It can be difficult to find Seattle restaurants with private rooms for group dining. I learned this the hard way when I became responsible for organizing events for work.
I tried Googling private dining rooms in Seattle, but only Yelp filters helped. This was a start, but it was difficult to tell the size of the private dining rooms or if there was a fee.
Because I’m a fan of efficiency, I started a spreadsheet of all the Seattle restaurants with private rooms for group dining. I want to share my favorites with you; the ones that have separate dining rooms and stellar food.
I’ll also share some other group dining in Seattle options too, since the size of your group might mean you don’t really need a private room, just space. And since groups often mean there are dietary restrictions, I’ll make note of what kind of diets each restaurant can accommodate.
Seattle Restaurants with Private Rooms
Save this to Pinterest for later, as I’ll add more Seattle restaurants with private rooms as I discover them!
Percy & Co.
website | neighborhood: Ballard | cuisine: southern | max guests: 40 | room fee: none | order minimum: $900 – $1,750 depending on group size and day of the week
I’ve been coming to Percy’s regularly for more than a decade because of their epic co*cktail program. I discovered they had a back patio by accident one evening, and since then it’s become one of my go-to Seattle restaurants for hosting birthday parties and work events.
Percy’s is one of my favorite Seattle restaurants with private rooms because of the ambiance. There are plants, industrial lights, chic wood paneling…it sort of reminds of of what one of those grand southern homes in Savannah might look like.
I hosted both my birthday part and a work event here. The staff is easy to work with and quick to respond to emails. I also found the bar minimum to be really reasonable compared to other places, especially if you book on a weekday. Plus, the southern food is good. The kale salad, fried chicken, and mac and cheese are a must.
Best for: Meat eaters and vegetarians can find things here, but not really vegans. Their menu tends to be a crowdpleaser for all types of palates.
Brimmer & Heeltap
website | neighborhood: Ballard | cuisine: Pacific Northwest with a slight Asian bend | max guests: 30-55 (depending on if you do full buy out) | room fee: $500 – $1,000 | order minimum: $1,000-$10,000 depending on day of week, time of day, and group size
Brimmer & Heeltap is a neighborhood restaurant that is 2 blocks away from my sister’s old house (which means we went here quite often). It has the most beautiful space for a private event: there’s white wood, turquoise accents, interesting light fixtures, and the most dreamy outdoor patio.
If you’re looking for Seattle restaurants with private rooms in order to host an elegant private party, this is your place. I often dream of holding a small wedding here! Not only because of the ambiance, but because it also has some of the best food in North Seattle.
Best for: They can work with you to accommodate vegetarians, vegan, gluten free, etc. I’d also say more adventurous eaters will do better here.
RockCreek
website | neighborhoods: Fremont & Kirkland| cuisine: seafood heavy with global flavors | max guests: 14 in Seattle, inquire for Kirkland | room fee: none | order minimum: $650
RockCreek is one of my favorite Seattle restaurants. So much, in fact, it’s one of the stops on my self-guided Seattle food tour of the Fremont neighborhood.
It also so happens to be one of the Seattle restaurants with a private room. Their Seattle location has a loft area with a private room separated by sliding doors. In the private room is a communal table that fits 8-14 people. They only require a minimum if you choose to book it for one of the two nightly seatings (it’s $1,000 if you want it the whole night).
RockCreek’s new Kirkland location has a private dining space for dinner parties and cozy co*cktail hours. There’s a fireplace, dark cigar lounge vibes, and plenty of mixed seating options to promote mingling.
Best for: They cater primarily to pescetarians and meat eaters, but they should be able to accommodate vegetarians, vegans, and dietary restrictions if a custom menu is needed.
Ciudad
website | neighborhood: Georgetown | cuisine: Portuguese grill | max guests: 20 | room fee: none | order minimum: $85pp + tax/tip for 12 in main dining room, $1,275 for private room Sun-Th, $1,500 Fri & Sat
Ciudad is one of the cutest Seattle restaurants with private rooms. You can dine with up to 12 guests in the main area for $85 per person before tax and tip. That’d include $65 per person for the family-style fixed menu and $20 per person for beverages. They also have a private back room for up to 20 people, which them moves to a fixed order minimum vs. per person breakdown.
