Ponti Seafood Grill

We generally hit the bar for happy hour. The tables at the end of the bar have great views of the canal but the the table by the fireplace is the best in the nasty wet winter. That said we rarely eat in the dining room but decided that since we missed happy hour we would. And, its one of a few «nice» old style restaurants. The room is lovely with great views of the ship canal, the service was really good, not stuffy but professional and excellent. The noise level is perfect — a lovely buzz but you don’t need to yell to have a conversation. And the kitchen does a great job. Last night I had the duck with plum sauce and I loved it. Partner had the cod and he was similarly pleased. And, since this is Seattle home of crappy parking, they have valet parking so no sweat — drive up and dump the car. Boom– done!

I don’t use Unilocal,but this my first review, and I felt it was an extremely sub-​par dinner.
For a Valentine’s Dinner, I went with my girlfriend and they have a pre-​fixed menu, which kind of sucks if you don’t like the stuff there. It consisted of an appetizer, soup or salad, entrée, and dessert. I’m a steak eater but I had to pay 20 $ more for the steak. This pre-​set menu is 65 $ per person, so I paid $ 85.
I ordered oysters, with only 2 small ones. They were ok, nothing special, not very worth.
A soup. Bland, seafoodey smell.
Wagyu Steak. The horseradish I got tasted expired because of the sour taste and lack of horseradish heat.
Dessert. This chocolate block of doom which no one can finish for how rich it is.
My girlfriend got a salmon. The salmon was raw and we asked to re-​heat it and the person said it’s supposed to be medium rare. Ok, well she doesn’t eat raw fish lol.
In summary: For a 200 $ special date, I will never come back again. Small portions, high price tag, and the food is very subpar.

Pontiac is a classic Seattle institution. I have been here a few times. The menu does not change much, but everything is solid.
The view is spectacular and service is always top notch.
This time I had the Sitka salmon with fritters. The salmon was good, but a little small and overcooked for my liking. My wife got the scallops which were exceptional, then my mother-​in-​law loved her soup and beet salad.
I absolutely loved the apple pie and ice cream. They do not always serve it, but snag it if they do.
Pontiac is always worth going to, but think I prefer the happy hour which is an incredible bargin

OK, now they’ve added the city’s best chicken sandwich to the Happy Hour menu!
I am still all five-​star about dinner here, and they still serve only wild-​caught fish, but maybe you’re looking for just a snack and a drink or two at around 6 or 7 or 8 or 9pm?
The bar menu is fantastic. Whether you’re here for happy hour or not, this really should be your go-​to place when you want good (excellent) food and drink, especially if you’re driving around Fremont looking for a place to park!
Ponti’s is so good that even when I’m in Fremont, I come here. You should, too. There’s an unobtrusive TV just in case you need to follow a game, and a fireplace in case you need to set a mood.

Once again, Service sucked here, when we made the reservation we were not informed that they had booked a large private party in the main room, as a result we were stuffed in the back dining room with a less than attentive server. However the food was excellent (4 stars). I want to like this place, but there is a real disconnect between the kitchen and the front of the house, as a result I will be taking another brake from going here.

I’m in the holiday mood so I’ll go with four stars. We went with some close friends — a party of 5 — and had a delightful evening at Ponti.
The valet guys were a little aggressive when I was trying to park — «You can’t park there! Liability!» Ok! I get it — maybe have some signage to help a common-​sense-​impaired person like me please.
Once inside, our server couldn’t have been nicer or more sincere. A genuinely nice person. He even suggest a *gasp* beef dish — thanks for that. But since this place has the word Seafood in the name, I had to order some seafood. I got the tempura nori-​wrapped ahi with coconut rice cake and wasabi aioli (in a cool carved cucumber!). See photo…
I’m a sucker for nice presentation and though the portion size wasn’t large, this was beautifully done and tasted great. I also tried some of the chanterelle risotto — yum.
This place is not cheap [by any definition], so I could see it as a romantic once-​in-​a-​rare-​while destination. The view was… dark! Plus backlit from inside, so not too much to see. But I’m glad I was able to visit Ponti, since my goal is to visit every eatery in Queen Anne and we certainly had a pleasant evening there.

Very pleasant dining experience. Intimate atmosphere, and not too loud, as many contemporary restaurants tend to be, in my opinion. Good service and flavorful, well-​prepared food. I’m docking a star for two food-​related reasons: The flavor profile on the roasted beets, toasted pistachios and goat cheese is a combination that is not successful. Second, the grilled Hawaiian ahi I ordered, though flavorful, was well overdone.

