Water's Table-Renton Restaurant — Restaurant in Renton

We made a reservation approx. 30 days in advance for a Valentine’s Day dinner. Our 40th VDay together. A view table was requested. We called at least 2 times to reconfirm and were told they would try, no guarantees, no reservation for view table. Also shared we were staying at the adjoining Hyatt. Arrived early, all "view" tables were taken. No consideration. About 20 mins later 2 tables were vacated. When we attempted to reseat, we were told sorry we didn’t have a “view” reservation. What. Totally confused by this management decision and ready to leave. Let’s get back to seating shortly. Let’s now talk about the menu... once seated were told it was a fixed menu. What? We checked the website, no mention of that. Wife has celiac and must have gluten free. When we asked for a menu, they wanted to seat us at the bar where we could order regular menu. With Covid still around, we were not sitting at the bar. Plus, it is V Day! Our VDay dinner was almost ruined. Manager Sheena Nguyen figured out this was about to get embarrassing ... were reseated in our old table with a menu that has gluten free items. Back to seating - We then watched a couple come arrive and were about to be seated near us ... they see table that we had requested and were led to it. WHAT? A 4- or 5-star review goes to 2 stars. Server Nancy was excellent ... seating was not in her control. Food was average and not warm. Manager brought us flowers and apologized, very professional. It is unlikely we will come to Waters Table again. This is sad b/c we have been coming to Hyatt since it opened. Will eat elsewhere (Peyrassol Cafe or Wild Fin). The fact that we were staying at the Hyatt did little or nothing. We have traveled extensively, and it is very rare for me to give a 2-star review. AND... We will never forget how I felt at the Waters Table.

Recommendations:

There are many people who need gluten free (gf). When you declare a set menu offer gf.

If it is a set menu CLEARLY advise on website... not after people are seated.

Be clear about seating. We were told others had "view" reservations. What, how did that happen. We communicated directly with them at least 3 times were repeatedly told no guarantees. So how did some people get reservations.

Give a priority to Hyatt guests. Water’s Table is part of the Hyatt.

In conclusion, in this fantastic setting, the Hyatt (5 stars) deserves something...

So much potential, and so much hype, for so very little.

To be fair, everyone associated with the restaurant was very pleasant, from the valet attendant (no parking, so you get 2 hours of free valet parking with a restaurant visit) to the hostess and the server. And the view is wonderful, no doubt about it. But ultimately this turned out to be a long trip for a mediocre brunch.

Looking at the menu online, I was anxious to try a lot of it. Congee with candied bacon? Kimche waffles topped with Korean fried chicken? Crab cake Benedict? Okinawan yam skillet? Pork belly ramen? Yes, please! Alas, this is hotel food with pretensions of grandeur. The Okinawan yam skillet was pleasant but bland, with a flavor profile you'd expect from Denny's. The KFC with kimche waffles was .... not quite inedible, but the fried chicken was overcooked and hard to cut with the table knife and very dry, and the waffles were oddly flavorless. The seasoned french fries were the best-cooked thing on my plate, and it felt odd to be more interested in the very generic fries instead of in my exotic-sounding main order.

Pro tip #1: The Bloody Mary offered at brunch is made with a specialty Bloody Mary mix made with pickle spices that's so off-putting my date couldn't drink it. Perhaps you could order one with a less-odd mix, if you know in advance and ask. Good luck.

Pro tip #2: The building layout makes it hard to find the hostess station if you enter from outside through the door marked for the restaurant. You'll have to walk through the restaurant to find the hostess to get seated.

Pro tip 3#: Unless you're tall, beware of the bench-type seats next to the window. They have so much give you'll end up feeling as if you're sitting with your chin on the table.

I wanted to like this restaurant, and we'd heard good things about it. But ultimately this was an hour and a half of our lives we'll never get back, plus a lot of chewing for very...

We’ve been to a few wedding at the Hyatt but never dined in. Since the weather was nice we decided to give it a try. For those that don’t know it’s located inside the Hyatt. The view of lake Washington and Bellevue is beautiful, especially on a nice warm summer day. We visited on a Monday evening for dinner, so it wasn’t too busy but on the weekends, the place gets very busy and I would recommend making a reservation since they offer it. They have an outside patio which was awesome and indoor as well. They have a good size bar area as well.

The service was great, our server was super nice and checked on us regularly. For their menu, they give you an iPad which I thought was pretty cool. I haven’t been to a place that gives you an actual iPad as their menu. I ordered the burger which okay, it wasn’t anything special. I expected it to be much more for a $30 burger. I got a wedge salad which was tasty instead of fries since we ordered a side of their water table fries. The fries were thick cut and served with shredded cheese on top. The wife got their shrimp pasta which she really enjoyed. Food came out reasonably quick which was hot.

Their drink menu has lots of options and although we didn’t order drinks they looked delicious.

The reason I am giving it a 4 out of 5 is because it’s a little expensive for what you get. Our total came out to $130 with tip for 2 people and remember we didn’t order any alcoholic beverages. The stunning view and location is what you’re paying for. If you’re looking for a nice place to take a date to or for a special occasion, I would recommend it, but I personally wouldn’t come here on a regular basis.

If we revisit, I think I’d would just order an appetizer or two and a drink. Their appetizers looked good and big enough to fill up on.

Hope this...