Barrel Tavern

This place is great. The bartender that took care of us was hilarious and attentive and the food was great! Im a sucker for good wings and this place has em!

I’m always on the hunt for decent tavern food and so I finally got to give this place a try just recently when i was hungry and in the area.
Some pretty decent food and the bar service was fantastic. The service was friendly Great place to take anyone it’s a catch all kind of place.
Decent strong drinks alright food great peaceful atmosphere.
I had the bacon burger with fries and I will say not bad at all.

If you’re looking for a strong drink, killer food, and a no-​frills, laid back atmosphere, this is your place. Though they have your traditional selection of bar food, you want their broasted chicken. Scratch that. You NEED their broasted chicken. This chicken is the juiciest, crispiest, most flavorful fried chicken you will ever put in your mouth. They also make a stellar homemade potato salad to go along with it. When I’m in the Seattle area, I have to hit up this place just to get this chicken and potato salad. Just be prepared for a bit of a wait: the process for making the chicken is a little longer than the other menu items, but it’s well worth the wait. Their drinks are also great. Haven’t had a bad one yet. They’re made strong, so you get a lot of bang for your buck.
As for the atmosphere and service, they’re both awesome. It’s your typical dive bar with slightly outdated décor, but it’s FUN. There’s a juke box and a couple TVs so you can catch whatever game’s on. There are also pull tabs at the bar if you’re into that. The service is always incredibly friendly. It can be slow (sometimes REALLY slow), but the main server we always see when we’re in is great about letting us know the status of our food. She always remembers us and our usual order which is just yet another reason we keep coming back. All the locals that frequent this place are friendly and quite funny.
Next time you’re in the area and looking for a good bar, give Barrel Tavern a shot!

Love this place! Classic neighborhood dive bar. Very friendly staff, people, and atmosphere. Feels like you’re in your Grandpa’s basement: cozy, comfortable, and inviting. Makes me homesick for Michigan and going to all the blue-​collar auto-​worker bars. Truthfully, this bar is one of the best things about living in this neighborhood. Also, great karaōke on Friday nights and delicious food (get the burger, you’ll love it). Go and pull up a chair, grab a beer and have great time.

The Barrel Tavern was the scene for a post quitting a hated job scene of epic bitching and alcohol. Nice bartender, strong drinks, locals that actually talk to you, and a well lit parking lot.
Stay strong, Barrel, you’re cool.

Great fried chicken, good beer, and I love doing karaōke here!

There were many things to like about this bar. The food was tasty (simple menu) and the beer selection was decent. The service was friendly. I put that this place was «Loud» as there was live music playing the time I went there and it was far too loud to be able to conversate with friends. Luckily, the weather was perfect outside and we were able to utilize the tables on their patio (under cover area — nice if it’s raining I’m guessing).

Great place, nice staff, good food, great music.
only gave 4 stars because the bathroom are small, but clean.

My husband and I have had a number of meals here and the food is always good. Their fish and chips rival any fish café. Their chicken salad was as good as any I’ve had at ‘better’ restaurants. My husband says the prime rib sandwich is to die for good and has it every time we eat here. Beer to suit every taste and of course mine is Georgetown Brewery, Manny’s Pale Ale. Somewhat of a dive bar, but blue collar comfort and mood.

Best place to go after breaking backboards

This review is long overdue.
A friend and I were in here right after they opened on a Thursday, New Year’s Eve-​Eve to be exact, to start our dive bar crawl as we worked our way from White Center to Ballard.
We were served breakfast (and a beer) by the owners husband, I can’t remember his name anymore but he was a really nice guy. When we explained why we were in such a hurry to have our food/​drink and get out of there, he thought we had a good idea and was not at all offended by calling his place a dive.
The crowd was about what we expected, lots of work trucks outside and a large table of blue-​collar folk in their work clothes and assorted flannel.
We were warned that food might take a bit as they had limited griddle space in the kitchen, but the meal was well worth the wait.
The eggs were done to perfection, not runny, and not rubbery, and the breakfast sausage was so amazing we had to ask him where he got it — surprise, it’s just Cash N Carry!
For some reason we haven’t been back here but really need to make it a point to do so.

