Rogo’s Restaurant & Bar

I miss Szmanias!!! And I’m not alone: (The entire staff and menu were amazing. A few cooks and waiters are legit but overall the entire experience is a major downgrade w/​hiked up prices of what used to be generously portioned cuisine but are now SKIMPY and heartless.

Best little hidden gem in Seattle… The food and service is truly second to none…

I’ve been here 3 times for dinner and a fourth for brunch, so far every time has been a very pleasurable experience. My main concern is whether the food is good and it definitely is here. Things I have tried and would recommend would be the grilled pork chop, the salmon wellington, and the and the jäger schnitzel. The empanadas castellanas appetizer is still on the menu from restaurant week and are also fantastic, and for brunch we had $ 10 bottomless mimosas, good coffee, and a delicious crab cake benedict. Right now I’m loving this place.

I’ve been to Rogo’s twice now and will definitely be back. I love their menu. Even the small plates are generous. We’ve had the New York Strip Steak, Stuffed Chicken, Steak Skewers, Lox, Clams and Mussels, and Scallops. They were all delicious. The atmosphere is upscale, but not stuffy. The chef was willing to work with some special food restrictions I have, and our waitress Signa (SeeNa) was very attentive and provided exceptional service. I recommend!

Last night my wife and I went to have dinner at Rogo’s. It was a bit late, 9:00 pm, but they were certainly open. The hostess seated us and was sort of friendly. But then we waited for nearly 15 minutes and nobody came to get a drink order or even acknowledge our presence. We got very frustrated and left. Service is terrible and there is a pompous air to the place.

Formerly Szmania’s, an icon in Magnolia, we’ve frequented this location here and there for many years. Recently an owner, name and menu change has taken the restaurant in a new direction. Rogo’s owner and chef Michael Rogozinski has the kitchen cookin’ up some fine food. We started with a simple, flavorful beet salad, split between two. Not too many sweet onions, just enough Feta, and the crisp peppery arugula all came together nicely. A perfectly grilled pork chop – one of the specials of the night – was exceptional. Steamed Brussels sprouts and polenta added nicely to the meal. Entrée two: prawn and wild mushroom risotto. There’s nothing better than a chef that knows how to make a good risotto AND correctly cook a prawn. Nicely done Chef Rogozinski. Delicious. Great service, tasty cocktails, and a warm atmosphere next to the fire in the bar all contributed to a fantastic evening!

My family and I live in magnolia and we ate here for the first time for my Mom’s birthday. It was fantastic! The food was amazing especially the lamb keftedes and the prawn and mushroom risotto! The service was also great! I will definitely be back and be recommending to all of our friends!

Dinner with the hubs at Rogo’s:
THE GOOD: Ambiance was nice, service was decent, nice presentation. Our salads were plentiful and tasty, good wine selection and dessert — the apple tart — was very flavorful.
THE NOT SO GOOD: Husband had the DUCK, which was supposed to be prepared medium but was overcooked. It didn’t resemble any duck that he’d ever eaten before. The texture was off and the meat was dry. Additionally, it was smothered in an overpowering sauce that dominated. Too much Chinese five spice, too much salt. The veggies were overcooked too. The SCALLOPS were tasty but it was more of an appetizer size serving than an actual entrée. Three scallops, kale and cherry tomatoes for $ 30 — don’t order this if you expect a full meal.
OVERALL: We’re not in any hurry to go back.

Wonderful experience!!! Very friendly staff and the food is AMAZING! We had only apps and desert but we were allowed to leisurely enjoy or wine and espresso. Atmosphere low key helpful staff and Chef Michael is SUPER! He delivered our flourless chocolate cake himself explained the plating and returned to chat and share stories with us. can’t wait to go for a full meal!

Have had a number of great meals recently at Rogo’s. You can stop in for small plates or have a multi-​course meal. All food has been excellent. Highest votes for the smoked salmon w/​potato pancake, crab cakes and oh, the pork chop is amazing. It is nice to not battle the streets of Ballard/​Fremont/​Capitol Hill for parking. Not to mention parking is free. The atmosphere was warm and cozy, staff very welcoming and attentive.

Very good food, very nice and friendly staff! Their menu has very good selection and the environment is also great!

