El Gaucho Seattle Reviews

They were serving a special dinner this day so we decided to eat in at the restaurant instead of eating at the bar. It was a special steak dinner. It came with an appetizer, meal and dessert. We started out with a mixed green salad, followed by steak entrées. You each got two small steaks. They were each prepared in a different manner. The first one had a brown sauce, and the second one had lobster, and like a hollandaise sauce. We both preferred the one without the lobster. I had an old-fashioned drink. We also got some wicked shrimp which was good. I think they were shrimp. Then we had the bananas foster for dessert. It was done tableside. The staff is incredible there and we enjoyed it but as my title says, we both prefer to eat at the bar.

Like many others who have reviewed El Gaucho, my wife and I went here for the first time to celebrate our wedding anniversary...our 30th. After our eyes adjusted to the darker environment, we were graciously greeted, our coats taken and we were escorted to our table on an upper level overlooking the diners below. Our server, Mak was very friendly and informative and all the wait staff wished us a happy anniversary. There were rose petals on our white tablecloth and an anniversary card when we arrived. A pianist was playing contemporary music below in a dark corner. First we ordered the Tableside Spinach Salad ($15) with an extra plate, which was more than enough for two. It consisted of just barely wilted spinach, candied pecans, bacon and goat cheese, (of which we found only two small dabs),lightly dressed...delicious. For dinner we ordered the 20 oz. Chateaubriand For Two ($135), a sizable portion carved tableside and served with baked potato, asparagus and broiled tomato for two. Our potatoes were fluffed for us and adorned with butter cheese sauce and chives. The asparagus was slightly crunchy and perfectly steamed; the tomatoes were unfortunately the typically flavorless winter tomatoes, improved with melted cheese on top. The beef was superb...extremely tender and perfectly seasoned. We had a bottle of Robert Biale Napa Black Chicken Zinfandel ($85) with dinner. After the main course we were served a complimentary fruit and cheese plate containing a small piece of Roquefort cheese, grapes, an apple, and a rock hard, unripe pear. Had I paid for that plate, I'd have sent back the pear. Use ripe fruit, kitchen staff...or please leave it in the kitchen. I would not expect yukky fruit from a restaurant of this caliber. As is often the case, we had no room for dessert. Total bill including tax and mandatory 20% service charge was $310.00. I threw in an additional $10 because the service was excellent. Cost would prevent us from returning except for the most special of occasions. But we loved the food and the service. And I particularly liked the fact that dress is casual and not quite as pretentious as Canlis.

Looked for a real classy place to take my wife for our anniversary dinner. Found El Gaucho. AWESOME! Pricey place, but well worth taking your bride of many years to! Excellent from the time we arrived. Has a really classic oldies ambiance to it. Food and service was why you pay a pretty penny!

The restaurant was not overly crowded or noisy and as you walk in, the smell of steak cooking on the grill invites you to stay a while. We started at the bar for cocktails where we met Larry, the sommelier, who served us a table-side hickory manhattan that was out of this world alongside a perfectly mixed old fashioned. We moved to the dining room where we shared escargot, truffle soup, steak trio and filet mignon. All outstanding, flavorful and perfectly seasoned. Larry provided excellent advice and recommendations for wine pairing and we had a wonderful opportunity to pick his brain on wine storage and cooling techniques. The food was only eclipsed by our fantastic waiter Jimmy who was a delight to talk with and as wonderful as Larry. We progressed through dinner and dessert over a three hour period with two of the coolest people we had the honor of being served. We left with great memories and friendships. Highly recommend!

El Gaucho in Seattle has been one of of our favorite places for many years. We visited their new location this past weekend to celebrate my birthday with two other couples and I must say it is not the same experience. When we made it our table, our waiter took our drink order. One of the couples ordered a bottle of champagne which arrived within 5 minutes, the rest of us had to wait another 20 - 25 minutes to get our drinks. One couple order Caesar salad for 2, which it was prepared table side as usual; however the salad was placed in one plate. When asked if it was for 2, the person preparing the salad said yes which was odd because again it was in one plate. The same person decided to bring another plate and tongues and ask my friend to 'serve' it as they wanted it. We felt like we were at one of those chain restaurants. The steak was well prepared. Then came time for dessert. This place is famous for their bananas foster prepared table side which all of us ordered. When we all took our first bites, we noticed that the bananas did not taste well, they were green. I ordered a cappuccino and it came in a regular coffee cup and instead of being a cappuccino it was a shot of expresso. I mentioned it to the waiter and he said he would fix it. Came back 5 min later with the same cup, except that he had added a little bit of milk. The waiter did notice that we were not eating the bananas foster and asked for feedback. He did the right thing and removed it from our bill. Their traditional fruit and nut service at the end of the meal is gone. The new service is 'Roquefort butter' and a few slices of fruit with crackers. Based on this experience, I am not sure we will be coming back. There are other steak houses in the Seattle area in the same price range but with better service.

Yesterday, I met El Gaucho at Seattle. And when each one of the dishes had been served, it was a really disappointing experience. At the beginning with the "Seafood Tower", who it was more ice than seafood wherever you see the dish. The portions in relation to the price was like a toy. The quality of the meat was like a regular steak in a Denny's, the steak tartare was like more liquid sauce than meat... Except for the cherries jubilee and the bottle of wine, the rest of the menu was really awful. Come on guys! This is maybe the worst of the worst restaurant experience I had in Seattle. Please do something about this...

My husband, son and I went to this restaurant for happy hour. Happy hour is still expensive but it is much more reasonable. We each started out with a cocktail. My husband had a non-alcoholic cocktail. He had the Ube cocktail which we all tasted and enjoyed. He then ordered the carrot conundrum which he liked, but my son and I didn’t like. We always have the Wagyu poutine. It is probably our favorite item on the happy hour menu. My husband and son shared the Diablo beef. I thought it would be spicy so I did not have any but it wasn’t really spicy. It was also good. I ordered the mushroom risotto which I shared with my husband and son. We had a Key lime pie and a chocolate cheesecake, which was delicious and is now my favorite dessert there. I used to only get the Key lime pie. Three of us ate for $189.00 which includes a 20% service charge. Service is always excellent.

Our hotel concierge did not steer us wrong with his suggestion when he told us to try El Gaucho! The drinks, the food and the ambiance did not disappoint. If you are traveling on a budget but want an excellent meal, try the happy hour menu. We will be back for sure!!! (Still thinking about the bread pudding 3 days later)

We received a gift card for Christmas several years ago and finally went for my husband's birthday. I was afraid it would be too fancy, but it was just the right amount fancy - really classy atmosphere but very welcoming. The waitstaff was very attentive - we must have had at least 6 different people waiting on us at various times (I might have preferred just one). The steaks were perfect, tender, pink, juicy. My husband ordered one with lobster, asparagus & bernaise sauce. Said the small piece of lobster was so covered in the spicy sauce he couldn't taste it. I had similar, but crabmeat instead of lobster. I enjoyed the crabmeat but agreed the sauce was a bit spicy. We also tried the truffle soup (just fine) and a baked potato (handfluffed at our table with butter, sour cream, and green onions). My favorite was the warm spinach salad prepared tableside - a dramatic production with 3-foot flames to prepare the pecans and bacon and dressing and then hand tossed with super fresh spinach. I loved this salad. It was huge and I ate the whole thing, which left not enough room for my steak. We were so full we didn't get dessert for my husband's birthday, but they brought a fruit and cheese basket so we split the just-right bosc pear. Overall, it was a lovely and connected date night. Unfortunately our businessmen neighbors were loud and inebriated and swore frequently, which bothered me. Even with our $200 gift card we had to spend $82 in addition to cover the two steaks, salad, potato, soup, and two drinks. This was a one-time thing for us and I wouldn't choose to return, but I'm glad we went.

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit to El Gaucho. Service was outstanding and the food was great - highly recommend the bone-in rib eye. Cooked perfectly and without question, the roasted sweet corn was tremendous.

You can't beat the beef at El Gaucho and if it were just for the beef I would give the place 5 stars. But, a high end restaurant like El Gaucho really needs to have better cocktails in my opinion. I ordered a Manhattan and thought it was a bit on the sweet side. So, I switched to gin and the cocktail was pretty ordinary. Again, food was great. I will be back and may stick with wine next time.

We came here to celebrate a friend's birthday and it was delicious. The steaks are so juicy and tender... like melt in your mouth tender.. unbelievable. Very nice place, beautiful set-up inside, the staff were extremely friendly, they even have people that escort you to the restroom! We will definitely be returning here the next time we are in Seattle.

Iconic restaurant with superb attention to detail. My husband had ostrich here 10 years ago and raved about this place. We flew in for the weekend and made a reservation. From start to finish we had an exceptional experience. Our table was decorated with rose petals and a card to commemorate our anniversary which was a special touch. Live piano music creates a nice atmosphere. Despite a full house and music you can still have a nice conversation. The personnel are well trained to connect with the customer and offer helpful service with attention to detail. Food quality and volume are excellent. Nice wine list. We picked a 2010 Rioja blend that was very nice. Not just a steak house. We had chicken and fish dishes. The fun part of this restaurant are the flaming dishes they prepare table side. Nice classy evening in a relaxed atmosphere.

A very traditional American upscale restaurant. The waiters are friendly. The guests are expected to dress nicely but we saw someone with flip flops are able to dine at the bar area. The food is reasonably good but not exceptional. Cheese bread were served when they were warm. We ordered a chateaubriand steak, 2 small lobster tails (1.5 pound lobster normally tastes better then 3 or 4 pounds lobster), spinach, and truffle fries for 4 people to share. Sauce was charged additionally despite the chateaubriand steak which was US$135. Wine selection is not bad, with both good local and international choices and with a great price selection. If you ask your hotel concierge to book a table for you, this restaurant has car service which pick you up at your hotel and send you back after dinner.

Highly recommend! Great food and service, very hospitable and accommodating. Atmosphere was reminiscent of rat pack era.

Over visiting from Wales UK. Staying local with my sister and had a table booked by my sister. This place is excellent, lovely staff amazing set up good food and drinks. Well worth a visit and highly recommend.

I took my husband to El Gaucho in early November as a celebration dinner for a recent work promotion. Dinner was delicious, and the service was impeccable. Dani was our server, and she was fantastic and extremely professional. We only live a few blocks away so I don't understand why we don't come more often! We’re going to have to change that! Dine here - you will not be disappointed!

The drinks were well-made, the food was top notch, and the service was good considering how busy they were for a Wednesday night.

