnier to wet it up. Â Coffee was pretty diner-like, guess I'm too snobby bout it these days. Â
Friends had mimosa's that were a perfect balance of orange and sparkles. Â Also had a Red Beer which tasted and LOVED. Rainier Beer with Boody Mary mix...spicey and yummy and a bargain! Â I'll be back for THAT for sure. Â
Kinda dark for daytime eating, very fun loungey retro feel inside that I loved, just not great on a sunny afternoon. Â I got the COOLEST swizzle stick with the coffee to fill out that retro feel...which now that I think about it, I'll give them a bump up to 4 stars for that special touch, it was too cool.
The food, drinks and staff are ALL top notch every time I go, which has been a TON of times. I love that they have a "fresh sheet" showing that they source local ingredients. They are great, and I recommend getting there early, especially on weekends and even Thursdays as they fill up QUICK. That's how it goes when you're doing is RIGHT. LOVE West 5!!!
Review Source:Very good happy hour. Gets an extra star for having decently priced, decent quality wine. Good assortment of beer, wine and cocktails. Nice and strong happy hour mai tai. Atmosphere is good for both larger parties or one-on-one conversation. Service has always been friendly and attentive. The only thing that knocks it down a little is that the food is a mixed bag. Their mac'n'cheese and soups have been great but avoid the chicken satay at all cost as it's way over salted (or uses too much soy). All and all, I'll be back.
Review Source:Came here for a random Thursday night dinner at 7pm. Didn't have to wait for a table but there were a good amount of people eating here. Family-friendly but most were couples or pairs. Casual attire.
Service was average -- pleasant and attentive when at the table but occasionally MIA. The venue is pretty long though and I didn't mind much.
The menu had a handful of tantalizing items on it, but I was craving turkey so I ordered a turkey panini of some kind and added sliced avocado for $1. I would eat that again. It was a good portion. My friends got the mac n' cheese (OMFG nom nom) and some classic hotdogs (which I'm told were quite delicious, though they came on those super generic buns).
My sandwich order came with either potato salad or coleslaw (or soup or a side salad for additional $) so, being a potato salad lover, I opted for the potato salad. Can't say I would order it again though. The portion was very fair, and the sauce/seasoning was pretty decent. The potatoes were quite undercooked though, harder than potato salad potatoes should be, so I only got through a few bites before I gave up on it. I wish the cooks has tasted it before it came out of the kitchen because I imagine if the potatoes were cooked longer they would have been much more popular at our table.
I would, however, recommend the sandwich I ate. I think it was the only turkey one on the menu. Comes by default with honey mustard as a dip, which I wasn't a fan of so I asked for a side of ranch. Their ranch was actually pretty exceptional -- a little less plain/creamy as many ranches are. Random but worth sharing! Also, try the mac n' cheese. It's pretty basic but quite satisfying.
Anyway, I think I would eat here again.
Their Cobb Salad is the (distant) second best at The Junction. Â West 5's is so massive that I think it might just be cheaper to get their Cobb rather than make your own. Â Different touch to it - deviled eggs on the side. Â Dressing tasted canned. Â Decent salad. Â Not sure if there is a third Cobb option at The Junction (Jaks used to have one I think, but no longer I know).
Tough place for vegans to visit. Â Especially vegans who rely on deep fried food to satisfy their guilty pleasures. Â I'm not vegan or an aficionado of boiling grease - just making an observation.
Still a reliable population of mid day hard drinkers, keeping it real. Â Â
Oh yeah, best Cobb in West SEA is at Elliot Bay Brewing.
My friend and I stopped in here for a bite to eat and some drinks. We just made it to the early happy hour, so we ordered drinks and appetizers. We ended up staying for dinner. I had the meatloaf. It was tasty but nothing really special. Our waiter took very good care of us. So much so that we ended up staying through the late happy hour. Needless to say we enjoyed our visit to West 5 so much so that we left giggling about who knows what. Not that we were overserved but that it'd been years since we'd done that. We enjoyed it that much. It was a nice change of pace from the trendy, loud  bar. I felt like we'd been treated well. So I'd recommend this place as a nice, casual, comfortable place to meet for drinks and eats.
