Duchess Tavern

This is as good as it gets for Husky fans. Old school. The staff has been around for years and will take care of you. Great prices and is truly a hidden gem.

Cons: Not a welcoming place for non-​regulars. Place is less than clean… sticky menus, smoking cooks. Bartender super small minded and dirty fingernails. Pros: Regulars seem happy. Nice place to watch a game. Fireplace and Tv out back are awesome!

Man, I hadn’t hung out here in nearly 10 years, popped in last night before a Husky basketball game and it really hasn’t changed much, which is a great thing in Seattle these days; good-​but-​divey neighborhood bars like this are dying out, and it’s a damned shame! This is a place you’re either going to love for what it is, or you’re just not going to get it. For any Husky fan, it’s a must – skip the Ram and the sanitary confines of the f’ing mall and come here instead. This place has character. And surprisingly decent hot wings. And a dude who calls out your order on a microphone in a way where you can’t tell whether or not he’s making fun you, like, «Ron, your SALAD is ready.»

Enjoyed eating there, for what it is, it is great! If you expect top of the line stuff from a dive bar, you are too picky.

Didn’t make it there this trip, but one of my favorite places in Seattle. Old school neighborhood bar feel. Great pub food with a couple of surprises. Gets busy at the times you would expect in the U district. Who wants to hurry anyw5?

Happy about this place. Just moved in the area from Ravenna. Happy we don’t have to hang out in the U Village. This place is old cozy and has friendly people that hang out. Old and young share a conversation. I like it:) Back yard feels like yard and the place is much larger than expected. Alot of history in this place

Hands down best bar in Seattle

Good selection of brews and the pizza is super good. A friend of mine and I came in and ordered quickly, and was surprised of how many good brews they had. Pizza is made on the spot, nice and hot when it comes to the table. Also! You can bring in your pup. As long as your four legged friend has good manors, they don’t mind your best friend being there!

I’m hesitant to review The Duchess because it’s my favorite neighborhood gem, but it’s only fair that others know. This bar somehow manages to be low-​key and high-​energy all at the same time. Pretty tame during the week, great place to grab a beer and catch up with the regulars. Weekends/​game nights, a bit more crowded. Pool tables and shuffleboard, obviously a plus. I love that the bar is so dog (and cat, believe it or not!) friendly, and the fireplace out back is great on cool nights. I must say I don’t come for the food, but the atmosphere is just right.

i am here right now and the jukebox is not playing the songs i paid for. wtf. and now Unilocal is telling me my review is too short to be a review and it is actually a «tip» but that is not so.
Edit: the jukebox eventually played all of my songs :) i love the duchess

Great bar with good entertainment for all to be found, and nice cold beer. I like hiding out there! I wish they would bring back the 100 shot beer trays.

The Duchess is a dive bar tucked away just north of U Village in Ravenna. This place is a popular hangout for college kids during UW football games, but otherwise attracts a wide mix of patrons, including the four-​legged variety. Duchess features a full menu of decent pub fare (the chicken burgers are great!) and a decent selection of local craft beers and timeless favorites (read: PBR).
The lower level has a whole bunch of bar games… pool tables with purple felt, pop-​a-​shot, and a great, long, non-​bumpered shuffleboard table.
During the summer on Saturdays the bar is packed with Softball players (Sauceballers) and it can be nearly impossible to move around let alone get a drink. Speaking of which, you better play nice with the bartenders here or they will just ignore you. If you’re a decent person, leave a good tip, and are not remotely douchey, you might get served with a smile.
Somehow the tab always ends up being more than I expected. Not sure if beers overpriced or just having too much fun.
So anyway… bonus star for being super dog-​friendly! Official Dog Policy: Well-​behaved leashed dogs welcome during non-​peak hours at bartender’s discretion.
Also on my list of Top 5 Dog Friendly Shuffleboard Bars:

Decent bar, lots of space and gotta love the pool tables and shuffle board in there too. I had no idea but this place is «DOG FRIENDLY» like literally, not just because it is a UW husky bar. I dont think I would ever bring my pup in here but it is good to know I guess.
I will say that it was easier for me to walk up and get a drink than the guys we were with hehe ;)
I meant to order some food before they went down to the late night menu but missed it by 10 minutes. Bummer. Had chicken strip basket instead and they weren’t half bad for deep fried food. Pizza sounded much better though.

Come here to watch sports, have a bite, shoot pool or shuffleboard, order a beer and hang out with friends in the neighborhood. The distance is walkable from U Village and UW and near several major bus lines. The staff is a great bunch of blue-​collar dive professionals. UW Huskies are definitely the home team, followed by Seattle’s pro teams.
What are you waiting for? The gang’s already here!

Central to the university district, good food, great wine selection and a friendly atmosphere. If you’re lucky, you can meet the pub dog, who will happily pick up anything you’ve left behind.
Not a place I would call classy, but definitely relaxing and a good place to watch a game!

Old farts just left me at the bar. Wow, I sit there for 5 mins and you ignore me… This is the 3^rd time I’ve been here and the 3^rd time I’ve left early and disappointed. This bar isn’t a great for college students and it isn’t great for locals.
Maybe they should employ a younger crowd or be respectful to ALL who come in.

