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The Baltic Room
Categories: Nightlife Dance Clubs Nightlife Bars Lounges Dance Clubs, Lounges [Edit]
1207 Pine St(between Minor Ave & Melrose Ave)
Seattle, WA 98101
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
(206) 625-4444
- Hours:
Tue-Sat 8 pm - 2 am
- Music:
- DJ
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Ages Allowed:
- 21+
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
99 reviews for The Baltic Room
Review Highlights
"Bollywood night at this place is great."
(in 14 reviews)
"I come for drum n bass on Tuesdays, and it never lets me..."
(in 4 reviews)
"The upstairs lounge is small but quieter and easy to talk."
(in 22 reviews)
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99 reviews in English
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Review from Michelangelo S.
Seattle, WA
2/19/2012
Get yer *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* on in style!
SITREP
This was a total left turn. And I mean it it when I say "total left turn", cause I did not know where I was at that moment and I had a major need to visit a bathroom.
SETUP
A few years back I was walking up Pine, looking for a restroom, and made a "left turn" into this establishment, and ended up staying for the next 5 hours!
THE MUSIC
LOTS of different music acts I've come to enjoy here off and on over the intervening months. Electronic, Drum & Bass, Trance, even New Wave nights, all get played here.
There are times I will even pop by here to chill by myself, nursing a rum & coke while waiting for friends to get to Seattle before we hit the Mercury all together.
IMPROVEMENTS
In the last year, the main floor has expanded and that definitely has a lot to do with getting rid of that space-taking central bar. The room is more organic and larger now with a lot more potential.
However the upstairs room is still rather small, for whatever party you may want to have going on up there. Still, the Baltic Room delivers when it comes to a really chill environment in a classy space.
THE LOWDOWN
The Baltic Room is a "go-to" venue to enjoy the evening by yourself or with your closest friends.Listed in: My Jet City Raves
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Review from Rona L.
2/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
What a fun place!
I came here for the first time to watch a performance by Don't Talk to the Cops and enjoyed myself thoroughly! It's a smaller venue but everyone seemed to be dancing and having a good time. I liked the idea that the establishment was more "intimate." There was even an upstairs area (which I didn't get a chance to venture up to) where people could stand around and listen to the music in case they didn't want to dance downstairs.
The bartenders made some pretty tasty drinks and they were super friendly.
And as a plus, there is a paid parking area close by that is well-lit. Yay for safety! -
Review from Ellen M.
Seattle, WA
2/3/2012 14 Check-ins Here
Oh Baltic, it's been a fun decade of debauchery hasn't it? I remember you when we were both so young and you had stars on the ceiling and red butterflies in the lobby.
You hit a rough patch in your teen years and we didn't hang out together so much but with your recent renovation and the return of Drum & Bass Tuesdays, it is hard to resist your charms.
The Baltic Room is one of my favorite dance clubs in town. You can catch a wide variety of dance music through the week with a sprinkling of monthlies on the weekend to keep things fresh. If you're persnickety about your techno, be sure to check the calendar to be sure it's worth your while! -
Review from yekta a.
1/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Saturday night is fun at Baltic Room with your friends because they are spacious and the music is 90s top 40s.
Happy hour until 10pm on a Saturday. What? Awesome.
One thing, dont get there until 1030 - that's when the party starts. -
Review from Sami A.
Houston, TX
1/9/2012
This place hosts America's oldest drum n bass event every Tuesday and gets 5 points for holding it steady.
Listed in: Fast & Fun Reviews, Seattle
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Review from Matt L.
Seattle, WA
10/12/2011
So I heard about a 90s dance party at the Baltic Room and posted about wanting to go to it on my facebook, @mentioning them.
They reached out to thank me for the mention, which impressed me.
Come Friday night and I show up to the party, get dancing like a crazy person, buy a couple drinks, you know, having a great time. All of a sudden I realize that my wallet is missing. I remembered having taken it out of my pocket to pay for my last round, so I figured I must have left it on the bar.
No luck.
I decide there's nothing I can do about it except dance, so I take to that. I hadn't been dancing five minutes before the manager (whom I knew as the person who msg'd me on fb, I met him for the first time when I came in) comes up to me while I'm dancing and holds out my wallet! Nothing missing, no mysterious charges have shown up in the week or so since.
That's not your average club behavior and I can't commend it enough.
Thanks to Ozzie. Music was great, staff was surprisingly awesome. -
Review from Juliane W.
