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Category: Gay Bars
Neighborhood: Capitol HillMon-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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I am a fan.
I came here twice yesterday.
At first I went for a quick drink with friends. Ordered a Bloody Mary and it's pretty delicious! The server was very friendly and nice! I asked for extra olives and it wasn't a problem.
At night, we came in for a nightcap. We sat in the back, which is awesome; comfy leather seats, dim lights, and the best part is this room is separated from the rest. So it's very good to chill with groups.
LOVE IT!
The. Elite. Rocks.
There are few bars (especially gay bars) where I always have a great experience and Elite has never failed in serving up a fabulous cocktail with a side of sass that makes me feel right at home!
The management and staff have done an incredible job of creating a fun environment where anyone can make new friends, watch the game or just lounge and enjoy a night out.
The Elite has also been an avid supporter of many local community organizations and groups. This is a prime example of a good business with an altruistic spirit that cares for the community in which they serve.
See you there!
I love beer goddammit!!!
No Cover Ever!!
I have only been a couple times but I got to say that I like the place. The unique lay of the building makes it feel like a home instead of the typical gay bar with sticky floors. Lots of small corners with comfortable chairs and a loft so privacy isn't a problem and it seems that even tho this is a gay bar all types come in for a good time.
The staff has been incredibly nice and make great strong drinks for the reasonable price that is paid and I'm usually not a tipper but they push me into it.
Does anyone else think that Kay is a dead on for Rachel Maddow?
Gay bar!?! I thought the Elite was a lesbian bar! After all it is run by an evil dictator dike and her noisy man hating girlfriend. The Elite is one of the worst "gay" bars in town. First, it is ugly beyond belief!!! The paint job is truly heinous. Second, no matter how loyal you are there, they will NEVER show the same loyalty back or think twice about bitching at you for the most insane reasons. My friend got kicked out for speaking his mind "too loudly"! HEL-FUCKING-LO!!! It is a fucking gay bar, not church! Gay bars are supposed to be a sacred place, where gays can be themselves and say what is on their gay minds! Seriously, I know they are just going to remove this review (just like they oddly have all the other bad reviews of the Elite). But do not waist your time at the Elite when there are so many other great gay bars in Seattle. Thank You.
A refreshing gay establishment. The staff is always fair, courteous, prompt to serve you and overall fun. Its the perfect little neighborhood bar that welcomes all. Occasionally a crude soul will walk through the door - but no worries - the staff handles the situation with professionalism and ease. The staff deserves every dollar that they are tipped and then some.
Some tend to criticize the decor, or the service or staff - get over yourself. I feel sorry for you. It is unwarranted. Its who you surround yourself with, not the aesthetics of a place that makes the experience great.
I have never had a bad experience since i started coming here. Bring a friend or few...
Lately a few trolls on the Talk threads have me thinking about rude patrons who allegedly deserve poor service or have no right to complain about bad service if they're not a great patron.
The staff of The Elite makes both of those arguments complete BS. Both bartenders were so happy, friendly, funny, with great banter and even greater patience. They were having so much fun that it's impossible for you not to crack a smile or at least let go of your CrankyPants and not be such a grump about whatever it is crapped in your Cheerios that morning.
My drinks were hit and miss, with the stoli vanil and coke slightly weak but white russian pitch perfect. And they were saints when I spent 15 minutes deciding between 6 beers on tap. Love the jukebox, and while the front room layout is a bit strange in a crowd - it's all a part of making new friends. The other patrons were smiling, approachable, and having a great time singing along with the jukebox (that played pretty much every track from the Glee Soundtrack).
Also, lots of eye candy here, if you're into that sort of thing!
Okay, so it is geared towards the gay boys and the gay men.
That said, they're pretty welcoming to us dykey types, and everyone's really bloody nice. The bartenders are all hellbent on damaging your liver, they have wifi for faster phone-downloading of that viral video you inexplicably have to show your friend after three margaritas (...guilty) and, oh yeah, pool and darts.
