Whym Diner

When I first walked into the place, there was nobody out front for about 5 minutes. The bartender yelled at us across the room that he couldn’t leave the counter, so we sat ourselves like the 8 hungry drunk people that we were.
When we FINALLY encountered someone to take our order, he complained that he didn’t know we were all here because he didn’t seat us, which was odd seeing as how it was 2am and we were the only people in the darn place.
The food was terrible for a terrible price. (9 bucks for a salad made with iceberg lettuce)
2 of my friends took the dump of their lives about 2 minutes after the meal.
My advice?
RUN before you get the runs.

«Nice tail,» I say.
The girl sitting at the barstool turns to look at me, and sees me regarding her derrière.
«PIG!» She says.
«No, that’s the one next to you,» I say, gesturing towards her friend’s seat. «I think yours is a skunk.»
Ah, the look of death. It’s not everyday a guy has the nerve to tell a girl she’s got a nice tail, imply her friend is fat, then compare her to a skunk. However, it’s not everyday you’re in a venue that decorated their barstools with animal tails hanging down.
The waitress was kind enough to bring me a towel with some ice to sooth the handprint on my face. Just kidding. This is Seattle, folks! We don’t slap people! We just ignore them! Once these gals realized they were sitting on stools decorated with tails, all was well. I didn’t have the heart to tell them I wasn’t talking about the stools.
My buddy and I took a seat and proceeded to order food and coffee. You know, because it’s always a great idea to tank up on food and caffeine right before you’re planning on going to sleep. Especially after you’ve just finished partying for Mardi Gras, after having had a 40 hour day. Literally. I had gotten off the airplane from Korea earlier that Tuesday morning. I had gotten on the airplane in Korea Tuesday evening. It was like I traveled in a time machine. I should have looked up some horse race results and placed some bets.
The place wasn’t crowded, so the one and only waitress didn’t have her hands full. Well, until I showed up. I’m a handful, especially when there are tails hanging around.
Food was fine from what I remember. See 40 hour day/​Mardi Gras party two paragraphs above. Service was slow but it gave me and my buddy time to catch up. That is, after we were done laughing about the tail incident.

Okay so I am giving this a very high review because I think the food is darn good and reasonably priced and its open all night! It’s open 24 hours actually which means when I get a hankering for a grilled cheese, I need go no farther than belltown. I used to go to 13 coins which has cool ambiance but they are more expensive, father away, and don’t have grilled cheese on the menu.
They place is clean, dinery in feel and they play good and not annoying music plus they have free wifi — woo hoo! I’ve been looking but not a lot of places nearby have that plus good food and plenty of seating.
Every time I have been here the staff have been friendly and attentive I come here to work or late at night when I want a grilled cheese but they have a cool bar in the back so I think this place works for multiple reason.
Alright I’ll stop talking now. Check out Whym sometime though.

I’m REALLY apprehensive to write this review. After some thought (several months’ worth) I have decided that my experience is worth sharing… if for nothing but lolz. (I can’t believe I just typed that — sorry)
Anyway, we walked in after finishing up some errands, since we’d both been fans of Minnie’s Tomato Basil… and, well, it can’t be worse, right??!
So I see they’ve got my all-​time favorite sandwich of all time on the menu: THE REUBEN.
I didn’t even need to look at anything else. I ordered it. I ate it. I scarfed it.
NOT TWO MINUTES AFTER THE LAST BITE — OMG. RUN.
I RAN (NOT WALK) to the bathroom and BARELY made it in time to throw every last bite up. Now, I spent the rest of the night asking myself the obvious questions. «WTF» being the first, then the one I didn’t want to ask «Am I pregnant?!»
I was STARVING afterwords, so I went to QFC and bought some microwave somethingorother and it was tasty enough and I didn’t throw it up. And I don’t have anything growing inside… so… Yeah. I don’t know. Check the meat expiration you guys. Srsly. Gross.