Seattle, WA
10/24/2011
I recently helped host a birthday party at The Baltic Room and I couldn't be less impressed. My group arrived around 10 while the bar and dance floor was pretty low key. As arranged, my group was given a private couch with tables which were marvelously located in a loft overlooking the dance floor. Service was exceptional, drinks were good, atmosphere was chill and music was a whole lot of fun to dance to. On the particular night we were there the music started out ambient and pretty chill but then evolved into upbeat dance electronic that had my group on the floor sweating for the last two hours 'til the lights came on.
I will definitely return to Baltic for a birthday party/celebration or when my craving for a dance marathon comes back. -
Review from Travis M.
Seattle, WA
12/19/2011
Over the last few years this place has undergone some major changes & they seem to be moving in a great direction. They took out the massive bar in the middle of the room & now have one of the larger dance floors on Capitol Hill & the sound system has gotten noticeably louder (louder being a good thing). They also moved the bar up near the main entrance which is a little awkward but better overall because when it was down on the main floor it created a bottleneck all around it, which still happens now but at least it's not in the way of the people dancing. Staff here has always been super friendly & helpful.
Additionally, this place hosts 2 of my absolute favorite nights in Seattle: 1990Now & Trashed. 1990Now is the 3rd Friday of every month & as the name implies, is all about 90's music. It's a really mixed crowd & they usually have a fun photobooth with lots of of over the top 90's props (huge fake gold chains, glasses, clock necklaces a la Flavor Flav, etc) that you can get your picture taken with.
Trashed is the first Saturday of every month & it's usually a shit show but in the best sense of the word. It's dance music oriented so there's a lot of indie dance & nu-disco with some house & electro thrown in, even dubstep. It's always a good time, always a crazy mix of people who all like to dance because the place is typically packed. No other night that I'm aware of caters to this genre of music. Plus they bring in great national acts like Treasure Fingers, The Twelves, RAC, Cassian, Klever, Them Jeans & a bunch more.
Overall I love this place & the nights they host & from what I've heard the remodel is still a work in progress so things should only get better. -
Review from James H.
Seattle, WA
1/22/2012
I like it, but people get too pushi, it's not a place where you feel the need to put on a button up, but the people there are for the most part cool, and friendley, no shitty door man, not asswhole bartenders, it's upbeat, ok music, and laid back at that same time. I told the girl six times that guy there with isn't her frieds boyfriend, "i'm her best friend, i'm trying to help her,'' help with what getting with some dirt back goof ball, That isn't her boyfriend. ONe hour later, the girl gives me her number and a nice thirty min booty grinding dance to let me know what she has.
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Review from Faye R.
Seattle, WA
7/16/2011
What do you know...my first night at The Baltic Room was 90s beach party! Was I lucky or what? (No sarcasm because I love old skool music and beach themes can be fun.) Cover was $5 until a certain time (maybe 10:30 or 11pm..not sure) then $10 afterward. The decor is lovely. I guess they recently did a remodel and they did a good job. Very classy and modern.
My friends and I got there just after 9:30 and the bar (located just behind the door) was surrounded, but not obscenely crowded and we got our drinks pretty quickly. Not sure about the overall price for drinks as my friends paid for everything (birthday). I ordered a black opal and it was very strong, but not bad (I like mine a bit sweeter). The dance floor is just a few steps away from the bar and to the right were several couches lined up against the wall. There were a couple guys kicking a beach ball around, but otherwise the dance floor itself was empty. Since it was still early, my friends and I headed upstairs which had A BIT more seating (a couple booths and another couch). They were also taking photos and had set up a beach scene in a corner with a bunch of props you could use to dress up with. Very fun and entertaining!
Ahhh, and the music was phenomenal...until the last hour or so. I think the DJ went from early 90s to late 90s stuff I didn't recognize. Nevertheless, simply because they were playing old skool I give them an extra star. According to their FB page they always play 90s music on Fridays. Win! I am so over today's top 40 crap.
Overall, loved the ambiance of the place. Not at all pretentious or 'too casual' if you know what I mean and the $5 cover is a win compared to most Seattle clubs. Very small venue as it's not set up for big groups, but a great place to go with a few friends. I shall definitely be back (and mostly like on 90s night!). -
Review from Daren D.
5/18/2011
Poked inside Monday night to check out this joint and maybe get a drink for Yelp Drinks Week... I asked the bartender what the Red Grape Sensation was and he didn't know--nor did he know about the Yelp Drinks Sign, sigh. Ok, well I'm gonna roam around a bit then jet to Chapel.
I'm no club & lounge a fi ci on a do, but this place was okay. Whatever bass music was playing that night was freakin' down low and rather loud to me (how do you kids put up with eardrum-exploding beats?!).
