Cafe Juanita

Fantastic!
We were a pop in. No reservation. We did come at the beginning of dinner service. The hostess and the manager worked tables around to fit us in.
The dinning room was pleasant with beautiful views from each large window.
The service was spectacular. The waiters and support staff were experienced and well trained. The specials were fully explained and our questions answered. We never received a course before the prior course was cleared. We always had the proper utensils.
We loved the food. They make these cute little crackers that are what Cheese-​Its want to grow up to be! I had a pea soup that was not cream based. Very tasty. Both my granddaughter and I had lamb with fingerling potato. Yummy! My brother had steak. I know he wanted to lick the plate but somehow restrained himself. (barely).
Dessert, ya we barely had room but managed:). Hands down the best pana cotta EVER! The S’mores also good. The donut dessert was just ok.
I almost forgot the cocktails! They SQUEEZE the orange juice for your cocktail each time. Sigh, it is probably for the best I live so far away. I would be a fat, broke, alcoholic!

Beautiful and classic ambiance. Though it, and the presentation of each dish, sets a high bar that I’m afraid the preparation, innovation and experience doesn’t live up to. In addition, service also seemed manicured and lacking in grace and honest hospitality. Hopefully this was only our experience.

This was one on my favorite dining experiences to date. I came with wonderful company but Molly made it perfect with the weekly made vegan menu. I have been vegan for nearly 20 years and I have had some pretty epic dishes but nothing like the 5 or so that just kept coming at us. This has changed the way I look and taste food forever. Thank you for such a beautiful space and the carefully prepared veggie or vegan dishes.

Summary: fantastic service, awesome cocktails (our server made my Manhattans), excellent food, but ruined by very small spacing between tables and very high prices (including the $ 8 valet charge). Come on folks, its Kirkland not NYC.
I will start by saying our server was terrific. She was friendly, attentive, made some of the best Manhattans I have had and saved the night for us. When we arrived I noticed the table spacing and mentioned something to the gal checking us in, but I was basically ignored and told to «request a corner table next time if you want something with a bit more space». Not a great entrance given it was our first time, and we had let the restaurant know we were there for our 28^th anniversary dinner. We ordered appetizers, salads, entrees and a dessert, and all of the dishes were very, very good. However, despite the quality of the service and food, the evening was a disappointment due to how close our tables were spaced. I could barely hear my wife over the conversations next to us, and between the servers and maitre d (or sommelier?) we had to endure every single conversation taking place at the adjacent tables. For $ 320 for two of us I will take my business elsewhere.

Food Consistently delicious. Great service and knowledgeable staffs. A little pricey but a nice place to splurge.

After being a frequent customer since 2000 (roughly 1.5 visits per year), I had a hiatus from CJ while it renovated and refreshed. I soooooo wanted to be impressed but wasn’t. Many issues prevailed during a visit last night. First, food quality has clearly dropped dramatically in a years’ time. Old standards like octopus starter and rabbit entrée were poorly done. The octopus was dry and overlooked and the bone marrow was very heavy with it. Rabbit, which previously was a trio with real pieces of rabbit was now a bacon wrapped pulled rabbit ball. Small portion and not well done.
Moving to other items, the wait staff was way over attentive and simply just too chatty. It felt like they wanted to be the stars of the place. Tone them down, make the food the center and it would be really appreciated.
Finally, it feels like CJ has become a food network place. Microsofters in tee shirts carrying their own wine and pushing overbearance. CJ has sunk to the lowest common denominator.
CJ, please fix yourself. After decades is excellence it feels like you have sold out to celebrity.

