Broken Spoke

Bare bones, pro-​cyclist bar. Laidback, half bar/​half bike workshop with a little grooming chair in the front.

From an out-of-towner’s perspective, this is a great place to grab a beer. They have a great selection of canned beer. The atmosphere is very chill.

I’ve been here several times. Love it here. Great place to study when it’s empty and great place to hang out and relax at any time. Everyone behind the counter is superb, friendly and very helpful.

Try anything it’s all amazing. Friendly and hilarious bartender will keep you smiling. Then there’s the bikes!!! I love the idea of cans of beer for days! Try the ciders and grapefruit shandy too!

Super fun place to hang out and drink beer from a can.
We had a big group after a friends hockey game this weekend and the Broken spoke was the perfect place to go for a craft beer (or a Rainier) afterwards.
The selection fo northwest craft beer in cans is incredible.
We opted on this evening for the HUB Abominable winter beer.
SO GOOD!
Also in the mix was the HUB Survival Coffee Stout — thick and rich and chocolate so you can’t drink it slow, no no no … etc…
Fun to chill in a bike shop with friends and good beer.

I REALLY want to like this place. I love bikes, and I love beer, so it should be a marriage made in heaven. But it just seems like something is missing here. The place just feels kind of sterile, It needs something else, some other piece of the puzzle to make it more inviting. Maybe: a shuffle board table, darts, TV’s showing intense GoPro footage, pinball machines.
Food would be nice.
Usually I’m a beer snob and refuse to drink beer from cans, I was quite surprised to find they only serve canned beer. I was also pleasantly surprised that the beer was good.
I hope they find the missing ingredient to make this place awesome.

Best canned beer selection I had yet to experience. This place features dozens of craft brews with an assortment of your classic economical options as well.

Broken Spokes offers the best selection of high quality canned beers in Tacoma. With over 100 selections of beer, most from reputable and delicious local breweries, there isn’t anything you might want that isn’t be offered.
The atmosphere is comfortable and pleasant, there just isn’t anything that’s out of place. Local events commonly take place here, and artists are also strongly supported. Broken Spokes has highlighted great upcoming artists and has weekly ‘bring your own vinyl’ events.
Broken Spokes also offers high quality local roasted coffee that perfectly complements what they have to offer. Food isn’t served here, but bringing in your own meal is still encouraged and the great tending staff can recommend great brews to complement whatever selection of food you’ve come with. (Also be sure to check out the sandwiches from 1111 — right next door).

Unilocal has Broken Spoke categorized as a Diner. This is definitely inaccurate. Broken Spoke is a watering hole for the folks in the Hilltop neighborhood. They have lots of beer options and they serve Valhalla coffee as well. The atmosphere is slick and there is a generous amount of local art on the walls. The barkeeps are friendly which is always a plus! So there is no kitchen here but they do serve snacks like peanuts and chips!

I would be a cyclist if Broken Spoke were in my city. As it is, maybe I’ll become one, if only to roll on into this sweet spot, where we got the dish on local watering holes — as well as some excellent cans of new to us brews.

Tacoma is in need of fresh blood and innovation. Broke Spoke is a great example of that.
It is a bike shop AND beer joint AND coffee spot! They serve Valhalla Coffee and they do it well. They serve beer in a can and they do it well!
I have been five times and each experiences was different from the prior. The beer selection is cans only. I like that! There is a dichotomy that exists in the beer fridge. They have the cheap stuff, the mexican stuff, the local stuff and the good stuff. Cheap and/​or great beers!
I went opening night and the place was jamming! Every other time I have been there it has been mellow. I like to enjoy my beers in a calm setting in which I can carry and engage in conversation with my friends and loved ones.
The only thing that I cannot speak to is their bike services. If it’s anything like their beer service, DO IT!

This place is fantastic! Why, you might ask? Well, the beer selection (all cans) is really great, the service is top notch and the atmosphere is really laid back and cool. There is no food available but you can bring in your own. This place has become one of my favorite low key spots in town. Check it out.

Broken Spoke is a nice addition to the Hill Top renaissance. It’s a bar cum coffee shop cum custom bike shop. Of course! (???)
The owner here is very cool and lends his mellow, Lebowski-​esque vibe to the entire place. There are no pretensions here. People are just hanging out, having a beer, chatting.
That’s really all you can do because right now all they have is beer, chips, coffee and bikes… and seating for about 30 to 40. Rumor has it they may add sandwiches down the line (but why, when 1111 is around the corner?) It’s big in here. lots of space. My husband remarked, «Hey, bands will fit in here!»
We shall see.
They carry a great variety of beers… I’m very into Churchkey Pilsner, served in a can that they open the «old-​fashioned» way. I think I may need chelation therapy, because I like the metallic note the can lends to that beer! (I’m not kidding)
Speaking of cans, they have a great collection of old beer cans and signs, just adding to the non-​ambiance of the joint.
Eventually — when gentrification takes over the Hill — there’ll be some kind of pub crawl with Broken Spoke, 1111 and 1022. Avoid the hip hype — go now!
⁴⁄₃₀ (3B)

Cold beer. Hot coffee. Sandwiches. Custom bicycles?
Broken Spoke’s owner decided to expand his custom bicycle workshop into a bar… Cheers! Featuring a good selection of canned brews ranging from PBR ($ 2.50) to micros like Vortex IPA ($ 4.50) and cold sandwiches as well as an espresso machine, this new Hilltop hotspot is certainly as good a place as any to relax for a bit and shoot the breeze.
Really hoping this place takes off and perhaps adds a few more menu options and some dart boards or something. Right now the jukebox is about it for entertainment, but they just opened a week ago.