BBBOOOO0000mmmm.....
BOOO000mmm....
BBBOOOO0000mmmm.....
BOOO000mmm....
Based on the music and crazy kaleidescope lights, I can see how one can get lost with[in] one's self (like the weird lady who runs across the dance floor like a soft windy breeze is pushing her). o_O I'd say, based on this and the reviews, Baltic gets a real diverse crowd. -
Review from Stephanie M.
Seattle, WA
5/17/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The last time I was at Baltic Room, it was for Bollywood night probably about 2-3 years ago. I wasn't the biggest fan then, but I'm totally digging the new layout now! It's still SUPER crowded and hard to get to and from the bar, but I can deal with that.
Randomly came here on a Friday night at about 12:30-1:00am with some girlfriends and Yelp-friends. I don't know what kind of "night" it was, but it was seriously packed. They played some old skool music, which I loved and everyone was having a good time. :)
The bathrooms were never too crowded and at least at TP.
I've been hearing that the upstairs/VIP section is awesome, which I have NOT yet been able to see, so hopefully I'll become really important sometime soon and check it out! :-) -
Review from Marc M.
5/23/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Baltic Room has gone through some changes lately with the layout of the place and I am very impressed with what they have done so far. Gone is the island bar that was out in the middle of the floor almost splitting the club in half and in it's place is a fancy new bar placed along the length of the wall right as you walk in the door. The decor seems a bit different as well, but I have only been in once or twice so not real familiar with a lot of the detail. The biggest difference with the new layout is there seems to be so much more space so it feels like a much bigger club and that is a really good thing.
After being here for the final stop on the official Yelp bar crawls during "Yelp Drinks!" week, I was pretty impressed with what they have going on and plan on stopping in more often. With promotions like 90's nights and Bollywood sets, they feature a very diverse lineup of DJ's and musical styles making for a very fun experience that is equal parts Capitol Hill and downtown Seattle.Listed in: Capitol Hill, UYE's, Yelp Drinks! May 16-22, 2011
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Review from Ranny K.
Tacoma, WA
6/11/2011
I've been avoiding Baltic Room for the past 5 or so years. I had this idea that it was an underground club type of venue--dark, stuffy and sweaty. But to my surprise, it turned out to be a really sexy venue.
Apparently, there's usually cover so I probably won't go here unless I'm with someone "with pull" because it's not really my scene anymore.
The crowd is usually an Asian crowd. However, they play old school jams on Friday nights (which I love!).
Downside: there is only one bar. On a busy night, I could see this section getting packed and over-capacitated.
Overall, it gets three stars. It's A-OK. -
Review from Joeboy A.
Seattle, WA
5/25/2011 3 Check-ins Here
ITS SOOOO FRESH....
juss newly remodeled...its a lot bigger than before, they opened it up alot...alot more room to booty shake, alot more room to fall down if your drunk...its really nice...BIG CHANGES for the better....
came here on a mon,and fri...totally different vibe each night, which makes it unique...i like fridays cause of the dj's are playin the joints...the staff are helpfull, the bartenders are consistent...its a good feel good spot up on the hill...and the view, as soon as you walk outside...BAM...the view of the space needle....oh..and leilani lumpia is across the street...ALL WIN!!!!Listed in: Fist pumpin in Seattle
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Review from Samantha G.
Seattle, WA
I have to update my previous review since there have been changes...
The Baltic Room is equivalent to Cheers for me since I bump into friends here, plus the bouncers and bartenders always remember familiar faces. On third Fridays, it's 90's night (1990Now) so you're guaranteed to hear cuts from 2Pac, SWV, Ice Cube, Mariah Carey and so on. The drink specials on 90's night are $5 Thug Passions and $5 Gin and Juice all night long. Oh and did I mention that cover is free before 11pm? ;)
Bollywood nights on Saturdays are a lot of fun as well. The music is upbeat and I always see different faces when I go on Saturdays.
They also did some renovations to the place recently and I love how there's more room to dance down stairs.
**EDIT**
As of May 6, there will no longer be Fancy Footwork on 1st Fridays, which will be replaced with Paperboy Production's "Back in Business", which features R&B and hip hop cuts. To get on the guestlist for first Fridays, email PBP206@gmail.com.
Fancy Footwork's 1990Now is still happening every 3rd Friday of the month. If you're interested in hosting a birthday or in need of booth reservations, contact fancyfootworkseattle@g....
