99 Park

this is a review for Sunday brunch only!
tried out this spot in Old Bellevue for my mom’s birthday brunch.
pros:
location: great spot right in Old Bellevue and close to the park. you can find yourself browsing the shops or stopping by a café before or after brunch.
décor: industrial, modern, clean. very trendy and cute.
food: i’m putting this in the pro category but i’d probably fit better in a «meh» category. food wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t bad. i had the burger which was cooked perfectly medium with good seasoning and toppings. the fries however were incredibly salty.
cons:
service: this is where they really failed. our server didn’t smile once, looked frustrated anytime we asked for anything, and moved at a snail’s pace.
speed: this technically falls in the «service» category but it was such a problem at this restaurant that i decided to rank it on its own. food and drinks came out incredibly slow. it took about 15 minutes to get our lattes (insane!) and about 30 minutes to get our food.
cost: $ 15-​$ 20 is pretty steep for pretty basic and moderately sized brunch entrees in my opinion.
overall food was decent but overall service was too overwhelmingly disappointing. likely won’t return for brunch :/

The service was amazing. It was my friends birthday and they made sure she felt special. They have the best French fries I have had in awhile. The Mac and cheese was delicious. Others in our party got steak and felt it was average. They have a great drink selection as well.

Had high hopes for this place and it turned out to be one of my worst dining experiences in a long time — mainly due to service. There were only a few tables dining for brunch on Sunday, and 3 servers (plenty). But the service was slow, inattentive and at times, rude as sarcastic. We were brought coffee with no cream or sugar, and asked if we could have cream. The waitress brought us cream for 1 coffee (there was 3 of us) and one spoon. We had to then flag down the bartender to get more. Our food sat on the counter before being served for around 10 minutes while 2 of the servers sat in front of the counter chatting. When the waitress served us more coffee, she splashed it on my white silk shirt. I had to ask for ketchup from
2 different people. Our main waitress seemed annoyed to be there. It was just super disappointing, especially with the priceness of the brunch menu. For an almost $ 20 brunch plate, you expect better service. Won’t be returning.

Wow eat the donuts. We loved them. The rest of the food was good as well. I look forward to returning. I will say it is expensive but worth it

Celebrated my birthday here… great food!
Loved the kale salad, pan seared steelhead, fried rice and donuts for dessert!
Wait time was long to get food…

The perfect spot to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Bellevue, and the larger chain-«esque» dining experiences. This restaurant feels as if it belongs in Capital Hill. The spacious interior is inviting and warm. The booths and seating are made from reclaimed old growth fir and iron pipes which adds a unique charm. They also have a lovely outside seating area for those rare warm days. Along with the friendly staff, this upscale pricier restaurant successfully avoids signs of pretentious stuffiness.
The seasonal menu focuses on unique fusions of Pacific NW cousine. They source their ingredients from neighboring local farms. The fresh WA oysters and grilled Octopus made for a delightful lunch. The good sized portions and quality fresh ingredients matched the price point. The grilled Octopus was an amazing dish. I enjoyed the layered flavors of the complex yet simple dish, and slowly eat it to enjoy ever morsel. It reminded me of a fine cellared red wine.
They have an extensive wine menu, and several by the glass options. The staff recommended two different sparkling wines to go with my meal. For the price of one glass, they gave me half portions of each sparkling wine to match each of my small plates. I have never had a restaurant recommend this. I loved the accommodation and flexibility. It definitely enhanced my dining experience, as each glass was paired perfectly with my oysters and octopus.
I had just enough room left for a bite of dessert, and I am glad I did. I only eat wheat once in awhile, and their house made donuts were worth it. They have been on the menu since the restaurant opened. They were served piping hot, and melted in my mouth. Their dessert menu also showcased an impressive selection of digestifs and dessert wines.
This is the perfect spot for a special occasion, or enjoying a craft cocktail and their specific bar menu, or a brunch. Their parking is limited, and they do offer valet. I would recommend a reservation for typical dining times. I came for a late lunch, and the place was empty. I would definitely come back here again for a special treat upon my next visit to Bellevue.

Service was great here. Our server was very attentive and polite. Only downside was the speed at which our food came. It was inconsistent. The small plates came out super fast but then the large plates took probably 30 mins after we finished our small plates. Is not really a new restaurant anymore, and it was a Tuesday night, so I shouldn’t expect this to be an issue anymore.
Ambience is very warm and lively, even for a Tuesday, although a little on the loud side. But I actually prefer that than too quiet.
We really enjoyed the papaya salad; very refreshing and great flavors. Overall, there seems to be an Asian influence to the dishes. We also ordered the grilled octopus, which I really wanted to love, however it was a tad rubbery. Possibly my expectations are high because we just had an amazing one at Shaker and Spear in Belltown that is definitely the grilled octopus to beat. The mussels were in a curry sauce that was very enjoyable. The burger looked like it would be good, but that was the biggest disappointment of the night. They asked if we were ok with medium rare, we said yes. It came and since we were sharing, we cut it in half. In the middle it still looked very raw. We had to send it back, but they were definitely very nice about it, which is great. Overall, the burger had no crunch or difference in texture. A good burger, when you bite in, has a bite, either from pickles, lettuce, crunchy onions, or even the meat has a little more texture. This one just felt mushy. Even the bun was mushy. Dessert, we had their homemade donuts. Everyone seemed to be ordering this. I thought it was above average but I’d rather have Lola’s donuts. The dough was a little heavy, but well fried. The whip cream was really good. The lemon sauce had great flavor but was too light so you could hardly taste it when paired with the heavy dough.
I do wish Bellevue had more restaurants like this. I would still go back again because I really liked the feel and overall service of the restaurant. Hope they read these reviews and work on bettering though.

