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How in the world have I not written a review for The Buck yet? I remedy this now!
The Buck is THE bar I take everyone to. Other Yelpers, long lost punk and dance friends who reappear in my life, my Momma and Uncle. This bar has delighted nearly all with it's great drinks, cozy yet uncramped layout and yummy food.
My personal favorites are the Blueberry Sour and Wasabi Grilled Cheese. Remember Zywibiec biscuits? You know, the teething biscuits. Well...I first must confess I still love the taste of those things. Then, I must also confess that a huge part of why I love the Wasabi Grilled Cheese is that the crust reminds me of said teething biscuits. Awesome!
The best part of going to the Buck though is posing with the mannequin in the loo. The pile of embarrassing shots taken there has grown to a mountain of fantastic reminders of blurry moments. Thanks Buck, I love you so much I think I'll marry you!
I really do not understand how anyone would give this place 5 stars. Maybe this was a really off night for the Buck?
It looked like we were the first people to sit down to eat. There were only 3 dudes at the bar and our hipster server didn't seem to know anything about the food, only that we were told our food would be delivered sporadically. Good to keep the expectations low, I guess.
We ordered the pulled pork, pizza and nachos. I must say the pulled pork and pizza were not bad. The nachos were a whole other story. Burnt, tasteless, the chips seemed out of a bag and I don't recall cheese. For $10.00 a plate, I expect better.
I've now been to The Buck three times and feel I can give the place the review it deserves. My first experience was walking past and seeing their sign declaring that they would play Michael Jackson all night. Not knowing he had just passed, my friend and I went in only to become very depressed at the news. The server offered to bring us a couple Michaeltinis (Kahlua and Godiva. Yes.) and we proceeded to drink our way through their lovely cocktail menu. My companion ordered a drink with fresh rosemary and the bartender had to run two blocks to pick some. I thought this was very sweet of him.
The next time we went (same friend), we decided to stick to their happy hour stuff. Thinking the pizzas would be itty bitty personal ones (at $6.60 this would make sense), we ordered two. Imagine our surprise when we each received two hefty pies that were incredibly tasty. Love, love, love the balsamic reduction drizzled on top. It made for an excellent cold breakfast the next day, too. And you really can't beat $1.50 Olys in the frostiest mugs ever.
My third visit is when The Buck earned its five stars. I went with several friends for their Sunday spaghetti feed (excellent spaghetti...nice and spicy). We started out keeping it simple and sticking with beer/wine. However, the evening quickly devolved into rounds of tequila, cocktails, and too much Maker's Mark. The bartender (he introduced himself to us after a while but we were so drunk we couldn't remember if it was Dave or Dan. We just lovingly and drunkenly called him D-Man the rest of the night.) was great. Bless his heart for putting up with our asses.
The Buck is the hills best destination for tasty concoctions you won't find else where. It's a cozy neighborhood spot where the bar tenders will muddle up some unusual cocktails (fresh cilantro, chili peppers & ginger are some of the ingredient highlights). It's a great spot to hang out with friends or stop in an be social at the bar.
The Buck is a great place! We consider it our living room away from home. The drinks are super yummy and the bartenders are great! Daniel is makes a mean drink and Jeannine is a rocking bartender!! She will always whip up something special for you ;)
After hitting up The Hideout, The Buck was our next stop. The atmosphere of The Buck is pretty much the antithesis of The Hideout. Not so dark, or moody and not very artsy. The Buck is full of log-cabin-esque items that are slightly tacky, but mainly a lot of fun. The mannequin in one of the bathrooms provided some nice photo opps.