Follow Fancy Footwork on facebook for event updates. If you hit ATTENDING on their event invites, you get free cover ALL NIGHT LONG. Or you can come dressed in 90's attire for free cover as well (3rd Fridays only).Listed in: Late Night Galavanting
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/9/2010
Baltic Room is one of the places I hit up frequently on a Friday night. I love the music they spin,… Read more »
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Review from Gorman E.
We came here for a birthday party so we had the whole upstairs to ourselves.
The Baltic Room is okay but man, it is a very small space downstairs and upstairs. We got here before 11pm because the list closes past 11pm and I hate being charge cover or waiting in lines so we made sure we enter by 10:50pm.
The good thing is in the VIP section upstairs has it's own bar & our bartender was awesome. He kept making our drinks stiff as hell plus the special was $11 for double shots since regular price was $8, so he made ours triple shots. Yeah buddy. I had my Crown and Coke while keeping my tab open for the birthday boy to get his drink on...
Two nice leather sofas upstairs and corner lounge area but seriously, bumping elbows because the space is too small. The bottom floor also have a very small dance floor so you don't come here to dance. The DJ was playing some nice songs and alot of shout outs to my bday boy.
Strange setup, the bars is right when you walk in but I guess, they are trying to open the middle more for the tables + stools and the sofas on the side for more seating area.
I had a good time probably because of the stiff drinks and seeing all the new school & old school friends.
This is more a lounge to get your drink on so don't come here to expect to shake your booty. Right across the street is a Leilani's Lumpia Land
stand! -
Review from Ben H.
Seattle, WA
4/16/2011
This was my first time at the Batlic Room. I heard great things about it and went for a good friend's bday.
VENUE:
First off, the venue uses the space well given the small space. The bar, dance floor and upstairs lounge had a spacious layout that made it relatively easily to walk around. My one complaint is that the actual dance floor is higher than the ground itself, so I found myself tripping at times.
MUSIC:
Music is great! It was a 90's themed night and it would bring back fond memories to anyone who listened to music during the time. The DJ's played an awesome mix of music.
SERVICE:
The bartenders are great. They are friendly, efficient, and generous with the alcohol, just the way I like it
CROWD:
I think my favorite part of the club is the crowd. You get a really interseting mix of people from all sorts of backgrounds. From hipsters to club fanatics. It was a very accepting atmosphere!
OTHER NOTES:
I recommend entering the Baltic room before 11pm, since there is free cover. But all in all, it's a fun place and I definitely see myeslf going back someday. -
Review from Dennis D.
6/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
The place was DEAD when I went, but the drinks were fine.
Literally there were seven other people there, and that IS counting the girl tending bar, and the bouncer.
Granted this was 9pm on a Friday... but then again, it was NINE pm on a Friday!
More people did arrive around 10 (when I left to find more active night-life). At least they didn't have cover that night. :-/
So take from this what you will. If a slow-starting divey bar is your thing then look no further.
But if you don't want to be waiting around all night for someone to talk to, you may want to look elsewhere. -
Review from Chanda I.
9/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
need a (straight) place to dance in capitol hill? check this place out. i enjoy the gay clubs in capitol hill but i do need a change of pace sometimes and this is one of the few straight clubs i enjoy. the times i have been there i have enjoyed the music. but it is a nightclub with different promoters and nights so i'd recommend to find out from a friend or do your research on what night you are going.
i'm big fan of space at clubs and i like the space set up. when you enter, you are welcomed by the bar so for those who want to drink can get do so. then you have the dance floor in the next session. it's not a huge dance floor but i always find it the right amount. plus, they have an upstairs space with more seating and a bar. i love the spaces because it allows something for everyone. the tired ones can go find a seat, people like me will be dancing, and then have another friend go get u a drink. -
Review from Ian S.
11/21/2010
Coming here on Indian night was totally the right thing to do. I don't think I could have tolerated it otherwise.
This is a typical hiphop type grindatorium. They have bad drinks and the usual downrange club thing happening.
I had fun because having indian/bolywood style music videos on all of the monitors was surreal and pretty fun. I don't see myself ever returning here, but it was a semi-neat time. -
Review from Alisa B.
12/31/2010
The music here is amazing... Bollywood, regae, drum and bass you name it they do it.
That's really the only good thing about this place... except for the settup I like how they have the couches smattered here and there and dance floor is just big enough.
downers: rude bouncers (one id'd me no less then three times in an hour, methinks you might have had enough to drink yourself bub), staff obviously don't give two hoots about you, drinks are watered down and too much for what you get in a plastic cup, bathrooms are disgusting, the group of guys that never go inside but hang out in front of the joint are creepy and will harass the hell out of you as you walk by, yup... not alot I like about this place but the music is freaking stellar! -
Review from Jennifer D.
