It's very allergy- and sensitivity-aware and the food is FANTASTIC. Bonus: it's relatively quiet so you can have an actual conversation! Ate here twice in one visit and will be back again. read more

Great food and ambiance! This was a favorite down town spot of my late husband's. Love the old copper bar ... in addition to the old cigar store feel. read more

Service at 11 am is busy. They're changing from breakfast to lunch. Everyone is super nice. Good food that's fresh. read more

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Fun place to grab a drink and some great food. It's a mcmenamins so they have your staple beers and some typical mcmenamins menu items as well as stamps for your mcmenamins passport. Good service and clean bathrooms read more

Bartender and staff were super friendly. Really nice quiet place to have a pint and hangout awhile.

The food here is gross. McMenamins should be ashamed and embarrassed. You would not feed your dog in this hole. It's over priced and the food is terrible. I mean it is awful. I would avoid this place at all costs. Besides the parking situation makes it even more expensive. The health department really needs to do a surprise inspection here. read more

Spar Café - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Wonderful place to have lunch..we have a vegetarian , vegan and a meat eater in our group. Everything was delicious! read more

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I'll give it four stars for character and pleasant experience, but I took one off for a very average breakfast. The eggs Benedict was just OK and the sauce was unremarkable. small square deep fried potatoes really don't work when you want to smush the egg yolk in with your potatoes. Also, the piece of Canadian bacon is so thick it overpowers the dish. They have knickknacks for souvenirs, so it looks like a fun place to visit as a tourist, which I was today. read more

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Lunch on a Friday afternoon? Wanted to try somewhere I haven't been and decided on Spar Cafe. The pretzel bites with cheese is highly recommended! The waiter was great and really nice. I appreciated the interior decor, it brought a lot of comfort. I will be sure to check this place out again. read more

Spar Café - Bacon cheeseburger with Cajun tots - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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I'm not sure what happened over the past three months, but things have slipped a little at the old Spar. Ok, maybe more than just a little. On my last visit, the service was at a crawl, and they were not busy. Food was definitely meh. The burger I got seemed less fresh-cooked than warmed up under a heat lamp. Fries were sad and soggy. Because of the slow table service, food was tepid at best. Don't even ask about drink refills. Again, the place was slow and eerily quiet. I'm not sure if this was a one off bad day for them, or something else. I'm not sure I'm going to go back anytime soon to find out, though. Bummer. read more

The Spar Cafe's feels like a McMenamins take on a 1940's train station diner, if that makes sense. A wrought iron pergola spans an entire interior wall, across from an expansive bar top, with several booths and small tables orbiting around them. The lighting is warm and the atmosphere cozy, with wall art honoring former staff, hometown heroes and notable regulars. This was our first stop on our walking tour of Olympia, to collect a passport stamp, and to use as an anchor point from which we would venture forth. One Bloody Mary and a Crangerine Dream Cider later, we were ready to take on the day! As usual, McMenamins put forth a solid effort, with attentive and friendly waitstaff, tasty beverages, and the distinctive vibe for which they are known and lauded, we enjoyed our brief stop here. The menu offered many of their classic dishes, so if you're a McMenamins regular, you know what you're getting into here. A cute place to stop in and ground yourself in an unfamiliar city. We'll be back on our next trip to Olympia! read more

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This was obviously not a good day which makes me sad since I love McMenamins. I went to the bar to get a beer. I waited, I waited, I waited, I was acknowledged, then I waited, waited, waited. Basically, I could keep writing this. Every time someone would come near me, they would acknowledge me but wouldn't offer to pour me a drink. I even asked a couple of times. I even tried the, "I'll just take a beer" thinking this would make them realize that I was an easy order. Instead of staying to enjoy my beer, I handed the person my credit card as soon as I received my beer. Guess what happened next? I waited, I waited, I waited,....... I'm still giving in 3 stars because the beer was tasty and the location is really neat. I'll be back and hopefully it will be a better day. . .. . ........ .. . read more

Love the atmosphere, always enjoy the food! The waitress had us laughing and helped start the day right.

