Copper Gate

I went here on the mega date of all dates this week, and it was magical. Apparently seven pm on a Sunday is the perfect time to sample the amazingness. There were two other people in the place, the garage door was rolled up so the breezes could blow through the trees, the naked lady décor was everything you want it to be. I have a new favorite drink. It’s called a Tyttebar (pronounced «titty bar»), and it involves lingonberry soda and sparkling wine. OMG greatness. We had an order of steak frites, the man friend had some manly drinks. Then we made out in the hallway to the pussy room and that’s not just a euphemism. Best date ever and my new favorite bar.

Service is crap. Tall brunette bartender can shove it where the sun don’t shine.
Food was bland.
I will only be back for the jazz music.

Even though their food is hit or miss and their cocktail menu is underwhelming, I still manage to quite enjoy this bar. Maybe it’s the dingy walls covered with photographs and velvet paintings of naked ladies. Maybe it’s the bar shaped like a giant ship with old-​timey horn phonograph speakers whimsically sprouting from it. Maybe it’s the fact that there is a back door leading to a small music/​performing arts venue literally shaped like a vagina, complete with clitoris. These things, and more, add to the charm of this cozy neighborhood bar.
If you’re into aquavit, they’ve got a good selection here. The vodka cocktails aren’t special; I’d recommend skipping them. If you do find yourself eating here, go for the swedish meatballs or steak frites, both pretty tasty. Stay away from the pickled/​cured fish (I’ve had some not-​so-​fresh fish which is pretty unpleasant).
Overall, Copper Gate is a good spot to enjoy a few bevies and ogle boobies in a low key atmosphere.

I went to this place during a night out for dinner and drinks. I did not know what to expect as I do not read reviews about restaurants before I visit them, but afterward. I was pleasantly surprised by the tasteful nudes the adorn the walls of the restaurant and bathroom.
The décor is one thing, but the food is another. I LOVED the food for a variety of reasons. The portions are perfectly sized for a dinner. I had the hanger steak and fries, but sampled the veal sausage and meatballs. I stuck to German draft beer tried the aquavit and a variety of cocktails. The waitress was knowledgable and friendly as she described the history and ingredients of a variety of dishes.
One of my favorite things as a a lover of eating out, is feeling taken care of even though an establishment is busy and this place did it.

Aquavit? Check.
Excellent Scandinavian food? Check.
Naked pics of ladies on the walls? Check.
Bar that doubles as a Viking ship of pillaging fury? Check.
LET THE WARRIOR’S JOURNEY TO VALHALLA BEGIN!

I feel like very decent food and beverages are wasted in a strange and not very hospitable setting. The place was super cold the night I went, and I had to ask them to turn on the heat (and I was still cold). Not sure if they were trying to save money or just replicate the actual climate of Scandinavia? Gravlax and Pickled Herring dishes were both good but did nothing to fill me up or warm me up. Service was not very warm either. And, why do they have a TV blinking in the corner like something out of the movie Poltergeist? Nothing about this place made me feel particularly warm and fuzzy.

So I have been here twice and probably not again. The first time I went was for a local comedy show in their vagina room that was kind of cool, but my second trip ruined it for me.
I came for dinner and it was nearly inedible. I had a «steak» which was tough as leather even though it was medium rare. I don’t know what part of the cow they get their meat from but it wasn’t a good one. She had Swedish meatballs that were puck-​shaped pieces of ground beef (they were seriously worse than the meatballs at Ikea). I also tried some aqvavit and now I know why no one else serves it; aqvavit is the kind of alcohol that makes you thankful for just about any other alcohol on the planet.

Great place for a date in Ballard if you don’t want to deal with the hustle and bustle of Market Street and Ballard Ave. You can park (yay)! And the interior of the bar makes for great conversation.