Seattle, WA
10/24/2010 1 Check-in Here
I was invited here for my first time in support of ArtsFund and for an early Halloween party, it was an awesome turnout and really fun!
I was the first to arrive of my group and snagged a roomy lounge section in the center of everything. Prime spot for location to the bar, dance floor and mingling! The DJ was spinning mostly house beats so of course I had to put in a request for my man, MJ! He was awesome and played it right away.
Thank you to the girl in the silver sequin dress for entertaining me all night with your dancing. Some guy was trying so hard to put the moves on you but you were in your own world of tunes and not havin it... then you got escorted out by security when you refused to drink water.
Overall, more of a lounge than club but that may be different depending on the night of the week. Already wanting to go back! -
Review from Michelle F.
Seattle, WA
1/19/2011 6 Check-ins Here
I love this place. I come for drum n bass on Tuesdays, and it never lets me down. I especially love it since they blew out the wall that was in the middle of the dance floor. YAY! Love the open space, hardwood, bartenders, music! And that the well vodka isn't shitty vodka.
Total win. I adore this place. -
Review from Xav V.
5/26/2010 13 Check-ins Here
Baltic Room is not in my regular rotation of Hill joints and I really don't see it becoming my go to place any time soon. That said, I have had some pretty fun times here with friends of both the Yelp and non-Yelp persuasion. Tuesday is a great night, offering up open decks for a portion of the night and DnB cuts through out the evening.
I have had some really hit or miss service from the bar staff. Normally I am able to grab attention pretty quick at other spots, but it tends to take awhile to get taken care of here. It was nice though that during my last visit the bartendress hooked me up with a free drink after forgetting to bring me the one I had ordered ten minutes earlier. Thanks for acknowledging the oversight and making it right. The drink special was $3 wells, which doesn't bring it down to Maharaja level deals, but is still pretty sweet.
Bottoms up!Listed in: Where I be: Capitol Hill…
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Review from Cheeki G.
San Diego, CA
4/25/2011
This place falsely advertised Drum & Bass yo! The music was trance and kinda chill, but I wouldn't consider it drum & bass. The crowd was a mix of overweight college chicks and scruffy-logger looking guys who all thought they were bobbing their heads to "Drum & Bass". $15 cover charge was a total rip-off. They served drinks in small plastic cups...unclassy Seattle, definitely unclassy...
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Review from Melissa N.
Seattle, WA
12/12/2010 2 Check-ins Here
great for parties! staff is friendly. I like that it has an upstairs that you can rent out.
The music however is just alright. I guess it depends on who the DJ is for the night. -
Review from carrie L. B.
Seattle, WA
10/22/2007
You kids certainly like the loud music with your fruity martinis these days.
10PM and we're the only 4 people upstairs. Maybe 4 more people were downstairs. The 8 of us couldn't possibly be making such a ruckus to warrant the music cranked to earsplitting volume.
The place was deserted and the drinks were uninspired and the glasses were sticky. Extra star for our friendly waiter who was really trying way too hard, poor dear. -
Review from mel r.
Emeryville, CA
7/28/2008
For some reason I'm on a kick with using the word 'douche' lately; not that it's a hip new word or anything, but it just seems to effortlessly fall from my lips... 'That guy in his sister's pants and bucket hat, yeah, douche'; 'her fem-mullet and skinny 70's hair band, omfg, douchey'. so on and so forth. The use of a this word to denote something awful, lame, retarded, stupid and stanky; when it actually refers to an action of cleansing that of a cavernous region with a fishy odor, intrigues me (not that I've ever used douche, because mine is that of a virginal Sunday breezy morning of pure delight-like running through a lavender field with a euphoric after glow beaming on your face when you visit). But even though its intentions are for making women feel better when they're feeling, 'not so fresh', I can't help but use it in a negative form in relation to this club.
I know I bitch about guys not approaching me for the digits; mystery solved, I look petrifying to the opposite sex but the dudes here are seriously aggressive, b-e a-g-g-r-e-s-s-i-v-e; and a bit angry. That said, I definitely walked into this place, on Bollywood night, displaying the 'I will rip your eyes out and pop them with my fist' look. And you know what happened? The grabby little fuckers came at me anyway.