Review Source:After another fantastic evening with friends, slurping up their gigantic, delicious Mai Tai's and noshing on my favorite Happy Hour fare, I've come to realize that West 5 is the best place to go for a sure-thing. Â
I've been there for ladies night, brunch with the family, date night (just for dessert or drink), dinner, pub crawling, meeting up after a show and the food and drink have always been great.
The best part, hands down, is the service. Â Everyone is super friendly, funny, cute, and ON IT.
The menu is mostly sandwiches with a few added selections. The most note worthy being the meatloaf. I chose the meatloaf sandwich, Â the bread is toasted it has awesome caramelized onions and really Really tasty meatloaf. Can't go wrong with that. I only wish it had more meatloaf. Â We also ordered the new cheese dip. It was super hot and bubbling when it hit the table, as it cooled it soon disappeared due to how good it was. All in all great place if you want comfort food.
Review Source:Writing an update here. Previously stopped into West 5 for lunch and it was so-so. Dark, normal tasting food, good prices - yes, but not so great service. I really wanted to like this place.
I decided to give it another try because my normal West Seattle hot spots weren't doing it for me.
WHAT A TURNAROUND. I've heard it before numerous times, "it's literally like night and day in here. The food/service at night is way better." And I'm stubborn and refuse to believe. But BELIEVE my friends. This place is so good at night.
Before we came to West 5, we had stopped at a local bar that "specialized" in tequila. And my god, was that the most disgusting margarita I have ever tasted in my entire life! And like I said, I was a little skeptical coming into here after having a not so great time during lunch. But the bartender, his service, my oh my his freaking margarita blew me out of my seat. It was hands down the best margarita I've ever had. Hands down. I can't even explain it. Like when someone says something is good, and you don't believe them. Like you can't even fathom it until you try it. I couldn't even believe it myself, it was so good.
The food was great. Had the famous mac and cheese. Loved the crust on top, and it was cheesy. Also had the sloppy joes sliders, did not disappoint. But what really turned it around for me this time was the service. The bartender was so super nice.
Literally, day and night.
I would highly recommend this place for dinner.
Best BLT ever. Tons of perfectly cooked bacon!! I have been told by the last two people I went there with that their meatball sandwich was pretty amazing as well. I just cant pull myself away from the BLT to try it myself though.
I have always come for lunch so I don't know about the evening scene but if you are craving a BLT this is the place to go!!
We went to West 5 because it was within walking distance. Â It is a great neighborhood spot for our little family. Â They don't have a specific kids menu but several good options for even the pickiest small fry. Â Nice selection of beer and wine. Â My salad was tasty and the meatloaf sandwich my husband had looked good. Â The mac n cheese wasn't as good as I was expecting. Â We would try it again for sure. Â Super nice staff and our water glasses were always full.
Review Source:Happy hour here is such a great deal! So many drinks and food items are $5 or less. I had a $4 glass of delicious red wine and a $5 chicken quesadilla that was not only generous in size but also surprising in how tasty it was. The ambiance is definitely 1950s retro and therefore rather comforting, but it's not too sweet. There are plenty of plush-backed stools along the bar to cozy up to and the bartenders are attentive and provide great service.
Review Source:Took my kiddo and her friend here for lunch this afternoon. Â When we arrived, all the open tables were dirty and hadn't been bussed yet. We sat down at one, and waited for about 7-10 minutes before any servers acknowledged our presence. Â When the servers arrived, they were friendly, but the establishment seemed understaffed and hence the servers were rushed.
The bean nachos were a bit too sweet, although the cotija cheese on them was pretty tasty. My daughter loved the macaroni and cheese. Her friend said that the tuna melt was just okay. I ordered a tuna salad. The tuna tasted pretty good, but the salad dressing tasted blah.
