RESPITE Wine Bar + Bottle Shop

RESPITE wine bar is a fantastic wine bar with an excellent atmosphere. The food dishes are great, and the wine tasting experience is a real highlight. Everything about this place feels spot on — whether you’re visiting as a couple, solo, or with family, it’s a perfect choice. A truly lovely venue that we’ll happily return to.

Respite is right around the corner from our house, and we are astounded at our good fortune! Everything about this place is wonderful: the wine, the food, the vibes. Each wine I have tried here has been excellent, and I’ve tried many, since I can’t help but get a flight on every visit. Hanley, the owner on the wine side of things, has impeccable taste, and I love trying her recommendations. She hand-writes the flights (pictured)! I would be remiss not to mention the food as well — the dishes are perfectly restrained so that the fresh ingredients truly shine. The cheese board is a delight, and we have also enjoyed the salads. I cannot recommend this wine bar enough!

I visited this bottle shop with two girl friends. We had wine and shared food. We really enjoyed the bred & butter, the carrots on a puree and smoked salmon dip. The wine selection was great too and so was the ambiance. I will definitely return here if the occasion arises.

Went to Respite and grabbed the last open seats on a Wednesday night. They have patio seating for warm summer nights. The owners are knowledgeable and spend hours every week testing the wines they add to the menu. Cozy date spot or great for meeting up with friends. Bonus - they don’t do tipping! It’s so nice to just pay the price on the menu and know staff are well taken care of and paid a livable wage.

After my first experience with Respite I cannot recommend this gem enough! As someone who does not drink alcohol, I've never been so excited to return to a wine bar. I was thoroughly impressed with the beverage selections for drinkers and non-drinkers alike, the ambiance (casual but elevated and would be great for a date, girl's night and they have room for groups on the mezzanine level) and the quality of the food is outstanding. 10/10 would recommend and I've included more details below. My partner and I met a friend for dinner and drinks early in August within two weeks of Respite's opening. After starting with a glass of bubbles we decided to order every dish on the menu. Over the course of the evening the Respite team made sure we had everything we needed from wine suggestions to water that stayed filled, clean plates and utensils, and perfectly spaced food. We loved everything we ate and drank and couldn't believe how every wine or dish that came out seemed even better than the previous. All of the food is fresh, perfectly portioned, and well seasoned but the homemade seasonal Galette, Shisito Peppers, Beans + Chorizo and Olive Oil Cake still stand out in my memory. Ambiance: The space is modern and warm with a large and gorgeous stone bar, beautiful light fixtures, open wood shelving and comfortable seating. Upon entering one of the owners (either Madisyn or Hanley who are both hospitality industry vets and run the food and wine programs respectively) greet and seat you. Madisyn took care of our group and was attentive and knowledgeable about every item on the menu. She recommended we start with the house bubbles and pointed out an NA wine option as I do not drink alcohol. As a non-drinker I wasn't sure if a wine bar would have options for me but the owners curated a thoughtful selection of non-alcoholic and alcohol removed drinks including the best NA wine I've ever tried. Usually I'll have one or two drinks max and I ended up having four over the course of the evening! Wine: While I cannot speak to the alcoholic selections, my partner and friend loved their pours and tried the house bubbles, orange and red wines all recommended by Madisyn and Hanley. I loved my NA selection so much I ordered some to enjoy at home! Respite also offers bottles to go so I highly recommend taking one with you. Service: Throughout the evening we were impressed by how attentive Madisyn and Hanley were while balancing greeting and seating customers, plating food, serving wine, and maintaining conversation with patrons at the bar. It's obvious the owners have years of experience and despite having just opened the service was extremely smooth. Food: The food at Respite is a huge selling point for me as a non-drinker! If you were planning to come just for drinks you'll want to try at least a snack or dessert. Weeks later I am still thinking about the seasonal galette (zucchini and onion) and the olive oil cake. The homemade crust on the galette was delicate and flakey and it was paired with a lightly dressed salad. I would go back just for this dish. We wanted to take photos of each item but kept forgetting because we couldn't wait to dig into the next plate that came out. The Respite team was more than happy to accommodate coursing out the dishes we ordered and the progression from cheeses to fish to meat to larger plates (including the galette and beans + chorizo) and dessert was flawless. We also loved that the owner posted our order on Respite's instagram page and also re-posted 1-2 of our photos, adding to the fun of the evening. Overall: we cannot wait to return to Respite and try some new dishes (the owners let us know they plan to change some items on the menu seasonally) the next time we visit Seattle. While we went a little over the top ordering the prices are reasonable but we have no regrets trying every dish and multiple wines! We highly recommend you stop by and trust Madisyn and Hanley to curate your food and beverage selections!

First of all, I’d like to praise the bar to be very forefront on their bill that you don’t need to tip because they already pay their servers sufficiently. No box on the bill to tip. Really appreciate that. However, the meat and cheese platter were really mediocre. The ingredients were just not at the level of the price they charge. Bread is not warm. They are basically the same one or same level as those we got from Trader Joe… weren’t impressed with the wine either

Wow! Love this wine bar! Amazing selections of wine and delicious food! The owners are so warm and welcoming. I highly recommend the sparkling rosé, meat and cheese board (which was delicious). I'll be coming back here soon!

I had a fantastic time with my friends! amazing wine and food my favorite was the Savory Galette. I love the ambiance.

I took my sister here on a very wet and cold November evening and discovered that Respite's name is well-deserved--we had some of the best wine I've had in a while in a beautiful, intimate, cozily lit space. We ordered the house snack board which came with a warm cheese that was delicious and unlike any dip I've had before, and my sister loved the gluten-free rosemary crackers so much she said she wants the recipe. (She has Celiac disease so the amount of GF options were very much appreciated). Can't wait to visit again when we are both back in Seattle!