Excellent food, superb service, and friendly, helpful and efficient staff doing the extra mile to satisfy customers.... Oh...And the food was great too.

Really unclear why this is rated as one of the best steakhouses in Seattle. The interior should be renewed, for example, the bench was uncomfortable with a large crack in the backrest. The signature salad is uninspired, the wine selection mediocre. The steak was good, but expensive.

Sunday night Happy Hour A+. Live singer and piano music. Old style night club atmosphere. Food and service over the top. It's an expense account dinner, but a great deal for happy hour.

We finally ate inside El Gaucho, for my birthday, after a year of not living dangerously. The new building is gorgeous, the interior a combination of the old and the new. The designers did a great job. It's an elegant space. I might add the ambiance, music, tone etc. is a bit too "old school" for me, and I'm 71 years old! This El Gaucho caters to a "country club" sub-culture, and lacks a hip quotient. It's more Ronald Reagan than Barack Obama. Service began overly formal, stiff almost, but picked up on our need for a more casual relationship with our servers. The staff is quite prescient and experienced. Food is always good at El Gaucho. Our steaks were perfect, the sides done just the way we like it. El Gaucho is the quintessential steakhouse, and the corporation running the restaurants have the template down pat. Yet, that may be the only issue I have with the El Gaucho chain. It is corporate, and no longer has a local vibe. It mirrors Seattle's need to be generic, as dot com homogeny usurps Seattle's identity. El Gaucho is as good as all the great chain steakhouses, Capital Grill, Flemings, Morton's, the Palm, etc. Sadly, it is equal, no different, and has lost its identity as a bastion of Emerald City dining. Prices are very high, especially with the 10% city food tax added on. In addition, El Gaucho includes a 20% gratuity, but the servers only get 15%. Thus, I add an extra 5% to the check.

We enjoyed our first ever trip to this wonderful establishment. The free shuttle to and from the restaurant is a super nice touch. We had Dani as our server and were not disappointed one bit. She had a great personality and was super helpful in helping us choose our selection. She was also a stalwart in prepping our table side Ceasar which was unbelievably great! We are so excited to go back the next time we are in the city, what a joy!

Great restaurant for a nice night out! This is your classic high end Gatsby era style restaurant. We enjoyed the fantastic ambiance and the delicious food!!! The caesar salad for 2 and the baseball steak were perfect!!!! Wicked shrimp is also a must have... We will defiantly come back as we had such a wonderful experience.

My wife, son, and I recently celebrated our 23rd anniversary at El Gaucho. The food and ambiance are great but it is their service that sets them apart. I can get a great steak at many other Seattle restaurants but El Gaucho blows them away with the service they provide. The servers are very friendly with out being stuffy. The treat us like family even though we only stop in a few times per year. The wine steward and general manager chatted with us a few times during our visit. Our server was top notch. We will return again soon.

I have been a faithful El Gaucho patron for many years and it is about time I tell the World (or people in the greater Seattle area) just what they are missing. If you have never spoiled yourself with a meal here you are truly missing out. Atmosphere is fabulous, think high end 1930's vibe, service could not be better and the food speaks for itself!

A friend was visiting from out of town and I gave her a list of restaurants to meet me at and she chose this one. I warned her it was pricey. I waited in the bar alone. The bartenders were extremely attentive and friendly. It looked like they had a good bar menu and the piano was playing in the background. I ordered a glass of Rombauer Chardonnay as a friend speaks highly of their wines. It was $25 per glass. Really tart... not a fan, but I drank it and didn't say anything. My friend finally arrived and we were taken to our table and had lots to catch up about. The waitress was very friendly and asked us to put a menu on the corner of our table when we were ready, so we just chatted and nibbled on garlic bread. My friend ordered a 9 ounce glass of wine and it was like a half bottle! My friend started looking at the menu and was floored by the prices. I felt really bad. She loved the atmosphere though! I encouraged her to order the Copper River Salmon but then we found out it was $72. She was expensing her dinner so that was a no go. She decided on the Cream of Asparagus Soup and the Crab Cakes. She really enjoyed both. I wasn't that hungry either so I had clam chowder, which was delicious, and the Apple Salad off the vegetarian menu. Really really delicious but a huge portion. Sadly, my friend didn't want dessert. I'm going to have to come back because I'm craving the bananas Fosters like mad now! We were not offered the fruit and nut tray for dessert. So I missed my true El Gaucho experience. But that's ok, it was still really nice, beautiful atmosphere and the service was exemplary, as usual. The waitress had a great attitude despite the low check amount. And I was enthusiastically escorted to the ladies room by a waiter which is always fun. He said it's the best part of his job. Lol. Great staff. Couldn't ask for better customer service. I only weird part was the manager stopped by to check on us. And that's nice, most places do that. But he asked us what the occasion was and I said my friend was in from out of town. Then he asked how we knew each other and I said through work. He asked if we worked together and I said no, we met through industry events. Then he asked further questions about our relationship and I had to explain that my friend was very important in our industry and she sits on a board with my boyfriend. I mean, okay, he's being friendly I'm ok with that, but my friend felt it was awkward and intrusive. Regardless, trying to figure out when I can go back!!! Love this place!

Very disappointed. Service was terrible towards end of visit here, it took about 20 minutes just get dessert. We ordered lobster & steak, and a few appetizers. All were very small portions for the price that we paid for them. On top of that it's super dark in the restaurant and the flashlight i was given was broken. Also, they added a 40$ gratuity tip that we were not informed about.

We were staying at In at El gaucho & went to the Restaurant on the Sunday night when the Happy hours takes place. The food, the service, absolutely everything was sensational. It was like entering a time warp taking you back to a Speakeasy from the 1940's & the singer, Josephina, was brilliant, singing all the old Jazz classics. Loved everything about it !!

Was recommended by the concierge at the Marriott. Was extremely disappointed with the food as well as the service. There are 3 items to a successful restaurant, food, service and atmosphere. Well they have the atmosphere down. The food and service, not so good. We had to send steaks back due to being overlooked and sauces and sides were not delivered until the steaks were almost gone. The waiter, Manuel R did not seem to be bothered that we were not getting the experience expected with this type of restaurant. He had the audacity to inform us that 20% gratuity was already included and pointed out where we could add more. I guess he was more concerned with his tip vs our experience. Never again!

We had dinner there 7/28/18. Location close to the piers, part of a group owned restaurant. Very dark inside, table lamps. We were given penlights to read the menu. Excellent bar, full cocktails, wine list I was told, awesome. Wash. State wines very good. My small fillet oscar style was perfectly med. rare, butter knife tender. Wife had scallops, shrimp, linguine. Sides were large and awesome. Group of 15. Service handeled seamlessly. Overall great.

Went here with family on vacation. Son’s steak was overcooked. He sent it back and they brought another one out that was raw. We brought it home and cooked it the next day. For $85 you would hope to get a steak that’s cooked the right way. Very disappointing.

The filet and the lobster tails were tender, tasty, and cooked perfectly. Service was excellent and attentive and cocktails were mixed perfectly. Prices are high, but this is a 5-star experience. I will return the next time I am in Seattle.

The atmosphere in El Gaucho is different, it is very dark to the point where they dispense flashlights to read the menu and it feels like you're in an old movie theater. The service is friendly and prompt without being too pushy. The steak was cooked to perfection and the sides were delicious. We were going to get a dessert however they bring you a complimentary fruit and nut tray to finish the meal. Make reservation and be sure to dress formally.

Great service, great filet, the steak tartar was just ok. Sort of bland. The escargot was fine. The béarnaise was AMAZING! There is a service charge which is not called for when it’s a small group of 3 people! Very expensive.

I have wanted to try this place for a long time and restaurant week seems to be the only time we can really do it. Reservations were easy, they even called to confirm that day and I was able to add my daughter who is vegan because they had vegan options, at least that night they did. We were seated quickly and our server Dominic was very nice. The place is very dark but they do provide little lights so you can see the menu. For restaurant week, you get one starter, one main and one dessert. My husband and daughter started with a a glass of wine (6.00)...great deal, I ordered a gaucho highball (13.00). I could not drink it so I asked him to take it off the bill and he did. My husband ordered the mixed green salad, my daughter the beet salad and me, the insane truffle soup (each item was 5.00). The salad smelled delightful...it was making me jealous..you could tell it was super fresh. The soup was good but I have had way better and I would have liked way more mushrooms. My daughter ordered the couscous for her meal (23.00), My husband and I ordered the fillet mignon medallions with bearnaise sauce with mixed mushrooms, (23.00 each). The meat was very tender, bearnaise seemed a bit sour to me and well, there were not many mushrooms. I had also ordered mashed potatoes for the sauce (5.00) and I am glad I did. Desserts were $5.00 each, my daughter had the seasonal sorbet, my husband the Bailey's bread pudding with ice cream and I ordered the chocolate ganache with salted caramel ice cream..it was one of the best desserts I have ever had, and I am picky about my chocolate, it was like the inside of a truffel...delicious with salted caramel ice cream. Delicious. I could eat that again....and again. Coursed came very quickly, in fact to the point i felt a bit rushed although we sat there for a while eating our dessert but we were done within an hour. Tip is included in the bill.

We go to steakhouses regularly in our home town and a lot when we travel, and while parts of the experience were great more were disappointing. The service was excellent and we had a lovely table in the centre ring. I was surprised that the decor in the room was so uneventful and are the complete opposite to the uniforms of the staff and prices they charge . It was dark. So dark that they actually give each guest a mini flashlight to read the menu and to see their food. I found that to be one of the major flaws and even our waiter commented that he found it frustrating. My king crab leg was almost impossible to eat. I was trying to hold the flashlight to see where the meat was while using the fork and holding it steady. I gave up half way through. For the price (which is high) the food doesn't compare to other top steak houses we've dined at. The extras are nice though.... decent garlic bread to start (nothing's like Hy's cheese bread though), lovely cheese/fruit/nut platter to finish. During our meal we were told they had a complimentary shuttle back to our hotel so we took that and enjoyed the cookies provided for the ride. Good wifi for the kids is always a plus. They did charge us for the wrong bottle of wine which luckily my husband caught or that would have been a few extra hundred dollars. They also charge a mandatory 20% tip and then add a line for you to tip even more. I found that a little presumptuous and greedy. At the end of the day we're glad to have experience it but would never make a point to go back.