Food was delicious with shareable portions! The servers were efficient and fun! Even photo bombed our pic! Thanks Em! Hahaha we had a fabulous breakfast and be back again soon to enjoy it all again!! read more

Spar Café - Em our photo bomber - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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McMenamins never disappoints us. We have dined at 5 locations now and truly enjoy the chefs craft and fun spin on different plates. On this day we enjoyed two salads and some tea around lunch time. Our service was quick and nice. It was a lovely time. A full salad order for lunch (esp. if you add protein!) is really the perfect dish. You can't go wrong. This location / cafe is built into an old cigar lounge and pool hall. Super cool! Come check it out. read more

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Spar used to be one of our absolute favorites, but unfortunately every time we've gone in the past year it's gotten progressively worse. The food used to be great and so was the service. Recently the food has come out wrong, cold, and on dirty plates. Last time we were there we waited for 45 minutes just to order drinks, even though the whole place was empty except for us and two other tables. Our food took just as long once we were finally able to order. The ketchup bottle on our table had mold in the cap, and 3 out of our 6 silverware sets had food crusted on them. When we asked for clean sets the waitress rolled her eyes. The prices have also gone up substantially. I understand inflation, and I understand that many businesses are struggling to stay afloat in Olympia, but come on. If the food quality was as good as it used to be, the new prices could be worth it, but at this rate, we're scared to even go back. Very disappointing to lose our favorite date / birthday / dinner with friends spot. read more

Prepare to enter a time warp. This is a classic old cafe in downtown Olympia that was a historic hangout for the blue-collared workers, the lobbyists and the politicians. A versatile place for food and drink for all hours of the day and night. McMenamins has given The Spar a new lease on life, but had left the place largely untouched-- including the clientele. Olympia is an interesting little community that time forgot. While having weekend lunch there I spotted lots of families, retirees and hippies. Kind of a refreshing change.My hubby, and I both had specialty menu items: steak frites and salmon - that were very good and with some tasty and refreshing adult libations; and, we shared a dessert (hazelnut shortbread with ice cream and chocolate sauce) and great coffee. Lastly, we enjoyed a few rounds of table shuffleboard, which was a lot of fun!! I give it high marks as a friendly, and a reasonable hangout. read more

Spar Café - Afternoon date with my hubby. - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Thomas was our excellent server and we look forward to coming back to try more treats! We split the Hawaiian pizza and a burger with truffle fries. Sooooo satisfying! read more

Spar Café - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

I love this place! It is so cool and unique and has a speakeasy vibe. Their drinks are great and their desserts are delicious! Staff are all so nice and good looking and very attentive! It is one of my favorite places to go to in the area! read more

Spar Café - Lilikoi tart and sundae - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Friday night munchies. After finding ourself in Olympia late on a friday night, I wanted to check out this place because of my love of McMenamins. We both loved the decorations and the random collection of things in this diner style restaurant. We both loved the vibe of the place which felt like a old school denny's and a beth's cafe having a baby. Lots of counterspace, and around the back there was some tables. Our server seems a bit, distracted. He visited our table 4 times, and the first was to drop off a bunch of napkins and two water glasses. Did mention they were out of Salmon but didn't ask us about drinks or anything. Second time he came by for our drink and food order. After waiting a very long time he brought us the food. Which, one would have expected the drinks to be brought first, right? I questioned about our drinks and he seemed taken aback and promised to go check. About 10 minutes into our meal we got the drinks. Everything was good, the food was yummy and I appreciated the modification of my drink (when I finally got it) but I would have had more than one except it took so long that we were done eating by that point. AFter finishing we waited for what seemed like a very long time for the check and to pay. They could have been short staffed, or something but it wasn't communicated to us and I was disappointed by how unattentive the server was. read more

Stopped by Spar Cafe for late lunch on our way to Vancouver, WA. Hubby and I were both craving their tater tots with ranch dip and it did not disappoint! Was able to get my passport stamped too so that's another plus. Location is on a strip of beautiful old buildings in Olympia. It's like time stood still for these buildings. The interior has that distinct McMenamins touch to it with its own uniqueness. There are pinball machines and a pool table at the back. Service was okay, it wasn't hard to get her attention but it seems like they might be a little understaffed though. Ordered crab cake sliders while the hubby ordered a turkey sandwich plus a small order of cajun tater tots. Our server made a mistake in placing my order so I had to wait a little bit. Their tater tots were delish and hit the spot. My crab cakes were ok, a bit bland, a bit watery and no flavor contrast but portions were just right for me. The hubby enjoyed his sandwich so fast that I wasn't able to take a pic or try it haha. Another McMenamins stamp on my passport -- on to the other locations next time. read more

