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Categories: Pool Halls, Bowling, Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: First HillMon-Sun. 3:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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(3.5 Stars) Am I the only one that thinks the bowling aspect is a gimmick? If it's not, then are they really a gussied up Bowling Alley? Whilst bowling, do I really wish to consume a $15 plate of meatloaf, or skip bowling and instead attempt to have a dinner conversation over the ambient noise? Having recently been "encouraged to stay" for about 4 hours due to a corporate function, I can say that I certainly appreciate the billiards aspect, the bowling aspect, the bar aspect, (and bottom on my list) the food - but all together it seemed a bit much, and overpriced.
I can't complain about the service - our server was nice and drinks were delivered in a very timely fashion. I can say that bulk of the food for our group was off the catering menu, and "phoned in" is an understatement. A few people went on their own and ordered from the menu, but didn't seem to fair much better.
Can I see myself dropping by casually with some friends for a beer and pool? Yes, and maybe even beer and bowling. Just beer? Beer and food? Probably not, especially with some of the very good pub options around the corner and up a few blocks.
Let me preface this review by stating that I'm so competitive, in college we used to have a board game night, and they nicknamed me "The Hulk". Not sure why.... Ho hum.
Anyway, Joe, Jessica and I go here sometimes to bowl. We're all horrible. But the Garage is laid-back and filled with people over 21, instead of annoying teenagers and loud, sticky children. I included a photo to prove that, at one point, I was beating Joe. Whoo!
However, after this frame, Joe's game got exponentially better, with strikes and spare tires or whatever they're called, and mine got worse. Seeing my 6 pound ball travel down the lane wildly can be compared to your grandma's throw.
At this point, I got testy whenever Joe or Jess said anything during my form, as if that made any difference at all. "Don't talk to me before I go! Are you laughing at me?? I hate you guys." Etc. This is when I ordered more beers and fries and thought, "What the HELL!!!" I still lost, but the fries and service were good. My friends suck for beating me though. How hard is it to let a girl win, I mean really. I'm happier, you're happier, we ALL win.
Bowling often sounds great on a boring, sunny Sunday afternoon. It's active, fun and includes drinks and snacks after all.. Until I am reminded how I have no chance at winning, something that starts to really matter when you hate LOSING. But.. I don't mind losing at Garage as much as I normally do.
So I went here last Fri with a couple of friends. I am still thinking about their fries. Seriously good stuff. They don't look like they are anything special but then you put one in your mouth, close your eyes and savor. The amount they bring you is ridiculous. We only ate about half and I think they were only like $3. Dude, awesome!
We also had the chicken strips, quesadilla, pizza, and fried ravioli. The fried ravioli was a bit boring but everything else was good. (Don't expect anything fancy, it's your basic bar food.)
The place has a good laid back atmosphere. Our intention was to eat and then bowl but after 2 hours of waiting for a lane we decided to skip bowling. They let you bring your food and drink to areas outside the bar if need be so that helps if you are waiting for a lane.
And I have saved the best for last. My drink of choice was a mere $3 for a single. I seriously can't remember the last time I was charged such a low price!
I would go back for the fries and cheap drinks alone!
I visit the Garage when the desire "strikes" to go cave-man with a ball on some pins. The Garage is one of the only places to bowl in the nearby Seattle area, The closest alternatives are in West and South Seattle. There is a large pool hall connected, full bar, and food that far surpasses the usual bowling alley fare. On the downside everything is more pricey than usual, their is not a cheaper beer alternative except for lame Miller High-Life, and our lane occasionally malfunctioned. A helpful thing to note is that after 10pm there is discounted happy hour bowling. The music is spotty, on one occasion they played delightful 80's guilty pleasure music but other times they were playing top 40 rap from 5 years ago (The likes of Usher's "Yeah"). I will definitely revisit The Garage, but there is enough drawbacks to persuade me to venture into no-man's land West Seattle.
This weekend after a day out on the beach, my wife talked me into going out for some bowling and pool at the Garage on capitol hill. While the snacks we had were not the best, we loved the atmosphere and had a great time without the kids. The server was very nice and the staff in general was helpful. I would not say that this is the cleanest place I have been but on capitol hill where is?
