Purple Café and Wine Bar

This place will be temporarily closing soon and reopening after a remodel, but I hope this review carries over. We found the service quite slow, although the restaurant was nearly empty. It took us having to wave down a waiter whenever we needed anything, even to order our food!
The food wasn’t anything to write home about. I got the angry goat grilled cheese. There was way more bread than anything and the flavors were just lost in that. The tomato soup that was served alongside it was OK. Nothing special. The side salad was terrible. No flavor of any vinaigrette. It was so bland!
Someone else at the table got the veggie burger. It was mealy and dry. The bread, again, overpowered the burger and was burnt. Together, it became a mess of bland flavor and terrible texture.
This place really isn’t worth the visit once it reopens, unless its staff and food gets a remodel too.

I really liked this place! The setting was beautiful — brick wall with candles on it, heavy metal furniture, and cool light fixtures. Our waitress, Lindsay, was awesome. Despite our huge group, she was on top of food and drink at all times. We shared a bunch of appetizers — highlights included the crab and brie. I got the steak frites which were yummy — but the best dish was actually in the appetizers a shrimp frites with a spicy sauce! YUMMY! We got the brownie sundae to split which is not to be missed!

Visited Purple Café recently for a work mixer event. First time visiting one of the four locations of this chain. The Kirkland branch is located at Kirkland Parkplace in a standalone building across the parking lot from the main building. You should enter Kirkland Parkplace via Central Way and park in the area at the shopping mall next to Peter Kirk Park as this is the lot closest to the restaurant.
The event was set up in a nook area in the back of the restaurant which is perfect for group functions like these. The menu for the event was informal and full of cocktail style items setup buffet style.
The meal spread included a cheese platter with several types of cheeses, grapes and nuts. There was also a couple pizzas, caprese skewers and a chopped salad. I thought these dishes were tasty, particularly the chopped salad which was perfectly flavored. No need to add any dressing.
The service for the event was good. The restaurant staff wasn’t too invasive which allowed for attendees to have meaningful conversations without being interrupted. But was attentive in addressing requests like pouring wine for guests.
I didn’t really check out the rest of the space here during the event, but it looks like a good place for happy hour. They seem to have a decent reasonably priced happy hour menu available daily from 3 – 6 pm. Hope to make it back to Purple Café to check out their happy hour in the future.

Went to the Purple I have been to the one in Woodinville a few times before concerts. I had the Steak and Friets (fries) and the steak was done to order and it was good and the fries were pretty good as well. Had the beet salad before as an appetizer that I split with my parents and it was amazing. My Dad ordered a excellent bottle of wine and some dates stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese. I had one of them and they were huge flavor. Overall the thing I liked about the Purple Café is their consistency. If you make a reservation and you show up the food is consistently good.

Learn to run a restaurant guys. You’ve got tons of open tables but are so incompetent that you don’t have servers? Give me a break.
Also don’t give snotty assed attitudes to people who have a lot of choices where they spend their dining dollars. Your ‘manager’ is less than clueless.

I went here mid June for lunch. Me an my friend both ordered the BLTA. I got the salad and they got the fries. The meal was delicious! The presentation of the food was great! The service was even wonderful. The atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming.
I would of given it 5 stars but they didn’t have two different drinks (sodas) in stock that they normally had and the sorbets they offered on there new Deseret menu were also not in stock. Those were a down side but I can’t stress enough how good are meals were. Very good! Will be coming back again soon. Hopefully they’ll have the desserts and drinks in stock the next time!

Great dinner place! We enjoyed the wine selection and had no problem picking one that we liked. The menu offers something for everyone (even a few gluten free options!) and we will definitely be back to try other dishes!
The only complaint is that my salmon dish was suppose to come with rainbow carrots and it only came with orange, expect for one yellow. I would like to see more of the rainbow carrots if you say the dish is served with rainbow carrots.
Glad this restaurant is close to my place, so we can go back!

