Magoo’s

The place has a cool vibe, however the female brunette bartender who wears reading glasses is very rude. She needs to put her reading glasses to use and pick up a book on communicating.

This is a great local bar within walking distance to the ups campus. Casual and not expensive. They have really good nachos cooked in the oven. Nice laid back atmosphere, nice local people, not a place with drunks. I always order my favorite cosmo with orange vodka and muddled with orange. Funny thing is they only have 1 martini glass so clearly not their specialty but they always make it taste great so they should get more glasses. It’s a casual place though so people probably don’t come to order the high maintenance drinks like I do

Want to know the definition of dive bar? Want to know the honest to God, without a doubt, beer swilling, urine scented, cheap pitcher, killer jukebox, beater pool table, greasy food definition of a dive bar… Magoos. It is the definition. It’s everything you might expect from an old crusty bar perched in the North end of Tacoma. You won’t find a yuppie within ten blocks of this place. But you will find their spoiled and well intoxicated wanna be Capitol Hill hipster children polluting the space on most nights. Dress code is flannel and attitude, but don’t dare share it with the bartenders. Their attention span for attitude is about as short as my… well you know. These guys kick ass and will be more than happy to show you how well if you run your mouth. Tuesday Taco night and Thursday $ 5 PBR pitcher night… Go and watch the young ones play, tip well.

Dive bar. Cheap beer. But they do have random awesome taps. Taco Tuesday is a good deal with size of taco.
Divey if you are into that. Located in decent spot.
B’s & H’s, B’s & H’s, B’s & H’s.
pArViS

Magoo’s is still the little hidden gem I remember from years ago! The Hubby and I had a chance to step out for a few and after some eats, I decided to show him this place since we are now in this area and I happened to drive by and thought, «I remember that place, I will have to visit soon!»
My first time coming here was over 5 years ago and I came with a pretty big crowd that met up with a group that was already here but I remember it being a pretty cool spot and it still was the same coming here the second time with the Hubs:)
Walking in we were carded immediatley, LOL! Next stop the bar, which we were greeted by a cheerful bartender that let us know she was new but no worries, she gots this! As we received our drinks, we found a nearby table and enjoyed the atmosphere and each others companies. The crowd was just enough that it made the place feel lively but not to where we couldn’t hold a convo.
The décor is fitting for the area and the crowd that frequents. They have a pool table and dart board and the place is actually alot larger than it appears from the outside with a second floor backroom!
We will definately be back and maybe try these tacos, everyone raves about!

Absolutely horrible, disgusting, pathetic excuse for a bar. I went there for taco Tuesday. Waited 20 minutes for service because the waitress was chit chatting with her «regulars». Once she was done, I asked her how big the tacos were so as to guard against the possibility of ordering portions too large for my undertaking. She proceeded to remove a soft taco from a nearby bag, and shift it from hand to hand while staring me down (no gloves on). Tacos were delicious, not sure what was in them — hopefully not her spit. This is the kind of joint that succeeds somewhat in procuring a regular crowd, and once they have a sufficient permanent customer base — picks and chooses who they will render courtesies and services to. I’m not sure how they stay in business. However, history teachers ought to take their students to this place at least once, so they can get a feel for how a 1650s pirate bar-​brothel operated in the day. Have fun.

Always have had great service here. We like to go here for the fooseball table but we also really enjoy the tacos and happy hour. Always find fun company to talk to as well.

One of the best beer selections I could ask for and super rad tacos on Tuesdays. Del makes some seriously delicious tacos. Great bartenders and awesome camaraderie. The staff make it a good time amd serve it like you want it. Yeah.

My husband and I are new to the area and a friend who grew up here recommended Magoo’s when we asked where to go on St Patricks Day. We love supporting local places and wanted to try them over a popular chain on the big bar holiday. The bar’s atmosphere seemed nice, but we felt immediately like outsiders. The bartender wasn’t friendly, the beers were expensive, and we didn’t feel welcome. We asked her (the bartender) when we got there if they served food, she said yeah, but then never even made eye contact with us after pouring our beers… much less brought us a menu to look at. We even were sitting at the bar… so ridiculous. We sat with empty glasses for about 5 minutes before we had to get her attention to even give us our check. Really disappointing.

Solid Tacoma bar. The best thing this place has going for it is the layout. It’s spacious yet also seems to have the right number of tables. There’s a main lower section and in the back stairs to a more secluded often more quiet spot. Micro Mondays– all craft beers $ 3 can’t really beat that. If you are over 30 you will probably feel out of place.

one of my favorite bars of all time in any city anywhere…
sweater vest, «no blood for oil t shit», tom shoes, and beanie not worn incorrectly with billy holiday glasses not included
Kony 2012 conversations welcome

$ 6 for an IPA??? Seriously? Yes. And we paid for it… stupidly. Oh and we didn’t even get full pints.