This story is going down as one of the strangest interactions between a patron and one employee at place of business.
The bar is surprisingly big, and even though it is categorized as a dive bar, it looked like a typical fun sports bar. You order food and drink at the bar – ordering off of their billboard menu.
The service I personally received was pleasant, but it took a turn for the worst (and bizarre) when I re-​entered the line later to order (guess what? More food!) with my friend.
When my friend was handed his pitcher of Miller Lite (yuck haha) he questioned his bill being $ 24+. (He ordered a burger, sweet potato fries, and that bubbly-​beer-​water.)
The bartender raised his voice, and was aggressively tapping the beer pitcher rim, saying the beer was $ 12. Now, I didn’t see his finger go INTO the beer like my friend observed, but then [he] wiped his finger off after he was done with his tapping tantrum, so I guess I can assume…
My friend asked for another pitcher, and when the guy refused, he asked another bartender, so begrudgingly, he gave him another one. He said that he was lucky he wasn’t charging him for the new pitcher too O_​o
My buddy then asked about the bill again. He asked how much the fries were and the guy said $ 8.25. Let me tell you, this guy is REALLY worked up now, and we later learned it was because he was lying through his tooth. I was like, «Dang, thems are expensive fries!» The animated bartender goes on to say that bills are MARKED UP 10% if paid by credit card. Blank stare from us. He points to a sign, that says that tabs paid in cash won’t be charged sales tax.
Friend: «That’s great, but I don’t see where you charge 10% MORE on a bill because of someone paying with a card. «This didn’t add to the bartender’s warm fuzzy feelings he is dishing out to my friend.
Finally, I decided that the bartender was nucking futs. Do you what to know how much the real bill was?
Miller Lite $ 9 (not $ 12)
UW Burger $ 4.75
French Fries $ 4 (not $ 8.25)
…and…my friend had STILL left a $ 5 tip. Even after how Crazy Town treated him. Later my friend went back up and the guy gave him back $ 3.50. Oh good. He overcharged him by $ 7.25, he got a $ 5 tip=$ 12.25… and then gave my friend back…$ 3.50.
The rest of the staff were great. I would love to come back but that was just too much drama at my friend’s birthday party to deal with. Please check your bill, guys.

So went here yesterday to watch the Huskies play in the Maaco Bowl. One friend got there at 11:30 to save us a table. Thank God he did. It was standing room only. Unfortunately the table he got us on the lower level has a poor view of the tv. :(So at halftime we took off to watch the second half at home.
This place is like a huge frat party on game days. Love all the purple gear people are sporting.
Food is very good but ordering & picking it up is a major hassle. The line at the bar to order was 10 deep at times.
I had a delicious burger with fries again. I wish the cost of the fries was included in the burger. Hubby ordered the onion rings & only got 6 in his order. For $ 3.00 it should be 10 – 12.
Parking in the area is tight. Had to circle the block to find a spot. Luckily it wasn’t raining so we didn’t get wet.

How has no one talked about how awesome the women’s bathroom is?!
Seriously, I’ve been to a few really nice spots in my day, but they do not touch the Duchess’s bathroom.
They have this bathroom stocked with EVERYTHING a lady might need. Dial brand soap? Eff that! At the Duchess they carry only the finest boutique soaps. With matching lotion. In an adorable little holder sitting atop a pretty counter. Oh no! A hair fell out of place? Don’t worry! Duchess has you covered. Slather them gorgeous locks with a decent variety of middle shelf mousse and hair spray. I thought they had everything covered until I went in the bathroom stall and there was a neat little basket full of… girl problem things. JUST IN CASE. Good thinking, Duchess. Lookin’ out for the ladies.
In addition to their great women’s bathroom, their drinks are totally worth it. They’re very cheap, strong, and they will give you an excuse to go to the bathroom ALL THE TIME.
They also have shuffleboard (F YES), pool, I think they had pop a shot but it was broken… I just played shuffleboard, so who cares?
Their outdoor area was mind blowing. WOW a fireplace! Goes perfectly with my bottom shelf whiskey.
Duchess has got your back, whether you’re a lady or a gent. I can’t speak about the men’s bathrooms. My boyfriend said they were «normal». ??? Take that as you will.

$ 12 Hoegaarden pitcher. I could end my review right there.
But alas, I shall tell you more! But, the pitcher prices here are incredible. There’s a pretty large selection, but there seems to be a focus on pale ales, which I don’t like (although that seems to be a problem in Seattle in general). If you pay cash, they don’t charge you tax, so bring some cash and save a buck or two.
The food here is also pretty good. We’ve tried the fries ($ 4), onion rings (~$ 4, can’t remember), and buffalo chicken burger ($ 6.50). Everything was really good and not too expensive at all.
There always seems to be a large diversity of people here. When we’ve come later at night, the music is very loud so takes a bit of adjustment to be able to have a conversation. We thought the music was really good though– some top 40 stuff, some country, a nice mix. When we came more for dinner time, it was quieter and there were a few sports games on. It’s a very laid back place, but awesome for a fun night out at a great price. Between the beer prices, selection, and food quality, my boyfriend has decided this is his favorite place in Seattle.