College Inn Pub

Every bar is the same in my opinion except the staff. The staff here are amazing. Best bar in town. The nachos are great, service outstanding, now if only they would bring back the piano…

With a decent beer selection and some decent seating this place is always a good option for drinks around the UW campus. This isn’t a bar you take someone you’re trying to impress or the kind of bar you go when you’re feeling like going out in the town; this is the kind of bar you go to to get wasted on a Tuesday afternoon after work. The world needs more bars like this.
Plus any bar that has Kilt Lifter on tap is okay in my book.

My wife and I stayed at The College Inn (which is above the pub), so we found ourselves hanging out this pub several nights, especially because it was air conditioned and the city was in the midst of a heatwave. While the menu is a bit limited, the food is pretty damn good, especially the nachos. I also appreciated they had both meat-​based chili AND vegetarian chili since my wife is a vegetarian. Both were pretty good and, honestly, the black bean chili stole the show. Beer selection wasn’t bad either nor were the prices.

Nice relaxing spot on a weekday afternoon, good prices friendly staff, interesting music, nice ambiance

I like a basement bar and this place has a lot of character. They had some unique bars on tap, including one from NW Peaks. Friendly bartenders that know their stuff. Good place to watch a game and play some pool.

Good pub really near the UW dorms. Went twice on a Wednesday and a Thursday. The crowd on Thursday was definitely a lot more rowdy. Had some very tasty long islands.
One complaint: the restrooms could be a little cleaner.

This place is one of the worse pubs I’ve been in, but it might have just been the day and time I was there. Some of the people are not friendly. First of all, really bad customer service skills by some workers. For example, I asked if I could order a beer, and I get told a very sharp, «NO» as the staff just walks away. Ouch!

Pool and darts! Lots of fun and good drinks. Food isn’t anything spectacular. Definitely has a divey vibe to it.

Hung out here pre/​post Husky game. It was fun to imagine my Aunts and Uncles (Udub grads) spending time here in their youth. I am sure I would have frequented it myself had I attended. If you like dive bars you will like this place. Beer could have been colder but what are ya gonna do?

Lots of tables, some booths, jukebox, pool and just a couple TV screens. The place where a lot of the Grad Students from UW come to hang out.
If there’s a game playing, then there will definitely be a lot of «bro» action going on, complete with yelling standing high-​fives and cheap beer pitchers. Otherwise it is pretty chillax and the cool kids come to mingle with the other cool kids.
Booth tables are huge and great for game nights!

I couldn’t find this place at first, but apparently it’s behind Banana Leaf Café. This place is definitely a dive. They have pool tables and darts here, which is awesome. The pool tables looked pretty old, but they’re functional and it’s pretty cheap to play. Bartenders were pretty chill; beers were $ 6, so it’s not ridiculously cheap or anything. They don’t have a wide selection, but I feel like it gets the job done. This is a good place to hang and chill. The staff was nice and courteous, and didn’t even complain when we got too loud, which was cool. And as grungy as the restroom looks, the toilets themselves were pretty clean, which was surprisingly. I’ll probably swing by again if other bars on the Ave get too crowded.

Located in the basement of the proper College Inn, this deceptively spacious bar has a divey selection of diner food and beer. I’m not in the neighborhood fairly often, but I have a soft spot for getting a beer (maybe a well drink) and some fried food at this place. I love coming in on off nights and having a drink with it eerily quiet and mostly abandoned.

I’ve only ever been here for happy hour. I found the prices to be a little high compared to some of the other offerings on the Ave. Beer selection is ok, and the food is standard pub fare, e.g., slightly overpriced and average.
The best part is that it’s on the Ave, which is good for meeting up with friends.

Speaking as someone who is gradually becoming an old codger before my time. I don’t go to the bars on the Ave despite living a block away because the crowds tend to get obnoxious after about 5pm.
That being said, I really enjoy this spot. Nice and tucked away.
To the business owner, please get a Golden Tee Live machine in addition to or instead of the pinball machines. Now that Earl’s got rid of theirs, you would be the only business on the ave to have one. The new machine with the updated courses can draw some golf regulars who will feed money into the bar too.

