Oliver’s Lounge

Your average hotel bar is as follows.
Overpriced, lacks atmosphere, disinterested bartenders, less than average service and merely just a place to meet up before you head out.
Olivers Lounge (Located in the Mayflower Hotel) is the complete opposite of the listed traits. The atmosphere is old world, classic charm, staffed by amazing servers and expert mixologists that pour the perfect cocktails. Speaking of, they do offer a wide range of classic drinks, but also serve some with their own twist like the Uptown Margarita. This drink is amazingly refreshing, served up with Tequila and St Germaine as the base spirits.
The setting is beautiful with large windows facing the hustle and bustle of one of America’s great cities.

Okay, I had never had a real honest to goodness Eggnog.
Now though, I can say I have, and DAMN it was good.
Also, they make a pretty good sidecar.
I highly recommend you visit during happy hour, as they have free snacks.
When I went, the snacks were cheesy bruschetta, and small beef empanadas.
Both were DELICIOUS.

Fantastic place for classic cocktails. Sit back and take in the hustle and bustle of the downtown shopping district in comfort. Free snacks at happy hour are a nice touch. We had fried mac & cheese.
The traditional eggnog (seasonal) is the best I’ve had. The Sazerac is made with French absinthe and the best we’ve tried outside of New Orleans. Real quality here — trust the bartender. ;)

The perfect central location in Downtown Seattle, with great music, super efficient, friendly staff, huge windows with a view of the monorail, and great food & drink at a surprisingly affordable price, Oliver’s is our CBD post-​work sanctuary.

Please don’t waste your time at this pathetic depressing bar with the worst service I’ve ever experienced. I came here tonight to have a birthday drink and left before getting to order because the bartender was so busy chatting and asking advice on things he wants to sell online with the two, only other people at the bar. While we patiently waited two girls walked in while we still sat and wondered if we were invisible. He made their drinks, then finally turned to us after 20+ minutes in an empty bar. I let him know we would just be leaving, and he started protesting saying we should give him a break because he’s easily distracted. We said thanks but we would be leaving still. As we stood in the lobby of the Mayflower Hotel waiting for an Über, we listened to him and the other two customers loudly talk about what jerks we were, even though we did nothing but sit quietly waiting, then quietly left. Glad we didn’t waste our money or anymore precious time here.

Nice martini inspired cocktails and nice ambience. They also offer appetizers/​light bites complimentary. Great place for a after work drink.

For a lounge that specializes on martinis, their vesper was surprisingly so-​so.
However, the place itself looks very nice, and they have an interesting selection of absinths that I should definitely explore someday.

A coworker and I were looking for a new place to do happy hour and decided to give Oliver’s Lounge, inside the Mayflower Park Hotel, a try. Heck, once I heard «free snacks,» I was pretty much hooked.
When you go in the main hotel entrance, the bar is immediately to your left. It looks a bit dark and small, but once you go in, you’ll see that it opens up into a nice, light, high-​ceilinged space with windows all around the corner of the building. With lots of plants and brass fixtures, it feels like a fancy tearoom or a conservatory. Fancy!
The server explained that they don’t really have happy hour drink specials, but «the drinks are basically doubles,» and they do have a daily special cocktail for $ 10. The specialty cocktail that day was a Dark & Stormy, and it was good — served in a tall glass, a generous pour, and a spicy ginger beer that made it not overly sweet. I had a greyhound after finding out that they use fresh-​squeezed juices in their drinks, and it tasted fresh and tart.
As for the free appetizers, there’s a small table set up in a corner with platters of snacks, and the selection seems to change daily. When we were there, it was a large plate of nachos with salsa and a platter of pizza-​roll-​type empanada things. The cheese on the nachos seemed to be cold as soon as it was brought out and it didn’t look like it was being replaced too often. I wasn’t very impressed by the food and wouldn’t make that a main reason to return.
The clientele is a mix of downtown office workers and tourists who seem to be staying at the hotel, so the dress code is pretty casual and you don’t need to be dressed up or anything. Apparently you can reserve tables (maybe only if you’re a large group and/​or have business with the hotel?), and the bar is on the small side, so it fills up quickly. The restroom is in the hotel lobby and you’ll need to ask for the door code to get in.
Overall, a pleasant and upscale-​feeling hotel bar to have strong, well-​made drinks, but if your happy hour isn’t complete without really good food, you might want to look elsewhere.

