saw my friend's band play here and i loved the vibe. all the bartenders were super nice and one even gave me a glass of water even though i was standing in front of the water station lol (to be fair to myself, i had just walked in and couldn't see it). it was really packed and it was a weeknight, too. it's not some super special unique place; it's a regular dive with the typical ballard dive feel... but it just felt fun in there and everyone that was there was having a great time! i'll be back for sure. read more

Conor Byrne Pub - larches - Pubs Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Had a great time here! Unfortunately we had to leave before the live music but I could tell it would be a great spot to listen to music. Shout out to our bartender, who was fabulous and made us feel so comfortable. Also, the best poured Guinness I've had in Seattle. read more

Conor Byrne Pub - Guinness - Pubs Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We've been here a couple times and it's been a great experience every time. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable. They have great live music. The bands are fun and entertaining. Although they don't have food you can bring food from outside. There are plenty of options close by. We even left and came back with ice cream in between music acts. They also have a great mocktail menu. read more

Hi there! Wanted to flag this bar has re-opened as a cooperative! Still an amazing music venue with fun drinks! I love the country dance nights on Tuesday. Please go visit this wonderful pub. read more

Visiting from DC and was lured into Conor Byrne Pub by the band Snafflehound. Lead singer Natalie and mates performed a terrific set accompanied by a pint of Guinness. read more

Conor Byrne Pub - Snafflehound - Pubs Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great music, great food, great drinks, great atmosphere....one of the hippest bars in Ballard with the most amazing staff and some of the best local acts you never knew existed! ADRIA FOR PRESIDENT!!!! read more

Great neighborhood pub. A Ballard landmark. It's better for open mic than it is for full band because there's no green room for bands to put all their gear so it gets really cluttered in the seating areas. Plus the sound is harder to control in bigger band settings vs open mic. I suggest checking out an open mic on Sundays tho! Gotta keep the music venues open and running in the days of seattle condos taking over. read more

Wow, so glad I stopped in! This place has lots on tap and a really relaxing vibe. Seemed like a lot of the "proper" locals and not the pretentious Balladites. (whatever that means; you know what it means) There's live music pretty often, so stop in and make some cool music-minded friends, the bartender was cool.. there's really nothing much to eat, but they will let you bring stuff in from the outside. So total win. read more

This place gets some pretty solid music acts! Worth checking the schedule as they have a dance floor which can be fun to go Two stepping at on country night! I only come for shows usually but the staff are always friendly and their drinks are decently priced. I can't speak to their food as I haven't ever eaten here but enjoy it for music! Check ahead as sometimes they have a cover. read more

What a joke! Dolly Parton tribute @ 8 still no music @ 9 .PAYED $20 for what??? No Dolly here. Would not recommend next year. read more

Conor Byrne Pub - Pubs Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Stopped in to watch the Seahawks whomp on the Rams. Bar is dive, which is fine, but probably comes to life later than 2:00 pm. The place was pretty full, and there was only one bartender for the whole place, tables included. Bartender was polite but not especially urgent; we had to walk up to bar from our table for first round. Beer selection was passable, but not phenomenal and without a large number of local brews, something I look for. My biggest issue was that this was yet another bar that thinks an Irish name, some Celtic font, and Triquetras on the signage make it an Irish pub. Nope. Give me some Irish ambiance, and we'll talk. read more

$7 cover charge on a Thursday night seemed steep. The staff is friendly, but you'd think they're rude or indifferent, which is not the case. Every once in a while they'll check up on you. Also it seemed the regulars weren't treated any differently either. The live music is nice. The beer selection is great, but the beers on tap seemed rather flat to me. Ask for samples cuz some are either too flat, too watered down, or just plainly nasty. But it has charm I guess. I'd come back again if I'm in the area. read more

Poor service. Rachael acted annoyed that she had to wait on us! She served us lukewarm/flat beer and cider. She seems really tight with the regulars-oh well! She did give us happy hour prices, so 1 star it is!! read more

I come here almost every Sunday for open mic nights. The local singer-songwriter scene is fantastic in Seattle. They host open mic from 8 until midnight or so on most Sundays. During football season, the Seahawks game is on. I've never seen them run a drink special. I see 3 regular bartenders here. Two are pretty decent but one can be a bit surly. The Boilermaker is the best deal here! Can't be beat. Listed prices don't include tax, which is annoying, but only mildly so. They have a solid list of craft beers on tap and decent whiskey, too. Good spot on Ballard Ave. read more

