The Ruins

Wow, this place is a hidden gem in lower Queen Anne. They call themselves «Seattle’s Best Kept Secret» and wow this totally is! This place is a private dinner club but I was happily invited to a dinner there for a work event. SCORE!
Can I just say how gorgeous this place is? This is a perfect event space for a wedding, dinner, just for fun? Probably cost a pretty penny but worth it. It has different size rooms with different style all very elegant. One of the rooms even have a life-​like animatronic elephant. how cool is that?
We started in the Ballroom with cocktails and wine. Their bar is pretty stacked considering how small it was but they made great drinks and their wine selection was unbelievable. They also had small hor d’oeuvres which consisted of cheese puffs, stuffed mushrooms and I forgot the third one.
When it dinner was ready they called us into the Chocolate Room which had a long table with name cards on the table. WOW, so much silverware. They started off with a butternut squash soup which was great, has a bit of heat to it which balanced with the sweetness, they did a wine pairing with a pinot noir which was great and even the bread was good. 2^nd course was a gorgonzola salad which was also perfect. 3^rd course was steak, scalloped potatoes and asparagus. MY FAVORITE COURSE! the steak was juicy and cooked perfectly, OH MY GOD, I wanna go back just for the steak which was paired with a cab (one of my favs!!). and last course was homemade vanilla ice cream with a pear tart, delicious.
I was able to talk to the manager about the dinner club, wow, its very expensive but the food was amazing and now i’m trying to convince my work to get a corporate account, wish me luck.

Our wedding was a dream come true by having it at The Ruins!
We got married in their «dinning room» and held our reception in the «ball room.» Both rooms are gorgeous, one with rustic chandeliers — the latter with classic crystal chandeliers. We asked that The Dinning Room was made to look like an overgrown garden, and the ballroom was easily transformed into a magical fairy filled forest with its art on the walls and stars painted on the ceiling.
Adrienne, their decorator, truly went above and beyond with what she did. Catrina was our main point of contact during the planning and was lovely to work with. Phone calls are the best way to get a hold of both if you have something more «urgent/​pressing.» The day went beautifully and we didn’t even have to hire a coordinator.
This venue is very DIY friendly and will work with you so you can have the wedding YOU want. We provided lots of decorations we had made, the linens and wanted tea to be served rather than a typical cocktail hour.
There were only a couple of things I wish had been communicated with me better, but nothing that actually ruined our day. In hindsight — I should’ve triple checked in on EVERYTHING and not just assumed since the venue never reached out to me in regards to those couple of things again that they were actually taken care of… cause they weren’t.
The venue did apologize for these errors that occurred and even gave me a small discount.
Still — We wouldn’t have had our wedding anywhere else. Our guests were blown away by their food, service, atmosphere and flowers.
Everything was perfect!

I had the pleasure of discovering The Ruins back in 2001. I’ve recommended it to countless friends for personal events, and coordinated several business events there. I moved back to Seattle a couple years ago and thought of it again today for a last minute business party. When I got a call back from their GM Mun, I was stunned at her snotty unhelpful attitude. In the past, I’ve always had amazing friendly and professional service from their event coordinators. (They’ve eagerly thrown together menu ideas and worked to ensure each event has been unique and superb.) It’s been a handful of years — but man, I was so bummed out by this woman’s snooty attitude! She asked for a price point right up front and when I rattled one off, she just cut me off stating that wasn’t ‘remotely something they could accommodate.” — The truth is we are quiet flexible and more interested in the overall experience. Apparently, she’s not too business savvy if she cuts people off before even learning more about their needs or interests. Crossing this place off the list for future events, and certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone to them after that short phone call. I’ve encountered more insightful friendly service from fast food chains! :-/

Tried to book an event in advance, coordinator was not very customer service focused and made me feel like I was an inconvenience, went with another venue where they were happy to take my money. It’s too bad, the venue is stunning but the administrative staff ruined the ruins for me. For the price and «exclusivity» they should be more customer focused. I got the feeling that they don’t need the business and could care less if I went with them, the snobbery and aloof attitude was a huge turn off.

