Cynara Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Olympia

I heard about Cynara from someone who’s lived in Olympia for 30 years, so I thought it was worth checking out. However, as someone who moved here from Russia, I have pretty high standards when it comes to both food and service. When I heard this place had been recommended by someone local, I thought it must be good enough to give a try.

We decided to share two appetizers and one main dish, knowing that American portions can be huge. I believe it’s totally reasonable to order one dish to share when the portions are so large, and we weren’t starving either. We ordered the artichoke hearts, lamb skewers, and duck in pomegranate sauce, which was priced at $48. When I order a dish for $48, I expect it to be excellent. I didn’t want to risk trying the $60 steaks or filet mignon because I wasn’t feeling confident about the place.

The cocktail I ordered didn’t impress me much either. I typically enjoy cocktails, but this one didn’t stand out and didn’t make me want another. The food itself was fine—nothing special at all. The dishes looked as plain in photos as they tasted.

As for the duck, my husband didn’t like it at all. The texture didn’t appeal to him. Personally, I’ve eaten duck at several upscale restaurants, so I know it was cooked to a good medium-rare, with a nice sear on the skin. However, I believe the sauce should not have been poured directly over the duck—some people might prefer to have it on the side. The pomegranate seeds were probably the best part of the dish, and the sauce wasn’t bad, but overall, it didn’t feel like anything memorable.

I’ll give credit where it’s due—the service was great. The staff, especially the hostess who seated us and our server, were friendly, attentive, and made an effort to provide good service.

But despite the nice service, I didn’t enjoy the meal, and I don’t feel compelled to return. The overall experience didn’t live up to the hype. If you’re expecting a “high-end” place, I’d say this restaurant doesn’t quite deliver on that front. It’s an okay spot, but not remarkable.

One more thing—I love seafood, and I was surprised that the seafood offerings here were limited to a soup, pasta, and salmon. Given that the restaurant is located by the harbor, I expected to see fresh oysters or some other unique seafood dishes, but there was nothing like that.

The artichoke hearts were fine, but again, nothing special—just deep-fried artichokes on a plate. If you’re looking for something truly outstanding, Cynara might not be the place.

All in all, it was a decent experience, but I won’t be rushing back...

Stopped by here for a team dinner (approx 10-12 of us) on Tuesday evening and this place did have some crowd for a rainy day in Olympia. At first the ambience was nice and upscale. We were promptly seated and ordered the following: Lamb Skewers - This was tasty but the lamb was chewy. Flavors were good but the rubbery texture vs melt in your mouth feel ruined this for us. Cynara Toast - This was delicious and we all enjoyed this platter Prawns Romesco - This was again delicious and we enjoyed the prawns. Wish they served more per plate but we devoured this one. Cauliflower Entree - This dish lacked flavors and seasoning and did not seem well cooked either. My colleagues who had been to Cynara in the past remember this dish being way better and were disappointed with how it tasted on the day we went together. Wild Salmon - The salmon was charred and dry. Once again overcooked and ruined the taste for us Mushroom Risotto - This was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed the risotto

Apart from this we ordered a couple of bottles of wine and they had a good selection which we all enjoyed. We also ordered their old fashioned and it was too sugar syrupy for us. We skipped desserts this time. Service was great, staff was polite and the dishes did come out pretty fast. Unfortunately, since their dishes are a hit or miss I...

My husband and I decided to try a new place for date night. We should have went somewhere else.

The night started off great. The hummus was yummy and so were our drinks. Unfortunately the good experience ends there.

An hour after we ordered, we were informed there was a “mistake in the kitchen” and our appetizer and dessert would be comped. We then realize the table next to us (seated after we ordered) was finishing their meal. A few minutes later our food comes out. I wish I would have taken a picture because my husband and I were in shock by the appearance of our food.

He ordered pork belly that was burnt with three tiny shrimp. Whole baby potatoes that had no flavor.

I ordered filet mignon. It was burned on the outside and raw inside. The smear of thick Bearnaise on top couldn’t cover it up. Again “smashed” potatoes were just whole baby potatoes. I added shrimp and it looked like it barely touched a pan.

Our server apologized and said she would get the manager. The manager couldn’t be bothered I guess. Our server came back and said they would comp the meal and remake it “if we wanted.” We weren’t going to eat what was on our plates. And didn’t want to wait for possibly another disappointment. We chose to go to Applebees instead to try and save...