Guy carding the door was stoned out of his mind, so you can imagine the service. Girl behind bar was good but the beer was warm both tap and bottle. Cute pub but management lacking. Didn't order food cause I was warned by a local. read more

Somehow in all my years of being 21+, I hadn't made it to Conor Byrne until my sister-in-law invited us to see live music one night recently. It's a fairly laid-back, standard Irish Pub, but they don't serve food. I was a little disappointed about that, but I assume they can get away with it because they're essentially a music venue. At any rate, when you come knowing there's no food, it's a decent little bar. We were sitting close to the "stage" so we could hear the music really well, although I don't know how the acoustics are for the rest of the bar. It wasn't too crowded, at least not when we arrived close to 8pm, although it started to fill up more as the night went on. I ordered a Harp so I can't speak to drinks, really - there was usually a line at the bar so service took a little while, but wasn't too slow. All in all, a-OK with nothing really standing out on either end of the spectrum. read more

Simple Equation= ZERO cover (I'm friends with the door guy) MINUS 3 Guinness and a Magners over ice PLUS 1 hot team of Hurlers- think 'Rugby/ La crosse' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurling PLUS 1 for Reminiscing with your old HS friend you just happen to run into.. = ... -1? Sorry.. my head hurts a little today. WHATEVER. Who cares!??! Oh, and the bartender rang the bell halfway through the night for no reason at all.. DRINKS on him! Seeeriously.. I love Connor Byrne. THE END. read more

I knew I had to be at an Irish pub for St. Patrick's Day and Conor Byrne was the spot. My boyfriend really likes this place, so we ate the $10/person cover to get in. The place was packed, but not overly so. By the time we got inside, it was standing room only, but there was plenty of space for us to stand and chat. We spent the evening sipping on some good, solid cider. I'm usually not much for hard cider, but even I was impressed. The inside is pretty welcoming and the layout and lighting are both nice. The bartenders are quite friendly, which is a welcome change from some of the other bars in Ballard. The music was a bit lame that night, but it didn't put too much of a damper on our mood! I will definitely be back to this place! read more

I've gone to this establishment several times for shows. The staff is friendly and I think the drinks are well made. I always had a screwdriver when I drank. The first time my song was released I heard it being performed live by a local band at this venue, so it has a special place in my heart. The only reason for the 4 stars is sound quality, I think it could be better. read more

Soup of the Day: Whiskey Seriously? You are my favorite bar now. The ginger and Jameson is pretty much heaven in a glass as well. Perfect place to go if Walrus & Carpenter gives you a "1 to 2 hour" wait for a table. More perfect place to go if Jameson is one of your food groups. read more

Seems more like one of the forgotten bars along Ballard and I can't remember the reason why. It's actually pretty nice. I liked the brick interior and it's a little bit bigger than you expect from the outside. You've got a small space in back where the stage is which seems like it would be great for live music. The stage isn't much off ground level and you could almost reach out and touch the performers. Or easily pelt them with produce, such as with a Crosby Egyptian. Which I recently learned is a type of beet. One downside is that they don't serve grub, but do allow you to bring in other food. Sadly I learned this fact after I had contemplated eating the fliers off the walls most of the evening. Other than the PBR cans, another highlight is that they serve Great Lakes ($4) on tap here! But I was here for trivia, which was pretty good. They do a wide variety of categories and have a bonus round which seems to be random: this week the bonus was a fashion show (eh, sort of). All in all a good time. By most scoring systems our team did not win (for example, the most correct answers), but that really doesn't take into account the concept of trivia momentum. You see, we were doing better in the later rounds of the game and clearly had momentum on our side. The way I look at it, if the game had gone on much longer we certainly would have won. The other teams should consider themselves lucky that we ran out of time....... read more

I started going to Conor Byrne when a friend invited me to see her Irish step dance group. I continued to go back because it is the least pretentious bar in Ballard. They only serve beer and wine, they always have a great music lineup during the week and weekend, and the staff have always been friendly. read more

