November 22, 2009
Find a different place on Cap Hill, folks. Went on a Friday night and although slightly crowded, not enough so to justify the absolute rudeness of the staff. They slopped beer. They were irritated when asked for beers written on their availability menu, but apparently not actually available. They don’t know their beers. But tater tots are $1 after 10 pm so that’s something, and if you’ve already had some free gin and tonic the beers aren’t too disappointing.

November 2, 2009
If you’re going to visit one McMenamins property in the Seattle area then this is the one. The most charming and eclectic of the 4 this is also the busiest, most bustling, and most difficult to find parking for. The decor is classic McMenamins with the odd bits here and there, a bit of storybook fantasy and reminiscent of a Smashing Pumpkin’s video. The Hammerhead IPA and Terminator Stout are really the only two beers worth coming here for. The Ruby is a terrible mistake of a science project of a beer and it’s popularity is probably onset by the invasion of the BMC guzzling crowd and the need for a profitable beer. The food is so-so/standard however the yam fries are worth every penny and the location within walking distance to downtown and the eclectic capitol hill neighborhood is superb.

October 18, 2009
I liked the decor here, with Indian paraphenelia, wood carvings, plumbing sculpture, various chandeliers...the bric a brac brings back childhood memories of our summer cottage. Service was friendly, but beer was mediocre. I wouldnt recommend the food. Took the happy hour burger (dry) with the ceasar salad (bland) and the cajun tots (way too salty). Avoid eating here, even during the cheap happy hour. Samples are around a dollar each, but again the beer is boring. Only if you are a few days in Seattle, not an essential.

October 3, 2009
What a ridiculously awful place. This bar almost ruined my trip to Seattle. Stay away!! They had nine beers of theirs on tap, so I ordered a sampler and tried five. I was then told that I could not try any of the other beers! I could not have a small taste to either try it or pay for a full-sized sample. Quite simply, if I wanted to try any of the other four beers, I had to buy a pint! The manager was extremely rude about it as well, basically brushing me off as an unwanted customer. Her demeanor was so crass that I seriously considered just walking out on my tab. The beer was okay, but I certainly won’t be returning to this bar and perhaps I won’t be going to any McMenamins ever again. Do yourself a favor and go to any other of the numerous breweries in Seattle, just not this one.

January 12, 2009
cheesiness has a name: Six Arms. Interior - o boy! The service very nice but had no no no clue about their beer at all - in fact couldn’t even really tell what the names are. Like- oh this is our porter. Which one? ohh - don’t know- the porter. Ahhh - ok. Food- don’t talk about it.

December 29, 2008
Red flag, PBR was one of the guest beers. Nice enough place, friendly staff, decent food. Beer was for the most part forgettable.

November 28, 2008
Nice place. Intersting decorations going on. Good friendly staff, but a little on the slow side. Decent selection of brews and fairly reasonable prices. Worth checking out, but there are a whole lot of better beer bars in this city.

September 5, 2007
Near Capitol Hill. Very Alternative crowd. The Terminator Stout is really good.

January 23, 2007
A friend and I visited at 5:00 p.m. on a Friday night and the place was packed. We grabbed the last available booth and settled in for an ale and dinner. The on tap IPA I had was good. The bacon cheeseburger and fries I ordered were okay, but the bacon and fries were slightly overdone. Service was horribly slow and we were basically neglected. Granted, members of an American Library Association technology convention descended upon the place, but the staff never sped up. My friend and I basically had to beg for the bill. A couple who was waiting for our booth, while we waiting to pay, told us it was unusually busy for that time on a Friday. That doesn’t excuse poor service, however. The decor was funky. Lighting was dim. Most people seemed to be enjoying themselves in spite of having to wait for beers and food.

September 3, 2006
Nice place in general: good food, good selection. But the service is a bit spotty. The first time I stopped in they served the food just barely in time to stave off starvation. It has been better since, but nothing to suggest that the staff has any sort of hustle.