The layout is awkward, with a small entry containing a small bar; steps down into the main room with an oversized bar engulfing most of the space, leaving a cramped dance floor and hardly any seating on a crowded night. You have to squeeze by bodies and pray they don't think you're giving some sort of 'go ahead' for a grope, en route to the ladies room. The bouncers were nice, but a bit slow on the fight that I saw coming from 10 years ago; meh, it wasn't even a good fight.
I left feeling 'not so fresh' and in need of a good cleansing, a full body douche, if you will. -
Review from Katie S.
San Francisco, CA
7/27/2008
Hmmm.. Where do I begin?
Should I start with the $10 cover or the 'dead cat like' security response to the fight that broke out in the middle of the club? Maybe I'll talk about the Seattle Police Department roaming the joint.. or the copious amounts of gropious men on the dance floor..
How about the guy who asked us if we wanted him to punch someone out?
It's funny to me that this place is situated amidst of some of my favorite places on the hill, yet the clientele is.. well..
Belltownesqe.
I went here with my gal friends for 'Bollywood' night and while the dancing was fun for a while, it grew tiresome as the evening progressed. Too much gropey, grindy, 'switching to your friend now' business. It was actually pretty exhausting!
The best thing about this place is the crazy music videos that they were showing on the dance floor. Think 'Britney Spears/ David Lee Roth solo career' music videos.. you get the gist.
On the upside, this place could easy be a 'Green Business'. Most use electricity to run businesses. Smart folks go with Solar. Baltic room could power up their place on sheer Testosterone alone..
For that, I'll give them two. If they pull off the whole 'Testost-RGY' thing, we'll see about upgrading.Listed in: Blech!
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Review from Chelsie L.
Sammamish, WA
6/11/2011
This place was not too bad for a Friday night. Got there around 10 and it was pretty much empty...Luckily that made it easy to get two booths upstairs from my party of 14 people! It was easy to hang out there but honestly it wasn't as happening as I prefer my clubs to be...Maybe better to go on a Saturday? Anyways, the place was great looking, not much seating unless you go early, and a medium sized dance floor. The music was kind of random 90's but I'm sure it all depends on the night/DJ.
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Review from S N.
Brooklyn, NY
3/20/2010 1 Check-in Here
I used to come here in high school, when I had a double whammy of teenage smugness: a fake ID & a Cool College Boyfriend. We came to the Northen Soul dance night they had back in the day, and I remember it being fun. Not that I had much by way of comparison.
This time around I didn't feel any love for this venue. Obviously I can handle old music if I enjoyed shuffling to Soul. But when I came here last night, they were blasting some tunes that are more stale than vintage. For example, "Mr. Wendell" (WHY????) and Soul II Soul's "Back II Reality." The mix was one of those types where they play about 30 seconds each of a bunch of songs. Just when you start getting into something.... boom, next one. Annoying! Maybe it's better on nights when they aren't targeting the Weekend Warrior crowd.
The space was cramped and kind of awkward. Loouuuuudddd. Not music to which I could successfully dance, especially with the 30 second switch limit. Maybe I would like it better on one of the electronic music nights. I wouldn't make a point to return, but wouldn't avoid it either. If there's ever a DJ or live show I want to see (where do they fit them? The place is tiny!) I would return for the entertainment, not the bar itself. -
Review from Tony G.
8/21/2008 1 Check-in Here
Wow, a lot of people do not like the Baltic Room. I thought it was alright, nothing special but I didn't hate it. Came here for a friends 80's theme birthday party and had a blast. For $30 (I believe because of the promoter, not the Baltic Room) it was all you can drink. It was invite only, so I can see how the place could get overly packed because it is not that big.
I had fun and wouldn't say no to coming here again.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop! -
Review from Todd L.
Seattle, WA
2/26/2009
So, this would be the place where I first made out with the woman I am now married to.
Gotta like that in a night club.
The Baltic room is one of the few clubs I would consider Capitol hill old school.
The place has survived many owners, but after not being here for a year or two, my wife and I thought it would be nostalgic to make out in the booth we first locked lips in. On the way down the wifey called up a slew of work mates. We overwhelmed the bartender......but what a pro...no problem....... drink after drink in an onslaught of bar tending mastery.
Now my wife's work buddies are the Nordy's crew....these people drink and know what good bar tending is.
It's not obliging narcissistic young ladies who think they shouldn't have to pay like everyone else....
Nor does it entail policing the streets out side for scary gangsters...Jesus people, this is a big city shit happens, get over it.
It's about keeping the drinks stiff and delivering them with expedience, and the guy had his shit together, drink after drink, good music, diverse crowd...good fun.
Anyway I had to take a damn cab home as the whole designated driver thing is highly overrated and we were having to much fun to practice moderation.....
