Witness

3.5 stars. Decent happy hour. Fried pickles were nice. Decent dessert. Good cocktails. Son of a preacher recommended.

I want to give it a 3.5 but that’s not an option. The ambiance is really cute it has little pieces that you would find in a church. The HH is solid and probably the only reason why I would come back. The fried pickles are good and come in spears not like other restaurants that serve pickle chips. The hush puppies are okay they are huge and bouncy. I also got poutine fries and I honestly think it was the best thing that I got. These were all HH items and were 6 each. I of course got the chicken and waffles which were okay nothing to rave about. The waffles were average and was served with fried chicken breast. I also got a beer and a cocktail. My tab was 70. Was it worth it? No

Cocktail bars, easily one of my favorite things to go to. What can make that better? How about a good happy hour menu, decent pricing, and nicely sized portions? All wins in my mind.
We started things off with the dixie poutine, fried pickles, rounded it out with the chicken and waffles, and the pork belly. This was a TON of food. The dixie poutine was very good although I wish the cheese was spread out more over the fries because it was just dolloped on over the center. The gravy was nice and flavorful but similarly to the cheese, should have been poured evenly over the fries. I wasn’t a big fan of the fried pickles because the batter just slid off and the pickles weren’t super crunchy.
The chicken and waffles was awesome. The chicken was perfectly fried, moist, and seasoned well. The waffles were incredibly light in fluffy. Now the «bourbon» maple syrup, you could have fooled me because it tasted like normal maple syrup. The pork belly with grits was amazing, I can say without a doubt that was the best grits I’ve ever had, incredibly nutty, flavorful, I could eat a big bowl of that easy. The pork belly was also done well and a perfect lighter dish.
They have a nice drink list along with seasonal cocktails and I love that. Witness, definitely one of my favorite places in Seattle for sure.

FINALLY got to try Witness! First thought, why’s it so dark in here?! But it also had a nice rustic, southern comfort feel. We got seated at a booth and went to townnn! Came for the chicken and waffles, also ended up getting the pork belly, and poutine, and beignets! Everything was pretty good.
Except the pork belly dish. It was the least favorite for both of us. The grits were creamy but almost too dry and sticky? I didn’t love the boiled nuts and the pork belly was hard on one side and pretty tough to chew. Not what we expected at all from that cut of meat.
The poutine was my boyfriends favorite! Probably because either a) the bacon gravy or b) it was super smokey tasting! The poutine was good! After you mix it all together! I loved how crispy the fries were!
Beignets were not as fluffy as I hoped but had a great chew to them! And the sauce on the bottom was delicious! Tasted almost fig like? Whatever it was, was a great touch!
And my favorite was the chicken and waffle! Possibly my favorite chicken and waffle yet to date! The chicken strips were perfectly crunchy on the outside and insanely tender on the inside! The cornmeal waffle kept its shape/​crunch/​grit even after all the butter and syrup was doused over them! Just such a great mix!!!

Happy hour every day 4 – 6 PM! I love a business who believes happy hours are made for weekends too!
Alana was attentive and a very professional server. She’s funny and cheerful and made our evening very enjoyable.
Water in a bottle at your table. Yes! It’s good to stay hydrated!
Libations: «Son of a Preacher Man»: Bourbon, Black Pekoe tea, lemon, honey, syrup. Hmmm, nice and strong. What I liked about this is that it wasn’t loaded with ice. LOL. Just the value part of me liked this ratio.
Dixie Poutine: until now, I was of the opinion that poutine is overrated. It’s typically just a plate of fries after all, with some gravy and fixings on top. When this arrived, I was skeptical how well the pimento cheese would incorporate into the gravy. I was wrong. This blended beautifully with the bacon and gravy, I would have liked a little more gravy but I recognize I’m excessive when it comes to gravy. The fries were fresh, and perfectly done. I love steak fries.
Couldn’t resist ordering their buttermilk beignets. Having just returned from New Orleans recently, what better way to keep the vacation spirit going. Oh no! Not good :(Dry, heavy and small. This was definitely an off night we were assured. Too bad, we were hopeful.
Even so, this is a lovely bar. Tasteful decorated. Lighting perfect. Not too noisy, but of course all bars are noisy.
Will definitely be back especially after 8 PM when street parking is free!

