- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
4th Ave Ale House
Categories: Nightlife Bars Restaurants Bars, Restaurants [Edit]
210 E 4th AveOlympia, WA 98501
(360) 786-1444
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
13 reviews for 4th Ave Ale House
13 reviews in English
-
Review from Steph D.
Tacoma, WA
4/23/2012
4th Ave Ale House & Eatery was something I had only seen at night, and in an extremely crowded situation. To belly up to the 4th Avenue bar during the light of day was nothing short of a great treat.
The 4th Ave has a fantastic jukebox, a huge room of pool tables, a predictable selection of domestic-micros on tap, sandwiches, pull tabs, and of course - the infamous "back room." This room is my favorite.
A full stage with plenty of tables suited for any local band to host the show of all shows. This just about covers all my bases, and makes the 4th Avenue Tavern by far my favorite dive in Olympia.
Joe, The 4th Ave's 12-year veteran bartender, chatted us up, asked questions about our day, talked Oly talk with us, and made sure our beers were as delicious as we expected them to be. We studied the dusty and aged paraphernalia taped to the back wall while a shower-challenged man ate his sandwich next to us. He politely informed us that at the end of the bar sat the owner of the building and the owner of the tavern.
We felt as though we were in the presence of Oly-celebrities, yet we were comfortable as though we were right at home. -
Review from Mike D.
Olympia, WA
6/28/2011 2 photos
Hmm, this is a tough one. I like the 4th. I like the bartenders and I like the drinks. I just had one of the worst food experiences (without getting sick.)
I'll start by saying I come here every once in a while, I tend to frequent other bars more, but I've been liking it more.
I had lunch here the other day, and it was pretty good bar food. I had a tasty burger-dip and my wife had a bacon cheese burger which was also tasty. With tater-tots which I always love. No complaints there.
Then comes tonight. I met up with a friend from out of town, and didn't feel like coming home and cooking dinner. Went to the 4th because we could get a cocktail or two and get food to go. Figured we'd try the pizza. (yes, I know there are a ton of tried and true pizza joints in town, Al Forno, you kick ass.) But I wanted a cocktail while I waited.
Got home, and saw some sort of pizza abortion, after waiting upwards of 35 minutes for it. I wouldn't have minded the wait if it had been even decent. I may be thinking that my food was either made twice back there, or maybe the dough hadn't been made yet? If the food isn't ready, or you mess it up, please let me know, so I can make my own decision as to whether I want to continue waiting or not.
The crust is by far the worst crust I've ever had, and that includes the early attempts at my making my own crust at home. It was cracker thin, undercooked, incredibly floury, and just unacceptable. It was even ugly as sin. (see my pictures.)
The calzone I got was moist and doughy, and the ricotta was weird and grainy. (my wife is convinced it was cottage cheese.)
A place like this needs to concentrate on doing good bar food. Good, quality burgers, maybe have a variety of hot dogs, good french dips and other sandwiches. If you can't do something even decently, take it off the menu and add something that you can do well.
I still like the 4th, hence the three stars still, but I am very unhappy about this experience, and I hope that maybe someone reads this and gets those pizzas out of there so no one else has to have a ruined meal. -
Review from Nick S.
Olympia, WA
12/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
The food here is great but the bartenders are just awful can't make a drink well to save their lives. Normal sports bar atmosphere, lots of pool tables and a decent selection of beer, just don't get a mixed drink. The bathroom is awful also.
-
Review from Jason S.
7/1/2009 1 photo
It was 10pm on a Tuesday night and all I had to eat was some sad depressed little appetizers from Waterstreet Cafe around 5pm. I needed food. Real food. NOW. So my buddy and I went to the 4th which has been serving beer, cocktails and pub grub since 1973.
It didn't take us long just a quick glance at the menu and we were both sold on the cheeseburger mess at the top of the menu.
Two Kitchen Burgers with Fries ($6.95 ea). I asked if I could have a fried egg added on top and got it for free. Not sure if they are always free but it was last Tuesday. HOLLA! The food was faster than super man in a telephone booth. Granted it wasn't a busy night what so ever but I was eating within 10 minutes of ordering so that's a good thing.
When my sloppy meat coma got to me I was grinning from ear to ear. Old McDonald's farm was laid out in front of me on a sesame seed bun. Ham, bacon, egg, Cheddar, Swiss and beef all on a toasted bed of goodness. It was accompanied by your typical rabbit food; shredded green lettuce (not iceberg YAY!), tomato and onion. The burger was well seasoned and perfectly cooked and juicy. The egg wasn't quite set yet so the yolk was still decadent bliss and when I bit into the yoke it burst flowing like yellow molten lava over the crispy bacon and thinly sliced ham. Hell YES. One of the best bar burgers I have had in town and I washed it all down with an extra hoppy I.P.A.
