Get Down and Derby — Cascadia Native

The neighborhood of SoDo is not particularly known for their restaurants, however there are a few gems that shine through and Derby is one of them.

Also known as “The Shop”, Derby is located off of 6th Avenue South between Holgate and Lander Street that shares the same roof with an car enthusiast club/garage. Originally owned by the Ethan Stowell Restaurants company, Derby was later sold to The Shop auto club that currently operates it to this day. Due to its proximity from both T-Mobile Park and Centurylink Field, the restaurant is frequently busy on game days for Sounders/Seahawk fans. 100% of the time Mr. Mustang and I have eaten here was because of an event happening at the stadium later in the day so I believe we get the best dining experience because the restaurant makes sure to schedule only the best of their staff to work those days.

Derby is open daily that offers lunch and dinner with brunch service provided only on the weekends. Mr. Mustang and I have tried both their brunch and dinner service but never been here for their lunch menu during the weekday.

Atmosphere

There are windows on all four corners of the wall that look into the garage that is filled with luxury cars. Because Seattle weather can be temperamental, The Shop offers a climate controlled environment for anyone’s car regardless of how expensive or cheap your vehicle may be. There is no restrictions on the value of a car in order to be stored at The Shop but the membership fees might deter people who only have a standard economy car. The overall decor of the restaurant has subtle touches of a fancy garage but with a majority of the interior adorned with dark wood finishes and warm white walls. The flooring is mostly smooth polished concrete with an occasional large black rug in the lounge area and the ceilings are somewhat exposed showing the beautiful wood beams running the length of the restaurant.

There are some booth seating but most tables are against the windows of the shop floor where diners can view the cars from their seat. There is no formal outdoor seating and the only time you can eat outside is during the ‘Backfire’ events but that’s only because the parking lot is converted into a beer garden.

Brunch

The busiest days at Derby is on the weekends where their brunch menu is available from 10am to 3pm and because of this they shine the brightest during the game days. The restaurant is targeted towards a crowd who either love cars, sports or both and there are several TVs inside so there isn’t really a bad seat in the house. Even if you happen to be seated at a table where a TV isn’t in plain view, the wide variety of cars on display will certainly be. The restaurant shares the same space with the auto shop and diners are more than welcome to browse the collection of luxury cars in the garage while waiting for you food.

The brunch menu at the Derby has all the classics like eggs benedict and biscuits with gravy but with their own unique spin. Their eggs Benedict is instead called “Badass Bene” that feature the thickest cut of pork belly I have ever scene and their biscuits and gravy are instead a biscuits sandwich but for an extra $3 you can have it drowning in sausage gravy. Over time Mr. Mustang and I have tried almost everything on the menu and I personally believe that the best dish is the french toast that has peanut butter smothered in between with the freshest strawberries garnished on top. Mr. Mustang however believes their best dish is the breakfast poutine that has their signature home fries with melted cheese curds and eggs in any way you like them placed on top.

Regardless of what we believe is the best, my least favorite dish I have tried so far is their veggie hash. The dish is certainly pretty with vibrant colors of reds, greens and yellows however there isn’t much of any seasoning in the bowl so the flavors of the veggies were somewhat soggy and had a taste that was quite bland. The one thing that saved this dish was the bottomless mimosas ($19 per person) I was consuming to keep my mind distracted on how boring this veggie bowl was.

Backfire Dinner Service

Now when we ate here for dinner, we didn’t get to try their full dinner menu because every 3rd Wednesday of the month Derby opens up their parking lot for motorcycle enthusiasts. The parking lot is overrun with motorcycles ranging from the luxury to the bizarre and everything else in between complete with a beer garden and open grill. If you still want to attend for dinner, inside their menu has a limited selection of items from their regular menu.

The best thing about their dinner service on Wednesday is their happy hour special of half off wine bottles that Mr. Mustang and I took full advantage of. After having our server select our first bottle, we ordered a small bowl of marinated green olives while we looked over the menu.

Mr. Mustang opted for their house burger where I decided to follow the advice of my mother-in-law and went the meatloaf route since she believes out of all the dishes on the menu, meatloaf is guaranteed to be homemade and fresh. We had a friend dining with us as well and she went the pretzel route that we originally thought would be an appetizer but when it arrived, it was the size of a puppy. Mr. Mustang’s burger was a bit on the dry side with not much sauce lathered on the inside of the bun but he still thought it was good - just not great. My meatloaf however was fantastic with a subtle hint of heat with diced jalapeno peppers sprinkled throughout. My meatloaf sat on a warm bed of vibrant yellow sweet potato puree and bright green roasted broccoli. Everything about the meatloaf was wonderful, the potato puree was light and fluffy, the broccoli was crisp and the meatloaf was the perfect balance of savory and spicy. Out of all the dishes we ordered, I felt mine was the best.

Summary

Overall, I really like this restaurant but only for game days. The location is prime if you plan to see an event at the stadiums since it’s a short walk away and Derby even offers free shuttle service to and from Centurylink field but only for Seahawk games. Derby is at their strongest during their brunch service but can cook up a mean meatloaf during the evening hours. The staff are always friendly and helpful when making a drink or meal decision, we have never had a bad experience yet (knock on wood).

Price: $$

Atmosphere: Casual

Reservations: Yes and a must if going on a game day

Overall rating: 8/10