Daniel S.

I love the Emerald Downs horse races. It makes for a great date, or with friends and family. Great food all over. I like the tacos from the taco truck inside on the bottom floor. It's so much fun watching the horses live and learning to bet.

Tanis L.

I came to Emerald Downs for the first time on Wednesday the 30th of June 2021. I had attempted to see horse racing live in-person once before at Santa Anita Park in California, but there were no races the day I visited. This time I was more successful and even figured out how to place bets for the different races. My choice to come was a bit spontaneous and followed track closure due to excessive heat during the first heat wave of the summer in the Seattle area in June 2021. The weather had started to cool off and races were back on, so I decided to come. General parking was about a 10 minute walk from the main entrance. I arrived near opening time for the night's races and there were only a few people here at that time. I decided to use the time to explore the grounds and figure out betting. After reading the betting instructions and multiple failed attempts at trying to use a betting machine, a worker came over and gave me advice. Figured it out after that! Though I did take too long to place a bet on one race... got a cash voucher back, which I cashed in. That was the only money I made on betting that day, taking too long to place a bet :). My ticket was for general admission, and I took full use of the ground-level seating, tables, and walkways around the paddock area. I would follow each batch of race horses as they were walked in, saddled, mounted by their jockey for the race, and walked out to the race track. Then I would find a spot to watch the race from along the fence separating the seating from the track itself. Definitely a way to stay busy during the races. The Washington Horse Racing Hall of Fame is also housed here and worth a look if interested and/or have some time to do some exploring. Multiple options are available for eating, I went with a cheeseburger, fries, and Coke Zero and was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. Ate all of it and typically I am not one to finish a full order of fries. Tables are set up along the walkway from the paddock area to the race track, which is where I decided to eat my dinner. Fun being able to eat dinner and see the horses up close at the same time. All around I had a great experience and a thoroughly enjoyable first time watching horse racing live in-person. Though to be fair, I think in part this was because I chose to come by myself and figure things out on my own, except for the betting where a worker provided unsolicited help so I could figure it out. All the workers I interacted with were upbeat and kind in their interactions.

Robert K.

Cool place to come with the family and watch the horses race. Did not try any food while I was there but the bartender dude upstairs in the vip area was pretty cool and gave me a couple free cokes. Next time I wanna check out the horse races I will come back for sure.

Connie S.

I went to this Racetrack for the first time since Opening Day. I live closer now and decided I needed to go to experience Live Horse Racing. I'm going to Vegas in Oct and will play my favorite Game Derby. They run a free shuttle picking up people from the free lots 6-7 blocks away. It's $10 parking otherwise. Parking is not that expensive compared to other sports events and if you have elderly or disabled people in your party to park nearer. The Shuttles don't have wheelchair lifts. Online admission tickets charge $1.50 serv. Fees with 20% off $10 was only a 50 cent savings. Most of food there was not that gourmet or ethnic. So if you don't want fatty fries, Hot dogs, Burgers, pizza (stand was closed) or Burritos, popcorn, eat somewhere else before to go. The Mex. Burrito stand had Horchata, another punch, Guava juice for $3.13 a can. So I got that. Soda is very expensive at the other stands. There is an Espresso stand with Ice Cream and hot tea too. There was no Sushi, Salmon, or Chinese food there or other Asian or Middle Eastern. Majority of the Jockeys were Mexican, Latino and saw one Black Jockey who yelled out after racing when he passed by the crowd. He did not win. They gave awards in between the races too. It was a fun day at the track with a partial view of Mt. Rainier. In the evening like Sat Nights, they feature live bands. Plus off season, people can rent the venue. I went there for a Franklin HS Foundation event once too.

Ja H.

Waiting for first race. On grand daughters birthday. She will be in the T Rex races. Tried there garlic fries they where cold and nasty

Casey M.

I always have a great experience here whenever I visit, absolutely gorgeous especially with the timing and flexibility. Arrived at 11:40am the gates don't open until 12pm. We went up to the cafe on the 5th floor, the selection was lovely!! Either a basic salad, breakfast platter or their special was salmon, broccoli & potatoes only for $12! We spent the day there and the space they have is emasculate. I'll keep coming the more time I have!! I did win $6 more then what I bet and I'll take it rather then a loss. You get to see each horse prior to betting & are able to pet them if you get the chance!

Carrie C.