I love this place. Whenever friends want to grab a drink or a late night snack in the upper reaches of Capitol Hill, I recommend we come here.
On various occasions, I’ve had the chicken and waffles, southern poutine, the buttermilk beignets, and tasted the biscuits and gravy.
Chicken and waffles are an incredible combo. This was the first time I’ve had chicken and waffles, and it was a killer introduction to the dish. Extra crispy fried chicken (but juicy on the inside) on top of fluffy waffles with bourbon maple syrup. I was in heaven.
I’ve tried a few of their cocktails (All About Eve, Ressurection, and Warm the Cockles). Every one I’ve tried has been excellent. Once the wrong one was made, and the bartender immediately corrected his mistake, mixing the ordered cocktail and giving us the mistaken cocktail for free as well. I’ve also tried sips a variety of other cocktails offered and can’t say there’s anything I’ve disliked.
The atmosphere here is great as well. It’s a dimly lit place that spins off of a church. At night they have glass oil candles at every table. They also play a good variety of music, but it’s never so loud you can’t talk to the person next to you.
Come here and try the chicken and waffles and get a cocktail, you won’t regret it.

I never seem to enjoy this place as much as other people in my social circles. The drinks are solid and fairly priced, and the hush puppies are fantastic. No complaints about the chicken and waffles either. Skip the poutine and beignets (I still have not found an adequate replacement for Seattle Center Café du Monde for the latter). Service is friendly but occasionally spotty.
On Saturday night around 10, the owner or one of the waitstaff will give a «sermon», where s/​he tells the patrons a funny speech/​story. It’s a nice change from the atmosphere of the rest of the Hill on Saturday at 10, and good entertainment on a low-​key Saturday evening. There’s often a wait for a table on Saturday night, though, and I wouldn’t say it’s worth waiting long for.
I’d recommend Witness as one of the more interesting places on north Broadway, despite a few weaknesses. I’ve definitely found myself here a couple of times when craving comfort food for dinner or when looking for reasonably-​priced cocktails.

Tremendous southern inspired cuisine, delicious drinks, and extraordinary service intersect perfectly to make Witness a personal favorite of mine in Northern Capitol Hill.
Since I’m from the South I grew up on shrimp n’ grits, gumbo, or similar… and I must say it’s been so refreshing to have a higher quality option in Seattle. The menu changes to maintain seasonal freshness, so there is always something new to experience! Some of my favorites have been the Dixie poutine, lamb hash (brunch), veggie gumbo, and Tails and Trotters hazelnut pork tenderloin.
If these enticing takes on comfort food aren’t enough, the staff further stretches their culinary prowess with a monthly «second Sunday supper». This event is an amazing price fix 4 course meal for about ~10 lucky patrons (reservations required) that sit at a giant farmhouse table together. Each month carries a special theme, and the cocktails are designed to pair with each dish.
Now for a moment let me mention the staff. First off, the owner (Gregg) is very visible/​proactive, but at the same time he definitely trusts his employees to provide the high level of experience that is expected. I personally love his 10pm Saturday sermons, as they add a special distinguishing/​unique factor to Witness that most other venues lack.
Aside from Gregg the rest of the staff is always welcoming/​professional/​efficient, and the bartenders are all readily capable of mixing you an extremely pleasing cocktail. The Witness cocktail is an all time classic with its smoked cherry of awesomeness, but I also highly recommend trying a divine intervention — just pick the base spirit and the bartender will take it from there.
So, in conclusion — you should be here at Witness having fun with the rest of us. :)