I loved this place. It is so eclectic and unique. Not your average Seattle or Ballard bar. Get away from the typical hot spots and give this place a try. Their happy hour food menu is quite tasty and well priced, their drinks are strong, delicious and unique, the atmosphere is unlike anywhere else and their live jazz on Thursday’s in a cozy little hidden room leaves nothing more to be desired!!! One of my new favorite finds in the city. Try their oolong tea infused vodka for a delicious sipper.

What a fantastic place to go for a quiet cocktail with your beau on a Wednesday night. We helped ourselves to a spacious booth and looked through the menu. I had to try the Big Cucumber, since I love the flavor of cucumbers and have always wanted to try something with aquavit in it.
My drink came in one of those nifty stemless cocktail glasses. More importantly, the flavors amazed me: cucumber, fennel, caraway, sugar. I confess that I dislike rye bread and the flavor of caraway seeds, but the flavors in this drink were all in balance, so no single flavor overpowered the others. And there was no alcoholic burn, a problem I frequently encounter with mixed drinks. No, this was pure, smooth, delicious bliss with a little lingering warmth at the end. I definitely could have had another, but when the drinks are $ 7 apiece, one mustn’t get too carried away.
This bar is very ‘Seattle’: utterly distinctive and filling a local niche. So what if I’m not into naked ladies?

I have visited a few times before I read the other reviews. I love the Scandanavian themes, boozes, and foods, so I was surprised to see several reviews panning the Gate. Upon careful reading, I note people who hate what I love about this place: It is authenically Scandanavian. Do not expect spicy food. Do not expect hot peppers. Do not expect flavorless beers.
That said, if you are looking for the kind of bar you would find along the waterfront in Trondheim, this is it.
UPDATE: 9/​14/​2013 – The bar closed in August for a remodel. As of today work is continuing, but the place is open during the work. The name has been changed to «Olaf’s».

Honestly, had a really good time here. Not sure it was because we came just as it opened for the day (5pm), or it was the good company, or it was the food/​atmosphere. Definitely like the scene, great music too. Not sure how it is during the weekends, but would go back with friends or a date.
Granted it was my first time having authentic Swedish food and I would come back for more. Food was satisfying. Try the herring/​lutefisk, it’s not as scary as you think. ;)
Didn’t mind the nudity that was commented about in earlier reviews. The place has its charm and a unique character. Again not sure if it was because we got their early on a weekday, but the service was good. I wish there were more place in Seattle to get a good bite to eat at and not have to scream over loud music that usually consist of the top 40s.
Eager to go back.
Best part: Swedish meatballs.
Next time: Swedish pancakes for dessert.

Nice enough place in theory, juvenile and patriarchal theme, extremely rude service.
My work scheduled our Christmas party in the Copper Gate’s private party room, the «Pussy Room,» which for some reason has its own separate Unilocal page. The main bar seemed nice enough, though they did not carry Goldschläger and were out of Jägermeister by the time I arrived and ordered my first drink (around 11:30pm on a Friday night). The main room seemed neither overly crowded nor awkwardly empty. Pretty quick service.
Yes, the walls have photos of boobs all over them and the private party room is a giant vagina. Besides making this place a shining light in the battle to consider women as thinking, feeling human beings, this also blends seamlessly with the Viking ship theme of the bar. Right? Oh well, a gimmick’s a gimmick, and after twenty minutes you stop paying attention anyway.
Party room was good for about 20 people, but I wouldn’t go much bigger than that just due to size. We had a staff taking orders but didn’t see her very much and mostly had to go out to the main bar for our drinks. When she came in to take last call she didn’t seem particularly pleased to be associating with anyone at all. Maybe she got called in on her day off?
Our party ended at approximately 12:30am when one of the gifts in our white elephant exchange yielded a six-​pack of beer and we were kicked out for violating the rules. Understandable. However, here’s how we were asked to leave by the same girl mentioned above:
«Alright, get the F— out of here! Now! Just get the f— out!»
She and the main bartender who came to support her continued to get in people’s faces, point out the door, and shout profanities at their customers even as we tried to pack up all our garbage and personal equipment and carry it outside. I’m all for following the rules and, well, the state liquor licensing laws. But there was no «I’m sorry, you can’t have that in here and you’ll either have to take it out or I’ll have to confiscate it.» There wasn’t even an «I’m sorry, you’ve violated the law by bringing that here and I have to ask you all to leave now.» Nope, just a «Get the f— out!»
From looking at the other reviews, it sounds like this place is nice enough for a small group to come get drinks or some exotic fare in a quiet establishment. But I would strongly advise against booking a large party at the Copper Gate. Their staff apparently are too stressed out by the commotion to remember things like respectful language.

