As both a patron and a performer, I can say that Egan's Ballard Jam House is one of Seattle's most intimate and welcoming spaces for live jazz. The staff is great and attentive, yes, the blueberry cheesecake is as delicious as everyone says. If you love small, community‑driven jazz rooms, please support this venue and the artists who play here. read more

Egan's Ballard Jam House - Latin jazz band at Egan's - Restaurants Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Has all the makings of something that could be good, but overall falls well short of the mark. Calling this a dinner venue is beyond a stretch. A chicken sandwich and nachos order yielded clearly reheated frozen chicken, and I'm pretty sure the nachos were put in the microwave to melt the cheese and then sat for 30 minutes before being brought to the table. Never mind that it took over 40 minutes to bring a plate of nachos somehow... Did they grow the potatoes from scratch for the chips? I'll never know. Dish was cold. Cheese glazed over and rubbery. Chips chewy rather than crunchy. Chicken dry and inedible with no seasoning and no flavor. The sandwich, a similar story. Extremely bare bones, you could make it yourself 3 times over for cheaper. If at this point you're thinking maybe just drinks then, you'd be mistaken. An old fashioned tasted more like water than booze. It's absolutely criminal charging for that. Maybe beer and wine is the only safe option. Came for an open mic night (that requires a cover? Strange). Stage musicians were exceptionally talented, which is the only thing saving this from 0 stars. If you come. And that's a big if. Eat a hearty meal elsewhere before arriving. read more

I came to Egan's Jazz House for the first time to see the Elena Maque Band live show with my hubby. Cars will be parked on the street. It opened at 6 pm, so we were the first to go there at that time. Lol When I entered the Egan's, the friendly staff greeted us brightly. The live room on the right is a nice atmosphere and a small space with a big window. We sat at a table for four chairs, but we ended up sharing our table during the live performance. If you don't want to share and sit, you can choose a table for two people. We've dressed up quite a bit, but most of us were casual. We came here to eat dinner but the menu was not very promising. We ordered Mediterranean Chicken, mini BLT, ginger ale, and Tom Collins. We had a quick meal and enjoyed playing the Elena Maque Band. We want to come back here again. read more

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Really bummed with the experience. Egan's has a lot of potential but there are a lot of things that need to be addressed. We went to Egan's to see our friend (a Jazz Singer) perform. We made reservations for 2 in advance, which was very easy to do via email. When we arrived, the host found our reservation and charged us the cover for the performance. They seated us right away, but our table was right in front of the stage and drummer. We couldn't even get in and out without all of the tables and chairs around us having to be moved. It's clear they pack way more tables and chairs in than is comfortable. This also meant that our server had an impossible time getting to us or any of the other diners around us comfortably, so we had to shout over the table next to us to get our orders heard. The tables were so tiny that our 2 meals, two cocktails, two waters, and our appetizer didn't fit on our table. I had to hold, then chug my drinks in order to make room. The place was packed and there seemed to only be two servers for the entire place (including those in the outdoor seating area). Our server did not attempt to check on us even one time between getting our food and getting our bill. There was just no way to even get our server's attention; it was so loud, and she seemed so stressed that she avoided eye contact and ignored the multiple tables trying to get her attention. When we finally got her over, she was rude and unfriendly and seemed annoyed that we needed more water. For food, we ordered the gumbo (added cornbread for 2.50 and sour cream for 0.50), Southwest Bowl, and loaded potato. Everything was mediocre and kind of bland. We ended up not eating most of our food and had to pick up food on the way home to eat since dinner was so unsatisfying. If we ever go to Egan's to watch a performance again, we'll eat somewhere else first and only order drinks here. It was also incredibly hot in there (we went in August). They had the doors open, but there needed to be more fans or AC because we were miserably hot the entire performance, especially with so many bodies packed in there. Overall, it was a pretty disappointing experience. We will likely only choose to go back if there's a specific performer we want to see. read more

Egan's Ballard Jam House - Loaded Baked Potatoes - very bland and potatoes were undercooked. - Restaurants Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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This was my first time at Egan's - to enjoy a Cabaret Festival event. The people were welcoming and friendly. The seating was intimate (tight, but everyone was cozy and friendly). The vegetable-forward food was quite good! read more