My girlfriend and I went here on a Sunday (Mothers Day) around 2 in the afternoon. I hadn’t made reservations but was happy to see the place was only about ¹⁄₃ full. We were kind of shocked when told there would be a 20 minute wait, due to the abundance of both seating and servers.
We waited at the bar but took forever to be addressed by the server. There was no explanation of the wine list but we were seated within 20 minutes as promised. I ordered the salmon croquettes and my friend ordered the baked brie to start and both were PHENOMENAL (though we were starving so maybe a bit biased). It took forever for our main courses to come out. Between when we finished our starters and when our sandwich and salad arrived it was over a half hour. Our server was apologetic and gave us complimentary fries but it was kind of shocking considering there was no rush within the café. No one wants to wait that long for food! Our main dishes were just okay. Overall I think this place is really overpriced for what it is. I might be back but would rather go to the Purple in Bellevue or Seattle, that have a nicer ambiance.

After a nice workout at a nearby crossfit box, Maria and I headed over to Kirkland to grab a bite before getting our hair done for going out that night. Purple Café is one of her favorites in the area and I can totally see why. It has a very quaint outdoor seating and charming interior and also has excellent service. We opted to sit outside as it’s starting to get warm outside and we wanted to soak in some extra sun. They also have a decent wine selection and beautiful bar indoors.
Our server was helpful and pleasant. He suggested that I try the special which was the Pork Belly Mac & Cheese (YUMMM) and Maria opted for a bunless burger. We were both very satisfied with our meals and the service here. It was a great place to catch up over a delightful meal. I highly suggest coming here, especially for lunch!

Soooo everything started off well, we were immediately greeted by our server, offered water and started perusing the menu. The food and wine both too a little while to get but we’re well worth the wait. After we finished our server asked if we wanted dessert, we said no and he left to go get our check I thought. Ten to fifteen minutes later there was still no sign of him and we finally had to find a manager to get and pay our bill. After this was done our server suddenly reappeared. Had this not happened I would be leaving a 4 – 4.5 star review because the food and the wine really are very good. Service needs some improvement but it’s worth a stop! Neat area with quite a few options to eat and wine taste!

I have been there a few times and I wish it was closer to my house. I personally prefer this place over the one in Woodinville area because it is quitter and has more parking spots.
Today I went there with my friend to commemorate his birth. It was just for lunch, but we were so happy with the food. We both shared a pizza margarita and a turkey sandwich with fries and it was all sooooooooooooooo delicious!!! The sandwich was huge and had a lot of turkey! We were impressed.
Everything was less than 25 dollars and we got out of there very full. Lunch times is not as busy as at night of course, and we got a awesome service. I only wish the hos did not but the other people who came right after us since the tables were pretty close and parallel. Other than that the experience was great!!!

I really like the menu at Purple. It’s got really good variety, they update it regularly, and it’s a great casual place to go for a glass of wine.
We tried it with kids this weekend, because they actually have a really nice kids menu. Both my kids (1 and 3) were very happy with their selections: grilled salmon with sweet potato fries, and grilled cheese with tomato soup. We adults were happy with our selections as well.
The only problem was the service. It took a really long time for the waitress to even come to our table. It took 45 minutes to get any food at all, even though one item was just a cheese plate. No cooking. Just a cheese plate. 45 minutes is forever with two hungry kids that young. On top of that, when we inquired about our food, the waitress had this attitude like we were being a pain.
If the service had been better, I would have given them 4 – 5 stars. We’ll likely go back because the menu was good for the whole family, but I really hope they are faster next time — otherwise, it just won’t be relaxing at all.

I had a wonderful time for my friend’s bday
It’s not five star because our starter and main dish came almost at same time. But I love purple café :)