This is a late review but since I still had photos on the phone here it goes. The atmosphere was nice, after all it was New Year’s Eve and all was well. We started we the crab cakes, YUM they we’re tender and crispy with a wonderful sauce that was tangy and hard to describe flavor. I then had the wild mushroom soup. I really enjoyed the delicate flavor of fungus paired with cream, it was outstanding and I wished I could have another bowl. I ate the fillet with mascarpone mashed and veggies. That was a excellent piece of meat, cooked perfectly it melted in my mouth with each bite. Service was a bit slow but they kept bringing out freshly baked bread so our table was content, I also had a couple of alcoholic drinks, both were tasty and stiff. I will be back.

Rogo’s (previously known as Szmania’s) is a very welcomed dining establishment in the otherwise desolate culinary desert of Magnolia. I have visited it numerous times over the past few months with varying levels of occupancy. Happily, even during the busiest dinner visit, I have found the service of the waitstaff to be appropriately knowledgeable and attentive and the food consistently well presented and delicious thus the 4-​star rating. Today was our first brunch visit and, sadly, it presented a somewhat lesser experience than we’d come to accept as its norm. It was early, and we were seated promptly by what appeared to be a very busy double-​hatted hostess/​one-​person wait staff. It was rather quiet – very few tables occupied – most likely due to the Seahawks game which had just begun. Coffee was served promptly; however, the cup was not clean so I requested a new cup. Another cup was delivered, but it was less clean than the first. I don’t think our server took the time to look at it when she brought it as she appeared quite surprised when I presented it back to her and requested yet another. The third time was the charm – a very clean coffee cup. While awaiting our meal, a young man approached our table to offer more coffee. I moved my cup to facilitate his replenishment of it, and was stunned when he proceeded to pick the cup up by the rim to refill it. I saw no need for him to touch it since it was easily accessible but, if deemed necessary, it should have been raised by the saucer or, at least, by the cup’s handle. My meal arrived prior to my table mate’s by at least 4 – 5 minutes. In this case, my bagel and lox suffered no harm from its sitting and our glaring at it while we awaited my dining partner’s meal arrival. Ordinarily though I would not have appreciated watching my meal become cold. As we waited, I noted the absence of any cream cheese on my plate. So, upon delivery of my companion’s meal, I asked for it from the server to which she replied «Sure, I can get you some cream cheese.» This sounded to me as though I may have been mistaken about it being an essential component of my meal… curious. Some minutes later, PLAIN cream cheese was delivered. Subsequently, I noted the absence of capers on the plate as well. Surely, I thought, cream cheese and capers were both listed on the menu, right? But I opted not to delay the meal further by asking the server for anything else. (I later verified that the menu did, in fact, list not plain but HERB cream cheese AND «cappers» [aka capers] in the description, so I wasn’t crazy after all.) Both of us ended up enjoying our brunch very much, but no meal should be this hard. I’d be the first to grant some quality control slack IF it had been really busy – but it was not. I hope, in some small way, this review is used to help Rogo’s meet its true potential. I really, really like this unique dining establishment and vow to support it with my continued patronage and high recommendations.

I have to update my last review of Rogo’s because, unfortunately, it has not continued on the high plane it started with. What’s going on, Rogo? The last time we went with my entire family of 6, we tried a large percetage of the menu. The pork chop, which used to be a standout, was overcooked. Gone was the rhubarb sauce, instead replaced with a too-​sweet apple/​raisin compote. The potato was mushy. The scallop special included only THREE average-​sized scallops for $ 30. The crème sauce it came in was WAY too heavy on the cream and not enough flavor. The prawn risotto was also extremely heavy on cream. The duck breast special was chewy.
I don’t know if it’s because Rogo himself was not at the helm, but please, bring the standards back up. The neighborhood needs a better torch-​bearer.

Came here for birthday dinner. Excellent service and really good food! Our server Brooks was fun and very knowledgeable. My husband said it was the best burger he has had. I had the pork chop entrée which was excellent! !

This is a place you want to dine. presentation open kitchen people chef and quality is amazing Roho thank you!

This place started out promising, but the entrees turned out to be extremely mediocre. Ambiance and service was great and the beet salad was good. I ordered the gnocchi with butternut squash, red onion, spinach, wild mushroom, and cream sauce. The squash was flavorless, the mushrooms were sour, the cream was bland, and the dish was under salted — not impressed! My partner got the rabbit and while it was better than my dish, it wasn’t as good as the price made it sound. We won’t be returning, unfortunately.

