Palace Ballroom

I had no idea Palace Ballroom existed — it is a private event space across the street from Palace Kitchen in Belltown, a place I’ve visited so many times in the past.
The Ballroom is a great event space for a small company — the food was decent, I appreciated the wine selection and open bar, and it was pretty spacious — maybe good for up to 200 to comfortably mingle (though I’m sure a bit more could fit).
For those looking for catering advice:
* Order again: lemon merengue bites (YESS!)
* Pretty good: Brussels sprouts, kale salad, meatballs (standard), chocolate tart (meh)
* Don’t order: maple cake (too sweet), chicken (tiny bit dry and hard to eat, chocolate tart (meh).

If I was rating this event space on the ambiance of the space & excellent food alone, there would be 5 stars. We experienced a bait & switch routine though, that unfavorably tainted the experience. Last year, the event coordinator & bar staff working our party, did not honor the contract, regarding beverage. Their inattention to the agreement, to serve the wines provided by the wedding couple (for a generous corkage fee), elevated the bar tab to double the pre-​negotiated price. We were shocked that the bar tab was reached early on in the event. But we approved that the limit be raised, so that our guests were not charged for their bar drinks. At the end of the event, however, we discovered that the bar staff did not pour the excellent wine that we had provided. While gathering our belongings at the end of the party, the bar staff returned our several cases of unopened wine from under the bar counter. In debriefing with guests later, we discovered that they were not offered the wines that we provided & were asked to pay for their drinks mid-​way through the event. Shame on the Palace Ballroom
bar-​staff & event coordinator.

I’ve come here for a few private events now, and it’s been a great experience every time. It gets a bit noisy at times depending on the day like if there are random garbage trucks near by or what not, but the space is huge and the food is usually catered by Tom Douglas, aka delicious.
It would be a great place for a wedding reception or just a fun company party.

Attended a wedding here in August 2014: now I have a model for how I would want my wedding to be. Intimate and more minimalist but sleek and and accommodating. Service food by local chef Tom Douglas which the bride and groom personally picked out for their guests – very delicious and served family style. The host staff was patient friendly and genuine and set a great atmosphere.

We had our wedding at The Palace Ballroom and it was everything we hoped it would be — excellent service staff (can’t say this enough, they were so fabulous), BEAUTIFUL interior, food was AWESOME. 15.00 corkage fee (which is not outrageous) so we were able to go to wine world and pick out our own wine, which with corkage was still cheaper than the wine they had on their menu. We really appreciated them bringing in pony kegs for us of a different IPA they had on tap at the Bravehorse Tavern.
The only negative experience we had was with the sales woman Rebecca. We felt she wasn’t organized, we had trouble getting ahold of her at times, and she sometimes came off as rude. That being said, she ran an excellent tasting.
Overall, we loved having our wedding here. It wasn’t cheap, but if its in your budget its a great place to consider!

I photographed a wedding here and it was the best wedding food I’ve ever had. Interesting, quality, farm-​to-​table ingredients. Much appreciated with all the generic, bland wedding food out there.
More recently, we photographed a rehearsal dinner here and the food was incredible once again. But the real cherry on top was the staff that took care of us, even though we were working and not guests. They went out of their way to make sure we were well fed and when I turned down dessert because I was too full, they sent us home with a boxed dessert! I thought that was so thoughtful and generous.
The buffet table was beautiful and had fresh floral arrangements. There’s a cozy lobby with seating and tall windows. They make it so easy to host an event here.
They really go above and beyond with food, presentation, and service.

I came here on Saturday night for a wedding. The venue is very beautiful, looks like it comfortable holds about a 100 people. Staff were very efficient and professional. The food was actually quite amazing. I’m assuming this place is a Tom Douglas joint, so all the Tom Douglas menu items were nice. The Molly Moons ice cream was especially a nice touch. I do not know all the details of the wedding I went to, i.e. if the DJ was provided by Palace Ballroom or not, but if it was, they were very good.
Only complaints I can think about, viewing of the ceremony itself wasn’t the best in certain areas, i.e. Pillar blocking the walkway for a row or two. Chefs maybe too efficient. i.e. I ordered the beef, they had mushroom risotto for the vegetarians. REALLY wanted to try it and asked if perhaps they had any extra in the back just to sample, and I was told a flat out nope.
Either way definitely a nice spot to get married or throw a party. I sadly do not know the pricing, but I assume it’s reasonable.

Good job Tom Douglas for having such a good venue to host events. The service was really good, coat check was easy, and the entire venue was just very warm and welcoming. I had not paid much attention to it before, but walking toward it, I loved the curtains and blue lighting from the outside because it looked very retro. With the location, I almost feel like I could have a Mad Men themed party here.
Catered food was very ordinary, but the taste was actually passable compared to some big venues where the food is just placed there as a hunger holder. The location is accommodating for any event it hosts, so definitely a good location if you want to host a corporate or even a tiny reception. If you arrange the room in such a way, you would definitely be able to get a more spacious look. Again, the people who work here are so pleasant to talk to; I really felt cozy in such a wonderful place.

Great venue with amazing food. Better for BIG parties, though (Think 100 people, not just 25 – 50) and very flexible. I’ve seen dance floors, open bars, dinner table setups, stand-​up events with just a few tables scattered around, etc. There’s a nice area in the front where people can chill out and get away from the party for a few minutes, too, which is fun. It’s significantly cheaper to book Monday-​Thursday and Friday-​Sunday. Duh, but just FYI!
Also FYI, other tom Douglas establishments may not charge you to book a smaller private dining room so you’d just have to pay for food & beverage, whereas here you’d have to pay to book the space and also cover any f&b costs on top of that. But I’d say it’s worth it, because it’s a wonderful and flexible space.

