First, I absolutely love the open mic night here and dance floor was so much fun. Our server was great! She made sure our table had plenty of water and always made sure our sips never went dry. My issue was the food. So to keep me safe I always order a side salad, but I needed a little protein so I also ordered some grilled chicken on the side with ranch dressing. Most of the way through my salad the started to turn in my stomach. Once the spicy chicken came out, I requested to send it back, due to the menu not specifying that the spicy chicken is only grilled chicken with Sriracha sauce poured it all over it. The menu specifies grilled with spices. Not true unfortunately. I decided to eat the grilled chicken that was plain and again my stomach started to turn. I honestly couldn't figure out if it was the chicken, the salad or the ranch dressing that was not sitting right in my stomach and boy! Let me tell you later on that evening. I ended up in the middle of the night not in the best situation. I unfortunately had food poisoning of some sort. I still think this is a great establishment to go and hang out to hear musicians, artist, and entertainers play and they have a great selection of drinks. I am taking a drawback on ordering food. As always, stay safe out there and thank you for following my reviews. I appreciate all the support. See you at my next bite. read more

Decent bar food, lots of regulars, good spot for a bite before a concert at Airport Tavern. It was fine. read more

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I've been coming to this bar for years. Service is always solid, they have music every night at about 8 and it can get a little loud. Definitely an older crowd, service is usually always on point no matter who is working. read more

Wendy Wendy Wendy... Walking into Dawsons and seeing you behind the bar immediately brings a smile to my face. Your personality is a vibe. Your service is quick. Your Bloody Marys are incredible. Fried chicken was delicious. Breakfast is always great too. But really Wendy makes the whole experience. There's another woman bartender there who's also great. Just not sure of her name (yet). Anytime I'm in the area I for sure stop. Love a good dive bar and this one is up there. read more

What a fun chill place. A man randomly told me and my wife about this bar in a winco parking lot. She loves love music so we decided to give it a try. We met the band and had some good food. It's right next to a bar we frequent so I'm surprised we never stopped in especially since the food is so good. I will be back to try the loco moco. I didn't realize they served breakfast all day! Definitely will be a regular Sunday spot for us. read more

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My wife and I and two new friends we met were early for a local evening event and stopped in Dawson's for a quick drink. This place seems pretty well liked and there were a fair number of people enjoying the evening. It was busy but not too crowded although it was like 4:30 PM when we went so it probably gets a whole lot busier later on. We sat at a small 4 top in the bar area and a couple of us ordered large sized Crown & Diet Cokes which were made quickly and were tasty. Overall, this looks to be a great local bar with a lot going on. The location is great in the Edison Square business district with lots of interesting looking businesses along the street. I'd like to shop in this area during the daytime hours when the rest of the places are open. read more

wendy the bartender is absolutely AMAZING. she had high energy, amazing attitude, down ti earth person. absolutely the most amazing person i have ever met :) your the reason my sister and i came back from a year ago. you always make my out days read more

Stopped in on a Sunday evening for some food and a few beers before an event down the street. Typical bar fare, but it was good and served quickly. The server was very attentive. The other patrons at our long table seemed to be regulars and were quite friendly. Shortly before we left a pretty decent three-piece (guitar, bass, drums) classic rock cover band started a set and they were pretty good. It was an enjoyable experience and I would be happy to visit Dawson's again. read more

So, I went to this bar and it was actually pretty nice. Our server, Trisha, was super efficient and friendly. And the place was surprisingly clean - no gross tables or sticky seats or anything like that. The bathrooms were clean and tidy! Even the atmosphere was relaxed and I enjoyed chatting with other people at the bar. I ordered the onion rings and some hand-breaded fish strips, but the fish was a little overcooked for my liking. I'd give the food a 3 out of 5. The breaded wings were overly breaded, but at least they had a "naked" option. read more

Dawson's Bar & Grill - a basket of buffalo wings and celery sticks - Bars Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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This bar is fun for everyone live music good food Janaye is the best takes care of everyone knows your drinks she's amazing all around great place to hang out with friends to eat,drink, and chill read more

Dawson's Bar & Grill - Breakfast for dinner - Bars Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

my favorite bar i love the bartenders here!!!!! the food is also delicioussss, will always come back!

Wendy is "special" and by special I mean amazing! She's always caring and contentious! God she's a bitch to everyone. read more

Dawson's Bar & Grill - Yum! - Bars Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Location easy to fine street parking no private lot. Best customer service ever great friendly people also great friendly staff the owner was very outgoing and down to earth I have to be honest with you I was expecting a dive bar with water down drinks what I got was the complete opposite amazing food amazing quality amazing quantity great options and I will definitely be back as many times as possible if I have to promote any bar as my favorite this is it I am new to the area and I will definitely be back to support this great business. My cousins are regulars and I never understood why but now I do. Moral of the story is don't judge a book by the cover. read more

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Great place for food and fun.. The staff as a whole is awesome!! Did I mention the place is fun and unique!! read more

