Bernard’s On Seneca

I love secret hiding spots and I’m glad to add Bernard’s to that list. Michael suggested coming here for breakfast. I know what you’re thinking, who meets for breakfast anymore? But Michael is one cool dude, so I ignored the bad Unilocal reviews and I wasn’t disappointed.
DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET BREAKFAST FOR $ 6 WITH COFFEE IN DOWNTOWN SEATTLE? Not breakfast sandwich: a legit plate of two eggs cooked your way, hash browns, toast, and bacon or sausage. And coffee with unlimited refill. Granted, the coffee is not the best (psssst Bernard’s mgmt: the Costco coffee is actually decent). Bernard’s is a quiet haven in the heart of downtown Seattle, a time machine that’ll take you back to the early 90s, a spot where you can quietly read the newspaper on a rickety old booth, and where they know your name and how you like your eggs cooked.
Yeah it’s kind of divey. Yeah the carpet could use some cleaning. Yeah the food is not amazing. It’s a Seinfeld diner kind of spot. I hope they stick around; we need more places like it that keep our feet on the ground.

I went here in search of good, solid breakfast food that would keep me fueled through a long day, and was not disappointed.
I ordered the Bauernfrühstück, which means «German farmers breakfast». It was basically an omelette served on top of baby red potatoes, and filled with bacon, ham, onions, and some other veggies i think. It was delicious!
The coffee was quite decent as well.
Service was warm and friendly, and it just had a cozy feel to it; like a comfortable little island of dark wooden tranquility, stuck in it’s own time and place, detached from the ever-​evolving Seattle downtown core which surrounds it.
Definitely will be back!

We were sent here for a traditional breakfast from the concierge at the crowne plaza downtown. I can’t review the food, because we never got to that point. We went to Baccos Café and Bistro and had wonderful service and food, I highly recommend.
Red flag: completely empty in a prime location
Red flag: completely empty for prices half what you’ll find anywhere else in the area
We were the only people in the restaurant, except for someone waiting for a to go order. We sat for 10 minutes without any service, we would have been happy if we had only been offered coffee.
The server was chatting with the to go customer, obviously a friend, and ignored us. We gave her 10 minutes, then got up to leave. I feel badly, she did seem surprised that we weren’t staying and asked why. We said we weren’t getting service. She said she was in the «middle of a transaction». The problem with an empty restaurant with no music is we can hear her conversation and no, she wasn’t. So she said «go somewhere else where you will be happy». We said «thank you we will.»
In short, doesn’t take much to make me happy, just a cup of coffee. Get it together.

Excellent place for breakfast. We found it by accident and were very happy we did. Food is reasonably priced and comes out quick. Breakfast menu consists of the typical American breakfast items. We had a farmers omelet that was big enough for two. Our 12 year old had sausage and eggs. Food was fresh and hot and the coffee was good. Most items o. The breakfast menu were priced around $ 6.00. We will definitely come again.

I discovered this place by accident, and I’m so happy I did. It’s the most divey, grungy, little bar in all of Seattle. The drinks are cheap, and the bartenders are friendly. When you first walk down to the bar, it feels like a dungeon, but in a comforting sort of way. The band that plays on Friday night is what really makes the place so unique, and they’re definitely worth making a trip to this hole-​in-​the-​wall. They play tons of covers, as well as some original songs. The guitarist is an incredible musician, and gets really into the songs. Jumping on tables and just rocking the fuck out.
Friday & Saturday are the best nights to go, especially if you love old school cover bands.