Try the GRILLED OCTOPUS and CLAMS AND MUSSELS!
While 99 Park is tucked into old Bellevue, it’s food is modern and exhibits the best of fine dining. The plates are perfectly seasoned and appetizing to both the eyes and stomach. And to my pleasant surprise: the portions are generous! So, no need to overspend or pre-​eat! Come hungry and leave satisfied!
Best for intimate dates, quiet business meetings, and well behaved girls nights at this fine dining establishment. Or, just head to the bar for a ritzy drink or to eat from the more affordable bar menu (2pm to close).

My friend from NYC was in town and we decided to meet up and grab dinner over on the east side. One of my friends had gone here before and mentioned the food was good so why not give it a try.
When we walked in, all you could smell was the truffle oil. It smelled sooooo good. The hostesses sat us at a small table (meant for party of 2’s). Interestingly, my friend noticed that we sat in «Asian Row» — all the Asian parties of 2 in the restaurant were seated in the same row. Later on we kinda questioned why a party of 2 white girls after us got seated at a much larger booth. But whatever.
Our server was quite attentive, came back pretty often to check on us. The dinner menu had small plates and large plates. We ordered the papaya salad, vegetable tempura, pork belly fried rice, and a side of Belgian frittes in truffle oil.
The papaya salad and tempura came out first — which for a bit thought was odd that only 2 plates would come out first (unless small plates are considered the appetizers). Then got new plates and the fried rice and frittes came out. All of them were so good. I really liked the papaya salad the most. We ended with panna cotta for dessert.
Location: I think it’s perfect — it’s right next to the park downtown, so if you go earlier in the day you can enjoy a nice walk at the park. Parking is limited (their lot can only hold like 6 cars), but there’s street parking and parking across at the park.
Food: absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to go back and try other things on the menu or go there for happy hour.
Layout/​décor: I loved it — it had a rustic feel to it, and at night I love how it’s mostly candlelight that lighted up the dining room.
and yes, I would come back!

wow, here is another place that i did not know existed. one of my friends knew one of the owners, so off we went.
its a little bit like mistral, where you can’t find the door. it has big glass doors that open to outside seating, but you have to hit the door. hint is that there is a menu posted right next to it.
cuisine is asian influenced. it has an open floor plan that can get noisy. it needs some buffer in the dining room to absorb sound. i’m curious if it is better when the doors are open to the outside.
we had mac, the albacore, octopus, the fried rice and the lamb tagine. some of them are smaller portions, but the albacore and octopus were good. the lamb wasn’t gamey and was a bigger portion. i was less a fan of the mac and the rice was okay.
still fun to eat a variety and an upscale environment.

You had me at farm-​to-​table restaurant.
After reading Miki Agrawal’s «Do Cool Sh*t», I developed a fascination and appreciation for farm-​to-​table restaurants highlighting local farmers and a menu that continuously changes to feature seasonal fare.
The menu features small plates for sharing, large plates which can be best described as the traditional entrée, and sides.
Drinks: La Palabra (potent, not for the faint-​hearted) and Ginger Limeade (to off-​set my alcoholic beverage)
Small Plates: Beef Tartare and Grilled Octopus
Sides: Truffled Mac & Cheese and Charred Brussels Sprouts
Two small plates and two sides are perfect for sharing, especially when they start bringing the plates out. The plating can do without the oversized plates, they get in the way. The food in the way it is presented carries itself. The stars for this meal were the Grilled Octopus and Charred Brussels Sprouts.
The interior is intimate and somehow they achieved the sense of being outdoors on a stone-​slab patio, without being outdoors.
Those under the age of 35 may feel slightly out of place as there a definite sense of unspoken sophistication. It is Bellevue after all. Overall, 99 Park you are doing some cool sh*t.

The two stars is solely on the service. The food was delicious but the service was horrible!!!
First the food: we got the bread, the chicken, steelhead and Mac and cheese. Everything was better than expected. Good quality and portion was decent. The skin on the fish was crunchy and the sauce was to die for.
Now the service: it took them Close to 45 Minutes to get our food out even though it wasn’t busy yet. The worst part was we had to asked 3 different server 5 times to get refill on our ice tea!!! My friend refused to continue to eat till they refill the iced tea. The thing that I was angry about the fact that there was an automatic 20% tip added to our receipt. I usually don’t mind giving that but the fact that they didn’t deserve it was what got me angry.
Overall, although the food was good, the service was bad enough that I probably won’t come back.