This place is so over-the-top. The lighting is so dim and the music is so loud that you’re losing two of your senses right away. And upfront you should know that your auto charged a 20% tip- and then your bill has a second area for you to add additional tip. If you can get over the dim lighting and the loud noise, you’ll be impressed at the decoration of the restaurant. It is positively high end. The piano player does an excellent job and plays a variety of music. Waiters are dressed very formally and so are most patrons. Service was exquisite. The waiter seem to flash by quickly and remove plates or add items almost as a slight of hand. The truffle soup was very good in the mushrooms were extremely delectable. The salmon was cooked to perfection and I enjoyed the mashed potatoes that I ordered along with it. The chocolate dessert was to die for. The dessert was actually the highlight of the evening. Cocktails are also wonderful. If you have hey special night that you’d like to celebrate, but not talk to each other very much (because you can’t hear) - then this is the perfect place. Be forewarned some of the entrees are $75. Not a good choice for conversations or older people ( due to dim lighting and noise).

large ballroom, dark lit booths, piano player next to the bar, classic cocktails, top choice steaks, try the baseball steak. Service is sophisticated and unobtrusive. View the paintings of past clientele and Seattle socialites on the walls. Pictures of a better time.

Wonderful atmosphere! Beautiful birthday dinner with great good and service! Definitely recommend! It does not disappoint!

The reviews I read before booking our stay at the Inn lead me to believe that this was a great place to stay and a wonderful place to dine and in both respects we were not in anyway disappointed. The restaurant does have a vibrant feel about it. The open view of the kitchen, the busy staff weaving their way around the tables efficiently serving food and drinks and all done with that personal touch that makes you feel number 1 during your visit. All this with live entertainment and steak that melts in your mouth. Great place wonderful staff and fantastic food. If you live in Seattle I envy your access to this place and if like us you are visiting then do give this a try I am certain you will not be disappointed

The beautiful restaurant is a hidden gem (found in Trip Advisor) from the moment you walk into this venue you are so overwhelmed by the ambiance and service. The food (steak and oysters) were incredible service was outstanding and definitely go to place I. Seattle for the best steaks.

My wife, adolescent son, and I went twice during our trip (we are from Florida). Wife and I went again, alone. What a special place. All the staff worked hard on each trip there to make us feel welcomed. We had the same server on visit 1 and 3 (Shae). On visit 2 our server knew everything about us from the night before and used that information to make us feel mire welcomed. This is the kind of hospitality that is worth traveling for. Obviously the steaks were perfectly cooked each time. Collectively, we had the chateaubriand, NY strip, filet, and baseball cut sirloin. Also the lobster, grilled shrimp, all the sides, crab cakes, escargot, and even the sauces. I have to confess, I like looking for mistakes/flaws. I couldn’t find a single one. Wine list snd Somm: Like every great somm, he was attentive and I could not detect any judgement if I asked a dumb question. The wine list has something for everyone but I highly recommend you use this list/somm to try Washington wines if you’re new to them. What an absolute pleasure. I would happily empty my pockets for any one of their meals let alone for the ambience they provide.

This place is amazing. You would never know from the outside just how great the inside is and the food was outstanding. Large bar area to relax prior to your meal The steak was perfect and the food preparation was outstanding. Close to everything in Belltown. This really is a must restaurant for you

Nothing bad to say about this place! Host was super friendly and took our coats. I believe our servers name was Sierra. She seemed like she had worked there for ten years but only had been there a month! She was so fun and knowledgeable. We had the tableside spinach salad and beef tartare. SO GOOD! We both had steaks. Sides were baked potatoes, mac n cheese, Brussel sprouts, and I think mushrooms. Was a week ago so I kinda forgot but I do remember was all good af! Oh and bread service was nice also. There was even some entertainment. Some guy got thrown out for acting a little crazy lol.

We stopped by El Gaucho downtown Seattle before we hit the theater and had an amazing evening! We sat by the beautifully decorated Christmas tree and piano player! Service was great (thanks Angela) and our food was incredible. Some of our orders included the Wicked Shrimp, Truffle Soup, Steak Sandwich, Poke, Rio Burger, and the tableside Caesar Salad was special. Everything was delicious! The atmosphere was lovely and it set the tone for a wonderful evening in the city!! Thanks. We'll be back!

Very entertaining and enjoyable!!! Start with atmosphere...you enter into a dark but lite up in right places room. Has seating at a good size bar and a few tables. Dining room has plenty of booths and tables that hold 2-8 people. There is also a pianist for great atmosphere. Now the food. If you are visiting like I was, the steaks are their specialty but getting items they offer table side is highly recommend. To start the steak tartar. Then a table side salad. Caesar was great but they also have others. The fun part was the sword steak and chateaubriand. They do both table side and the sword steak is cool because they light that on fire right at the table. Also the ribeye 2 of the folks had was outstanding! We closed with the best item of them all, bananas foster cooked table side also. Nice to see folks still making it. The show is really what it is all about but actually the food was outstanding also! Absolutely recommend this place for the food, atmosphere and the service. Casual dress okay also.

One of the most interesting restaurants I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. Very plain exterior opened into a loud bustling dining area. Service was exceptional. Atmosphere a little dark---hostess passes out small flashlights to read menus and people were using their cell phone lights---and louder than I expected but food was out of this world. Very expensive for small town guy like me but definitely one of the best dining experiences I've ever had.

Since we found this new location, it is my favorite place to go in Seattle. We have about a two hour trek to this restaurant, but we decided to go since it was her anniversary. We always sit at the bar because we can’t eat that much food. We went during happy hour. Food and drinks and service are phenomenal and we will continue to go back to this restaurant. I have NOTHING negative to say. They even wrote out a card for us which I kept.

Very cozy, sophisticated atmosphere. Great place to go for a special occasion. Steaks are overpriced though.

First, let me say this. El Gaucho service, setting inside the facility, valet service, phone interaction are 5 star. Could not be better. So, what makes it average? Simply put: the food does not match the price. We had filet with a small lobster tail portion. Very good, but my wifes filet at the Keg the night before was identical for half the price. I had the prawns and scallops (3 each). Very well done but the simple oil/ water the pasta was served in was tasteless. Their bread served with meal was fantastic. Again, service is impeccable, but for $240, I would prefer the Met and save a few dollars. Worth going once, or if you are in the $300,000 plus club, but otherwise, we have to pass.

A steak with mushrooms took 30min to arrive at the table and came with ONE crimini mushroom. I called the manager to share my experience and he just nodded and acted like he didn’t care. Never coming back.

We visited on a Monday evening and were quickly seated in an elevated area overlooking the dimly lit restaurant. We ordered a nice Pinot Noir from Oregon and had some fantastic crab cakes as an appetizer. The tableside preparation of the Caesar salad was well done, but the end result was disappointing. The lemon overwhelmed all the other ingredients! Our main course was Chateaubriand for two and it was presented tableside with much pomp and flair. Again we were disappointed in the seasoning and sauce....very bland. For dessert we had bananas foster prepared at tableside. It was just good, but not the best I have ever had. Our total bill for two was $465, and the best thing we had was the appetizer. The atmosphere was very romantic, the service superb, but the food, for the price was a huge let down.

First, let me say the steak was excellent. Beautifully cooked. But the other food, was not so great. Caesar Salad was +++++ Garlic, house salad dressing tasted very, very sweet. Potatoes au gratin were undercooked and not very tasty. This is not a hard dish to get right. Service was good, but inconsistent. More than once we had to look for our server. Live singer was quite good. My garlic salad was exchanged for the house salad, but there was no price adjustment... so that means $15 for a large green salad with super sweet dressing and some apple slices. "Table side" salad preparation was not done anywhere near our table. The 20% extra for service ( but not given to the staff ) really confused me... is this just a way of raising the prices? We ate there with a $100 gift certificate and ended up spending about another $100-- this seems OUTRAGEOUS for 1 glass of red wine, 1 caesar salad for two, one shared dish of potatoes, and one SHARED 14 ounce steak! We have eaten for far less in Paris in a more elegant atmosphere with consistently good food. And at several places in Seattle. We expected a very elegant and excellent restaurant, and did not find it to be so. Nearby tables had mostly tourists wearing shorts and T shirts, although a few people were dressed up. It did not feel special, or up to the price. Even $15 for parking-- seems too high. Maybe it used to be an elegant and excellent place-- I did see an award on the wall from 2008-- but I certainly would never return today.

El Gaucho is the best steak house in Seattle. The atmosphere is fancy and relaxing, which I never thought possible. There isn’t a dress code, the staff is very nice, and the waiters dress in tuxedos. The live piano player is amazing and helps set the mood! The roasted corn is a must have side dish. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of the steak options!

Our server, Mark, was outstanding, above and beyond customer service. This was our first time in El Gaucho Seattle however it will be a regular stop going forward thanks to Mark. I cannot say enough about our dining experience. Many thanks to all.

We really love this El Gaucho restaurant. So much better then the old dark place. Love going here for happy hour. We live about 2 hours away so we do make a special trek here. Let me just say the service here is perfection. Everyone is just amazing. We had Jackie and Shea as our server and bartender. Unfortunately they do not have my favorite drink anymore, the Cracker Jack so I had to try some new ones. I started with the Lunar cassis twist. I really liked this cocktail, followed by the Fiesta Rosata, not fond of this one, wouldn’t order again, tart with minimal flavor. My husband had a manhattan and then had some gin martinis. As far as food goes, we try to try different items when we come but we will always have the wagyu poutine. It is easily the best thing on the happy hour menu, we even mentioned it to the couple behind us who ended up loving it. Oh man, i wish I had that gravy recipe. I could honestly drink it out of a glass. We were torn between the steak sandwich and the squid ink dumplings. We ended up ordering the dumplings but we would not order them again, nothing special but the sauce was good. I wouldn’t miss them if they were not on the menu, neither would my husband. We also got a side order of corn which was good. Next time, it’s the steak sandwich and of course the wagyu poutine. Ending our meal I always want the key lime pie, always delicious. We always have a great time here. We will be back but since we live so far away we don’t come all that often.

Staying in hotel and the El Gaucho restaurant was highly recommended. It was restaurant week in Seattle and it was broke solid, but we were able to get an early booking- what a treat! Attentive, friendly staff, great food from appetizer to dessert.

We stayed at the El Goucho hotel up stair so just walked down stair for dinner.....Food and service we outstanding

We came here for restaurant week. But sad to say I won't be returning. We ordered 3 fillet mignon, all medium rare. All 3 orders were overcooked. One piece was under seasoned. Two were half under seasoned and half over seasoned. The soup and dessert were quite nice. But as a steakhouse, there is no excuse for failing in steak. The ambience was lovely, i enjoyed the live piano music. However, the foods will not bring me back.