The decor sucks, but after two doubles, you can't see straight anyways. The bathrooms are nice and big and clean too! Always a huge plus on the Hill. Though i have an extremely Washingtonian fear of change, sometimes, change is good. The new location of the Elite is very good proof that change can be bloody awesome.
The paint job here gives me a stomach ache when I walk in. I wish I could just go to the other room to get away from it but I CAN'T. That freaky salmon orange is EVERYWHERE. And the gallery of beer ads ALL over...
I wish they had just talked it over with someone who was a little into design. Its a unique space with the rooms and stairs etc. It could have been... but its not. I have accepted that and I swing by maybe once a week.
It's great to see my buds playing pool but going here alone is not too exciting. Its like Manray was. People go in little groups and don't talk to anyone else much. The staff is always nice and the beer is cold. It's also consistently pretty busy, which is not true for lots of bars on the hill.
The Elite is a great little place to check out, drinks are poured strong and are fairly affordable. Its a pretty popular place for the locals to just go check out and have a few drinks.
Weekend nights tend to be busy and can fill up quickly. However, the bartenders (usually anyway) are pretty quick about keeping the line moving.
Pros: Affordable drinks, no cover
Cons: Crowded at times and chicky feel.
This bar was our 7th or 8th stop of the day the first time I went. I decided that it would be unfair to judge a bar that far into oblivion. Of course the drinks are going to seem strong when you have already had 55,000 drinks prior to your arrival. Of course you are going to have a good time dog piling with your friends in the loft upstairs (where the bartender can't see you) when you are three sheets to the wind at 2PM. Of course your bartender is going to seem funny when he tells you all about the strange statue of an animal beside the staircase to the loft. Of course the fireplace is going to seem cozy - wait was there a fireplace???
So, I went back when I was sober and realized that the place was sort of dead and I didn't have an urge to dry hump my friends that time around and the drinks were average but not all that strong and they served some sort of crapola TV dinners, which would be AWESOME in San Francisco but since every bar in Seattle serves some sort of meal, seemed sub-par here.
I don't know what all of this means. Perhaps what I am trying to say is just be really drunk, all of the time. This place will rock!
I'm a fan of drinking. period. I enjoy it, i enjoy doing it in bars, and I enjoy doing it on the cheap.
The Elite is just perfect for that! The staff are very pleasant, the drinks priced well, and the drinks good and strong. The color scheme of the bar is...well, not my favorite, but the couch seating area is great for larger groups, while the smaller tables are great for a small gathering.
Not much that I can say that's horrible here, except the godawful paint, and the tendency to fill up pretty tight, and the layout in the main room makes that really annoying if you're at a chair. Other than that, spot on, kiddos, spot on.
I dropped my pants here twice* and I'm not even gay. That's how awesome this bar is!
Two DYLs were held here and everything hits the spot. The drinks here are awesome. They aren't the sissy watered down drinks you'll find in Belltown. These are pours that will make you wish that you had a glass of water beforehand. Drinks are not cheap but after you consider you're getting a real man's drink you're not going to mind the money falling out of your wallet (or your pants falling to the ground).
John the Bartender is the best bartender since Isaac from "The Love Boat". I still can't believe he spent a half hour telling Betsy K. and I dirty jokes that I wouldn't dare repeat even at the Power Exchange. He's also nice and down to earth and makes you feel at home. At another get together he saw that we were hungry and gave us the menu for the pizza joint down the street and let us use the phone to order it. He's the reason I keep going back and he's the reason why the DYLs always rock here.
Another nice thing for you annoying germophobes is that everything is new and clean. They have multiple flat screen tvs, a pool table, pinball machine and they have electronic darts upstairs. Plenty of space for big groups. The décor is unique with a huge statue of a lion, a unique sitting room facing towards Pine St. and the infamous Statue of David http://www.yelp.com/bi... .
And I won't forget the people. No pretentious jerkstores here. Just straight (figuratively) people who are rock stars (literally)
I highly recommend the Elite with or without pants on.
* I dropped my pants in the presence of females and males twice at the Elite, and both sexes were disgusted.
awesome fun people, VERY stiff drinks, and hilarious bartenders.