Bernard’s is located in the basement of the Hotel Seattle (for which pathetic excuse for a hostelry see my separate review). There’s a dark, claustrophobic, low-​ceilinged ambience. Accessibility is a problem: the elevator from the hotel lobby no longer descends to this level; but then, that hardly matters, since the lobby itself isn’t accessible either. Bernard’s is reached through a separate door next to the hotel entrance, down about ten steps. Lots of dark wood, with tables and booths, plus a separate bar area. Dining area is clean but a bit shabby, with worn upholstery on some seats. Decorative highlight is a mural based on a medieval tapestry, reportedly installed at the time of the 1962 World’s Fair and rather spottily touched up since; the text, to the extent that it’s still legible, is in what appears to be Romanian, for some reason.
During our hotel stay we had breakfast there three times, and found their offerings big, good, and reasonably priced: a number of breakfast specials consisting of eggs, hash-​browns, and a breakfast meat at $ 5.95. And a particular shout-​out to their fine sausage biscuits and gravy. Friendly, tired waitress. We didn’t try the lunch menu; no dinner service, though the bar is open into the evening. A Friday-​evening visit to the bar was a little off-​putting to this old fogey, with a happy hour crowd, as might be expected, skewing to young and loud. Happy hour deals consist of $ 2 draft beers and $ 3.50 well drinks.
The men’s room is bloody horrible: peeling paint; broken toilet seat; plaster gone from the wall at one point, exposing joists; and just generally squalid.
Summary: by all means try their breakfast, maybe even if you’re staying at another hotel in the area. But, O traveler, avoid the restrooms!

Had an early morning breakfast at Bernard’s. It felt more like a bar/​Tavern. The breakfast was OK, but could have been better. Coffee was very dilute. The carpets looked old and smelled stale. Might be a better option for an evening drink?

I come here every Friday night where they have a live band, Loud Motor. These guys are so fun and entertaining. I can’t believe the place isn’t packed wall to wall. They are a mixture of cover and originals all played as if they were all their own. Loud jumps up on the tables and rocks out on the guitar so watch your drinks!
The bar is manned by the wonderful Kat. She is so awesome! This place is a true hidden gem. It’s like a family even when it’s full of strangers.

Good brunch place hiding in a mysterious basement… i like everything except its scrambled eggs is a bit too well done for me… butttttttttttt! The waitress has been very rude to us and i wont forgive this

When I walked down into the restaurant, I was instantly bombarded with flashbacks from every Navy CPO club I ever entered in my younger days. Dark wood walls, dated carpet, and chairs that looked like they’d fall apart in the near future (one actually did when I moved wrong).
The service was good and the menu simple. I went there for breakfast, and breakfast I got. 2 eggs, 4 sausage, hash browns and toast. Can’t get much more basic than that… and there isn’t much opportunity for degrees of rating. Either it was good or bad… nothing in between.
In this case, good wins out. When really sets it over the top, is that in downtown Seattle, this little gem of breakfast simplicity only set me back $ 6. Unheard of in the city…
If you want eggs benedict with asparagus and a venti caramel machiado, you’re in the wrong place. If you want breakfast like grandma Fannie used to make, they’ve got you covered…

I love this underground bar that’s been here forever the staff is friendly and the price is right pancakes grits bacon the 2 egg breakfast is like 5.95 its quite my favorite thing about this place is that its underground

Take a stroll through the large wooden doors and down the stairs to discover the bar that will always have a special place in my heart. Were you awestruck at the sight of the mural on the wall? I was.
This establishment helped me drink away the disdain of my job for years. And the prices are great!
If you’re hungry, try the microwave popcorn. Don’t eat anything else.

Awesome cheap drinks. Great chikken wings on Fridays! The wells are cheaper than the draft beers for happy hour. They have a bottled beers as well. Great place for low key socializing with friends. They had live music one time I was there.

This place is super weird, but I like it! I visited for the first time to watch a friend’s band play. The bar sports interior wood paneling, fake flower décor, a pretty cool medieval-​inspired mural, a super odd bathroom (sheer purple curtain for a stall door), and the cheapest drinks I’ve found in Seattle ($ 2.50 wells!). I’m sure I’ll find myself there at some point in the future, and it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for something a bit different.