I came here because I had free tickets from my work. And you know what, I'm looking forward to coming back! Next time, I'll leave the kids at home and party it up at night! They had an AC/DC cover-band right after the races, and I missed it because I had my kids with me (that's for the 21+). So it was family-friendly to watch the horses race on the track and we saw the jockeys up close. The kids liked picking out their horses to see whose gonna win, as it's like the Mariners game and watching the reader-board with the fastest-boat challenge or where's the coin/boat hidden under which cup. There's ice-cream, beer, hard alcohol, and we got a free soda and chips thanks to our tickets. We also got a free program, which made the event more fun. We hadn't been in decades and it was our kids first time to see the horse races. Parking was free at the ends and Emerald Downs offers a free shuttle. That was awesome! No lines at the gate, we basically walked right in about 30 minutes before the first race. People were inside in the casinos and on every floor. A lot of folks looked like regulars you'd see at any casino in WA. The kids enjoyed sitting in the sun by the gates in general admission where you could see the racers and horses up close. We did not like watching the jockeys whip the horses! And the horses looked skinny! You could see their ribs on the horses who lost. The winners were a bit thicker, we noticed. I did not like watching the jockeys whip the horses across to the finish lines!! They are smart animals! They are like humans or most mammals: if you praise them, they will perform! Sorry, but that's my main reason for the 4/5 review: I was really bothered watching another creature get whipped! It's not right! In between rounds, or sessions, or races whatever it's called, I googled about jockeys using whips. An Australian study found there was better performance when the jockeys did not whip and it was outlawed in the last 100m of the race. Your entire track is a mile. I won't see it until the end. Please, for the love of the horses, don't whip them!!! And if you do, then I do not want to see it! The kids enjoyed the other sites too. We saw the ostriches, zebras, and camels as they will be racing tomorrow. I liked the program as we were able to see the horses names and what times they would race. I didn't realize there's 8 races going on in a day, like a track-meet, they would race every 20-30 minutes and we left about 1/2 way through, at end of the 4th race as the kids got bored. But I'd go back, as I think I could enjoy a beer in the sun betting on horses all day in the sun and kicking it up at night! That all sounds fun to me!

Melody B.

Great date day! Would probably find food prior to going, but the beverages are good. Gorgeous day at the races, though!

Jeremy S.

My family and I have been coming here since I was a little kid. In the summer time it is so nice to sit outside on the bleachers or upstairs at the restaurant while watching the horses race. The facilities are clean, spacious, and staff have been friendly and nice every time we have visited. I just visited this place again yesterday and my experience was very similar to prior times. We spent most of our time on the 5th floor where there are seats and big open windows to watch the track. It's nice because there are many spots to find a good view of the finish line. The food is decent but a little on the pricier side in my opinion... but then again, I feel like that is to be expected at a place like this. We walked by the casino with the bar and it was pretty small. I'd say there were maybe around 8-10 tables with games like blackjack, but no slot or poker machines from what I saw. The bartender was pretty nice though and gave heavy pours from what I saw. Overall, I definitely think is place everyone must visit in the summer time! It's always a great time, and the person I came with already started talking about how we had to visit again when it was warmer!

Ron H.

Went there for my sister-in-laws birthday and was planning to grab some dinner prior to catching a show there on the 5th floor. We should have went else where for food. First, we ordered some drinks and that took 20 minutes to get. My friend ordered an Old Fashion and I don't remember an Old Fashion being a shot. Apparently the bartender doesn't know what an Old Fashion is. When food finally arrived, about thirty minutes later, two of the orders were missing. My sister and her friend didn't receive their order until the rest of us were almost done. Would recommend going there for the horse races and other events, but for food....go elsewhere. I ordered a simple Bacon Burger with fries. I did however get a bacon burger with fries but neither the burger nor fries were that hot. Giving them a one star for food and price. Way over priced for what you get.

Harry H.

I finally made it to the track for the first time and lucky for me it was on the food truck day. There were 10 races, which four of were stake...whatever that means. I bought seats in the grandstands since I wanted my own designated seat as well as a little shade since it was a nice sunny day. Totally worth the $10.50 I paid online! The place was clean, bathrooms were fine, and all the staff I dealt with were nice to talk to...even the employees who had to deal with my awkwardness while placing bets. I don't know if I'll be coming on a normal basis, but I'll come back eventually and hopefully make some $$$.

Trista H.

A group of us came to watch the ponies for my wife's birthday. This time around we decided to sit in the Rainier Restaurant located on the 5th floor. Reservations were accepted and secured with a Discover card via phone 253-288-7711. In the event of a no-show, our credit card would be charged. The table is reserved for the entire horse race event so there's no pressure to leave after dining. The Rainier is open Friday-Sunday during live racing. Several betting stations are available. Each table is equipped with a monitor to view the races. Waiter service is offered. Tabs were easily split without additional gratuity added. We all were able to apply our $10 Groupon food credit towards our meals. Rainier is a great choice when the weather is poor or when wanting secured seating.