When my band was booked to play here, I thought, "Oh, just another Irish pub". However, Conor Byrne turned out to be far better than any other Irish pub I've been to in Seattle. The atmosphere here is probably the best part about this place. On a busy Saturday night, the crowd was cheerful and friendly. Everyone seemed like they were just out to have a good time with their friends...no sleaze or pretentiousness or anything like that. Perhaps this was because the crowd was a bit older than the Cap Hill bars I find myself frequenting. I'd say most people at Conor Byrne were in their late 20's or 30's. The expansive dark wood bar is the centerpiece of the establishment and gives the pub a beautiful classic look. I love the mirrors behind the bar. In many bars, mirrors can look cheesy and cliche, but Conor Byrne pulls it off well. The bartenders are great! All the staff members I talked to were extremely personable and gave me great recommendations for food and drink. I am not sure about the food situation here. A co-worker told me that they have good sandwiches, but when I asked one of the bartenders about food he said their kitchen wasn't open yet and advised me to go next door to Lock & Keel to get take-out sandwiches. This was around 9pm...so if the kitchen isn't open at 9pm, when *is* it open? Forget about the food, though. That's not why you're here. (Else the kitchen would be open more, right?) Let's talk about the important stuff. Conor Byrne is definitely an awesome place for live music! The stage is elevated and quite large (for a bar). There's a great honky-tonk piano and generous space in front of the stage for dancing. Cover is also very reasonable. When my band performed, we were on a bill with two other groups. Cover for the evening was $7 - excellent for 3+ hours of music! The two bands we played with really brought the house down, especially the headlining act! Everyone was cheering and dancing. The music was very much the focus of the evening. You could tell that most of the people were there specifically for the music. This is great for the musicians and captive audience, but might not be so great if you're looking for a quiet place to gossip with your BFF or whisper with your honey. Just be sure to remember that on Saturday nights, Conor Byrne is all about the live music. read more

Dear Conor Byrne, I love you. In fact, Conor Byrne: if you weren't a neighborhood institution, I'd marry you. I love you for your total unpretentiousness. I love you for your lovely staffers. I love you for the other patrons, who also love you. I love knowing that I don't have to painstakingly strategize my night in Ballard, that I can always come to you and hear great live music, at a wee nominal cover (buying tix in advance is so annoying). Sometimes I even take your hula hoop for a twirl, or play cards with friends over beer. It doesn't matter. It's always a good time. Mostly, I love knowing that even though you've changed hands, that you are still a gem of a neighborhood pub. Yes, this is true love...and I hope it's 4-ever. xoxo, Shannon read more

Wednesday night at Conor Byrne = Brainiac Beatdown Trivia! It was tricky competing against the regular teams. Their smug we-won't-even-smile-when-we-win expressions told me they had been there a time or two. Or nine thousand. Well I was perfectly happy with my third-to-last place, thank you. You can take your team hats and do a jig for all I care. ANYway, this was one of the best trivia nights I've been to, and not just because I knew one of the awesome Trivia Masters. It wasn't crowded, it wasn't loud, and heckling was encouraged. The bar itself is also great. They don't have food, but allow you to bring in food from outside. Dante's Inferno Dogs, anyone? Throw in $2.50 PBR's and the Mariner's game on in the background, and you've got yourself a fine evening ahead of you. read more

Good Irish neighborhood joint in Ballard. If you don't feel like driving to Pike Place and dealing with parking for Kell's, this place is a good fill-in. read more

Great place. Open mic on Sundays are awesome, such an awesome line up of local musicians. It might be hard to get into the list of performers since it's pretty popular. And as someone who doesn't drink, this place has the best homemade ginger ale. Obsessed. read more

They wouldn't let my 70 year old parents visiting from Ireland in the pub because they didn't have their passport, even though they had their Irish drivers licenses. Every other bar in town waved them in. Nothing Irish about this place. read more

I've been wanting to come here for a while now and finally made it out after dinner at Bastille a couple weekends ago. We happened to be out on the night of the Ballard Jazz Walk. At around 10PM, the bar was already packed and most seats were already taken. We found a little space standing at the bar and hung out there for a couple of the jazz band's songs. While it was really crowded here, it was a great intimate venue for jazz. The bartenders were very attentive and they had some great beers on tap (Hale's, Fremont Brewing, etc.). I'll definitely be back here again! read more

Nice little pub (beer and wine). Service has always been good. Great place for local music....bluegrass, alt-country, etc... My friend's band used to play here a lot when they first started out. Always enjoyed the bar. read more

Saturday night Karaoke minus the Karaoke machine & monitor. Pick a song book out of the bin and the resident piano man will provide the music. Bartenders were friendly even though they were busy busy. Oh and... if you are looking for a place to hang out after your wedding we saw an entire wedding party come through the door. Could be an Irish thing though. read more

