Matthew M.
Yelp
Reviews seem to be somewhat mixed among others so I suppose I should note that I have been here three times between 2019 and 2024, all of them early evening around the time they open, which may have made it easier for staff to provide service that is within the range of good/decent.
My biggest reason for posting a Yelp review, which I do not often do, is both the price range and the "tip." Cocktails run in the $18-$20 range, which is high even by Seattle standards; the appetizers--which are all they really offer currently in terms of food--are roughly between $14 and $20 or so, some a bit more I think, which is relatively standard. I wish I could be fully confident on the food prices except that I did not take a photo of the menu, and the Fog Room website features several menus with countless items no longer offered, a real pet peeve of mine: how hard is it to update a website? Why do places constantly allow their websites to be woefully outdated for ages? Having rotating menu items within the same price range is one thing, but Fog Room's website has menus for full dishes of a sort they are not offering at all; it is only small plates, which you would never know from looking at the website.
And then there's the "20% service charge" that gets put on every bill whether you like it or not: it's very helfpul to be armed with this information going in, as it nullifies any need to add a tip. We were informed that this charge gets put into a pool tip for staff, minus 4% that the hotel takes. My companion added another 4% tip to account for this, which was very noble of her, but my total bill as high enough as it was--one side dish, two cocktails: with tax and service charge, over $70. It could be argued that this is nuts.
Except! And I really cannot stress this enough. The cocktails were as delicious as they were beautifully presented (I had two mai tais). And the food was genuinely incredible (my companion and I split the bavarian pretzel and the mushroom quesadilla). Between all this and the spectacular city and Elliott Bay views from this 16th-floor rooftop bar, as well as the interior ambience that was lovely in its own right (if a bit loud once all the tables fill up), I have to admit--this was actually worth both the price and the inconvenience. I just need to find a way to remind myself to expect the high expense and the "service fee" the next time I come back, and to budget accordingly.