Food excellent...service good...ambience zero...value poor...customer service terrible. We were entertaining our banker who had flown in from Nevada. Dinner reservations had been made well in advance, and we arrived at the appointed time. Having dined a number of times at the original El Gaucho many years ago, we were initially impressed by the large, open restaurant and bar area which was the "new" El Gaucho Seattle. We were still anticipating an exceptional dining experience until we were ushered to our table in a space around the corner and behind the bar. We were stuck in a back room with some windows facing upon the street. It was a small rectangular space which probably had about ten tables. Several other parties were already dining, but we were thankfully seated next to one of the windows with a delightful view of the street and some minor construction...certainly not our idea of "a world of shimmering candlelight." Even though the ceiling in this back room was very low versus the cavernous feeling in the main restaurant, the noise level was great for conversation (an unexpected plus) until they turned up the piped in music. Once we overcame the initial shock of the evening, we enjoyed our cocktails, wine, salads and entrees. The food was excellent...Rack of Lamb savory and tender, steaks as advertised. The automatic 20% service charge which this establishment opts to impose was not a surprise. However, unlike some more responsible Seattle restaurants, the El Gaucho Seattle still included a gratuity line on the bill. We traditionally would leave 20-30% as a tip, but their automatic service charge policy made it easy and cost effective to add nothing. Although we were inclined to have our after dinner drinks elsewhere, we decided to "experience" some of the ambience we had missed during our meal and continued our evening at their imposing and impressive bar. However, we also had the misfortune of hearing one of the bartenders explaining to some customers about the extra 20% charge on their bar bill. He told them that the 20% was required by law...NOT TRUE! The additional automatic 20% was by choice of the El Gaucho, just as leaving or not leaving an extra "tip" now was our choice and no longer dictated by social mores and pressures. As for another example of their customer service, when we commented about not having been seated in the restaurant for dinner, they simply offered the customary, obligatory apologies and seemingly could have cared less. Perhaps future patrons could care less as well, avoid their exhorbitant prices and just not frequent.

Where do I begin? My mom and I came here to celebrate my birthday and from the moment we walked in we felt like VIPs. Christina was our waitress and she is amazing. When we sat down at our table there were pink rose petals on the table and a handwritten card from El Gaucho management wishing me a happy birthday. My mom and I ordered cocktails before dinner. They were both wonderful. For dinner we ordered a glass of wine after a few moments Christina came by and apologized profusely because they were out of the wine we chose but she already had a couple suggestions ready to go. We ordered the chateaubriand and let me just tell you it was worth the money. I am salivating just thinking about it. The carved it table side which was a nice touch. Even though Christina was very busy she made a point to make each table feel like they were the only ones in the restaurant. The ambiance is really awesome. You feel like you are in a speakeasy and that frank Sinatra might come out and start singing at any time. I will definitely be back here for more celebrations. Thank you Christina for helping make my birthday dinner really really special. Going here you definitely get what you pay for!!! Must go in Seattle

We ate in the bar one night and stopped in for late-night dessert another night, and the food, cocktails, and service were wonderful.

Our daughter gifted us with dinner at this iconic steakhouse. We were leery of it being "too upscale" but it was wonderful Typical Seattle dress range - everything from classic blue jeans and shirts to "dressed-up". The atmosphere was classic under-scaled elegance. We ordered the Warm Spinach Salad for a starter and split it. The server prepared it right at our table. Absolutely wonderful. For the meal, we ordered the Chateaubriand dinner for two. It was a 20 ounce tenderloin perfectly prepared and served with two potatoes (baked to perfection), steamed asparagus, broiled Parmesan tomato slice and garlic cheese bread, lots! Well worth the price. At the end of our meal, we were served a fantastic Charcuterie type-platter with Anjou pear, red apple, purple grapes, blue cheese, nuts. Our server, 'Mauck" ? was probably the finest waitperson we've ever experienced. Thanks to El Gaucho for an unforgettable meal.

The atmosphere includes a pianist and is tasteful. Very good selection on the menu and the staff were eager to be sure I had my meal prepared to my taste. This is a great place for a date or family dinner. I will be a repeat guest.

This better be a good value. Sick of paying premium prices for substandard food. Had that experience in Seattle a few days ago and the price was the most premium I've ever paid. I don't mind shelling out $100 for a fine meal but it'd better be worth it. I'll let you know.

It was my first visit to Seattle and my niece couldn't have picked a nicer place. The food was excellent and the service was outstanding. We (3 people) had pork belly, scallops for an appetizer. Dinner, ala carte was corn asparagus and lobster mash potatoes (heavenly). The filet mignon was cooked just right and could be cut with a fork. I highly recommend this restaurant. CONS: very dark, we had to use the flash light on our cell phone to read the menus

This is our favorite date night out (very romantic, darkly lit room, sexy NY style supper club (without the actual band). it's our "go to" night out (for the last 25 years). Last night, the service was so slow (seems that do not have enough waiters) and the waiter seemed too busy to care (really unusual for this place - because they mastered great service without lingering at the table too long). At the end of the meal, the waiter said "I've had a hard week..." and gave us the check. We planned to tip 20% regardless but noticed on the bill.... "20% service charge. added. Retained by El Goucho" So is this a strong suggestion to tip another 20% on top of that? It begs the question, "is the service bad because the waiters earn the same regardless of how they perform?" We were flummoxed - as we pride ourselves on being big tippers. I'm fine spending $300 for dinner (1 glass of wine) but it's awkward at the end of the night -- trying to decide if I want to pay yet another $60 for a not-great experience. Too much stress... Let's go home.

This restaurant is the best, upscale restaurant in the city of Seattle. All aspects of what one seeks from a restaurant at more than exceeded at El Gaucho. This includes the ambiance, service, atmosphere, menu, wine selection, mixologist list and most importantly the food. Simply wow. And, I say this as someone who travels the world, extensively, and this is easily one of my favorite restaurants ever. From the moment you arrive at Valet, then you walk into this absolutely amazingly lighted atmosphere, you will be more than impressed. If you're in Seattle, there's no place other than El Gaucho to add to your must visit restaurant list. Congratulations to the staff and a special thank you to server Carter. Well done!

I loved this place the moment we walked in. It reminded me of the nightclubs you see in1940's movies, or of the Copa where Ricky Ricardo performed. We were in a private dining room, where our service was superb and our dinners were excellent. When I wandered out into the main dining room to find the ladies' room, a waiter or captain gave me his arm and escorted me to the door, asking me how my dinner was. I would definitely go back and sit in the main dining room to get the full ambiance of the place.

After our appetizers and maybe the best drink we have ever had, my wife said, "This is our new, favorite restaurant." Things only got better after that - from the wonderful salad to the main course - it only got better.

We had an amazing time at El Gaucho while visiting Seattle for our honeymoon. When I booked our reservation they asked if were celebrating a special occasion and I said yes our honeymoon. When we arrived for our reservation they had a cozy table set up for us with a great view of the restaurant and they had even placed rose pedals on top of the table. They gave us complimentary glasses of champagne and really made the evening feel extra special. Besides the excellent staff, the food was of course beyond wonderful! We both agreed it was possibly the best steaks we had ever had! The entire evening was quite a treat!

We stayed for one night in the hotel and had wonderful service. They suggested going to the restaurant bar area for a bite to eat. We were more than pleasantly surprised by the size of the restaurant, a wonderful jazz group and even more surprised by the high quality of the steak sandwich. In fact this was as big as a proper steak dinner and the price was low. Prices in the main restaurant appeared to be on the high side but the quality of the food is superb.

It was my wife's birthday. We had an early dinner, starting with Escargot, then the Filet Meddalions. Food was excellent, and the service was great.

SO the "Ambiance is so dark you need a cheap crappy penlight to read your menu. "sorry that's ridiculous, no ambiance, or romantic"! it Ambiance apparently increases the price of the food. I ordered a steak and my wife ordered the lobster. it came with no sides each was around 50-80 dollars. the steak everyone raves about was good but nothing even close to what people rave about! honestly it was no better than any chain steak house just way more expensive. they do not age their meat, as far as I could tell, at least not long enough to make it more tender. It was good but average and overseasoned to counter its normalcy. the lobster came out and it's just a small tail, I would say a barley legal to take out of the water size. "where the hell does Seattle put the rest of the lobster? this seems to be a recurring thing there! seriously! again a simple small tail only lobster dish that was ok. plain with butter, not even boiled in seasoned water. she was still hungry and ordered a side that was 18 dollars for a 3 dollar side. During my Many travels to Seattle, there seems to be a constant drive of businesses to be Posh and upscale but almost every place I went to was just ok with a hefty price tag. for this reason, it appeals to women thinking it is a romantic high-end place but you're just paying high prices for average. But hey, If your date isn't that good a looker, at least you will barely be able to see them.

The happy hour at El Gaucho in downtown Seattle was absolutely perfect. The bartender was friendly, attentive, and super efficient. He really made the experience so good. The food and drinks were top notch and the regulars at the bar was so friendly.

We read reviews before travelling and stayed at the hotel so we wanted to try the restaurant. We were so glad we did. The food and service is exceptional. The table side service is excellent and every detail of the preparation is explained to you. It is quite expensive but it was worth every penny. We had the chateaubriand and it was absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection. Also the atmosphere there is lovely. After dinner we sat at the bar and had cocktails whilst the pianist was playing.

El Gaucho is a huge restaurant that looks like a tv stage set--its a large space without interior walls and dim lighting. If you thought you were going to eat Spanish food or Argentine cuisine, think again. This is "Continental" cuisine, with a focus on Niman beef. The steaks are quite good, but the starters leave something to be desired. My iceberg lettuce salad was almost rancid from sitting on the counter without a/c, the pancetta was skimpy and the blue cheese dressing was watery. Overall the salad, at least on that night, was bad. The wine selection is very good and the service was good. So, it was a pleasant dinner, but not fabulous.