Came back here after the remodel and was disappointed. I remember the restaurant serving up better dishes.
Service was good, but their vegetable dishes were so disappointing… The salad wasn’t in any way special and the cauliflower was just okay and slightly too tangy for my taste. I felt like their dishes were a little too heavy and rich with cream in general, which left me quite queasy. The steelhead was just average… I wish they kept their plates warm because the food got cold rather fast.
However do order the octopus and rabbit liver. Perfectly cooked.
Probably won’t come back for the third time. It’s just not worth my money

Probably the best restaurant on the east side, possibly in the entire Seattle area.
The service, the food, the ambiance area all dialed in perfectly, not pretentiously. Recently remodeled nicely.
This place is great for a «nice dinner out» or a special occasion.
I’ve never had a better risotto or foie gras, though everything is great if it’s on their menu.
If I had to say anything negative, it’s their corkage policy — it’s by person, not by bottle, so if you plan on sharing something special with a large group, you’ll get soaked on that one bottle.

Probably the best dinning experience in the Seattle area aside from Canlis, but much more reasonable than Canlis. Amongst other things I had the rabbit and gnocchi. Both amazing!

This used to be a very special spot to my husband and I. He proposed to me here in 96, and we have been there for many birthday and special occasions. Saturday 3÷5÷16 was our first time there since the renovation, we were very excited as it was to celebrate his 50^th Birthday.
Here’s what we had, Octopus appetizer — this was pretty good to be fair, but it still felt like it was missing something. Entrée– my husband– the special, Scallops, me– Iberico de Bellota (pork shoulder).
But it was not completely wonderful, the food was overly salted, and bland missing all those wonderful flavorful ingredients they used to use… My entrée was the worst, the pork shoulder was cold and heavily salted and next to it was raw tasteless cauliflower and barely no sauce. Who really likes cold cauliflower? The scallops could have been so much better if accompanied by something delicious. Also not offered was pepper or Parmesan. The best part was the wine and the sparkling water I paid $ 8 each for, a total of $ 16 dollars for water.
We would have rather dined at our local favorite Mexican Restaurant and spent a ¹⁄₃ of what we spent for this dinner. Very disappointing, not to mention they knew we were there for a special occasion and the waiter was not very polite, he seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but there.
Time for the chef to re-​taste her food and bring it back the way it was. Never would I have thought I would give a bad review to someplace that holds great memories. Sad.

My husband and I are vegan and we had heard about amazing vegan menu at Café Juanita. We were not disappointed. When we made a reservation on opentable I noted we were vegan. When we arrived, they seated us with the vegan menu, I never had to say a word. The wine selection is fantastic. We chose 5 dishes from the vegan menu, which was a bit too much food for us. Four selections would have been more appropriate but my husbands eyes are always bigger than his stomach. Our favorite selections were the harvest bread app, specifically the chickpea crema. So delish. Then we also loved the spicy cauliflower. Everything was delicious but those were our favorites. We thought the menu was one of the best we’ve had and we highly recommend celebrating your next special occasion here!

The boss took us here for a wonderful multi-​course meal, with about 10 pours of different wines and liquors. 3.5 hours later we were still at it sipping and tasting our way through a magical world of haute cuisine. I kept asking my dear Suzy what is this, and what is that. And I had my first rabbit in over 20 years, a dish I had so many time during my assignment to Fort Riley in Kansas.
Besides the fabulous service and an amazing wait staff they have, the WiFi was blazingly fast and this to a guy with really good service at home/​work. Parking is tough but there is valet service for $ 8. This is a stellar eatery, not to be missed.

The food was amazing especially the octopus app and the duck however the service was mediocre. It took 15 minutes for our server to say hello and ask for our drinks and then she was the bartender. As the night went on the service got slower and I felt like i had to order my next drink when i got my new one since it would take so long. They need a bartender and someone to focus on drinks. Sorry but with two people i drink fast and want someone to recognize when mine is empty and not wait forever.