Great neighborhood hangout. Really good food!

I used to go here ALL THE TIME with my boyfriend! We lived around the corner (unfortunately) so we were able to just walk home instead of drive (fortunately). The drinks are SO GOOD! Strong, and cheap. The bartender that always helped us was very friendly, and made an effort to know what drinks we usually ordered, and would get them to us very quickly. Some nights they have karaōke, which brings in a younger crowd. Most nights there’s a middle aged crowd, and lots of bikers. Very friendly people, nice hangout.

Went for Sunday lunch here with the husband. He called and said «look for the place with the giant barrel on the roof.» We had high hopes, but while sleazy, it was just not sleazy enough/​too sleazy for us.
The food was OK. The tacos were good, with an entire avocado on the plate. The man’s burger was just OK. We ate outside, and watched the neighborhood.
Plus: random guy walkin’ down the street drinking his malt liquor; sketchy car shop across the street. Seems like a good place to get drunk.
Minus: seems like a good place to get drunk. Forever.

UPDATE; 6÷23÷10 I had the Prime Rib Dip Sandwich and it was great! Not for the faint of heart though. This is a chunk of meat cooked to your liking between the halves of a fresh, grilled roll. My wife had one, too. We could have split it. At $ 8.75 this is a deal. It’s served with fries, a salad, Macaroni salad or cole slaw, I believe. I had the macaroni salad, it’s homemade and delicious. I need a nap!

Top 10, and then some, Reasons the Barrel is NOT What You Expected
The term «dive bar» congers up negative images of dark smelly taverns, shady staff and questionable menus full of deep fried mystery food. The Barrel is in no way any of these things. In a time where trendy bars are becoming dives or using gimmicks to lure you in and dive bars becoming trendy bars by serving 40’s or watered down versions of drinks they call specialty beverages there are fewer and fewer places serving up a good old dash of reliability. After numerous visits, purely for research of course, I found there was far more than meets the eye.
1. The moment you walk in you are treated like a regular. Don’t expect any sucking up, it’s like good old family that puts up with you sorta regular.
2. There are no unidentifiable smells that overwhelm you when you walk in. Rich local history.
3. Plenty of parking… Come on it was a Drive In. Built in 1963 the Triple XXX Drive In, owner Linda Enright has worked hard to keep the integrity of landmark Barrel.
4. Bikers welcome… but you can come too.
5. Live bands that you actually want to see. And did I mention NO COVER!
6. Seattle’s longest running open Jam Session every Tuesday.
7. Karaōke every Saturday and sometimes Fridays. 100’s of great karaōke singers… and 3 bad ones.
8. The most dedicated owner you may ever meet. She cares about her customers and her community.
9. No drama policy. Do not test this one, trust me, the staff will win.
10. Free poker tourney every Wednesday.
11. A menu that could put most dinners to shame. Fresh, well made pub grub that will have you returning for more than just a beverage. Insiders tip: go for the fresh not deep fried tacos, the Barrel burger (fresh never frozen) or the Barrel chicken sandwich.
12. Saturday & Sunday breakfast menu that could cure any hangover.
13. If you need more than just liquid entertainment there are darts, a pool table, pull tabs, video games, and flat screens always playing the game.
14. A juke box that is filled with only the classic rock, country and 80’s fav’s.
Keep in mind, if they hear their customers want something new, it happens. So if their schedule changes or you like how it is, let them know. Leave your club clothes at home and the over done hair, this is one spot it won’t work. Be prepared to sit back, hang out with old friends and even make some new ones. If you’re looking for a dependable neighborhood bar with a ton of character, in more ways than one, you need not look any further.

The karaōke host had a black eye need I say more this place fucking rocks harder than the Hoff’s morning wood.

Wow, I went here yesterday for the first time — awesome!
Ok, the food is reasonably priced (and delicious), the beer is cheap (1.50 pbr and busch cans) and the people there are halariously blue collar.
Yesterday we got a pitcher, 4 cans, 2 burgers and a shot of quervo and it was under 30 bucks. You kidding me??? I’m hooked. The burgers were probably some of the best I’ve ever had (toasted bun, juicy and delicious) THE BARREL BABY!