I ate here with a friend for the first time since it was called Minnie’s and I’d say that it is a major improvement. I’m not sure I understand the bad reviews, but we had a great experience.
First of all the décor is very cool, very modern and has a great vibe.
Second the service was fantastic. Our waiter, who I got the feeling was hte manager or owner, was super nice and super friendly. He even had a conversation about Battle Star Galactica with my friend.
The menu is interesting with GOOD comfort food. There are quite a few vegetarian options as well. I got the Mac N Cheese and it was good. My friend got the reuben and loved it. Next time I want to try the veggie pot pie or the grilled cheese. Want to check it out for breakfast too.
I don’t understand why everyone says it is so expensive. I thought it was very reasonable.

In the beginning I though I would see if this place would get with the program and it has but not exactly. There have been times that i come to this place were I get my meal fast and quick. Late Halloween night wasn’t the right night to go to that place. They didn’t expect their place to be packed like the old Minnie’s days. I ordered a simple cheese toast, fries and coffee and waited at my table for an hour or so for my meal. I have also noticed times when they are short of staff (at night) that I’m desperately waiting for my coffee cup to be filled and there is no one to fill it.
My favorite here is their coffee and anything with Chirizo in it. They are still too pricy for their food although and

Seriously, if you’re craving comfort foods then go to Whym. The menu is a who’s who of guilty pleasures and recover-​from-​what-​ails-​you foods. The kind of food that your friends would make for you when you’re feeling down, or hungover, or they just wanted to barrage you with grease and happiness.
and they have Trailer Fries… oh god. A heaping pile of fries, smothered in rich, brown gravy and melted, gooey cheese. It was love at first bite. And I’ve found that any dish that comes with fries can have the fries done up trailer style.
There are some down-​sides here though. The service, while always friendly, is also always slow. The impression is that they’re understaffed, since I’ve regularly heard that my waitress/​waiter was working a double because someone didn’t come in or something.
Note to Whym’s owner: HIRE MORE STAFF ALREADY!

«Whym”-odd name, and odd café. Chirizo omelete. Like it came out of a box in to the microwave. Staff was not motivated to push their food. We left with tips to try Glo, Coastal Kitchen, the sister restaurant, Hurricane for good breakfast!
We arrived here following a terrible experience at The Frontier Room. I give Whym a star above The Frontier Room because Whym’s staff had stellar personality compared to the Mr. Zuchinni.

Most of the drunk revelers in Belltown choose between the Hurricane and the Whym for their 2 AM food craving. I think the ‘Cane is head and shoulders above Whym, but they’ve cleaned the place up remarkably well since Minnie’s was shut down by the city inspector. (What the hell was up with that, anyway? Mafia front?)
The facilities are clean, and the food is just good, especially when drunk. The service is pretty good, but the food is often slow in coming out. Prices are very reasonable, especially for Belltown.
Minnie’s lives on in our memory, and Whym can never replace it.

Perhaps they have improved their service since they opened. My experience was nowhere near as bad as some of the reviews I read. Maybe people are just expecting too much from a small diner? I think it’s a great place to get simple food at all hours, which Seattle needs more of. Either way, I’m glad my lunch was enjoyable. I had the Greek Omelet no mushrooms. It was cooked properly, served with a side of diced potatoes that were also cooked well. It had to have been decent because I ate the whole omelet and most of the potatoes, and coming from me that’s A LOT!
Some bad things I noticed: The little things like sugar, jams, ketchup, and cream were not present on the table — and it took a while for the waiter to bring them to us even though it was not busy. Likewise the food arrived a little slower than I had expected with only two or three other patrons.
Some good things: After they got those to us, it seemed like the coffee got filled quite regularly — I swear my lunch companion drank at least six cups during the meal. My lunch buddy also enjoyed his burger, and really liked the bun they used. So much so, he asked where they got them — Central Bakery or something like that. I really like how they remodeled the place. I no longer feel like I am going to catch umpteen billion STDs when going into the bathroom. Everything in the establishment is clean and neat, I just like the way it was done! Moving the entrance over to the side patio was smart too, I no longer feel like a wasp walking into one of those bee traps that is narrow at the entrance and wider in the back and impossible to get out of.

