Aaron Tekulve is the Chef and Owner of Surrell, a restaurant located in Seattle, Washington. He was recognized as a James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific in 2026.
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Local ModernVegetarian Vegan FocusAmericanFine diningDinnerBrunchFine DiningFarm To Table
Last updated: 9/8/2026, 4:53:14 AM
Key Information
Surrell is a Seattle-based tasting menu restaurant that focuses on modern Pacific Northwest cuisine and Washington wines, offering a fine dining experience with exceptional hospitality.
Customer Perception
Customers frequently praise Surrell for its unique and creative tasting menus, thoughtful presentation, and warm, attentive service. Many highlight the welcoming atmosphere and special touches like personalized greetings and farewell drinks. Some reviews mention that while the food is surprising and innovative, it's not always consistently delicious, with occasional flavor imbalances or pacing issues during service. The non-alcoholic drink pairing is often cited as a standout.
Related entitiesJohnny CourtneyAtomaAaron TekulveSurrellJames Beard AwardsJames Beard Restaurant and Chef AwardsBest Chef: Northwest and PacificJames Beard Awards Foundation
Surrell was an unforgettable dining experience. We enjoyed the 11-course tasting menu, and every course was beautifully presented, incredibly creative, and absolutely delicious. The attention to detail and artistry in each dish made the entire meal feel special.
I was the only vegetarian in our group, and I was so impressed with how thoughtfully they accommodated me. My vegetarian courses never felt like substitutions. They were creative, flavorful, and just as exciting as everyone else’s dishes.
The service was warm, polished, and attentive from start to finish. If you’re looking for a truly memorable fine dining experience in Seattle, Surrell is absolutely worth it.
A must if in Seattle
The chef is definitely taking big swings with the menu which I appreciate. the food wasn’t always delicious but it was surprising. for example, the oreo was too salty as in very very salty. some flavors were too mild (my husband’s complaint). my first bite of the fish dish (which was cooked perfectly) had a super strong fishy smell. maybe i was unlucky.
the servers and overall welcome and goodbye drinks were a really nice touch. we were welcomed with a choice of mulled wine or alcohol-free cider. and at the end, we got the choice of coffee or tea.
my main complaint is that we arrived at 6:30 and left at 9:15. this is fine but the main issue is that the kitchen was trying to pace everything to match at the end. at 9ish we were ALL given dessert (all the restaurant). we got there at 6:30 and not everyone was there. the 6 of us at the counter had to wait like 10-20 minutes two or three times before getting our fish and then lamb entrees and then dessert. that was crazy. i have a baby at home and while i am ok having a large meal, i don’t like having to wait because the restaurant decided to finish everything at the same time. insane.
I had a really lovely time celebrating my birthday here. We sat at the chef's counter which gave us a great view of the kitchen. I was greeted with a special birthday message waiting at my seat.
The dishes are all extremely thoughtfully prepared, unique, and delicious. The portions are reasonable; we left satisfied but not stuffed. I tried the non-alcoholic drink pairing and it was a really nice touch. They clearly put a lot of thought into every single offering.
Chef Aaron Tekulve (who had just been nominated for a James Beard award that very morning!) is really friendly and chatty, so we had a great time listening to him explaining each dish and just telling stories about his life and career. He included a lot of nice touches like a gift bag with some housemade granola and free samples of coffee and tea on the way out.
I have no complaints at all and I can't wait to be back!
My wife and I went for the fixed menu with wine pairing. We have never felt so welcomed in a restaurant. The greeting and the farewell were both very nicely done. Stunningly delicious, original and creative food. The vibe was excellent. Lots of very nice touches. A truly superb experience. I'm deliberately not saying too much nor adding too many photos, because I don't want to be a spoiler.
It was a 5 course wine pairing dinner for four that took forever to schedule. Wine pairing was unsynchronized since we had to remind staff if there was Wine pairing. It didn't feel like a good sequence of food Wine pairing from seafood to pork which was overcooked dry. Wines were good though since some were new to us but definitely not worth $1,200 for four people.