We got there a little late and it became busy while we were there. I would recommend maybe going earlier in the day for more options.
I took off a star due to the EXTREMELY weak drinks my friends and I had there a few weeks ago! When I mentioned it to another friend she said "Oh yea, NEVER go drinking at the Garage!", so apparently it's common knowledge? Stick with beer.. what you see is what you get.
If you like bowling, pizza, pool, booze, or shuffleboard you will love this place! It's the only 21+… Read more »
This is the place to go for hang outs with your friends because of good food, great service, and fun! I had the fried Calimary with a tasty slightly spicy curry sauce and a caesar salad. The lettuce was kind of wilty.
The waiter was so tentative that he even asked the other attendant to not start our timer for the pool table until we had finished eating. Thought that was a nice gesture.
After dinner and drinks, the guys decide to go bowling. Except then that turned into playing pool instead, which all worked out anyway because this place has both. Sweet!
Only several tables were in use (Wed. night @ about 11pm) and most of those weren't very close to us, so we got plenty of space to ourselves.
One of our friends doesn't drink much at all so a beer and a glass of wine did him in over dinner, so he was shocked that the waitress was offering HIM drinks.
So they played pool. Got a bit freaked out when they realized how much it was per hour and that they had no clue how much time had passed. Then felt better when I noticed that they have bowling/pool "happy hour" after 10pm (so it becomes the more reasonable $5/hour).
The food: They ordered a side of friends and while there were a LOT of fries, we ended up having to go get ketchup from the waitress and then discovered that some of the fries tasted way undercooked. Yuck.
They also got a hummus plate and while I enjoyed the olives and cherry tomatoes, that hummus was just too oddly flavored/spiced for my taste.
If you step outside: Know that someone walking by is likely to ask you for money or a cigarette or something like that. I think we encountered two of these people last night.
Over all: I'm not big into pool but I do like to bowl. Maybe next time I won't be playing DD and will want to drink and have more fun and convince someone to go bowling with me... I'll probably eat before I come, though.
It's a warm Friday night, not a thing to do. GARAGE in Capitol Hill my friend txts me. I obey because I am not a local. I say, "Show me the way master."
The place is cool. Multiple pool tables to shoot some stick - even though the "sticks" weren't so straight. The place is packed full of hipsters. I hate that word hipster but yet I am using it.
To sum up the night, the service sucked big time. Drinks were taken wrong or even flat out forgotten. Most of the food came out limp and soggy. We ordered a pizza and that tasted like a frozen pizza thrown into the oven. The calamari and fries came out with a flavorless damp texture (think of oil logged fries). Go for the pool but ditch the food.
Pool = + 5 lots of great large tables
Food = - 1, soggy and nothing special
Service = -1 but really deserves -2 but I'll be nice
TOTAL = 3 stars and that is it!
Thanks for the complimentary shots for your horrible service!
The Garage has been a go-to spot for us in Seattle when we want to snag a few games of stick, drink us some drank, and slide into a game of shuffleboard or two. While it's not the kind of place I would roll into just to hang out, as a non-Jillians, non-super-corporate place to enjoy some gaming, it totally delivers.
The Garage offers a crap-ton of regulation sized, well-kept pocket pool tables available on an hourly rental basis. There's a wait on busy nights, but I always seem to come in during off times, so I've been lucky enough to stroll right in and hit a table of my choice. They also have one of the shorter shuffleboard tables I have seen, and a bowling alley (which has, from what I understand, just recently been remodeled?). It's essentially a great place to enjoy some adult gaming without all of the BS that comes along with Jillians.
What really sold me on star number 4 for the Garage was the service. We had a couple of servers throughout the night and they were both totally on it. We never had to wait for or locate our server, for they seemed to be present any time one of our cups ran dry.The prices for drinks seemed reasonable for the locale.
While the space itself lacks any real funky aesthetic or anything, and is clean enough that I wouldn't be surprised if it were part of a larger corporate chain, it serves a great purpose for what it is.