They really deserve more of a 3.5 stars… but I just don’t round up.
I like the place. It’s a cool little spot in Captiol Hill. A bit hipsterish if you will. I love the dark dim lit room with soft ambient lighting. You almost feel like your sitting in a little house on the prairie inside from the old school décor.
But what really makes or breaks a spot is the food. This place is far from horrible food, matter of fact it’s pretty good. But I review with a bit of bias as they serve southern comfort foods, i.e. chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, pulled pork sandwiches, etc.
The foods here are indeed good, but I think it’s just too clean tasting. It’s quality food and items without a doubt but there are certain foods that should be left for the streets and the country. I mean if I was devouring a lobster frittata with sevruga caviar I would expect nothing less than the finest ingredients, but if I’m chowin down on chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits… I want a fresh off the street appeal to it. Cooked with love not technique. I want every bit to take me home and warm me up. I suppose I just don’t believe in gourmet street food… 3 stars isn’t bad — just not my cup of (southern) tea.

After too many brunches at Americana, we decided to give Witness a shot, and we were all so glad that we did. The Croque’d Toad is amazing and so are the beignets!
The service is wonderful as well. All of the servers were all extremely friendly with us and made the experience really enjoyable. And all of us enjoyed trying the Divine Intervention, where we give the bartender our preferences, and he’ll make us something fresh and new to try.

So many good things to say about this place… the drinks are delicious. The son of a preacher is a great summer cocktail to help beat the heat, and the witness cocktail will satisfy any bourbon connoisseur. The service is good, as the servers are very knowledgeable of the menu.
As for the food… the chicken and waffles are spot on. We absolutely loved the bourbon maple syrup! The Scottish egg is yummy as an appetizer as well. Also try the meatloaf sausage. It is seasoned very well, but just remember to expect a meatloaf consistency, rather than a sausage.
This place is definitely a must. We’re going to get the poutine next time… the people next to us had ordered some and it looked amazing!

Loved the atmosphere and style of this place. Great happy hour food and drinks ($ 6 nibbles and drink menus make it easy to calculate too). We ordered beignets and fried pickles;a sweet and a salty treat! The beignets were fried perfectly as were the pickle spears. Can’t wait to return.

I went to the witness last night randomly, and I am so glad I did. Great food and great craft cocktails. I highly recommend the «Warm the Cockles» as a drink, especially for a winter drink. It’s really yummy.
I had the Risotto Cakes and Veggie Gumbo for dinner, which here so good. I highly recommend the Risotto Cakes, the mushrooms and sauce are cooked perfectly and melt in your mouth, and the Veggie gumbo is hearty and filling. The staff was very accommodating about pointing out dishes I could eat (as a vegetarian) and giving great recommendations.
Great little find! Glad I found this place!!!

Came here for a Sunday lunch and although it looked packed, we got seated right away. This place has a cool design theme going on – you feel like you’re in the alley between two country houses, sitting on someone’s side porch. The cocktails all looked good, though I wasn’t too impressed with the one I got (I forget the name, but it had gin and it was served hot). Other than that, the service was great and the food was delicious. We got the lamb hash and the vegetarian omelette. The omelette was light and fluffy, but overflowing with gooey goat cheese and fig jam. The lamb hash was perfect – juicy and full of flavor.

Great brunch spot, and great drinks too.
Had biscuits and gravy and man it was a really filling plate, didn’t finish it all and brought some home. Partner had chicken and waffles, also very tasty.

