Whistle Stop Ale House

This is a nice quaint restaurant located in downtown Renton. I’ve been here a few times for lunch and breakfast. The atmosphere inside the restaurant had a casual neighborhood and unique with the ‘railroad’ theme. They have a bar area and a dining area as well as an outdoor area. you allow dogs when the outdoor patio is open (warmer months / days) & they provide a water bowl! Prices are pretty fair. They have a wide range of beer on tap and a pretty extensive menu and breakfast until 2 PM I believe (don’t quote me, but they definitely serve breakfast into the early afternoon) I will say parking can be a little bit of a hassle if they’re super busy just because they don’t have a very big dedicated parking lot. There is parking available on the street. Also have some pretty good mock tails if you don’t drink alcohol. The staff were very welcoming and helpful and attentive I would definitely recommend this restaurant for people looking for a nice atmosphere and good food!

Stopped at The Whistle Stop Ale House on our way to the airport this morning and were pleasantly surprised! We ordered the breakfast burrito, which came with a delicious assortment of fresh fruit, and we also split the eggs Benedict—so the photo is a half order. The hollandaise sauce was perfectly balanced and flavorful, and the ham was just as good. Both dishes were excellent—highly recommend the eggs Benedict. Service was friendly and attentive, and the place itself has a great, laid-back weekend vibe. Definitely a solid spot for breakfast!

Loved this place! Had the delicious Hawaiian chicken burger. Everyone in our group loved their lunches as well. Went back to try again and had the ribeye sandwich and it was pretty good. The cranberry gorgonzola salad was delicious! Can't go wrong here!

The fish & chips here is awesome. Big pieces of tasty fish with coating is very light & thin with a bit of seasoning in it. They are willing to swap out the fries if you are looking for more-healthy. Also the on-tap unusual cider was wonderful. We like the burgers and other things we have had on the menu. This is our go-to informal neighborhood pub for taking friends who visit us in Renton.

A nice chill place with a good happy hour. We stopped for a late lunch, and enjoyed the tacos and the tenders. Sitting at the bar was fun, watching the creative bartenders care for the thirsty day drinkers. Clearly a local place, the servers seemed to know most of the crowd, yet welcomed us strangers warmly. Next time, I will have a burger as they looked great!

Phenomenal service, we enjoy spending our wedding anniversaries here. Ceferino took great care of us. Highly recommend the Bang Bang Linguine great creamy sauce with just the right amount of kick. Makes incredible leftovers.

It was our first time in. Glad we picked this restaurant/bar. I had the fish, fries and coleslaw. My husband got the spider burger. The food and service was great. When we are in that area again, we will stop in there.

Our server was great, the staff was great, the chef that made my poached easy eggs, wonderful. But the portion of my 17 meal was ridiculous. Add more potatoes, add vegetables, add hashbrowns, bacon something. Don't spread the food out acting like the plate was full. The food wasn't worth it. Also, no gravy until the evening?

What a fun little place. People kept telling us about this and finally we decided to give it a try. Sort of on a back street of Renton pretty close to I 405. The server told us they were busy and there would be a wait so we sat at the bar and the service was perfect. We hardly waited al all. You can get breakfast until 2:00 and a good assortment of appetizers and sandwiches are available as well. They also have several specials on a blackboard as well as a list of a lot of beers if you're into trying new stuff. I had a Renton Depot Sandwich, chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion if you wanted it and pesto and mayo. Came on toasted sourdough and a choice of fries, tots or chips or upcharge to a salad or a couple of other sides. It was yummy and big enough for me to bring half home for later. My friend had chicken club, not your mom's club or sure. It was blackened chicken with cheese, lettuce and tomato and a very nice what looked like a home made bun. She couldn't eat all hers either,. Think this would be a fun place to come for happy hour and they do have happy hour

I've been here at least a dozen times. In the beginning, I thought their pastrami and Reuben were amazing but I've noticed the last couple times that the amount of meat is less and not as consistent quality wise. The service is good, and I love having somewhere I can take the dog too. Breakfast is good, worth trying.

Given the nice weather, we chose to sit outside. Food 3/5 Beer 1/5 - Highly watered down and not refreshing Ghostrider Burger (3/5) - The burger appeared fresh and was pretty decent. The fries, though, were double-fried. Service 5/5 - We changed our table 3 times due to our dog. However, the server was very accomodating and understanding

This place is AWESOME! Their menu has so many delicious and unique options! Pasta, pastrami, Reuben, meatloaf, and calamari! There's something for everyone! The staff are so friendly and attentive! I was very impressed with their timely and attentive service! The establishment is clean and has a welcoming atmosphere! Great for friends family and COOL dates. So if you got a cool date, don't hesitate.