Solid brunch spot for a holiday shopping weekend. Beautiful design and ambiance inside and out! One downside was there wasn’t a tv to catch the Seahawks game on. I had to resort to yahoo game updates on my phone while we waiting quite a while for our food. For there being only one other table eating when we arrived I was surprised at how long it took for our orders to be prepared.
I had the veggie (wild mushroom) omelette and my friend had the eggs benedict. I ordered my omelette with egg whites and was pleased with the result — mostly I enjoyed the hen of the woods mushrooms incorporated in the omelette with a light smattering of cheese. The fingerling roasted potatoes were pretty tasty except that the rub seasoning went down the wrong way and I ended up coughing up a storm, triggering an allergic reaction somehow. Not sure what was in those but maybe they were a little in the dry side. My friend said she enjoyed her bene — though I don’t think there was anything special about it.
I would come back here to try the dinner menu and probably again for brunch if they used smoked salmon as an option for a bene instead of lox style!

The best restaurant on the eastside! This is why…
We had the grilled octopus with roasted cauliflower. Love the different texture flavors and freshness of the ingredients. Everything’s goes in harmony. Same goes to the roasted carrots with mole sauce. A nice spice and explosion of flavors to a simple dish ingredient along with the pickle onion and cotija cheese.
As for the main course, if you don’t like chicken, you’ll change your mind about their roasted half chicken with black truffle and root vegetable. Beautiful in taste and presentation. You can truly taste truffle in every bite, moist and tender.
We ended the meal with chocolate ganache, with a hint of espresso sauce. Yum! It hit the spot!
Wine pairings were great too. Husband is not a Riesling guy but like their choice of dryer Riesling.
Love the ambience and the staffs were very friendly and professional too.
Highly recommend this place. We will be back for sure!

My oh my oh my oh my!
This place blew my mind.
Brussel sprouts: sweet, crispy and perfectly roasted.
Hamburger: delicious! Moist juicy patty. Nice proportion of meat, garnish, buns. I don’t feel weighed down with a ton of bricks after eating this.
Pork belly tacos: bit of a kick, sweet, slightly tangy tastes all coming together in mouthfuls of wow.
Snapper: whole, fennel, eggplant in a soy sauce. OMG! Mouthfuls of tender sweet flesh. Eggplant is so succulent and flavorful that it tasted like shiitake mushrooms. Fennel brought a sunny surprise… nice!
Donuts: light, sugared balls of lemony custard creamy heaven.
On a side note, I walked right by the front door — just a plain unmarked red door! Better signage?
Gets noisy but I will endure for my next adventure!

We enjoy 99 Park. I have been here a few times for drinks and appetizers and have not been disappointed. Pork belly tacos are YUM! Clams and mussels are great too! All their food is fresh and veggies and meat are from local farms.
The outside patio is very nice for those warm evenings.
Their wine menu is quite nice with lots of Washington wines.
Plenty of parking nearby.

Really interesting spot across from downtown Bellevue park. Eclectic menu in terms of food and drinks. Portions are a bit on the small side, but the flavor profile is there. Drinks are well made and feature a nice balance of both booze and mixers. Décor is more what you’d expect from a trendy spot in downtown Seattle (exposed wood, filament lights, etc) but it works really well with the space. Look to stop by in the summer as they have a really spacious outdoor space with comfortable seating.
One thing to keep mind before you come in, the parking lot is tiny; think postage stamp small. If you’re not walking in, the best option is to park across the street at Bellevue park.

If you enjoy good food, service and being around Bellevue– this is the place!
My husband and I had the chance to use an Amazon local deal a few months back.
Seriously, the food was all on point. If you ever get dessert here, get their donuts!!!
*a note on parking — super packed and small lot, so take your car across the street and park it at the… park (aka Bellevue park)

Exceptional and extremely attentive service! on top of that, every single dish we ordered (and we ordered a lot) was on point and so delicious. The donuts blew my mind though, so so so good!
So happy there is finally a delicious and equally cute restaurant on the eastside that is not a chain restaurant! Will be coming back to try their brunch!

The space is very nice. There’s a fair amount of patio seating as well. Parking is very limited. Smallest lot in front, then just street parking after. I originally came here for happy hour, but they also have b1g1 entrée for Microsoft Prime card, so decided just to do regular dinner instead. I think their happy hour portions are smaller, and then of course cheaper than regular menu.
I had a Pimm’s cup, which was good. The burger was nothing crazy to rave about. I really enjoyed the clams and mussels though! Good quality! Our server was kinda cold. Not particularly mean, just wasn’t very friendly/​hospitable. I would ask him something and he just answers kinda bluntly, no further like explanation about anything/​nothing more to add.
It’s kinda pricey spot. With the prime card sure, or happy hour for drinks/​small nibbles. Other than that, not sure it is a place I’d want to frequent often especially w/​the service being meh.