Cassis

Sublime dinner. It was a Monday, not crowded, so service was excellent and the pacing was perfect. All of the dishes were prepared with care. I felt that I got excellent value and a very satisfying experience. I will return.

Delicious food! I’m not fond of French cuisine (only their pastries and other sweets). But I brought my mom to Cassis for her birthday as a special treat (yes prices are on the higher end). I was pleased to find a vegetarian dish that I loved (the lentil stuffed acorn squash). It was the right balance of texture and flavor. The dessert was just as exquisite!

Really enjoyed our dinner tonight where we ordered off of the happy hour menu. Tried the pâté, mussels, clams, and the chocolate pudding dessert.

Delightful dinner with very good service and delicious food. We had cocktails, pâté du jour, two entrees, wine, dessert and coffee.

Not your typical fancy French restaurant…
Ok, I’ve only been here once, but I loved it and will return!
I wish Alki had more places like this. It was intimate, great for a date night, without being pretentious. I’ve lived in West Seattle for over 2 years, and I can’t believe I just now discovered this place.
It appears that the menu changes every month. The duck breast that I had in September is no longer on the menu. But it was truly amazing, and I hope they bring it back. If they don’t, I’m sure that whatever else I try will be excellent as well.
Great location on Alki, perfect for leaving dinner and going for a walk on the beach.

Best restaurant on Alki, hands down. Friendly staff and owner make you feel very much at home from the moment you walk in the door. Don’t be afraid to dine at the bar, close to the wine pour! The food is always tasty and fresh. We’ve never had a less than great meal there EVER! Best Steak Frites and pâté you will find but their fish du jour never disappoints.

Alki, flat out, needs more places like this. One of the most beautiful beach front strips in the northwest is far too cluttered with fast food type establishments that cater to summer crowds and bore winter crowds.
Cassis is a jewel, and will hopefully inspire more restaurant options of this quality to the neighborhood. It is a fantastic date night spot but even better, on cool quiet weekday evenings with the sun setting and the shutters open the experience can be magical. Fantastic service and a delicious variety of food to explore and enjoy. Its always a bit tricky to recommend any particular dish since people’s taste with French cuisine is varied. Steak tartar and Pâté du Jour here is absolutely amazing but not for everyone, but they balance it with options such pasta and lamb dishes. Everything is very high quality no matter how adventurous you’re feeling.
The price is on the «higher» end for the area, but overall pretty average for Seattle which makes it a small bargain for this level of restaurant. Highly recommend it.

We had a positively lovely date night here! We had a table with a lovely view of an Alki sunset with excellent service, delicious wine and decadent food. I had been scared off from this place before because it was a French restaurant and the menu items were listed in French and it seemed a bit pretentious. Once we were in the restaurant, we felt very comfortable. Wait staff was more than happy to answer questions about what I didn’t understand on the menu and made sure we were comfortable throughout the evening. We’d love to come back here!

Oh dear… Up until yesterday we LOVED Cassis… the very sad news is that Emily (the amazing bartender) has left Cassis and taken her incredible drink menu with her. We went last night, and I had a craving for her superb Redheaded Stepchild drink, but​.no. Neither Emily nor the makings of this crazy good cocktail were to be found. They no longer have the wines on tap either. They had an awesome Gruner… it is gone too. The apps from the happy hour menu were ok, the pâté last night was completely flavorless. We also ordered the pork chop which was cooked perfectly, but was served with something they were calling a dumpling, which was nothing more than a blob of gluey dough on the inside and hard on the outside. Meh. I guess it is back to Blackboard Bistro for a guaranteed perfect meal. Rats!

Happy Hour till 6pm was great! mussels were good, cheese platter excellent. The normal entrée’s, like the bouillabaisse, were on the small side (like appetizer size) for the price, but tasted good. Next time we’ll stick with the Happy Hour menu!
Service was good!

Love this place. Knowledgeable, personable waitstaff, delicious food, great drinks and waterfront view. The frites are always excellent. On my last visit I had a perfectly done, flavorful young leek risotto and a spring pea salad — both amazing. Also tried the tequila cocktail — Hola Adieu — and it’s a new favorite. Highly recommend.

Steak tartar! Five stars. And if you are like me and thought cassoulet was full of tasteless white beans and peasant food then this is the place to reset that. Best. Cassoulet. Ever. Made.
I mean it. Stunning!
Oh! Oh! A special of horseradish crusted sweetbreads! Magnificent!

My first experience here. frisee salad with poaced egg, simple, sophisticated, delicious, two glasses of nalbec later and a great piece of king salmon with true al dente veggies. I’m a fan. Sat at the bar, exceptional drink concoctions! All in all I will be back.