My first time at the Ruins was amazing! Had the following: Strawberry gazpacho, deviled duck egg w/​crab and roe*, chilled corn soup w/​corn fritter*, seared duck breast w/​vegetable succotash, seared scallop w/​sunchoke purée and asparagus in crab butter sauce*, cured meat ragout w/​little queens pasta, English peas and mint, and a cheese plate to finish. Since they don’t post their menu online, I was very surprised with the fair pricing of each dish. Thank you Chef Doherty for an amazing dinner! * = favorites

In 2009 we had our wedding here & we have been back several times (thanks to parents). To this day, ourselves & guests of our wedding say it was such a magical & unique place. From food, décor, flowers, staff we wouldn’t have changed a thing. This truly is a hidden treasure!

This facility is absolutely stunning and has a magical ambiance, It is unfortunate that their customer service is terrible. It is impossible to get a hold of their employees. I sent their décor/​floral coordinator an email to receive information regarding arrangements for my wedding with every intention of purchasing through them, over a month later after much persistence on my behalf I finally received and unapologetic response with the information I requested. I have never dealt with such unprofessionalism. It was astounding that for such a gorgeous venue with so much potential, they could be lacking in such basic ways.
With each question or inquire I received nothing but a feeling that I was somehow «putting them out» (and trust me I did not nag them or ask too many questions which would have maybe provoked such a negative vibe) they simply do not attain the basic skills of customer service and were unresponsive, unhelpful, and rude. I cannot speak to what their service is during their members dinners etc. but I can speak to their service as an event venue, I would not trust them to put on an elaborate affair considering they have yet to exhibit fundamentals of customer service.
Overall if I could cancel having my ceremony here I would have done it YESTERDAY! The only thing saving me is that I am having my rehearsal dinner at TASTE (which is impeccable and has amazing customer service) and my wedding reception at withinSODO which has also been very pleasant and helpful. It is too bad that such a simple and fundamental thing will likely RUIN (no pun intended!) their reputation! They should really try and get their act together, it is costing them money and a ton of word of mouth recommendations.

Played tagalong for visit, can read other reviews about the general ambiance and décor.
«Tradesman’s entrance» in the alley was a little odd — figure they do that when the restaurant is only part booked. Dined in the faux Victorian lounge. Novel setting for sure — like sitting in your nan’s front room if you grew up in England.
They certainly wanted the experience to feel expensive and eccentric.
Menu looked like it was fixed by Month. Wine list was brief and simple, usual selection of half dozen meats and fish per course. Lack of a signature cocktail or two was unusual. Got a decent g&t anyway.
Appetizers were pleasant. Burned to char bread served up with one of our appetizers was a surprise.
Steak asked med-​rare, ended up well done at one end, rarer at the other (½″ variation in initial thickness by the looks of it). Tried Cod too — was fairly tasty. Kitchen seemed a little rushed, less time-​sensitive dishes turned out better.
Dessert was fresh, simple, and quite tasty. Needed to prompt for after-​dinner drinks. Armchairs damn uncomfortable to eat from, but great for after dinner.
Portions were just right, I could have done with a side dish of veggies to balance the protein.
Why 3 stars? I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. For a self-​hyped exclusive venue I expected more. As others have observed there are similarly priced exceptional venues within a stones throw.

