FareStart

The service was very slow. It took 50 minutes for my food to arrive. This is for a Friday lunch.
The food was great. I finished two plates of food. I love the tenderness of the chicken breast on the caesar salads and steak.
I would definitely come back again next month for the great food but in a less busy time.

Atmos: Large, open, offset double decked. Very busy during the lunch hour.
Service: Friendly!
Tea: Nah. They serve Tazo tea. I wish they would pair up with a local tea maker like Choice or Smacha or someone else in the area. Tazo is meh tea.
Vegetarian Food: Great! I’ve tried everything vegetarian on their menu and it’s all great!
Today:
Roast Beet Salad: Delicious! A great balance of ingredients and a great combination of salty and sweet
Fries: Yum! Yum! My favorite fries in town! I think these are battered. They are not overly salty — they are perfect in flavor and texture.
I always love what I get here. I hope they start experimenting with new vegetarian options though because it gets a bit boring after a while

Amazing food with an amazing cause. No wonder it’s always packed. Definitely be coming again. If you don’t want to take chances go with pork or blackened salmon sandwich. And yes, don’t forget the tomato basil soup.

I’ve been to FareStart for dinner and really like the goal of FareStart to get those that need a second chance/​back on the ground with practical culinary/​kitchen skills training. Although I’ve never been to their lunch sitting, the dinner one was quite good. For dinner, there’s a rotating list of local Seattle Chefs who come in to teach individuals on how to prepare 3 course meals. You can either participate at FareStart by helping wait the table or dine a 3-​course dinner there to support the cause (for a really reasonable price!).
The food is pretty good, but don’t expect anything too fancy. You get a choice or two for appetizer /​main course. For the price and the cause though, I think the meal is definitely worth it. Dinner you almost always want to make a reservation. The place seems to be booked everytime I try to look into a table for dinner at the last minute.
If you’ve never been to FareStart, check it out! Dine a delicious meal and provide support for your community at the same time!

I really enjoyed this place. I love their mission and what they stand for. It’s great to have something like this in Belltown where there are so many homeless people. I stopped by for lunch on a Friday and thank goodness I made a reservation. The place was packed and they were understaffed but handling it well. This place seems to be the hottest new place for local works on lunch. Food was fresh and very well presented. I would like to see the server staff be a bit more attentive. Overall, I would recommend.

This restaurant is awesome!
Great mission and purpose.
The food is delicious! I highly recommend their crab melt, which comes on an open faced Texas sized toast, with melted cheese and super generous amounts of crab.
Equally delicious is their salmon that came with vegetables (forgot the name).
Instead of «tipping,» this place has a spot for donations on your bill. Always a great feeling knowing that you’re supporting a good cause.
Make a reservation for lunchtime. It gets packed.

The reason I was disappointed on food was that I had to order from a prix fixe lunch menu, because we were a large group. I would prefer going to somewhere else then.

I have volunteered twice at FareStart on guest chef night. FareStart has an admirable business model and philosophy on re-​entry programs for folks who need a second chance, third chance. just a chance.
I am not going to lie, their food is almost always good and the student chefs have amazing stories. I had the privilege of volunteering as both a waitress and food runner. Both are really fun but I loved being the food runner because I got to see into the kitchen and meet some of the students. It was a great experience.
Of course, my back did not agree with me after volunteer night but the food afterwards was well worth it. The guest chef the night I volunteered was Erickson Pak. He’s a talented Korean American chef who is the exec chef at Dragonfish, another lovely place to grab happy hour downtown. He had a great menu that looks like this:
Menu
First Course
CITRUS ARUGULA SALAD
Radish, Cucumber, Citrus-​Soy Vinaigrette
Entrée
PORK BELLY KIMCHI BUNS
Served with cucumber and lemongrass soy reduction
ALDERWOOD PLANKED VEGETABLES*
With Lemongrass Wheatberries
Dessert
CIDER DONUTS
With 5-​Spice sorbet
So worth it.
By the way, tips do not exist at FareStart. Instead of a tip, they suggest giving a donation. The donations go back into investing into the program to give people another chance.
You’ll leave feeling happy, full, and full of gratitude for the privilege and luck that you’ve encountered in the world to get to where you are by the grace of your own ambition and the people who support you.