I'm in no rush to head back. West 5 wasn't terrible, but it wasn't outstanding either. Â All in all, it was a bit pricey for the so-so quality. There are so many excellent restaurants in West Seattle, that I'd rather go elsewhere.
It was a drizzly, dreary day outside, but when we walked into West 5 for happy hour, all that changed. Â We had stepped into a warm and a bit kitschy 1950'ish bar. Â It has a ton of seating and would be great as a hangout with a group of friends.
We ordered mai tai's off the happy hour menu. What a great deal. Â The pours were generous and the drink was delicious. Â We split the small nachos off the happy hour food menu. Â We got a big plate of nachos with a slightly sweet bean chili on top. Â There was cheese on the chips underneath, and salsa and sour cream on the side. Â I thought it was delicious.
There are many other food options during happy hour, and I'm excited for the next time I go back!
Super cute place with some really creative and happy decor.
I was told I HAD to try to mai tai, and so I did. Important thing to note: I do NOT like rum. You know what? I drank the mai tai. And I enjoyed it. And I would get it again. It's seriously fruity and the hint of rum flavor is a pleasant side note. Don't be fooled - the drink is actually really strong, you just can't taste the rum so much. Awesome for me!
For eats, I got the Corned Beef Hash 'N Bash. I've got this love/hate relationship with corned beef. It always tastes better in my head than it actually does in my mouth when I've ordered it. I take it all back. This was the best corned beef I've ever had. Flavored just right, and the texture and stuff was perfect. The accompanying potato and eggs were just right. My only regret is I didn't have room for the whole thing.
Also know that the coffee nudge means you get a smack of whiskey upside the face and a slight nudge of coffee at the end. Whew!!
If you're visiting from out of town and are looking for that cool West Seattle vibe, then West 5 is as close as you can get.  It's a slightly quirky bar with  hipster tones, but definitely not pretentious in any way.  The cocktail menu is varied, original and well-planned.  Service was polite.  Hipster bars in Denver tend to be kinda dirty and smelly.  West 5 is quite clean and cozy.  Will definitely be back to try their food next time I'm in town.
Review Source:They really do have awesome mac and cheese. Â And the potato salad was delicious. Â I would give them another half a star for both of those things but one would think their entrees would be at least as tasty as the sides.
Boyfriend and I split a chicken avocado sandwich and the cod tacos. Â He enjoyed the sandwich and I was unimpressed with both.
Your Mac and Cheese completes me. SERIOUSLY.
I love other things on the menu here, don't get me wrong. And the decor is uber retro and cute.
BUT THE MAC N CHEESE. Oh sweet nectar of the gods, you are amazing. Astral Mac N Cheese. Don't pansy out and get the small. Get the large, and wear some stretchy pants. Your tastebuds will thank you. Your waistline may not, especially if you frequent this. But its worth whatever run/exercise program you have to keep up with to offset it.
The fact that I don't currently reside near the Seattle metro area only further reinforces my feelings I have for West 5. Stay tasty my friends.
So my friend and I came here for a late night meal...I'm slowly finding my way around West Seattle and California Ave is always a safety net. This was my first time at West 5 and I'd describe it in four parts: 25% dive, 25% Mel's (Drive-In or Diner =)), 25% chill, and 25% hip.
I started with a French 75...GREAT martini. Next, I had a cup of chili that comes with Tillamook cheddar (mmmmm) and chopped onions. I didn't like it that much, mainly because it was on the sweeter side of chili. The flavor was good and using Tillamook cheese is always a great choice, but other than that I didn't care for it.
Next., I ordered the turkey, bacon & swiss sandwich, which is listed as a "West 5 House Favorite." It was awesome! I love crusty bread with swiss cheese and the turkey was juicy, while the bacon was a great crunchy compliment.
Finally, dessert. We ordered the chocolate souffle and were anticipating its arrival at the table. It arrived, we dug into the middle expecting a gooey, warm, chocolaty center...but that wasn't what we got. Calling it a souffle was the mistake because it was more like a molten lava cake with an overdone center. It tasted okay, but was dense and simply not a souffle. Suffice to say, dessert was a disappointment.