Everyone is talking about the foi gras. Yes, it was absolutely delicious. Sublime, incredibly rich, it meets the expectations you’ve always hoped foi gras should hit.
THAT SAID, let me speak for one hot minute about the octopus appetizer we had.
Octopus, chickpea, smoked bone marrow, salsa verde.
I normally don’t order octopus. I find that it is almost ALWAYS overcooked. They’re like the even more high-​maintenance scallop.
It tasted like the octopus had been gently massaged (a la Jiro Dreams of Sushi documentary) because it had the most tender texture. I’ve really never had octopus like that before. The bone marrow flavor was subtle but perfect. Nothing was overpowering. I just tasted every part of the dish wonderfully.
We ordered the lamb, the duck, and the gnocchi. The gnocchi was not made the way we’ve always seen it (little potato shapes). This ghnocchi, as our waitress made sure to share before taking our order, was made roman-​style so it’s thicker in size. Absolutely delicious and a wonderful new experience.
The octopus was the wow factor that gave me a lasting impression.
The outside of the restaurant really doesn’t match the inside. It’s unsuspecting from the outside. The inside interior is modern and sleek. I was incredibly impessed.
Parking spaces are somewhat limited so I ended up parking close by on the street. The little ramp decline from the street to the restaurant is not ideal for heels.
I’m surprised this restaurant does not offer free valet considering the price point and the superb customer service.
Seattle is not known for upholding dressy appearances in fine dining BUT I found that almost every person there was dressed business casual or above. I definitely appreciated that.

Wow wow wow. This was my first time back since the renovation and Café Juanita has gone to a whole new level. The space and kitchen have undergone a renovation and the food is even more fantastic than it was before. Service was exceptional and very down to earth for such fine dining.
Everything we ate was impeccable. I can highly recommend:
– the Wagyu tartare special
– Yellowtail tartare with avocado
– Tajarin with sage butter pasta (to die for)
– Beet salad with yogurt
– Venison (if you like game)
Desserts were also refreshing and not too heavy. The wine list is extensive and they have a full bar as well (plus they resist the Seattle temptation to offer special signature cocktails — just the classics straight up!)
It is so dangerous that I live so close as it might become more than a special occasion place to me!
Great for date night, corporate dinners, and just a special night out. They have a new private dining area as well.
Yay Café Juanita!

The food here is OUTSTANDING. Is it expensive? Yes, very much so, and I do account for that with the stars (as the food needs to equate). That being said, I would chose this place over Canlis 100 days in a row. The salad, pasta (Gnocchi), Rabbit, and especially the panna cotta where all incredible. If we had a Michelin guide I am sure this would be getting stars. Possibly the best food in Washington.
The ONLY reason this doesn’t get five stars is we did not see our server until we were seated for 31 minutes. We had gone through 2 bottles of water even. However, I emailed for a reservation two days prior and they made it happen, so I imagine this was a one off. If/​when I go back I will update then, assuming the service is 5 star.