I love the idea and concept of FareStart.
We decided to go to one of their «Guest Chef» Nights and were curious about the experience and the food.
At first, we were ignored for a few minutes until we were asked if we have a reservation (we had one). Then we had to wait for more than 10 minutes until we were guided to our nice table upstairs. Our volunteer waitress greeted us friendly and brought some water and bread.
We ordered some drinks and waited for the first course, what gave us the chance to observe the hurly-​burly in the restaurant. On top of the slight chaos a film team was maneuvering through the restaurant, filming the scene and interviewing some people.
The first course, caramelized baby roots, was interesting and tasted pretty good. If it wasn’t ice cold it would have tasted even a bit better I think.
The Main course followed shortly after, cooked guinea fowl with the big number of 3 (!) noodles. The taste was really good, but absolutely not enough for a hungry belly.
The dessert was a big disappointment for me, I tried it but handed it over to my hungry companion.
I really tried to like it. I still go with the concept of FareStart and think about trying their lunch, but for this night I have to say, that I was really underwhelmed.
Many people seem to be there to «see and be seen», maybe that’s what this evening is for.
But paying over 70 $ for 2 people and leaving still hungry is not my kind of dining out, even if it’s for a good cause.

Great spot for lunch! Can’t wait to come back and try more of the menu. Had the Chicken Tarragon Salad Sandwich. Delicious!

How I heard of this place: It was over a decade ago when I first learned of Farestart, its mission and the reason I often recommend the space to friends and colleagues interested in a lunchtime restaurant suggestion.
Type of cuisine: Five star food served in a modern setting and three star prices. Extraordinary and well-​known local chefs offer their time and energy to provide training and expertise in crafting beautiful fare for the masses at (more) affordable prices.
Ambiance: Chic, spacious and sleek, the tall ceilings, glorious windows casting natural light across the establishment, clean lines and ambient colors make for a truly warm welcome as one enters Farestart.
What I ordered: With an ever-​changing, seasonal menu, my sister-​in-​law and I both ordered the Sweet Potato Gnocchi ($ 14.95 each) with braised Painted Hills beef, lacinato kale demi glaze and horseradish cream. My husband selected a Farestart Favorite, The Farestart Beef Burger ($ 11.95) for a Painted Hills grass fed beef patty ground in house daily and served on a toasted brioche roll with a side of Caesar Salad. (We shared a side of fries to start!)
What I loved: The fries! Perfectly doughy inside, crisp exterior and great until the last bite!
Why I loved it: Beautifully prepared and presented meals with rich flavors and a variety of textures enticing the tastebuds at each bite. And a mission worth supporting at every turn.
Cost: Average ($ 10 — $ 15 per lunchtime entrée)

I came here for a birthday lunch celebration. None of us had been here before and we mostly came because many in our party are vegetarian and we were told fare start has good vegetarian options.
First of all, the concept of a non profit restaurant dedicated to helping disadvantaged people get back on there feet by training them as chefs… is something I definitely want to support. I would go to such a place even if the food was not top quality. But this place is the real jackpot because not only is it all of those things, but the food and the service is GREAT on top of that.
The menu is about 50% vegetarian so if that is important to you, farestart is accommodating of that. The also have some tasty meat and fish options. And the desserts are fabulous. We had a very tasty banana pudding.
They have pretty nonstandard hours however, so make sure you are aware of that before you go. Essentially they are only open for lunch, m-​f; and dinner on Thursdays.
Overall, fantastic experience and I look forward to dining here again.

If this place was cheaper, I would eat here everyday. The food is amazing! I love the idea of an experimental kitchen and the fact that the menu changes every week. The service isn’t bad either. Sure it can get slow at times, but it’s super popular during lunch time and the food is so good, it’s forgivable. There was once when the bacon chocolate chip cookies took too long, so they gave it to us, free of charge.
The restaurant itself is very aesthetically pleasing! Upstairs and downstairs seating. I remember the first time I was browsing Unilocal for places to eat nearby, someone mentioned that they’d love to have their wedding here. I thought it was an odd remark, but after I went there, it’s definitely understandable.

Flew into Seattle on a Thursday and Frarestart was where we ended up for lunch. There is a small lunch menu consisting of a few sandwiches and salads. I ordered the salmon sandwich and the sauce spread on it was very sweet, wasn’t bad but wasn’t exceptional. I believe this place to be better for dinner as they have featured chefs.

I was beyond impressed with everything this place had to offer. I am so in love with the concept and what this restaurant represents. We will be coming back soon and hopefully volunteering here as well. Let me briefly list why I loved it:
1) the service was pleasant and quick, we had lunch with an appetizer in 45 minutes.
2) the food was tasty! We shared the bruschetta and had the fish and chips and turkey sandwich
3) the prices are very reasonable and in lieu of tips they suggest a donation! Who wouldn’t want to give to this great cause?
Go check it out!