I have been to the 4th many times before to play darts, pool or to catch live music. Last Tuesday just solidified it a little more as a place to stop by when I need a shamefully good dirty bar burger. -
Review from Thefuzzybee C.
Portland, OR
12/17/2007
Upon entering the 4th Ave. tavern I was met with joy. Not by the boring and typical overlit atmosphere, but to see my two very good friends. You see, I drove the short hundred mile trek north from Portland to see my friends play a show and to celebrate the holiday season on a Saturday night.
I had my money in pocket and I was ready to have a really good time.
I was led back past the pool hall area and into a darker music venue area, with a decent stage and lighting set-up.
Big deal, its a typical college town bar, Im okay with that. Ive spent many years in college towns and sat in bars with backward baseball hat wearing douchbags before. Its not the overhwelming number of wannabee trustafarian "hippy" kids with dirty hair..... the girls that wear pants under their skirts, the super frumpy/shlubby attire or the over priced drinks that gets me about this place ---
I have a problem with this place because the bar staff were assholes with superiority complexes. I spent over a hundred dollars in this place in under 4 hours and when I asked for help after some flailing hippy hit my whilst I was drinking a beer - chipping my tooth....asking "Give me a shot of Jim Beam, someone just broke my tooth!" --- I got a "Sorry honey, I cant help you." --- Yes, I was short a dollar, but I wouldnt have been short a dollar for the shot if I hadnt spent 100 dollars already and tipped the shit out of every beverage.
I believe in treating your barkeep with respect and they will give you respect in return - bus your glasses, and dont make a mess. and maybe youll be given respect, even a "heavy pour" and most certainly, a shot of whiskey after an unfortunate event like getting a tooth broken.
These people were not cool.
This bar is not cool.
If you find yourself in Olympia Washington, dont waste your time or your money in this shithole. -
Review from John E.
Olympia, WA
Updated - 7/18/2008
Many visits later, I am more of a fan. I am a semi-regular, even.
Burgers are slidey and delicious. I like the green chile burger at Hannah's better, but these are up there on the bar-burger scale and highly customizable.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
5/11/2008
I want to like this place, but it doesn't seem to like me. I think the rating will flux a bit as I… Read more »
-
-
Review from Jennifer K.
Olympia, WA
1/23/2009
Drink specials are cheap, the burgers are good, and they even have clams (steamed or fried) on the menu. They have pool tables, an air hockey table, and the most pinball machines I've seen together in one place so far in Olympia:
The Addams Family (Bally, 1992) - a lot of non-working lights, very dirty playfield, weak kickout on the electric chair, and an occasional propensity to reset completely mid-game for no apparent reason. Still fun and quite playable, however.
High Speed (Williams, 1986) - fine condition.
World Poker Tour (Stern, 2006) - fine condition. Disturbing backglass.
Warning: Avoid playing the pinball machines when the pool table closest to the street is in use. It's too cramped, and if they're polite, the pool players will have to come up with inventive new shots to get around you. -
Review from Johnny B.
Olympia, WA
8/7/2011 5 Check-ins Here
What a dive, but I love it. The Tav is in the heart of Olympia yet it is the kinda place you can go if ya don't wanna see anyone you know. I certainly enjoy an afternoon drink here on occasion.
-
Review from Chris J.
Lacey, WA
10/7/2010 1 Check-in Here
It is a fun place to hang out at the only problem i have is the cover charge to get in
-
Review from Nater B.
Bay City, MI
2/3/2009
Blue collar kinda bar. Good selection of drinkage. Pear cider on tap rocks! Everyone needs pear cider, it taste like cold liquid gummi bears, mmmm. Now this is bar food, so yeah expect a bar food meal. That being said, its not bad bar food. You get what you pay for, greasy fried stomach filler. Atmosphere good. Cook went out of his way to make sure our pizza was good. Pizza was good. Wasn't gourmet pizza, but you are at a bar idiot! Yeah I'll be back.
-
Review from katie j.
Seattle, WA
12/21/2005
The fourth ave is fun place to get drunk and play pool. The jukebox is lovely and they used to have guns and roses pinball, which made it the coolest place in the universe for a time. The food is pretty okay as well.
-
Review from Nick D.
Puyallup, WA
4/15/2006
The 4th Ave. is pretty avg. itself. They have pretty decent drinks and pool so you can watch your friends get drunk and try to take you on with a pool stick and cue ball. Other than that, it's pretty much the same old place you'd expect anywhere.
-
Review from Tom P.
Lacey, WA
8/27/2010
Good food. Good beer. Friendly staff. Lots of pool tables. I like it!
