La Loba — Restaurant in Seattle

My recent visit to La Loba for a birthday dinner was profoundly disappointing, primarily due to the unprofessional service and uninspired food. The server's apparent focus on an NPR Food Critic at an adjacent table significantly detracted from our experience.

Our meal began with a mix-up: our croquettes were mistakenly served to the critic's table. This error went unaddressed by the staff, and we only realized later that our order had been misplaced. Approximately 45 minutes after we ordered, the server attempted to deliver the critic's order to our table. When we pointed out the mistake, and despite our attempt to lighten the mood with a joke about taking the dish, the server responded sharply with a "No!" and took the plate away, only to then serve it with marked courtesy to the critic's table. This delay meant our main courses sat at the serving station for an additional thirty minutes, arriving at our table cold and dry.

To further add to the disappointment, for my birthday, we ordered a cake, but the server neglected to add a candle, unlike other celebratory tables. While seemingly minor, this oversight felt more significant given the overall lack of attentive service.

During billing, the server approached us to ask if we had "overheard the critic's conversation." She then spoke about her mistakes impacting the critic's review and even commented that "all critics are biased and cannot judge fairly." It was surprising to hear such concerns expressed to us without any apology for the multiple errors and delays that had already severely impacted our meal and special occasion. This interaction compounded the feeling that our birthday dinner had been completely ruined.

The food quality itself was a major letdown. Many dishes featured an excessive and often ill-fitting use of kimchi and gochujang. For instance, the kimchi served with the black cod lacked any distinct flavor, tasting akin to mass-produced supermarket varieties. I would honestly prefer the pre-made kimchi braised mackerel from District H across the street, which offers a much better taste profile.

The scallop crudo was another dish that missed the mark, dominated by an overwhelming coconut-Thai flavor that failed to harmonize with the other ingredients. The attempts at fusion appeared to detract from both the Asian and Spanish elements of the dishes.

The only positive aspect of the restaurant was its ambiance. Unfortunately, the attractive decor could not compensate for the poor service and bland food. It felt as though the concept behind the menu might have been designed to broadly appeal to the local demographic without truly committing to authentic or well-executed flavors.

Overall, this was not a dining experience I would recommend. Seattle diners...

TLDR: Not an ideal spot for younger family members/teenagers. Surprisingly unaccommodating for an upscale spot and price point. Strict tasting rules.

After researching some new and aesthetically fun restaurants in the Seattle area, I decided to take my boyfriend and Cousins from out of town to La Loba. The atmosphere was beautiful, and the place was pretty full for a Tuesday night crowd. I noted most of the population to be pretty young, and coming in either for a date night or what looked to be a special occasion.

We were seated in the back in a comfy booth near the bar, the lighting was fairly low (enough to use a phone light if you need glasses) and we definitely had to speak up over the other conversations happening around us.

We were a bit off put from the start as one of my family members is 16 and requested a soda/juice which we were told by our waiter was not served in the restaurant. The only option he was given was an organic cola or N/A drink which he sadly didn’t end up liking.

When we decided to order, we chose to go with the tasting menu. Our younger family member was hoping to order the pasta while the rest of the family did the tasting menu. Our waiting informed us that they were not allowed to bring out tasting menu items at the same time as entrees, and if we ordered both, the younger family member would have to wait around 30 minutes (aka for the cold and warm tapas to be served) before the entree was brought out. Not a super great option for a hungry teen haha.

My cousin offered to let our younger family member to try bites of the tapas as they came out to hold them over until the entree could come in front of the waiter, to which he interjected “I’m sorry but I can’t let you do that, I could get in trouble” and went on to explain it was because they don’t want parties paying for 1 tasting and sharing with more than one person which is understandable. We then offered to pay for a tasting for the young family member, as to see if we could have the entree come out sooner and the was denied as well. Overall there was some weird back and forth with what felt like a pretty simple request that left a bad taste in our mouth, and kind of made us feel like we were being watched while enjoying the tasting.

The food was overall very good, but the portions were pretty small for the price-point. Sad to report we were generally kind of uncomfortable from the pretentious feeling we were left with from our specific experience.

This would be a great date night spot, or place to celebrate with a younger crowd, but definitely not picky teens or older adults who aren’t familiar with the quirks of an upscale dining...

Since we dressed up to celebrate a special occasion, my group obviously wanted to take photos by the staircase near the lobby. Yes, we had already ordered our food before stepping away briefly to take some pictures. No one explained that the dishes would be brought out one by one. We weren’t doing the prix fixe and had ordered à la carte, so we had no idea it would be served like a course-by-course tasting menu. We also saw plenty of other groups enjoying the decor and taking pictures in the same area.

At one point, a server came by to let us know that the food was ready. We thanked them and continued for a short while longer since it was a celebration. Then another woman came up to us and she had blonde hair, red lipstick, wearing a gold brooch necklace with a blue sapphire. She told us our food was ready again, but with a hostile attitude, like we were causing some kind of problem by taking pictures. Her tone wasn’t friendly, and it definitely shifted the energy. We wrapped up quickly and returned to the table, only to find that just one of the five dishes had arrived. So apparently “your food is ready” meant just one plate was out. As we started eating, the same woman came by again and said, “I don’t know how to serve you since you keep taking pictures” before sharply walking away. The way she said it felt unnecessarily condescending. We were surprised by the comment, and honestly, it made the rest of the meal uncomfortable. She came around a few more times with the same cold demeanor, and we didn’t feel at ease asking for another server. Everyone else including the host and bussers were polite and welcoming, which made the contrast with her even more noticeable. Whatever excitement or “vacation” mood we had going into the night faded after that and it ruined our special occasion.

I wish I hadn’t tipped her, but I did anyway since I assumed the tips were shared among staff, and the others were perfectly nice. I don’t think I’ll be returning unless someone visiting really wants to go.

Parking-wise, they do offer valet, but I opted to street park and walk over. The food was fine. It’s tapas-style, so small portions meant for sharing. The hanger steak was probably the best dish (I’m surprised it was served with onion rings but the meat jtsld was delicious). And I wouldn’t order the pink salad again. The octopus appetizer only came with a small leg sadly so be prepared. The lamb only came with 3 pieces as...