Best Restaurants for Birthdays in Mercer Island

Carmine’s is one of the best food experiences we have had in awhile! Service was exceptional, the lobster pasta special was a dream, the fillet with gnocchi was lovely. And the bread pudding was amazing. Thank you for a great evening. We will be back!

We reserved an early time for dinner. The host asked if we were there for a special occasion which we were not but nice to know for the future. There were just a few diners so the noise level was low which we like for conversation. Our server was fantastic. He made us feel like we were his only table, and he had a great smile! All five at the table enjoyed their meal and the desserts were yummy.

As usual, there were not many restaurants open close to where we live Christmas Day 2024. So I turned to my trusted app -- Open Table - which I could use to narrow down the day. Fofo de Chao sounded intriguing, so I booked one of the few openings -- 4:45PM. Around 3:30PM a 7PM time had opened up, so I cancelled the 4:45PM time AFTER I booked the 7PM time. That way, I was assured we had a time and our prior time was opened up for others. Because we had a reservation, we waited about 10 minutes to be seated. There were about 40 people in line, who we had to assume did NOT have reservations. Thank you, Open Table! We were seated close to the front window in a semi-private 2-person table, which we appreciated greatly. Our wait person Marsala could not have been more personable and professional. Because we had not eaten in the restaurant before, and because there was a special holiday presentation, Marsala explained to us how the entire process worked. Everything started with a self-service salad bar (like those that existed before Coid-19), which was pleasant. Large plates were available instead of the very small ones other venues offer. Once we were at out table, my wife and I were both given 2-inch-in-diameter paper discs. One side up indicated you were not ready for meats. Flip it, and a steady stream of carvers came to us offering different meats -- carved at the table and put on our plates. The meats were not overcooked, and overall were delicious. Our check, including an 18% (voluntary) tip on food+tax was $208. So at ages 80 and 84 on fixed incomes, we will be reserving Fogo de Chao for special occasions. But we were very happy with the whole experience. You will not leave hungry!

AMAZING SERVICE! I made a mistake and booked the bar seating or my family on Christmas Eve...and they made room for us! Christmas Miracle!

There’s a reason this is the flagship for Daniel’s. The staff here is outstanding and makes your dining experience one for the books. From the host staff, to the servers, managers, server assistants, everyone is so welcoming, positive, gracious and genuinely kind. Also the views from this Daniel’s are stunning. None of the other Daniel’s are even remotely close the experience you will get here… My family had Xmas Eve dinner and it was the best dining experience we’ve ever had with my elderly mother who has severe dementia. She can be challenging in public places but everyone here was so positive that she was over the moon with the attention she received. Our server Jeffrey took amazing care of our family and gave extra special attention to our mom; we didn’t have to ask him he was just a genuinely kind person who bonded with our mom. Couldn’t have asked for a better dining experience as everything was amazing, the service, the food and atmosphere. It was the best choice for a special dinner for our family. Thank you Jeffrey, Clark the manager, all the managers and staff at Daniel’s for helping make our mom have the time of her life. We will be back sooner rather than later. My mom is already asking to go back! And she doesn’t remember much these days…