We came in as a party of four on Friday night at 6:15 PM. I am a longtime fan of the Whistle Stop because they have a delicious menu, and they have fast service. My chicken Caesar wrap was delightful-it came with bacon inside! Our service was wonderful, and we had our food within 20 minutes of ordering. Short, sweet and wonderful!

I stopped by Whistle Stop Ale House during a tattoo appointment across the street (my mom was going first!). It was midday and I realized that I hadn't had anything to eat yet, which isn't really recommended when getting a tattoo. :) The vibe here is cozy and the service was nice. My visit was quick and I got their smoked chicken quesadilla and a beer. They had a good amount of drink selections on tap and the hazy that I got was good, and from a brewery that I hadn't tried before. The smoked chicken quesadilla was a decent size (I only finished half) and was so good! I loved the sauce that they drizzled on it, some sort of chipotle ranch. They should have a side of that for dipping! All in all it was a good visit and I'd definitely come back.

My partner and I stopped in for our second visit last week (Monday night). We had enjoyed the meatloaf a few months ago and thought we would try their barbecue ribs. I wouldn't recommend going on Monday nights at 6 unless you're there for trivia night. Wouldn't recommend the barbecue ribs as they were overpowered by the amount of sweet barbecue sauce (a bit too much fat and grissle). The fries tasted like cleaner was mixed in with the grease! I still can't get that taste out of my memory. The waiter almost seemed embarrassed to work there. The place definitely needs a deep cleaning and makeover as it looks run down.

Brewers night 12/21/2023 was a blast! Won a Tshirt and a plaque. Food and service never disappoints!!

Just okay. I would have enjoyed a harder scramble on my veggie scramble and my spouse's breakfast was unremarkable. Bummer, because we enjoy this neighborhood.

6-2-24 Visited the Whistle Stop this morning after picking up our son up from SeaTac. Two of us ordered the combination, 2 eggs, hash browns and fruit. The third order was for corn beef hash. Could have been a miscommunication with the preparation of the eggs but they were cooked over hard. Very dry. The hash browns were layered thin and very crisp. Not terrible but not something I would order again. My husband who is a big fan of corn beef hash said it was terrible. He said it was fatty and didn't have that corn beef flavor you would expect. Two of us had coffee. It was not good, weak, watered down taste. In the past my husband regularly visited the Whistle Stop as he worked in the area. We were all extremely disappointed in the food this visit With the cost of eating a meal out now days it's even more disappointing. I will add the service was great and the atmosphere pleasant! Susan

don't get the train wreck or order the half portion option. watered down eggs bland as heck getting the half portion is the same portion as the full. never a picky eater nor complain but this one was just disgusting

Used to be one of our favorite places but the service went down hill and the food followed. Finding a new place...

As I suspected, when they're less busy, the food and service improves significantly. I really enjoyed my most recent visit.

We stopped for brunch because they have patio seating. I ordered French toast, it was ok. It was moist but has no flavor. The syrup did help but they did not give me enough. I asked for me more but our server did not bring me any. I waited for awhile before my order showed up. Service was ok. Everyone enjoyed their sandwiches.

I've been going to Whistle Stop and love the atmosphere and service is amazing. Would highly recommend it. Food is also great!

Who doesn't love some drinks and apps! We have come here before for breakfast and wanted to try out the nightlife here. My husband and I were going for some drinks and appetizers for the night. Our favorite had to be the fried cauliflower for sure! The clams personally were too much lemon to the point that it was super bitter. The cocktails we had were the cold brew martini and the bartenders choice. They weren't my favorite and too sweet for me. I would love to come back and try maybe some other items and update my review.

