Shelter Lounge in Burien

Server is overworked and place feels like a dive bar. Wouldnt come back unless looking for a very casual experience without any time agendas.

Great find, I loved the glass top bar, service is great!

0 star restaurant but google made me give at least 1 do not waste your time! We had a party of 5 and we are big time tippers. Walked in saw a seat yourself sign did so..the waitress and bartender gave us the dirtiest look as we walked by them. For second we thought we were crazy tried not to think much of the dirty look..sat there 15 minutes looking over the menu on the QR with no greeting other than the disgusted glare we got when we arrived. Not even a water offered. Should have realized this was a bad spot when there was only one other couple in the entire restaurant. Menu had limited options and because of the awful service we just got up and left. They didnt even say bye.

food was not great. Drinks were ok. Greenlake Shelter is a better experience.

I understand the difficulty with a full vegan menu, but offering only two OPTIONALLY plant based offerings after opening and promoting a plant based location feels malicious. Nobody knows the greenlake location for having a stellar menu but rather for *looking* like a cool restaurant close to the lake. Why tear down the one selling point of your sister location, which lacks the main advantage of the Greenlake location - being in a good location. Best of luck.

used to be good but they’re not vegan anymore

We used to love shelter when they had a plant based menu. Now there’s nothing special about Shelter. Avoid.

We were confused by the recent spate of negative reviews, but they all seem to be about the change from a vegan menu to a more basic bar/pub food menu. So as long you know that going in, it’s a solid spot with friendly staff and solid bar food. We had the wings and pretzels.

The place looks beautiful and has a very concrete and wood feel. The service is excellent. The food is okay. Tried the soy curl salad, which was delicious, but simple and too expensive.

Really really disappointed. Came back in to town expecting to visit my favorite vegan restaurant. Found out they got rid of almost all vegan options instead of one. Gross. Rip

Always a great spot to watch the game! Decent cocktail list, good cider and seltzer selection, and some solid gluten free options.

***update*** They have changed their menu. If you are looking for vegetarian food, dont go here. There is no longer many options for vegetarian/vegan food. The drinks are weird (yellow pepper something or other). Wont be back.Great food! As a vegetarian of 30 years this was the first time I’ve had a chick’n salad. It was so yummy. Boyfriend who isn’t a vegetarian also thought the chick’n Sando was super good. Ambiance was nice. Chatty. Semi-outdoors. We’ll be back!

I understand covid impacting businesses I really do, but I do want to make it known how upsetting it is to once advertise this amazing vegan lounge that literally had the best vegan jalapeño poppers, vegan mac, and vegan chicken Sammie’s to now offering meat and dairy and limiting the vegan options to an impossible burger.I have no issue with meat and dairy but why have it take over a once 100% vegan menu? :(As a vegan this used to be my favorite spot but I was so sad when I saw their new menu and now the lack of plant based options that once use to be their staple :(Friendly service as usual however. And good bar . Hopefully once the menu is done being under construction they bring back some more vegan options.

So sad to find out that the vegan menu is gone! This used to be one of my favorite places, but even the very limited vegan optional items on the new menu are subpar. I really hope they bring some of the plant based menu back!

Short male bartender was rude & it seemed like he was drunk, so he came off as really aggressive & condescending to my friend group.Whenever we ordered a drink, they’d act like it was an inconvenience to serve us, like isn’t that their job?

I don’t think I’ve ever given a two-star review. Shelter Ballard made a decision to abandon their plant-based menu. Makes no sense to me. That’s why we came here. And last time I was here it was packed. Now there are two groups. Please bring back plant based! It was so wonderful to find a plant based place right here!

Fantastic good and excellent service for reasonable prices. The restaurant had a large selection of drinks and a proper choice of appetizers and entrees, which we appreciated. My favorite entree was the burger, and the brussel sprout appetizer was delicious—a great place to go with a large group of people with an accommodating and friendly environment.

My boyfriend and I came here tonight because I have been boasting about how good the vegan food is. I was obviously disappointed to see that the only vegan options were avocado fries and impossible burgers at this time.We stayed and I ordered fries and my non vegan boyfriend ordered a burger. My avocado fries were okay, but our table was covered in ants and our server was pretty rude ): We won’t be returning, but wish you best of luck.

