The Garrison — Restaurant in Seattle

SO THRILLED Le Coin has opened this absolute gem in Ballard!!

The Garrison retains the fine dining service, good vibes, and generous portions of Le Coin.

But it brings its own unique ambience, intimacy, and charming vision to transport every guest to a Parisienne hole in the wall that feels way cooler than anywhere else we have been in Seattle lately.

The menu’s seasonality was especially impressive considering the freezing temperatures tonight.

If you haven’t been following the Garrison’s opening, their theme of oysters, champagne, and chartreuse is a summertime classic in France. But their tightly curated menu and silky smooth cocktails left us feeling warmed from the inside out, and confident that this restaurant knows exactly how it fits into the Seattle food scene.

10/10 and can’t wait to come back and see how this wonderful spot continues to develop.

What we ordered:

Champagne and oysters du jour (Dumont & Treasure Cove) Bread service (Macrina bread and parsley butter) Crab and leek dip Winter root vegetables Seared albacore tuna Black Pepper ice cream

Cocktails: Golden Gardens Ticket to Ride Born Again Monk (off the menu take on Death in the Afternoon, courtesy of the GM, who served us tonight and designed the formidable cocktail menu)

In conclusion, we walked away feeling like a little bit of magic has been sprinkled in Ballard this winter. Can’t wait...

Disappointed with the puff pastry crab entree. Food critics have been raving about the puff pastry crab entree. I love crab and puff pastry, so I was hoping for a delicious serving. Sadly, the puff pastry was served undercooked and tasted raw and rubbery. There was NO flakey goodness. 😭 The crab was really dry. It tasted like bad canned tuna packed in water rather than crab. The sad news was the side salad was the best part of the dish. The presentation was beautiful, but, that was not enough to save the dish. Puff pastry can be difficult to bake, but, the chef should have worked those problems out before serving it. The black pepper ice cream was outstanding! It was silky and smooth with just the right amount of pepper and Chartreuse liqueur and croissant crumbles! Yum! The champagne by the glass was fun to try. The menu does a great job of explaining the flavors of each champagne so you know what you are getting. I liked being able to try out a pricey "growers" champagne without buying a whole bottle. The wait staff and bartender are really knowledgeable about the food and drinks. Overall, I would recommend a glass of champagne and the black pepper ice cream. They have 25 percent off champagne by the glass between 3 and 5...

Several friends and I went for brunch on 1/19/25 and had a stellar experience. The back room is apparently new-ish and the vibe was welcoming and just overall relaxed. John took care of our table and he was so accomodating to our many quirks, was kind, and told us we could stay and relax as long as we wanted. It was also a weird time of day (in between brunch and dinner) so maybe don't hold them to this expectation every time. Like people have got to go and so we're sorry John if you were just staying for us! We were catching up after a long time and may have lost sight. Now the food. My friends and I often cook elaborate meals together and have gone out fewer and fewer times for meals over the last couple of years because we say we just cook better. Haha. But The Garrison was outstanding! The portions were large and the brunch was fabulous. I got the crab benedict, which came with breakfast potatoes. I am a die hard fan of shredded hashbrowns and actually frown on breakfast potatoes, however, these were the first and only ones I ever have enjoyed. They are extra crispy on the outside and were an aboslute delight. The banana bread was also decadent and top notch....