Montlake Ale House

Montlake Ale House closed in December 2013. A new owner, who already operates The Leary Traveler and Nabob in other Seattle neighborhoods, has posted signs about re-​opening as «Traveler Montlake» restaurant/​bar by 2÷1÷14. A Facebook page is up.

I guess one needs to go to a dive so they can appreciate a good place. Service was horrid! 1 ½ hrs and the food was late, no one asked if we wanted a second beer and the food was underwhelming. One and done. Never going back.

The geeks who drink quiz master tabitha is awesome… Wednesday nights. The waiter Jake is awesome.
The food used to be good but now it sucks and is over priced. $ 9 got me 3 completely naked sliders that were over done. Whomp whomp, disappointed.

This place really is awful. Went there for drinks on a Saturday night and ordered an Old Fashioned… pretty simple. The drink arrived in a stemmed cocktail glass, with a pink color and a lemon wedge. Horrified… I asked the waitress if she ordered the wrong drink — she didn’t. I tried it and it was fizzy. Turns out the bartender put club soda in it. After speaking to him later his only comment was that he was «sorry he forgot the vermouth.» Dear lord. For those not in the know — an Old Fashioned is basically whiskey/​bitters/​sugar/​orangepeel. No where is there vermouth or club soda. The bartender clearly has no idea what he is doing.
Side note — before I ordered my drink I asked if they had Pendleton — a common whiskey around the region. The waitress said they didn’t and then said directed me to their list of beers. I should have left then.

A decent choice in an area without a whole lot of optoins. Montlake Ale House has a good selection of drafts as well as a well-​stocked bar. There’s plenty of space inside, and would be good for groups. But service seems best at the bar.

Perspective is everything…
Two years ago, I would not have given this place more than a 2 star, but since having our daughter, it is great to have a place to go to that has great beer selection, ok food, and a place for her to play. Service can be a bit slow, so it only gets a 3 star instead of 4.

Meh. Been here three times. Overpriced, in my opinion. Although, they do to go, which is awesome if you’re in a hurry and just HAVE to have a burger.
This is the closest thing I have when I’m desperate for a meal and it’s past nine, so it serves its purpose.

I went here recently with 6 other family members for a birthday get-​together early on a Sunday evening. Service was good, food is OK, but wasn’t expecting anything special. What I like about this place is that it’s our neighborhood «joint» and it’s really easy to meet friends there. Parking is not a problem.
My disappointment came when I discovered on my itemized bill that they had added an 18% gratuity, but on the credit card statement of the total charge, the «pre-​tip amount» total is listed WITH the 18% gratuity carefully wrapped in it. So if you’re not really paying attention to the charges on your itemized bill (for 7 people), it’s easy to miss this added 18%. Bummer, they made out really well that night with a 36% tip.
In their favor, I might have missed the disclosure of the 18% added gratuity, but I honestly don’t remember seeing this in the menu.

My fiancé wanted to try this place since we drive past it on 23^rd every day. We decided to check out their happy our on a Wednesday evening.
The atmosphere in the lower level is the norm for an ale house. We probably should have say there. Unfortunately we made the mistake of sitting in the upper level. They should just call it a play ground that serves alcoholic beverages. There is a green pit in the middle of the room where parents watch their kids play as they enjoy their beer. Great for parents, awful for anyone who wants to enjoy a relaxing evening. It’s loud and obnoxious.
I probably wouldn’t have noticed the school I was sitting in if the food was any good. I ordered a Caesar salad and the chicken strips and fries. The salad smelled and looked like it was bagged lettuce that had been sitting the fridge too long. Brown and gross. The chicken strips tasted fine but both the chicken and fries were drenched in oil.
The guy sitting next to us ordered and Turkey sandwich. The waitress came back and told him that they were out of turkey, ham, and beef. The poor was confused as to what they actually had.
The one star is for the fast service to get out of that place ASAP.

The service here is really bad. We ended up going to the bar to order more drinks and get our check. The server never asked how anything was… she was mostly absent the whole time we were there.
The kid pit was cool. It allowed me to enjoy a meal, beer and watch a game with friends and still have the kids occupied.
Food was good and the beer selection was decent. Really the only negative was the service.

I don’t typically write bad reviews of places but this establishment got under my skin.
I got out of a class late one Friday night. It had been a very long week. I was hungry and thirsty and still had a 10 mile ride home. I was going to climb up to Cap Hill but on the way I saw this place and was curious. What a mistake.
The place was empty when I entered and seeing no sign I waited to be seated. The server barely noticed me as I stood there and she passed by a couple of times. OK. I’ll find my own table.
The young lady serving must have been in a sour mood because she barely listened to me and acted like I was a bother. The place was empty, maybe they were closing, but they must be making lots of money if they think this is a good way to treat customers. My order was simple beer and food.
I ordered a burger and when it arrived the order was incorrect (it was only at this time did she start acting a little nicer). No big deal, she fixed it. I tried the burger and it was terrible.
The beer was good. It would have been nice to order from my table, instead I had to walk over to the bar to order.
In a city known for beer and pubs it is good to know where to go and where not to go. Avoid this place, you won’t be missing much.

My friends have been making fun of me for having up a 2-​star review of a place that I now go every week. So I think it’s time that I provided an update.
I’m upgrading the Montlake Ale House to 4-​stars for a few reasons. One is because of its excellent trivia night on Wednesdays at 8:30. Another is the staff and the really really nice community atmosphere. Is the food the best in the world? Certainly no. But it’s a fun place to come hang out and that’s probably what you’re looking for in a bar.