Anywho, it was pretty quiet when we went in. The bartender was extremely friendly and was quick to greet us and take our orders. Once again, it seemed that they couldn't make the drinks I wanted to order. Darn. However, after listing a few items I liked, the bartender was gracious and intelligent and quickly mixed up a concoction that was just as good as what I initially ordered, if not better. The blueberry/vodka/mojito type drink he made was stellar. Light, refreshing and packed with those awesome antioxidants.... definitely healthy and the equivalent of a smoothie, or a few servings of fruit =)
All night long the bartender provided some good service and poured some good drinks. While the kitchen was no longer open (bummer!) they didn't have any problems with letting people bring in food from other establishments. All in all it was a good night and a good experience at The Buck. I foresee a return visit.... maybe not in the near future, but definitely in the future!
i want to go to a bar that makes me feel like i'm in a log cabin, with comfy seats, a mix of fancy cocktails and cheap beer, a good sense of humor, and good music. wish fulfilled!
i don't know how we stumbled on this find but maybe it was the sign of their happy hour since they have a late one that starts up at 10 pm.
so i always end up getting cheap beer in a great big frosted mug but they also have such cool cocktails. and it's small and i love that they serve you so you can just sit comfortably with friends.
check out the bathroom and see the mannequin in there. quite scary or quite funny.
I can't help but love this place. Saved me when it was hot, thanks to the AC and frosted mugs of Oly, but just as nice when it's cold and rainy thanks to a cozy atmosphere and hot toddys.
My favorite, though? Has to be the spaghetti nights on Sundays. When I don't feel like cooking nothing beats a damn tasty plate of spaghetti and a glass of wine all for under $10. If the weekend must end, might as well end it well, right?
I've been walking past this place for months, but I've never had an opportunity to go in until weather here in Seattle got unbearable. My friends and I were sitting in the Redwood, sweating our little tushies off, when we started calling bars closeby to see if they had air conditioning. The man who answered the phone at the Buck gleefully announced that they were cool as ice, so we relocated.
Though we didn't eat, the food looked good. They had some great happy hour specials, and the interior was cozy. As promised, the A/C was blaring, and walking in was orgasmic.
My only beef was that they only offer one type of white wine, and no cider. Otherwise, A-OK. I'll be here again, even on a cold winter night.
I've passed The Buck a number of times and even been in briefly but left because it was too crowded.
Now I know why -- it's a neat spot!
Last night I went there on a date and had an awesome time! It could be that it was a Tuesday so it wasn't crowded, it could also be that the date went well, but I think the bar itself is great. The bathrooms are unisex so there's no extra waiting for the ladies, and the bathrooms are the CLEANEST bar bathrooms I've ever used. It was like using a bathroom at a hair salon or something. They smelled clean and they looked clean. Quite a nice surprise. (As was the mannequin in the corner of one of the bathrooms.)
The drinks were cheap and although I didn't try the food, the menu looked decent as well. I'll definitely be going back here. It might just become one of my top 5 haunts now..
I'm really torn over giving this place four stars. I'm not sure if I'm giving too little or too much.
Really cute spot with a cow folk aesthetic and an awesome drink menu. The specials for the night were ginger margaritas and blueberry and basil mojitos. The posse really loved the saddled (and yes I mean the kind you ride on a horse with) stools.
Where I was really conflicted was that although the service was super friendly when available, it was sparse. It was my sister's birthday and she was on a mission. We had a hard time getting help and when we did, there was a few times we didn't get everything in the round that we ordered. This was a bit frustrating.
As a side note, beware of the bathroom on the right. I went in and almost peed myself before I made it to the toilet, because there was a mannequin sitting there and staring at me when I turned on the lights. The thing creeped me out all night. Although she was facing the door, I swear she was watching me out of the corner of her eye when I was in there.
I'll be back to give this place another shot.
I've been back many times, and The Buck has improved with age.
Favs: Huffin' down cheap Oly while sitting in the saddle-chair and building a XXX-rated diorama using the plastic horsie toys in the barn by the window. Get some.
The western motif somehow fits...Stopped in for the "soft openning" dug it... A welcome addition to… Read more »
After several trips, I remain infatuated with the awesomeness that is The Buck. Kind of cheesy decor? Yes. Comfy booths? Yes. Clean bathrooms? Yes. All of these things and more, friends.
While the fancy drinks are a bit more than what I usually think I should spend, they're totally worth it. The Herb Alpert Martini, which has lots of delicious cilantro, is great, as is the rosemary lemonade drink. We've probably tried at least five or six of the fancy drinks by now and they've all been worth the fancy drink prices.