Fun place! Great food and service and very diverse crowd. Young and old all welcome! It's dive worthy but at a higher level. We always have fun here and everyone is super friendly. read more

The good food fun atmosphere and friendly staff keep me coming back. I love coming here for a casual night out. So far I've had the wing with classic red hot sauce - delicious. Combination appetizer with cheese sticks, onion rings, and fried mushrooms mmmmm good. They let you pick three different dipping sauces ;) for the combo appetizer. I also had a burger large enough for my husband and I to split. Overall every trip to Dawson's is a good one. read more

Dawson's made it through this year of lockdowns, and I, as well as so many regulars, am so thankful! Their service continues to be top notch. Drinks are affordable with a nice selection, considering they are a neighborhood hole in the wall (which is their best quality). They have removed the pool table due to covid regulations on distancing, however the dart boards still remain! There has been some turnover in crew, which is to be expected at any food service. Initially I missed the old cook as the food took a little bit of a down turn, however they have put people in place that are working hard to make it better, and they have! Our food was perfect this last visit. Dawson's is a Tacoma institution, that makes you feel like you're family! read more

Just received my food delivered by Uber Eats from Dawson's . All I can say is I wish I found this place sooner are use Uber eats at least 10 times a month and I'm going to say this was the best meal both for the amount and the taste. Have to admit I was shocked I'll be definitely order from them again. Got the fish and chips it was delicious and the fries were delicious as well we also got a taco omelette that was just huge and wonderful. If you're close to Dawsons get Uber eats to deliver that to your house you won't be disappointed read more

Been there for breakfast 3 times. Very good steak and eggs and Bloody Mary. People are friendly and they have repeat customers who know the place and all the waiters. read more

Fine neighborhood bar & grill. It was a crowded night and very busy. I ordered a steak and it came out quickly, hot and done medium rare just like I ordered it. The crowd was loud and friendly. Seemed like most people knew each other and were very welcoming to first timers. Great live music. read more

When my friend and I are in the mood to go out dancing we head to Dawson's. I find a lot of Joy in dancing and don't mind dancing all night by myself. We especially like to go when the T-Birds are playing. The last time we went my dentist Dr. Hickey was filling in for them. Next time I go, I will probably be when he is playing with his band. We like to go early and order the fish and chips and our service has always been excellent. Thank you, Denise read more

We came here for a late lunch after attending an art expo nearby. The menu is basic bar food but the quality and taste were above average. The drinks were also very good. The service was friendly and reasonably fast. We ordered the club sandwich, nachos, chicken wings and fries. All were very good although I did not try the nachos. read more

Dawson's Bar & Grill - Huge nachos. - Bars Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Went on St Pattys Day and it was a DISASTER!!! Let's hope the food will turn things around. read more

Dawson's Bar & Grill - Green Beer aka. Heineken - Bars Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Stopped in here for lunch on a trip to Washington and was so impressed with our meal that I had to leave a review. I ordered the French dip with onion rings and the French dip was so delicious. The bread was fresh, the cheese was melted just right and the roast beef was so flavorful. Everyone I was with enjoyed their meals as well. Great portions, great prices, and the waitress was super nice too! Will be back if we're ever in the area! read more

Food was great, service was great but the allow smoking with in 2' from the door and windows. Not able to enjoy the food. I'm smelling smoke

Don't come down on Tuesday. The bartenders can't handle more than a few tables..been waiting for a while for a beer, and i was a regular, but not after tonight. Also one of the bar tenders said they would knock me out. So much for customer service. Been waiting for a simple beer for 30 min. At the bar. These 2 suck, can't handle being busy. read more

Terrible service. If you want to get COVID, this is the place to go! The waitress was wearing her mask around her chin and people were standing at the bar without masks. The food sucked too. My order was incorrect and everything else was either straight out of the freezer or stale. read more

If I could give this place 10 Stars, I totally would! Especially after reading the comment and 1 star rating from Travis down below. I was in the bar the day that he lit off that m80 and it was so loud and it sounded like a gunshot. He had a disrespectful attitude after people were clearly upset that he did that and he was laughing about it and sat down right next to me and tried to talk to me. Hopefully his 1 star review is removed. Now for the real review. I was visiting the Tacoma area from Arizona and stumbled across this awesome bar and grill. I loved the food, atmosphere, patrons (thanks to the fact they don't tolerate disrespectful people), music and drink so much that I frequented this place several times on my visit. You can't go wrong with any of the food here! Can't wait to head back!!! read more

I'm giving you a one start because I can not give them 0 stars. My wings were so soggy and soaked in sauce... yuck! Stop double coating them we like crispy wings buddy...not trying feel like im eating a birds soggy asshole lmao Super fail. Please try again. read more

Wow this place is unbelievable. O came in to enjoy a couple cocktails and was 86ed before I got my first drink. Yes, i lot a firework on the 4TH OF JULY. I couldn't believe it. And no i did not light it inside the bar i lit it out on the street. I give this place 2 thumbs down. Wish I could give 0 stars. read more