The music on the night was pretty decent, albeit kind of schizophrenic. When we were at our pool table up in the front corner, we could barely hear the tunes, and in the bar area playing shuffleboard it was all jammin' loud. They rocked everything from Beastie Boys to some funky electronica. Overall, pretty decent.
So the Garage for me is always going to be a decent place to get the night started with some games of stick and other fun gaming, but due to the lack of any real atmosphere, I'll probably not be sticking around any longer than it takes to stridently whup my friends at pool.
Well, this was the last stop of our night, so there must be something good--and something inevitably biased--about this decision. The pool tables were nice, and the waitress was friendly (but pretty confused about the role of her service job).
Food: horrible calamari, soggy fries (but enough ketchup fixes everything).
I am new to Seattle, so this was a relaxing night and customary welcome to the area. I'm from NYC, so it was a very refreshing surprise to come out with a bill less than $50.
Overall, I'm not that picky of a person, so hopefully this first review will help begin my personal progression toward a more critical eye.
With four players, $25/hour for a bowling lane is reasonable when you compare to other alleys where they charge per player per game. The waitresses came by regularly and quickly, even though it was a busy Saturday night. All the food and drinks were OK to good and at the prices I expect for the area.
The lanes were really dark, so bowling was a bit tougher than other places, but we were there to have fun, not to have serious competition.
The few pool tables I saw (we never went downstairs) were in surprisingly good condition considering the busyness of the parlor. I didn't get a good look at the house cues or the balls to know if they were high-quality or in good repair.
It's pretty loud inside, so if you're looking for a quiet space to play your games, this isn't it.
Word to full bar pool tables and bowling.
Astronomically expensive, but you're in Cap Hill. If you want bowling or pool tables, you don't have may options.
So we got some bowling done.
We had a sandwich and a couple of pitchers.
We talked shit loudly and told tales of past glory as only men can. Many feats of strength denoting massive penile length and girth were performed by hurling bowling balls down the lane (for massive damage) as often as possible.
I like this place a lot. Great happy hour with cheap beers $2.50, good selection of food and beer. $5 pool with a ton of tables.
It's nice and open so there is plenty of room to sit around, drink, play pool, or just grab a table to eat.
I haven't bowled there yet, but only a few lanes so I suspect it can get a bit crowded, but when I was last there, they had open lanes.
I'll be coming back here plenty more times! Though I do with the korean taco truck would stop close by again!
Seriously - I mean it this time - what's not to love?
They have a daily happy hour that runs from 3pm-7pm, with $2.50 drafts (good selection too), $3.50 wells, and $10/hr lanes! Their new expansion is awesome. LOVE that they have some good A/C flowing in there too, especially during this heat wave!
They also have tons of pool tables and some cool private event spaces. Don't miss the fries (they're a lot like Dick's fries - thin, some crispy, and the perfect amount of grease)!
I love Garage. I've been there a few times now that I've turned 21.
It was such a bummer that so many bolling alleys shut down around Seattle, but this one is still here. Not to mention, they also have a pool room, and their bar is great! The food is pretty good too.
I would def suggest trying to come earlier in the afternoon/evening during the whole week, and on the weekend. During the week the prices can be such a great deal, $3 for shoes, and $10 for a whole hour a lane of bowling? Of course I think it goes up to $25 an hour during their most popular times (Fri, Sat night, and you'll be lucky if you get in with less than a 2hr wait, however during the week early you'll get right in). Once when we couldn't get in on Saturday (actually this was my 21st bday) we played pool and it was a lot of fun too. Great specials on drinks and for the most part my service there has been pretty good too.
Great spot to hang out and have fun! Just try to get there early.
Probably one of my favorite places to kick back and play some pool. There are approximately 16-18 pool tables so even on the VERY busy nights (apparently only in the Winter) the wait isn't terribly long.
If you end up waiting for a table, there are plenty of bars to go sit at and sip some back. Bowling alley, sitting areas, this place is an all around fun place to go. Even the happy hours are decent as well!