Plus there are cheap happy hour beers, served up in nice frosty mugs that make you forget their cheapness. The happy hour cheese pizza is bigger and tastier than what I was expecting. Mm balsamic glaze. And hooray for $4.40 veggie spaghetti on Sunday nights. Let's take this moment to mourn the fact that I can't have the $4.40 red wine unless I want a horrible migraine.
On top of all this, Dan(iel) is nice and let us look through all his lovely Sinatra records. I have no need of other bars.
The only sad thing about this place is that when I am 80 years old I will have to stop coming for fear of having a heart attack upon seeing that mannequin in the bathroom.
The Buck makes customer comfort its top priority. It achieves this goal in four ways. 1. They have created one of the most comfortable, clean and cozy bar environments in capitol hill. The ceilings are low, the light is just bright enough, and the music is not too loud. 2. Their drink menu is very fairly priced. 3. Their servers are friendly and knowledgeable, suggesting drinks and making them with aplomb. 4. Their menu is not overly zealous. It consists of five or six really great offerings, like that wasabi grilled cheese you love so much, and very fair prices.
I simply loved hanging out in this place and I will definitely go back, for what I hear is a remarkable happy hour.
Great happy hour must try the grilled cheese!
A nice little spot, especially during happy hour when beer and pizza is really cheap. Not a lot going on later at night and since I prefer a nice buzzing atmosphere, the crickets chirping in here are a bit of a turn off.
The mannequin in the bathroom scared the crap out of me, which is effective when one's going to the bathroom.
Looking for a good Sunday dinner bargain? Then head on over to The Buck for their Sunday "Spaghetti Feed." An endless plate of Spaghetti for only $4.40. On top of that you can get a decent glass of red wine to wash down all that s'ghetti for just $4.40 as well.
The joint inside is cozy (think log cabin) and I can imagine this would be a perfect place to hunker down and lift your spirits during the seemingly endless cold, wet and and dark winter months in Seattle. But for now - soak up the sun and make sure to stop by for their great happy hour deals.
I judge all bars by one standard - the way they make my Manhattan. I am a Manhattan snob - Perfect Manhattan with Rye Whiskey and a twist. If you don't add bitters to my Manhattan, I judge you harshly... very harshly. If you can't get the basic mixed drinks right, then I have no faith in the crazy concoctions that you tout.
Unfortunately for the Tom Waits/Ryan Adams look-a-like bartender at The Buck, he failed my Manhattan test (-2 stars). He did however, make a pretty good Orange Manhattan with Cointreau and an orange twist, I guess he's just more used to making the frillier drinks than the basics.
Other than that, the place is a weird little hole-in-the wall with relatively nice bartenders, an extensive cocktail menu and good food. Nothing seemed overly priced, and the Happy Hour Menu looked pretty decent. The selection of indie pop played over the speakers was also rather pleasant.
If I were looking for a place in Capitol Hill to for a decent mixed drink, I would head to The Buck. Otherwise, I would rather get an overpriced Belgian at The Stumbling Monk or head downtown to Zig Zag Cafe.
The name of this bar names me giggle. I immediately thought of striping cowboys upon hearing it. That's just my immature side coming out because The Buck is a one, two kick of sequined cowboy boots.
The sister and I met up for dinner. Our original plan was to go to The Saint but on New Year's Day business being open is a bit tricky. The Saint was closed for the day so we backtracked and found The Buck.
There are two doors and one has a sign that says "Cowgirls" and the other door has a sign that says "Cowboys". How charming! We walk in and find the kitschy atmosphere completely endearing. Now, The Buck is small. And I mean small. You can practically here all the conversations going on there. The decorations are a modern Western style. There is a computer generated fireplace, huge horseshoes hanging on the wall, the wall looks like it was cut out of a cabin, and the hanging lambs are made of castiron. It makes me want to yell out "Yee-haw!"