After a poor experience somewhere else recently, I needed a breakfast food redemption and headed to Whistle Stop Sunday morning. I was NOT disappointed and FULLY redeemed! My only complaint, and this is minor, of Whistle Stop breakfast is that they have a fairly limited menu compared to most breakfast places. I feel like it used to be larger, but maybe they decided to stick to what they do best, and it pays off! We got seated right away despite being busy at 10am on a Sunday, and while it was sunny, it was a bit chilly for outdoor seating, but it was nice that it was offered and clean, and lots of people were taking advantage of it. Our host was very nice and our server was very pleasant and smiling. The expeditor remembered everything except the pancake, but they apologized profusely for the wait on that, which wasn't a big deal. Onto the food: I got the meat lovers scramble, with hash browns, sourdough toast and a single pancake for my wife and I to share. I've had a similar order to this at a lot of breakfast places, but Whistle Stop just does it better. First of all, it came out FAST! Like (to borrow a phrase), freaky fast! The eggs were scrambled perfectly (I don't like too much moisture in my eggs) with a lot of really top quality meat and cheese! I like salsa on my eggs and I'm still amazed how many breakfast places use jarred salsa instead of making their own fresh. Not WS! They make a great fresh salsa with black beans and corn in it and give you a lot of it! It was fantastic! The toast was perfectly cooked and buttered. The pancake was large and fluffy, and tasted pretty good on its own. I always try some without toppings first to see if it holds up and theirs held up very well in taste and texture. They carry peanut butter too, which is a plus. **One caveat, do wish they stocked some sugar free syrup. They could buy a few bottle on amazon and keep them in the back for just a few bucks for those customers who want it, but not a deal breaker, by any means. My wife had the salmon scramble and it was perfectly cooked and the salmon was tasty (not always the case at diner type places). She also got a side of bacon which was cooked perfectly. Now onto the BEST part. The hashbrowns. I don't eat a ton of potatoes but do like hashbrowns with my breakfast, but am, admittedly, a hash brown snob. There is a right way to cook hash browns, and then the way most places do them. You can't have the griddle too hot, so that you don't burn the outside before the inside gets cooked, but it has to be hot enough to make the outside (top and bottom) crispy. This is the second time we've been here in a month and ordered the same thing, and BOTH times the hash browns were perfectly cooked. I mean absolutely perfect. Cooked and warm inside without being soggy, while the outside was perfectly golden brown and crispy without burning. Seriously, whoever is in charge of cooking those or training on cooking those, is a true artist! So to sum up! Definitely a place to go if you're anywhere near Renton or even willing to drive! And I'm pretty sure they serve breakfast all day (don't quote me on that but I think they do). I'll be taking my dad there this Friday for our weekly dinner and hoping to get the same thing. If not the full meal, definitely a side of hash browns!

Went here for the first time after wanting to try it for so many years. I ordered the breakfast burrito with the egg, avocado, sausage and cheese. My friend ordered the smoked salmon scramble. I had asked for my eggs to be scrambled soft as I don't like them well done and don't want any brown on them. My girlfriend's scramble was loaded with smoked salmon and she finished every bite. I really enjoyed my burrito but when I looked inside in a few places, alas, my scrambled eggs were overdone and brown on the outside. They probably didn't think I would take because they were inside the tortilla but I did. Very disappointing, but even with that I would go back. I think they do a nice job.

Service was excellent. Bloody Mary could bd a bit more spicier but delicious. Next time I want to get a cinnamon bun... The poached eggs were done perfectly . I'd definitely go back.

This was the goto place for a while. Went there tonight to have fish n chips. cold fries, greasy fish and yet cold if that's even possible. The iced tea is anything but, it isnt tea...its like some punch bs. most of the food was either left or packed home for the dogs. The cost is simply ridiculous for the service and quality of food. very disappointed. wont go back for a long time. we drive by too many places to fight for parking and what I will call below gas station meals. avoid unless you like going to the bathroom on the way home from bubble guts.

Good atmosphere, nice server, clean bathroom, tasty steak sandwich. The steak sandwich looked just like ground beef but it tasted good so no complaints. The fries are good. I'd come here again probably.

Visited several times for dinner or brunch. Its a popular spot so know you may need to wait a few minutes to be seated. The food is always great! Train wreck & the smoked salmon scramble are recent ones I had & recommend.

This is a great brunch find in the area. Parking is all street parking so it can be challenging since there is no parking lot. My friend got the Benedict and Bloody Mary and said it was delicious. I had the mushroom omelette and later got the lemon garlic calamari and cheese curds. The omelette was above satisfactory and comes with a choice of toast or pancake. With regards to appetizers, this is one of the most satisfying calamari dishes I have had. The pieces were large and fried to perfection, The aioli had the right zing and there was a little bit of heat of jalapeño peppers I believe. Included was roasted vegetables that absorbed the sauce. I will be back try other dishes. Wait staff was patient and courteous. The vibe has a warm neighborhood feeling that is welcoming.

I decided to stop by this place for lunch, and I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of selections they offered. The best part? Their portions are incredibly generous! I couldn't finish my meal this time, and I'm thinking I'll share one next time with a friend. One dish that caught my eye was their 'Whistle Stop Reuben' sandwich, and it turned out to be an excellent choice. The flavors were fantastic, and it left me completely satisfied. If you're a fan of Reuben sandwiches, this one is a must-try!

