Smith Cove

I’d intended to have lunch in the AMEX Centurion Lounge but couldn’t get in because it was at capacity, so I dined at the only sit-down place in Terminal S, Smith Cove Bar & Restaurant. The sign said to wait to be seated but no one seemed interested in seating me (and others) even though there were a few empty tables. Finally, one of the servers flagged me to sit wherever. Okay, not a great start. I scanned the bar to see what kind of gins were available and ordered a double Tanqueray gin & tonic ($21.99) and a Bacon Blue Burger with fries ($24). My drink came quickly but it took a while for my burger to arrive. It didn’t matter, I had hours before boarding time. I relaxed in the place, read a novel and ate my burger and sipped my drink. Surprisingly, there was no credit card surcharge, so the bill came to $59.88, including a 20% tip. If this seems expensive, it’s the new norm in the cost of food in an airport. At least, I enjoyed my meal … That’s more than I can say at other airports around the country.

Wow. I’m not even sure what to say. Ordered from the QR code on table. Beer was $13, I thought “Surely it’s a larger size, but I’m ok with that”. Nope it was a pint. Then the food came. It was a paper bowl, and honestly, it felt like they pulled off the plastic top and microwaved the food. Then came the text notice - better close out or else it’ll close for you and charge a 22% tip. I asked the server, “How do you close out?” She said, “oh it looks like it closed out already.” Wait, what? My dinner pictured was $42. That’s without the 22% tip. Never again. Avoid avoid avoid avoid avoid avoid avoid.

Advice for travellers: Do not buy! Breakfast for 1 plus drink: $60 usd Nothing positive. Negative: most disgusting, low effort, paper plated breakfast meal i had. My mimosa was made by someone who doesnt know what mimosa was. Food looked like it was reheated microwaved and such a small amount for the price! Service was terrible because waiter did not know how to use machine and wanted cash. Waiter disappeared as soon as food was delivered and never top up water or drinks. Food for thought: SeaTec management, please either get rid of this restaurant or find a new owner.

Yikes on bikes was this bad. The food is fine, passable, just super expensive for being served on a paper plate and disposable utensils. It's the service that was atrocious. One, when you're told to pick your own seat, you're not told that it's expected that you order with the QR code on the table. You get 0 service for ordering and must order online, unless you aggressively flag staff down and when you do they are super curt. Ordered a drink and it came out waaay later than the food and after prompting. Then the wrong drink came out. Had to wait and flag someone down to correct it when it was "corrected" they just splashed the missing juice in the same glass. They did the drink right for some other table though.

smith cove is really just not good. the food was way below average. i got the coop chicken sandwich with fries instead of chips. the chicken tasted like frozen chicken tenders baked in an oven a while ago AT BEST. soggy bun, soggy chicken; bland, thick batter and just not fresh at all. the portion of fries was too small and i’m not even factoring the price of the sandwich and the extra charge for the fries. the only thing that worked for me was the spicy sauce which wasnt terrible. the service here was not good either. the server gave the most uninterested vibe i have seen in a while and i wasnt even expecting a lot in the first place. no smile, no enthusiasm or care. if youre the only restaurant around that offers a dining service, i expect it to be a LOT better than this.also the beer glass was sticky on the outside and the napkin that came with the beer was wet already (??) the atmosphere wasnt terrible. the seating is too close to each other but other than that, the atmosphere seemed ok. decent music, a variety of sports on a few televisions. the decor was up to date and nice. overall, i wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone but seeing how it’s inside an airport + the terrible reviews, i dont think another terrible review is going to kill this place. however, i would recommend maybe eat at the main terminal where you might also get a variety of options at a cheaper rate. i also do not think saying “oh its expected to be terrible since its an airport restaurant” is a fair argument. a restaurant in a terrible location can still put out the best food, so we can’t be judging restaurants based on any “factors” other than the food, service and atmosphere in general

Typical airport setup. The hamburger is not the best but fair for an airport quality 🙂 The patty is good, I prefer medium (no option was offered) and came in well done, well seasoned and the dressing was yummy. I ordered protein style (lettuce instead of buns). The chips that came with it was sooo crispy tasty. The server was super nice and very accomodating.