I would go back for sandwiches and drinks, and I plan on trying the mac'n'cheese next time I go by.
I came here with a friend for late night food in West Seattle - most other places were closed, but I'm happy I came to West 5.
We both had pints of Manny's, and ordered a mac n cheese and a spinach quesadilla (and added guac). Yummy cheesy drunk food!
The mac n cheese is apparently made with five different cheeses - it's very savory, making me suspect that they add soy sauce or worchestershire to up the savory flavor. It's dark on top, from baking it in the oven, with cotija cheese crumbles on top to make it pretty. I highly recommend the mac!
The quesadilla was also very satisfying, though the guac was a little dark green, almost brown, like it was a bit aged, and didn't have a hearty avocado flavor - or even garlicky or lime, or anything flavor - it was rather bland. The salsa they serve with the quesadilla, while not spicy, was hearty and good.
We headed over here twice based on the recommendations from a co-worker. Â Never tried it during Happy Hour or tried any drinks there for that matter. Â That's actually unfortunate, now that I think of it, because this place would have fit right in as a setting for that old 90's flick Swingers. Â Maybe next time I can talk the SO into being my DD... at 4 pm. Â :) Â Â
It's pretty dark in there first off. Â The dining room is shaped like an old fashioned telephone receiver. Â There's a few tables clustered near the front entrance by the restaurant's only window, tables line a walk way single file past the large fully stocked bar rendered in mirrors and rich dark wood to a steamy area in the back featuring another cluster of tables, the kitchen, the restrooms and a rear entrance to the limited parking off California Ave. Â The A/C was down on our second trip is why I mention it. Â It got pretty hot in there, which made it easier to justify working out afterward. Â :P Â
The Grub: Â We've never tried anything on the menu you can download from their site. Â Both got the grilled chicken sandwich with avocado and cheese on first visit which is on an insert in the main menu. Â It's a big a** sandwich and it's a challenge to wrap your mouth around it. Â Pretty good. Â Second trip, he got the chilaquiles which are tortilla chips tossed with eggs, spicy salsa, cotija and cheddar cheeses, green onions and a side of sour cream. Â Pretty tasty! Â I got the California breakfast sandwich, which was a much richer creation than I had anticipated. Â The white bread was crisply grilled in butter with cheese, eggs, tomato and spinach. Â Served with a conveniently small side of nicely herbed farm potatoes. Â We just managed to finish it all. Â
The service here is pretty consistent and friendly. Â They're quick to re-fill your coffee (don't expect Starbucks here -- this is representative diner coffee), water, take your order /bring your food. Â My review might get better if I have something else on the menu more mind-blowing and the A/C is working / fan in action on a cloudless, hot summer afternoon. Â
I really like the giant Midway style crown at the very rear of the restaurant. Â If I got really drunk in here, I might suddenly appear on the set of the Big Lebowski.
Uh oh. This place need some urgent attention. Have been going for years. The food is always great and we've always had great service. Until last Sunday.
Very inattentive server. Never bought side plates for shared plates. Just disappeared a few times. Had to go to the bar to get my own drink. Drinks were watery. 2 servers and the bartender were gossiping loudly a few feet away from us. Really, really unprofessional.
The place wasn't very busy so no excuse for bad service. What happened? All you need is one such experience like this and we'll just stop going.
Get it together West 5.
Went here last night and was surprised it was not as divey as expected. Â The decor was fabulous and our waitress was very sweet and attentive.
I ordered one of the famous Maitais and it was very tasty!  The drink presentation was adorable too.  My companion ordered a Manny's  - they have a very good beer selection.
We ordered the artichoke dip made with Tilamook cheese, meatloaf and the famous Mac & Cheese. Â The artichoke dip was tasty, full of spinach as artichokes and super creamy. Â
Meatloaf had good flavor but consisted of 2 thin slices and the rest of the entree composed of a side salad, potatoes that didn't taste very good and a mixture of carrots with broccoli. Â Not terrible, but not something I would get again. Â
Lastly was the Mac & Cheese. Â Presentation was okay, but the Mac was tasty as promised. Â Really classic, gooey and a great portion!
