Magnuson Cafe & Brewery — Restaurant in Seattle

This place is too popular for its own good. Sounds like a criticism, but the fact is, it’s a good pub, it’s just so dang busy that it can take the fun out of going sometimes.

Look, the food is typical burgers/fries/a couple salads, and it’s fine. Nobody expects Michelin stars for a brewery. That said, I have eaten here several times and never had a bad meal.

The beer is varied and good. I’m happy to see multiple Pilsners, and options that aren’t the typical overly-hoppy beers that seem to be all the rage the last decade. You’ll find those, too, but it’s worth noting that you will find variety. Also sours and ciders.

The deck is great, and a nice spot for a cold beer on a hot afternoon.

But they need to find a way to control the crowd or figure out table service.

For the uninitiated, you walk up, get in line, and when you get to the front, order your food and they hand you a number. You take a seat until the order is brought to your table. Except the drinks, those are handed to you over the bar. It’s awkward. Especially because frequently, you will order food and then find no available tables because people are still enjoying conversations long after they have eaten.

That whole line thing has issues. It really stinks to be standing in line for 20-30mins, see someone walk up past the line, and somehow they get service without having to wait. Maybe you, dear reader, find this awesome because you will jump the line without a second thought. Me, I’m fine waiting, but I don’t like it when the establishment rewards folks who bowl their way up front. And it’s not subtle; there’s ONE line, and people frequently walk up past it to read the menu and beer list. Which, ok, makes sense, but somehow they will turn from that to the host and put in an order without being asked to get in line.

That’s not all: Tonight, after our food came to the table, I was told that to order a second beer I needed to get back in the line. The beer is good, but I’m sorry, I’m not waiting in line AGAIN just to get a glass of beer.

The staff was friendly, don’t get me wrong, but the flow of things is just not ideal.

My family would probably go more often, but most times when it comes up as we discuss places to go, we dismiss it because it’s often a huge hassle.

All that said, it’s obviously a cool location, and the beer is good, and the food crowd pleasing. Who doesn’t love hot fries, thick burgers, and tater tots with freshly brewed beer?

You should definitely go if you’ve never been; just be sure to wear comfy shoes for standing and bring your patience (and order all the beers you think you’ll drink at once) and you’ll be rewarded with a classic brewery meal.

Now, of course I just whined about it, and yet, I have to tell you one more thing. They serve weekend “brunch,” including a variety of breakfast sandwiches made with biscuits. I haven’t had the breakfast items yet, but I definitely will if only because the prices are amazing. In Seattle, finding a breakfast sandwich for $5.50 that’s not fast food? I’m in.

Just please don’t jump the line because I am not friendly before I have...

Go for the drinks, not the food.

Pet friendly: Yes, outdoor area only Family friendly: Yes Parking: Yes

FOOD: Crispy Chicken Sandwich (buttermilk fried chicken thigh, mayo, pickles, lettuce) $10.50 (+$1 to make it spicy): This was an okay sandwich. We saw the crispy chicken sandwich come out and it looked really good (plus big) so we decided to try it out. Taste wise, its nothing special or different from other chicken sandwich but I want to make sure to point out that if you "make it spicy" they cut your chicken piece in half and stack it. Not sure why they did it cause it actually makes the sandwich look smaller.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich (white cheddar, swiss, caramelized onions, house mustard, toasted sourdough) $7.00: This was a sad looking grill cheese. It looks like something I would make at home...

Tomato Soup $5.50: similar to the chicken sandwich, nothing special. Its was good in the sense it was warm and great to drink on a cold day but meh.

Kid's Burger (pickle, ketchup, toasted sesame bun) $4.50: I ordered the kids meal because lately I've been in the phase of comparing restaurant kids items to their adult items. Most places that put an effort in the kids meals usually have a great adult menu (visual, taste, and effort)... so as you can see in the photo, this was one of the places that didnt really care. PLUS, one of our friends order one of the "regular" burger and the kids burger was almost the same size LOL

Kid's tator tots $2.90: Best food item! plain o' totes were the best thing out of every food item we ordered.

DRINKS: Torpedo Stout: It was okay. I love dark beers, especially stout but this was nothing to write home about. I honestly dont remember much about it so it tells you how much I liked it.

Peanut Butter Stout: THIS WAS THE BEST! I would definitely order this time and time again. I would honestly come here just for this stout. It had a good hint of peanut butter with a slight chocolate finish. Both balanced very well without being overpowering that you got tired of the taste.

RESTAURANT/MENU: This is definitely a brewery set up for the water view. The interior is pretty small with a few large tables. The Exterior has a "large" patio (what I consider large for Seattle real estate) with some heating lamps for the cold season. They have also sheltered make-shift tent areas for parties of 4 that is along the ramp. I believe once you're seat, they bring out a heating lamp that hooks to the top of the tent.

They have a pretty big menu for a smallish brewery. They also have a brunch menu on the weekend but we got there a little too late.

This is weird to bring up but they need better signage for the bathroom! The bathroom is in a shared area and when i'm told "go down the ramp and there is a door" that doesnt let me know I have to go through the door to find a freaking maze.

SERVICE: Everyone was friendly and helpful. They were pretty busy but every employee was polite and never made...

After having a nice second evening at this spot with my girlfriend I'm confident enough to leave a review and share what went well and what could have some improvement. The times we've been here were blue skies weekday evenings close to 5-6p, so even then there were already a lot of people, but still always a few spots open. It is a walk up to order kind of place with self-serve water and then they bring it out to you, but you can leave it there for them to Clean up kind of spot. Nice warm bathroom downstairs that takes a bit walking through some long white halls to find. My girlfriend and I both ordered the same things again because we both liked them very much. The portobello mushroom with the caramelized onions and cheese and sauce was somehow so good for me the first time that I ordered it again. The Garlic fries were pretty good (on the soft side) with side aioli and ketchup. The complaint/feedback for the vegetarian burger is that "everything is soft" and could use a "crunchy" texture. Maybe toast the buns or add crunchy onions because otherwise it's just a soft veg burger, cheese (have to add on), the lettuce and the buns.

*Share the fries (first time we ordered fries and onion rings and it was too much + I didn't like the onion rings so didn't get it this time) *Chocolate milkshake tastes so good so we ordered it again. *Burgers around 11$ (I don't mind it without fries because sometimes its nice to have it broken up incase you don't want all the frills) *Garlic Fries 7$

Amazing views and outdoor space. Drive a bit into the park after and go see Rainier :)

We love this spot because its a short drive from our apartment and always has...