Szmania’s Restaurant in The Village is undergoing some big changes to get you thinking differently about this neighborhood institution.
Owner Julie Szmania says that beginning next week Szmania’s will be transformed into a steak house. That means a wide variety of steaks, chops, and their signature gorgonzola cheese burger. Look for baked potatoes with all the goodies, salads, and more on the new menu.
Currently, Chef Ludger is on his yearly fishing excursion in Sitka, Alaska (think giant halibut) and has left the restaurant remodel in the trusty hands of Julie who reopened the restaurant tonight after a three day closure. Workers installed a new door from the bar to the patio, added some flooring and painted the whole interior.
In less than ten days, Julie says there will be a new back bar, which is part of a lounge make-over to include more stools and a longer bar top. It’s a work-in-progress with the changes culminating in the roll out of the new steak menu by next week. Julie also says Szmania’s will feature a meaty barbecue every Sunday with ribs and home-made beans.
Szmania’s celebrated twenty years of operation in The Village last August.
Thanks to contributor Steven Smalley for the story and photos!
Very exciting! Can’t wait to try the new menu out. I love that you are willing to try new things and wish you much success! I’m a huge steak fan and can’t wait to try out your new menu and see the new layout. Hopefully I can pop in next week!
One more steakhouse? Losing the best German food in Seattle? I hope Oktober still comes with Ludger’s amazing, scrumptious German menu! I love steak as much as anyone, so this isn’t bad news; the servers and the atmosphere make the place, and I love it. But still, I feel sad somehow.
Sad that I will likely never cross their threshold again. In a world that is becoming more environmentally conscious this seems like an odd twist, they must think this is what the traffic demands and possibly in this neighborhood it will do better than a vegetarian place… If one were to study the amount of water it takes to produce one pound of beef or the grains they would never eat beef again, that is if they had a conscience about those on the planet who go hungry every day….
Oh give me a flippin’ break. Let’s please keep the comments RELEVANT. It’s not like they went from a vegetarian restaurant to a steak house. Thank you so so much Priscilla, I think I am going to be a vegan now. Jeez.
Hi neighbors…Don’t feel sad – we’re not losing the Schnitzel or the Bratwurst. We’ve realized that when people want fish, they think Chinooks. (but we’ll still have our fresh Salmon). It’s not changing that much as we still have our lovable German chef, Ludger. We’ll also have a vegetarian item and salads. It’s a good change and steaks/chops are almost universally loved even in this econ friendly society. We’ll do our best at farm fresh, free range, organic and we can all afford! See you soon,
Julie Szmania
Chinooks isn’t really all that great in my opinion.
Bring on the steaks, we need more good steak places in Seattle!!!
I think this sounds like a great move! I’ve always thought that a steak restaurant would be a great addition to magnolia, and might bring people from the outside in (like a Jak’s). I think knowing that this move is coming from people who already know about making great food is awesome! I’ve excited!
As long as the German offerings stay, and the steak is an addition, I’m all for it. We’ll continue to come for the German food. There are only a handful of places to get German around town and therefore this in itself draws folks from outside of Magnolia for sure. The steak may draw others who rather do American? But not sure that is the demo of Magnolians?
In spite of my name I am German, so I hope Ludger continues the tradition of German food besides the steakhouse offerings. Ludger has always provided a taste of the home country for me.
In spite of my name I am German, so I hope Ludger continues the tradition of German food besides the steakhouse offerings. Ludger has always provided a taste of the home country for me.
We love your German, and we’ll love your steak. Thank you. More beef is always a good thing.
Yes! Great move, Szmania’s! I have lived in Magnolia for 12 years and have probably only been to your restaurant four times – and we dine out a lot. I’ve just never been interested in the menu offerings, even though I’ve always had a pleasant experience at the restaurant. Do something like Jaks and you’ll see us there at least twice a month. I can hardly wait.
Totally agree w Yum! Arrived in Magnolia in 1999 and have been there 5 times max. This will broaden your appeal. We wish you luck and will certainly give it a try.
Uhhh, Chinook’s definitely has seafood…..and, with that, you get 140 decibels and a wait to get in.
Beautiful restaurant with excellent food. I can hardly wait to eat there again.
Good luck!!!
Way to go, Julie and Ludger….Looking forward to seeing you and the guys this summer. Will be on BI all summer and in Magnolia for lots of visits. Susie
I liked the food at Szmania’s a lot, and am excited for a steakhouse. But regardless of the type of food served, I hope the restaurant itself is getting a makeover. With really only one ‘upscale’ resturant in all of Magnolia, it would be nice if the late 80’s-early 90’s decor was refreshed and the loud prints went away. A nice, modern update to go with a new menu would work wonders!