As I stated earlier, it appears that in the Summer they are DEAD. I went last night with an old college roommate and we got there around 9 PM on a Friday night. We had a table immediately and there was probably only about 5-6 tables in use at the time. We played pool all night and it probably averaged around 5-9 tables being used. I was astonished. When I used to come in the colder months we would usually have to wait for a table every time.
But all in all, fun place, kind of pricey, but like someone else said you have to take in account where its located. Highly recommended for some fun!
And now, an acrostic poem about Garage:
Bring on the strikes!
Oh no, not another gutter ball!
Where are all the kiddies?
Left 'em at home;
It's a 21-and-over establishment.
No black lights to be found--
Gee this is classy!
Ah nuts, I broke a nail!
That's OK, you get style points.
Give your stinky shoes back
And sit in the restaurant
Request the chicken sandwich, or
A ten-inch pizza
Good fries, but not the best
Everybody wins here!
Thank you.
Peanuts, Packing Peanuts!
I have been to the Garage countless times throughout the years and have witnessed changes in staff, remodels and additions but this is the first time I've visited the Ecco Room upstairs. I call it the elephant room because well... if you go it will be apparent. Don't forget to look up... someone with a glue gun, an 1/8th of weed and a mind after my own heart busted out some fricken cool lamps!
My companion and I lounged on the couches, met some new people, and generally enjoyed the vibe.
If you are looking for a place to hold an event, big or small consider the Ecco "elephant" room. Call them up. Ask for Malcolm (he is as cool as they get). Tell him you were thinking about having a DJ. He will hook you up.
Ok...Where else can you go to bowl or play pool and meet a tranny & a guy in a Big Bird costume all in one night?
As another reviewer mentioned, this is the bowling alley for an urbanite, city dweller to go to. The loft style ambiance and the loud music with the sound of que sticks hitting balls or bowling balls hitting pins, make for a good night!
It is definitely not the bowling alley your mom and dad went to, but bring em along anyway! Dad can get his beer and mom can get a cosmo! Good prices and good staff! Definitely the place to go to if you are in the city and need of a pool or bowling fix!
My passion for fries is well-known, and Garage does me right. Ah the greezy goodness of their piles of better than Dick's potato magic. The fries bumps them up to meh, but I'm not the biggest fan of the LOUD and the HIPSTER. This is the kind of place where even though I haven't seen 21 in about three thousand years, the security guard made me take my ID out of my wallet and looked at it with a flashlight for a full twenty seconds. It's the kind of place where women bowl in minis so short they have to crouch to roll that gutter ball. It's the kind of faux dive where the wine list includes Bad Riesling, Bad Chardonnay, and Bad Pinot Gris. (Mix them and get one horrifically expensive glass of piss.) The sound system is so terrible that every single song sounds like Britney Spears in the Chaotic years. In my favorite mystifying trope, the room we were in featured giant elephant murals, and lights decorated with moving peanuts. Yeah. I'm stumped too.
We came here for a wedding reception because nothing says love like hummus and karaoke, but even with the fabulous fries and pretty decent salad selection, I don't think we'll be back. Crowded + Loud + Vajajay sighting in the bowling alley = pass.
I'm giving the Garage 4 stars mainly for being pretty much one-of-a-kind on Capitol Hill. A place with more to do than drinking and people watching. Especially since they've expanded and added the first, and then second set of bowling lanes, additional seating, private bars and spaces up + downstairs - there's tons to do here.
It's also a good place to have a party - you can rent out either the downstairs (bowling lanes, private bar) or just one of the upstairs spaces (private bar, seating). Not super cheap, but good stuff to do in addition to talking to your friends.
That said, I waffled between giving the Garage 3 and 4 stars, because I've had times when I've been here when it's been hours before you can get a table or a lane - and it's just not that exciting to wait that long for. At least with the new bar areas there's a place to wait/sit.
I think they've done a good job making a more "hip" version of Jillians or Dave & Busters type places that litter the suburbs. So I'm glad the Garage is there - just hope they can figure out the supply/demand situation.
I like that the garage is so BIG! But that is about all I like. It is a good spot for group meetings, corporate events, well during the day. Otherwise at night, it's way to packed. Forget bowling or playing pool, you have to get there really early. All of this of course is based on weekend experiences. Oh and I'm not a fan of blaring loud rap music.