We dined here before the PNB Nutcracker, and it was a beautiful and delicious start to our Christmas Date Night. My husband is allergic to gluten, and Chef Garrett modified each of the courses to make them safe for Josh to eat.
We started with the Beef Tartare and Foie Gras Torchon with house-​made Fig Jam, moved to an incredibly rich and smooth Caramelized Onion Soup, and ate the Braised Pork Cheeks with Fried Brussels Sprouts and the Grilled Swordfish on Buckwheat Polenta and lemony Mizuna greens. Each dish was seasoned well and pretty well balanced. The ingredients were fresh, well prepared and thoughtfully combined.
The ambiance was amazing. Apparently there are full time decorators who maintain the property. From the really unique style of the building to the richly colored Christmas baubles and greenery, the experience was well worth it!
I’m not sure if it’s a members-​only access — we are lucky to be friends with the chef — but if you can get in, definitely go and make a night of it.

I love that this place looks like a tile store in SODO from the outside.
Its awkward location/​exterior looks are just one more odd grenade to throw into the mêlée of The Ruins. But you know. I kinda like it.
Once inside, the entrance is like walking into the Paris in Vegas: It’s like you’re outside, but you’re still inside the building. Plants, inner French-​style patio doors etc. In its inner INNER rooms, it is strange and beautiful: brilliant paintings from ground to ceiling, pillars, heavy velvet, and interesting art on the walls and all around. If you’ve seen the movie Baron Munchausen, I think you’ll agree there are some similarities.
I’ve come for a wedding reception, and my guy has eaten here a couple of times separately with friends (who are card-​paying members here; you know, the kind of people that store their wine here ;)
The food was good, but I was suprised it wasn’t…I don’t know… more fairy-​tale like, but I think the ballroom makes you feel that way. My salmon was overdone, but I understand it’s hard to cook at such a high volume and keep the quality. The wine flowed freely here; if you turned your head too long, one of the many servers were trying to top off your glass.
I wanted to ask how much the wedding cost, but you know, that would be rude, right?
I wouldn’t pay to have a membership here, but I would come for a special occassion or tagalong any day :)

I don’t really know what the story is with The Ruins these days. The food is always great as is the service, but they are really not doing any advertising so the younger people don’t even know it is there! The crowd has really become much older over the years, which is fine, but time to bring in some new blood!

Had my wedding here and frequent for dinner on occasion with the in-​laws. Wait staff is always friendly, foods great, and drinks are unique!
If you get the opportunity to dine here I’d jump on it…

The Ruins is beautiful and the wait staff is excellent.
That’s where the good part ends. Other than that the RUINs stand up to their name, as they effectively RUINed my wedding day.
I had my wedding here in 2010. Here are only a few of the HORRIBLE things that happened:
1. Many of my guests suffered from violent food poisoning and had to leave the reception early.
2. Although EVERYTHING was laid out on paper and discussed at great length prior to the wedding day, the coordinator came up to me, THE BRIDE, and interrupted my dinner to ask questions. The first was who was giving toasts. She had it on the schedule! I stuttered and couldn’t remember, so I just said Maid of Honor and Best Man. I FORGOT ABOUT MY FATHER. He didn’t want to upset things so he didn’t say anything. I can NEVER have that moment back. UNFORGIVABLE.
3. I had asked that my 3 small cakes be brought near the bar area so guests could pick their flavor of choice. I did this because we had 1 flavor (there were 4) which included nuts. We ALSO discussed this at length prior to the wedding. The coordinator came up to me AGAIN during dinner, interrupted conversation with family, to ask if they could put a sliver of each flavor on a plate for each guest. Again, being overwhelmed and distracted, I said yes without thinking. I recently found out that a child with nut allergies came into contact with the almond cake and had to be whisked to the hospital!!!
4. It was also discussed that the florist was to decorate the cakes with fresh flowers after they were delivered. We had NO toppers. They didn’t do it and now all my cake photos are sad.
5. Before I walked down the aisle the curtains were supposed to be CLOSED so I could have a moment to gather myself before walking. The coordinator had them WIDE open and I was crying because I was stressed and overwhelmed. All the guests in the reception hall were staring at me. Then I walked down the aisle and turned the corner, at which point the coordinator should have straightened my veil and train. She didn’t and it got twisted and caught on the chair legs — WHICH TORE MY $ 500 CATHEDRAL VEIL.
These are just a few of the many many many reasons why you should stay far away from this place for your wedding. I wish I could do it all over again and pick a different location. Hopefully my experience will prevent another ruined wedding day for another bride!