Happy 2016!!! Whoo hoo! First review of the year :)
— — -I go through each course and it’s long, so there’s also a TLDR note at the bottom if you just want my overall impression. — — — -
I came here as a treat with my mom on New Year’s Eve for their special course menu. We were seated in a back room that was quieter and more private than the rest of the bustling restaurant. It was specifically saved for the NYE course event.
Our server was very nice. There were no cocktails on the menu, so when I asked for suggestions, he was helpful about asking what kind of drink I was looking for, and he made me a spin on the Cosmopolitan that was pretty tasty :)
As for the courses, there were lots of really unique flavor combinations presented tastefully (harty har). I think everything that came out wasn’t even on the original menu, which is fine by me, because endless food is kinda my thing. Trust me, it was A LOT. I suspect they waited between courses to make sure we were going to have room for everything:
1. Poached Quail Egg: A very small appetizer but super good and poached perfectly so the yolk was soft in the middle.
2. Wagyu Appetizer: Also teeny. Wagyu beef paired w/​a crisp, buttery, cracker-​ish thing on top. I’m pretty sure the beef was raw. Tastefully raw.
3. Seafood plate: 3 components — geoduck, shrimp, and yellowtail cruda with passionfruit. Pretty good. My mom was pleasantly surprised with the geoduck, while the yellowtail was my personal favorite of the three!
4. Varied bread and cracker plate: Served with butter and a very grassy olive oil. *FOCCACIA WAS FANTASTIC* and… lol, I guess this part was kind of like an intermission of sorts.
5. Kuri squash sformato, crisp sage, spuma di Parmigiano-​Reggiano: This. was. awesome. I don’t know what they did with the squash, but it was sooo, sooo perfect. Soft, perfect flavor, unique, and very impressive. By far my favorite course apart from the main.
6. Squab and foie gras cappelletti, Venetian brodo: Basically pasta stuffed with foie gras in a dark, salty broth. Um, unfortunately I can’t really speak to the quality of this dish because this is when I found out that I don’t like foie gras… awkward. But it didn’t influence my rating!
7. Junko’s espresso cocoa bread, hazelnuts, cured foie gras, ginger mostarda: This was a pretty unique concept, and the bread had a dense, chocolatey scent, but it wasn’t as mind-​blowing as I expected. The bread itself was good, but I didn’t really like the spreads.
8. Iberico de Bellota Pressa, chestnut crespelle, chicories, cipollini crema, pomegranate brodo
Or
A5 Miyazaki Kuroge Washu Wagyu New York, hedghog crema, pickled turnips
This is basically a choice between Pork and Beef main courses. Good thing we ordered one of each.
Pork: I ordered this. Um. I ate a bite and had to call the server back because I thought it was actually beef. Nope. The whole time I ate it, I was essentially mind-​blown. Crispy, smoky, delicious, moist, omgomgomgomg
Wagyu: Melty soft. like buttah.
9. Meyer lemon sorbetto, meringue, shortbread cumb
Or
Chocolate chiffon, chocolate bonet, croccante, red wine reduction
My mom loved the lemon sorbetto I think, but we both didn’t share our desserts with each other because om nom nom. My life is chocolate, so my dessert was fantastic. A combination of crumbly soft chiffon with a super thick and creamy bonet. Kinda like a chocolate pudding-​mousse hybrid to the 30^th power.
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​TLDR Overall_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
I’m not going to lie. The bill freaked me out and came to a price similar to Canlis. My mom and I were both happy with our food, but we didn’t think it merited the price as much as Canlis. That’s my only qualm. Great food and creative ideas, but makes a considerable dent in your wallet, and some dishes were definitely more standout than others, so your experience might be very different based on what choices you make. But I guarantee worth a try at least once.

World looking for the ultimate dinner destination to impress your special one.
Look no further…
Wonderful food, wine, and superb customer service.

this was my first time in the newly redone juanita. it’s much nicer inside now, but it still looks like the old juanita. this time, we were seated in the room off to the side, which i had never been to before. another thing that i had never seen… a lot of little ones floating around.
i had risotto for my primi, with octopus bits. the bits were tiny and well cooked, not rubbery at all. it was creamy and i was on my way. the rabbit wasn’t quite as much to my liking. wonderful, rich sauce, but the rabbit got lost along the way.
i finished with a panna cotta, quite wonderful. super light, with vanilla notes and a bit of sweetness at the end.
staff was engaged and friendly. still one of my favorite places.

