Roosevelt Ale House

I've visted this place many times before. I must say, the service is great. The bartenders know how to make a drink and the chef makes a great meal. But most of all, The Jones has the best Budlight in Seattle. I have drank budlight for the past 5 years and my family has drank Budlight for many years before me. But no place has ever served such a bottle of greatness. The Budlight is absolutely amazing. I especially recommend getting the Budlight in the bottle. So if you are looking to have a great night and have some Budlight, go to The Jones for the best Budlight in Seattle. Pros: The Best Budlight Cons: You won't want any other Budlight again more

I went to The Jones on Sunday, 1/18/09 with two friend after reading the CitySearch reviews, and had a great overall experience.\r \r Some notes: overall the food was good. They were out of an appetizer and entree, neither of which I would have ordered, but I'm not a fan of hearing ""before you look at the menu, we're out of this and that.""\r \r The menu changes, and the Sunday night prix fixe menu no longer exists. Our server said that it just flat-out didn't work, so they canned it and went back to the regular menu. The menu on their website wasn't current but it did provide a decent idea of what they'd be serving.\r \r I had the Reuben with fries, and it was good and filling. Not the best I've ever had, but certainly enjoyable. One person in my group had the Tagliata and really enjoyed it, particularly the preparation of the barley risotto. She loves to explore food and cook, and I tend to think that when she commends a preparation, it's deserving of it.\r \r The third in my party had the Caesar salad with chicken - nothing remarkable, but by no means bad.\r \r We split the chocolate terrine dessert, which was a bit underwhelming upon presentation - it's two pieces of swirled chocolate - but certainly didn't disappoint upon tasting. I had forgotten how good sea salt can be with chocolate and this promptly reminded me. \r \r While I only had a glass of wine with dessert, the wine list is lengthy, which surprised me given that they only offer six entrees or so and three or four casual fare dishes. A healthy amount of appetizers as well - I would personally like a bit more balance in the menu choices, or at least more of an explanation as to why what is on the menu is there. Beer and cocktails seemed adequate.\r \r Our waitress was very nice, although she seemed to struggle with refilling our water glasses at times, and one person remarked that she was sharing a bit too much cleavage. I must have missed it.\r \r If you're in the neighborhood, I recommend stopping by The Jones. Pros: Not busy when we went (it is a recession, though), surprisingly comfortable seating, not overly loud. Food and drink were served promptly. Cons: A better balanced menu, more non-meat options, such as a second seafood dish or another vegetarian option would help. more

I *wanted* to recommend The Jones. Heck, I *have* recommended The Jones. But it will be a while before I give it another shot after what I experienced tonight. For the first time in my life, I walked out on a restaurant after ordering. Not on a whim, after waiting 40 minutes without getting my entree.\r \r \r In the meantime, the bartender was nice and the drinks pleasant. Probably at least seven or eight times the bartender gave me the, ""Uh oh, that person is *still* waiting for their food"" look, and walked back to the kitchen to check. After about the seventh time he told me, ""It's coming out right now."" I waited another ten minutes before walking out.\r \r \r In the middle of this, the cook came out and surprised a few of his friends at the bar with some surprise dish he'd whipped up for them. You can imagine just how delightful this seemed after I'd been waiting 20 minutes for my pork loin. The place was not busy and I might chalk the terrible experience up to one bad cook, but as nice as the bartender was and as many times as he went back to check on my food, if you're a professional service person, you have to demonstrate a little more concern for the quality of the service -- not just continually checking, but raising a little hell after the 4th or 5th time, issuing an apology, and probably telling me you'd comp the thing after the first 20 minutes.\r \r \r I'd love to tell you how good the food at The Jones is. Maybe if you can find out for yourself if you have a couple hours. Pros: Nice space, good drinks, good food if and when it gets to you Cons: No apparent concern about a customer actually getting their food more

Went their recently for happy hour and was extremely disappointed by the quality of food. Now, I know this is cheap happy hour food, but I've had much better for cheaper. Outdoor seating is nice, but on busy and noisy Roosevelt. Staff was okay, but a little slow. \r Liked this place a lot better when it was Joes. Now they are trying to be upscale, but fail at it. Just not my kind of atmosphere. Pros: Good wine happy hour Cons: Odd ambience, no parking, poor happy hour food, outdoor seating noisy more