I would go back for drinks and the mac, but they should step it up a notch on the food! Â There is much potential!!!
One of my favorite sandwiches is a BLT. Â This place, I rarely order anything other than the BLT. Â It's served open faced on wonderful bread. Â They even have a breakfast BLT that comes with egg on it. Â Oh boy, this will make you lick your fingers.
They say the German Potato salad is amazing, but I'm always enjoying my BLT so much, I rarely get to that. Â
Drinks are solid.
Wait staff is solid.
Love the decor.
A fun place!
The atmosphere is very retro.
Their cocktails are good (and they should be since it's basically a cocktail lounge).
Their food is hit or miss. Steak bites were not really that appetizing.
Their grilled cheese though, was GOOD! I'd definitely recommend trying it with the tomato bisque.
I like the staff, I loved the bartender, I think the atmosphere is groovy but the food isn't so much of the good.
I wish it was. I want it to be.
There's lots of it, I'll give them that. But....the taste wasn't great, sadly.
I had nachos (and I warn you, for godsake get the small for less than 4 people) and the flavor was really pretty 'meh' and there was actual chili on the nachos. Um, that doesn't belong there. Beans, sure, cool, bring 'em on, but chili? Too smokey, not enough Mexican.
He got some Tamales and again with the chili. It doesn't work for us. We were not happy campers with our food.
But the drinks, oh, the drinks. The bartender rocked it for sure, that place is cocktail heaven in West Seattle so stick to the standard american fare (that mac and cheese is damn good) and drink up, buddy.
Just don't eat anything with a South of the border flair and expect it to be flair-ful.
I sincerely believe that neighborhood gathering places are an indispensable part of how communities are built. Seattle has its fair share of good ones and great ones, and West 5 is clearly a big link in the chain. Even a first-time visitor walks in and instantly senses that all the people in the room are enjoying themselves, though the noise level is fairly low.
The Junction has a whole series of businesses in long narrow shoebox-shaped spaces; this one has entrances on both the California side and the alley side. There's parking in back. There's parking in front, too, along California, but somebody else got it. So go around back. This is the Junction.
There's a kitchen in back, and a long bar along the south wall of the main room. Balustrades cordon off the bar area (which is the bar and a row of stools) from the dining area, which is a row of highboy tables bookended by herds of booths and tables. The highboys are an important styling cue, because of the genuine naugahyde highboy stools from, oh, probably the Nixon administration. They haven't been restored at great cost, and they aren't there to pick up a subtle hint of color somewhere else or anything. They're just there because they're cool. They're comfortable, too. The dining area is all ages, so you can perch a kid up on one of those highboys and see how good his balance is.
You start looking around at the old Rainier Beer memorabilia, the sailing ship kitsch, and the other Seattle and West Seattle bric a brac, and you know why everything is here--it's here because somebody liked it enough to keep it. This includes the towering golden neon crown over the back hall, which, they say, was rescued from a fate dark and dreary after long service atop a Best Western downtown. It's on the west end of the room, so, if your vision is blurry enough, it's a sort of sunset for you.
The beer list is a good list, neither showy nor high-maintenance, but with an emphasis on local and west coast favorites, plus a Chimay thrown in. The wine and cocktail lists seem to show similarly dependable effort. Pints show up quickly, in good shape, and with a smile. Everyone who works here is friendly, relaxed, and in a good mood. Plus they just really know what they're doing.
The food is tasty. We had the tamales and the mac and cheese. The mac was creamy and flavorful, with just enough crust on top. The tamales were a bit heavy on the breading, but delicious, and the salsas on the plate were great accompaniments--as was the guac.
There's a lot of competition for your food and drink dollar around here, even just on this block. But West 5 more than holds its own. I'll definitely be back.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