Best ‘date restaurant’ on Alki? Quite possibly; read on…
Every now and again I have a dining experience that leaves me fairly champing at the bit to share with everyone and write a great review. This is one of those times, and I honestly hope I do this establishment justice.
Let’s face it, Seattle simply isn’t a French restaurant town. We are lousy with great Italian, Asian, gastropubs, and what-​have-​you, but as far as French restaurants worth talking about, well, you can probably count them on the fingers of one hand. Happily, West Seattle has one of them, and it’s Cassis.
WHO SHOULD GO: Foodies, anyone who’s either (1) been to France, (2) wants to go, or (3) just wants an honest French ‘bistro’ experience.
WHO SHOULDN’T GO: Anyone who regularly patronizes Olive Garden, Claim Jumper, or has ever called the French ‘cheese eating surrender monkeys’. Do yourself (and us) a favor, go back to Cheesecake Factory. You’ll never ‘get’ this place.
A little prequel: I love France, and I am partial to any establishment that can truly capture the essence of ‘la vie Francais’. One of my favorite movies is the seminal Jaques Tati comedy, «Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday». Set in the picturesque village of Saint-​Marc-​sur-​mer, and the bistro of the Hotel de la Plage, this really leaves me longing for the more relaxed times when people could enjoy good food in a relaxed setting with a waterfront view. Happily, Cassis delivers the seaside bistro experience in spades!
THE ROSES: Where does one start??? The space is airy and peaceful, with lovely scenes from French cinema and various art on the wall. Of course the best view is right out front at Puget Sound, with the ferries and all going by. The staff is exemplary from the top down. The owner, Jeff, circulates through the dining room with practiced ease, greeting regulars here, describing a dish there. Whether you’re a regular or new, you are truly left with the feeling that your presence here is truly appreciated. The rest of the staff is equally delightful; attractive but extremely professional, you start to wonder if you’ve wandered into a movie set.
And then there’s the food: forget everything you think you know about French cuisine. You think it’s complex, excessively rich, and prohibitively expensive? Think again, friendo! There is a reason why, as the book title says, «French Women Don’t Get Fat». The dishes here have exquisite flavor, but don’t leave you feeling like an Airbus A380 waddling down the taxiway to the longest runway. Our beet salad was such a delight to the eye, it was a shame to eat it. The cream of mushroom soup was light and delicate, with a lovely mushroom flavor. Steak frites featured a cut of aged beef that would be quite at home at Daniel’s or El Gaucho (but at a much more agreeable price!), and the pasta special was creative, well-​balanced, and well, brilliant! Pastries are well-​executed, and made in house, and the kumquat sorbet is nothing less than a revelation!
Another rose is their cocktails and drink pricing. They feature a large list of really clever artisan cocktails at very reasonable prices. They also boast a really fine wine list, but have some very nicely priced house wines for those who understand and appreciate having a ready glass of ‘vin ordinaire’ to accompany every bite of their delicious cuisine.
The pacing of service is, well, not slow, but it is leisurely. If you’ve got a curtain time to make, be sure to let your server know, so that they can speed things up for you. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and enjoy a dining experience the way it’s meant to be!
THE THORNS: Charging for bread. Okay, I ‘get’ that better restaurants charge for a basket of really nice bread (in this case lovely demi-​baguettes from Tom Douglas’ Macrina Bakery), but if you don’t think to order it, what will you have to sop up every last bit of their delightful soups, sauces, and dressings? I personally feel there should always be a basket of bread at the table with the meal. Normally, this would cost a star, but Cassis is so exemplary in every other way, I’ll let them off with a warning.
THE VERDICT: Alki is lousy with overpriced burger joints, chippies, and pizza. Cassis is the third leg of Alki’s triumvirate of truly fine dining (joining Beach Drive’s La Rustica and the nearby Phoenicia). I also think it is probably one of the best ‘date restaurants’ in West Seattle. Seriously, if you want to really impress a ‘top chick’, are you going to take them to a burger joint, a formulaic ‘bro-​ville’ like Cactus, or are you going to try to show them that you have a little more sophistication than the typical ‘brogrammer’? The best part is, it’s top drawer dining that won’t break your budget!
By all means check them out!