I should keep this place for myself I liked it so much. But I also want it to be in business forever and I cant do it alone! DO go there if you have TIME to enjoy. I would never go to The Jones to just eat and run as if I have a ferry to catch. Save this one for when you have the time to dine.. Every step was a bit slow but not overly. It's not as if the staff does NOT want to turn the table . They need to, to stay in business. \r The food is very very good. Service was attentive, and never snobbish. Service to me is more important that anything when I dine. The Jones now holds my record for best Martini. Suburb! I love the look of the place, & the lighting. The high booths are nice, plus they have a few tables too, which I think i prefer. We had so much fun at The Jones. more

The food is quite tasty at the Jones, but the portions are quite small. Often I go away still feeling hungry. The service is always slow, but usually friendly. When the owner is around, you can tell. The staff appear more attentive and the ambiance is warm. On a bad night, you might get paired up with some of the lesser skilled service staff. One server in particular never manages to outfit himself beyond a wrinkled t-shirt, and apparently has another part time job of watching t.v. Stil, most servers shine and frequently go the extra mile to chat with customers and pay attention to detail. The service is often slow, but seems to stem from the back house more than the front house. The Happy hour offers some excellent deals, while the specials are sometimes amazing. I had one of the best lamb dishes I have every tasted. Pros: Specials, location, parking Cons: inconsistent service and poor portions. Not always a good value. more

The Jones Bistro is the perfect restaurant for a night out, whether it's with friends or for a romantic date. The staff are friendly, the drinks are delicious, and the menu is mouth watering - it's hard to pick just one entree! I loved the tagliata and my husband could have eaten 4 of the grilled cheese sandwiches. If you go, make sure to leave room for dessert, especially if chocolate terrine is on the menu. Yum!! Pros: Delicious food Cons: Too hard to choose one entree! more

yeah everyone talks about this place, but it's not much to speak of. Food was pretty much blah and really not very interesting. Even the basics should be done with some class and style; not so sure Jones matches up. more

The food is always excellent, and I have to say the Risotto is to die for!! I always get great recommendations from the staff, who are super friendly too. My only complaint is how slow they are sometimes. I sat and waited for a burger for 45 minutes. I try not to be in a rush when I am out to eat, but if I was this place would not work for me. more

WOW WOW WOW!!! This place is no doubt the best food I have had in a long time. Tagliatta was amazing highly recommended, also try to the halibut and the chicken. The staff was so friendly and personably, our waitress's name was Cara and I felt like she totally paid attention to us and our needs. You do have to wait for good things it takes an average of about 40 min. for dinner. This is my new favorite so I probably should have not written this review because I don't want my new favorite restaurant to become overcorwded but I felt complelled to say something about this place. more

I have been to the Jones several times, weeknights and weekends both. I have always had amazing food there. In reading some of the reviews it seems there are a lot of cranky, impatient jerks that don't cook FRESH food with REAL ingredients or they would know that a good meal takes time. Yes entrees take 40 to 50 minutes...order an appetizer and enjoy the company of the person sitting across from you! Thier kitchen is very small for the seating capacity, so go easy on the servers, the kitchen can only cook so much food at once. If you don't like the person you are there with, you will not enjoy this place. If you like delicious food, cozy atmosphere, friendly service (and your date) the food is totally WORTH THE WAIT!!!! Pros: THE FOOD!!!, friendly servers, big private booths Cons: Tiny kitchen more

Dinner is always amazing. Love that everything is freshly made daily, including the bread and pastas. I've been there multiple times and I'm never disappointed. more

The service and food were good. We were there on a week night, the place was a third full and our food still took 40 min. There is no kids menu. If you bring kids, feed them first. Try the Maple Leaf Grill if you have kids and not a lot of time. Pros: Good Food Cons: Slow Service more