Here I go revealing how very elderly I am again. Ahem...
Back in the day this place was on Broadway across the street from the Deluxe, a place where I did a lot of my early drinking because the Pops was a regular and he vouched for me at 19 or so. Woot. $2 Kamikazes on Thursdays yo.
One night my friends and I ran out of smokes and I ran across the street to get more at the Elite. I stood there for about 15 minutes trying to get the attention of the bartender. My vagina and I were completely ignored - by EVERYONE IN THE BAR. I hung my head and walked back across the street in shame. My OG gay and his penis had to go and take care of our needs. I had failed.
Fast forward to 2008 - new location on Olive. Bigger, better and a new day for the gay and the twat. Did you know my name is Honey? Or it could be Gorgeous....or Sugar Buns? Not sure.
At any rate, I felt no shame for my naughty lady parts last night.
They serve booze to Mel; makes liver happy
The penis is gay to Mel's advances; makes vagina unhappy
You know the night is going to be awesome when you have good parking karma at the beginning. Much like getting a space right in front of Babeland for DYKL, parking the closest one could possibly get to the Elite was a sign of good things to come.
The Elite was a great place to have DYL goes National (thank you *again* Dfens!)...the drinks were generous, the place was homey, and the upstairs was spacious and inviting - the perfect place to get to know ever more yelpers in person (and the perfect, private place to pull your pants down, if the need arises)! This time we were all thrown together and could move around, instead of having to sit at separate tables way across the bar from each other.
Even using the bathroom was a good experience - I happened to announce to Dfens at the bar that I had to pee (as I am wont to do, and not just with him...I think I announce it a bit too much, but really, what's the harm in letting people know?)...so some of the men sitting nearby lovingly told me to get the key attached to the orange thing back there behind the bar...and they cheered when I found it! I so love gay men, and I love gay bars!
And the bathroom itself was so clean I wouldn't have felt icky if I somehow hadn't been able to use a seat cover (but *of course* they were available).
The Elite also has various activities to entertain oneself - namely a pool table, two dartboards upstairs (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), and strategically placed video monitors with naughty naked-women games. I could have used a few more wieners, but the boobies were entertaining nonetheless.
(And speaking of boobies...Riss, Betsy, and Lindi - thank you for letting me inappropriately look, grab, and rest my weary head. Aw, so comfy...)
So good to see you guys again...and to meet some of you for the first time (here's to you, Nadja, Delilah, Will, Jessica, and Alyson!). And because of a misunderstanding, and Dfens's ingenuity and luck at getting appropriate screenshots (http://www.yelp.com/to...), this event became kind of an elite event...complete with free shots, buttons, yelpstick, and shot glasses! Thanks Michelle (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - I've never felt so ELITE!
Let's start with the good: awesome drink specials and tons of gay dudes who tell me things like "Great dress!" and "You're the prettiest girl in the gay bar."
The bad: This place is totally overstimulating! I can't really take the TVs, bright lights and loud music.
But it can be worth it.
Kind of a weird space.
They have a great drink though. The Zoolander. Kind of sums the place up. A strong drink consisting of 151 and unleaded Bacardi glamed up with pineapple juice and grenadine.
The Yelp girls always cause a ruckus and this was no exception.
You've got to love a bar that allows me to bring in 25 Yelp shot glasses so we can start off the first Seattle hosted national DYL in style with a good old fashioned (and regionally appropriate) Washington apple shot. We're a klassy bunch.
Before I went in I was a little worried that we would overwhelm the bar and/or annoy the patrons...but nothing of the sort happened! Everyone was super nice and accommodating and we all felt at home. Probably cause it is decorated like a rec room and has multiple nooks and crannies, including a loft area that felt only slightly unstable.
After we all had a few drinks in us the bartender who lovingly made our shots came upstairs - I figured to tell us to simmer down and not break stuff or poke someones eye out (since I was throwing darts through the crowd from about 20 feet away from the board) which would be reasonable. But, no, he was coming upstairs to offer to wash out our shot glasses! Now that's a bartender!