This is a gorgeous venue for a private party!
I thought it was spacious but also somehow felt really cozy. The draping curtains and the polished woods feel luxurious, and everything is clean. Street parking is not difficult at all to find, and surface parking lot spaces are available nearby if necessary.

Came here for a professional event and loved the space! The staff was top-​notch, very friendly, and the (Tom Douglas) food was delicious.
It’s in a good spot with plenty of parking options around and seems like a perfect little venue if you have a small– to medium-​sized event.

Fantastic event space. After coming to a few events here I am certain that this is one of the best spaces for corporate or private events in the city. It’s centrally located, you can find street or lot parking right nearby, it’s close to the Lightrail and even the Monorail.
The carpets are clean, the tall windows are are drawn together with big, heavy, soft curtains, and the entire space just feels warm, romantic, and welcoming.
Owned by Tom Douglas, you can’t go wrong with the catering options here. The food is awesome and at an event I recently attended, it felt like and endless, buttery, tasty supply of treats. Sliders, biscuits, fried chicken, you name it — I ate it. No, I ate TONS of it!
For standing room I’d guess that this space is good for about 300 – 350 guests. For a wedding you could easily place large round tables around the space, make room for a dance floor and possibly host a wedding of up to 100 people. I’m just estimating here so it’d be best to check their website or make a call — but we had about 200 people here for an event recently and it felt like we had tons of space for more guests. Very lovely space. I don’t think I’ll ever turn down an event hosted here.

Attended a wedding here. It’s a nice space with plenty of parking (mostly pay, but not overly expensive). I believe the food was catered by the venue, and the food was very good. Family style. I know my friends must have spent a pretty penny on it :)
Their bar selection was ok, but they were out of rye whisky (supposedly temporarily… oh well).
The bartenders were competent enough. The venue is also in a nice area so you can definitely go out to other bars after (and within walking distance).

The food here was so good I thought I was eating in a Tom Douglas restaurant!

Having been to Palace Ballroom on two different occasions: one wedding and recently a Valentine’s day 4 course dinner.
Both times I’ve enjoyed the amazing atmosphere the staff has put on. They really are on it with making the details down from the horderves to the dessert. Of course being a Tom Douglas restaurant you will not regret any seafood item on the menu! Take my advice and always get the salmon! Always!
For the Valentine’s dinner, the staff was wonderful and incredibly attentive! They pulled out all the stops in addition to the 3 course dinner and wine, with a great band, romantic dinner with roses and candle light and even photo booth in the corner for some take-​home photos!
Cozy venue for intimate parties! Tres perfection!

This place is beautiful! I’ve only been here for one event thusfar, but I really liked the space. There’s a small entryway with a bar and room for some seating, which opens into the large ballroom. It is a long, rectangle shaped room. I love the lighting and atmosphere of the room, and varied seating options. The event I went to had appetizer stations set up along one of the walls, and video screens on the other. The only downside of this place is the tiny, two stall restroom. For a large crowd, the bathroom is a little small. I loved this space, and would totally consider having an event here!

Each event I have attended at the Palace has been unique and well-​done. Some have been corporate, others fund raisers, formal dinners, author meetings, receptions, etc. You get the idea. The food was superb, and service friendly but not overly familiar.
Acoustics are pretty good. You will notice that you can hear people at dinner, and that you don’t have to shout. If you are planning an event that highlights conversation over great food, this is your joint.
But I have to wonder: why is the water so bad? Think of how much water is used by a restaurant for stock, pasta, dough, etc, and you have to wonder, if the tap water tastes this bad, what is it doing to the food?

Went here for a private party and the place was pretty fun. The food was excellent. We had a wide variety of sliders, sandwiches, salads, and fried potatoes. Of course they had the famous coconut mini cream pies.
The service was good, it was a large group and they handled everything very well. Definitely a good place for a private party.

Got married here. A very nice and urban feeling venue. The day-​of coordinator that was planned ended up not being there which was just plain bad luck, but all in all the evening was smooth.
The food is by far the feature of this venue. Every guest had great things to say about it.

We had our wedding reception here and it really was fantastic. My wife wasn’t really all that keen on the idea of having it here, but she let me drive this one and everyone had a great time.
— The food got rave reviews. We had a six course meal and I’ll try my best to come up with the useful details:
Shrimp Spring Rolls: These were pretty standard, vietnamese style salad rolls
Crab Foo Yung: Crab, bean sprouts, egg… almost like a pan fried crab cake
Lo Mein: The requisite noodle dish was pretty standard.
Black Cod: A huge hit. Black cod in a broth with little mushrooms
Honey Glazed Fried Chicken: Another huge hit. A thigh with a spicy rub and a very crispy skin. Drizzled with honey.
Five-​Spice Spare Rib with Hoisin BBQ: Served with a tangy, acidic slaw. I actually thought it could have used a little more sauce.
The servers and staff were wonderful and extremely helpful with anything ranging from wine to coffee to calling a taxi. Amy was great in helping us organize things and was great with meeting our budget.
Before drinks and tip, food cost was $ 57/​person which was really in line with a lot of other sites who seemed to offer a lot less.
One bad note was the hostess at the Palace Kitchen, which is next door. We left our cakes at the Palace Ballroom and were told that we could pick them up the next day. We just had to go to the Palace Kitchen and let them know. The hostess had a really bad attitude about it for some reason.
I sort of wish I could get married again just so I could throw another party at the Palace Ballroom.