I came here last month as a guest and was really expecting more.
Service was awkward. Steak was overcooked amongst other plates of unremarkable food. No discernable wine list to speak of.
I’m not sure if our server knew anything about any of the dishes on the menu, and couldn’t name what liquors they kept in the bar either.
The one stand out was the foie gras… oooooh I’ve never tasted anything like it, it was like cutting into butter, and I order this dish whenever I see it on the menu at a restaurant.
I think I was mostly disappointed because I was overly excited by the «exclusivity» of the whole thing. What with the members only policy, unmarked door next to an alley, interesting rooms you pass by on the way to your table, etc.
The way the club is laid out/​decorated is really cool/​magical/​interesting (see Charity G’s review below), I just wish the food had matched up or been even the slightest bit inventive.
If you are contemplating going to a restaurant of this «caliber» and price tag for the food alone, I can almost certainly guarantee you’ve had better.

We went to The Ruins for the first time last night with a group of friends for a pinot tasting along with dinner. We brought the wines for the blind tasting and paid corkage fees. Our friends, who are members, reserved «the chocolate room». The setting of The Ruins is amazing — you’d never guess inside that warehouse is several rooms decked out in creative, whimsical, classy settings. The service was very friendly and the food was exceptional too. I had beef tenderloin that was tender and cooked just as I requested. We sampled each others plates and everything was enjoyable

The Ruins is a nice benefit of living in Seattle.

Magical décor. Delicious. Great service.

I recently had the pleasure to dine here with friends… From what I understand it’s a member’s only establishment. I feel privileged that our friend took us to dinner here to celebrate and I think it is a gift that not just anyone can give. I thought it was a pleasant and unique dining experience. It’s charming, and the food was ok. Nothing phenomenal, but it was still good. It wasn’t necessarily something I would want to become a member of, being that there are chefs in Seattle that can truly throw down, but for ambiance, this place is nice.

We enjoyed a fantastic evening at the Ruins last night. A post-​Thanksgiving dinner with our moms. The décor was whimsical, the food excellent. We had the elephant room to ourselves at first — and enjoyed a relaxed evening in a very charming setting.

Dining in Wonderland with Alice.
I think for people to truly appreciate the restaurant you’d have to have dined at this place years ago when the dining experience was very exclusive and Seattle’s wonderful cuisine life had not hit the NW yet.
Not to say this place isn’t fine dining. It is uniquely fine dining.
Back then the Ruins was a very well kept secret and hardly anyone knew about it, this place felt like a secret retreat from mainstream dining.
Now it seems to have become a novelty that people are hyped up for and get disappointed after they eat there meal and go home.
Membership has grown and it feels less and less like a members only club. I do believe more people should be allowed to enjoy the food at this club, it is a shame that this diamond in the rough is exclusively for members and there guest only.
In my opinion this restaurants success weighs heavily on the dining experience, more so than the food. This is not to discredit the food. The food is excellent and can be unique at times.
There use to be revolving chefs that cooked different menu items, but that no longer is the case. I’ve seen the same chef cooking there for about a year now.
For those who don’t know, the menu changes every few months with a few staple items that are always on the menu. Beef wrapped in Bacon, grilled perfectly with hand cut fries and french onion soup.
I have yet to be disappointed with anything I have ordered here.
If you have the opportunity to go, while you sit down at your table, close your eyes, open them and soak in the attention to detail, the ambiance and think about all the craft and hard work that went into building this restaurant. This might help someone appreciate the importance of atmosphere and the complete fine dining experience that this restaurant truly provides.
On a serious note… Where else can anyone find a life sized mechanical elephant from the worlds fair that still works?