The Cove — Restaurant in Seattle

Honest review.

Great location, solid concept, and all the good intentions in the world… but the service? Straight outta Buffalo Wild Wings brother. This place is where reservations are more like a suggestion and walk ins magically get seated before you while you sit there wondering if you’re invisible. They’ll even get a drink first the ones that walk in. The staff will not care

Most of the 5 star reviews are probably from cousins, coworkers, or people who came during the carefully orchestrated “look we have our act together come check us out for the summer” soft opening. We had a reservation and still waited an hour at our table with no acknowledgment. We weren’t alone. Every other table with a reservation looked like they were stuck in the trenches. Staff can only handle 2-3 tables at a time

The staff looked like they were barely hanging on, and I mean that in the most empathetic way. They know it’s a mess. They feel the chaos. You can see it in their eyes. Honestly, I felt like giving them a tip and a hug just for not walking out mid shift. But they never even came to my table haha

To their credit, good ambiance, location, potential. But this place needed more time in the oven. Training, systems, actual communication any of that would help. Right now it feels like they opened way too early so they can be the hype during the summer with half the crew and just hoped no one would notice.

We’ll be back eventually, and I’ll update this review if things improve. But for now, keep expectations low. Like, airplane drinks & food during turbulence low. Pretty much come for the aesthetic and social media pictures. Maybe you will get a drink after being seated for 2 hours and staff finishes servicing a table that just walked in. Just don’t come hungry since it’s a wine bar and don’t expect to leave on time…get any type of service. Buffalo Wild Wings ahh place rn

Tip: most of the staff are at the bar. Go to the bar DO NOT GET A TABLE. Seattle people don’t talk, so they won’t check on you. They’ll just stare at you while you suffer. Seattle...

I would like to start off by saying that I am not one to write any bad reviews about customer service because, as someone who works in F&B, I know how it’s hard to see these. However, my experience here tonight at The Cove was one of the most humiliating experiences that I’ve ever had. I was on a walk when I spotted this restaurant and thought I’d grab something small to eat and it seemed like a nice place to do so. I was seated by the bar and was kindly waited on by my server who was very pleasant. However, after I had eaten my salad and was still finishing up my soda, this rude employee with brown hair wearing a black t-shirt and an unwelcoming attitude (who I am assuming was the manager since she was the only employee wearing this uniform) decided to rush me by pouring the rest of my drink into the glass and asked if I was going to get anything else. I declined and finished up my drink and asked the server for the check. I paid, tipped, and made my way out of the restaurant when out of nowhere the same rude person wearing the black t-shirt FOLLOWED me out of the restaurant and asked me “aren’t you going to pay?” So I responded to her saying that I did and she replied to me saying that she didn’t think so. I was APPALLED. So I told her that we will go back inside to find out whether or not I paid. I spotted the sever who waited on me and asked her in front of this rude person in the black t-shirt if I had paid and the server confirmed that I did in fact had paid for my meal. I was given ZERO apologies for this disturbing interaction and left.

This restaurant has barely been open and this is how you want your restaurant to be viewed by your customers? The audacity of this person profiling me as a thief and as someone who would walk out on a bill. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a racially motivated move on her end since I am Latino. You should really reconsider her role at The Cove or it won’t be open for much longer. Thank you, whoever you were, for ruining my night and ending my weekend with a...

With all new establishments there will always be some kinks until the staff truly finds a rhythm. I want to first start off by saying it’s important to remember this establishment is a wine bar, not a full restaurant. That being said… we came here on the 5th day since opening and they were already out of 2/4 wines our table wanted to order. This was a little mind boggling as the owners are a family-owned beverage company based in Seattle and own/operate tasting rooms for 50% of their menu. Three out of the four of us ended up ordering the Pinot rose, but the server only brought two of the Pinot rose and insisted one of us ordered the “normal” rose, which was not true. Of the three of us that ordered rose, there were clear inconsistencies in the temperature these wines were served. My first glass was crisp and cold whereas my second glass tasted as if the bottle was put in the fridge 10 minutes prior to serving. It took about 20 minutes to get our drinks after ordering, which could contribute to the temperature of the wine. We also ordered a couple of bites. In my opinion, the food was just fine but didn’t match the price. As for the atmosphere, the space is beautiful and has awesome views! However, the design of the space made it incredibly loud and nearly impossible to converse around the table or hear/speak with the server. Playing some sort of music or adding dampers to the ceiling might help mitigate this. Additionally, one of the women in our party used the restroom and said the lock on their stall did not work properly. I truly want this place to succeed as there is a huge lack of waterfront options in Seattle. I hope they embrace these learnings from the first few days and work to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. I will be happy to return after these opening kinks get...