The wife and I just got hitched in Vancouver and we headed down to Seattle for a «mini-​moon». Seattle has a wealth of places to eat, so naturally we tapped our foodie friends for suggestions and ended up at Café Juanita for our first dinner. The kitchen is run by Iron Chef winner Chef Holly Smith and has recently been revamped to match her vision. The menu is centred around Northern Italian cuisine and take a modern look at some traditional dishes.
What to eat is actually a fairly tricky decision as there were a number of items on the menu that sounded delicious. We knew that the foie gras was something we’d definitely try given YGO’s claim that it was the best he’s ever had (and that man knows his foie). After that, we opted for the risotto nero (squid ink risotto) with octopus and the absolutely brilliant gnocchi alla romana. For our meat course, I chose the seared venison while the wife went with the restaurant’s signature rabbit.
The foie gras lived up to the hype and was the best I’ve had to date. It’s seared with a glaze of autumn fruits which adds some necessary sweetness tempered with thyme while the candied ginger brings a warming heat.
As you may have guessed, the gnocchi alla romana stole my heart (or rather my stomach). I should note, this isn’t the small gnocchi bits you’re likely most used ot seeing, but rather in the Roman style which looks like a square of polenta. Each bite of the gnocchi was almost impossibly light with a rich cheesiness from the parmigiano-​reggiano foam.
Sadly, the risotto evoked the opposite reaction. While the rice was cooked well, the dish was overwhelmingly lemony and we could barely manage to choke done a couple of bites. The intense lemon-​ness also washed out any taste of the octopus scampi which was quite disappointing. When we asked one of the staff, she told us that it was an intentional choice by the kitchen and not an issue with our plate. I’m all for taking a creative approach and I love bold flavours, but this one was a massive fail in my view given the dish was near inedible.
Finally, the meat! The venison tagliata (which mean seared slices, not a pasta) with smoked potatao crema, roasted squash, and a sherry syrup was quite tasty although a bit smokier that I was expecting. The meat was served almost rare and had a great depth of flavour while the smoky crema largely managed to support rather than overshadow.
The rabbit was perfectly decent but lacking any of the wow factor I was looking for in a signature dish. We enjoyed it and mopped up the sauce with yet more bread but I can’t think of much more to say on the matter.
Café Juanita offers a selection of aperitivi which is a drink paired with a bite of food. I went with a sparkling wine paired with parmigiano — the sparkling wine was an excellent palate cleanser and the chunks parmesan were massive. Luckily it’s one of my favourite cheeses so I was a happy camper.

Have been there many times and this place is ALWAYS ALWAYS serves great food. Everything on the menu is great. Service is excellent. You can’t go wrong. !!!

Really appreciate the server who explained everything on the menu to us, as we didn’t know what most of it was. fabulous fabulous meal. awesome manhattan to start off the evening.
One thing — hope to god you don’t get the table that is directly down the aisle where you walk in. At first I thought the cold air from the front door would be a bother… I didn’t even notice it. Because sitting there is like being on a roller coaster, every time, anyone walks by, big or small, I felt like I was bouncing up and down. Fortunately by the time our appetizer came, they found a place to move us to.

3 stars because although they are using high quality product… dishes themselves felt incomplete.
The 30 day aged prosciutto for instance was slice beautifully and almost melted in your mouth… but it was served plain with a side of plain sliced apples. Not garnished or dressed. I understand the beauty of simplicity but for it’s price it was too ordinary.
The fried rabbit liver with huckleberry jam was delicious! The liver had a «chicken-​fried» taste and feel, a crisp skin and very well seasoned. But again we felt that it needed something to give it texture and balance out the intense fattiness of the liver. Maybe crustinis?
The same thing with our two entrees. The pork and the venison. My venison dish had an incomplete feel, the meat was cooked wonderfully but the flavor profile had alot going… an oil, a sauce, a purée… the flavors we yummy individually but it just didn’t seem to tie together smoothly.
The Gnocci was impeccable! Absolutely amazing it was my favorite of the night. The texture, the flavor, the lamb… I wish that had been my entrée! ⁵⁄₅
It took 2.5 hours to enjoy this 3 course meal… we were planning on having dessert but there had been a 30 min lull between each course! So we ran out of time! That is crazy! A 3 course meal plus a dessert should take max 1.5 hours! Idk if it was server error cause he didn’t ring things in quick enough, or if he is responsible for firing each course, or if it was just the pace of the kitchen… but that is way too long for how little we ordered.
Over all too expensive for what it was. The quality was good but the execution was lacking.

With a recent footprint remodel the place still has kept its charm while giving it a modern face lift. The menu is what continues to draw us in for dinner parties downstairs or a date night with the hubby. Parking can be a challenge since space is limited.