As good as it gets is right.
The boo and I literally spent 45 minutes trying to decide on where to go on my last night in Seattle. Witness was the best decision.
The only thing that disappointed me was. I went there knowing I wanted Shrimp and Grits, but it wasn’t on the menu that night. I didn’t ask further to see if they could still make it, but it gave me an excuse to get the Chicken and Waffles.
We both ordered our own chicken and waffle, but started off with the dixie poutine to share. The poutine was amazing — so rich, salty, and cheesy. Loaded with the fixins. I’m dreaming of devouring a plate by myself now. After already being full from poutine, then came our main course. Lovely golden and slightly crispy waffle with strips of boneless golden fried chicken. Perfection.
Next we had the beignets for dessert. Cuz why not! My last night in this amazing city.
The ambiance is so nice here. It’s not stuffy while maintaining southern charm and class. The service was impeccable. Now, the only thing i missed out on were the cocktails. I’d be surprised if they were anything less than perfect.
What a great find. Witness made my trip to Seattle that much better.

Came here for brunch last Saturday morning. I came here once before sometime last year for drinks and their poutine which I remembered was just okay.
We decided to come here because we were searching on Unilocal for nearby brunch places and Witness popped up and we remembered our friends recently recommended their chicken and waffles. We called ahead before coming to ask if there was a wait but they said it was pretty open so we arrived around 11am with no wait but it started filling up pretty quickly after we got seated.
Everything on their brunch menu looked really good! We ended up ordering their chicken and waffles, their scramble, and their yogurt. The chicken and waffles like all the reviews said was delicious! The waffles were light and fluffy and the chicken which were more like chicken strips were also very good and not too heavily breaded. I would definitely come back just for that! The scramble was very tasty and it was very well made and I remember it was interesting because I’ve never had onions in my eggs scramble before. The yogurt with granola was also good but the yogurt portion itself was quite small while they gave a much bigger portion of the granola and toppings.
Overall, I would definitely come back! Great food and great friendly service as well.

As good as it gets!
Their chicken and waffles are pretty legit. I was not into the «chicken and waffle» hype because I thought, «how good can that get? It’s just chicken and waffles!»
I was wrong. The combination is simple, actually, but it works so so well. If you’re in the area, definitely go for happy hour and get their moist chicken and sweet waffles!

«Buttermilk beignets with a Son of a Preacher.»
Southern style dishes and drinks mixed with down to earth décor. Witness definitely delivers the taste of the south with a twist. We decided to stop by for brunch and was pleasantly surprised with the menu offerings. Buttermilk beignets, chicken and waffles, omelettes, creamy white corn grits and egg all stood out on the list of items to consider. I decided to go with the Ermahgerd Omelet. The delicious blend of sausage, maple flavored greens, and herb cheese was the perfect blend of savory and sweet. We also tried the buttermilk beignets with the special dipping sauce. Though powdered sugar gets on everything, the beignets were worth the mess. The light and fluffy texture accompanied by the unique taste of the house dipping sauce was heavenly.
The drink names were catchy and reasonably priced. I ordered the Son of a Preacher (mix of bourbon, tea, and honey liquor) which was delivered to us with a giggle and smile. The service could not be flawed. We had water refills, drink suggestions, and even short talk. Dare I say it, I am a witness to a great brunch experience.

Came for a super late date. If I were clever enough I would now make my entire review rhyme. Alas.
It was a cool night, so we sat outside. There is a large open window/​garage door, so you still feel like part of the action inside. The booth seating is nice and the décor is pretty cool, too.
Service was okay. If I had been in more of a usual mood I would have wanted a lot more attention, but for this one-​cocktail and grub stop it worked just fine. Bars that spend a lot of time and attention crafting a unique cocktail menu either skimp on the alcohol or give you something that packs a punch but is tasty or gross, depending on the offering. Unfortunately Witness seems to be on the side of skimping. My easy peasy was tasty, but not tasting of alcohol. Date seemed to enjoy his miracle mule.
THE FOOD is what you should come for. Poutine was delicious, and I am an avid anti-​gravy kid. Pimeno cheese was delicious, and a great take on the dish. Every bite of this was so very good. The pork tenderloin was really well done, too– moist and flavorful. The hush puppies were a good balance between salty poutine and pork. I would come back here for another dinner in a heartbeat.