One of my regular watering holes. I had driven by many times, so I finally went in, not knowing it was a gay bar. I knew this was my kind of place when the bartender (Jon) and I hit it off right away by exchanging inappropriate and dark rape jokes with each other.*
They always have a couple drink specials for about $5 and they're usually pretty good (stay away from their cobalt blue margs though). It's pretty spacious, though I'd love for them to move the pool table upstairs and make more seating areas on the first level. Having to use a key to go to the women's restroom is annoying, but I deal. (Apparently this was necessary b/c the guys were using the ladies room to engage in various forms of illicit behavior, if you catch my drift....)
All in all, I like the hospitable service, the lack of fratty douches hitting on me, and I can always count on meeting some really interesting and funny gay boyz here. Bonus: Tacos Gringos is right next door to get your grub on at drunk thirty!
*Next time you see me, ask me to tell you one of the jokes. You probably won't laugh.
Mariner Margarita! I just salivated on myself.
The drinks here are strong and even stronger (of course) if you have a Man Stick vs. a Vagoopagoop. Just sayin'. Standard, right?
This was my first *sober* gay bar experience and it was lovely! Of course, I didn't stay sober for too long...I had to destroy my liver! The upstairs loft was the perfect place for privacy and wild times. Not an exaggeration. Where else would we see illegal uses of pants dropping? (Dan "Dfens" and Will L.?)....or how bout's bewbie body shots? (Riss J. popped my body shots cherry). And where the heck else would I get such an extreme introduction to Betsy K.'s mad balancing skills? Kerrie L. was giving two thumbs up the whole night, so you know we were doing well. Michelle B. with her dart throwing skills...well, let's just say I'm glad we were in the loft. My momma always said, "less injury in a close proximity". It was great finally meeting Alyson L. who is actually a real life rockstar! Oh-and Janeane S. who is sassy to the fullest and I love it!
The bar was great, service was off the hook and the times had were excellent. Thanks all!!
A gay sports bar that's welcoming to all and has a gay boy for everyone, it appeared all types stopped in for a quick drink or two; someone for everyone just not me.
Great bartenders, unfortunately they are forced to wear a curry baby poop colored t-shirt that are fugly as hell, sorry! Black would have been a better color and matched the statues above the front door, if you haven't noticed them look up and check them out next time you head in.
They have a pool table, pinball machine, darts and a fireplace but be warned if you play darts up in the loft area it's hot at F*&K up there, it's "Gonna make you sweat til you bleed" and nobody wants to see Mitzie sweat or bleed especially Mitzie so she won't be playing darts anytime soon.
They had a very clean ladies room that was fully stocked with soap, toilet paper and paper towels so lovely for any bar on the hill be sure to grab the key behind the bar because they keep the ladies room locked.
Just a note they do not have cocktail servers so you must get you drink at the bar from one of the super friendly bartenders, who pour a good Stella and make a great cocktail, and you'll either need to keep your own tab or pay cash as you go.
The music is so random I loved it we had Depeche Mode, The Cure, Barry Manilow, Cher, Erasure it was awesome, great jukebox selection.
Awesome bartenders make up for *meh* decoration; strong drinks make up for lack of luxe furniture. Darts are way too much flinging fun after a few drinks.
They have chilled beer mugs. They have a big fire place with a gas-powered fire that will dry you off and warm you up if you've been wandering Capitol Hill for ten minutes in the rain wondering where this place is. FYI: It's across the street from The Crescent and Amante Pizza and down the street from Tacos Gringos.
Their beer is well-priced. A fellow Yelper didn't like the mixed drink they made her so they brought her a different drink free of charge. That's classy! They don't have food but they let you bring Amante pizza slices in and eat them.
The crowd is for the most part laid back. However, if you run into a drunk guy named Tim, avoid him. He will monopolize the conversation, tell you to shut up if you try to not pay attention to his dumb stories, and will be drunk off his ass by 6:00. I pondered elbowing him in the larynx to get him to leave, but I was representing the Elite at The Elite. Instead we (me, The bunneh and Betsy) just ignored him for a long time and he left.