First time at Egan's with a group of friends to watch Christine Gunn, Reggie Garett, Chris Chandler, Paul Benoit and others. So much fun! Loved the ambiance. We ordered all different plates of food and loved everything. Only thing, they don't have dark/port beer but the red was very nice. The staff was friendly and attentive to everyone's needs. Can't wait to return. PS Friends reserved a table. read more

The venue itself, the music, and the staff are 5 stars! The food was 3 stars. They do make their revenue on food and drink sales, so when we return, and we most definitely will, we will probably order drinks only. Well, maybe dessert as the cheesecake was really good. Other than the food, this venue is exactly what I was hoping to find here in Seattle. We've gotta keep supporting jazz music! read more

Very small and cozy jazz venue indeed. I love the casual environment and how friendly everyone was here. Definitely recommend this for a fun date night. One server served all the tables but she was very friendly and attentive, our foods and drinks came out quick. Wish they could add more in the menu, we did not order main courses because nothing really caught our eyes. We were the night with a jazz French group's performance and the music was not good, very amateur, but it's not the venue's fault. I am not sure about other artists that perform here but for a $12 cover charge I can't complain. read more

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I loved my experience here and would love to return again. It's a very intimate space - all of the tables are so close to the stage that listening to the music almost felt like an unspoken conversation between the audience and the musicians. The decor is cozy and chummy, and felt relaxing and welcoming. The staff were all friendly to me and my friend Kim. The sound quality is superb and the music is unique, unexpected, and unpredictable in the best possible ways (at least on the night that I went - I know that they have a wide variety of musicians perform overall!). The musicians seemed really happy in the space from what I could tell. They smiled so much that I couldn't help but smile a lot too just looking at how happy they were. They opened up a lot in between sets and told sweet, funny, endearing, and/or personal stories about the songs. They went into more depth in their song explanations than typical live music show song intros, while not being too long-winded, and I think that had to do with the intimate feel of the space. I only had a couple of drinks, so I am not able to comment on the food here. Overall, highly recommended for a cozy, enjoyable, uplifting night out. read more

I love love love this place. They have the perfect combination of intimate but casual club atmosphere, great simple food and service and quality of live music is great!!! read more

Have had this place on my to do list for a long time, finally paid them a visit and was not disappointed. Wonderful live music location. Small intimate room with not much room between tables and chairs. Only one wait staff for the entire room and they did an amazing job of trying to keep everyone happy. We had a party of four and enjoyed the food (limited menu) and our beverages. They have a website with the upcoming shows, check them out. read more

Super fun neighborhood Jazz house. The cost to get in isn't high and like the Jazz rocks. The evenings are fun and the house can be packed but like it's not super rowdy. Beer is reasonable price for the area but the menu is meh. Can be a bit cramp on busy nights but like hey musicians playing fun lil hangout what do you expect. The staff has the doors open sometimes on the side and you can hear and see a bit when your outside. read more

extremely rude waitress who acts like your rude and asking for to much if you ask for a refill on water

This place is super interesting. Tiny venue that has a ton of negative reviews about their food but positive reviews about their artists. Honestly I enjoyed both. It was definitely an old-timey vibe and very intimate with the artists. There were probably 15 other people watching the jazz show with me and my two friends and we all really enjoyed it. The food I ordered was great (mostly just snack food -- the mini BLT and the cornbread) and the drinks were standard. They could use a larger draft list or more beer options in general. Also the place was FREEZING, but otherwise we had a great time and I'd love to go back! There is a cover charge for concerts btw, but the one I went to was only $10. read more

Went in to see a show last night and I really liked this place. We hardly make it out to see music but a friend of ours was playing, so we went. The room where the musicians play is small with limited seating which makes things cozy. After last night's experience I'm actually surprised to see so many complaints about the staff. We didn't have any problems and our food and drink orders were handled quickly. Generally we don't order much hummus, so I might not be the best judge, but their hummus platter was quite good. I'll be back to see our friend play anytime. I feel like some people might be looking at this place as a restaurant with music, as opposed to a music venue with food? Just my .02 I guess. read more