I don’t really understand all the negative reviews. This place is exactly what you’d expect from an airport restaurant—nothing more, nothing less. The food was okay—not amazing, but definitely fine for a quick bite before a flight. The service was good, and everything moved efficiently, which is what matters when you're on a schedule. Prices were typical for an airport, and the atmosphere was what you’d expect in a busy terminal. If you go in with realistic expectations, you won’t be disappointed.

Breakfast "Grilled Cheese" had virtually no cheese on it. Overall it was two pieces of bread with scrambled eggs in it. Change the menu description or do better. Waitress was very nice and went out of her way to apologize.

One of the better meals I've had at an airport. We ordered the tenders & truffle fries, Brussels sprouts, and braised beef grilled cheese w/ side Caesar salad. Everything came out hot and fast. Our server was great, quick to refill our waters. The salad greens looked a little old, but I was too full to eat it much of it anyway.

Good pick for a pre-flight meal and comfortable seat to take a break from travel. They have a nice, large dining area a bit separated from the terminal, offering a nice mental break from the fast-paced buzz of the SeaTac speedway. There are not a lot of frills at Smith Cove, but they do have a dependable menu of beers and bar food staples like burgers, fries, chicken tenders. The menu also offers seafood dishes like salmon, fish & chips, and "Pike Place Chowder" but not as much seafood as I would expect for a restaurant named "Cove." I went with the clam chowder; as I expected of New England Style Chowder from Pike Place, the broth was deliciously creamy, with plenty of big bites of clam meat and velvety potatoes chunks. However, I was ultimately deterred by the fistful of freshly chopped parsley topping my bowl of chowder. My soup was overpowered by the single herbaceous note of parsley, to the point that I was picking it out before it kept permeating through the bowl. Good beer menu helped with rounding out the meal! Service was sluggish in my corner seat, noticed a visibility gap when servers scanned the area. Sit at a centrally located table if you have a tight schedule! No frills bar food, but worth considering a return visit to try other menu items.

Stopped here whilst waiting for our flight to arrive. The Hangover burger was delicious and enough to share. The chicken fingers were a little dry, and are overpriced for 4 small strips. The fries were crispy and salted nicely. The ranch dressing is delicious, and reminds me of the ranch dressing packet that you can use to make ranch dip. Overall it is cheaper than ordering food on the plane, or buying snacks from the store inside the airport. If you are looking for something less expensive I recommend stopping somewhere before the airport. Also, you can get a bowl of Pike Place Clam Chowder for cheaper than at Pike Place here! Not bad.

I stopped by Smith Cove while awaiting a recent flight. Being as it's one of only a couple of food options in the South Satellite, I was glad to see it and even more glad to find a seat at the bar. As luck would have it, I was also right in front of their signature bronze buffalo sculpture, giving me something to look at other than fellow weary early morning travelers. I enjoyed a hot cup of coffee, but skipped getting food so I can't speak to that. The coffee was good and hot, made even better by a shot of Bailey's to help me sleep on the plane. The service was friendly, and pretty fast until it was time to get my check - had to ask for it a few times. If I ever have the misfortune of finding myself on the South Satellite again, I'll give their food a try too.

This was a solid spot for a quick, sit down meal while we waited for our connecting flight. We had a long flight ahead of us so we didn't want to eat anything that might throw off our tummies- crispy chicken ended up winning. We were there around 11:30am on a Sunday and we sat ourselves and then a server came to help us, but you could use a QR code to order on your phone. They have printed and QR code menus. We ordered the chicken tenders ($21) and the Coop chicken sandwich ($20) and I upgraded from chips to fries for an extra dollar. The food came out fast and the tenders were hot and very crispy on the outside and had good seasoning. My sandwich was tasty, but the bottom bun was a bit soggy from pickle juice. It also was two chicken tenders on a bun instead of a large piece of chicken. It still tasted great and I was very full after the sandwich and fries. My husband got the tenders and it definitely had more chicken than my sandwich (at least double)- so if you're looking for more chicken go with that, if you want the bun, pickles and lettuce the sandwich will be your go to. While this restaurant didn't blow us away, it does the job and fit our needs during the trip.

Firstly, I have no idea why the reviews are so terrible. Our family had everything from the grilled cheese, brisket, chicken strips, burger, BLT, brussels sprouts, Caesar salad. Everyone enjoyed their meal very much. I think we can be pretty picky sometimes, but everyone in our group was pleased. It was a bit pricey for sure, but we enjoyed our meal and he gave us something to do to kill the time. No complaints whatsoever. Their two star status is whack.

