Canlis has been a solid friend for years. It was the ONLY place we wanted to go if we were going out for a nice dinner. Times and change have come to Canlis and it is not the darling of restaurants in Seattle any longer. That makes us sad and disappointed. We have enjoyed meals at Canlis for many decades. It has always been the first class restaurant we loved. The last two meals have been great disappointments. The portions teeny, the service very slow, our reservation much delayed and we were put in the bar area for an hour as we waited. No one commented on the delay. The charm is not there. There was an impatient feeling when we arrived. The hosts were friendly but then they were dealing with a lengthy delay from the time of our reservation. We paid for our drinks and appetizers while we waited and waited and waited. We dressed as required over the years but many did not. It is time we swallowed hard and moved on to a new restaurant and new experiences. The change in chefs may not have been a good move. It was a very expensive dinner for the appearance of the plate to be the only good thing about the evening. It is a sad day for us and our extended family. We have had so many wonderful evening at Canlis . . . memories to have for a lifetime.

Hands down the best restaurant experience in Seattle! From the service, to the food to the drinks and the atmosphere, everything was spot on!

We had the Canlis salad, the Peter Canlis prawns, the duck and the lobster with port for dessert and martinis all the way through. The view of the water is spectacular and the Canlis salad seriously makes salad feel like a treat!

A must try for any foodie visiting Seattle looking for a classic (and classy!) dining experience!

Had not been to Seattle's most heralded restaurant for quite a few years, so 2009 we celebrated our venerable 55th wedding anniversary there. All services and server personnel were outstanding: delivering the finest one could ask for (better than London's Savoy Grill!).

The food needed a minuscule of this attention to lift it from mediocre to passable. We were thoroughly disappointed with every aspect of the pretentious cuisine. The minuscule tastings were flavorless and hard to discern what was being served. Potatoes on one dish were three blobs (likened to a Hershey Kiss), saucing was watery and void of cohesive verve to marry the proffered victuals supposed to be so covered.

Severely over-rated. Maybe still a place to see and to be seen, but certainly not by anybody with an interest in quality cooking. It was a mid-week reservation, so doubt such a disappointment was "chefs night off".

Gourmet, gourmet, but please, how about a little more bottom line value for those sky high prices.

Dress to impress. Don't even think about going slightly casual. The wine list is huge, but daunting. The service is over the top with sophistication and almost too formal for our taste. The seating is not private or romantic, and at times it can be akward getting behind and around other guests tables; only a handful of tables have any kind of view. The food was served creatively and very good, but I wish there was more choices on the menu.

My husband surprised me by taking me to the legendary restaurant. I had always thought it was probably overrated. I was so wrong! The service was superb, the food was fantastic, and the ambiance was amazing. What makes the experience even more unbelievable was that it wasn't as expensive as I had once thought. We spent just a little bit more than we had at Ray's the year before. And there is just no comparison between those two restaurants on all accounts. Skip three nights out at your run-of-the-mill restaurants (e.g., Olive Garden) and you can have one unforgettable experience at The Canlis!

My wife and I went to the Canlis and had our best Seattle dining experience to date and one of our best anywhere. The food was excellent (we had the Muscovy duck for two), the service was gracious and flawless, the price was comparable to any of the other supposed Seattle elites, and the atmosphere was stunning. We are in our early thirties and find ourselves annoyed with Seattle's hippie hangover, especially in regard to dining apparel. If we spend two to three hundred on dinner, we want to dress up and dine like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers—and that's hard to do when you're surrounded by people in short pants and mom-jeans or tourists with fanny packs (not an uncommon sight at Anthony's, Salty's, or Ray's). We found the Canlis to be an oasis of North-west elegance in a way-too-often class-parched city.

It took nearly twenty minutes to get our appertifs. The wait staff was visibly irritated that we brought our own bottle of wine. We were celebrating a birthday and our server brought out an extra dessert with a candle. Well, guess what was on the check? The "complimentary" dessert. We asked our server if this was standard and she turned beet red, mumbled something under her breath and ran off quickly to adjust our bill. It was quite apparent that this was no mistake and that the restaurant banks on most people not reviewing their bill. Maybe we were being punished for bringing our own bottle of wine - even though we ordered appertifs and a second bottle of wine. I've been a Canlis supporter for years and, I have to say, this was the kind of service that I might have expected from TGI Fridays. Wait, I take that back - I actually think I would have received better service there...

Be careful which table you get, as this restaurant is all about the view. Although I made my reservation weeks and weeks in advance, and mentioned that it was a special occasion, our party of six was given the only table in the restaurant without a view. I called the day before and reminded them that I requested a full view table over a month before. Three of the six of us faced a wall. One faced a pole and staircase and the other two had a side view of the water. We each cruised the restaurant after dinner and all agreed that we had the worst table, and the only no view table. The oysters are not worth it. They were quite a disappointment. The famous double baked potato was so salty that the one we bought to share was left mostly uneaten. Ditto the pureed potatoes served with the salmon. The salmon, however, was exquisite. The best I've ever had. The Grand Marnier souffle was a 4 out of 5. The donuts they also claim to be famous for are no big deal. Canlis should send the pastry chef to Bouchon in Napa or Vegas to learn how to make great gourmet donuts. We were told that men must wear jackets or they would not be seated in the dining room. My husbands and sons all dutifully packed appropriate attire, only to see several men throughout the restaurant without jackets. Overall this very expensive restaurant was a big disappointment and I won't be back.

I absolutely love this restaurant. The Canlis prawns is the best appetizer on the menu. I get it every time I go. But I do not recommend getting the prawns as a main dish because the dish is very rich and may be too much as an entree.

This restaurant is great for a date or to go with a small group of people. The service I receive each time I go is without a doubt the best service anyone can possibly offer. They respect your space, but at the same time make sure you have the best dining experience ever.

I absolutely adore this place and recommend it to everyone who likes great food and amazing service.