Egan's Ballard Jam House - A view of the set. This is the result of me playing with my new camera. - Restaurants Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Very small and limited capacity. You may have to share a table. But some of the greatest talent in Seattle appears there routinely! The house band is always A list players, and they play with their hearts. The singers have different styles, so there is always something new. The food's pretty good too! The Wednesday night vocal jam is always an exciting show. read more

This place is some place special. Loved it. I was grinning ear to ear from the wonderful jazz jam performers and all the heart and support this community shared. read more

Want to hear some sweet local jazz? No? Oh ok, I am sure there are a lot of other things to do around the city. If you said "yes" then you need to check out Egan's. It was only about $5 to get in and I believe drinks and food were about average price. I didnt try any of the food, but plan on it next time. The place is small, so dont plan on bringing a lot of people here and expect to get a seat. If you come alone and all the tables are taken, I am sure the people here are cool enough and will let you sit with them. Zipzap Zubidy Bop! read more

Hold on, I thought, as I entered the Jam House. This place looks almost European! And not in that faux kind of hey-look-how-Euro-trendy-we-are kind of way. There was jazz oozing from the stage, the band playing their asses off, to the point where I almost felt like smoking a cigarette (the only thing missing was a haze of smoke in the room). And I am a non-smoker. The Jam House is intimate. The service seems completely disorganized, yet somehow keeps up with what's going on. The crowd relaxed and casual. This place is no meat market, thank goodness. Nor are there any distracting television sets. It's all about the music, the ambiance and chillin'. Ahead of time, I had heard that this was a good place except for the food. One in our party had not eaten and so ordered a gumbo, which honestly looked a little on the gross side, but according to my friend tasted excellent. I instantly fell in love with Egan's Jam House. My biggest complaint is that it's too far away for me to go there on a regular basis, get hammered and walk home. read more

I wish I lived closer--I'd visit this intimate, friendly music venue more often. Mainly a jazz venue, they also offer "roots" music and other types of shows. They have a new cook and new menu items--reasonably priced, too. Staff is friendly and they've added another server, so that you can get your drinks and food quickly. The wine pours are generous. $2.50 beers if you sit on the front patio! DO check the website for WHO is playing when, the shows are short here (1.5 hours) and vary widely from the experienced to the newby "up and coming" artists. There are performer's website links in the Egan's Calendar. They even have an open mic night for jazz singers on Wednesdays (e/o week). I don't understand reviewers that go to a jazz club and then complain about hearing, uh, well, JAZZ. read more

It was my first time there. 930pm was the time. A magic/comedy was the show to watch. The place was crowded, so they sat us next to another couple (at the same table). We were sitting next to strangers, but the strangers easily became friends. They were both friendly, even though they had an easy 15 years on us. Everyone in the crowd was in their 40s and we were in our early 20s. The show was awesome. Very funny and talented people. I smiled and laugh my way through the hour and a half. Had a beer during the show. It was decently price: 4 dollars. Seats were 10 dollars. But they recommend that you reserve seats. I didn't try any of the food, but I did our new friends had a piece of cake and it looked really good. The place is really small. Only seats 40. Overall a really good place to hangout and have a good time. I probably won't be going back with one person. Next time I go, it will probably be with a group, So I don't feel wierd or underage. read more

Very intimate environment where the owners and servers are very concerned about your experience at the Jam House. You can't help but get caught up with the jam session and your neighbors. And I love the gumbo. I'm looking forward to one of my favorite artist being on the schedule again. read more

Call ahead to see who is playing. Make reservation. Get there early. Even if you are not the jazz type. Very enjoyable. Reminded me of folk clubs of my youth back east. Cozy, only a few feet from stage. Not meant to be fine dining, but that's not why you go. read more

Egan's Ballard Jam House - October 23,2013 - Restaurants Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Egan's is a mainstay in the Seattle jazz scene. It's a cozy little jazz club with plenty of local music to go around. Food's great, music is great. This is where to experience the Seattle jazz scene. read more

Fun intimate venue for jazz. Great acoustics for a perfectly balanced night of music. Food was satisfying mediterranean/eclectic fare with some cajun elements thrown in with very attentive service that doesn't interfere with the music. read more