They’re willing to work with you to plan the pre fixe menu ahead. Definitely ask to get the vegetable with sambal honey sauce. Sometimes it’s Brussel sprouts, other times it’s snap peas. Either way, it’s delicious. Other winners are the cauliflower, halloumi, and kofta meat balls. I feature all of these in my Georgetown food tour!
Best for: Meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans alike. This place is a crowdpleaser for most palates.
The Lab at Ada’s
website | neighborhood: Capitol Hill | cuisine: vegetarian | max guests: 43 | room fee: $125/hr + tax/tip with a food & beverage minimum, $225/hr without | order minimum: $700-$1,300 (depending on if it’s the weekend and the type of menu you choose)
Ada’s Technical Books is a popular geeky coffee shop and book store. What most people don’t know is that it has a dope event space with the most beautiful, apothecary speakeasy decor. I’d say it’s a bit more of an event space than a Seattle restaurant with a private room. But it has my favorite ambiance of all the event spaces I’ve used in Seattle.
I hosted a work event at The Lab and was impressed with the team’s responsiveness. They were also very flexible and accommodating, letting me host The Works Seattle in their space for a craft class as part of the event.
Best for: Your vegetarian friends will rejoice: the menu is all meat-free. Make sure to get the mezze plate. It sounds plain, but it has the most addictive garlic feta whip that I still dream about!
Cafe Campagne
website | neighborhood: Downtown | cuisine: French | max guests: 30 | room fee: none | order minimum: $1,400-$1,800
If you need Seattle restaurants with private rooms that cater to a fancier guest list, Cafe Campagne, one of Seattle’s best French restaurants in Pike Place Market, is a good choice. They serve excellent French food and have a private back room called Salle du Marche (Market Hall). The ambiance is upscale, akin to some of the best fine dining restaurants in Seattle.
If you’re able to, order the roast chicken, steak tartare, and salad with goat cheese. You won’t regret it!
Best for: Meat eaters, unless you’re a vegetarian who is ok eating just a salad (a dope salad, mind you!).
Sea Creatures
website | neighborhood: various | cuisine: seafood, Italian, or French | max guests: 8-150 | room fee: inquire | order minimum: inquire
Sea Creatures isn’t a single restaurant, but rather a restaurant group owned by one of Seattle’s most famous chefs, Renee Erickson. If I put a separate section for each of her restaurants, this article would become the Renee show because she has the most Instagrammable restaurants in Seattle.
If you’re looking for more intimate settings to host a small group, here are your best bets:
- Deep Dive (Downtown) – Up to 12 in this moody bar’s library
- Bateau (Cap Hill) – Up to 14 for a pre fixe on General Porpoise’s mezzanine
- Westward (Eastlake) – Up to 12 in a semi-private room or 20 in the solarium
- General Porpoise (Pioneer Sq) – Up to 16 in their back room
If you need space for 20-40, I’d look into:
- Boat Bar (Cap Hill) – Up to 28 for a seated dinner in the back room
- The Walrus and the Carpenter (Ballard) – Up to 24 in the semi-private patio
- Barnacle (Ballard) – Up to 25 reception style in the amaro bar next to Walrus
- The Whale Wins (Fremont) – Up to 20 seated, 30 reception on the patio
- Willmott’s Ghost (SLU) – Up to 28 on patio, 40 seated or 70 reception style inside
Of course you can also do a full buyout of any of Sea Creature’s restaurants. The largest option is Westward that can accommodate 150 people reception style.
Best for: Expect a lot of seafood and veg-focused dishes, but they can accommodate dietary needs.
Ethan Stowell Restaurants
website | neighborhoods: various | cuisine: Italian, French, or American | max guests: 18 | room fee: inquire | order minimum: inquire
Similar to Sea Creatures, Ethan Stowell Restaurants is a restaurant group helmed by another of Seattle’s most prolific chefs. My favorite of his restaurants is Staple & Fancy, which offers one of the most reasonably-priced tasting menus in the city. They have a cool, dimly-lit basem*nt room called “The Cellar” that fits up to 18 people and would make a great dinner party location.