Spar Café - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Very nice staff. Great drink selection. Get the passport book! This place has a pool table in the back. read more

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The food here is not the best. I ordered a Jamaican Rice bowl and it looked like food was just piled on top. I sent it back and asked to get something else. Maybe poor communication but my bill came back with two meals on it, one which I did not eat... When I got the check the manager told me it was wrong to send food back if I didn't like it. Maybe from being from the south but in customer service the meal not eaten should be comp. especially since it was not eaten and I ordered a whole different meal. The food is already subpar. I wish nothing but the best for this business. read more

Spar Café - Jamaican Rice Bowl - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

I like the atmosphere here, takes me back to the 1960's. These iconic restaurants are like time capsules, but once they're got they are gone. We had a large group of 7 and surprisingly were seated promptly on a Saturday morning at 10:00. At good breakfast joints in Hawaii on weekends require some waiting, sometime as much as an hour. The service was friendly and pretty efficient, of course the restaurant wasn't full so we were getting more attention from the servers. I also liked that all 7 meals were served at the same time and all meals were hot. I had a monster plate of country fried steak and eggs. This breakfast was huge, I skipped the potatoes and ate about half of my meal. I've had better but it was OK. My wife had the eggs Benedict with scrambled eggs which she said was enjoyable. We've had better breakfasts but it was such a great experience to dine in a restaurant that has been around for over 70 years. read more

Spar Café - Enormous plate of country fried steak. - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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We absolutely loved our experience. (Every time!) We have two sensory specific children and the environment was so soothing for them. Our server, Anja was so patient with them and was ver accommodating. Food is always well seasoned and with well portioned sizes. Highly recommended! read more

Spar Café - Traditional Eggs Benedict - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Hadn't been to the Spar in awhile. Not sure why, it's been excellent on several recent visits. breakfast, burgers and just for drinks. Maybe the best tots ever!!! read more

Family and I were discovering downtown Olympia.. many different shops and lots to discover... we were getting hungry when we came up on the Spar Cafe.. I saw the big McMennamins sign and thought a beer would be nice..we weren't in and they were passing to lunch hour and there was a 30 minute wait... I said well we go anywhere else it will be thirty minutes tell we get there and seated so we stayed... the place is littered with old pictures of scenery and more so plenty to look at... the waiting area is small so diners are close together.. didn't stop me from taking up a small conversation with strangers...lol nice problem they were from the area but had never dined there... when seated we were is a booth which was cool cause you can close the curtains for privacy... we didn't but it's an option... menu is a two pager... I had the hammerhead cheese steak! Super grind! Very good.. my side of Cajun tots.. yes! i also ordered a hammerhead beer 6.2%... very good.. kid had a burger and wife ate a Morphys club... glad I ordered what I did cause man so good and filling with the beer .. pow.. bed time.. wife's sandwich turned out to be more bread than meat but she ate the whole thing.. thee waiter was super nice ... but I do got to say good prices are outrageous these days... read more

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$9.50 for an everything bagel with whipped cream cheese!?! It was tasty, but not worth $9.50. I also had the Spar's breakfast. It took forever to get our food on a Friday morning, and it was COLD. Our server never refilled our drinks or checked on us after dropping off our food. Except for the fact my food was literally room temperature, the flavor was fine. Total bill for 2 breakfasts with water was just under $60. Definitely NOT worth the money because of the lack of service and the fact it was obvious our food sat waiting to be delivered for quite some time. We're all used to spending a lot more when we eat out, but I also expect decent service and at a minimum WARM hash browns and eggs. I certainly will not be returning anytime soon. read more

My family and I usually stop for lunch in Olympia on the way to the ocean we I suggested we give Spar a try this time there was a good variety of choices for everyone. On a Friday afternoon, four of us were there about 15 minutes before the other two joined us, we were lucky and got parking right out front. Service was great they seated us at a large booth just to the left of the bar. We explained that there were two on their way and the waitress was very understanding. I had read they were known for their burgers and my sister in law had been craving just that. Not often does my sister in law eat everything on her plate up but she did that day. My dad and brother got the Cuban and enjoyed it. My brother in law ordered a personal Omnivore pizza: pepperoni, sausage, red onion, mushrooms, black olives, mozzarella & Parmesan cheeses. My sister and I split the Reuben Kincaid, I love that it came out split for us on separate plates with an even amount of tater tots for both plates. We didn't even as and I really appreciate that type of customer service especially since we were sitting at opposite ends and sides of the table. Overall great experience, the waitress was even kind enough to do a group pic for us. read more