You're welcome for the warning. Buy me a drink the next time you see me as thanks, that's all I ask. That's just the kind of stand-up guy I am.
Location: good
Decor: oye. I can't abide that weird peach color in the 'living room' area.
I'm a little over the "let's throw random stuff together and pretend like we didn't try to decorate to create a 'homey' feel'. yeah, I'm a b*tch. deal
Layout: like it! bar area, private little sitting area, pool table area and very nice upper level w/ good room and the dart boards
Drinks: Very Good. I didn't order or buy mine so I'm a little fuzzy on what I was actually drinking. ...but i did not get a weak drink all night.
(insert jab at me schooling Matt on drinking here)
Atmosphere: Welcoming and friendly to all.
Everything else I'd add is all related to the people and the DYL debauchery...so simply read every other review I've written about a bar and insert all the appropriate references to crotches, boobs, betches, shots, etc *here*
Really enjoy the Elite - especially the wait staff - Kyle, Jon, JT, and Sean are the bomb. They are so friendly and sociable. Drinks are strong. Great juke box. Big TVs. Lighting has gotten very good - items needing some attention - it's terribly warm on these hot summer nights (A/C please!), agree that the decor "sucks" and parking can be a bear :)
Gotta love a place that will experiment making a drink for you. Fellow Yelper Alyson L. introduced me to a drink called "The Godfather." She was absent at the time of ordering, so I made a guess (got it right too yay brain! Nice to know I can remember the ingredients of an alcoholic drink but I can't remember how to classify my receipts for taxes. Sigh.) and the bartender put it together for me. He let me sip it to see if it tasted right, and made adjustments for me while I was standing there, regardless of the [short] line. Awesome, man. Thanks!
I like the layout of this place, generally I like places I can wander from room to room in (and get lost in when I've had too much to drink. I'm always up for a drunken "Where's Wil-do" adventure).
We wound up chilling upstairs. Which was dangerous, as the railing was just wide enough to invite resting a drink on, but there were chairs positioned below where someone could get seriously brained by a falling drink. Recognizing that the half Italian side of me has resulted in a genetic pre-disposition to gesturing wildly, I made a mental note to
A) not rest my drink on the rail
B) stay away from other people's drinks that were resting on the rail
You'd think that there should be an item C) "Don't gesture wildly" but I like to gesture wildly. It's fun to almost put people's eyes out and splash other people's drinks all over them while I tell some tale that interests and amuses only me. :)
There are darts machines up there too. I like darts. I don't like hanging out between the throw line and the dart machine while drunken yelpers are taking wild shots and narrowly missing me. Thanks to said Italian heritage, I have a large nose that is hard to miss. ;)
(By the way, I picked up a dart and haphazardly made a throw. Scored a bulls eye. Dammit why can't I do that when I'm trying?)
Bathroom seemed clean. Location is pretty cool as well if you want to bounce around to other spots within a block or two.
And service is really great especially if you happen to be seen half dropping your pants with dfens dan.
"I'll take 'Gay Sports Bar' for $1000 Alex."
I love this place! I first stumbled into this place on our Sunday morning pub crawl w/ Drue C while she was in town. I wanted to go here because of the name... "The Elite".... like us Yelpers..... *sigh*
Sorry, I get whimsical and sentimental sometimes. :o)
Ryan, one of my two favorite bartenders here served us up a round and was great to get to know, telling us about their short history in their current location and future plans for the place.
John, my other favorite bartender, has been on shift pretty much every other time that I've been there with people. If you're in the mood to hear some nasty jokes, this is your guy!
Mainly, I always have fun here. They have different "areas" to the bar so that you can either lounge by a fake fireplace (that still keeps you nice and toasty!) or play darts or pool, or you can just sit at the bar and talk trash w/ the barkeep! They serve a good drink at this place as well.
Give it a try! :o)
Sorry. I think this bar is kind of stupid. I usually only end up here if the Crescent calls last call too early.
