Best Restaurants for People Watching in Mercer Island

Great food! We just thought that 2 things were missing to be an authentic Brazilian churrasco: chicken heart and farofa! It would be nice to have dessert options at the buffet as well.

The food was fantastic - the crab donut was a revelation. The service was impeccable. The atmosphere was lively and engaging. This is one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle and we always have a wonderful overall experience when we dine here.

When first booking the reservation, I didn’t know there were two different venues. Whiskey by John Howie and John Howie Steak. Whiskey by John Howie is has a more intimate setting and the menu is slightly different than its counterpart. However the steak options are the same. We had the USDA Filet Mignon and I have been ruined by any other steak following that experience! So render and flavorful, just melts in your mouth! The vegetable and potato sides are meant to share (didn’t know that either). It is a high $$$$ but worth it. Next time it’s John Howie Steak to compare!

Our 2nd time at Solarium. I really like the buffet over the dinner option where you have to pick from a fixed menu). I also liked that they had a good selection of breakfast items. To be overly picky, I think several of the desserts were way too big meaning a single slice of cake was huge. It'd be better to have smaller items that are easier to try out 3-4 and not waste one big slice of cake. Some labels were missing on the desserts so I didn't know what the were. All tasty though.

Excellent all the way around! Excellent service, food, cocktails & ambience!