Water Grill in Downtown Bellevue.
The Los Angeles seafood house took over McCormick & Schmick’s old corner of Lincoln Square in 2022 — a raw bar, a menu that changes with the catch, and valet at the door.
Water Grill is the big, polished seafood room on the Bellevue Way side of Lincoln Square North — the corner McCormick & Schmick’s held for fifteen years, rebuilt by King’s Seafood into the Los Angeles house’s first Washington location. There is a raw bar with oysters and sushi at the front, a valet desk at the door, three private rooms at the back, and a menu that changes daily with what came off the boats: live Dungeness by the pound, poke, crab cakes, cioppino, and Prime steaks for the one person at the table who does not eat fish.
DBN first reported the lease in January 2021 and followed the build-out through the signage, the delayed dates, and the December 7, 2022 opening — the first new seafood house at Lincoln Square since M&S closed in the summer of 2020. Four years on it has settled into the role the old room played: the Collection’s reliable business-dinner and anniversary seafood table.
Seastar on 108th is the local original with the history and the wine list; Water Grill is the newer, bigger room with the raw bar and the valet. Where each fits is in our guide to the best seafood restaurants in downtown Bellevue.
What to Order at Water Grill
The menu changes daily with the boats, so these are the constants to look for.
Live Wild Washington Dungeness Crab
Steamed and sold by the pound with coleslaw and melted butter — the local crab in the California seafood house, and the plate to order in season.
Wild Pacific Bigeye Tuna Poke
Soy, avocado, wasabi tobiko, and sesame. The raw-bar opener nearly every table starts with.
Jumbo Lump Crab Cake
With celery-root remoulade — the King’s Seafood classic that traveled up from Los Angeles intact.
Cioppino
Dungeness crab, jumbo shrimp, and the day’s fish in a shellfish broth. The bowl to share when the table cannot decide.
Lincoln Square
The house cocktail named for the address: vodka, strawberries, lemon, tarragon. Order it at the raw bar while you wait for the table.
Water Grill Through the Years on DBN
DBN has reported on downtown Bellevue since 2005. This is Water Grill’s story as we covered it, as it happened.
New National Seafood Restaurant Water Grill to Open in Bellevue
DBN’s first report: King’s Seafood Company would bring its Los Angeles-born Water Grill to the former McCormick & Schmick’s space at Lincoln Square.
Water Grill to Open at Lincoln Square in Spring 2022
Signage went up on Bellevue Way and the target moved to spring 2022.
Water Grill to Open December 7 at Lincoln Square
The opening date, set after a year and a half of build-out.
Seafood Restaurant Water Grill Opens in Bellevue
Washington’s first Water Grill opened December 7 with a raw bar, a daily-changing menu, and the first new seafood house at Lincoln Square since M&S closed in 2020.
Browse all Water Grill coverage in the DBN archive.
Getting There & When to Go
Lincoln Square North is the easiest dinner in downtown to reach by car, sky bridge, or train — and this room has valet.
Getting There & Parking
- Drive: Lincoln Square North garage under the restaurant, or the valet desk on site. Weekdays, get your ticket validated at the restaurant for 3 hours free; evenings and weekends no validation is needed. Bellevue Square’s free garages connect by sky bridge.
- Light rail: 2 Line to Bellevue Downtown Station, then a roughly 12-minute walk west along NE 6th or NE 8th to Bellevue Way — see our light rail guide
- On foot: The entrance faces Bellevue Way at street level, next to Earls; from Bellevue Square, cross the sky bridge and come down, or cross at NE 8th.
Best Times to Go
Weekend dinners book ahead; the raw bar seats walk-ins and is the best solo or two-top seat in the room. Weekday lunch is the calmer business crowd. Dungeness season, holiday weeks, and Snowflake Lane evenings fill the private rooms early — reserve.
Make It a Night
You are on the busiest corner of the Collection: pair dinner with a movie or a lane at Lincoln Square in the same building, Snowflake Lane in the holidays, right outside on Bellevue Way, or Seastar on 108th for the next seafood night.
Good to Know
As of August 2026: OpenTable reservations recommended, walk-ins when possible. Three private dining spaces — a patio room, an office room, and a board room — for roughly 20 to 35 guests each. One complimentary corkage bottle per table, then a per-bottle fee. Valet on site. The menu is printed daily.
Water Grill FAQ
Does Water Grill Bellevue take reservations?
Yes, through OpenTable, embedded on the official Bellevue page. The restaurant recommends reserving and seats walk-ins when it can. As of August 2026 it lists three private dining spaces, the largest for about 35 guests, and offers one complimentary corkage bottle per table with a fee for additional bottles.
Where do you park for Water Grill at Lincoln Square?
The Lincoln Square North garage under the restaurant, or the valet desk on site. On weekdays garage parking is free for 3 hours with validation from the restaurant; in the evenings and on weekends no validation is needed. Bellevue Square’s free garages are a sky bridge away.
What should you order at Water Grill?
Live Washington Dungeness crab by the pound when it is in season, the tuna poke and a jumbo lump crab cake to start, and the cioppino for the table. The raw bar carries oysters and sushi rolls, and the menu changes daily with the catch.
Where is Water Grill Bellevue?
On the ground floor of Lincoln Square North at 700 Bellevue Way NE, across from Bellevue Square, in the space McCormick and Schmick’s held for fifteen years. Earls is next door in the same building.
Is Water Grill a chain?
Yes. Water Grill belongs to King’s Seafood Company; the original opened in downtown Los Angeles in 1989 and the Bellevue restaurant, which opened December 7, 2022, is the first in Washington, joining locations in Southern California, Las Vegas, and Denver.