Stopped in during Seattle Restaurant Week and had a great dining experience. Deciding last-​minute was a not a great idea as, of course, restaurants’ reservations were all taken. But we luckily found Rogo’s and chose to eat there. Ordered a few happy hour drinks and chose our 3-​course menus. The squash bisque was creamy, rich, and delicious. The salmon was cooked perfectly. And I ended my meal with a pear strudel; the crust was crisp and flaky with a warm, sweet filling and a side of cinnamon ice cream.
This is a great stop in Magnolia. Get away from downtown noise and come up to this quiet neighbourhood.

I’ve been to this place several times, both in its earlier iteration and now as Rogo’s. It was pretty good before, and it’s maybe more than pretty good now. I like the menu and the food is nicely executed and served. Love that schnitzel burger! The room is nice and comfortable, you can actually hear your table mates, and parking is easy on the street.
This isn’t high fashion fine innovative dining. Magnolia isn’t Capitol Hill. But if you want dinner at a comfortable, affordable, easy to get into place, and you’re near the Magnolia neighborhood, you should give it a try. It’s really good – and they have a very nice happy hour menu if you’re there early.

Rogo’s is fantastic. We went here with another couple and loved everything we tried, the beat salad is amazing, as is the pork chop. The waitstaff was very nice and very attentive, no water glass was left half full! The owner even stopped by our table to introduce himself and ask us how we liked our meal. We will have to come back and try more of the menu. One thing is for sure, I will be craving that pork chop.

OK I know I start out with a big WOW for places I really like but this one is definitely a big WOW and very pleasant surprise.
We got a nice table in their outside area. Small not a lot of tables but feels like a place you would find in Europe even though it is located on the corner of a main road in an area of Seattle called Magnolia… Magnolia village. The restaurant appears small from the front of the building but once you get inside it is rather a large place. I would still recommend reservations.
The service was good but the food is incredible. The Executive Chef and owner takes pride in serving the freshest food from the meat, seafood to the herbs they use. The plating is artful too. We had a delightful meal and would definitely go back many times.

Pretty much the same menu as when it was known as Szmania… Food is good and service pretty friendly. Happy hour from 4 – 6 at the bar. German American cuisine, their bratwurst and schnitzel sandwich is quite good. Dessert is tasty as well, love their rhubarb and berry cobbler.

We had an amazing experience while it was under the previous name. We went there a few weeks ago and were not impressed. They were understaffed and the food just was eh. This is the first time that I have seen myself and my husband struggle on what to order. Things just didn’t sound good. He ended up ordering the rib eye and I got the risotto and it was mediocre. It has now became a typical «Magnolia» restaurant. Maybe I just need to be drunk enough.
Moving from Cap Hill, where the new American/​NW restaurants are amazing, the Magnolia restaurants just can’t compare.
At least with the previous place, we felt that there was hope in the restaurant scene, but not with this place.
I always give restaurants a 2^nd chance, so we shall see.

Excellent presentation, big selecting and nice variety. Prices pretty affordable as well with meals between $ 17– mid $ 30’s. Portion size was filling. Will be back soon since it’s a great date night.

My first visit to Rogo’s was during Restaurant Week, and as such the place was hopping. The kitchen is open to the restaurant, with a counter for oglers (like myself) can watch Chef Rogozinski plate the entrees.
Every plate sailing past me into the restaurant was beautiful and creative, and generously portioned. Highly seasonal ingredients like rhubarb, asparagus, and pea vines are incorporated in ways unique to each dish. For example, while both my salad and entrée contained rhubarb, the rhubarb of my salad was apparently pickled then grilled, making for a tart and smoky flavor, but my entrée had roasted rhubarb, which was sweet and tangy. I’d get the pork chop again in a heartbeat, though I almost went back the next night just based on how good the halibut looked.
The cocktail menu was respectable. I particularly liked the Ooh-​lil-​lil, which is a dirty martini with Oohla pepper vodka, and aquavit in lieu of vermouth. The bar isn’t the backbone of this place, but it doesn’t leave the food hanging.
My time in Seattle has conditioned me to expect murky, sensuously under-​lit dining rooms, so it was weird to be in a place with big windows and white drywall. This did mean that I could appreciate the colors on my plate, and there were plenty!
I’ll definitely return to Rogo’s. It’s a good date spot.