…so in conclusion (I know that’s a strange way to start a review, but its ’cause I have the final say), I give Whym Diner 2 stars.
The layout and décor are pretty cool. If you could eat with your eyes, this might be a great place. The menu also looked marvelous. I was very excited about my White Lasagna (although in retrospect, maybe White Lasagna just wasn’t meant to be. It isn’t entirely natural) and my Snob Fries. In theory, the fries are crispy and topped with delightful garlic and fine feta cheese. In practice, the garlic is a huge lump of the minced stuff from a jar, the fries were soggy and droopy and mushy, and… apparently, Polly-​o now makes feta cheese?
I don’t know exactly what was in the lasagna, but your Giada D. would (hopefully) spank whoever designed it. And I’d be right there to watch… So Giada… call me… please…

Popped in here for a pre-​dinner time snack but the waiter Darren was so damn convincing we ended up eating like it was the last meal we were ever gonna devour.
Started with the calamari per his recommendation. Good stuff. I had the grilled cheese… a little on the small side but the fries made up for it big time. Friend had fish tacos which were large and delicious. Service was fantastic and even though we were unbelievably stuffed, we did us some warm apple pie.
It’s diner food but good diner food. I say if it was good enough when I was completely sober and it was daylight… I’m gonna LOVE this place when I’m good and drunk at night.
Bring it on Whym.

They are open 24 hours on the weekends and only close for two hours on weekdays.
The food is mediocre. The Whymburger lacks seasoning. It’s just a greasy beef patty on a chewy bun. Not my favorite.
The fries were greasy, limp, and unsalted.
The tempura veggies were okay. I liked the asparagus.
Breakfast was just breakfast. Bacon and eggs and toast. The bacon was really good.
Now, the bar is another story. The bartender makes a damn fine Lemon Drop and Dirty Lady Lemonade. And they’ll make it at 6:00am.

Our waiter was a bit overzealous and, well, he kind of annoyed me. Not rude, just pushy and overly talkative. My friends and I decided to reserve judgment until we actually got to taste the food.
Good call. My chicken Caesar was one of the best I’ve had in a while, with fresh lettuce, quality parmesan and a house-​made dressing that was fresh and well balanced. The chicken was perfectly moist.
The guys got BBQ burgers with fries, and commented on the high quality of the meat. They seemed as happy with their choices as I was with mine.
Whym doesn’t provide a particularly unique culinary experience, but they’re doing some great versions of diner fare.

I was (and maybe still am) so excited to see a decent looking restaurant open in the hole Minnie’s once occupied. I had hope for the late night dining scene in Belltown — things were going to get better!
My first dining experience at Whym was late last Thursday night /​Friday morning at around 1:30. We were seated promptly and impressed by the new décor. Our order was taken and thirty minutes passed. Our waitress was ignoring us. Another 15 minutes — the table seated after us gets their food. Another 10 minutes — we flag the waitress and receive an apology that things are taking so long.
After a hour and 10 our food arrived! Yay! I couldn’t tell you why it took that long to make two omelets and an egg sandwich. We were too happy to care by the time they finally showed up.

There’s nothing worse than a cleverly misspelled name. Like Krafting Korner, Sports Senter or… Whym. Gross. Why did you have to ruin my life by naming your restaurant Whym? Let me guess… you did it on a whim. You’re a genius.
I’m glad they scrubbed up the purple nightmare that was Minnie’s. Whym is cleaner and brighter, which would be nice in the daylight, but at 1 AM it hurts the eyes after being at dark watering holes all night. Suggestion: lower the lighting or place individual lamps or tealights on the tables. I ordered a BLTA with fries, which must have tasted good because it was gone before my brain could register any taste. My friend ordered the nachos which were made with potato chips instead of tortilla chips, which made us all die a little bit inside (literally). Cheese and sour cream on potato chips? I have a feeling that someone got stoned, played an hour or two of Halo and then decided that Potato Chip Nachos were the best idea in the universe.
Thanks for the fuzzy memories, Whym. Next time I’ll stumble home and devour a bowl of cocoa puffs in my skivvies.