I have to give this place 5 stars because of the Norwegian pancakes. The pancake melts in your mouth and the berry cream filling has the perfect amt of sweetness without being too sweet. These taste exactly like my grandmother’s palachinka (Hungarian version of a pancake). It is officially on my list as one of my favorite desserts in Seattle. I was in heaven.
The rest of the dishes I tried were also exceptionally tasty (Swedish meatballs, beef ribs, and fish cakes). I normally find fish cakes kind of bland, but these were very flavorful and came with a good dipping sauce. Aquavit is the specialty drink here (a clear Scandinavian liquor which closely resembles Vodka and whose name means «water of life» and often is flavored with caraway seeds. The regulars I came with recommend the house version. Their wines are surprising good too. I tried the Cotes Du Rhode.

Let me start by saying, we are all about the small bar with artisan drinks.
If you’re a beer drinker they have good beer in bottles but you really shouldn’t be coming here if beer is your thing.
Our bartender was Carol (I thought it was Kara, but my GF insists it’s Carol). She let us taste every custom liquor they had which included some custom.
The amount of herbal essences infused into the aquavit were astounding. The variety they have is equally amazing. They have created custom cocktails that taste like giant cucumbers and mountain dew and apple cider.
It’s really quite a great place. For food they have small plates of german food that are pretty great.
All in all there is a lot of great food and drinks here and fun to be had by all.

The live music continues!
The Copper Gate has continued the live music beyond Tuesdays in Ballard promotion! Live music every Tuesday!

1) the viking boat is very cool… something different that i didn’t expect to see… hmmmm, wanna grab a drink from the bar… well, mosey on up to the viking boat and get one!
2) there are boobs everywhere! so if you are faint of heart and embarrassed with a little nudity then this may not be your place.
3) there are bits of the sexual element throughout the décor of the bar, look up and you will catch it!
4) good diversity in the drink menu… if you are feeling experimental there are quite a few international picks from the menu
5) service was good, although we came by on a saturday night around 10 and the spot was dead!
6) swedish meatball were yummy with the ligonberries and potatoes. yeeeesh, the potatoes were damn good.
overall, pretty decent place, would’ve been cooler if there were more people there.

Lady bits! Barbie orgy! Lady bits!
There’s a whole lot of nekked going on at Copper Gate. Forget stars, you’ll be seeing X’s. If you can pull your eyes away from the racy pics adorning every inch of the space, you’ll also be seeing a big ol’ viking ship smack dab in the middle of the joint.
Your cheeks are flushed, your collar is feeling a bit tight and you look around for someone to crank up the A/​C. Let one of the knowledgable bartenders mix up a cocktail to cool you down. It may be a bit spendy, but it’ll be worth it.
It’s an inconvenicent space if you come with a larger group, since there are a handful of tables and the stools at the bar are squashed together. So, leave your friends at home and come leer by yourself or something.

Aquavit! Don’t know it? Try it here. They have lots. Love the fun selection of unique cocktails with a Scandinavian flare. Fits the Ballard theme well.
Gasp. They also serve Carlsberg beer – which I must admit is «probably the best beer in the world»!
I love this place! I’ve taken a few people here for kicks. :)

Big Viking ship bar, porn throughout, & decent cocktails.
What else could you want in a late night hangout? This was a good bar to chill the wee hours away at, and to soak in some cool atmosphere. Definitely worth a return visit.