I've never reviewed anything on CitySearch before, but I had to throw in my two cents about The Jones. My husband and I have been there twice and had great experiences both times. (We are total foodies and impressing us isn't easy.) Every dish was superb, the service was friendly and relaxed, the drinks were great and their wine list is quite impressive for such a neighborhood place. If you love great food and you're not in a hurry, you should definitely make a reservation and try The Jones. If you're looking to get your food in a hurry - then go somewhere else and I'll come take your table. Pros: Amazing meal, comfortable atmosphere, tons of parking Cons: Can't think of a thing. more

Food is alright and very easy location. Kid friendly, variety of food, great drink list. Service was alright. Pros: location more

The food is very average. The big problem for us whenever we go to the Jones is that the food takes 30-40 min., no matter when you get there. We have gone there at 5, when the kitchen opens and been the only one in the place, the food still takes forever. If you have kids, you know that this makes going out very tough. It is clear that the food takes a long time by design, The Jones is going for the crowd that sits around and piles up a big drink bill. more

... that's the theme of the restaurant, and i felt that it definitely delivered! the food was really high quality and the entrees were the kind of... more

This is a great place to go if you have the entire evening for dinner. The food is always amazing, and I hear that the chef used to work at the Herbfarm. However, the service (while very friendly) is always slow. When we get there it takes us, on average, 50-60 min. to get our food. On the flip side the mojitos are to die for and the food (again) is top notch. Go here if you have some time on your hands and be pleasantly surprised. Pros: Outstanding Food, Great Drinks, Friendly Staff, Parking is Great Cons: Consistently Slow Service more

Finally made it to The Jones this past weekend after wanting to try it for some time now.... it was packed! We were told it would be a half an hour wait to get a table, so we settled in at the bar for a drink while we waited. Two delicious cocktails later (I had a ginger & pomegrantate martini, my friend had their margarita) we were seated. The servers were hustling around the room, and it took a few minutes for ours to come over, but that's easily overlooked considering how busy they were. We ordered a scallop appetizer and for dinner the ravioli (so fresh and tasty!) and the paella (a rich and hearty meal) and shared everything. The food did take longer than expected to arrive, but we had a couple more cocktails and were enjoying ourselves, so it was fine. Once it did arrive though... wow! We loved everything and joked (seriously) about licking our plates. Even dessert was amazing - we had the huckleberry cheesecake (so light and creamy) and the black tart (tangy blackberry curd).\r \r I highly recommend The Jones, but only if you have time to kick back and relax. It's not the kind of place where you're in and out in an hour (not on a Friday night, anyway... maybe it's faster on weekdays). I will definitely be going back! Pros: FOOD! friendly staff, great cocktails Cons: Dinner can take a long time. more

My husband and I went to THE JONES totally on City Search reviews of 9.8. After visiting, I'm convinced they had a staff party and they all wrote these stellar reviews. Had I stumbled on to this place by accident, I may have been happily surprised, but having read all these reviews first...it was very disappointing. \r \r Service was slow. We liked our waitress, but we were twiddling our thumbs for a long time before a waitress came. We of course gave her our drink and dinner orders having had too much time to debate everything. While she apologized for our wait, the rest of the meal continued to be that way. She was fine. She just seemed to have way too many tables to look after. We felt ignored. \r \r The Food: I ordered the house salad to start. It was like someone emptied a half bag of bagged salad mix in a bowl and put dressing on it. Nothing else was added. It was gigantic. I certainly couldn't finish it. I would have preferred a much smaller salad that was more special. My quickie salads at home are better than this was.\r \r I had the sturgeon which was pretty good...not great. My husband had the beef that everyone raves about, again, pretty good, not great. \r \r My wine came after my salad, and my second glass came after my meal, so that didn't make me happy.\r \r We ordered dessert because of the recommendations on the site, and again had to wait forever, and had some kind of gelatin dessert that was supposedly a tart. \r \r We saw a lot of families there, and could see that if you ordered the cheaper foods, and you lived in the neighborhood, this could be a great place for many occasions (perhaps going on a weeknight would make the service better). \r \r But, we live on Queen Anne, and we would not go back. We have better restaurants at less expensive prices and better service that are probably not rated nearly as well in City Search to choose from. This was far from the 9.8 this restaurant was given. To each, his own. \r \r Pros: Casual with tastes for all ages. Cons: very slow service, terrible house salad, only okay food. more