The menu is of all drinks except the last page. You can choose from brisket, pizza, skillet nachos, or a wasabi grilled cheese sandwich. My sister got the pizza and I got the skillet nachos. Our food arrived and were definitely impressed. The pizza had pesto, shavings of parmesan, onions, basil, and brown sauce sprinkling that we couldn't pin-point but was damn good. The skillet nachos were drowning in cheese with homemade chips, with homemade salsa and sour cream. To die for! I devoured the food. It was fantastic and its a great size for sharing.
When we got our bill my sis and I hadn't realize it was happy hour so our pizza was only $4. Sweet. But the Pepsi my sister got was $3. A bit expensive since there wasn't even any alcohol any it. That is my one complaint about The Buck.
The Buck is hip cowboy Western style to the max. It would be a great place for a date and the food is great. When you go make sure to get all spiffy in your Cowboy hat and boots. Yippie-kai- ya mother truckers!
Boy howdy, I love this place. We stopped at The Buck to grab a quick drink before we headed to karaoke on the hill, but after we had stopped at The Redwood and Lindas. However, The Buck deserves to be much more than Point B between Point A and Point C.
The place deserves five stars for making me feel like Buffalo Bill or Calamity Jane could come waltzing in the door any minute. While the "faux hunting lodge" motif seems to be popular around Seattle, The Buck executes the log cabin/cowboy/rustic theme to a T. The bar was pretty quiet for a Friday night and seemed to host more pairs than groups. The bartenders were friendly and acknowledged us right away, which added to the charming atmosphere.
I know I'll be back. And the next time The Buck will get all the time it deserves.
The buck has one of the best happy hours in Seattle. Get yourself the $5 happy hour pizza and $2.50 Stella in a big frosted mug! That's right, under $10 for beer and pizza. And let's not forget Sunday night is Spaghetti night. A plate of either meat or vegetarian for under $5. They also have the most interesting bathrooms, I wonder how many people have wet themselves walking into the one on the left.
The Buck is a little small, but I like that about it. The only problem is coming in during busier times and finding a seat. If you are lucky there might be a saddle to sit on. It may crunch your balls after a while if your a guy, but at least you'll look damn good in the process.
So tiny, but so spunky.
I crammed in here quite comfortably with 4 other assorted family members. Eclectic decor fun and cozy. Great service; very friendly knowledgeable bartender/server who was...actually interested in making sure we had good drinks and good food. Nachos were good-fresh ingredients, but not a stand-out-Pizza was fantastic (and I never really want to order pizza unless I'm at a pizza place). Pulled pork sandwich was equally as fantastic. Very good brisket and spicy coleslaw. The drinks are fun and high quality-loved this place and I didn't think I would.
My favorite bar I visited on my weekend in Seattle. A great place to hang out with friends and chat at normal conversation volume. The music was low enough that I didn't mind they were playing an entire Stone Temple Pilots record (-1 star for the choice, +1 star for the volume). Atmosphere is dim and wooded. I felt like I was crawling into a log cabin - with comfy chairs.
The drink menu is interesting and fun - as was the server who happily accommodated our special requests. I ordered the Deer Slayer which was a fantastic way to incorporate Jagermeister into a mixed drink. I followed with a shot of Jager in a frosty boot-shaped shot glass. Again, fun and interesting while sticking to the bar's theme. $7-$12 drinks didn't seem unreasonable to me, but I can see where this would not appeal to starving artists (which might explain the refreshing lack of drunk hipsters). I bet I missed them since I went after happy hour. I also liked that the TV was OFF!
I'll definitely be back!
One night my friend was like "Want to go check out The Buck?"
And I was like "Uhh yeah! But why are we 'checking it out', I've been there a ton of times already!"
And my friend was like "No, not the Buckaroo Tavern in Fremont, The Buck in Capitol Hill! It's a new Western-themed bar!"
And I was like "Oh. That's weird. Why did they name it The Buck when there's already another popular (albeit divey and crazy) bar that everyone nicknamed The Buck?"
And my friend was like "Yeah, I know. It's strange. But do you want to go anyway? We can dress up like cowboys!"
And I was like "YES! Duh! I do want to go! Let me find my boots and I'll meet you on the Hill!"
