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    Boxcar Ale House

    3.8 (133 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)

    Boxcar Ale House Photos

    Business Info

    BOXCAR ALE HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Moderate noise
    Juke Box
    Karaoke

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    Maria P.

    We happened upon this place, wanted a place that was away from downtown Seattle, and Boxcar Alehouse did not disappoint us! Our bartender Nick was top notch, 15 years at this establishment. we ordered happy hour well drinks and a pitcher of beer (yep there still are places that sell pitchers of beer)! The food was flying out of the kitchen! the BLT sandwich was so good, as well as l, the French Dip! Parking is available, for free! We will be back!

    a pool table in a bar
    Amanda A.

    I shocked myself and found to love this place! I've made some buddies with regulars and while I've come in the past (pre-pandemic), I forgot how enjoyable it is to come here. I've seen the typical magnolia-ite b*taches and just regulars. It's a great time every time, with decent pours and friendly staff that chill and even come hang after their shift. I dig it! For food, I've only had the burger and wings but need to revisit the wings as naked with sauce options on the side per a friend recommendation. The burger is good! And the fries are those Kringle kind, so FYI as everyone likes/dislikes fries a certain way lol As of Jan 2022 (my bday month!!), karaoke is only on Saturday's.

    Michelle R.

    Cute dive! Very chill, relaxed dive bar. Lots of seating, and games to play if you want. Standard bar prices, nothing special but it did seem like they have a lot of specials during the week that were worth checking out! I will def be back

    BLT
    Belikewater W.

    Karaoke with Easton, live bands, covered smoking outdoor dining area with tv's, good food, affordable booze, & friendly bartenders. Get the tater tots! I wish they had TouchTunes jukebox instead of old school cd's. Takes too long to find a song. I call this the Magnolia Targy's. Great local beloved dive with a lot of fishing industry folks. I leave Queen Anne for this place.

    Emily S.

    A good bar in Magnolia. Not too fancy. Lots of street parking out front. There is a great happy hour menu. Cheap food that we missed out on. There was also Karaoke when we went. Phoenix even went up to sing :) I like this place because it's not too loud so you could talk to your friends while drinking. Also to pass the time, they had a few games you could play. . . we played a few rounds of Jenga. Would come back.

    Salad was HUGE!
    Lesley D.

    This place gets 4 stars instead of 3 based on the karaoke and the beer selection alone. Come here for a great dive bar in Magnolia with decent enough food and great beers! Pros: Vitamin R & PBR + tons of "good" beer selections as well Karaoke! Great dive bar vibe Cons: Its a little off the beaten path

    No way!  My little bro and I.  Two for 2!  Checking out the juke box my local "dive bar" - the Boxcar Ale House!

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    16 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    14 years ago

    I love the dip sandwich and the luau burger good beers on tap people seem friendly great place to get away from the world for an hour or two

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    16 years ago

    pretty cool on the weekends, expect to have a good time

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    Page 4 of 4

    Ask the Community - Boxcar Ale House

    Review Highlights - Boxcar Ale House

    Thursday & Saturday night karaoke is taken very seriously, I sometimes forget I'm in a bar and think I'm at a Colosseum.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Buckley's In Belltown

    Buckley's In Belltown

    3.7
    (571 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$

    I love Buckley's! The pub food, large variety of libations, fun atmosphere and great service it's…read moredefinitely a hot spot to be for a game or just getting together with friends! I've become great friends with Dan and Fran who are stellar bartenders & waiters. They are attentive (always make sure the glass is full), fun and outgoing. Never a bad time! One thing to mention is the happy hour from 3-5! They have great deals on burgers, tacos, sides and drinks. I'd definitely recommend Buckley's to anyone 21+

    Shared a bunch of appetizers at this sports bar in downtown Seattle. It got very packed, and there…read morewas only one server rushing around trying to get everybody. What they're known for is their Thai Sesame ribs. Well, at least the sauce on these were decent. Unfortunately, the meat was bone-dry. It was tough, chewy, and a slog to get through. Ribs are supposed to have enough fat. I don't know what went wrong here, but if that's what they're known for, that's not a good sign. The only good food item was the pub wings. These actually had a good buffalo sauce, and the meat was relatively juicy. The cheese curds were not cheese curds. They were ball-shaped mozzarella sticks. There's a difference. The tots were at least fine. Although lacking some crispiness Pretty much all the appetizers here are over $15 - so the only kind of good value is the tots for how much you get. Overall, you're going to need to buy a lot of drinks to get over how below-average the food is. 3/10

