Steve S.
Yelp
In most respects, I'd rate the Deluxe three stars ("A-OK"), but I'm upgrading that to four stars ("Yay! I'm a fan."), mostly because their prices are pretty reasonable, in spite of all the gentrification on Capitol Hill. This place has been there since 1962, which makes it a champion hold-out from old-time Capitol Hill.
Anyway, I like the Deluxe well enough that I've been there quite a bit - six times since I started doing Yelp check-ins, and at least 20 times in earlier years (particularly when the Harvard Exit was still a movie theater). I wouldn't keep going to a place I didn't like, and it wouldn't have been there for 56 years if it wasn't good. On the other hand, I don't _love_ the place.
Most of my visits since the Harvard Exit movie theater shut down have been for Sunday brunches with friends. We're there for conversation, so it's off our list when it's too noisy. Most of the time, they have their televisions showing sports, but unless it's Seahawks (or possibly some other big events) the sound is off, which is good for conversation people - and possibly disappointing for sports fans.
The service is mid-range: usually good, sometimes lacking, and sometimes excellent. Servers typically don't have that magical ability to show up exactly when you need them, but they're fast enough, and never intrusive. Because our brunch group doesn't fit very well into the front section, we're usually seated back in the pool table room, but usually the back room is busy enough that we're not out-of-sight, out-of-mind. They did lose track of our group on one brunch last year, annoying my friends (but I missed that brunch), so sometimes they fall short.
On our most recent visit, the music was up a bit loud for our ears, and when I asked them to turn it down a bit, they accommodated us promptly - and that was a big customer service win that helped earn that fourth star.
So what about the food? It's almost always good; only rarely great or not-so-good. The breakfast-type food at Sunday brunches is typically pretty basic. It's presented nicely enough, but I'd call it pub-grade food, not chef-grade food. (But again, prices are decent.) One nice point is that they serve either real maple syrup or a really good imitation with their waffles, french toast, pancakes, and the like.
What about dinner food? I'm a bit fuzzy about that; I'm not sure I've been there since the Harvard Exit Theater (next door) closed in 2015. But I recall the food being simple and filling. Their menu says their burgers are made from fancy beef, so those may be good stuff, but I rarely eat beef. But if I make it there outside brunch hours, maybe I'll try the chickpea veggie burger I found on the menu while writing this review.