When you’re on vacation, it’s always hard to pick a romantic dinner spot. Recommended to us by locals, my husband and I decided to come and try it out. Using the Unilocal online reservation system, making a reservation for 2 on Friday night was easy.
Parking was a little tricky, there is an adjacent parking garage but only for a few cars and meant for compact cars. So leave that giant Hummer at home and bring that tiny eco-​friendly car. Who am I kidding, this is Seattle and nobody drives anything other than a bicycle.
Once inside, the atmosphere is dark and cozy. Stand at the very front and somebody will come and seat you according to your reservation.
The menu is French and before you order dinner, look over their cocktail menu and order something exotic. I ordered something fruity and strong, I guess it was good because I don’t remember a thing.
Now onto the appetizers: I got the steamed mussels and they were perfect and divine. Perfectly cleaned and perfectly steam they were delectable.
For dinner, I had the duck. Oh my God, can I tell you how much I love duck? This duck was perfectly cooked and moist. It was meaty and tender. Definitely do yourself a favor and order this.
For dessert we ordered the chocolate lava cake which requires about 15 minutes ahead of time to prepare. Once you break into the warm chocolatey gooeyness, your mouth will be in heaven. The cake and filling are not overly sweet and yet decadent and leave you with an amazing mouth feel. Mmmm yeah.?Perfectly paired with fresh fruit, it was divine.
Everything here was perfect. The service was impeccable, our water was always filled and our waiter was very attentive.
I will be back the next time I’m in town.

I peeked into the warmly lit window to see the wooden floors and plush environment, and tables packed with people in my parents age range. I was surprised, I thought” what here on Alki there is a place with a blue plate special? No there isn’t a blue plate special. BUT apparently, It is where the baby boomers tend to hang out if they are dining on Alki. So I thought this wouldn’t be my scene, except a few times when I had a drink there with a friend that just loves it.
Then something magical happened, It didn’t seem so magical at the time, but my husband and I walked down to go to Cactus after a particularly hard day at work for both of us. But it was too crowded. We stood for a minute, and craving some Proletariat Wine, we thought you know what they have that nextdoor!.Okay we’ll go hang out with the Baby Boomers and see what the hubbub is… and get some Proletariat Wine on Tap (If you haven’t tried this super tasty, always fresh and super good wine. come just to do that!) We were seated right away next to a young couple *Gasp* and had a wonderful server who immediately appeared with our wine! Then I ordered the steak frites and my husband got a special pasta I believe. And we were BLOWN AWAY. the food was amazing. The service was spectacular and it was everything we would want for a nice night out. Truly a nice place to come, maybe the boomers have a trick up their sleeve I wasn’t expecting? could be… right?
Now you ask, why the four stars. That one is kinda simple. I reserve 5 for super super spectacular, but also I find it to be slightly overpriced. Good but overpriced. Still. I will, and already have, been back to this lovely little secret in Alki! DO IT!

Where do I begin…
Service — good
Drinks — good
Food — dreadful
French onion soup — at a French bistro I don’t expect the French onion soup to have onions that haven’t been fully cooked, or broth that is bland and under seasoned, but this is what I got.
Cassoulet — this had all the components of a cassoulet, however it fell short when it came to execution. Beans were undercooked, broth was again fairly bland. The pork belly was chewy, and the duck confit was dry. This felt more like a bowl of beans with a little meat on top that was placed in the oven.
Pasta Du Jour — today it was Penne, this was clearly box pasta that spent about two minutes too long in the water. The sauce was pretty bad as well.
I’m not so upset that the food was bad, I’m more upset that someone actually took the time and effort to create this terrible food. Either the chef was off tonight, or he simply doesn’t care about the product he puts on the table. Either way I’m terribly disappointed with my experience!

The food, the atmosphere, the service, all fantastic. The menu had some amazing and varied options and the food was to die for while being very reasonably priced. The atmosphere was very cozy and intimate; perfect for a rainy, cold evening. Can’t wait to try this place in the summertime!

Ocean breeze, delicious food, friendly owner Jef, and attentive staff. We enjoyed a cassis cocktail that was strong & good, a huge salad frisée with egg on top, crispy pork belly & polenta. Chocolate cake, and a tasty apéritif. We then walked on the beach. Fabulous.

Of the bajillion places that have popped up in Seattle claiming to be bistros his one really is. Meaning a local neighborhood places with good food and alcohol, but also a place to relax and feel at home. In Paris people feel so comfortable they bring their dogs in and even let them eat from the table (ick).
Hopefully no dogs are allowed inside but this place is cozy warm and friendly. My wife and I both noticed that no one was rushing to leave which meant that everyone was truly feeling relaxed and happy. That’s a rare thing to see in this see and be seen, rush and go culture.
The food is really good too. The duxelle timballe is really great with a buttery savory flavor. The beef cheeks confit were good but a little dried out although the rhubarb sauce that came with it was great. There was an okay hamburger and very nice grilled asparagus and proscuitto. We had the beignets and rhubarb crepes with chantilly cream for dessert and they were great.
I can see walking down here on a drizzly afternoon, having some wine and a few appetizers and watching the boats pass by off of alki.