    Photos
    So dark but cool with all the college flags.
    So dark but cool with all the college flags.
    Chicken Quesadilla
    Chicken Quesadilla
    Thai Sesame Ribs

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    Thai Sesame Ribs
    LOCAL Public Eatery Terry Ave

    LOCAL Public Eatery Terry Ave

    4.0
    (680 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$

    Hours and hours walking around Seattle, we were hungry. Locals helped satisfy the hunger…read more People enjoying the bar side of the restaurant while our family of seven enjoyed the restaurant. By the time we had dinner, although hungry, it was past 8 and we needed to eat a little lighter and mostly had apps, so not sure how light that meal really was. Everyone enjoyed their dish. Because it was a bit cold, my younger sister got the fried chicken ramen. Fried chicken was not chicken katsu but fried chicken. The chicken was a bit salty while the ramen had a good amount of spice to it. Ramen broth was really good, especially on a cold night for me being from Hawaii. The only thing that was a bit disappointing was the cheese perogies. I enjoy perogies and haven't had any while on this trip to Seattle so a bit of a bummer. It was more like cheese ravioli. However best part of dinner was having the family together. And we ended the night on a good note. And the staff, so sweet. We appreciate you all for accommodating our family. See you all on our next family trip.

    Food: 10/10. This is hands-down one of the best Caesar salads I've had in Seattle. The flavor was…read morecompletely mind blowing. I do wish there were more protein added on since you pay extra for the protein but overall, this was a great salad. Definitely filling and worth it. Service: service is great very attentive customer service. Ambiance: I did not expect this eatery to be so spacious. There were people working on their computer. They were folks hanging out with friends for drinks and then there was others just so like myself reading a book or people watching.

    Photos
    LOCAL Public Eatery Terry Ave
    Shrimp Dumplings
    Shrimp Dumplings
    Hawker's Street Curry

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    Hawker's Street Curry
    The Bridge

    The Bridge

    4.1
    (396 reviews)
    7.2 mi
    $$

    Came here for happy hour with some colleagues. The ambiance was nice and the patio was so nice with…read morefire pits. I ordered the rosemary popcorn, fried green beans, and cheese curds. These are the best cheese curds ever bc the batter isn't heavy like other cheese curds I've had. It's tempura battered so it's light and you can taste the cheese more. The jalapeño strawberry dip and ranch are good dips, but try them together and it will blow your mind. The fried green beans were okay. They did have a heavier batter on them and I wish they had the same batter the cheese curds had. The spicy dip was good! The rosemary popcorn was delicious! It had just enough butter and the perfect amount of rosemary where it's not overpowering. Once you get to the bottom, there's tons of butter and you just dip and soak it up with the popcorn. Also, PATTI was AMAZING!!!! She checked in on us throughout the evening. She's very sweet and I will be back bc of Patti!

    If you think all you can get here is bar food, you'd be wrong. There are some amazing proper meals…read moreon the menu that will surprise and delight. Solid beer selection with rotating drafts, and if you're a soda guy, they use all Seattle Soda Company flavors (supporting local business). Had the brisket dinner tonight and that was a very pleasant surprise. Fall apart tender, amazing rich flavor, decadent sauce, with creamy mash. The seasonal veg was brussells sprouts which could have been roasted a bit more to crispy for me but that's a personal preference. This is way more satisfying than the food you'd get at your typical local bar. I've been to The Bridge a half dozen times and every time has delivered. Solid food. Good service. Great outdoor patio. Neighborhood vibes - the type of place where the bartenders know and recognize the locals, and the locals are regulars. I like that. It's a welcoming place, casual, laid back, and though I haven't been there during too many sports games, even when it's on, it doesn't seem to get too rowdy. Brunch is a must do, with options like the Benny flight. Definitely one of the less known brunch spots in my opinion, but even so, can still get busy so go early. Only reason I've done 4 stars is I've had a few times where service was a little slow. Would absolutely return again and again and have recommended to many friends. Keep up the great work team, may you be successful for many years to come.