Then we got there and sat in the window seats and drank delicious whiskey and tried to talk with cowboy accents and said "pardner" a lot. I decided I forgave The Buck for its uncreative naming, but I didn't forgive it for its creepy mannequin.
And on that note, it's time for me to ride off into the sunset....
We stopped in last night for a post dinner cocktail and we pleasantly surprised with the drinks and the service!
We sat down at a two top in the front and were attended to right away. While the food sounded and looked good (our neighbors had the brisket and the nachos- they liked them very much), we had just eaten, so we decided on some drinks. I started with a new fashioned- an orange twist on an old fashioned, and my guy had a Maker's Mark Hot Toddy. For round 2, I went with the Teton sling, which was fruity and boozy and tasty as well. Chewy was our waiter and he was funny and cool on it. Everyone in the place seemed to be having a good time while enjoying the food and drink.
The decor is 'over the top, hunting lodge.' Faux fur throws, light wood walls and old school outdoor gear make this a cozy little spot and the perfect stop on a dreary night in Seattle.
Do you love Makers Mark? Well if you do then the Hot Toddy at The Buck is your remedy. Because their hot toddy is almost the perfect blend of warmth and booze!! The only thing that would have made it even better would have been a side bottle of Makers to keep it boozey!!
Beware of the female mannequin in the bathroom because she can be quite surprising(http://static.px.yelp....). But believe me once you get to know her she's quite the doll!! Because she'll keep you company in the bathroom..if you know what I mean??!??? :O
And if you didn't know The Buck, Chez Gaudy and the Blue Bistro are all siblings. So a big "THANK YOU" goes out to you The Buck for giving us yet another reason to stay on the hill!!!!!
Their Happy Hour is the greatest.
Who can say no to Stella in a huge frozen mug? Pizza was pretty good.
The atmosphere is very intimate. The service is one of the best I have ever experienced. They even gave us a bottle of wine just because we agreed to share our table with another party! We ended up talking with the other party and had a wonderful time.
What's there not to love about The Buck? Happy Hour til 7:30, excellent service, yummy pizza ($4 during happy hour), and HOT DRINKS. Perfect during our current deep freeze.
The Buck is a cozy little place, and the wait person never rushed our departure. I'll be moseying back in short order.
I'm the newest edition to The Buck, slinging drinks and slipping winks behind the perfectly ensconced bar.
Let me say this.
I'm originally from Kentucky, and the Kentucky Martini on our menu represents the Commonwealth with a great deal of excellence. I love making them, and I want to make one for you.
The happy hour is perfectly geared toward a recession-ridden audience. If you can find a better, cheaper piece of pizza, I will give you my first born. And I do plan on making a few babies in the future, so that's not an empty promise, ya'll.
Furthermore, whoever said Chuey was a hunk doesn't know the half of it. His pecs get 15 miles per gallon. We're talking German-made SUVs here.
Everyone has a lot of fun there. Surely you will too.
I like The Buck. Fun atmosphere of Southwestern decor w/ pine wood molding and large saddles. Big comfy black leather chairs w/ pillows... how can you go wrong? It's fairly small though, just an FYI, so don't be surprised if you show up and there isn't any space. The 2 times I've been though, I've gotten a seat for 2 easily, so it probably depends upon what time you go.
I highly recommend splitting the Nachos with a friend, and ordering the Mudslide... it's strong and tasty, and 2 of them will get you nice and drunk. Yeehaw!
Hit up happy hour at The Buck with friends last night. Wow! What a deal...$1 Olys, $2.50 Stellas and $4 pizzas! The pizza was actually good. JP and I also ordered some additional food...he went with the grilled cheese which isn't a traditional sandwich but was amazing, trust me, it even comes with 3 dipping sauces! I went with the pulled pork sandwich (which is the current special) and it was also good, but slightly dry. The salad that accompanied it was delish as well. Not sure what people mean when they say that the food is expensive? Neither sandwich was more than $8...there are not many places where you can have dinner for that little in my opinion and have the food actually be good.
The $1 Olys were served up in big ole frosty mugs and our server kept them coming. As other reviewers have mentioned The Buck is definitely cozy, but the hunting lodge interior takes you to another place and time (like I hunted in a past life or something?!). Based on the cozy factor it's best to keep your group size to 6 or so.