Happy Hour and an assortment of balls !!! Beer and balls, what could be better?
Big ones for bowling and small ones for pool.
Party of 12 we played for 3.5 hours (about $70 for 2 lanes) and partook in
$2.50 draft beers $5 french fries $6 hummus & pita
$7 chicken strips
The food was so-so. About what I expected for bowling alley/pool hall food. A bit pricey in my opinion.
We all had a great time. I would definitely go back because I can't bowl worth shit and nobody cared. Still had a blast !!
The vibe is relaxed and easy, without the pretention and douche bags of Lucky Strike.
Tons of pool tables, limited 'n pricey bowling lanes, a shuffleboard, and a decent brew selection.
If you're a sit and chill person: there is a bar, plenty of food, and seats all around the place. Great atmosphere!
If your the type that has to keep moving and do something:this is the place for you!
Went here again & while I continue to really dig the place, the wait to bowl really is atrocious. Food is also below par with my friend's french fries coming out unsalted and dead cold. That's some pretty basic stuff.
I continue to adore the place itself and will be back, with hopefully the food issue resolved.
2.50 pints of delicious microbrews? I'm there.
Add on $10 lane rental & $5 pool- what a deal.
Mix…
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Honestly, we didn't stay long enough & I was pretty buzzed already by the time we got here that I don't really remember as much as I could have if I was sober.
It's pretty big & it's great that they have separate rooms for different things that people wanna do. I love how they have a bowling alley there.
The prices of the drinks are like buying drinks at the clubs but there is no cover (which is great) and a good place to chill & hangout with a group of friends.
First time here and although I wasn't there for that long it is a pretty awesome place.
We came here for a friends birthday to play pool. We got here around 10 and all the tables were in use. Lucky for us our party had been here since 8pm.
Other then the pool tables being busy it looked like there was a lot of seating, Music was a good mix and had a great vibe.
Yay for us they have the 1 liter bottles of Budlight....yay!
I do want to go back and maybe do some bowling.
Love the garage. Tons of bowling and pool, especially after their expansion. Great staff of bartenders to keep the drinks flowing. Good pizzas for when you get hungry. Overall, just a great place to spend an evening with friends....
Best damn french fries in Seattle. Hot greasy and salty. The only decent way to serve a potato.
And if you walk the bartender through the steps, he can make a pretty decent Mount Gay daiquiri rocks.
Combine the two with a couple of lanes of bowling or some (free!) shuffleboard, and you've got yourself a party.
Just get the hell off my ass about playing pool. I'm a spaztard with a cue and your life may or may not be in danger, depending on how many of the afore-mentioned daiquiris I've consumed.
It's a really good place to play bowling. Not to eat, not to drink. Bowling. But since it seems impossible to have a good game without some f&b, you willl have to face weak drinks, bad-tasting food and your ugly waitress.
Sorry, it's true.
didnt bowl or play pool, cant attest to the prices/availability of tables/lanes
stopped in at about 4pm on a weekday, they have 2 bars and a decent bar menu, burgers and fries for $9, burger was above average, fries were outstanding, bar menu has other things like chicken sandwiches, portobello sandwich, chorizo sandwich, dinner menu looked interesting as well,
atmosphere is pretty much hipster doofus, but it is in Seattle so what can you do?
if youre nearby its worth a stop for a burger and a beer
DOUBLE-DOWNGRADE VERSION OF ACME BOWL.
Although i try to stay away from this place since my xlove kicks it here, i find myself sneeking a Friday/Saturday night in with friends. If your looking for a lowkey place to get together and bowl, playpool, eat, and talk sh!!t this is the place to be.
I came here beginning of August for one of my close friends birthdays. FYI, beginning of August in Seattle... two words... "heat wave". They do need air conditioning up in the place. Can you imagine 20+ deep (half beautiful brown chicks and half good looking brown guys) swimming in their sweat. Place was hotter then the Philippines. Last time I been here was in 2006 when I came to Seattle for vacation and my xlove took me here to grab a drink. And before that it's been since 2000 with friends. The place looks the same... except for their bowling and outside deck area. Definately a double-downgrade from Acme bowl but I like it that way. I hate acme bowl!