My husband and I took the advice of our tour guide and made a reservation. After several days of struggling to eat in Seattle due to the fancy menus, I figured we couldn't go wrong at a steakhouse. Immediately upon arriving, I thought it was very cool. The restaurant was very dark and we noticed servers serving food from a flaming sword, so that seemed interesting to say the least. We were brought to our table after a small wait such was no big deal because the hostess was making conversation and was very nice. Our server was super nice and helpful. My husband ordered the shrimp which he said was delicious. We both order steak and for sides, we chose mac and cheese and the sweet corn at the server's suggestion. Everything was delicious! I wanted to finish everything but couldn't. The corn was probably my favorite though it's hard to decide. The steak was done perfectly and it was delicious. Our cocktails were also very good! After dinner and watching some more flaming swords, a basket arrived with fruit, nuts and some cheese which was really different. We enjoyed that and then took the server's recommendation to try the bread pudding because I hate bananas foster. It was also delicious. Everything was delicious and I would definitely recommend. Prices aren't cheap but worth the spent. Will definitely return when in Seattle again

The food is very good, but the various presentations make your dinner an event. We have had Steak Tartare before, here it is Sirloin Tartare and it is prepared tableside. Watching the Caesar Salad made from scratch at your table just seems to make it taste better and the Flaming Sword Brochette of Tenderloin is quite a show. The oysters were very good, the Copper River Salmon was well prepared, the Steak El Gaucho was wonderful and the Bailey's Bread Pudding was the ideal way to end a dinner. This place just has a great buzz. Check out my photos for more details.

We were booked into the Inn at El Gaucho for one night and decided to go to the restaurant on the first level for a quick bite to eat. It is a very unassuming place from the outside but once you walk thru the curtain and open the black leather doors it's like stepping back in time. You could envision Frankie Sinatra or Cary Grant sitting at the bar while listening to the piano player at the baby grand in the background. We were eating early so we sat in the bar and ordered off of the happy hour menu but it was nothing like regular "bar food"....the options were fantastic. Our waiter, Dominic, and James, the general manager could not have provided any better service or attention. As we left I told the hostess, Pam, that I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay and just soak up the atmosphere. We have eaten at many really good restaurants and enjoyed ourselves and the food but El Gaucho took it to a whole new level.

i have always had exceptional food and dining experience. I am a member of the Revelers club and complained - never heard back. We were first to be seated and last to leave, ignored, all of the appetizers were over cooked and lacked texture and flavor. From poor service to lack luster food and wine i felt like i wasted my $$$$. Having second thoughts of dining. Love staying at the inn but not sure i would eat again.

El Gaucho exceeded expectations in each way; the food, service, and ambiance were all fantastic. We were visiting on a business trip and had a great time, will definitely return if I am back in Seattle. Shoutout to Jaqi for awesome service as well!

Cosy steakhouse with many tables in a dark atmosphere accompanied by piano music by Martin Ross, very nice. We ordered two different glasses of red wine, one good, the other less, the Chateaubriand for 2 people, one baked potato each, one cheese-baked tomato and asparagus are included as a side dish, as is Cliff Sauce. The preheated plates are unfortunately already 10 minutes before the steak is served at our side table and are therefore logically no longer hot. Due to the unnecessary show of smearing butter into the baked potato and the slow slicing of the steak, it was already cold when serving, so the cold plates were just not helpful, the Cliff Sauce is also cold by the way. You can expect much more with a bill of 300USD. Even the waitress with her put-on friendliness did not deserve the already included 45USD, but one expects more professionalism, let's face it. Average steakhouse, one of the worse of our USA trips, if we had paid half, it would still be fine, but I can do this steak at least as well at home.

We haven't been here for a while but recently came for a birthday party dinner. It was wonderful. The service was very friendly and helpful; we were taken care of very well. The food was excellent, especially the lamb. El Gaucho remains a first class restaurant for a special night out.

Had absolutely great steaks Very engaging sommeliers They have table side options for everything - salad, steak, desserts, sides They comped a $74 steak for their error Friendly, music, and coat check ————————- Very close tables Once seated- didn’t have someone talk to us again for 8-10 minutes $30 corkage

We were graciously welcomed with a heart felt Happy Anniversary & shown to a nice "corner" table away from traffic. Our server, Stephanie, also very warmly welcomed us to our table. The table was covered with (real) rose petals to mark the occasion & there was a Happy Anniversary card signed by all the staff ... nice touches. We started with the Escargot as it has been ages since we had them; very delicious (note: LOADED with garlic so you better both share the dish!). We then moved on to the Caesar Salad that's prepared table side with a running commentary explaining each step in the preparation. Simply delicious -- probably the best Caesar I've had anywhere (sorry, we didn't catch our Captain's name who prepared -- he was great!). For our entrees my wife had the (small - 8 oz) filet & I had the 12oz Baseball Cut Sirloin. We both opted for the Oscar style. In both cases, the dungeness crab was delicious & obviously fresh but we both felt they skimped on the bearnaise sauce. As for the steaks, my wife's filet was excellent & prepared just like she likes (almost raw). My baseball cut sirloin was ok but I wish I had gone with the sirloin. We closed out our dinner with the Baileys Bread Pudding which was obviously pretty good as we finished it! Nice wine list with good choices at various price points.

El Gaucho continues to provide high quality food and excellent service. If you get a chance to visit the massive bar before dining the bartenders are very knowledgeable and mix a nice drink. They also have a large selection of Ports for after dinner.

I wanted to squeeze in a steak dinner before my Seattle vacation ended and decided to give El gaucho a try. Ordered their flaming sword brochette of tenderloin with Yukon gold mashed potatoes and they were pretty delish. It was also entertaining to watch a server cook the tenderloin in flaming fire right in front of my table - a pretty neat experience! During my dining, my server did not ask me for my name nor did she provided me with hers, which I thought was both surprising and underwhelming especially with my dinner check being in 3-digits (before taxes) and it is not something that happens often when dining at a nice steakhouse such as el gaucho. She and her colleagues were quite attentive throughout my dining which I appreciated. Their blood orange old fashioned was pretty tasty except the bartender did not give the "extra loving pour" of bourbon you would expect from a steakhouse. I thought I would have a better experience than Capital grille and will most likely go there next time I am in Seattle.

Visited El Gaucho last night (8th of Sept) with my wife whilst we were on a weekend break to Seattle. Can not fault a thing! Yes it’s dark, but not so that you can’t see your food and the lighting helps with the number of dishes that are flambéd throughout the restaurant - a great visual treat. I had the Wicked Shrimp to start followed by the Steak Trio. My Wife had the Fillet Mignon. The shrimp were well cooked, flavoursome with just the right amount of kick to the sauce that the prawns weren’t lost. The highlight was, as you can imagine, the steaks. We like ours cooked rare and all were cooked to perfection. My wife commented that it is the best steak she has ever had (and we’ve had a few). The steak trio was a great way to sample some of the different cuts and flavours the restaurant has to offer. After sharing the starter and our steaks I’m afraid we were to full to try desserts. Amazing selection of wine and the Argentinian Malbec was a great pairing with the steak. Another highlight was our server, Amberlie. She was knowledgeable about the food, attentive without ever being invasive with a warm friendly personality. She helped make our visit special and is a real asset to the restaurant. If we are back in Seattle we would definitely come back to El Gaucho

Bustling Saturday night with piano playing to a full house, this venue had a great atmosphere. The staff were friendly and attentive. The steaks were excellent, perfectly seasoned. Side portions were crazy large and all very tasty. But you look around and think, yup this building is truly ghastly, a bland ugly concrete block. However with some clever mood lighting it somehow works. The trick seems to be to keep it so gloomy you can’t see that you’re in a bunker. They actually have to give you a torch to read the menu! It’s hilarious. Anyway the food and vibe are great and that’s what matters. Very expensive which would have smarted had our evening been anything less than excellent.

I needed to treat myself and so I decided to go all out. Steak, lobster tail, a bottle of wine, oyster.... All the good stuff. The lobster tail, I'll say right off the bat, was amazing - though the drawn butter was way oversalted - which brings me to the crux. I ordered two half orders of sides: spinach (way too much pepper) and scalloped potatoes (inedibly salty. They cover it with cheese, which should provide all the salt needed, but add a ton of salt as well). The steak - I ordered medium rare - was seared but hadn't fully cooked thru when taken off the flame, so the center was just BARELY rare. While I appreciated the crunch of the crust (also salted beyond measure), the center did end up giving me a serious tummy ache (no more details). The wine list is impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed the wine.

I took my nephew and brother to El Gaucho to celebrate their birthdays on Saturday night. There was a Birthday card on the table for them. The food and service was outstanding. The server came to make sure our dinners were to our expectations. Since we were celebrating their birthdays, both of their desserts were comped by El Gaucho. I highly recommend El Gaucho as a great place to celebrate.

We were a party of 4 and had a fabulous evening. The server (Jimmy) was one of the best. His attention to detail was unmatched. The Caesar Salad was made at the table and was one of the best we have ever had. Yes, it had Anchovies but what a great and needed flavor without a seafood taste. Our entrees included the Chateaubriand and Leg of Lamb. Both were prepared perfectly and full of flavor. The table side Cherries Jubilee was a great show and perfect blend of sweet and tart. Other tables around us enjoyed the Brochettes that are a show when served. The dining room is cool, dark and very comfortable with raised table sections and comfortable seating. We plan on a revisit on our next trip to Seattle. Ask for Jimmy if you want exceptional service. All the folks were well trained and professional making the experience a must in Settle.

We were very thankful to receive a gift-certificate for the holidays and have an evening away from the kids. Right from entering you know you are stepping into an upscale place, but without an pretentious feelings that some establishments carry. The waitstaff was incredibly friendly and helped guide our choices to exactly what we wanted. My wife ordered the Rack of Lamb and I ordered the French Cut Ribeye. Delicious! I will emphatically say you are foolish if you do not order the Risotto as a side dish. Many of the sides were incredible, but as my wife said - "I would come pay top dollar just for water and this risotto!". Another tip - try the El Gaucho Select Whiskey from Maker's Mark. I recently started drinking whiskey more often and can say that this is as smooth as it comes with a great taste (Ive tried it for years and never found it enjoyable)

We walked into this bar to the sound of a pianist playing Stevie Wonder, took a seat at the bar and discovered it was happy hour. The room was dark with candlelight coming up from tables around the room creating the most wonderful ambience. We spent a very happy couple of hours sipping cocktails and wine and eating from the very reasonably priced bar food menu. Best bar we went to on a 3 week trip from San Francisco to Vancouver.

We love this new restaurant now that it has this new location. The restaurant is so much nicer. We walked in and were warmly greeted. We always sit in the bar. I was there to celebrate my birthday. Our waiter, I remember him from last time, he was just starting. He waited on us this time. Very nice young man (our kids age). We started out with 2 drinks, a manhattan for my husband and I think it was a rye breeze that I had. We ordered the steak tartare, hard to get in the US so when I see it on a menu I order it. Made tableside. Excellent. We then ordered the oysters for my husband and the scallops for me. Husband enjoyed the oysters and the scallops were the best scallops I have had in years. I couldn’t believe how good they were. Grilled on top of a wonderful sauce…not sliced in half laterally and served..at GR’s restaurant. I wish more had been on the plate. Next we had the wagu poutine. We get this every time we come in but tonight it was bad….way too much salt…way too much. Waiter told me next time to send it back. I am not sure what happened because every time we have had it, it has been perfect but not tonight. My husband had 2 glasses and I ordered another cocktail off the happy hour menu. Key lime pie for dessert. We get this dessert every time we are there. I love it. All in all it was really good except for that one thing. I certainly will go there again although it is about 2 hours away in total.