My husband and I have been here several times in the last few years. Good food and a Lottogesellschaften it (See pic). I also was very impressed with how fast our food came out. (Like 10 minutes on a Saturday afternoon)

Stopped by on Friday night and waited at the host station for more than 5 minutes while many people walked by. Then a very rude woman said 'has the hostess helped you' - I said no. She was gone for a while longer then came back (same woman) and I asked for a table on the patio - rude again. Told me that it would be a while to get waited on. Sat down, and a very rude waitress stopped by. No hello. No smile. Nothing. Get the theme for the night. Horrible experience. If you don't like people and can't be professional - find another job. It made for a very unfortunate evening.

A fun surprise --and one we'll definately do again. Better-than-average pub fare, an interesting selection of beers, ales, and ciders. Very good food and excellent service.

what a great place! They must have amazing management, because EVERYTHING was perfect. I stopped bye when the place was packed, and they made me feel like a VIP! Ultra positive service with incredible food! Stop and eat here, you won't be sorry!

Always good. mostly eat breakfast or lunch here. I was disappointed when they decided to open later (11:00). My buddy and I were truly regulars here when they opened at 8:00. Sad they changed that but we still occasionally stop in at opening time. Good value, quality, quantity and price. Plus usually has good service.

Giant servings and a side of French Toast for $3. Best of both worlds. Service was attentive and fast and the ambiance was fun and relaxed. Try the cinnamon roll and share it with the table. Worth it!

I used to love Whistle Stop but can't say I will be back any time soon. It just feels like it has gone downhill. I came here on a quiet afternoon. Only a handful of tables were occupied. My friend and I sat in the bar area and I noted that it is all basically tables and chairs now, which works but it has this haphazard thrown together sort of feel like they're just getting by. When our server finally came by it set the tone quick. He had no room for pleasantries, no room for anything that wasn't the basic function of taking the order. There was no greeting, no intro, no even asking us if we were ready to order. He just started with "What are you having today?" Then once he was done with that he was done with us. Never checked in on us after that, didn't even ask if we wanted refills on cocktails or drinks. I'd be more forgiving if either the cocktails or food was good but neither were. The Moscow mule I ordered was super tart like sucking on a lime and my friend's Bloody Mary was weirdly gritty. The burger that I used to love so much was burnt and flavorless. The fries were weirdly limp and a touch soggy. Not sure what happened there. It felt like a whole new crew took over and left it a shallow shell of its former self. I was quite disappointed.

Went out to dinner with my son tonight. We sat out on the patio, and all was good. Unfortunately, I did not pay close attention to the prices of items, because what we ordered was nothing high ticket. I now wish I would have... $4 for a soda (for real?) $18 for 2 pieces of overcooked (slightly burnt) fish and Tator tots $7 beer $14 salad (romaine lettuce + toppings... low-cost ingredients - HIGH markup) $10 add on shrimp for salad (supposed to get 4 shrimp - received 3. Shrimp were regular small'ish size. Comes out to about $3.00 per shrimp. Ridiculous). The food was decent. Not great. Definitely not at all worth what I paid. Total with tax and tip: $70.00 for an adult and an 11-year-old boy. I told my husband and his jaw hit the floor. It's too bad. We have been coming to Whistle Stop since 2013. Looks like we just got priced out and may not return.

Whistle Stop was my girlfriend's favorite local brunch spot back when she lived in Renton. So for nostalgia purposes, she wanted to come back here for brunch since we were visiting the area. There is an extensive menu of options here, but I just decided to keep it simple with the chicken fried steak and eggs (scrambled), which also came with hash browns and toast. It's really hard to mess up chicken fried steak, and they definitely did not do that here. Batter did not overpower the steak, gravy was perfect. Exactly what I was hoping for! One of my girlfriend's friends is a server here, so of course we received some exemplary service. No complaints! There was also plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, depending on what you felt like. If you're ever in Renton and just need a place with good food, Whistle Stop is it!

Great menu! Always busy but good service. Eggs Benedict was solid for breakfast. Ventura burger was good.

Very cute and a delicious place to eat at. One of my mom's and I favorite spot for breakfast. Shawns great! Fast service and great food, highly recommend

This was a great find--lots of drinks on tap (including cider). Food was great-everyone happy. Parking is somewhat of a challenge, but otherwise great place!!!

Came in after work on a Tuesday for some drinks and food and had no problem getting a table for 5 outside on their patio. They have an outdoor tent, which is nice for the elements (when we were there it started POURING), although I did not see any heaters anywhere. They do not do happy hour, so that was disappointing. Regardless, I got two draft ciders for $7.25 and a side of fries for $4.99 (which was actually very filling) I felt like our waitress was annoyed throughout the duration of our service and from what I saw from other interactions, but we were checked on steadily enough that I would still return!