Dawson's Bar & Grill - Here's the firework.... sue me - Bars Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Look. This place wasn't much to look at. I thought I might get mugged when I was in there. The music was ehhhhh.... but I'm giving this place for one reason only. The fries. These fries were he only thing I ordered. I was there with friends and we got them for a snack and we ended up ordering several more baskets because they were so good. Do I recommend you go there? Not really. Were the fries some of the best ever? Yes. read more

You got to come to Dawson's!!!! These bartenders work their booties off serving everyone as fast and accurate as they can!!! So impressed!!these ladies rock so please tip them well! We all have a favorite bartender..... but all these ladies are awesome!!! The wings are great as well read more

Last night was a lot of fun there. Everyone seems friendly and just wanting to have a great time. Drinks are cheap but you are definitely going to get a great drink more then a 4 second pour soooo nice! Place looks a little run down but the community feel makes up for that. Average age their seemed about 50 years old read more

Dawson's Bar & Grill is a stalwart survivor in an area where many businesses don't seem to last very long. A spacious bar with several dart boards, a pool table, internet jukebox, and an outdoor patio area all help to make it a fun place to hang out anytime. I love that this place always has live music and no cover charge on the weekends. The beer selection is pretty limited-- they do have Red Hook ESB in addition to the standard Bud/Miller/Coors swill, but it'd be nice if they would rotate in a couple more micros. The drinks are strong but I wouldn't recommend a shot of the well whiskey. Whatever it is tastes like turpentine-- stick to a name brand or have it mixed with something else! I've eaten here a couple of times and the food was OK. Pretty standard bar menu/prices; the bacon cheeseburger was pretty damn good after a few beers! read more

When I moved to South Tacoma from Seattle two years ago, and cancelled my cable/TV connection, I assumed Dawsons would do fine as a cool blues bar AND a place I could satisfy my desire to watch an occasional basketball or football game on TV. It works OK as a blues bar if you can tolerate the gauntlet of smokers just outside the entrance, but as a sports bar I've had my difficulties. Although they have TVs virtually everywhere, it too often felt like pushing water upstream to get the servers to switch a TV from something no one's watching to a game I'd like to watch. I felt like I was inconveniencing them. (Maybe I'wrong to assume Dawsons is a sports bar) For example, today I wanted to watch some of the Memphis/Oklahoma game (NBA). On an entire side of the bar there was women's softball, with no one watching, and a Mariner game, also with no one watching. Still, (at a quiet time of day) it took at least ten minutes to get the server to switch a TV from women's softball, and when she finally did, it was to a low-def TV almost on the ceiling, which demanded I strain my neck just to watch "up." The large hi-def TVs on which I normally enjoy hoops still had woman's softball, which STILL had no one watching. If there was a good reason to relegate me to one of their smaller, lo-def, harder to watch TVs, she apparently didn't feel the need to fill me in. When I voiced that it was uncomfortable, she switched me to another small, high TV while women's softball still held forth of the main screen, still with no one watching. The Mariner game droned on, with no one watching. Which is why I've concluded Dawsons is a little like a private club for smokers and people who enjoy shouting at each other over tables. I don't smoke or enjoy shouting, so apparently I'm not in their club. The server ladies work hard, but I wonder if they've been there too long. Won't return, and I've spent a boatload of money there while invariably being respectful and pleasant to the servers. I don't like being treated like an outsider and as if I'm asking too much to ask they switch a channel to watch a high-def large screen if one is available. There's GOT to be better sports bars. read more

Awesome burger for the price. Friendly staff that rocks along. Can't wait to here the music.

Love the nacho's. The staff is fun, pool tables, dart boards, live music. Great place.

Dawson's is not just a bar its an experience that my age group longs for and needs. From the moment I walked in I felt a collective kindness from the patrons to the wait staff as if I had lost my tribe in the wildness and suddenly found them after years of wandering. They killed and roasted the fatted calf. Our waitress was a gem, the steak meal was superb and the beer was crisp and cold. Wednesday featured the amazing Linda Myers Band with Brian Feist as a guest, blues at its finest followed by a jam session with some of Tacoma's finest musicians. The sound was simply amazing. I left thinking about how I can return as often as possible. I'm still floating......sweet. read more

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SO bummed. i was here recently with family. my ham and egg omelette was undercooked (totally raw-watery egg) and we asked for certain substitutions due to dietary restrictions - our requests were ignored or forgotten. the knife served with my omelette had an oily handle (unclean?) it was all just such a turn off that i couldn't eat my breakfast. only plus - the server was nice and efficient. i tried to give it a chance but i can't say i will return. :( read more

Are you kidding me! What an awesome dive bar. This is a great place to listen to LIVE music and have fun. They also serve some great food with decent prices. The bartenders are all very nice and pour a good drink. They start serving food early on the weekends so you can have breakfast and start your day off right. They also have a great happy hour special Mon-Fri. Come in and see what it is, you'll be glad you did. read more