(....and we totally made out in our booth.) -
Review from Aaron E.
12/14/2008 1 Check-in Here
Last Thursday we came here during our bar hopping adventure and I have to say I liked it (for a club at least) a lot more than most people on Yelp. For starters, I'm not a huge fan at all of clubbing. After being at War Room though, I found this place a little more my type? Maybe?
First of all, there was no cover when we got there at about midnight on a Thursday. Nice. Je deteste cover charges and I wouldn't have been happy paying to get in here. It was like a sauna... hot, smelly, wet. The floors were all sticky, wet, and I swear I smelled some puke somewhere. Keepin' it classy!
The music was Top 40ish but with terrible remixes on most of them. Lame. The sound system was nice though and overall the music wasn't so irritating to really turn me off from coming back here again.
The bartenders were pretty swamped, but they were able to make some awesome beverages. Very, very strong beverages that seemed pretty average priced. People seem to think everything here is so expensive, but really, it seemed reasonable. After waiting about 10 minutes for a round of drinks that never came we politely inquired where the f they were. They didn't know, but we actually got two free rounds. Nice.
The clientele seemed slightly douchey. No one seemed to mind cutting people off in line, stepping on your toes, spilling drinks, hitting on clearly taken girls... ya know. I probably would have given 1 or 2 stars, but overall I had a fun time, and it was nice that we got 2 rounds of free drinks. -
Review from corey G.
5/25/2009 1 Check-in Here
I can not believe I've not Yelped the Baltic. I first made it to this lounge/small club back in 2002 (went here for a graduation party with my friend and his fellow grads). That experience and a few others since then, have made this one of my favorite places to go to for gettin' my groove on in Seattle.
Now I do have to say, the BR has been hit or miss during the years. I've heard this might be due to changes in ownership. Whatever the case, over the last few years, it HAS been a gamble catching this place on a good night. Before this last weekend, I had gone here on nights when it was sub-par, and these nights have had me re-thinking Baltic, but dang---when you catch this place on a good night, it can't be beat.
After an M's game, I wanted to take some Seattle visitors out to a cool place, so I opted for the BR. My plan was to pull up and then get a vibe of the place by checking out the crowd on the outside, and listening to the music on the inside.
"Why hello there," I said to a group of women outside as we drove by (the window of the car was closed of course).
We parked in a spot practically at the entrance. When we opened our doors, we heard some very danceable hip hop/R&B. Ummmm....it was on.
I quickly entered first (cuz I was going to sneakily pay for everyone's cover). It was a little steep ($10), but this might be because of the two private parties which were going on on this particular Friday night.
Oh man, I was feelin' the music. First things first---my buddy B Lined it to the bar keep and ordered the libations: some "Caribou Lous". After guzzling these down, I had to act like a business man, and hit the dance floor. I don't care about dancing by myself so I walked serpentine around people on the dance floor and picked out a spot. By this time, the DJ moved from cool hip hop to some contemporary funk.
I was sportin' my Chucks and I was feelin' it and funkin' it up in the house. The DJ then went back in time. First off: 70s--I'm pretty sure he mixed in some straight-up disco, and that was nice. But when he went to the 80s and MJ came on, it was on (http://www.youtube.com...). I was moon walkin', singin' along, and not givin' a Yelp about nothin'. Heck he even played some Cameo (not Brickhouse, but Word Up)--yes!
Then there was some of my "old school" favs from the 90's. When a DJ throws in "My Boo" (http://www.youtube.com...), I have to give him props. He also played some Faith Evans (Good Life http://www.youtube.com...), but there were so many hype songs to remember. And Brand New Heavies! He played some Brand New Heavies! (http://www.youtube.com...) All in all a good night on the floor good night on the floor.
All in all a great night musically. He brought us in with some hip hop (they had posters for Mos Def's newest all over), then they kept us there with some danceable stuff from the last 40 years (damn!). This DJ was on point.
Oh, and like I said, I don't mind dancing on my own, but I also like dancing with someone else, too. One woman ended up approaching me and wanted to "dirty dance" a little. Being the gentleman I am, I didn't turn her down and had to oblige.
The DJ is what makes Baltic legendary. If you make it there on a good night, forgetaboutit! Oh yeah, and on these majestic nights---the drinks always seem to taste stronger!Listed in: Picks For My Second Home:…
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Review from Doni W.
