Cynara Restaurant & Lounge - Olympia (WA)

5 /5 Angie: We had brunch here and it was delicious. Definitely underrated. This please should be full of brunchers but I dont think everyone knows about this place. We will continue to come.

5 /5 Caleb Aguilar: Awesome dinner that we have. I had the seafood rose pasta, it was so perfectly good. The employees were very nice and gave us details of what the food and drinks are. Good service there.

5 /5 Valentina Banica: I was impressed with how the food tasted. I’ve tried the lamb stew and my husband had the lamb skewers! For dessert we had the homemade baklava, with ice cream! Delicious!!! We will definitely come back here!

3 /5 Les Herrera: I heard about Cynara from someone who’s lived in Olympia for 30 years, so I thought it was worth checking out. However, as someone who moved here from Russia, I have pretty high standards when it comes to both food and service. When I heard this place had been recommended by someone local, I thought it must be good enough to give a try. We decided to share two appetizers and one main dish, knowing that American portions can be huge. I believe it’s totally reasonable to order one dish to share when the portions are so large, and we weren’t starving either. We ordered the artichoke hearts, lamb skewers, and duck in pomegranate sauce, which was priced at $48. When I order a dish for $48, I expect it to be excellent. I didn’t want to risk trying the $60 steaks or filet mignon because I wasn’t feeling confident about the place. The cocktail I ordered didn’t impress me much either. I typically enjoy cocktails, but this one didn’t stand out and didn’t make me want another. The food itself was fine—nothing special at all. The dishes looked as plain in photos as they tasted. As for the duck, my husband didn’t like it at all. The texture didn’t appeal to him. Personally, I’ve eaten duck at several upscale restaurants, so I know it was cooked to a good medium-rare, with a nice sear on the skin. However, I believe the sauce should not have been poured directly over the duck—some people might prefer to have it on the side. The pomegranate seeds were probably the best part of the dish, and the sauce wasn’t bad, but overall, it didn’t feel like anything memorable. I’ll give credit where it’s due—the service was great. The staff, especially the hostess who seated us and our server, were friendly, attentive, and made an effort to provide good service. But despite the nice service, I didn’t enjoy the meal, and I don’t feel compelled to return. The overall experience didn’t live up to the hype. If you’re expecting a “high-end” place, I’d say this restaurant doesn’t quite deliver on that front. It’s an okay spot, but not remarkable. One more thing—I love seafood, and I was surprised that the seafood offerings here were limited to a soup, pasta, and salmon. Given that the restaurant is located by the harbor, I expected to see fresh oysters or some other unique seafood dishes, but there was nothing like that. The artichoke hearts were fine, but again, nothing special—just deep-fried artichokes on a plate. If you’re looking for something truly outstanding, Cynara might not be the place. All in all, it was a decent experience, but I won’t be rushing back anytime soon.

2 /5 Daniel Hess: The lamb stew was surprisingly good, but the artichoke pasta with chicken was watery and underseasoned. The chicken tasted like generic food‑service product—fake char lines and all—and wasn’t worth the $8 upcharge. The atmosphere was uncomfortably cold, and the server mentioned they don’t control the temperature. The dining room was sparsely attended, and it wasn’t hard to understand why. To their credit, the server was solid and knew the menu well. Still, the preset tip starting at 20%, with prompts for even higher amounts, felt out of place given the mediocre food at premium prices.