2008-06-28

13 Coins in Seattle


The "13 Coins" name is of Peruvian origin. The story goes that a poor young man loved and wished to marry a wealthy girl. Her father asked what he had to offer for his daughter's hand in marriage. The young man reached into his pocket. He had only 13 coins, but assured the father he could pledge undying love, care and concern. The father was so touched, he gave his daughter's hand and "13 Coins" has come to symbolize unyielding love, care and concern.
13 Coins is a Seattle institution. The restaurant opened in 1967. And it is still open today. 24 hours a day.

Located near the corner of Denny and Boren, where Belltown meets Cascade, 13 Coins is a throwback to a different era. The high back leather booths reach to the ceiling. The tables look less like a spot in a restaurant, and more like a sleeper cabin in a train. The stools at the counters are huge, with comfortable leather backs that reach over your head. The stools themselves are big enough for two normal people, or one person who regularly frequents full service restaurants at 3:00 AM.

The whole place looks like a chummy steak house from decades past.

Despite being open 24 hours, its no frilly Denny's. It's a real restaurant with an extensive late night menu. The food itself isn't quite fine dining, but it does have that feel to it.

And despite how this is just the kind of place that would appeal to me, tonight was my first visit.

And the food was good. I had a tasty pasta carbonara, that would have been enough to feed two people. The crab cakes were okay. The Mai Tai my GF ordered was almost pure rum.

The main criticism I have is that the place is a bit overpriced for the food quality. The crab cakes were good, but they weren't $15.95 good. My GF ordered the NY Steak and Eggs which had great hash browns, but that was $19.95. A small cup of clam chowder was $4.95.

These are prices I would expect to pay for room service in a hotel where they tack on the delivery fee, plus a 20% service charge. For the restaurant and the food quality, the prices are bit much.

But overall, it's a great experience. The menu has plenty of variety, the food is tasty, the drinks are boozey and the atmosphere is awesome.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, I have been eating there since it opened, when I went once in a while with my parents after a show downtown.

It is still one of "The" places for a late night bite. I recommend their Spinach Frittata.

Anonymous said...

Their pasta is great, but easily enough for two. We usually order the French onion soup and then split a pasta. It IS pricy, but worth it imho.