We went here with a few friends and it’s a very chill and surprisingly pretty empty on the few Saturday nights that I’ve been there. The drinks are cheap and poured stiff so I have little complaints about the space.

ohhhhhhhh Magoo’s.
THIS PLACE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. got it? ok, moving on.
With that being said, I have pretty fond memories of this place. Yes, it’s crowded. Insanely packed actually. I didn’t even know they served food. There is only one pool table so don’t get your heart set on playing. Jukebox is good but REALLY loud, just like the crowd. I have only been once or twice, and that was years ago back in college [great, now I feel old]. If you want to meet people and like strong drinks [the coke is just for color guys], that’s what I remember most. Service can be lacking at times but they are probably constantly short staffed. It’s a wild ride, but if you’re looking for adventure it’s a good place to start.

Celebrated my son’s birthday with 12 others… Beer, shots and mixed drinks… great. Nachos were supreme. Atmosphere and service was the best. Started at 7 and before I knew it… Last call.
Especially love Taco Tuesdays.

I have a big soft spot for Magoo’s.
I live pretty much down the street, so it’s easy to get to and from, as long as I don’t kill myself on that godawful sidewalk that changes elevation every few feet (ARE YOU LISTENING, CITY OF TACOMA? FIX IT!)… but I digress. Sure, it’s a dive bar. Take it for what it is! Thursdays can be crazy and crowded and annoying (I say that as a college student, not a cranky old man; not that there is anything wrong with cranky old men) but it’s usually a very mellow place to hang out. I like playing (or attempting to play) darts, pool, and fooseball, and there’s always something interesting happening on the television above the bar. A few weeks ago it was Robin Hood Men in Tights! NICE! They just finished a renovation, so the paint is all shiny and new and maybe other things have changed and I’m just the most unobservant person in the world, but oh gosh. I just don’t understand the dislike for this place. It’s definitely got a neighborhood bar feel to it, but I think that’s what makes it so awesome. That and the nachos. The nachos, you guys. Mmm. Even if you think you won’t do it, you will. And it will be the best thing ever. Definitely split between a few people though, because they are BIG (and kinda pricey… maybe try to make someone else foot the bill). Food prices and the crowd of smokers you have to walk through to get to the door are the only downsides.
Need to know:
Mondays: $ 3 beer. ALL OF THEM, not just (ahem, shitty) PBR
Tuesdays: $ 2.50 margs and $ 2 tacos (or $ 3 if you want the soft shell– which obviously you do)
Wednesday: $ 2.50 wells. May I recommend a gin&tonic, or maybe a whiskey sour?
Thursday: $ 5 PBR pitchers. Usually crazy crowded during the school year; you’ve been warned.
Friday: … Nothing? But shit, it’s Friday, so go down there and have a drink anyways!

Magoo’s is my favorite dive bar in Tacoma. Great happy hour specials, cheery bartenders and cool regulars that mostly seem to be musicians. They also have a variety of «Fun Time» jello shots which are refreshing. Their hot sandwiches and food specials are great but I mostly go in for the beer and a shot of booze after work. Cheers!

This is rough, even by Tacoma standards. Hard burping pool players create their core clientele. Because I’m such a softie, I had to scuttle out of there with my date to the Parkway, a few blocks down.
Some folks enjoy living on the crusty side of life. For me and my house, it makes my tongue curl.

It has been nearly 40 years since returning to the scene of many a lost week end (week night, week day…). I «lived» there a fair part of my formative university days at Magoo’s in the early 70’s. It was time to find out.
Not much has changed. The same friendly atmosphere and staff. A true local.
All that really has changed is that the «King Rock» pinball table by the front door (explaining why I was often broke back then) was moved to the back of the bar and replaced by a new model, say from the late 70’s.
This was done to add seating on the main level. My heir apparent (daughter) tells me this place gets crowded many evenings (I wonder if some overly confident males still come in with their tooth brush in their shirt pocket, certain of using it in some young lady’s apartment the next morning?) And PBR has replaced «Heidelbeer Berg» (damnit).
They say you can’t go home again but I suspect I could fall into my old ways again were I within crawling home distance from Magoos. And a new tootbrush for my dentures.

Last night all of the following happened while at Magoo’s for a couple hours:
A man stood up to get the attention of the whole bar and announced that the person next to him had gone down to Olympia to testify before our government that «marijuana is awesome!»
We obtained many beers at a reasonable price.
We looked at a table that has the logo for both Battle Start Galactica and the Wu Tang Clan engraved into it.
Had a solid game of darts with real metal darts (none of that plastic nonsense.)
Breathalysed our entire party for a mere $.75 a piece. (Note: I don’t think it’s too accurate above a certain level as my friend who blew a .40 was merely drunk, not almost dead.)
Winner.