Seattle, WA
1/12/2009
I very much liked my first experience here last night. No cover charge, arrived early enough (about 10:00pm) that the main DJ hadn't started yet & bought some friends & me a round of drinks to "get us in the spirit to have a good time" (very much appreciated) and also offered us VIP passes for future use... fantastic first impression already! Also managed to snag our group a booth-seated table so we had a place to rest & talk in between dancathons.
The theme happened to be Bollywood night-- Bollywood videos playing on the big screens, remixes of modern music infused with Indian lyrics & live drumming off to the side of the dance floor, and a crowd more apt to use creative hand motions than the more reserved & typical Seattle dance scene. A lot of 'normal' modern music as well, which was honestly probably the best set I've heard & danced to in years overall... just good, solid tunes. My only downer was that the dance floor became TOO crowded, as in to the point of entertaining thoughts of hitting the couple behind me because of constantly getting shoved or bopped in the back of the head. The healthier choice was to take a break from the dance floor or attempt moving elsewhere, but after leaving the floor & attempting reentry, it was that much harder to come back in due to overcrowding. Oh well.
I only bought one round of drinks, which were perfect strength (i.e. properly made) and average price for clubs in Seattle. Mainly it was the bartenders that rocked here-- all VERY friendly & helpful, actually smiled along with giving quick & attentive service, and (unlike many other clubs) absolutely zero attitude when repeatedly asked for water refills towards night's end. Thus, they definitely earned their tips even for free water service... you help me, I'm very grateful and am more than willing to help you back.
What else... clean, well-stocked bathrooms & never a line each time I went in. Yes, the drinks are served in plastic cups, but frankly I'm okay with that as opposed to dealing with broken glass after yet another drunkard drops their glass. There is also a smaller upstairs lounge area which can overlook the dance floor which has both small, two-person seating arrangements as well as a large area available for reserving for private parties. OH, perhaps the clincher-- despite what other reviewers have said (and maybe this was because of the tamer Bollywood theme, who knows), there was not a single groper or unwanted dance partner swooping in from behind. It was a very respectful crowd and it was the complete opposite of most other venues' creepster vibe... much appreciated!
With the exception of being overcrowded once the night is in full swing, I think this has become one of my favorite venues in the city. Will certainly be returning soon. -
Review from Koizumi Y.
Winnetka, IL
9/24/2006 3 photos
I had a one day conference in Seattle, so contacted friends there to hang out the night before. We each got suites at the Edgewater (see separate review). After check in we headed to Dragonfish for dinner (Tofu vegetable rolls and Tofu Yakisoba I could have had anywhere).
We hailed a cab and ended up with a Russian driver. One friend, quite pissy from the wine and sake, began speaking in a botched Russian accent and asking the driver if he was from the ma-fee-uh. Lovely that. Visions of being found with our faces shaved off (read: Gorky Park) notwithstanding. Instead, he chuckled and took it all in stride, even as he slit our throats.
No...he delivered us to our destination, the Baltic Room. We immediately noted the irony of this given our little friend, and disembarked before my snockered pal could embarrass us further.
From the moment I stepped inside this place, really neat music got me to dancing. It was dark but not overly so, and had a Goth feel. I never stopped dancing, and the crowd reminded me of clubs in New York where one dances with one stranger, turns to dance with the next, and even dances alone. It's one big party. Eventually, one of my friends came to remove my jacket, unhinged my pocketbook from the shoulder, and handed me a cocktail. All the while, I never stopped dancing.
It was a somewhat small place and crowded, and my other three companions stood on the outskirts in the back just watching. Soon, I felt guilty for having so much fun alone and we chose to depart. This, by the way, was one of those nights we ended up at Tini Bigs. Suffice to say there were a few more stops, and when the time came next morning to attend the conference, I suddenly reminded myself I didn't REALLY have to go. And so I didn't.
The long and short of it is Baltic Room rates high on my list. Go when you're in the mood to be everyone and no one at once. I'd really like to experience it when it isn't as crowded, or before the dancers hit. It seems as if it'd be rather cozy. -
Review from Tim O.
Seattle, WA
4/23/2007
I never seen more than 4 people in this place at one time. Great for a drink when you're waiting for your table at Machiavelli's. Oh, and they have butterflies hanging from the ceiling. That's pretty cool, I guess.
I do hear the Bollywood night packs 'em in. Can't say personally. -
Review from Katy H.
2/16/2009 12 Check-ins Here
I've never been to a Bollywod night at the Baltic Room, nor had I been there any other night.. it was FUN! I really enjoyed myself.
The music was danceable, the people were fun, the drinks were decent and the free bindi's and henna tattoos were cool!
I'll have to pop in more often and check out other events.Listed in: Seattle Nightlife