It's an airport eatery so high prices and so/so quality are the expectation & those expectations were met. The food was decent, I'd even say the fish was actually pretty dang good and prices as one might expect for an airport. Service was right on par with everything else. The place was busy but they squeezed us in & put 2 tables together to accommodate us. A solid 3 but not quite satisfied enough to round up. For airport food, and against other available options- yeah, it was worth a stop

Crappy, dry and overpriced food. OK, so you're at Sea-Tac, you lower your expectations but then this place manages to deliver overpriced super dry bland food in cardboard boxes. Yes, even a sit-down meal comes in a cardboard box. Super wasteful! And since the stuff is terrible you won't take it home in the box anyway :( Avoid, just get some food on the plane, it will be much better! Service was good but can't make up for the food.

At Gate S terminal, there's nothing really tasty or interesting to try, so I chose Smith Cove. I had a burger, fish and chip, and truffle fries. The food was decent, and the fries were crispy. However, where's the truffle? It could use a bit more truffle oil or something to bring out the flavor.

What a ripoff. Had time before my flight (S gates), and after just having a disastrous burrito from Greedy Cow, I wanted something to take that taste out of my mouth. Sat down in here to get a drink, and that was a mistake. I should've ordered something neat, vs the mint pineapple mimosa I decided to get. At $18, I was expecting something pretty tasty, dare I say delicious. It was terrible. I struggled sipping the obvious low quality sparkling wine, which only kept the harsh bitterness you'd get from the pineapple. And the mint; look at the photo and tell me this is an establishment that is proud of their product and cards for their customers. The leaves looked like they were plucked from the plant a month ago, all shriveled up and unappealing. Just, pathetic. But hey, they had tv screens, so yay. The service was slow and not friendly at all. I still tipped, which I can't believe I did, and yet no thank you or pleasant farewell. I'm glad I didn't order food.

My family and I had a layover in the Seattle airport and we stopped in to grab dinner before our next flight. The restaurant was pretty busy, but it was around dinner time. They have lots of seating and a relaxed vibe. We seated ourself at the restaurant and ordered through the website. The website would not let us select water as a beverage and it appears that not everything you order crosses over because I upgraded my fries to truffle fries and the waitress said that she did not see it on our order. My husband ordered the coop chicken sandwich, I got the fish and chips, and for my son we got a grilled cheese and house made chips. My fish and chips were delicious! They were hot, crispy, and the fish was a good portion with two pieces. My husband's chicken sandwich was good, but nothing to rave about. The grilled cheese and house chips were also delicious. Our son ate almost all of the grilled cheese and we enjoyed the crispy chips. The prices were what you would expect for a restaurant in the airport from $18-$23. We would definitely eat there again. Rating from F to A+++, I give it an A++.

Smith Cove offers a respite from the adjacent food choices but still remains busy and can get crowded - just less so than the food court. The highlight was our server, Thui (?) who was friendly, personable, efficient, and covering a large section of the restaurant. The lowlight was definitely paying $20 for avocado toast covered in red pepper flakes, which took away from the smoked salmon's flavor. The egg I added on had a weird taste from the first bite. My husband's burrito was bland, as were the dry home fries. They were out of creamer and didn't have a selection of tea so I just had hot water. It was also a surprise when our food arrived in to-go containers with plastic forks and knives. It's a good idea for people in a rush to catch a flight, but we had time to spare and would have preferred an option to select plates and silverware. If you want to drink alcohol and watch a big screen, take a seat inside at the bar area, and tip your hardworking servers well; otherwise skip this place for tastier options.

I had a bit of time during my layover in Seattle International Airport to go and get some food and drink before my flight left. The service was good, staff was busy, but was treated with the utmost respect and hospitality to get me what I was feeling like eating and wanting to drink. I did take awhile for it all to be served. Food and drink were ok and prices were airport prices, so not great for on a budget! I don't think I would go back for the food but the service was great, once you get someone to help you! I do love being in a busy airport with people coming and going!

Cheap food, that tastes subpar. Also, every order creates a lot waste. Food comes in containers that are thrown away. It is a sit down restaurant with only plastic and cardboard.

Unimpressive for a restaurant in an international terminal. Staff are friendly but food is mediocre for the price. Beer was totally overpriced too....

