The 2 Bit Saloon

The 2 Bit Saloon is gone and the new bar is NOT a dive bar anymore!
The old owners sold it in the early spring of 2015 to NW Peaks Brewery. The new owners changed the name to the Bergschrund. Since then the entire old business concept of the 2 Bit Saloon has been scrapped and changed, so in short, it is nothing like what it use to be, for better or worse, depending on your point of view.
Having been there sort of recently, I will say that NW Peaks has spent a considerable amount of effort to improve the bars interior and have expanded their beer selection. The prices have increased accordingly. If you want more info check out the following websites (there do not appear to be any pictures of the new Bergschrund):

I drove by the other day & the lights were on & they were serving! I didn’t stop in but hoping someone writes an update soon. Hope they use that stage again! =)

A great spot to see a show and drink the night away! One of the only real punk rock bars in Seattle!

Surprised I’d never been here before. Decided to swing by for a quiet beer in chase of a Unilocal badge. Really, really «divey» but interesting mix of preppies, hippes and indies. I will return sometime to give it another chance. Kind of reminds me of the heavy metal biker bars around Humboldt County.

Great dive bar. Beer, good bands,

I hate giving this place 2 stars but this is based on my own taste in bars. I know many people would love this place, it’s just not my jam.
The tables are dirty, the bench pleather torn, bathrooms are… well, use your imagination from here.
The service was friendly and the drinks were cheap.

My trips to the 2bit have been limited to metal mondays, so i have a specific representation in my mind here. Doesn’t matter what day it is, they always have a good tap selection and there’s pinball. For metal mondays there’s usually a $ 5 cover, but $ 3 special pints (usually from Elysian). It has character.

Overpriced, unfriendly, possibly unsanitary. $ 30 for 4 drinks and service was so bad that we figured it would be quicker to leave than to try and order another round. We didn’t leave a big tip, and that got attention with the bartender following us out yelling and complaining as if he comped us. Ended up at the People’s Pub where, even though they were closing the kitchen, they insisted they could still get us something. Yeah, that’s where the tip money goes…

Came here for a benefit. It was so packed and loud you couldn’t carry on a conversation. The well drinks were the strongest I have ever had.

where’s a sixth star when you need one!!! just saying.
tons of local music almost every night of the week!
this place has THE RADEST STAFF EVER!
they do a lot of charity work for the community. there’s a lot of heart here. shannon on her off time decided to class up the women’s room with a collage of all the regulars (super sweet). now thats love! right?
if you go here a couple times they will remember you. and possibly your drink order :) not to mention you can just tell any bartender you «want something delicious» and well unless you suck at life you will get something delicious and strong.
oh and there’s 2 $ shots so even a broke bitch (me) can ring the bell once in a while. esp. if laura is yelling at you to «ring it».
and these ppl seriously hustle and make some fantastic drinks. shannon moves sooo fast when it’s busy and still last sip of beer and one just appears in my coozy *magic*
bc of my schedule i usually get shannon/​aj/​laura/​and sometimes danny behind the bar. all great ppl! and that’s why i keep going back.

Went to the 2 Bit yesterday for the first time ever, and I’ll be back. I like the way the place looks, the regulars mostly minded their own business, and I dig the mix of old and new punk/​rockabilly they play. Plus it’s walking distance from my boyfriend’s work, which makes for a good post-​work rendezvous spot.
The friendly bartender (owner?) made me a «Señorita», a drink of her own invention, which she described as her take on a margarita. Tequila, cilantro, and a sugar-​salt rim… very refreshing, and at $ 4.50, about the price of a beer at most of Ballard’s increasingly pricy «dive» bars. I highly recommend this place for happy hour on a sunny day.
More food choices (we’re not picky, but fake cheese nachos don’t quite make the cut) would be a welcome addition to such a laid-​back bar. Some hot wings or crockpot carne asada would go nicely with the Señorita.

Cool space with cool people. I hope to host a benefit to help the homeless there in April 2012! How many spots can say that?! This place rocks, dog friendly and hip.
…oh and the owner is a Doll! Mmmmmmm!
Well the benefit never happened because of the over sized ego and undersized mentality of the show booking (not) agent. seems as though full on brawls have ensued due to this woman’s inability to write things on a calendar.
*******NEVER PLAY OR BOOK A SHOW AT THE 2BIT UNTIL lauren IS REPLACED BY A COMPETENT PERSON THAT LIKES TO MAKE MONEY AND PRODUCE GOOD MUSIC VENUES.

If you want a classy wine and cheese bar where you can sample the finest in foreign cuisine in an atmosphere of comfort and sophistication then DON’T F’ING COME TO THE 2BIT YOU WHINEY LITTLE BABIES!!! If you want strong, cheap drinks that get you drunk, hella friendly staff, a ²⁴⁄₇ party, skateboarding in front of the stage, cheap bar food, loud rock music environment and an outdoor patio to smoke whatever it is that you smoke THEN GET YOUR PUNK ASS TO THE 2BIT!!!
If you don’t like «dive» bars or rock clubs and would rather go to a douchey dance party, then mosey on over to Trinity and quit talkin’ that jive… turkey!