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I ordered the season special--turkey dip sandwich for $24. It was worth $5. It did not live up to the menu representation, at all. My sandwich had 2 oz. of turkey, a bun and not much else. The server never returned to our table to see how our meal was. It was NOT busy; the server had 3 tables. . . . Did I mention service was horrible? Waited 13 minutes after seating to take our lunch orders. When the orders were served, we had to ask for napkins and forks/knives. My sister had a cup of coffee with no offer of refill. Server never checked with us re our meal. read more

If you like McMenamins, you'll like this McMenamins. Old time decor cool music historic district location and all my favorite McM's dishes.

Dropped by the Spar for a weekday business lunch. Parking wasn't too hard in downtown Olympia. We were promptly seated. The place wasn't too busy while we were there. Although service was kind, it was unfortunately very slow. The menu is the standard McMenamins pub fare menu available at other locations. Prices are a bit on the high side for what you get. I was happy enough with my veggie burger and fries. Inside atmosphere was just OK for a McMenamins. read more

Good food and friendly customer service. What's cool about the spar is it's historic value and I'm not joking the place is haunted. I've witnessed it first hand. Also get a window seat than you can watch all the crazy people on the street. read more

Went today right when the lunch/dinner started with some friends and got the schneuben sandwich with a side of clam chowder. The sandwich was amazing, the clam chowder was extremely salty. I did inform them of it but I'm not sure if anything was done. read more

I have been eating here for 30 years or so. The decor is home-y and nostalgic. Saturday morning my family entered and were not exactly greeted as welcomed customers. The front door staff yelled at us repeatedly, telling us how to "properly" wear a mask "properly! Over your nose And chin" we were sternly told. Oh, prior to this we were told "We don't Have to serve you." When the staff member told me that " We don't Have to serve you!" A second time, I agreed with him. We had lunch at another place a few blocks down and were treated as welcomed guests. Please feel free to get over yourselves and whatever agendas you may have. read more

The Spar Cafe I've heard of for a long time in downtown Olympia but I haven't been here until recently. The Spar is run by Mcmenamins and I bought a Mcmenamins Passport with the opening of their Elks Temple in Tacoma. On this passport you get stamps for going to their locations and doing certain activities. Steve and I made a stop here to get The Spar stamp. Although it doesn't say so on the passport there is a small scavenger hunt you need to do in order to get the stamp. You need to find a picture in the restaurant with the clues given by the staff. I found it harder than I expected but our waiter saw me making a solid effort to find the target picture and helped me out with it to get my stamp. I also visited the Olympic Club in Centralia that day and got my stamps there prior. So since I completed that chapter of the passport I got a free t shirt. Yay! I also bought an exclusive Spar t shirt as well. Aside from the passport project we did indeed eat here too. We split a garden salad and shared a small pepperoni pizza from the Happy Hour menu. The food was excellent! And of course we had beer! Some Mcmenamins locations have exclusive beers for the locatybut they didn't have that here. Also to keep in mind the food menu here is pretty much the same in selection as the pub at the Olympic Club so that's something to keep in mind. Some Mcmenamins locations have different food menus from each other but not the case here between The Spar and the pub at the Olympic Club. read more

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Food was good - diverse menu, open late, lots of room - so totally would be great for groups. Very classic and beautiful bar with a decent wine list. I was there late night and there were a few people having a late dinner, a few people just chilling and having drinks, a few late night solo diners. I'd recommend and would def go back whenever I'm in Olympia again. read more

Spar Breakfast was overall solid. The bacon and eggs were fine. The english muffins are coffee were surprisingly good, but the shredded potato hash brown was slightly soggy. The food took a while to arrive, but service was otherwise good. read more

Spar Café - Spar Breakfast - Cafes Near Me - Olympia, Washington

The pizza is pretty big here. Next time I won't get the large size! The ambience of this place is great and I'll definitely be back.

I was so disappointed. I've always loved McMennamen's. This one? Not so much. The food was fine. But, the service was crappy and slow. They were dead. So there is no good reason it took over an hour to get our food. Yes, over an hour. When we ordered our drinks, it took 15 min to get those. There was hardly anyone there! This is one place I won't go back to. So disappointing. read more