Can I just say I absolutely love this craft lounge! Because I do. It is classy and fabulous and really makes you feel like you are in a different era… circa 20’s-40’s! My friends and I will frequent this place when we have an outings downtown and we are NEVER disappointed. The vibe is cool, the bartenders/​servers are even better and the price matches what you would think…$$$. But I did say we frequent this place so it must be worth it :) From bottle’s of wine to the crafted cocktails this place is must-​you know if you like this sorta thing ;)

A couple short quick bullet points about this place:
1. It’s a hotel bar, aka the atmosphere is slightly classy but they won’t give a shit if you show up in shorts
2. It’s not cheapest around, $ 10 – 13 a drink
3. Cocktails are good, but not «amazing». For me, they were certainly interesting enough to want to order a couple rounds each.
It seemed a lot of reviewers thought the price was exorbitantly priced. Personally I didn’t think it was too bad, but maybe cause I’m from San Francisco. Keep those 3 points I mentioned in mind, and I think you’ll get exactly what you expect.
My personal opinion is that it wasn’t a half-​bad to spend some time at, given how lowly I normally think of hotel bars.

Oliver’s is nestled inside the Mayflower hotel, walk through the lobby to enter. The bar is pricy but not terrible (think $ 12 for a cocktail), it is after all in a upscale hotel in downtown.
The bar’s décor is gorgeous and they have plenty of seating. Soft music in the background, no TV’s in the place to distract you. There are giant windows at the bar looking onto the street which offers an excellent people watching view point or there are several small tables scattered throughout. The place is immediately relaxing upon sitting down.
The bar selection seems large, they can pretty much make whatever you desire. For me a Lemon Drop (yum!) and my husband ordered a scotch (yuck, but he loves it). The bartender was perfect. The perfect balance of friendly but not in your face. We were immediately given water and a container of peanuts on our arrival (before ordering) which I always appreciate.
I found it a lovely setting, perfect for a nightcap after our late dinner out.

After barhopping in the downtown area, my friend and I decided to visit this bar last. Interestingly enough, we ended on a pretty expensive note. This bar is located inside the Mayflower hotel, so you’ll have to walk through the lobby/​reception area to get here.
The bar was dimly lit and had a very chill ambiance. The place is pretty upscale and looks amazing with the high ceilings. There wasn’t that many people when we came either (granted it was a weekday), so it’s a great place to grab a drink with a date. The bartender here was amazing and made me a caipirinha, which I’ve never had before. I really enjoyed my drink and was glad that my bartender didn’t make me a cocktail that bartenders usually make.
This is definitely one of the more expensive bars, but you’re paying for the ambiance, service, and quality drinks. It’s great for a classy night out with a significant other :)

Wonderful happy hour! They have complementary food for you to enjoy from 4:30 — 6:00pm. Great atmosphere and the service was wonderful! Drinks were not marked down but with the free food we felt that it evened out. We will be returning the next time that we are in Seattle!

A little over priced… But the ambience and hotel are gorgeous and upscale… So it’s all relevant. We stay here every Christmas for a girls family weekend and it’s always great. Olivers is a bit crazy during that time, but what good lounge isn’t? Décor is adorable and staff is extremely helpful and attentive. My mom and I came here for a drink and appetizer during April and it was dead. Drinks were great (I had two Spanish coffees and mom had a downtown Manhattan) and we shared the crab cakes (yum)! If your looking for a good deal for happy hour this isn’t your place. If your looking for a little more classy atmosphere… I would recommend Olivers (especially during Christmas).