So I’m visiting Seattle for a week from New York, and really just wanted a diner for breakfast food one morning. This is how I stumbled upon Bernard’s.
Here’s the thing: I read the reviews and expected this place to be not great, but the long and short of it is that Bernard’s isn’t trying to be what it isn’t.
Bernard’s is actually pretty good as far as diner breakfast fare goes– the french toast was perfectly crisped around the edges and eggy throughout, my eggs were exactly as I asked, the syrup was pleasantly warmed. My only regret is that I didn’t ask for tabasco.
The décor is nothing special, but its serviceable and kept up as well as one could imagine. My waitress was friendly but essentially left me alone (which is just what I wanted), and I enjoyed listening to whatever was going on in the world according to CNBC. In a word, it was okay. Which is exactly how I want my diner experiences to be.
Overall, I’d say go for it.

Went back for the second time for lunch today. Before I went the first time I read the Unilocal reviews and sort of knew what to expect. The first time I had the bavarian burger (Think Reuben on a hamburger) it was alright. Today I had the weiner schnitzel, it was pretty good too. If you think about the old saying ‘You get what you pay for’, they are above the bar. Weiner schnitzel and an IPA out the door for $ 13.
While it is dingy, fraying, and could use some touch ups, I will be back again. For lunch I think it is going to be a couple fridays a month place for me and my work colleagues. Especially in the location, everything around it SUPER expensive
TL;DR Don’t go in with high expectations and you might just find you are pleasantly surprised.

We were looking for a breakfast spot and came across Bernard’s by accident. What a lucky surprise. Great tasting Eggs Benedict!

The Most Unpretentious Bar in Seattle
Just steps from 5^th Avenue, and moments away from some of Seattle’s most upscale cocktail, entertainment, and dining locations, I found a most refreshing experience. Bernard’s on Seneca, may be the friendliest, most un-​hip, un-​trendy, un-​cool bar I’ve ever walked in to in all of Seattle. However, after walking through its weathered wooden doors, and after my initial fears subsided, I found an experience I never could have anticipated.
It just so happened that I had parked out front of this spirited sage and was heading back to my car, planning to travel back to the eastside for an early evening in, when I entered its doors on a whim. With a flimsy sandwich board offering $ 2.50 wells, and its voice letting the subtle strings of the common man’s guitar slip through, I couldn’t resist. I watched some live, acoustic, locals play folk favorites and crowd sing-​alongs, while I shrunk in the corner waiting in anxiety… unwarranted anxiety.
It turned out to be as welcoming as a group of friends conversing and singing songs around a bonfire. I’ll admit it smelled a little off and I got some funny looks from some of the old-​timers, but it was well worth it. The drinks were inexpensive, the people were pleasant, and the bar staff made me feel like I’d been coming there for years, no matter how odd I felt among that small crowd. They weren’t boasting their humble nature, no one was expected to advocate any sports, cultural, religious, or political affiliations, and there was no unnecessary pride looming over the place for being an exceptional dive, or some kind of eccentric hole-​in-​the-​wall.

Cheers to the unexpected, and long live Bernard’s on Seneca!

Charming place! It’s got just enough Old World Seattle feel to be awesome. It’s totally unassuming about it, too. It feels like an old Speakeasy. There should be a jazz band, lounge singer in a slinky dress, and everyone should be sparkling and smoking with long cigarette holders.
I came here to see a local band play and had a great time. There was only one bartender to the whole place (40+ people), and she was fabulous! Drinks were a little slower than I’d like (don’t blame her in the least), but her attitude never wavered.
The best word I have to describe this place is COMFORTABLE. It’s just the right amount of dive and neighborly-​feeling. There was someone there with a beer and a book who just sat reading almost the entire time, and that is just the kind of place this is. I’d definitely come back to hang out and maybe try some of the food that other Unilocalers have mentioned.

I can only comment on the breakfast at Bernard’s and it is amazing! The scrambled eggs are fluffy and light, not over done and they don’t bounce. The pancakes are excellent. And, Hubby very much likes the corned beef hash. I don’t eat corned beef hash, but he has it everywhere and if he says it is good, then it probably is.
But my favorite part about Bernard’s is the price. You can get big filling breakfasts for two people for under $ 15. It is very affordable.