Pomme frittes with fennel salt, parsley, & garlic aioli.
Hh from 4 – 6:30 & 9pm to close
Boullinaise

What a wonderful experience from the moment we entered until the time we left. Friendly and knowledgeable staff that were more than accommodating. The food was terrific (especially the blackend cod), and everything was served in a very timely manner.

The bar service and staff was amazing! The Happy Hour drinks not only affordable but a lovely selection.
Now the food… Wow caesar salad delicious and large portions for happy hour. The fresh halibut and fries yummy and super fresh, ahi and avocado delicious and served with a glutton free cracker. To boot we were very full and didn’t eat all of our Ahi so the discounted it just to be even more amazing. If you are ever in the the area or you just simple want to dine at a superb restaurant don’t miss out on Ponti’s!!!

Come here for happy hour on the patio. The Dungeness crab spring rolls are superb and have a very generous portion of meat in them. I always end up with two orders… Their fresh fish will rival any Seattle restaurant; I always end up ordering the king salmon or halibut.

Came here for a nice dinner one night with my girlfriend and left pretty satisfied! It’s in a really nice location, with a really nice ambiance. Although I suppose it could feel a little pretentious.
Food was great, although there were definitely lows and highs on each plate. We tried the Calamari, the lamb, and the blackened cod. The cod was by far the best, highly recommend this dish here. Would definitely love to be able to cook fish that well at home. The lamb and the calamari were good, just nothing to write home about. The potatoes however that come with the lamb were amazing.
Price wise Ponti is close to on point for what you get, if not a little high. But not too much so you don’t leave feeling you got the short end of the stick. Nice place to stop in and enjoy a nice dinner!

A pleasant spot a few miles north of downtown, with a covered outdoor patio overlooking the ship channel and Fremont Bridge. We arrived by cab, but noted that valet parking is available.
On our early Thursday-​evening visit we were seated immediately on the patio. A small loaf of French bread with balsamic olive oil and garlic came to the table at once. The server made helpful suggestions, and, for an extra half-​star, whoever wrote the menu knew that «sauternes,» though a singular, ends in an «s.»
Our entrees:
–Thai Curry Penne. Alaska weathervane scallops, Dungeness crab, basil chiffonade garnish, mild yellow curry sauce, tomato-​ginger chutney. A signature dish of the house. Five perfect seared scallops, three pieces of crab-​leg meat.
— Grilled Wild Sockeye Salmon Basmati. Served with green beans, carrots, small tomatoes, and of course basmati rice. Simple sauce of butter and a touch of cilantro.
And dessert:
— Yakima Peach Pie a la Mode. An individual tart-​like pie in a thick, sugar-​sprinkled crust, brought to the table hot, topped with a rich vanilla ice cream.
Well-​selected craft beer list; I tried Georgetown Brewing Company’s Manny’s Pale Ale, reviewed under the Georgetown listing.

Great service and even greater food. Gourmet dishes that melt in your mouth. The ambiance is really intimate – dim lighting and beautifully lit balcony. The seafood is incredible – prawns, halibut, cod, scallops – all locally caught from fisherman nearby. It was hard not to fall in love with this place. Everything was perfect. Came here for dinner while on vacation with my family and I am sad I am not a local so that I may return more frequently!

We decided to try this restaurant after looking for something outside of the waterfront where we’d been spending most of our trip. The food was very good but the view was the best part. Watching the boats, kayaks, crew teams, draw bridge, etc kept our 8 year old’s interest the entire meal. The patio seating is great, kids menu decent and fish terrific. I definitely recommend.

Absolutely loved this place today. Went there for dinner with my husband and the spectacular view and flavourful food made a simple Sunday dinner extremely romantic and fabulous.
We tried the Sriracha lemon prawns and it was delicious — sweet, spicy, tangy and beautiful.
My husband however loved the lobster spring rolls which was pretty tasty as well.
I didn’t enjoy the prawn fettuccine as much but my husband loved the cod.
To top it all up the toffee caramel chocolate dessert was absolutely divine!
Our bill was $ 85 and we thought it was absolutely worth it. The service was flawless as well

We went here for Restaurant Week 2015. The ambiance was very nice; we sat near the glass doors overlooking the drawbridge and the outdoor dining area. The food we had was delicious, the cocktails were well made, and the wine was tasty. It was a Wednesday night, so it wasn’t busy or crowded, and the noise level was nice and comfortable. If you like small bars with great selections this place has a nice one to belly up to for a nice drink after work. Service was good. Our server was very friendly and prompt upon our being sat, but fell off the radar a couple times, which, for a slow night, was a little odd. Aside from that, he wasn’t pressing with getting us in and out, allowed us time to make up our minds, and had great feedback with questions. All in all, go here and enjoy!