Made it here for an early NYE Ballard scamper. I do have to say that this was a great place to start the night. The warm and big bar was chill, and the barkeep was cool. Since this is an Irish pub, my bro and I went with Black & Tans (Smithwicks with Guiness layered on top). My sister in law had a Hot Totty, which I stole a drink of and found mighty tasty. They played some nice music---good drinkin' music, and they were fixin' ta get ready for a band on this particular evening (I heard they have bands here most nights). So yes, I now have a new pub to call home when I'm haunting Ballard. read more

Came here on a a Friday night. $8 cover and the horrendous music started after we paid for our $6.60 beers. The place cleared out so fast once the music started. It really was some of the worst music I've ever heard. I hope it's not like this every weekend, but I won't gone back to find out. read more

I always have a good time here. They serve Guinness in the original Guinness pint glasses!!! Music is good, they have a very lively open mic I will always recommend this place read more

Yeah, you heard me. One star. Why is this? Well, on my second visit to this fine establishment, I had a run-in with a drunk. It was my first such experience in 2 years in Seattle, and left a rather bitter taste in my mouth. I can't really fault the establishment for this itself, but what I really didn't like is after it happend, the old drunk dude who basically had a major problem with people under the age of 30 being out in Ballard on a Tuesday night socialized with the bartender AND waitress for a good ten minutes before leaving, thus making our table completely unattended (and no we weren't drunk or even buzzed). They continued to ignore us until we finally closed out and left. It's a nice place and all, but when you come in to a bar on a slow night, pay a voluntary cover, order a round of drinks, then find out the attention of a drunk is more important than your night out, how can you possibly give it a favorable review? read more

One the last places on Ballard Ave that still feels like Old Ballard. Great open mic; the selection of beers and whiskeys is superb. Whoever owns this place is definitely a drinker and who knows his or her booze. Best nights to check out are the Sunday open mic (where Head & The Shart allegedly formed) and the Tuesday country dancing night, which is a hoot and free! read more

Yep, yep, yep. I've been to Conor Byrne a few times and have always had a blast. Great place to go if you have a hankering for some live music and some great people watching. My sweetie and I popped in on a Saturday night and had the great time we knew we would have. My biggest gripe is that I wish they would check the line on their tonic water... I'm a hardcore Vodka tonic drinker whenever I go to my favorite pubs. It is my go to drink when I'm not in the mood for a delicious beer.. and I swear their tonic tastes like Sprite. Which was icky as I hate drinking any type of too sweet drinkl! But, Conor Byrne is such a cool place and such a deliciously divey place with great beer on tap and great live bands, you let stuff like that slide. And it is pretty cool that you can buy little bowls of peanuts and chips for $1! Perfect when you need a little something salty to snack on to tide you over until you get to put some food in your tummy! Conor Byrne is simply an awesome place, I enjoy it the most because it always has such a cool mix of people that wander in to enjoy the music and this cool pub always reminds me of why I love Seattle and the Ballard neighborhood, the diversity rocks! Look around Conor Byrne and you will see twentysomethings-fortysomethings, hipsters, hopsters, blue collarers, white-collareres, white people, brown people, pink people, red people and yellow people mixing, mingling, drinking and bobbing their heads to the music and everyone is having a damn good time! Cool pub... great drinks, great live music from local bands, and overall great place to hangout on a Saturday night! Go check it out!!! read more

I like places that don't serve liquor. Why? Because it deters the people who like to order buttery-nipples and cosmos and attracts the people who like to avoid puking in the bathroom or wet tee-shirt contests (whatever, you get my drift) ... this makes for a relaxed environment, conducive to conversation. They have their share of nights with live music and trivia, but even with these events the place is calm. I love how they have one amazing bartender who is always on top of things even though she can barely see over the counter. Ten thumbs up! read more

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Stopped by here not too long ago for a show. This place is pretty good by my book! The staff was friendly and they had a few ciders to choose from, which is always a plus. Sound was decent too. Overall, I loved the vibe. Felt nice and cozy on a chilly night! read more

well in response to Johnny's H.'s comment I'd have the exact same reaction and rating. However, personally I've had nothing but great times at this bar. It's typically got decent live music and a cool vibe. I kind of wish they had an open mic these days but no worries. The bar layout is so typical to the Ballard style of watering holes but somehow they made room for music in the back. Let me just say you did the right thing! Close to the Tractor Tavern but this place provides a much chiller atmosphere. Sometimes that's better. read more