We were staying at the inn so decided to have a nice steak dinner downstairs. From the moment we walked in we were amazed. Decorated like a speakeasy in the 1940s you really get a sense of walking through time. The food is amazing. We had steaks which were delicious. The staff were very attentive and well informed with the different cuts of meat on the menu.

Lighting was a little dark, but could not fault the food, and the service a1 was a lovely place the staff were constantly help full, and attentive

Since we love The Big Picture, we decided to have dinner at the bar upstairs during Sunday Happy Hour. We were lucky enough to get a table in the bar, and of course our service was excellent. That and the ambiance are the best features of dinner here. After an excellent non-HH cocktail, I had the burger, ordered medium rare, no thousand island. It came - after a very long wait - medium. And they must rely on the 1000 island for flavor, because there wasn't much except for bacon, which topped it. Our server would have replaced it, but after that long wait I couldn't wait again for a new one. She did take it off the check. I ate the duckfat fries because I was hungry, but they weren't spectacular, just good fries. Hubby's Insane Truffle Soup was excellent mushroom soup, but no hint of truffle, and again, not insane. He liked his tenderloin diablo because it was tender, but the main taste was thyme, which I got bigtime in my 3 bites.(he kindly gave me extra bites since i wasn't eating all my burger) There was heat, but no flavor except for the thyme. It is a swanky atmosphere, and the service can't be beat, but the food just doesn't measure up.

Took my spies there for our wedding anniversary & it was the type of experience you hope for...even when things went of the rails, the recovery was instant and meaningful. We arrived a bit early, but were 20 minutes after the reservation time before we got to the table. Appropriate apologies were offered & starters & cheese plate were on the house. Best seats in the house were provided. Nice touch. Food was exceptional. French onion soup...piping hot, rich broth, well seasoned. My lamb was superb...the cook was spot on, the meat was tender, perfectly marbled & spiced. My wife had the grain feed beef...again exactly what you would want from a steak. Accompaniments, ala cart, were fresh, well cooked & seasoned. Nothing to fault on the service or the food. A flat 20% is added (common in Seattle)...th dis laurel is that this flows to the company to ensure proper pay, benefits & commission to the staff. Other restaurants indicate this is shared amongst the staff. Maybe a potatoe, potato type of thing, but I would like to know that my tip $ (call you what it like) goes to the server. In any case, it is an experience and I highly recommend it for a special occasion.

The atmosphere at El Gaucho was on point, the live music was romantic. The whole experience was personal from the valet to the way they make the flaming sword mixed grill brochette table side. We met Jeffrey right away he was exceptionally hospitable. I thought he was valet and he parked our car even though he wasn’t. The cherry on top was the Cherries Jubilee. Overall we all had a memorable visit.

It's been quite a while since we went to El Gauche resturant. But a gift card came our way so we jumped on this opportunity. I simply can say enough about our experience. The minute we walked into the dimly lit dining area in the magic starts. From reception to our server and her support staff are professional yet perfectly friendly. The rack of lamb was THE BEST EVER - not making this up - the best. My wife said the same about her roast chicken - and that's big for this "common" dish. This resturant is not to be missed. OK it's not inexpensive, maybe a bit above the norm but it's totally worth it.

Happened to be in the area so decided I would go here. I really love this place for multiple reasons. The staff is so nice, the food is very good and it brings back memories of Buenos Aires. I sat in the bar for happy hour. I don’t get here often because it is about 1.5 hours from home, probably more but under 2. Greeted by the staff in the bar who remember me. Talked and gave me all the menus. I picked a drink called Prickly in Pink. It was good but a bit spicy. I ordered the wagyu poutine…always yummy. Food and drink were served quickly. Music reminded me of my time in Buenos Aires…brought some tears to my eyes. I loved it there…what a great city. I am looking forward to going back gain. Not cheap, can only do once in a while. Service, food and drink are really good although I do find the staff exceptional.

The negative? It was really loud, with a live singer and instrumentalist; it was really difficult to hear the person with whom you were dining. And it was so dark (candlelit) that the staff hands out little flashlights so you can read the menu. The positive: The food was great, as was the service. The food came out hot (when it was supposed to be), cold (when it was supposed to be), and delicious.

I really love this restaurant, we have always sat at the bar and this time family joined us. We ordered some happy hour food and some from the regular menu.we ordered a house salad, wagu poutine (we order this every time), the diablo steak, a large mushroom risotto, a large brussel sprout and cheesecake for dessert. Four cocktails and one non alcoholic cocktail. Total 140.00 for 4 people, They do add service charge and tax onto that. I still love going there. I love this new location although I am sure most people would not say it is new anymore. Love the food and the staff. I LOVE the music they play as it always makes me think of my trip to Argentina.

Food was quite good. Server was outstanding. Nearly 360 view alone is a reason to visit. Spendy, but a wonderful dining experience.

I’ve been to the other El Gauchos (Tacoma & Portland) and this is the first time for Seattle. The menu is fairly standard among the 3 restaurant and as expected, the food was top notch ... tasty and well prepared. The ambiance is very similar, however, this particular restaurant seems to be a lot noisier than their Tacoma location ... and a little more so than Portland as well. The basic issue for me was the noise from the customers, the music overhead and then the piano playing, I found it very hard to carry on with a conversation without contributing to the noise by shouting across the table. I think if they simply reduced the volume of the overhead music, the noise from the crowd would have gone down as well. The staff was very friendly and the service was pretty good, but I still walked away not really impressed, especially since I’m use to the level of service I can get at the Tacoma & Portland restaurants. Tonight the flow of the service seemed disjointed and a bit confused. Now this could have been due to the fact we were seated in the piano bar area and not the main dinning area. Having said all that, I still enjoy my evening there. I sincerely hope when El Gaucho moves in June/July to their new location, they considered the noise issue and design the new restaurant layout to mitigate that issue.

I went to El Gaucho for a business dinner and was very impressed by the great service we received. Not many places do a table side caesar salad anymore so it is always special to have one prepared in front of you. We also ordered a table side bananas foster for dessert which was an amazing experience and delicious.

Worst service in Seattle , they don’t care about their customers. Definitely don’t recommend, stay away!

Besides their delicious food and amazing service, I love their dirty martinis. delicious!! Can never go wrong with food choices here. Love the wine list, of course!!

We went to this restaurant for my 80th birthday. Service and food were excellent and my wife had Chilean Sea Bass and I had peppercorn steak. Everything went fine until we got the bill. It is an expensive place but we knew that in advance. I was taken aback when a 20% automatic "tip" was added without our knowledge or prior authorization. They got the manager, Jeffrey, who said the surcharge was on the menu; we never saw that or we would have walked out. The guy said they pay the servers $1.00/hour and that we were supporting kitchen staff as well. They need to put a clear sign on the table so people are not fleeced. They had the nerve to leave an additional tip line! Jeffrey, the corporate manager, said all of their restaurants (6) add an automatic tip, and that this is the way things are changing in his industry. I told him he had a 5* review until he tried to finesse his way to keeping the rip off charge. He then was worried about a bad review which lowered the rating to 3* as you can see. If you don't mind being slickly ripped off by all means go to El Gaucho.

I can't rave enough about how perfect this night was at El Gauchos! The host, waiters and servers were absolutely perfect! Very professional, full of class and helpful the entire night. Their staff is really made the experience at this restaurant everything it should be for fine dining. As for the food, absolutely delicious! Some of the best food I've had in years! My husband had the lobster and I went with the Filet mignon, cooked perfectly! Melted in my mouth it was so tender! We had steak tartare as an appetizer, loved how they made it in front of us and shared every ingredient they put into it. I couldn't get over how amazing it tasted. They also put us where I feel was the best table in the place. Thank you for an amazing experience! I highly recommend this place and we plan on making it one of our "go to" places to eat frequently!

I am a restaurant owner and we took some of out top staff to El Gauchos for a bonus for all there hard work. The food was amazing and the table service was top notch. Very knowledgeable with their wines and incredibly helpful. This restaurant is a must visit for the foodie

Good: great steak/mashed potatoes with fantastic staff. Jessica was very friendly and attentive. Banana foster is simply amazing. Parking is easy since they have a valet parking, but easy walking from the convention center. Bad: none

My girls and I came to Seattle to celebrate my 60th birthday. My daughter-in-law did the research to select a restaurant for our special night-out-on-the-town dinner and selected El Gaucho. We arrived and the restaurant is a big open room, dark with mood lighting and packed! A huge bar on one end, the open kitchen along another wall, and jazz music playing. They seated us at the nicest table in the room - a corner booth across the room from the kitchen and the bar in an area raised from the main floor, so you could look out and see the entire room. They had spread rose petals on the table and a happy birthday note was waiting on our table! The waiter - Mok - and the wine steward were impeccable. We had a regional Dunham 2013 Cabernet that he selected for us after asking several questions about our preferences and what we were eating that was spot-on perfection. We each enjoyed a steak - I had the Frenched chop and the girls each had a filet. The filets were Melt-in-your-mouth spectacular and my chop was among the best I've had. We shared a couple of sides, and we all loved the scalloped potatoes. For dessert we shared a delicious key lime pie. Light and fluffy filling and whipped cream with lime zest folded in on top! It was so big that three people left half of it standing on the plate. A wonderful night and a wonderful experience!! They even had a complimentary shuttle that whisked us back to out hotel!

The food is quite over rated for the price they charge. The ambiance is great, as was the service, but the star of the show is the food which was just ok. To start the complimentary garlic toast could have come directly from the freezer section at the grocery store! Then the bone in rib-eye (@ $90) had a chew to it, a “good” steak at a high end steak joint should be tender. In addition, my relative ordered the same steak, his was 1/3 larger than mine. Finally, the sides we ordered ( mushrooms and scalloped potatoes) were just average. Choose a different place for your night out!

What a ripoff. Save your money and go to Ruth’s Chris. Way over priced for the quality of service and food.

