Mbar

Mbar is a rooftop bar overlooking South Lake Union in Seattle, WA. I am not sure what the m stands for, but it should stand for magnificent. Both the views and the food are incredible! Their location allows you to really see many areas in Seattle as well as the mountain ranges in the view behind – you get a great view of the Space Needle too! SO what does Mbar serve? Mediterranean inspired dishes that are light and fresh. While this spot is on the pricier side, the food quality is really unbeatable and it is perfect for sharing lots of their small plates with friends or family so you can sample a little bit of everything. What I love about this spot is that the food is just as good as the views – a lot of higher end, rooftop bars don’t always have the ~best~ tasting food and you are really just going there for the incredible views, but this place has it both! It is also perfect for vegetarians and meat eaters since they offer something for everyone. In fact, the majority of their dishes on the menu are vegetarian friendly!

Since this place is a bit fancier and pricier, I like to save it for special occasions – birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations, friends coming to visit or date nights. I also highly recommend making reservations, and making them as far in advance as possible. This place is very popular, especially in the spring/summer months when the weather is nice, so they fill up quickly! You can also try your luck with walking in. I have found if you go right when they open with a small group (2-4), you are much more likely to be able to get a table than say if you try to walk in between 6-8pm. They also have last seatings, so you could try your luck in the later hours (9pm Sunday-Thursday and 10pm on Friday/Saturday).

A few dishes I highly recommend (and keep in mind their menu does change with the season, so not everything will be available year-round since they use the freshest ingredients and what is in season!). I always get the mezze platter ($24) that comes with warm pita. This usually has their 4 dips – on my most recent visit there it had shamandar (coffee rubbed beets, tahini, yogurt and sesame); labneh (strained yogurt and eggplant torshi); green chickpea hummus (olive oil, sumac, and parsley); muhammara (red pepper paste, pomegranate molasses, walnut, and breadcrumbs). They were all delicious but if I could only choose one, it would be the muhammara hands done – but I love red bell peppers! I also recommend their kebabs – they have veggie ($13), shrimp ($15), chicken ($16) and lamb kefta ($20) which all come with garlic-tahini yogurt and seasonal slaw. The smoked halloumi cheese ($12) is also delicious and I highly recommend if you have never tried halloumi cheese.

For reservations, menu, and their sister sites check out their newly updated website here.