I really love the concept of FareStart. I’ve volunteered there in the past and the program is excellent, providing a program and second chance to those enrolled. The location is excellent, downtown and with its own private space. The facilities can be rented out for catering, parties, celebrations, etc. all at a reasonable price.
I attended the FareStart Chef Guest Night featuring Chef Hsiao-​Ching Chou, Chinese Soul Food. Unfortunately I cannot say I enjoyed this meal. The meat was tough, vegetables lacked taste and the plating of the dishes was not consistent. Being Chinese myself and being no professional cook at all, both my husband and I agree that we could prepare the same dishes better. Our table of 3 each ate less than half of each dish, except for the dessert.
First course: Hot and sour soup, with crispy scallion pancakes
Hot and sour soup was not hot at all. It was sour. The scallion pancakes were not crispy, they were soft and moist.
Second course: Grass-​fed beef brisket braised with soy sauce, spices, ginger and garlic. Served with jasmine rice, pickles and aquaponic lettuces from This Is Odd Urban Farm.
The beef was tough and it lacked the «hong sao» flavor that was intended. The vegetables consisted of carrots, lettuce and pickled vegetables. The plating of the vegetables was not consistent among our 3 plates as I had very few carrots whereas our friend had almost all carrots and only one piece of lettuce. The vegetables were rather bland.
Third course: Almond cake with Frog Hollow peach compote and whipped cream
This combination was interesting as I have never had peach before with almond cake. The chef described the cake as being a sponge cake, however the cake was dense and not the typical sponge cake consistency you would find in an Asian restaurant.
Nevertheless, I still like the concept of having guest chefs and the business model of FareStart, so I will be back again in the future, probably not for Asian food though.

I am so happy and blessed to recommend this as an excellent restaurant, as a cool spot to volunteer, and as a saintly organization that is doing incredible and important work in Seattle. The impact of this organization goes far, far beyond its front door and deserves our support and love.
Do yourself a favor and volunteer in the contract kitchen… you’ll work side by side with the students in the program and some of the chef instructors, preparing meals for community centers and shelters. It is really fun and the best way to get exposed to this organization.
Added bonus: the genius who started FareStart is also the genius who invented Field Roast (yummmmmm).

I made reservations here on a Thursday night to grab dinner with my friend after hearing about the «Guest Chef» night. I highly recommend making a reservation at least a week in advance if you plan on attending and want a good dinner time. I ended up getting a reservation at 6:15pm even though I made a reservation pretty early on in the week.
The thing you have to know about this place is that it’s a non-​profit program and the servers are volunteers. The «students» cooking your food are also people who are given a second opportunity at a new job because of unfortunate events that occurred in their lives before. Now, some of you reading this review probably don’t care about it, but I thought it was really touching, especially when they had their graduation ceremony when I was there (which was a complete surprise!).
But I wouldn’t rate this place 5 stars if the food wasn’t good. Every dish that was served was on point, and it came out pretty quickly too. None of the dishes I had were too salty or sweet, and each dish was flavorful. The sauce that was served with the halibut was amazing and complemented it very well. The dessert, a chocolate peanut butter tart, was also spectacular, as it wasn’t too sweet. I could tell that the peanut brittle on the side was definitely freshly made and was delicious. The whole meal was well worth the $ 30.
To top it off, the service was great. Even though all the servers were volunteers, they were courteous and probably better than the service I’ve had at other restaurants where servers were paid.
Overall, I loved it here. It’s a good place for a date as well, since it’s in between casual and up-​scale. Plus for $ 30 for a 3 course meal, it’s definitely worth it.

My experience eating here was fine, the food just didn’t wow me. I sort of had higher expectations maybe from reading other reviews or looking at pictures. but my food was just alright. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t feel like it was anything extraordinary. I got a crispy pork sandwich. The soup of the day however was southwest chicken tortilla which is really great!
BUT – food aside, the mission of this restaurant is incredible! They don’t serve alcohol in the day, only at night (reason being some of the students here are recovering). I love that this place provides opportunities to those who are disadvantaged & homeless. Their missions is «Great Food. Better Lives.»
The Guest chef nights seem cool but it’s on Thursdays during the week so we missed that. Definitely check it out if you’re looking for something different. And all of your tips go to support their organization! Awesome.

FareStart is a very clean and well-​decorated restaurant. Upon entering, it felt very fancy and up-​scale, with two floors of seating and an open kitchen. The restaurant has a great mission and backstory; I think what they do for the community is amazing. The food is a bit pricey, but it’s understandable because the money is going toward a good purpose by providing opportunities for those less privileged/​disadvantaged. However, the food that we ordered was only okay, but I think it was because I was expecting a bit of a gourmet-​style.
My friend and I split the FareStart burger and the BBQ pulled pork sandwich with a green bean salad and salmon chowder for sides. The burger wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and tasted like your average burger. They had actually messed up our order and forgot to include the cheese, but were more than glad to ensure that we weren’t charged extra. The BBQ pork sandwich had a really good BBQ sauce and the pork was tender, but was also not anything extremely unique.