My husband and I had a gift card to use here. We have been to El gaucho before, but never since they opened their new location. We walked in and were greeted by a friendly woman. We were a bit early so she asked us to wait before sitting in the bar. We looked around the restaurant. It is so much nicer than the old location. It is not pitch dark. The bar is beautiful. The restaurant is just very nice looking. When it was time to be seated, the servers were excellent and friendly. I had a drink, called the cracker Jack. It was one of the best drinks I ever had. We ordered the wagyu poutine. Oh my goodness I would order this every time I go. I also had a tequila drink and my husband had a couple of drinks and a glass of wine. We also shared some sticky ribs, a Korean dish, but it was a bit too spicy for me. The staff was excellent, happy hour was excellent. I will go back any time. In fact, I’ve been thinking about it ever since we left. I love the new place…plan on having our anniversary dinner there.

I went to El Gauchos with a friend to celebrate our birthdays together. What a wonderful choice for that. The food was delicious. And the service was even better. They were so attentive. It also is such a treat to have tablecloths and nice china and silverware. That is harder to find these days. Also, the parking was taken care of by an excellent valet service. When we paid our bill the waitress took our ticket. When we walked outside our car was already pulling up. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Steaks are fantastic here! So are the cocoktails. The ambience of the restaurant is also very inviting. Defintely will be on my list of return visits.

If you are in Seattle and like old school steak houses this IS your place. One of, if not the best meals the wife and I have ever had. The service by Charles was outstanding and the food was just unbelievable, what a night out. It's not cheap (nothing in Seattle is) but money well spent for a great night out.

I had a business dinner at El Gaucho with a party of four. (Very) dim lights, I found ridicolous to be provided with a small spotlight to be able to read the menu. It doesn't give the place a special flare, it's just dark and weird. Food is hugely overpriced, more than 70 dollars for a "well done" steak that was, in fact, charred, is a total joke. Brussel sprouts were almost charred too. We ordered one 60 dollars bottle of a local merlot wine, the waiter opened it and poured it. I found out that several small pieces of cork had fallen in the glass. Called the waiter to let him know about the issue, I thought he would swap the bottle with a new one, as one would expect from any "normal" restaurant (and especially taking into account the high prices here) and, to my astonishment, he came back with a colander and a new empty glass, trying to filter the wine to the new glass. It clearly failed, and I had to explicitly request to get a new bottle. Total nonsense and extremely poor service an customer, I've never seen anything like that anywhere in the world. Never again.

Excellent dinner and experience. Been coming here for years and this occasion was as good as always (if not even better!) than previous times! It was our 11th anniversary and when I walked in, I was greeted by name. Such a great experience. We had a wonderful table in the piano area. We ordered drinks, appetizers, salads, steaks and dessert. It was a wonderful dinner. Our server Paul was fantastic too. Super knowledgeable. And in honor of our anniversary, Stephanie, the general manager, comped our dessert and an appetizer. So thoughtful and generous. Can’t wait until our next dinner here.

We visited El Gaucho with our son and daughter-in-law for an anniversary celebration. We sat in the lounge side and enjoyed the jazz music of their wonderful pianist. Between the four of us we ordered a combination of sides and the flaming sword entree. Our server was masterful--just the right amount of care without being intrusive. We did notice that the attire varied from very casual to very dressy. I guess they have no requirements. I will definitely try to eat there again the next time I visit Seattle.

We splurged on steak last night. A splurge because I have been on an intense diet and exercise regimen to lower cholesterol and blood sugar. Enough already! Let me enjoy life for one evening. I analyzed and read about five steakhouses in Seattle: El Gaucho D’La Santa The Butcher’s Table Metropolitan Grill Buenos Aires Grill After comparing reviews, prices, and, I chose El Gaucho for “take out” in this horrific period of spiraling Covid rates. Hey, looking at the outside dining opportunities in Seattle: THOSE TABLES ARE TOO DAMN CLOSE PEOPLE! Our meal was fantastic at El Gaucho, now on Western Avenue on the fringe of Belltown and the Market. Our steaks were just the way we wanted. My NY Strip medium was charred “Pittsburgh Style,” a conflict in terms if not cities. Wedge salads were good, mashed potatoes sublime, and the Key Lime Pie delicious and huge. With a 20% tip, the price of our dinner was $251.00. That’s admittedly high, but with Seattle’s 10.1% tax, I felt our cost was well spent. It was a wonderful splurge.

The food and atmosphere was fantastic, myself and a few friends went out and we all ended up getting the specials. Everything was amazing and delicious. I would highly recommend an evening of dinner.

We had it in the private room. Food and service was great. The restaurant used to be the meeting hall for seaman.

The service is always what makes this restaurant a highlight. It is a classic high quality service experience combined with great foods. I will admit that a few things are not as good as they used to be. It is disappointing to see that so many people are coming in jeans and t-shirts now. For dessert, I was disappointed to see that the fruit and cheese plate still comes with fruit, but only a tiny tiny piece of cheese. Not the high end of meal experience I have seen in the past despite being a birthday dinner.

Nice atmosphere and excellent service. The steaks are good but expensive. Desserts are good. Parking is difficult if you don't use valet.

Girls weekend spent in Seattle. We knew it was restaurant week and picked el Gaucho since it was close to our hotel. Our server was amazing, he went above and beyond and wrote down for us other places to eat and see, since he knew we were in from out of town. Lots of reviews about it being dark, yep it was dimly lit, but it wasn’t awful, actually relaxing. Best. Steak. Ever.

OMG! I've eaten steak at other places, like Black Angus and The Keg so I thought I knew steak. I was wrong. El Gaucho is a fancy, high class, one of a kind steak house. I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and it was awesome! The service is impeccable, the table was clean and well prepared for us, and even had a birthday card for him and rose petals. We were seated near the piano bar which had someone playing that night. A very nice treat! I love the jazz club ambience. He ordered the Filet Mignon, I ordered the New York. They were cooked to order and very delicious! It's cool that the sides are shareable. After dinner, our server brought us a platter of nuts, fresh fruit, fig with cheese and crackers. It was fresh and tasty. Then we ordered creme brûlée for dessert. We were so stuffed, I'm surprised I didn't roll back to the car. I'm very impressed with El Gaucho. It is pricey but totally worth it! We'll be back again, next time for my birthday.

El Gaucho is one of my favorite restaurants. During Seattle's restaurant week, we try to go to a new place and a favorite. El Gaucho was a favorite. The food was very good (of course), but we were rushed. It was restaurant week and so you get 3-course meal for $33 a person. The place was packed, loud and we were out of there in an hour. This is not typical and we will never go here again for Restaurant Week. The dessert was not very good (bread pudding - served cold and hard). The have valet parking, so you don't have to pay for parking in the area - just the tip.

I was a little shocked when I walked in- the dinning room is very dark and has an older flair to it. We were here for business so we sat in their wine room. The service was excellent, very knowledgeable/friendly/helpful! The menu is pretty impressive. My steak was excellent but other members of my party were not that impressed with theirs.

Came here over the Thanksgiving Day weekend with my family. This is not our first time here, so we new what all the ambience was about. Live piano music, dim lighting, kinda a speak easy feeling. I really like the atmosphere. The food was good quality. Table side Caesar, good steak (a little over cooked, but that was my fault, should have gotten medium rare instead of medium!!!), & drinks were tasty. Only thing was my wife has allergies & there was some miscommunication that made her feel uncomfortable. Management straightened out, but our actual server just seemed flustered & anxious all night. Management was very nice & accommodating. We will return, but will prolly have management involved from the start.

Returned for my daughter's birthday and once again enjoyed sublime service from curb to to creme brulee. We visited during Seattle Restaurant Week but received no "less" service. Sara M our server was attentive and warm, our food was absolutely divine. I just can't rave enough. Plus, bonus: we spotted a visiting major league baseball team who came in for their post-game dinner. Kind of exciting! The one thing I wrestle with is opinion about the super dim lighting. The spot pens are helpful, and sure I definitely get better looking when the lights are low and the red wine flows haha; but it just seems too low to be practical. Oh well, small price to pay for a buttery filet mignon and delectable Bailey's bread pudding. Thank you for another wonderful experience. We'll be back!

Not inexpensive is not a particularly descriptive term; how about breaking the bank? Still, quality and service are worth the investment, as they were for our anniversary dinner. We were treated well by friendly and personable staff, and we enjoyed Steak Diane prepared tableside. We're going to save up for another visit!

Great service, celebrated 3 birthdays and one 23rd anniversary 6 people in all. Both waitresses and wine steward were top notch.

We have been to El Gaucho locations many times and are very happy most of the time. This time revent for the Seattle Restaurant Week Dinner 3 course dinners. Well the food was good, the portions are very small. $33 for restaurant week dinner specials. Not a good value for the money. But, we will be back.

Atmosphere is awesome - dimly lit, old school decor. The service is very attentive and what you would expect from a premier steak house.

Its an awesome place for friends and family gathering.. The place itself has nice ambience. The quantity was ample and it was delicious. Definitely visit this one again..

If you love steak and a hidden gem to show off Seattle to your friends, then this is the place to go! It's certainly not cheap, but well worth it! Steak is amazing, get the trio of meat so you can try a bit if everything! Cocktails and wine are amaIng too!! The venue is great, the bar is a total hit!

Perhaps because the restaurant was hyped so much by my friends, my expectations were too high. Anyway, it was an excellent steak.

One of the best dining experiences I have ever had. Our server was a true gentleman. He was kind, attentive, and generous. The food was world class. We were able to dress to the hilt and not feel out of place. There were others in more casual dress, but the atmosphere allows gorgeous dresses and fine tailored suits. The food was world class. We will definitely be returning to Rl Gaucho. We were here for our anniversary and they had placed rose petals on our table. Truly thoughtful touches throughout.

El Gaucho is the quintessential Seattle steakhouse. You go here to dine to take in the superb hospitality, delicious food table side ceasars. Steaks are the draw but the seafood is a good choice also. Stay for dessert. Bananas Foster or Cherries Jubilee are a must. Excellent wine list and the service and hospitality is over the top! Will I Go Back? Yes absolutely. Perfect place for business dinners, special occasions or just a night out.