Excellent cocktail bar inside the Mayflower hotel. Going inside you can feel like it’s a place where they want you to relax and have conversations with your friends or coworkers. There are little distractions about work, no music playing in the background and no television monitors. Just you, your friends, and the bartender.
The drinks that were prepared were all excellent. I ordered a sidecar, which was perfectly balanced. However, I would have like to have my glass fully rimmed with sugar instead of just one small portion of the glass.
Overall a great relaxing cocktail bar! It may seem a bit stuffy, but the service is very friendly.

Wonderful location for people watching. Best free happy hour snacks (real food like meatballs and empanadas). Drinks are great, but a bit pricy and no real drink specials.
Very classy place.

Solid hotel bar I have walked by a thousand times and never noticed. Unilocal steered us here while we were looking for places we’d never been. Stopped in and seated ourselves with a view of the street, tried a few of the drinks, I had the Vesper, named for Bond’s martini… and the quote from the first time he ordered it is in the menu, so you know what it is they’re doing. We stayed for a few rounds… midday on a weekday meant a lot of blue hairs getting their retirement drinks on, but everyone seemed to be having a fine time. Service was present without being overbearing. I’d be curious what Friday HH looks like.

Great hidden little gem in Seattle. Took a few minutes to find it, but well worth it!
Service:
Super friendly and quick service. My girlfriend and I walked in and the bartender was quick in suggesting drinks and getting our order started, even with it being jam packed on Sat!
Score ⁵⁄₅
Drinks:
We ordered a Hibiki 12 (Japanese whiskey) and a Manhattan, both were fantastic! I was surprised they had my type of whiskey there!
Score ⁵⁄₅
Price:
I was shocked that our drinks were under $ 30 total. With the service and quality of drinks, very good price!
Score ⁵⁄₅
Overall:
What a great local gem. I highly recommend stopping in and having a drink or two!

Not many stand-​alone bars can match the luxuriant sophistication found in a fancy hotel bar like Oliver’s, a glamorous mingling spot for well-​heeled travelers and high-​end locals. We stopped in for a quiet, elegant night of drinking and conversation. There was an electric, Martini-​swilling crowd yet we felt cocooned away in the sleek comfort of Oliver’s. The space itself is an elegant nod to the city’s old school upscale bar scene, what it lacks in spaciousness it makes up for in selection, with a hefty wine list and solid collection of cocktails — absinthe! The wait staff is attentive and the bartender is a professional who takes his job seriously.

We asked the concierge at our hotel what’s a mellow, chill place to have some drinks and this is where we were sent! And no, we were not staying at the hotel where Oliver’s is.
My daughter said– let’s sit at the bar. I love sitting at the bar because it just seems cozy and you always end up talking to someone. It was basically empty in there but for a few folks on the stools.
The drinks are classy and the prices reflect that. It did not stop us though as it was a special occasion so we went for it. They use crown royal and absinthe and good local gins in their special cocktails after all. I went with my gin martini for starters and that’s when we noticed the star of the show. And let me tell you he is a class act. Heck for all I know, that really might have been Oliver himself. He makes the drink right in front of your chair including the lemon peel. And he does it with such finesse. He also is hilarious and gregarious in all manners let me tell you! I pointed out the water dripper he had and asked him how they make their absinthe. We got an amazing story about absinthe in general and then he gave us a sample. My daughter loves licorice so she was all over it.
We kicked back and yes — met another couple and ended up heading somewhere together down the street to go dancing.
By the time we left Olivers the bar stools were completely full and the tables behind us had barely anyone sitting at them. That’s true entertainment.

it’s been 5 years since my initial review. The only change? The 5 star should be a 6 if I could. THE best mixed drinks in Seattle. Wonderful ambiance. And a wait staff that seems to have a caring nature about them (that’s why we all go into bars isn’t it? To be comforted by drink and friends)
To quote the bard, Felix Unger, «Top shelf in my chiffonier!»