Found this place thanks to Unilocal,and used it as a respite between my early morning hangover, and my Pac-​10 Bball game at Hec Ed.
the staff was super welcoming, which doesn’t always happen when sporting OSU colors in a Washington college sports bar. The Bloody Marys were Money, and the perfect cure for my Elysian sized hangover. Free Wi-​Fi is a bonus.
The Bacon Blue Cheese burger with sweet potato fries was incredible. Complete with brioche bun, and perfectly thick browned bacon. It was a Seahawk Saturday, and everyone who came in was down to earth, and fun to talk to. They even wished our Beavers luck in their upcoming game (try getting ANYTHING positive for an opposing team out of a local bar in Tucson…)
But my favorite thing about this place is the playpit… down three steps into a pit with nothing but toddler friendly toys, with a table that wraps around the pit like a balcony, allowing parents to watch their favorite games on the big screen while keeping an eye on their little ones. I would’ve been all over that as a new parent :)
Now, my one complaint with this place is it seems the purposely like to be understaffed. It was Seahawks Saturday, and the Hawks were in a playoff, so you KNOW it’s gonna get slammed… why have only one server for the entire room plus the bartender? We were warned ahead of time, so we turned in our food order AND a double drink order before the crowds came, but as the crowd grew i sat shaking my head, wondering what the manager was thinking when he staffed this shift… BUT…My service was stellar! (Timing is everything)
I look forward to returning to this little haven next time my Beavers Play in Seattle.

Super nice staff, a bar full of regulars, solid food, and a gladiator pit where your kids can fight to the death. What more do you need?
There’s a good selection of beer, Tollhouse cookie pie, a fun trivia night, and a relaxed neighborhood pub vibe. I don’t know why people have given the service a thumbs-​down — I’ve never had that problem. I gather it’s a good place to watch The Game, especially if that game is soccer or Husky-​related, though I am not a sports person. If you are, you’ll have an even greater appreciation of this alehouse than I do.
The only reason this place got 4 stars is because I’m not really a family-​in-​a-​bar type (like, AT ALL) but since my friends have kids, this is a good place to get your drink on while your children go all Russell Crowe on each other. It’s in a nice neighborhood and there’s always parking. See for yourself!

I’ve been here a few times to catch the end of a game or grab a quick drink with friends. And every time I go I vow to never return. I’ve highlighted a few of my favorite reasons below. Enjoy.
1. Toy pit for children. Yes, in a bar.
2. Terrible service: not only is it slow, but the staff has no personality. I have often wondered if they realize they’re being paid to work, because they sure don’t act like it.
3. Food: mediocre at best.
It’s a shame that this place is so bad, because Montlake could use a good neighborhood bar. Save your time and money — hop on the 43 bus (which stops in front of this place) and find yourself a good bar in Capitol Hill.

Ah. Free wifi. I can write my review in the very establishment I’m reviewing.
They tell me that they have a 5 – 6 happy hour that they are «trying out.» What a bold bar idea!
These visionaries also are rocking the bar world with $ 13 sandwiches and salads. Brilliant!
This may be the quietist bar I’ve ever been inside. I might remember them if I want to go somewhere (after 5) to work or read a book. They also have some big tvs with sports on them.
They do have Kona Longboard on tap and it is super clean. Because no one comes here maybe?
Pretty much a den of old white men waiting to die.
While you’re waiting, you can have a fairly bad salad and a pint. Seriously. Who can screw up bacon. It’s a feat.

So you can bring your kids here,
toss them in the pit with the rest of the little ones,
sit at the bar that surrounds the pit
and watch «the match» while having a glass of a really good beer (and there is many to chose from).
Brilliant concept! Every neighborhood needs a place like this!
I’d come here more often if food wasn’t SOOO BAD…
or maybe I should just stick with beer next time.

I agree with my wife (shocker) on this place. It should be «great» — a bar where I can take a kid. But unfortunately it doesn’t all come together. Service is always slower than it should be, the food is always ok, but never great, and it’s more expensive than you think. I’m tempted to answer the «waiter service» survey question below with «no» :-)
I’m up-​rating this place to 3 stars, because of the kid pit in back. Despite the flaws I mentioned above, it’s nice to have a place that has a large play area for kids where you can also get some drinks and hang out. Sometimes when you have a toddler, you need to drink. And this makes it a little more socially acceptable.
They need to have more TVs, imho. It’s not a sports bar, per se, but I’d like to be able to watch a couple different things instead of paying attention to my kid or dinner guests.
You can also go here on Tuesday nights for your weekly dose of liberal political ranting (Drinking Liberally). I haven’t been here for any of that, but I hear it’s pretty fun.

*Rotten, everything about it is awful
*Might be the single worst service I have ever had in Seattle
*Food sucks, pure and simple, just not at all good
*The parental snobatorium around the pit made me feel like I walked in to their private living room, eff you! we had two kids with us too, nice small neighborhood/​small mind BS
*The barkeep/​waitress gal must have lost a relative that day, only reason I can think someone in the service industry could be that rude
*Last note: this aint Grady’s dont ever go

Closest bar in proximity to where I live so I’ll stop in to watch the game every now and then. It is not typically busy and so sitting by one of the big screens is usually pretty easy. I do really like a couple of the waitresses as they are friendly and have great taste in music! Not a bad place for me to mellow out once in awhile.
The prices on beer are okay, but I don’t tend to notice good specials when I’m there. $ 3 bud on game days but I prefer real beer. I’m yet to find a beer on the menu that I’m just in love with. The food is good but not amazing, and so in my opinion over priced.
Wednesday is trivia night which is kind of a weird experience for a midwesterner, but I hear rumors that northwesterners like to demonstrate their mental prowess. As mentioned in other reviews, there is a neat little child area surrounded something like a bar so parents can watch their kids. This is probably really nice for the families of Montlake, but would detract from my experience if the kids were overly rambunctious.