5 stars all the way.
We came here to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Reservations are definitely needed, but call the day of in case they have some cancellations. You’ll get a confirmation email which is so helpful!
The restaurant was recently remodeled. Due to the remodel, they have a downstairs «lounge» area. We arrived about 15 minutes before our 8pm reservation. They explained that we could wait downstairs for our table, but there is no bar or service down there. We sat at some side chairs downstairs and a nice waiter came by and offered to bring us a glass of wine. I always appreciate when the wait staff goes above & beyond to make their guests feel special when they clearly don’t have to. We appreciated having a glass of wine to sip on while we were waiting for our table.
We were seated promptly at 8pm. The interior is very sleek and modern and you can tell you’re in for quite a foodie experience. Our server was attentive and all the dishes were split for us, which was very thoughtful.
Some of my faves:
— Octopus– I’m not a fan of octopus, since the past few times I’ve had it, I found it to be tough and rubbery. However, this octopus was so soft and tender and just delicious. My server said it was his favorite thing on the menu. A definite must order
— Rabbit — incredibly tender as well. Bright flavors and the sauce perfectly complemented the dish
The overall dinner is quite an experience and such a great date location. Highly recommended!

I’m in the midst of an 18 day vacation celebrating our 25^th anniversary. After dining at Gary Danko’s in S.F., and having previously dined at 3 star restaurants on both coasts, we just wanted a «nice» meal. Café Juanitas exceeded all expectations.
This is a restaurant in the classic owner/​operator category that serves exceptionally well prepared quality ingredients, and who’s staff understands both the food and its preparation.
Plates are easily mixed and matched, split to share, or portioned for small or large appetites. We both were impressed by every dish served.
I’d plan another trip to Seattle solely to eat here again. Amazing.

Haven’t been here in many years. Considered one of the «must go» dining destinations in the Greater Seattle Area. I think it’s probably a bit pointless to go into detail about everything we ate as with any top-​tier restaurant most of the menu is going to be changing frequently.
The atmosphere is great, not too stuffy. You feel like your at a very large dinner party in someone’s large home with a big open kitchen. It is too bad they do not have a bar area. The service is excellent as it should be considering what these people are making on tips in an establishment like this. Very attentive but not too kiss a$$. Not everything we ate was stellar though but nothing was a flop either. The table next to us whom we chatted with agreed that virtually everything was a little too salty. Seems the kitchen has a palate that is used to a lot of salt. But it wasn’t «send it back» too salty.
I cook for a hobby and one measure of a good restaurant in my book is how good they do a Risotto. This is probably in the top 3 Risottos I’ve ever had. The rice was al dente with a slight ‘chew’ to it but not chalky and the dish is borderline ‘soupy’ the way it was suppose to be done. Probably a little over seasoned though but still delicious.
It’s pricey but I’ve had poorer value dining experiences before at this high level of cuisine. Portions are about what you would expect, not very generous, but not ridiculously small either. If you are a foodie or into cooking, you will walk away with a much lighter wallet but also feeling mostly satisfied with your investment. Since the food misses the 5-​star mark (not by much) and the prices are special ocassion dining prices, while I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the place, even if money was no object, I can’t see myself frequenting this place. There’s to many other places to try out there and this place fell a little short of a foodie orgasm.