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a long time. What I found was great service, nice atmosphere, and subpar food.
We had a somewhat large party (10 people) and they placed us in a private room. I appreciated the separate space, but found the triangle table weird. I also didn’t think the acoustics were that great. In terms of service, I felt our server took great care of us. She was able to recommend some items and she offered us a small sample of 3 white wines to help us pick out a bottle of white wine for our meal. We chose the Australian chardonnay, which was good and only $ 25 for the whole bottle. In terms of other food I enjoyed, I found my dessert super delicious. It was a white macadamia nut crème brûlée. It was so good that I think they should consider making it a permanent part of their menu.
Unfortunately, my entrée was not good and hence why this place is 3 stars instead of 4. For my entrée, I got the roasted turkey and havarati with fries. It was a little smaller than I expected. Both the sandwich and the fries were pretty cold by the time I got them. I also found the bacon on my sandwich overcooked and the bread a little tough. In sum, I did not like this sandwich at all and it didn’t help that it came out cold. Definitely not worth the $ 14 I paid for it.
In terms of ambiance, the place is pretty chic: dim lighting and giant doors that open to some patio seating. Unfortunately, the food just wasn’t good enough to warrant greater than 3 stars despite the ambiance and the great service.

Sat on the patio for a very relaxing, delicious lunch with a dear friend. There’s no cocktail menu because of liquor licenses or something, but I had a refreshing Riesling and was very satisfied. We ordered some appetizers and shared — get the dates! GET THE DATES. The spicy shrimp was also really, really good, with crispy fries and a rich, satisfying sauce. We also had passionfruit sorbet to finish it off! Service was good (server was able to come up with wines in a snap, as I really didn’t feel like looking through their tome of a wine list that day).
Plenty of parking, too, since it’s in a mall. Also a plus.

Another reliable entry in the string of gussied-​up wine bars under the Purple name. This one’s a fairly nondescript space in Park Place down the hill in Kirkland. It’s actually a little too nondescript – the sign outside is flat sheet metal with very impressionistic letters; I assumed it was the mounting plate for an old sign that had been removed. Since the place looked like it was under renovation, I ended up driving by it three times, trying to find it. I’m good that way, though – the slightest risk of confusion always seems to trip me up when looking for an address.
Inside, it’s the usual showcase of exquisite patio furniture that every Purple offers. You could kill somebody with the five-​pound napkin rings here, and those aren’t the only deadly weapons masquerading as dining implements.
They have lengthy cellarbooks for reds, whites, bubblies, and so on. They really do make an effort to dig up interesting stuff, and they get their hands on some really nice bottles.
Like all the other Purples, they store them vertically, and in direct sunlight. I still don’t get this. I’m sure they sell the hell out of them so the stock is always turning over, but, like all other Purples, we got some tastes here last night that were on the stale and acidic side. Could be the wine, or it could be the sunlight.
We had gorgonzola dates; great as always. Cheese flight, very nice. One each of the sliders, very nice too. No complaints with any of the food. The dessert was good. Our happy hour snacks and flights came to $ 99. For two. Who didn’t overdo it. It’s so easy to go completely sideways on prices here, and so easy to find equal quality for half the invoice at the end of the night. There’s just no need to spend this kind of money for a couple glasses of wine and some small plates – it’s worth it for some folks, sure, but there are plenty of other options that are at least as good for less.
Most of the service was nice, but the main waiter was clearly suffering in the presence of the gauche philistines he was sentenced to serve. Every time he had to wait for someone to pass, you could see the pained wince on his face, and his mission in life was to correct our pronunciation of everything we ordered. He couldn’t even abide the word «France.» He had to point out that it was pronounced «Frawnce» with a wounded little simper in his voice. He had clearly attained a level of waiterness that we hoi polloi could not possibly appreciate. He was fast and on point through the night, and he smiled warmly when he dropped the check (they always remember their manners at that point), but he’s certainly not going out of his way to cultivate regulars.

Three and a half stars but I can’t give it four.
Let’s break this up into parts shall we:
1. Food: The food is good. It is not mind blowing. We had the appetizers. It was very well presented.