If you love a throw-back to old time steakhouse dining, this is the place. The table side service of freshly made Caesar salads, a baked potato (that was the fluffiest I've ever had) and flaming desserts among others, were mouth-watering entertainment in very skilled hands. The dining room is lovely with a huge bar and live jazz piano, and, last night, some accompaniment on a couple of tunes by a clarinetist. It floats in the background while you enjoy your meal. Creating an atmosphere, if you decide to slip into it, of the old supper clubs found in black and white movies. Personally, I find piano bars sexy--they seem to demand witty repartee with a side of glam. El Gaucho provides the atmosphere, one just must be willing to slide. :-) If, however, that’s not your thing, this is still a great steakhouse. This was our first time there and we were delighted. The steaks were cooked to perfection and very delicious but the sides were inspired, too. We both had wedge salads that were fantastic, the bread they brought to the table was irresistible. We also had roasted corn with chipolte and honey. They caramelized the corn quickly so when it got to our table in its warmed dish, is was warm, but the corn still had crunch, not the least bit overcooked. Our baked potato was one of the best I've had in a long time. We wanted a white wine last night and got a bottle of Viognier that was a bit fruity but very good and I think it was about $60. Most steakhouses I've been in have either nothing veggie or one rather pathetically, boring pasta. My husband is veggie so being able to dine at these kinds of restaurants, is rare, but El Gaucho has a veggie menu! Two starters, three entrees and three sides. The sides don't list the baked potato so my guess is that the veggie options might extend a bit further than the actual menu. One of the options is a truffle soup that is made to order. Our server was fantastic, incredibly knowledgeable, skilled, competent, friendly and attentive--but maybe just a tiny bit too attentive for us last night. He was excellent at everything and very, very kind, however, perfection would have been if we’d had one or two less interruptions. We were new to this restaurant and I know he wanted us to have a fantastic time, and he succeeded. When I dine there next, I would be was very lucky if I got to dine in his area again. There were two of us, we each ordered a steak, one bone-in New York steak and a filet with Roquefort topping. We had the wedge salad to start—very generous salad portion, the corn, which was enough to share with more than two people and we shared a baked potato. We ordered way too much food and brought much of it home but it was fun to have all those tastes. We also shared a bottle of the Viognier. A 20% tip is included at the table with room to add more. I’m not wild about this practice. I already tip at least 20% in restaurants, but if that ensures that these servers do not have the to exist on the folly of our tipping, and the quality of service is there. I’m okay with it. Our bill was just over $300. I’m looking forward to dining there again with my veggie hubby! Five stars and four dollar signs.

Love going here. It reminds me of being in Argentina. I love the atmosphere of the bar more than the tables. We went here to celebrate our anniversary. We had several drinks, my husband had a manhattan, and 2 gin martinis. I had a drink called the faire isle and the weird barbie. All were good. For food my husband wanted the duck fat fries, we got the scallops which I wouldn’t order again. I normally love scallops but these were not that good. We also had the steak tartare which they make different than they used to. I also had the key lime pie which I forgot to order the previous time we were there. Love the servers, the atmosphere, the drinks and most of the food. Thank goodness we have a 2 hour trip there and back.

Been here a few times before with family and or friends while visiting seattle.always wonderful.this time however I don't know if it was because it was just me by myself and I insisted on NOT being seated at the bar but at my own table in the dining room or if I was remembered from previous visits?. But I was treated to the most incredible service and of course fabulous food. A perfect Hendricks martini to start with my appetizer of escargot in a delicious yet classic butter sauce.followed by a great tableside Caesar salad..with a lovely half bottle of a crisp local white wine.then a filet mignon that was perfectly prepared super charred yet still medium rare.finished with sauce bernaise..served along side an incredibly huge lobster tail.( I was treating myself and ordered the largest).it was accompanied with grilled asparagus..unfortunately I cannot eat sweets so my server brought me a tremendously, truly gigantic selection of cheeses with sliced fruits....this visit was without a doubt one of the finest meals I have been served in many years..A classic example of old school perfection...thank you El Gaucho....cannot wait to see you again.

My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday dinner. They had decorated our table with flower petals, which was very thoughtful. The starters we ordered (oysters, shrimp, brussels sprouts) were excellent, but wow the steak was the best I had ever had. The servers were extremely attentive and had excellent wine recommendations. They also give a fruit and cheese platter, which was delicious as well. And to top it off, I ordered the chocolate bourbon cake for dessert. Not only was it rich but not overly sweet, it was on the house!

We held a dinner for 20 people and the service and food was excellent. We were in the Wine Cellar Room which is connected to the main restaurant but off to the side. The restaurant was a little loud but our room was perfect. The service was top notch and the staff was very attentive to our needs.

Was here twice during our stay and both times we had great meals. Everything we tried was cooked perfectly. Loved the Key Lime Pie, Loved the Steaks, and loved the Chowder. Wish we had a place this this at home.

Went to Seattle for the special Valentines show and dinner. Was in the Aqua room. $150 pp not including wine. The show was good in parts and boring in others. The food was altogether sub par. would have preferred to pay more and have better food. Teatro Zinzanni is better value. Took our own wine and paid corkage - would not go again. This place needs a face lift!

I was taken back walking into the magnificent restaurant.... Some relatives moved just 1 block away so we walked over...Greeted and shown to our table...They made us feel special...We ordered off the happy hour menu... We ordered three hambergers and a steak... All came promptly and we were all pleased with our meals... I was surprized when I recieved check and they added a 20% service charge to the bill... Questioning the waitress, she explained that some of the money would go to valet, waitresses and cooks... I didn't quite understand, I did not leave a tip since it was included..

We were in Seattle for the weekend after our Seattle cruise. We stayed at the Inn of El Gaucho which is upstairs from this fine restaurant. On Friday night we were tired from all of our walking around Seattle and decided to eat at El Gaucho. It's a very swanky restaurant - it's dark inside and very reminiscent of a glamorous restaurant in the 50's. Food was wonderful, drinks were amazing and you could charge the bill to your room if you were staying at the Inn. It was perfect. It was easy and it was delicious!

The service we experienced was impeccable! Our waiter was attentive, informative and fun. Our glasses were never dry and our table was managed skillfully. The ambiance is nice, but it is black dark - like a movie theater dark. The food....I had the signature dish which was a filet with lobster, asparagus and hollandaise sauce. Sounds great - right? Not really. The filet was obviously choice cut, not the prime they promoted. The lobster was a chunk about the size of a medium shrimp. The three sprigs of asparagus were limp and overcooked. The hollandaise was okay. My wife ordered the bone-in ribeye: worst pice of gristly overcooked beef we’ve ever been served. We both picked at our food and it ended up in a bus tub. And price? Expect to spend $200 per plate because the entrees are about $75, sides with everything ala carte are $14 each, every shot of booze (a cocktail, glass of wine, etc) is $15 and there is an automatic 20% gratuity. So our table of three with three salads, three entrees, two sides and (an admittedly decadent) seven drinks - was $616.00! Not sure why this place is so highly rated.

Very welcoming staff with incredible steaks on par with the best Argentinian steakhouses I have been to. The staff did a great job to help us celebrate a birthday, which they planned for with menus inscribed with “Happy Birthday.” They also made us feel like honored guests when we informed them that the dinner also included our surprise engagement celebration from earlier the same day. The steaks were phenomenal and the private label wine paired incredibly well. Would love to return as soon as we can!

Stopped in for Happy Hour for some Apps and Wine. The Menu was pretty extensive and found couple items.

We were accommodated at this restaurant as a late, last minute decision to dine here. The hostess was very pleasant, seated us without hesitation, and we could order from the bar menu, even though we weren't seated in the bar area. (We ordered from the dinner menu.) The decor is beautiful with dark woods and white linens and first-class ambiance. Food was delicious and service impeccable. If you are staying upstairs at the Inn, this restaurant is not to be missed!

whenever I'm in Seattle, I stop by for the Ellensburg lamb chops. Never disappoints. love the atmosphere and the jazz pianist. classy place, I just wish they had a dress code. the way some people show up for dinner is offensive.

We dropped into El Gaucho for a quick meal - no-one really hungry, totally unplanned - donning our ugg boots and travelling clothes.... we were blown away. Live piano player, dimmed lights, restaurant behind closed doors, great ambiance. Didn’t feel our of place, but could have got a little more dressed up. If you feel like some meat - this is the place. We had 3 meals between 4 of us. Kids 12 & 13 loved it all..... they do love good food..... there was ample.... we rolled out of there..... happy, content, kids and adults all raving about what a secret find it felt we had found.

Never disappointed with this restaurant. I love this place, but save your $$$$ as you need to oay for thr quality. Amazing wine selection and an AMAZINGLY FRIENDLY STAFF!!!!

We received a gift certificate for this restaurant. We expected a lot. The food was very good (a bit salty for my taste) they put the big salt flakes on to finish & most of the time the salt flakes are too big, so you get a big dose of salt. Had oyster Rockefeller for appetizer, they were delicious. The restaurant was super dark, I was afraid of falling, however they do provide you with a mini flashlight to be able to read the menu. Service was great. An extensive wine menu plus help with selection if needed. I had filet mignon with 2 very small lobster medallion, it was Good! After dinner they brought us complimentary cheese, nuts & fruit. It was a good very pricey experience and I won't be back, it is not my type of place .

The food was extremely delicious. Steaks were prepared to perfection, very tender and juicy. Our waiter, Mark, was very experienced and made a few recommendations and we were happy we listened. He was professional, friendly and knowledgeable. He made us feel like we were guests in his home. He truly made our dining experience an unforgettable one. We would definitely return to this restaurant. Wonderful music and ambience. We also stayed at the hotel which is on the second floor of the restaurant, and is absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed both very much. Thank you, The Williams

We had the most wonderful dining experience last night. We enjoyed a table side Caesar which was absolutely fantastic and my fiancé and I each enjoyed separate cuts of steak that were cooked to perfection and so unbelievably tender. We shared a side of the Brussels sprouts and, as recommended by our server Luca, the scalloped potatoes. Every bite was better than the last. It’s without a doubt the best meal we’ve ever had. What truly elevated our experience was our server, Luca. He was so personable and so engaging that when we left the meal we were raving about Luca just as much as we were our meal. He had wonderful recommendations, fun stories and had us laughing the entire time. We’ve vowed to come back at least once per year (we’re from out of town), and will ask for Luca personally. Thank you Luca for such a fantastic experience!

After eating vegan for most of 2023, I was craving a nice juicy steak for my birthday. I chose El Gaucho on Western, arguably the classiest steakhouse in Seattle and a true Seattle institution. I sat at the bar and I started things off with a Woodford Reserve Manhattan. I then ordered a bone-in ribeye steak medium rare with truffle oil fries. Steak frites! I was in Heaven. The bartender gave me a complimentary fruit plate for dessert. My body didn’t know what hit it! There’s no substitution for meat and potatoes. That said, I will humbly go back to broccoli and micro greens tomorrow. Happy Birthday to me!!