I've been here several times now: service is friendly & efficient; beer selection is outstanding; food is good with nice portion sizes. The outdoor seating area is awesome in nice weather.

This is the perfect hidden gem in Renton. Renton is the home of a lot of great restaurants and cafés. Whistle Stop is one of those gems that you least expect. You can go there and feel right at home. If your home serves up delicious food made the way you like it. I tried something different and I was pleasantly surprised. Some sort of tortilla, breakfast, amazing open faced meatless burrito deal. It gave me ideas of what to cook when I'm at home trying to think of a new breakfast recipe. I've been here maybe three or four times and take someone different every time I go. I love coming here on a Saturday morning and having a glass of white wine and a nice heavy breakfast. You can't miss the upside down tree during the holidays. You should definitely pop in for a visit sometime.

I really love their meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Just ask for no ketchup extra gravy you won't regret it. Visionary cocktails and a very friendly, kind of family-oriented restaurant. the food is hardy and some of the best bar food

I've eaten lunch here twice, each time on a weekend. Delicious food, friendly waitstaff, and a nice atmosphere. It can get a little loud, which is the only drawback I've experienced. They serve breakfast until 2pm, which I like a lot.

We've been here a few times now. They have a great outdoor eating space thanks to COVID (converted their parking lot into it-park on the street). It's surrounded by beautiful shrubs and has a really nice ambiance. The inside is fine-nothing to write home about. When we were there most recently, the bathrooms were kind of gross and only one stall had toilet paper. As for food, the de lyon station French dip is my go to, and has always been delicious. The Renton Depot is my husband's favorite. He enjoys the variety of beer options. The last time I was there I tried the limeade and loved it. We'll be back sometime after 3 pm to enjoy their appetizers!

I just got home from the most bizarre restaurant experience I've ever had! I and another person were waiting for our friend who was celebrating his birthday. The two of us ordered a beer and a shot of whisky. My friend wanted to sign the birthday card, but neither of us had a pen. Our waiter came to take an appetizer order, and I noticed he had two pens in his pocket. I pointed out the fact that he two pens in his pocket. I did not touch him. He was very aggressive when he told me NOT TO TOUCH HIM! He did let us use his pen to sign the birthday card. We were going to order dessert. When our waiter came for our order, my friend asked for another shot. He told us our table would not be allowed to have any more cocktails. None of us were intoxicated. As he was telling us we were cut off, I dropped my reading glasses on the floor. I reached down to retrieve them. I did not touch his skin, but I retrieved my glasses. He loudly exclaimed THAT'S ASSAULT!! I was stunned! This person has some serious issues and should not be working with humans.

The Hawaiian chicken sandwich...the chicken was over cooked & chewy. The tots it came with was too crunchy, I'm not a fan of super crunchy tots. I had to peel apart the sandwich....way too much on it. It did have flavor. My friend said the burger was really good and the fries were good crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. There's music playing, but you can't hear it because it's so loud in here. All I can hear are people talking loudly. The service was really good. Our server kept checking on us, making sure everything was fine. We also tried the dessert. The blueberry cheese cake...it was good and had the right amount of sweet berries and cheese cake. The apple crumble was also good, but cold. You could taste the cherries, just couldn't see them. All in all everything was just fine. I gave them 2 stars for the service. The food on the other hand...it has potential if it wasn't over cooked. People here are friendly and helpful Not sure if there will be a next time. Let's just say maybe ...oh do not get the mimosa - too much orange juice not enough champagne.

Comfortable pub with an excellent craft beer selection and an ambitious dinner menu that includes both the usual pub grub and more serious entrees (beef stroganoff for example). Friendly service, casual feel, and reasonable prices.

Great service and good food, menu options for any appetitive. Nice selection of drinks as well. Definitely recommend

Had the pleasure of sitting being ignored for 30 mins while watching every table around us that came after us get served. We even asked a waitress who our server was thinking that might help get service. We waited another 10 minutes before leaving. Very poor service and a waste of time.....

Whatever you do, do not complain about anything. A simple complaint about the time it took to get someone to take our order when we visited last time, turned into getting 86'd from the place forever on our next visit. Been going there for years, been one of my favorite spots too! Seriously, it was not that big of a deal .. but can never eat there again due to this wacky policy. If you do eat there, be sure not to complain... about anything. That is, unless you are just passing through.

One of the first places that was recommended to us upon moving to the area. Cool interior, super friendly service, and amazing food. Easy parking. What's not to like?

Had a very nice lunch at the Whistle Stop recently. We were traveling on our way home to California. The service was as attentive and the sandwich and salad were very tasty. Generous portions too. Cute location.