a. The Prawns were very good (and the wife loved the sauce).
b. The Kalamata Tapenade was well made — I liked the slight woomph that the olives imparted.
c. The edmame hummus was nice too.
d. The Salmon Tartare was okay. The mayonnaise did not do much.
e. The Bruschetta was decent. Not great but not bad. I’ve had better and worse.
2. Service: The service is good. I have no complaints. Our glasses were full and the food arrived on time and the plates were taken away.
3. Décor and Location: The décor is so very ancient, it makes me feel very old. The chairs are heavy and the table legs are made with iron so should you while moving hit your knee against them it is going to hurt. The location is another downside, it’s in a strip mall and from the wall to wall windows you see, «Einstein Bagels», «QFC», «Weldon Barber». The choice of music was good though.
4. Price: It is in my opinion a touch too expensive. The appetizers etc that we got, 2 sets of prawns, the spreads, the salmon and the bruschetta set us back by nearly 75 dollars.
Overall, this is a decent place. It’s just too upscale in the wrong neighbourhood. I wouldn’t take a girl I want too woo over here. I wouldn’t take someone I wanted to show Seattle’s food to over here either. This wouldn’t be my first choice for a large group outing either or for a quiet night out with my wife. I don’t quite see when I’d go here again.

I was a bit dubious about Purple, since the last time fiancé came here he ended up with food poisoning…
The service was really good; our server came by often to refill our glasses, see if everything was okay and clear our table regularly, without it being obnoxious. He made a really good recommendation for a wine as well, and was knowledgeable about the wine list and menu.
We pretty much had a three course meal. The dip plate was good, although some of the dips contained dairy and weren’t advertised as such (fiancé is also lactose intolerant and had a reaction). The entrees were good. I got the vegetarian lasagne special and it was a good size without being an insane amount of food. We got the bread pudding for dessert. Overall, the food was really tasty, the wine was good and we had good service. It’s a little pricey, but I’d come here again.

My friend is leaving Seattle to Bay Area. We kind of met in the middle for her going away Happy Hour. Among three of us, we ordered 2 burger sliders, 3 appetizers, 2 teas, 1 beer, 1 wine, and 2 desserts at price of $ 65 plus tips. Considering how much food we actually had, $ 65 was not too bad at all. Besides, I had a $ 25 gift card to use towards.
I loved the mussels with bread and caramari. And, I was happy with the sparkling wine the server recommended. I felt it went well with the food. We got very friendly and welcoming service here.
Be aware of the parking! There’s not walk way from the parking on Central. Traffic just keeps coming into the plaza. It can be very dangerous. Make sure to be visible to those cars.

Compared to the other Purple restaurants I’ve been to, this one in Kirkland is definitely my favorite!
My friends and I went to this restaurant with a total party size of 10. Now that a lot of restaurants only seat you when your whole party arrives (which is still an annoyance), this restaurant allowed my friend and I to sit down while we wait for the whole party to arrive. Even though only 2 out of the 10 of us were there, the waitress still greeted us and asked us if we wanted anything while we wait — so nice! When more of our party arrived (still not all 10 of us), the waitress came by again and asked us if we wanted anything. She also asked if we wanted bread while we waited! Again — what excellent service! After our whole party arrived, the waitress came by a few minutes later and asked if we were ready to place our order. Even though not all of us were ready, she went to one end of the table and slowly came by each of us to take our order.
In terms of food, we ordered the roasted brussel sprouts and the bruschetta — I highly recommend both, especially the brussel sprouts! Even though there were 10 of us, these two appetizers were enough for all of us. For the entrée, I ordered the lamb and salumi bolognese. I will be the first to say that I overall have not had enjoyable or memorable experiences eating lamb so I was very scared in ordering this entrée, but wanted to try lamb again just in case my past experiences weren’t at good locations. I LOVED this entrée! In fact, I actually ate all of it. :) While the taste of the lamb was a little stronger than I would have liked, I still enjoyed the food. There was PLENTY of meat and the meat to noodles ratio was awesome. A lot of places I have been to like to give you plenty of noodles but no meat, but this dish had an equal ratio, which was a pleasant surprise.
The service overall was very excellent. The only reason I am not rating this Kirkland location 5 stars is as our party was enjoying dinner and taking pictures of each other, we could see some of the staff standing there and looking at us with rather… judgmental faces. While I understand it may be amusing/​funny/​disapproving to take pictures, I didn’t appreciate the staff looking at us so blatantly with such disapproving looks.
Other than that, I very much enjoyed my experience at this Purple location!