Housed in the Palihotel, The Hart and The Hunter brings Southern-inspired food and upscale diner vibes to the Pike Place Market area. Palihotel Seattle is Palisociety’s first property outside of Los Angeles, and the brand’s second outpost of its signature The Hart and The Hunter restaurant. The four-story property that houses the hotel and restaurant was originally the Colonnade Hotel at its inception in 1900.

I appreciated Palisociety’s commitment to preserving touches of the historic building, including white-washed concrete walls on the far side of the restaurant that showcase the original foundation. However, the furniture was lacking for me. We tried out the diner stools at the bar, and the two-person booth, and both felt cramped and too stiff to be comfortable.

If you’re looking for a cozier spot to enjoy a drink at the Palihotel, I recommend visiting their lobby lounge. With chairs and couches next to a fireplace and bright skylights up above, the lobby lounge is a great option for laidback socializing and cocktails with friends.

The first thing I noticed when we entered The Hart and The Hunter was the exceptional service. We sampled almost everything on the menu. I recommend anyone visiting The Hart and The Hunter to enjoy their meal family-style. While the richness of many of the dishes was delicious for a few bites, it’s almost too decadent. For example, the Blackened Shrimp with grits, parmesan cream, and pine nuts had great flavor, but it was too rich for me to enjoy the whole dish.

Additional dishes we tried included the Smoked Salmon Board with chopped egg, toasted bread, and herb crema, and the Smoked BBQ Mushroom Sandwich with American cheese, buttermilk slaw, and crispy onions. The smoked salmon board was one of my favorite dishes of the night, as it offered a fresh offset from the rest of the meal, while the mushroom sandwich fell short in flavor with the saltiness of the mushrooms overpowering the dish.

The Hart and The Hunter aims to pair Southern influence with local Pacific Northwest ingredients and flavors, such as the Spicy Salmon Jerky. Overall, the star of the meal was the Butter Biscuits with pimento cheese, maple butter, and seasonal jam. The biscuits are made to order and melt in your mouth. I would return again and again for the biscuits alone.

The Hart and The Hunter is also home to a full-service bar and custom coffee counter serving Anchorhead coffee with street facing window service. The cocktails are eclectic and better enjoyed on their own; pairing them with the rich food was a little too much. I tried the Palisour with bourbon, lime, chamomile-peppercorn, and St. George Bruto Americano, as well as the Betty Bowen with Japanese whisky, black tea, lemon, bergamot, and egg white.

Overall, The Hart and The Hunter stands out for its unique offering of food and style, especially remarkable in a city covered in well-curated restaurants. The Hart and The Hunter warrants a visit next time you’re at Pike Place.

The Hart and The Hunter          |        107  Pine St, Seattle     |      (206) 596-0700