I’m so happy to have a place that’s open late in the Queen Anne area, since I work into the wee-​morning hours and I’m getting sick of eating 7 – 11 crap. But more to the point, this place has actually pretty fantastic food!
Service was quick and friendly, and they kept checking on the table to see if all the coffees and Ice-tea’s were topped off. I was in a group of 3 people and all of our orders were fantastic. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a side of soup, which was a lightly curry flavored lentil.
To start off the meal though we ordered their Snob-​fries, which were garlic and feta covered, and god I could have just had a whole meal of that stuff!
My friend had a burger that I had a tiny bite of and that’s definitely what I’m getting next time. Burger on Ciabatta with basil? that seems like a winner to me.
I’m actually kind of bewildered as to how this place got so few stars from people, absolutely no complaints from me!

I had a chance to stop by yesterday and meet Bridget & Neil the new owners of Seattle’s newest 24 hours restaurant and I was thrilled. I’ve met them before while they were running around the Hurricane Café (their other restaurant).
As many people around Seattle I was sneaking peaks left and right trying to find out what was going into the 101 Denny locale. I was excited by their efforts to open a middle ground 24 hours restaurant, not greasy spoon and not upscale… just right in the middle. =)
I believe in two things when it comes to writing a review… you first off DON“T write a review on the opening day. That’s like wagging your finger at a kindergarter and asking them why they don’t know calculus yet?! It takes a while to get on your feet… whole new staff… whole new menu… cut the slack just a bit, sheesh!
SECONDLY: To be completely honest I’m a bit embarrassed by my fellow Unilocalers and their previous reviews. Don’t discredit a restaurant because they aren’t the same as the one before it. Sure Café Minnie’s is gone, but don’t point fingers at the new guys in town.
As for the food. I loved LOVED the Greek Omelet. As a person who doesn’t particularly like eggs, I actually really enjoyed the flavors associated with the dish. It was chuck full of pine nuts; feta cheese which was popping out from the side as if to tease me to place it intermittently about my potatoes… which I did! Tempt not a desperate girl when it comes to cheese. There were fresh leaves of spinach and what topped it off was the olives which added just the right amount of salt.
I asked Neil about the potatoes which surprisingly enough reminded me a bit of my grandma’s house browns. He had mentioned that he makes his own batch of 11 herbs and spices… take that KFC!!! He also mentioned that everything is made in house!
Neil was nice enough to give me a brief tour of the restaurant as well and I was shocked to see cubby holes at the bar for women’s purses. What a novel idea I thought.
They are currently working on finding some artwork to place on the walls, I can’t wait until they do… that’s the one thing it’s missing.
I went during 2 p.m. on a Monday, so I’m guessing the after hours scene will be huge, but well worth it! As one of the features on the menu is milk and cookies… what a great way to tuck yourself in after a long night of drinking?!
–Jen.

Give them a few weeks, hopefully by mid-​July they’ll have the kinks worked out and Belltown will have a decent all hours food spot.
I have to agree with Chris H. completely. GF and I pretty much had the same experience on their 2^nd day being open (Sunday). Nothing was set on the table, took 15 minutes before our order was taken and the food took another 30 minutes. I wish I were exagerating.
The food was also pretty dissapointing. The manager even came over to appologize for the wait and asked «was it worth the wait?» We both loook at him and had no response. I wish I’d just stayed home and made the eggs myself.
So, maybe they’ve got a chance to redeem themselves, we’ll give it a second try in a few weeks, thankfully with the two free appetizer coupons they gave us.

I’m excited to see a 24-​hour diner filling the gap that Minnie’s left. Checking out the menu, it looks like your average 24-​hour diner grub: Burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads, BREAKFAST food, and a good selection of comfort food. They also, apparently, serve wine, and a few beers on tap.
If you’re one of those people who judges a place based on the quality of mac ‘n cheese, I will tell you about it, because that’s the only thing I’ve had from there. It’s made from penne pasta, which is a bonus in my book, and a variety of cheeses, which is also a plus. However, the noodles were overcooked and there was way too much cheese/​sauce. Also, the menu said it was topped with bread crumbs and tomatoes, but I see none of those things on mine.
Anyway, I’m not expecting anything too fancy here. It’s your basic diner menu, and the decorations they’ve put up are cute (dare I say, whimsical?) Especially love the barstools with animal print upholstery complete with a little animal tail. Adorable.