Food was nice if not expensive but I paid online through the app and the restaurant insisted I hadnt paid. My bank statement wasnt available to prove receipt as it was down for overnight maintenance due to the time difference. The waiter was insistent and I felt forced to pay again. Low and behold 2 payments went through my bank, so £70 for 8 Asian Wings and a glass of warm pinot grigio. No way of contacting them for a refund

Terrible!!! Prices WAY too high, even for an airport restaurant. Beware: they charge a 22% service charge for parties of 6, even if you split up and sit at two separate tables. A total ripoff! Avoid at all cost.

Already as we arrived... the employees looked at us and turned around away from us.. they were laughing and went inside the restaurant not even acknowledging us! We had to wait for them to come back!! Anna Liz was so rude not even funny.. she told us to seat wherever! The 2 of us sat at a 4 seat-table she barked at us that we should have sat at a 2 seat table yet no customers were in the patio! When she brought the food over it was tossed in front of us! Not even in a million years would I give the food to my dog that way!!! Not friendly service at all. People like that should not even work with the public.

As to be expected, the prices at this restaurant are ridiculous for the quality of food you get. The service was quick, which was nice. (Thus the 2 stars instead of 1) However, after two soda refills, my waiter told me if I got any more refills he was going to charge me for another soda. (Despite sodas being bottomless) Wouldn't come back or recommend it, unless you're desperate.

Good food, service. Prices are high but people act so nasty when they see the prices. YOURE AT AN AIRPORT. Expect it or don't pay lol. I feel bad for the servers there. Read the menu to view prices or just sit at your gate. Complaining to the bartenders is pathetic. have you ever been to a stadium? It's $25 for a beer yet people complain about $14 for a beer. Get over yourselves.

Stay away from this scam. We are a group of 4 and it costed us $100 for garbage fast food. Food is way overpriced(e.g. fried chicken + biscuit costed $20). Also, apparently they charge 20% mandatory tips for basically zero service, will never come back again. Edit: I got food poisoned after eating at the restaurant. Feels disgusting from inside out.

Drinks are watered down, food is way too expensive, the restaurant is too hot because the AC doesn't work and they are flies everywhere.

A little pricey, but the food is good. The service was pretty quick. I would say the only issue was that they stopped serving breakfast at 10am.

Food quality is terrible! They serve dishes on paper to go plates. I ordered spinach salad with salmon. They didn't even use dressing on salad. Salmon was farm raised , you can easily tell by color and taste. Server wasn't even friendly at all. You can tell she hates her job. You can't charge premium $$ for food and serve low quality. I would skip this place and order food from Greedy Cow Burger cross the Smith Cove.

Wow. Difficult to understand how service could be worse. Was instructed to use the QR code to view the menu and order, then waited 10 minutes, after which a server came by my table to ask if I'd like to order. I explained that I'd ordered via the app, and he said okay and went away. Fast forward another ten minutes, when the same server comes to my table and asks if I'd like to order. Same response. Five minutes later, he finally brought my order. I worked more than a decade in the industry. I get that things get hectic. That means you hire more floor staff.

all round poor and lazy. the whole place is designed so they do as little as possible for you as a customer while maximizing how much you have to pay. don't waste your time. anywhere else in this terminal must be better

I am claustrophobic and did not feel comfortable in the restaurant itself. If you try to sit out in the gated area, the tables are reserved for 3 to 4 people regardless of how you feel about being in their tiny little restaurant. Cannot talk about the food because I couldn't get them to serve me any.

The service was fine but the food was terrible. Had several hours layover so thought I would have a nice breakfast. Arrived in a to go box, was greasy to the point of almost inedible except the potatoes which were dry and lacked any flavor

Hongnhung was our server today, and she was very unpleasant. She didn't take our order and directed us to online ordering, then we closed out with the QR code, and she came by and told us to not order more. My friends and I are all servers, so we know good service and the way in which to go about having your section closed. She was very rude to us. When she dropped off our drinks she said "I told you to stop ordering I am trying to go home" , which is understandable but it was so unprofessional and rude. I get you want to go home, but be kind!

Awful, awful, awful. Walked in, sign said seat yourself. I sat at a table for four, but it had only three chairs. I need a table for two. Five minutes in, server tells me I can't sit there unless I have three or more people. I had to ask him if a table for two is available. He comes back and points me to a dirty table. I walk over, sit at the table, and wait 10 minutes before a server comes over. Server tells me I can't sit at a dirty table and that I have to move. What a joke!