I like playing pool here. Though I like Jillians, I'm not always a fan and this would be the next best place in Seattle. Enjoy a batch of frenchfries. I love their frenchfries here. I also ordered a flatbread and hummus plate (olives on the side were gross). But the waitstaff was very good. And the people and vibe were welcoming. No haters. Except... when everyone was drunk outside and chitchating. My drunk girlfriends decide to learn and sit on a jeep parked right infront of the garage. Big buff guy came up to us and said "excuse me can you please not sit on my jeep". Friendly, even though my drunk girlfriends were being disrespectful towards other people's property. See, friendly and welcoming! ha.
Overall, good place.
Interesting venue and use of space. We recently had our TNT Victory Party here. The food is nothing to get excited about. But there was plenty to do with bowling, shuffleboard, pool, or just chill. After running 26.2 or 13.1 miles many of us chose the latter. Good thing there were lots of booths and other tables to do just that.
The place itself is really nice. Nice lanes & lots of pool tables and seating.
I had two issues. The drinks were weak as piss & my lane broke down twice, was moved to another & when that one died It was just time to leave.
I shouldn't be able to drink long islands like bottles of water.
So I suggest only drinking beer.
I love this place! I hear it's poppin' at the seams on the weekends, but I was there on a Wednesday night and it felt quite spacious. The polenta fries are off the hook!
I like that there are all sorts of spaces to choose to be in -- a large pool hall, more intimate booths set off from the pool tables, a separate and medium-sized bowling space, a cool bar setting next to the lanes, and outside seating. My friend told me that the bowling area used to house stacks of tanks of aquarium fish of all sorts, and people would climb ladders to scoop out fish to take home. Now the place is owned by Mike McCready...word up!
The last time I was there, a dude at the pool table next to mine asked my man-friend if he could take me to Kirkland. He never asked me. He apparently chose to ask my friend for a transfer of property.
Other than that experience, the Garage is okay. Drinks can add up quickly while you're playing pool and the lanes are almost always a long wait on the weekends.
Came here with my buddies for some drinks, food and a couple games of bowling. The place is definitely popular with all the attractions and distractions. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, applies here. The food is so so, service poor, it's grungy, not really a bowling alley, pool hall or bar. But combined, a fun place to be.
Our server continued to screw up our drink orders throughout the evening. My burger was decent, the pizzas my friends ordered were good. We were shocked at the end of the evening at how much we ended up spending, we may have ordered more drinks than we thought. Parking can be difficult.
The bowling here isn't super high quality, but hey, it's a pretty great bar. It's also the only place I have found in Seattle with table shuffleboard, which I love with all my heart. Please send me a private message if you know of any other places with this game of kings.
I mostly just get beer here, so I can't comment on the quality of the mixed drinks. It's a great place for corporate events (the only time I've ever been here was for one). The appetizers are pretty tasty too, but in the end, it's nothing more than bar food. The waitresses are very friendly (and pretty cute).
Just went here last night for the first time. Didn't play pool, but there seemed to be tables open on a Friday night, so that's a plus. Very laid-back atmosphere--it's a pool hall, after all. Plastic tables outside and whatnot. But perfectly good for our purposes. Our server was great, attentive and fast, no-nonsense but cool, and she split up the checks without even asking which was very nice. I had a veggie quesadilla and a couple drinks, and everything was great. Everyone in my party was very happy with their food. Reasonably priced, too. The quesadilla was $8 and I couldn't even finish, it was a lot of food. The fries were yummy.
I'll definitely come back, hopefully play pool next time even though I'm terrible. It's just a really easy place to hang out.
Yelp Discount -- Sunday thru…
Neighborhood: Ballard
Happy Hour Everyday
Bellevue, WA
Neighborhood: West Seattle
Category: Bowling
Neighborhood: Beacon Hill
Category: Bowling
Neighborhood: First Hill
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Eastlake
Category: Sports Bars
Neighborhood: Pioneer Square
Category: Pool Halls
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