If you need group dining for a larger event, here are Ethan Stowell’s other options:
- Cortina (Downtown) – Up to 40 seated, 55 standing in a private room with AV
- Red Cow (Madrona) – Up to 20 seated in a private room
- Ballard Pizza Company (Ballard) – Up to 30 in a private room with projectors
- Victor Tavern (SLU) – Up to 18 at a private table, 25 in a private speakeasy-like room with TVs, or 70 in the billiards mezzanine
- Tavolata – Up to 30 in their Belltown semi-private space, 48 in Wallingford, and 16 in Redmond
Best for: Everyone. Ethan Stowell Restaurants focuses on crowd-pleasing, unfussy cuisine at most of their restaurants. Victor Tavern is best for the most casual of events, but even the French and Italian spots feel rustic and comforting food wise.
Other Seattle restaurants with private rooms
Above are the restaurants I’ve been to, love their food, and know they’re good for group dining in Seattle. However, if you’re looking for more options, here’s a list of Seattle restaurants with private rooms that are also worth exploring for private parties.
Dead Line
A sexy bar and restaurant in Pioneer Square that has a cozy, 30-person capacity private room. The food is southern/southwestern. Good for meat eaters, vegetarian, and gluten free eaters.
Lark
Capitol Hill Italian restaurant that has a private mezzanine for up to 40 guests available for rent. Good for vegetarians.
Black Bottle
Downtown wine bar with a private back room for up to 40 people that you can rent for $50 + a food and drink minimum. Good for vegetarians. Get the broccoli, regardless if you’re vegetarian or not.
Shaker & Spear
Seafood-focused downtown restaurant that is attached to a hotel, so it has a lot of private dining options for up to 80 people (including a speakeasy). Mostly for meat eaters. Get the mac and cheese and Instagrammable whole snapper.
Butcher’s Table
One of Seattle’s best steak restaurant in South Lake Union. They have multiple private spaces, including the VIP Gold Room upstairs with a pool table and plenty of cool nooks for mingling. They also serve one of the best burgers in Seattle.
Liberty Bar
This Cap Hill co*cktail and sushi bar is where Dan and I had our first date. You can rent out their back room for $300-$500 (cheaper on weekdays). There’s a $1,000 food and drink minimum if you book Friday or Saturday.
Herb & Bitter Public House
This Capitol Hill craft co*cktail bar has a beautiful back patio that can be rented for large groups. I’ve only been here for drinks, but the one I had made it onto my list of best co*cktails in Seattle.
Sal Y Limon
This Queen Anne Mexican restaurant with a private room fits up to 20 people. It’s good for vegetarians and people on the hunt for Seattle’s best Mexican restaurants.
Osteria La Spiga
One of Seattle’s best Italian restaurants located in Capitol Hill. They have a private mezzanine and can host parties up to 250 guests. Good for vegetarians.
Serafina / Cicchetti
Italian sister restaurants that have multiple private party dining room options for up to 45 people. I’ve been here, but it’s been about 10 years so let’s pretend I haven’t. Vegetarian friendly.
Aerlume
This fine dining restaurant in downtown Seattle near Pike Place Market has a ton of windows and epic views of the water. The food is really good, though pricey, so leave this for when you have access to that corporate card to host an event for up to 250 people.
Best group dining in Seattle
Depending on the size of your party, the best restaurants for groups in Seattle may in fact be the Seattle restaurants with private rooms.
However, parties under about 10-15 people will be fine at restaurants large enough to cater to groups. While these don’t have private dining rooms, they are a good option for group dining in Seattle because they have space and excellent food.
Note, this doesn’t include restaurants that are “good for groups” if you do a buy out. A lot of smaller restaurants advertise they’re good for group dining, but then you go to their website and there is a hefty cost to close the place down. While all of these offer buy outs, they also host larger groups during normal restaurant hours.
Stoneburner
website | neighborhood: Ballard | cuisine: Italian
Stoneburner could technically be considered one of the Seattle restaurants with private rooms since it is in the same building with a rooftop you can reserve for large private parties. However, since that’s quite expensive and more for wedding-type events, I think the main part of the restaurant is good for group dining in Seattle because it’s quite large. It also has beautiful vintage decor that makes for an inspiring space for your next gathering.