This place was definitely a let down, especially during Seattle Restaurant Week. Just had a dinner here with a friend and we both left feeling disappointed in the quality of the food as well as the lack of good service.
Pros of the place: Easy to find, valet/​self service parking available, interior of the place is nice. For SRW (Seattle Restaurant Week), you get the option of selecting your 3 course dinner from the «entire» menu vs just a list of selected items. The only decent things I had from this entire dinner, were the nice constantly filled ice water and the lukewarm pomme frites. The frites were definitely a promising and tasty side, but due to how limp and wet the frites were, and how it felt slightly cold, all of this outweigh the taste of it. I do however, admire how the food was nicely presented, despite the disappointing taste.
Cons of the place: Service, dirty glasses, and cold food were mainly the downside of my experience at this restaurant. When we got our water glasses, mine was dirty and smudged on the side. I asked politely to our server if I could get a new glass, but instead of apologizing or acknowledging what was wrong with the glass, all I received from him was a dirty look. Um, ok. Next was the food. My friend and I ordered different dishes and first up were the appetizers. The clams we ordered was alright, nothing too memorable. The calamari was terrible. With no real distinct flavor defined, the calamari was very lacking and on top of that, it was super cold. We had to ask our server to reheat the calamari, and again, we were presented with an incredulous look from him.
Entrees: Both of us ordered fish and for an extra $ 10 each, we upgraded our entrée to the grilled king sized salmon and the alderwood black cod. Sadly, this was definitely not worth the upgrade. The salmon was completely bland, with not even a hint of flavor. The cod was slightly better, however, the sides (rice, veggies) that went with it were pretty dry. It made my foodie heart sad to taste these entrees… But at least the pomme frites help boost up some of the taste!
Desserts: Cheesecake was the typical, nothing too spectacular. The chocolate lava cake was so so.
Overall, this place wasn’t the best to experience SRW. Perhaps the quality has degraded because of SRW? I guess I won’t know since I do not intend to revisit this place again.

I was here for dinner during dine around Seattle on a Tuesday night. The servers here were super friendly and helpful, but I think the restaurant would have benefited from hiring another server or runner; the restaurant was quite full, and we had to wait so long for our meals to come out. The server kept telling us that food was ready, but we kept waiting and waiting. Also, by the time my fries came out, they were so soggy.
For dinner we had calamari, soup of the day, organic willie greens salad, side of fries, pan roasted Alaska cod, brick roasted Washington chicken, and the moelleux au chocolat. What stood out the most were the chicken and cod. The cod was beautifully presented, well cooked, and seasoned. The oyster mushrooms that came with it were nice, and I also thought that it was a nice portion of fish. The flavor of the lemon shallot sauce on the chicken was a little too strong for my taste, but I thought that the chicken was tender and juicy. The fries were horrendous though; it was greasy, soggy and too salty. Everything aside from that was pretty alright, but not special.
I’m glad I came here for Dine Around Seattle; I don’t think I would like to pay the regular price for soggy fries and slow food.

Delicious, Unforgettable, perfect, immaculate, 1^st Class ! These are just a few words that sum up my dinner at Ponti. Our host was friendly, courteous and welcoming. She gave us plenty of time to order we asked for more time to overlook the menu she didn’t hesitate. She didn’t make us feel rushed which was nice. Dinner was delicious and perfect was not overcooked or under /​over seasoned at all. I will be back on more than one occasion .
Thank you Ponti for rememberable dinner!