Egan's is the best. Cozy spot to hear established musicians as well as spot the next up-n-coming ones. The other reviewer is right, though, the waitress has all 15 tables by herself, and it'll take her forever to come to your table, or come back to your table--so once she actually comes to your table, order 2 drinks--cuz you'll never see her again. Great spot where everybody knows your name. read more

It's a small intimate venue (40 seats) but the seats fan left, right and in front of the stage so there is no bad seating. It felt like an exclusive club from an old movie where the stage is less than 5' from the audience and everyone is being sung (or spoken) directly to. Parking was easy if you can parallel park, there is tons of street parking in every direction. The house red (wine) wasn't very good, next time I'm going with beer. The server was overwhelmed and barely got our 1st round of drinks to us before the show ended. I'm glad we ate elsewhere. This definitely didn't strike me as a young person's hang out but we didn't feel awkward being younger than everyone else. It was just funny to see no cell phones being pulled out at the end of the show. :) read more

Opened in July, 2006, Egan's Jam House has been catching my eye ever since. I finally had an opportunity to try it out, and lucky for me, one of my favorite bands was playing! The jazz stylings of DasVibenbass were perfectly at home in this intimate venue. The scoop: a dozen tables squeezed around a small stage, with a large window to Market Street and porch opposite the lobby door. These dozen cocktail tables come clad with (battery powered and vanilla scented) flickering candle lights, which excited me. The show was not sold out, but I hear you can make reservations. Cover charge was $7, and I'll pay anything for good music and ambiance. Along with my $6 glasse(s) of wine, I felt like a real grown-up. But it's just Ballard, people. Let's not get too expensive just for the hell of it. The first group to go on was also deemed worthy of a $7 cover, so if you intend on watching the 'double feature' you best be ready to pay twice. (I had the pleasure of listening to this being explained to a patron in between shows....) I highly recommend Egan's Ballard Jam House. The staff seemed in awe of their own business, so when I learned that they've been open since July I was a bit surprised. Very nice folks, great sounding acoustics, and excellent service. Hooray for jazz in Ballard! And of course, you must see DasVibenbass wherever they may roam. That is all. read more

I'm basing my review on my first impression of Egan's. Their outgoing message. I called at 6:20 to get a reservation. Also, I wanted to ask a few questions about taking photos of my cousin...who was singing there on the evening I called. The male voice on the message is anything but welcoming. It is dictatorial in tone. The best part is, it states that one must call after 6:00...during their business hours...to get a reservation. I did...they didn't answer. I was surprised to learn it was a dinner place and the message makes it sound like one MUST have reservations to get in. Great! Answer the phone! After reading these reviews, I'm glad I didn't waste my money. I'm only sorry that I missed my cousin's performance. I'm not sorry I didn't order the Tomato Soup and Cheese Sandwich. I wonder if it comes with a frozen Snickers and some TUMS? "One never gets a second chance to make a great first impression." NOT ONLY THAT! They don't even sell JAM!!! read more

egan's is an awesome, intimate venue for jazz music with about 15 tables, seating 35 or so people. the cover is set by the band, typically $10. the food and service here are completely horrendous, hence the 3 stars. as far as food, $8 for a baked potato and $12 for reheated gumbo?? no thanks. there's one particular waitress that is always huffy and rude and in a bad mood. it's a shame because this spot could be awesome if management actually cared to step it up read more

Egan's Ballard Jam House - Restaurants Near Me - Seattle, Washington

PROS: Intimate atmosphere, good location, friendly staff. CONS: Had to wait 20 minutes from the time I was seated till the waitress came over to take our drink order. This after trying to flag someone down for the past 10 minutes. Call ahead to make sure they are having Jazz performers that night. We didn't check and had to sit through a woman singing contemporary songs accompanied by a pianist (felt like a karaoke performance). All six people at our table thought the food was sub par, my shrimp were under cooked and the rice cold and sticky. We will go back and try again, hopefully I can add a more positive review next time. Maybe we will just do drinks though. read more

Great place to enjoy music. The venue is so small you will be in the middle of it. I like the concept of the "hat tipper drinks" where one dollar goes to the artist; but my gin and tonic was all tonic. So stick with the red wine. We just snacked on the hummus plate which was refreshing. The people next to us really liked the gumbo. In all, I will stop by hear any night just to peacefully enjoy some music read more