It’s back, and it’s better. This is usually a special occasion place for us, and it’s worth it. The new space is sleek and modern but retains a similar footprint. There is a large new private dining area on the upper floor which is a nice addition.
We go here for the food, and have never been disappointed. In fact, my first visit was in 1990, well before the current owners. As it’s late August, we found several items featuring fresh local produce, and decided that was a good way to go. Even the bread plate with Umbrian olive oil and fresh butter was top of the line.
Heirloom tomatoes with burrata, shaved zucchini and basil was delicious. So fresh and full of late summer.
Charred octopus, with chickpea purée, smoked bone marrow and salsa verde. Plated beautifully, well balanced, and cooked perfectly.
Risotto mantecato with squash blossoms had a deep, rich flavor from house made brodo they used to cook the rice. It was cooked perfectly. The rice was still just the slightest bit firm, with some rich broth on the plate.
Andersen Valley Lamb rack Scottadita, Greens Beans in Bagna cauda, thyme Roasted Blackberries. Medium rare rack of lamb, presented nicely on a base of green beans and a drizzle of rich sauce.
Service was excellent. We brought our own wine, and corkage was $ 10 per person. They were happy to see us, and our server Karin was terrific, and very friendly. The only negative is the parking, which is awful. If the sports bar down the street is having an event, you will be hard pressed to find street parking. Be prepared for a little after dinner stroll to get back to your car.

Dined at the new and improved Café Juanita this past weekend, post remodel.
Let me preface this by saying the food was fantastic, definitely 5 star worthy.
I have never been to Café Juanita (another member of my group has been multiple times) so perhaps it was just my experience but I would figure remodel or not the service should have been excellent given the cost of the meal.
So to start, we had a friend in town and after showing him around Seattle on an unusually hot Seattle day, we went to Café Juanita dressed in shorts/​polos for dinner. We were obviously a bit under dressed but the staff made us feel comfortable and offered us water.
This is where my experience went down hill. Given that I had booked a reservation a month in advance, I did not expect to have to wait an hour for my table. We were put in a downstairs lounge area where we received minimal attention from the wait staff and team. Water was given but no bread/​food was offered us while we waited. 830 reservation and we did not get seated until close to 930. Maybe it is just me, but when I am about to drop $ 100 on a meal and had reservations, I do not expect to have to wait that long to sit down.
Once we got to the table, the service was slow and did not address us for 20 – 30 min and when it did come, we had to ask for bread multiple times before finally being given some. On top of that, the wait staff wasn’t extremely helpful and even messed up our order, giving us 2 orders of foie gras, which we gladly ate not knowing it was two orders until our bill arrived.
Enough about the negative. There were many positives. The food was fantastic. The aforementioned foie gras was delicious as was the panna cotta for desert.
I am not the most eloquent foodie, so I’ll write down what i had and just say that the food was fantastic.
Starters: Foie Gras and eel
Main dish: fish special with a side order of cauliflower
Desert: panna cotta
From a food perspective, there wasn’t one dish that I wouldn’t recommend. The accolade and hype was worth the overall experience.
I liked the food enough that I will definitely give it another shot.

OH WOW — the day that I eat like this every day is when I know I’m living the Great Gatsby life of a yuppie in Seattle! But for now, I will live the life of a poor law student. I came to Café Juanita because my boss reserved this whole downstairs room in Café Juanita for us as an office holiday party, so my experience may be a little different than everyone else that had their meals upstairs.
This office party dinner event included an 8-​course meal — no joke. Also, 6 out of the 8 courses had its own accompanying wine. Yes, it’s that fancy. I had no idea that wine glasses were shaped differently depending on how you wanted to emphasize the wine’s aroma as it came coming out of the glass. Who knew. #commonerstatus
Here were some highlights of my favorite dishes:
Carne Cruda of Australian +7 Wagyu with Lardo Crostini
—In other words, this is really good beef tartare
Seared Foie Gras with Marcona Almond Crema
—Perfect balance with the Black Mission Fig to counteract the richness of the Foie Gras
Anderson Valley Lamp Chop with Cipollini Crema
—Very tender lamb and perfectly cooked mmmmmmmmm
With the desserts, the Panna Cotta is very light on the sweetness. If you want something that’s stronger in the sweet spectrum and has different textures, then you might like the Bittersweet Chocolate Tortino better (comes with banana gelato).
In sum, this place is AMAZING! If you can afford it, then come here. If you can’t afford it, then find someone that can and have them take you here!