There are like 9 large television screens in this bar. If I wanted to watch TV, I would just stay home. But I don't want to stay home. I want to leave the TV. I want to get away from it. That's why you leave your house, and go to a bar. Also, the walls in this bar are almost neon. And it is very well lit. Too well lit. This makes for a cheap and tacky ambiance. And the jukebox. If you can call it that. It is basically a computer with a library of music that you can chose from, or you can pay extra to download a song. And if you don't want to listen to Rhianna, than you're stuck listening to that one good Prince song that you probably payed to download the last time you were here.
I guess it's just me, but all of the reasons to go to the Elite are not reasons I go to bars.
Pool, darts, plus an incredibly funny and friendly bar tending staff! The drinks are inexpensive and the atmosphere is laid back even when it's packed. It's also a great place to catch a Sounder's game!
This place was all right. Popped in for a beer and the free wifi in the afternoon. Service was prompt, but there wasn't a lot of character to this place, other than the ones sitting on stools. Occasionally someone played a song from the jukebox to fill the silent void.
Best part? They had the Food Network Channel on the tv, with subtitles. Mmm... I love me some Alton Brown. I'd come back just to drink beer and watch Good Eats.
I went here for for the first time last night with a girl-friend and it was delightful! Bartender lady was friendly, poured a strong tasty drink, the atmosphere was clean with a homey-bar feel -- I"m definitely going back!
Srrong drinks, a pool table, wi-fi, darts, friendly patrons, and an upstairs, what's not to love about this place?!
Darts, pool, The Sounders games, Great staff! This bar truly is my living room. If you get the chance stop down here asap!
I went here while hosting a Couch Surfer from SoCal. It was my first time visiting the Elite and the reviews gave an accurate expectation. It was quite hot around the bar that summer evening, but the lower area with the pool table was much cooler.
They have a Simpsons pinball machine, electronic dart boards, a pool table, some couches, and a couple large HDTVs.
Yesterday was my first experience at the elite and let's just say, being the only straight girl there I felt absolutely welcome. The bartender, Kate has the warmest smile and beautiful energy. She told me that "anyone is welcome here and if that changes there will be trouble". The drinks were made perfectly and were a super bargain!!
I will most definately recommend this place to others, gay or not and will frequent the elite on a weekly basis. Woo Hoo! Cheers to Kate and the Elite bar.
What prevents me from giving this bar more stars is decor and layout. With that much space, it shouldn't be uber-crowded in one area, then cavernous in another. And with that much wall space, and a nominally gay staff, you'd think the decor would be a bit more creative.
One star for the angry lesbian who kept yelling at patrons to stay off the pool table. She was definitely entertaining and kept things lively.
About the only gay bar I bother with anymore. It's "Gay Cheers"! But if you're looking for a cruisy, pick-up joint (which I'm not) then it's probably not for you. It's quite popular and not that big so weekend nights (or any time there's something big on TV) it's packed!
Wow - this is the nicest Elite ever! Drinks were fantastic and the company was just fine. We'll head back there for sure!
i don't remember too much... but i enjoyed the set up of this bar. it reminds me of an old home converted into a hang out bar in Capitol Hill. wooden staircases and accents... a pool table right in the middle of the "common area", couches and stools for seating and an upstairs to cater to the dart lovers.
the drinks being cheap- i don't know.
Yelpers gathering for my honor- that was awesome!
me- arriving THREE hours late to my own party.. lame!
thanks to Dan "dfens" T. for organizing this event for me.
you guys all rock my socks for attending. =D
the gay boys went half nekkid while taking pictures of my entourage. we had a jolly ol' good time giggling, being drunk (from previous parties/bars), naughty pool games and kisses from pretty girls with red lipstick. (*wink to Danika)
I like the Elite.....I like the space. I like the drinks... Cute neighborhood place...
Neighborhood: Central District
Category: Restaurants
Seattle, WA
Category: Gay Bars
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Dance Clubs
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Karaoke
Seattle, WA
Category: Gay Bars
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