Update March 2022: they have changed the previous large, amazing menu to a small non-plant based menu that is just a typical boring bar/pub fare with some options to modify some items to vegan/plant-based. The staff is very reduced now. This placed turned from fantastic to just a typical pub bar. Youll find the same thing here at any other place in Ballard, so nothing really special anymore, unfortunately, except the fire pit.One of the best hidden gems around. Its surprisingly typically mellow (which I likeand has an "outdoor" and and outdoor patio. The extensive [all vegan / plant based] food is excellent with a delicious salad and sandwich selection. Bar with limited liquor is available as well as some drafts. Service is great and attentive.

Very disappointed that they have replaced their wonderful vegan menu with animals. The wait staff is clearly fatigued by vegans stopping in for a meal and having to explain the tiny-font footnotes showing which meals can be made vegan. It hurts that slaughtered animal meat is deemed necessary for them to "meet the demand," per the sign at the door. My vegan friend and I enjoyed the soycurls salad (SO good hence the 3 stars). But with a diet coke, it was $19 each before the tip and we were still hungry afterwards. That will be my last visit to The Shelter but thank you to the owners for that short window of delicious cruelty free food.

Okay, so this restaurant isn’t vegan anymore and they don’t do brunch. I guess they’re in a transition. The menu they did have was about 8 options and you could sub for vegan meat for extra but it wasn’t a great selection. All of that makes sense, covid and all.What made this experience uncomfortable was the bartender/waitress, who was visibly frustrated with us as soon as we sat down. Every interaction was just weird and not good vibes.Lastly, they used to have avocado fries. Fries with avocados on it. The menu still offers the same item listing of “avocado fries”, but it’s now fried slices of avocados. The description just said they were boneless and for beach bods. We didn’t know what that meant until sad green hot pockets arrived. They were hot though so that’s good.Basically I say give this restaurant a chance cause I’ve heard great things about it. But not now. Let them get themselves together. Also maybe you’ll have better luck with the waitress2 stars, makes sense why it was empty on a Saturday afternoon

Very disappointed they changed their menu. I was looking forward to eating there when I visited ballard and was so sad to see their signage on the door saying they changed the menu. Their food was so good. Especially the mac n cheese and pb & j jalapeño poppers.

Looked for a plant-based place to meet a buddy for dinner and drinks and this popped up. Very friendly service, nice fire feature inside and cool decor, good beer and a great Impossible burger with fries. Made great by the brioche bun/ fresh veggies and a good melty "cheese" of some sort. No Complaints! Would definitely go back!

The best vegan nachos with soyrizo I have ever had! Their pb&j jalapeño poppers are also unexpected and delicious. The owner is incredibly kind and makes great drinks. Making this a new regular spot!

A long overdue review of this exceptional place. Everything they do is fantastic. Whether you are vegan/plant based or not. This place serves up some phenomenal food and drink.

Im all for vegan menus, there are not enough of them, but you ruined the spices grilled cheese. What a bummer. And no more poutine?! Used to have good food. Now kinda mediocre. Miss the old Shelter menu.

Fantastic food, drinks, service, and atmosphere. 100% vegan. Whats not to love?

Wow. Amazing food. I mean, seriously, that was delicious. Not sure when Ballard became the neighborhood for vegan food, but every day Im happier I moved here from Capitol Hill. Also, barely interacted with staff, but they all seemed super nice. Will definitely be grabbing more food to go, and maybe dining in if this virus ever goes away. Great work.

Going the middle of the road here because I have had some awesome meals here, but lately they have been trending poorly. On top of that, the service has notably, been lacking. I can’t say what caused the flip in quality….but I am going to go with it being from the stress of pandemic and likely staffing issues.I was confused by what felt like a sudden pivot from dining room to night club with the addition of weekend DJ’s, but have learned through the reviews below that this was more of their scene pre-plant based menu days. I am not sure if they are going to stay plant based or try to be a night club—- if both, I hope they pull it off well, because why shouldn’t Seattle have a vegan night club?Will give it another go and hopefully the food and service is better next time.Pro-Tip: You must get the PB&J Poppers

Cant wait to try their brunch

The environment, service and foods are all amazing. We love jalapenos poppers, chipotle aioli, mac n cheese and kaled it. Would definitely come back to try out more foods.

Really great food, great atmosphere, and solid drinks. 100% plant based menu will more than satisfy vegans and non-vegans alike. Big fan of their brie burger, and MUST have the Jalapeño poppers! Also one of the few places in the area with the kitchen open till 10pm. Sunday brunch is good too - really good Bloody Marys!

Went here for a motorcycle meetup. Was pleasantly surprised when I learned the entire menu was vegan. They do wonderful things with beyond meat here. Service was great even if it was crowded and ended up having a lot of fun!