How I heard of this place: It was a decade or more ago, perhaps during Seattle’s original Dine Around month; I have been on their birthday mailing list ever since.
Type of cuisine: Seattle’s only wild fish only restaurant serves up the most delicate, delectable seafood around. «Executive Chef Alvin Binuya showcases his talent with an ever changing and seasonally focused seafood menu. Chef Binuya has forged relationships with local farmers and fisherman so guests will continue to enjoy the new and unexpected flavors from the freshest local ingredients.»
«Since 1990 Ponti has delighted the palates of our guests with a menu* that offers an array of eclectic flavors ranging from pan-​Asian, Mediterranean, classic European and Pacific Northwest fusion»
Ambiance: «When Richard and Sharon Malia opened the doors of Ponti Seafood Grill to Seattle in 1990, they revealed a modern mosaic seafood restaurant.
Ponti, meaning „bridge“ in Italian is built in the style of a Mediterranean villa featuring warm Tuscan inspired colors and waterside patios. Located on Seattle’s Ship Canal,
four private dining rooms and two outdoor patios showcase vistas of the water and the Fremont and Aurora bridges.»
What I ordered: On this visit, we started with a basket of warm bread and herbed balsamic olive oil for dipping, my husband unable to turn down the Char Grilled Octopus ($ 13) served over roasted pepper coulis, sweet corn, wild mushrooms.
For our main entrees, our dining companions favorite and highly recommended Alderwood Smoked Alaska Black Cod ($ 32) with a five-​spice cure, lemon-​ginger emulsion, squash, green beans and a side of turmeric basmati rice.
My husband chose the Pan-​Roasted Alaska Cod ($ 22) with a smoked paprika dry rub, served atop rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes, oyster mushrooms, arugula, tomato and beurre blanc.
For me, the Grilled Wild King Salmon ($ 35) served with fennel tzatziki, green beans, squash, and a side of mushroom couscous.
Our desserts included a Lemon Tart ($ 7) with fresh whipped cream and a berry coulis, the Moelleux au Chocolat ($ 7) caramel sauce, hazelnut toffee crunch and fresh whipped cream, and the Lemon Cheesecake ($ 7) with Tuaca Gala Apple compote.
What I loved: The Alderwood Smoked Alaskan Black Cod and the melt-​in-​your-​mouth octopus over sweet corn and mushroom relish. The molten chocolate cake… what?
Why I loved it: A beautiful, waterfront setting, where reflections of the bee-​lights play across the minute ripples in the water, indoor seating is warm and cozy and the food nothing short of excellent.
Cost: High ($ 22 — $ 36 per dinner entrée)

Beautiful location. Came here for Seattle Restaurant Week with a friend and will definitely come again! The view was beautiful and their cocktails were great as well! For the appetizer, I tried their Steamed Penn Cove Clams, Entrée– Lemongrass and Star Anise braised Oregon lamb shank served with Beecher’s jack cheese with scalloped Yukon gold potatoes, summer squash, and broccolini, and for Dessert-​the Duo of Custards.
Although the clams were oh so slightly on the saltier side, the mussels my friend had ordered complemented the broth they came in. The lamb shank was so flavorful and tender– I will definitely order again! The Duo of Custards was a pleasant surprise in regards to presentation– the chocolate pot de crème and the crème caramel balanced each other and was smooth and perfectly made. I tried my friend’s Moelleux au Chocolat and it was decadent as well. The inside was nice and gooey– as she took the first bite, the molten chocolatey goodness oozed out. The chocolate flavor wasn’t overpowering and actually just what I was looking for!
We saw other dishes go by, and I can’t wait to come back to try some more of their dishes!

This place was nice dining at and sitting outside at the patio seating. I had come here with a group of four and it the patio was beautifully lit with a view to the river. Even though it was close to the bridge, I didn’t really hear the traffic from the bridge. I really enjoyed the atmosphere here.
When it came to the food, I was pleased. Not super blown away, but I was definitely full from all that I ate. My husband and I had ordered the Sriracha-​Lime White Gulf Prawns, and I LOVED them. It was super delicious. I was, however, disappointed with the other appetizer that I ordered, the Hawaiian Albacore Tartare. This appetizer was way too salty for me, and I’m a person who loves to put salt on things. I would avoid ordering the tartare, but maybe it was just that batch.
My entrée was definitely delicious as I had ordered the Grilled Wild Sockeye Salmon. I opted to get the garlic mashed potatoes instead of the veggies and I felt that I made a smart decision there as I was deeply satisfied. The salmon was a great taste and texture. I had tried my husband’s entrée, which was the Grilled Wild Sockeye Salmon. Sadly, we were disappointed with that as there was an alright flavor, but his piece was definitely too dry.
I did enjoy this restaurant and felt like it was a hit or miss with us. If you decided to try this place out, I highly recommend to opt for the outdoor patio seating.