Michael D.
Yelp
This place is the epitome of a 3/5 restaurant. It's not bad, but it's not memorable. Service isn't bad, but it's not exceptional. There is nothing that really compels you to come here, but nothing that makes you write off the place entirely.
We were going to a performance at Seattle Jazz Fellowship a block away on a Thursday night, and decided to come here for dinner beforehand. We're vegan, and don't drink, and this place checked both of those boxes, along with being conveniently located to the jazz venue.
It turned out that the night we went was art walk night in Pioneer Square. The restaurants to either side of Muse in Occidental Square were buzzing -- incredibly busy.
Oddly, Muse was not. We arrived at 5:30 pm and there was only one other party here -- and the space is bug. By the time we left at 7 pm, only one additional party had come.
Service was average. There was a single person working front-of-house -- she seated us, worked the bar, and also was our server. Had a bit of a deer in the headlights vibe that didn't instill confidence, but ultimately was ok. Not bad, but not great.
Food was also not bad, but not great. We had split the shishito peppers and the nachos (without cheese), and the vegan pasta. The peppers were good; the nachos were OK; the pasta was perhaps a bit disappointing insofar as it sounded so good when I read it on the menu.
I think the way I would describe this food is that it reminds me of a hotel restaurant. You never have high expectations for a hotel restaurant, and more times than not the food is passable -- you go there because it's convenient. This is the way Muse is.
For drinks, my partner had the Strawberry Girl mocktail, which she said was nice enough, and I had the Pixie Fairy.
I usually am all over drinks with aquafaba in them, as it tends to give them a nice creamy texture. It didn't here. And, there was a strawberry flavor in the drink, but strawberry isn't listed as being an ingredient on the menu.
We were conjecturing that perhaps the server first made my partner's drink and then used the same container to make mine without cleaning it out -- but that didn't seem right, as there was a lot of strawberry. Wasn't bad, mind you, just wasn't memorable.
Place has a bit of a weird vibe. It's never good when a place is big and there are few patrons eating. However, what got me was the choice of music. It was hard core rap that was playing very loudly when you walked in as well as when you walked by the bar (thankfully not where we were seated).
We're on the wrong side of 50, and the other party were clearly in their 60s and 70s. A bit of cognitive dissonance with the music -- as well as with the way the server was dressed, with tight leather pants and a tight midriff shirt. More clubby than for a place that closes at 8 pm on a Thursday.
When we do a show at Seattle Jazz Fellowship again, I'd probably choose somewhere else to eat dinner beforehand. If I was part of a large party that happened to make plans here, I'd still go. But this isn't a place I'd seek out.