I enjoyed my experience and will be back....with their happy hour prices how could you not? Happy hour is every day from 5:00-7:30!! LOVE IT!
This place looks absolutely fantastic, yet the customer service and cocktails leave much to be desired...
While this may be just the the place to stop in for a frosty mug of beer with a buddy, I would not recommend coming with a group of friends with cocktails in mind. The mixed drinks and cocktails are overpriced and surprisingly tasteless.
Now, I have no problem throwing down for a good cocktail, but for $9 I expect to be wowed, not sorely disappointed. I ordered a ginger vodka drink and it tasted like a watered down lemondrop with no trace of ginger. A friend ordered a bourbon cocktail, and it tasted like Makers Mark and water. The Buck need look only a few doors up to Dinette for inspiration, where the drinks are mixed to perfection.
Our waitress/bartender was rather curt, meeting our group with annoyance rather than welcome. One member of our party that arrived later that the rest of us, sat with us for around a half and hour and was never asked if she would like anything to drink.
I will give this place another try in a few months. I know that they just opened and are undoubtedly working out the kinks, but they will definitely have to step it up.
The Buck is great, so great for their happy hour!
They gave us great little toy cowboys/indians to play with and great food and booze for rather cheap.
It's small, so get their early if you want a table - like 5pm!
Great ambiance and service...
Food okay, totally good pub grub for the price!
I kind of love this place. I'm a bit of a cocktail nerd so I enjoyed the menu's precise instructions for mixing each drink. It was also a pretty amusing read. It took us a looong time to choose our drinks. We tried the nachos and they were incredibly generous with the cheese. Everything on the menu is fairly priced. I do wish they had more bar seating though, the setup is kind of odd. The atmosphere seemed like it'd be fine for drinking alone but there aren't enough people to interact with at the bar.
*This review is only based on Happy Hour*
This place is very small - I would not recommend for more than 4 people. My friend and I got there right at 5 for their happy hour, and it was pretty empty, but by 5:30/5:45 it had gotten much busier. We scored a great spot by the window and sat down to enjoy some much needed drinks.
For those of you beer snobs that think Olympia is both not classy and not good tasting, try it here. It is served in a frosty mug that not only magically makes it taste better, but also will cause people to think you are drinking a much fancier much more expensive beer. They are only $1.50 at Happy Hour.
We also ordered the pizza which was delicious. A few weeks ago they changed the price from $4 to $5 - but it's still worth it. Enough to cover you for dinner for sure. It was a vegetarian pie with delicious balsamic glaze on top.
This place is a great find with a great ambiance and a friendly staff.
We had great fun. The atmosphere is cute. Service was fantastic. Drinks were good stuff. All-and-all worth a stop-in and we'll def head back!
If you love Bleu Bistro and Chez Gaudy, then I bet that you'll love The Buck too! I went with a friend and we ran into some more friends and had a grand old time! Each of the personnel were super friendly, and Chuy (what a hunk!) was our bartender. Good drinks, haven't had the food yet, but they have a plastic menagerie to entertain you should you feel the need to pose barn animals into lewd positions on the farm; If it's still there when you read this, you'll see what I mean. I really like the close quarters of the place because as mentioned in another yelp, you have no choice but to strike up conversation with your neighbor.
I'm looking forward to my next visit!
The truth is, this place is "cozy," but it's charming. It is overpriced, but the food was better than normal pub fare, and my drink was good. Also, I like the size of the place because it makes it difficult not to socialize, and in Seattle, that's a welcomed change from the norm. All in all, I will definitely go back as a place to start my night, but I won't be planning to throw away a whole paycheck in one night.
Fun place! A friend and I stopped in one rainy night and had a great time. Kimberly was our server/bartender and we loved her...super friendly, cute AND a personality! Happy hour is until 7:30 so with a $4.00 pizza, $2.50 Stellas & $1.00 Oly's we were set. I will be back for drinks and grab some food some time soon. Fun cowboy motif, eclectic mix of music and a souvenir horse to boot!
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