It wouldnt be clear to you driving by, just looking at the sign, or even reading the menu at a glance, but everything at this delicious cafe is plant-based. Id put their creative burgers up against anything Red Robin or any other burger joint has---they are truly fantastic. The spicy chicken sandwich is the best seller and you can get it with a side of fries made scrumptious by cooking in avacado oil, and/or a small green salad. Great service and a full bar including several beers on tap.

Excellent, all plant-based menu. Some of the options like the PB&J Jalepeno poppers were adventurous but worth it. Great staff and a relaxed atmosphere as well.

Shelter is incredible. A little pricy, but their food is worth it! Youll never have a better Mac and cheese in your life and their burgers are fantastic.

I didnt get to try the food (arrived after the kitchen closedbut this place was going OFF on a Friday night! they had live music, the cocktails were tasty and affordable.for what its worth, the food looked amazing.

Brunch was so good we had to go back for dinner.Who can say no to 100% plant based AND the most chill doggo named Rhubarb?Have you ever had a vegan Monte Cristo sandwich while a golden retriever hangs out 6 feet away?Its like a dream.And the the PB&J jalapeños poppers with spicy aioli was born from a genius mind!I also enjoyed the shelter cheeseburger at brunch, and the chicken sando with a side of mac at dinner. Everything was fantastic including the cocktails, the atmosphere, amd the friendly service!!

Really great customer service. Chill atmosphere, nice and open but very greenhouse like on a hot afternoon. Really narrow bar seating up top or out front which is better for the later afternoon when the sunlight has moved over the deck.The Cob salad is 💯 and the jalapeño poppers are creative.

Weve only done take out but I picked it up myself and the place looks really fun! The food is amazing, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Please put the vegan deep fried stuffed jalapenos on the menu as a side!!!

Absolutely love this place for a vegan burger and a margarita. They have alternating margaritas of the day and have a lot of gluten-free options. It’s a bit pricy, but definitely worth it. The staff is also amazing!

Nice that they switched to a plant based menu! I got the biscuit with egg and chicken and their breakfast burrito and was rather disappointed. They used just egg in both dishes which I like but they added ZERO FLAVOR. Not even a little salt and pepper and no where near enough gravy, mouthfuls of plan just egg is not delicious. The biscuit was also under baked and doughy. As much as I want to support plant based restaurants I doubt I would go back.

The ambiance is amazing! I feel like I’m in a cabin in the woods. Between the stone wall, wood planks, and plants, it brings this cool yet warm atmosphere out. Jordan thank you for taking such great care of Max and I on my first visit here. Keep up the great tunes and killer vibe.

Folks were super nice and food was reasonably priced. Wonton tacos were really good. The shelter fries were way too salty. The smore kit was pretty dope.

Menu changed, we did NOT like the food anymore. Fries were no good and salty and covered in dull. We ate maybe 25% of the food and other customers werent eating either. Beer and wine were fine. Service was abominable, and waitresses were running around doing other things the whole time, so makes me wonder about management.

It was great! The outdoor seating is very comfortable with overall good vibes. The architecture was modern with beautiful exposed wood beams which combined with mild lighting made for a charming atmosphere. The wait staff were all very polite and didn’t hover or pressure us, but were available and helpful when we needed them. The fries were amazing and I think they made their own ketchup in house. We both ate mac’n’cheese and it was some of the best I’ve ever had. We chose the outdoor bar seating for the firepit and despite the fact neither of us ordered drinks I didn’t feel out of place. For dessert we opted for the s’mores given our location near the fire. I thought this was a very fun and creative dessert option. We even ended up chatting a bit with some of our fellow marshmallow roasters.

Good music and setting for hanging out with friends and drinks. There are two bars with about three bartenders so getting a drink isnt difficult. Has a nice outside area for summer nights. Had a bit of difficulty finding it, might have missed the sign but we had to ask for help getting there. They dont serve food late but there is a food truck right outside which is convenient.

You have to try the spicy grilled cheese sandwich!! The next level pro move is to add ham in to it aswell. The bar tender very highly recomended it and i was not disappointed. This place is very alive on the weekends and some times its hard to find a place to stand. However on the weekdays they have very few people and you can enjoy a diffrent side of the Shelter.

The place was not busy on a Sunday afternoon, and the service was great. The drinks were exceptional and a good price. We didn’t stay long but had a good time while there.

Food was amazing! The ambiance is very cool and the service was great.