This place really only deserves one star. It’s a total fucking dump and the music is so loud and shitty that you can’t hear the pinball machine. Two dogs were fighting when I got there and the bartender was a snot.
Like every other dive bar in Ballard the place was full of phoneys. «Oh look at me I’m so ironically grungy and hip… look at my whole fucking dog.» Why the fuck are people bringing dogs to bars? It’s a bar not a dog park. One of the dogs was sitting in a seat like a human which really pissed me off.
It’s only saving grace was they have the greatest pinball machine ever constructed by man’s hands, Terminator 2. This is a great machine and bumped this bar’s rating from an abysmal 1 star to an A-​OK three stars.
If you’re not into Terminator 2 pinball I would skip this place altogether. It looks like from some posters on the walls that they also occasionally have shitty live music that I would rather suck a fart out of a dead guy’s ass than listen to while I play pinball (I hope that made sense)
Anywho… recommended for the Terminator machine.

It’s interesting, I could ask any Ballard-​ite that I’ve met over the past 2 years about the 2 Bit and they would tell me to,“Stay away.” Yet, when I hop on Unilocal,everyone is singing it’s praises!
Unfortunately, I fall under the first category. This is a wonderful looking bar, with great décor and a nice staff. Sadly it’s littered with repulsive and terrifying regulars. My girlfriend and I sat down to have a couple beers and within 5 minutes, some guy walks in and creepily stares at my girlfriend while he’s ordering his drinks. Then he stares at me, then back at my girlfriend. This exchange goes on for 20 seconds with no words to be exchanged. Suddenly, I am flanked by a extremely drunk 50-​something that insists on mumbling his entire life story to me, solely based on the fact that I said, «Hello.». It was a lousy time to say the least.
It really sucks because I want to like the place, and I can’t really blame the bar for my experience, but they are the ones that keep these creepy regulars around! They might be endearing to the bar staff, but not to new customers that want to experience a new place to drink.
So the next time someone asks me about the 2 Bit Saloon, my answer will be short and sweet. «Don’t go there, the Unilocal reviews lie.»

Came here to see a friend’s band play. From what I remember, the space seemed pretty cool, and skateboards on the walls or ceilings or something. The tap list seemed pretty good, though you are not there to drink beer, you are there to rock out hardcore.
Would I come here again? Maybe if I knew someone who was playing here or if friends wanted to come. I wouldn’t get lost in Ballard and accidentally walk in though.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop!

Some of my favorite living in Seattle memories involve this bar, too much beer and styx.
Interesting wall art. Never had any problems.

Id have to say, with my extremely discerning tastes when it comes to dive bars, The 2 Bit is probably among the cream of the crop.
I went to see a live show here on friday night, and the bar/​floor/​outdoor area was pretty packed. Packed full of some of the coolest, most chill and friendly people you’d ever meet. There’s some douchey-​club across the street that bumps top 40. The real action is at the 2 Bit which was full of hot ass metal chicks that night.
I won’t say the drinks were the cheapest, but they were extremely strong. They did the job, and I didnt end up spending a buttload of money on booze that night. I’d totally go back, again and again for a show here. Being from Ballard, the 2 Bit definately harkens some old memories of how it was before the area started getting more «developed» for lack of a better word.

Preserving the aesthetic of the old «Bit Saloon», the 2 Bit offers patrons a first class drinking experience in an antiquarian environment. However, the predominant difference of old and new lies in the cozy show room. Here you can bare first-​hand knowledge of some of Seattle’s best up and coming rock bands – your literally just a few feet from the performers. The acoustics are fantastic, the lighting preponderant, and the sound people manage to polish the occasional turd – you are guaranteed to witness a great live performance folks!
The drinks and such are reasonably priced. Especially given it’s Ballard location. Remember before gentrification when it was fun and cheap to drink in Ballard? Well, the 2 Bit Saloon fills that void generously! Most shows are 5 bucks, there’s always cheap beer, stiff shots, and a staff that knows why your there – it’s literally time to rock n’ roll in this joint. And for all of you sinners, I mean smokers, there is a patio out back to fill your lungs with that stuff complete with drink-​in-​hand!
Just a few minutes walk from historic Ballard ave., the 2 Bit Saloon is a wonderful bar to experience Ballard’s not-​so-​distant past – the fun one!

Why do I love the 2 Bit? Let me count the ways–
1. Great location away from the madness of Ballard Ave.
2. Strong, reasonably priced drinks (unlike some nearby bars, whose high prices hardly give me SHELTER.)
3. Awesome bands crammed in tight but friendly quarters.
4. Alert, amiable bartenders constructing tasty bevvies while making you feel like part of the drunken, kooky, barfly family.
5. Jessie, owner and rock goddess extraordinaire, survivor and lover of humanity.
6. I don’t smoke, but a place for these ostracized outsiders to enjoy their stinky sticks.
The 2-​Bit is an imperfect stone in a sea of over-​polished gems, and if that’s not enough, there is talk of a roller-​derby rink opening right next door. Bring on the rollerskating babes!