They also make excellent Caesar salad and carbonara, so make sure those are on your menu. I love them so much that I included them in my Ballard food tour!
Best for: Meat eaters and vegetarians. Not so much for vegan. It’s a crowd pleaser for all palates.
Navy Strength
website | neighborhood: Belltown | cuisine: seafood
Navy Strength is a large tiki bar in Belltown. They have an excellent co*cktail program and yummy small plates. I specifically like all their seafood dishes, like ceviche.
You can buy out all or half of their restaurant for private events, but if you’re rolling with 20 or less people, you can make reservations.
Best for: Meat eaters and pescetarians. It’s a crowd pleasing place thanks to the tiki vibes and excellent co*cktails.
Cafe Turko
website | neighborhood: Fremont | cuisine: Turkish
Cafe Turko is a family-owned Turkish restaurant that’s a dream to work with if you need catering (they’ve catered an event for me before). But they also have a large space good for big groups.
Make sure to get the beyti kebab. Hands down one of their best dishes.
Best for: All diets. Meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans, and gluten free eaters will all be able to find things. The menu might sound wild to less adventurous eaters.
Other group dining options in Seattle
The above restaurants for group dining in Seattle are my favorite in terms of food, but obviously there are a ton more. Here are more you can look into for your meal.
The Carlile Room
Downtown vegetable-forward restaurant owned by Tom Douglas. Great for vegetarians and vegans alike.
Revel
Large, modern Korean restaurant in Fremont owned by an Iron Chef winner. Best for meat eaters.
MBar
Middle Eastern restaurant in South Lake Union that has a dope deck that’s heated and Instagram worthy. Great for vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters. One of the best rooftop bars in Seattle.
Terra Plata
Spanish restaurant in Capitol Hill with a lot of vegetarian options and a really awesome rooftop deck.
Tamarind Tree
Vietnamese restaurant in the International District that’s great for vegetarians. Even if you’re a meat eater, get the tofu satay.
Bongos Cafe
Caribbean restaurant with great outdoor seating good for groups (not so if it’s winter or rainy). Best for meat eaters and serves some of the best cheap eats in Seattle.
Joule
Another modern Korean restaurant from Rachel Yang (same as Revel) in Fremont. Meat menu mostly. Get the burger.
Din Tai Fung
Taiwanese dumpling restaurant with three locations in the U-District, Bellevue, and Downtown Seattle. Best for meat eaters. Get the soup dumplings, cucumbers, and rice cakes.
Smith Tower
Historic building where you walk through a museum to go up to the rooftop observatory and bar. The food is just ok, but the great co*cktails and views make it a fun alternative for a group outing. They also have a space called “The Lookout” that’s a dope indoor/outdoor event space you can rent.
Barrio
Large Mexican restaurant in Capitol Hill that’s good for vegetarians and has vegan chorizo as a substitute option. They have some of the best nachos in Seattle and a lively ambiance.
Ray’s Boathouse
Seafood-focused restaurant on the Puget Sound with gorgeous views and a great outdoor deck. Best for pescetarians and meat eaters. One of the best Seattle restaurants for views.
Purple Cafe & Wine Bar
Huge wine bar downtown that’s a crowdpleaser thanks to the drinks and almost Cheesecake Factory-sized menu. Vegetarians will definitely find something here.
The Back Door at Roxy’s
Speakeasy-style bar that has food, but is more awesome for co*cktails. I haven’t had the food here, but I’ve had it at Roxy’s Diner and didn’t love it so this may be best for drink-focused private events. They also do aerial performances!
More dining options in Seattle
As you can see, there are a lot of Seattle restaurants with private rooms that are good for group dining. If you’re looking for other ideas of places to go with smaller groups or to order catering, check out these guide:
- Best Vegan Restaurants in Seattle
- Seattle’s Best Brunch Spots
- Excellent Thai Restaurants in Seattle
- My Favorite Pizza in Seattle
- Seattle Mediterranean Restaurants You Must Try
Looking to do something unique with your group? Why not surprise them by taking them on a self-guided Seattle food tour instead of the traditional dinner at one restaurant!