Good beer, limited food menu.
Yes, there’s wifi.

I’ve been here 5 times over the 5 years, as I work at the UW. Dark, cramped, limited menu. Full of graduate students, who are possibly trying to evade their faculty.
Good if one is looking to throw some darts in a cave, but basically uncivilized.

What a gem!
My beau took me for a little walk through the university district and when he turned down what looked like an alley and then we walked down all these stairs I must admit that I was a little taken aback and skeptical. However this place really swept me off my feet.
We found this table around the corner from the bar, the table with all the character carved into it. It was so fun to read the various messages while we made up stories about the person who carved them.
The drinks were strong, and the crowd was loud and fun. It’s not a place to study (at least on friday nights) because of how many people are partying there. There was a 21 run there with us, that was fun to watch.
The staff was attentive and friendly and were also full of character. Definitely a highlight of the night.

So far, this is my favorite U district bar. As an elderly person in my 30s, I find it troublesome to spend time in college bars but this place is pretty good. Granted I’ve only ever gone for happy hours, and I’m always home by 10 (SCHOOL NIGHT!) but the basement feel and cheap booze/​eats will keep me coming back. It’s quiet, it’s got plenty of seating, I like it.
You should like it too.

What a bad ass place.
Since 2001, the College Inn Pub has been like a second home to me, back when I was a lowly college student. Many a nights there would be a struggle to walk up the stairs from this basement establishment, as they never fail to serve the necessary types and amounts of spirits to impair the most basic forms of coordination.
Jameson & Guinness. Yes. Old Overholt/​JD/​JB whiskey. Yes. Cheap tequila shots for the frat bro dbags? Yes, unfortunately. Fresh, rotating selection of beers on tap. Yes. Drinks for the ladies (e.g. Lemon Drops). Yes?
And the food. Yes!!! At no other place will you find such microwaved excellence as the pizzas, chili, and nachos that they offer. If I remember correctly, they might even use real cheese on their nachos. But out of all their food, I definitely recommend the grinders. Although it’s mostly plain with meat and pepperoncini on a french roll, grease still manages to ooze out the sides? Perfect for absorbing all that alcohol, according to renowned doctors everywhere.
On a closing note, as you’re urinating in the bathroom (hopefully), take some time to appreciate the artwork and quotable quotes strewn around the walls. You’ll be able to enjoy political commentary, reviews of UW classes, and even pick up a couple phone numbers in the process.
Have fun, friends.

Ahhh, the perfect spot for Group Therapy after classes, lecture and exams…
Always able to accommodate the 25 or so of us that walk in, but it it usually fills up real quick and gets to be quite entertaining.
Bravo to there seriously rotating tap handles, especially the Stouts and Porters, never had such an amazing experience with beers that I would have never have even thought to try…
Gabe, Barrett and the rest of the bunch are a pleasure to be around and take time to chat instead of just being like many other bartenders (especially those in the U-​District)
I am home here. I come here once a week for my pint or two and enjoy it every time.
The only downfall, not a decent food selection… I guess that is what the rest of the «Ave» is for…

I’m probably too old to be doing justice on this review. For my own taste the College Inn Pub was too crowded, too underground, and too slow of service. That said, if I were 22 again and looking to get drunk on $ 5 pints I would definitely make the College Inn my pub of choice.
We ended our evening with a hilarious encounter at the bar that went something like this:
22 yr old college male: cann I hav yr highest ABV beeerr and a picher of wtr?
Bartender: say that without slurring and maybe you’ll get your beer
22 yr old college male: cann I av yr highest alcoholic bevverage by volummm bbeer and a pitcher of water?
Bartender: no man, you need to close out your tab and go home
Thank you 22 yr old college guy who drank endless irish car bombs next to our table. We still are recounting your slurred request and I hope you have recovered from your hangover.