Hello, yelpers! This is Tacy and Nicholas, here to give you the first of many reviews on Seattle-area venues we either love, hate, love-to-hate, or stumbled into on wine-in-to-go-cup stupors. SOOOOOO ..... here's the dealio on Egan's. Ambiance? Great. Jazz? Love it. Wine? Yes, please. Sound? Super. They even had seasonal Jolly Roger on tap--Nicholas had two pints! However, we can't say super-nice things about the food (and we DID go for dinner, which is why we're giving it three stars ... if we had just gone for jazz, we would have given it a higher score). We think the issue here is that the menu is well-presented, but misleading. For example, if there's an "Artisan Cheese Plate" listed on the menu (and it costs $14), the waiter should not bring you a Tillamook Cheese sampler. Disappointing! There was not a stinky cheese in sight (or in smell). The salad we ordered to share was a green salad with Caesar dressing, but it arrived untossed. AND the plate we received it on was so small, it made trying to toss our salad with the dressing next to impossible. The crab bisque was decent, but we both agreed that the spiciness of it detracted from the 'crabbiness' of it. Bottom line? Go for jazz and a drink--it's a laid-back room with a romantic and intimate (we got a little cuddly) atmosphere. But if you find yourself enticed by their gourmet-sounding entrees (like the Plowman's Platter or many other jazz-bistro-type favorites), you might want to think twice about it. read more

I'm struggling between 3 and 4 stars here. This a super cool little spot. + Great ambiance, great music, guaranteed spot to see the band, table service - the food = great place to go, drink and hear jazz! read more

Characterizing Egan's Ballard Jamhouse as music to your ears would not suffice, as it's much more special. Among the Emerald City's "premiere jazz gems" they were recently included in Downbeat Magazine's list of top 100 American jazz rooms. Expect an intimate setting with state-of-the-art sound, fine food and drink. read more

Egan's is an important part of Seattle's music scene. Small, intimate, and a few blocks away from the bustling Ballard bar scene, Egan's has managed to create a haven for live music 4 nights a week. Jazz and cabaret performances are typical here, but you'll find singer-songwriters and folk music occasionally as well. Check their website calendar for listings! A lot of reviews on Yelp have criticized the food and drinks here. Here's my take: Egan's does not have a fully staffed kitchen and bar. They don't have a fryer or a grill, or even a bar you can sit at. Think of what they can provide as "hospitality", not a full dining experience. You can order a beer, wine or cocktail as well as some simple appetizer plates and desserts. It may take a little longer, especially at showtime, because there are really only a couple of people running the whole operation. My suggestion: go somewhere else for dinner, come here for a drinks and maybe a snack, and support the musicians who are playing with your tips and the purchase of a CD. In a city that sees iive music venues close every year, Egan's is providing a great place for musicians and audience to gather. read more

The music was great. The place is very small, but is intimate, to steal an adjective from another review. Wait staff is attentive. Drinks are just ok. Food is not great. I would definitely go back. I would recommend a visit. read more

One of the most ridiculous experience I ever had. I booked table with friends, when I arrived right on time they said "they give away one of the chairs". What it meant, they put a random person taking the best spot. The tables are tiny and I had to eat literally keeping the plate at my hand. read more

Great venue, small and personal - a great find. We had drinks and the cheese platter, it was very good. All of the food coming out of the kitchen looked great. Really good service and a great experience for live music. read more

I've been to a lot of venues for live shows. This one is the worst I've ever been to. We sat down at 8:50p. There was one waitress to serve 45 people. The waitress was literally running back and forth in between us and the stage, constant distraction. She looked stress out, annoyed and was rolling her eyes on occasion. On top of that, she served tables in front of us, behind us, to left, to the right, just kept working around us, made no sense how she chose to serve tables. And she could only take one table's order at a time, rather than taking a few table's orders. We finally got a drink at 10pm, an hour and 10 minutes after we sat down. A few minutes later, the performers announced last song...seriously...I have half a drink left, and had to drive shortly. I asked the waitress, "Do you always have only one waitness?" Answer, " Yes." Never, never, never going there again. read more