
SURRELL by Chef Aaron Tekulve is a restaurant focused on some of the best hospitality you will find showcasing seasonal modern Pacific Northwest cuisine and Washington wine. We also offer premier private dining, catering services, and event spaces. Surrell is committed to working with local farms, ranches, vineyards, wineries and artisans so our guests might truly experience the best of the Pacific Northwest.
Upscale restaurant offering private dining & a seasonal tasting menu in a polished, intimate space.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 2319 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112
Phone: (206) 402-5698
Website: http://www.surrellseattle.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: surrellseattle.comexploretock.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
SURRELL | MODERN PACIFIC NORTHWEST CUISINE …
Surrell (@surrellseattle) · Seattle, WA – Instagram
Surrell – Seattle, WA – Tock
Reviews
The dishes are all extremely thoughtfully prepared, unique, and delicious. The portions are reasonable; we left satisfied but not stuffed. I tried the non-alcoholic drink pairing and it was a really nice touch. They clearly put a lot of thought into every single offering.
Chef Aaron Tekulve (who had just been nominated for a James Beard award that very morning!) is really friendly and chatty, so we had a great time listening to him explaining each dish and just telling stories about his life and career. He included a lot of nice touches like a gift bag with some housemade granola and free samples of coffee and tea on the way out.
I have no complaints at all and I can’t wait to be back!
The restaurant itself is very pretty and cozy, and the dishes were presented in an incredibly creative and aesthetic way, truly stunning to look at. The non-alcoholic pairing was a highlight for us: thoughtful, creative, and genuinely delicious.
Unfortunately, despite all of this, the food itself didn’t quite work for us. Many of the dishes felt overly strong in flavor, often too salty, and in the case of the desserts, too sweet, with some ingredient combinations that didn’t come together harmoniously. It was one of those experiences where everything looked exquisite, but the flavors didn’t match the delicacy of the presentation.
We chose the 5-course tasting menu, which felt right after a long workday, but the pacing was very slow. We waited around 25–30 minutes between courses and spent about two and a half hours in total, which would feel appropriate for the full 12-course menu but less so for five dishes.
We’ve loved places like Altura and Atoma, and I was looking for something similar. Surrell kept coming up because of the micro-seasonality and local focus, and it absolutely delivered.
We chose the 11-course tasting, with the omnivore menu for my husband and the vegetarian menu for me. As a vegetarian, I’m used to “good for vegetarian,” but this was genuinely exceptional, creative, satisfying, and beautifully composed. There was maybe one bite that wasn’t my personal favorite, but everything else was so delicious.
What really sets Surrell apart is that it’s not just a meal, it’s a fully designed experience. We arrived a bit early and were welcomed onto the patio with warm wine, which immediately set the tone. We’d requested the chef’s table (my husband loves watching cooking shows), and because we booked early, we got it, such a fun way to experience the evening. There were also small bites waiting at the table, which felt both generous and intentional.
Chef Aaron was incredibly present and engaging, introduced himself early, answered our questions, and shared the stories behind ingredients and techniques. You can feel how much he cares about his craft and about showcasing Washington’s local flavors in a way that makes you notice things you might otherwise overlook, even if you’ve lived here a long time.
The pacing was perfect, and the progression from savory to sweet was especially memorable, there were “transition” moments that felt like they had real narrative. Some of the flavors (including a savory ice cream!) were genuinely surprising in the best way.
Even the small details made the night feel effortless, like having a card on file so checkout doesn’t interrupt the experience. And I loved how personal the restaurant feels: Aaron’s family’s touches show up everywhere, from flowers to woodwork to ceramics, and it creates this warmth that’s rare in fine dining.
Yes, it’s a higher price point, but it’s one seating a night, intimate, and so worth it, especially knowing you’re supporting a micro-seasonal, community-rooted restaurant doing something truly special. We didn’t do the pairing, but the by-the-glass suggestions were fantastic (and I felt great afterward, high-caliber wines).
Five stars, no question. We can’t wait to come back (:
We were greeted at the door with our choice of a hot cider or mulled wine to warm up from the cool weather outside (both very tasty), and our host Lindsey was so kind and welcoming, as if we hadn’t shown up 20 minutes late.
After being handed a small bouquet and a cute poem written by one of the staff, we were quickly caught up on courses, and Kit came over to explain what we had in front of us so we didn’t miss out.
For a tasting menu, I’m happy if I actively like at least two or three courses, since what I’m really seeking is novelty and a pleasant way to pass the evening… but at Surrell, most every dish was straight up my alley. Even what few items weren’t my favorite were never boring, and I was constantly entertained and delighted both by the flavors and presentation of the dishes.
There were two (and a half) desert courses, both very creative and incredibly good. They finished us off with the unofficial last bites, I think little cotton candy-coated dark chocolate morsels (with pop rocks inside!?), as a thank you gift — along with a little gift bag containing two bags of granola, a handwritten card, and a menu of what we ate.
I absolutely loved the aesthetic: dark teal and wood tones, with soft low lighting, bookshelves, and forest-themed decor created by the owner and his mom.
It was very quiet and peaceful inside, despite a full house with every table taken. The bar seating was very comfortable, and it was fun to watch the chefs prepare every dish, really adding to the anticipation. We were surprised by how calm it seemed in the kitchen too, though they produced the many dishes very efficiently, and the pacing of courses was perfect.
We got lucky and managed to find residential street parking nearby, but you might want to grab an uber if you don’t want to risk a bit of a walk.
We will definitely be repeat customers here, I highly recommend a visit!
We thought the food was unique and highly creative and appreciated how seasonal and locally focused they were, I don’t think I have ever had such a wide and varied array of mushroom focused dishes served in a single meal before. We really enjoyed the attention to detail and fun extra surprises and treats they planned for us. Their wine selection was small but well curated as we really loved the glass we were served.
Some of our favorite courses included this cauliflower mushroom pasta where the mushroom was the pasta noodles and also the trio of small bites which included a scallop, dungeness crab bite, and a cone with mushroom inside. We also had multiple desserts including a porcini ice cream and a lychee cotton candy treat with pop rocks and chocolate inside.
Atmosphere nice
Presentation Good
Food Good
PacePace of the courses – slow
Overall it was a good experience not great experience. The presentation and creativity of the courses was very good. The food was cooked well. The fish and lamb courses were great. I found some of the dishes overly salted. My biggest complaint was the pace of the courses. There is way too much time between courses. A 9-10 course tasting meal shouldn’t take 3 hours. I’ve been to many chef tasting dinners where there is a better balance of time between courses. There is a better way to space the dishes out so you don’t feel rushed yet don’t feel too much downtime between courses. There was WAY too much time between courses. I was ready for the dinner to be over by course 6 because we had been there for 2.5 hours by then.