    Photos
    St Patrick's Day options at the bar
    St Patrick's Day options at the bar
    The Bridge
    Wedge salad and pesto chicken

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    Wedge salad and pesto chicken
    Legion Sports Bar

    Legion Sports Bar

    3.8
    (277 reviews)
    8.8 mi
    $$

    The server who was moving to Port Townsend in two weeks was…read moreextremely nice sharp a beautiful personality We had to wait for our fried chicken because they had not prepared it quick enough I have to admit it was good it was very very slow in there I think there was only one other couple but I would give it a five star rating and I would go back because it had a wonderful ambience

    My best friend and I decided to check out Legion because we kept hearing about it and wanted to see…read morewhat the hype was about. I made a reservation ahead of time, but when we got there around 8 pm we realized we probably didn't need one because it was seat yourself and still pretty open. No complaints though, it made it easy to grab a table and settle in. The vibe was cool. Definitely a sports bar feel with TVs around, and as the night went on the DJ started getting set up which I can imagine makes it a fun spot on a Friday night for people meeting up after work or hanging out with friends. We decided to share a few things so we could try a little bit of everything. We ordered the catfish bites, lemon pepper wings, garlic parmesan wings, and macaroni and cheese. I'll start with the positives because the service was great. Everyone we interacted with was friendly and helpful, which always makes a difference. Food-wise, it just didn't totally hit for me. The catfish bites had a really tasty batter, but the texture threw me off a little. I personally like my catfish cooked a little harder, and these were a bit soft for my liking. The lemon pepper wings were a little too salty for me, and the wings themselves weren't cooked quite the way I like them. I tend to like my wings cooked a little harder, so these felt a bit soft and bulky to me (if that makes sense). The garlic parmesan wings were okay flavor-wise, but still similar in texture. The macaroni and cheese was okay. Nothing bad, just pretty standard. The menu itself has a good mix of comfort food and bar favorites like chicken and waffles, shrimp & grits, burger & fries....so there are definitely options to try. Overall, the service were great, the vibe was cool and I can definitely see this being a fun spot once the DJ gets going and the place fills up. The food just didn't quite land for me personally this time. I gave it 3 stars, but if Yelp allowed half stars it would probably be closer to a 3.5 for me. I'd still be open to coming back and trying a few other things on the menu.

    Photos
    Peach tings 2/5 it was strong which is good but absolutely no peach flavor
    Peach tings 2/5 it was strong which is good but absolutely no peach flavor
    Shrimp toast 3.5/5 Thick, almost Texas style toast but just a small sliver of shrimp paste. The sauce tho, so damn good!
    Shrimp toast 3.5/5 Thick, almost Texas style toast but just a small sliver of shrimp paste. The sauce tho, so damn good!
    Chopped cheeseburger 2/5 fries were super soggy with no real flavor or seasoning. Burger was pretty good but nothing special

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    Chopped cheeseburger 2/5 fries were super soggy with no real flavor or seasoning. Burger was pretty good but nothing special
    Metropolitan Grill

    Metropolitan Grill

    4.2
    (2.3k reviews)
    3.9 mi
    $$$$

    Best steak I've ever had at a restaurant. This place is expensive but you get what you pay for and…read moreI went in prepared for the price tag. The drinks were great, not overly strong, but by no means weak. I had two martinis and my husband had a whiskey and coke. Our server was so kind and checked in regularly. He seemed really knowledgeable about the food and there was no lag time. My baked potato was amazing with all the fixings- cheese, sour cream, green onions. I appreciated he mashed it up a little before serving (little things I notice). Steak was easy to cut and went down smooth. Would definitely come again!

    The food was wonderful, but the server wasn't good. He was rather impatient when I asked for his…read morerecommendations for the temperature of the ribeye - I usually like my steaks done rare, but I had heard that fattier cuts like ribeye benefit from more heat to render out the fat. I ended up getting medium rare which was perfect, but he basically snapped at me for asking. Yikes. Sorry I need a little insight from my waiter, who is supposed to wait on me! This colored the perception of my meal greatly unfortunately. I love how they included flaky salt with their house bread. The house bread was very pretty as it had a pattern from the banneton. Lighter in texture though, without much of a crispy crust. The Classic Caesar Salad was great. Not many places include whole anchovy fillets. The lettuce was crisp, and the croutons crunchy! It was light dressed and included a grilled lemon half if you wanted more flavor. Very refreshing. The ribeye was very tender and flavorful. There was the perfect sear on it, and while I didn't know how long it was aged, it clearly met the goal of increasing the complexity of the meaty flavor. It was super beefy, and the fat was so tender. No gristle here! The asparagus spears were the largest I've ever seen, yet they were still tender. I'm not sure I would return or recommend this place due to the service. A shame.

    Photos
    Private Dining - Vintage Room
    Private Dining - Vintage Room
    Met "Long Bone" Ribeye
    Met "Long Bone" Ribeye
    Private Dining - Board Room

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    Private Dining - Board Room

    Boxcar Ale House - divebars - Updated July 2026

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