Daniel’s Broiler — Restaurant in Bellevue

The story of Schwartz Brothers, now known as Daniel's Broiler, is one of family, innovation, and sizzling steaks. It all began in 1970 when brothers Bill and John Schwartz opened their first restaurant, The Butcher, in Bellevue, Washington. Their vision was simple: to create a place where people could enjoy exceptional food and service in a warm and inviting atmosphere.

The Butcher was an instant success, known for its high-quality cuts of meat, cooked to perfection over an open flame. The brothers soon expanded, opening The Sandwich Shop and Pie Place three years later. This new venture not only offered delicious sandwiches and pies, but also housed the bakery that would eventually become Schwartz Brothers Bakery, a Seattle institution in its own right.

Throughout the 70s and 80s, Schwartz Brothers continued to grow and evolve, launching new restaurants like Henry's Off Broadway, a casual pub-style eatery, and Cucina! Cucina!, a popular Italian restaurant. But it was the 1983 opening of Daniel's Broiler in Seattle's Leschi neighborhood that truly cemented the company's reputation as a steakhouse powerhouse.

Daniel's Broiler, named after Bill Schwartz's son, offered a more upscale dining experience than The Butcher, with white tablecloths, attentive service, and a menu featuring dry-aged prime steaks and fresh seafood. It quickly became a favorite among Seattle's elite, attracting business executives, politicians, and celebrities.

Over the years, Schwartz Brothers has faced its share of challenges, including the economic downturn of the early 2000s and the changing landscape of the restaurant industry. However, the company has always remained true to its core values of quality, family, and community. Today, under the leadership of Bill's son, Lindsey Schwartz, and his brothers Daniel and Derrick, Schwartz Brothers Restaurants continues to thrive, with Daniel's Broiler at the helm.

Here are some key milestones in the history of Schwartz Brothers:

1970: Bill and John Schwartz open The Butcher restaurant in Bellevue, Washington.

1973: The Sandwich Shop and Pie Place opens, later housing the Schwartz Brothers Bakery.

1983: Daniel's Broiler opens in Seattle's Leschi neighborhood.

1980s and 90s: Schwartz Brothers bakery expands, partnering with Starbucks to provide baked goods for their stores.

2000s: Schwartz Brothers faces economic challenges but remains committed to quality and community.

2016: Daniel's Broiler and Chandler's Crabhouse eliminate tipping, opting for a service-included model.

2020: Daniel's Broiler opens a new location in downtown Seattle.

Today, Schwartz Brothers Restaurants is a Seattle institution, synonymous with fine dining, excellent service, and delicious steaks. The company remains family-owned and operated, and its commitment to quality and community continues to be its...

Daniel's used to be much better about 2 years ago. Lately their food hasn't been nearly as good, and the prices have understandably doubled since then. My group of 6+ ordered various steaks (all of which range from $90-$200). The color inside the steak was perfect, and they even ask you to confirm that it's cooked to one's liking by cutting into the steak. It was perfectly cooked for everyone in my group. I ordered the $95 (at the time of this review) delmonico. It was cooked perfectly, but had so many tendons/ligaments running through every part of it that it was almost inedible despite being a perfect medium-rare. I only ate a third of it, took it to go, and then tossed it in the trash after trying another bite at home. It was unchewable and the tendons got stuck in your teeth. The char on everyone's steak was just too much. The entire outside of the steak was black, and the bitterness from the char overpowered everyone's steak, so we had to waste time trying to scrape some of the char off, but by then, the steaks cooled too much. Their sides and appetizers were provided in copious amounts, and they were all mostly great. The Ahi tuna was great and a favorite, teriyaki fillet bites were great, Lobster bisque and chowder were ideal, and the popcorn shrimp was amazing. The bacon-wrapped scallops on the other hand... The bacon was burnt to a crisp on most pieces and gave a very bitter taste. One bite and the bacon would fall and crumble on the plate. Scallops by themselves were good. Water was very chlorinated and had a strange film floating on top. The complimentary bread and salted butter were good, and the few dessert selections were perfect. The staff was nice, cordial, and very attentive. Anytime I even thought to call a waiter, they were already here. Great view, easy parking (free after 8pm), and a very comfortable, cozy environment. For this particular visit, I'd honestly give a total rating of 3 stars, but I'm also factoring my previous 5 visits over the last 4 years. NOTE-they no longer have the Lobster mashed potatoes. Needless to say, it was one of their best dishes/sides. While the garlic mashed potatoes were good, I was pretty dissapointed hearing them say they don't serve the Lobster mash anymore. They also have an open kitchen and it used to be VERY diverse. Not so much anymore I can't single out Daniel's broiler in particular for their now-lower quality. Visiting Palisade, Metropolitan Grill, and Canlis relatively recently, I can only say that the quality of the food in general has dropped significantly all across the board. The prices have doubled as well. The food at all the places was satisfying enough---until you get the bill. I might make another visit to Daniel's and just try something else like the salmon, lamb chops, or pork chops in the...

After parking, finding this place was a little tricky. We were not easily able to find the correct elevator to the restaurant. It is on the 21st floor, to the right of the hotel. Look for the sign outside and a revolving door underneath it. Take the elevators on the left.

We had a reservation and we were seated quite promptly. I was stuck with a huge glare from the sun, but the atmosphere is still really quite nice.

We started out with the bread and butter. The bread is quite dry, and they did not bring enough butter for the table. This made it very awkward having to share this little amount of butter for the whole table, instead of each person having their own butter. I recommend giving each person their own butter.

I got the 16oz ribeye and split it. The ribeye was great. They cooked it perfectly. The black peppercorn sauce is HEAVENLY. I recommend pouring some of this sauce on the garlic mashed potatoes as well. the garlic mashed potatoes don't come with any gravy. For the heavy price, one would think there would be gravy with my mashed potatoes...

There are limited sides. Mashed potatoes, asparagus, baked potato, broccolini & sliced tomatoes.

No fries? No corn? Great sides to go with steak!

We waited over 35 minutes for our food, and were stuck with dry bread and not enough butter. But the food was delicious. Especially because of the black peppercorn sauce. They cooked everyone's steak exactly as requested.

They provided the birthday girl with a candle and a couple of macaroons. Really sweet of them to do that.

Our server was quite slow with bringing things we requested, like bread, butter, drinks, hot sauce, etc. There was another server named Ryan who really stepped up and helped us out when our server was busy. Props to Ryan. Thank you for that.

When paying top dollar for this experience, and a mandatory 20% tip, customers expect excellent service and to receive food in a timely manner. we did not get that. This place should be 5 stars. Could easily be 5 stars instead of 3. very simple and subtle fixes to step it up would make this place amazing.

Edit: updating from 3 stars to 4 stars because the restaurant has responded and will be providing the feedback back to the team to try and improve. Thank you for listening to the feedback and I wish you the best of luck. I will be returning...