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    Special Brews

    4.6 (131 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 8:00 PM

    Special Brews Photos

    SPECIAL BREWS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Special Brews

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    Reviews With Photos

    Tom B.

    These guys have 100% hit their stride over the last decade. They started out as a clubhouse for the adventurous beer drinker, and quickly built a huge following of beer lovers. All kinds come in--people just learning about beer, people who drink only a style or two, people who've tried every style 5 times, and everyone in between. It was originally going to be a bottle shop, with occasional shoppers stopping for a pint. 8+ years later, it's a flourishing neighborhood watering hole, with big rushes at the ends of Boeing shifts and pretty much anybody else's workday. There's no happy hour to speak of, but the post-work crowds get this place jumping. They have 15 taps pouring a wide variety of beers all the time, plus a beer engine always pouring a cask ale (usually from Seattle's Machine House Brewing, one of the most underrated breweries in the western U.S.). They will happily fill a 32-oz crowler (a recyclable aluminum can) of most of the non-cask taps anytime. There are 1,000+ bottles and cans on the shelves and in the coolers, too. They get many of the hotly sought-after limited can releases, and there are always good 4-packs and 6-packs stacked up around the store, along with hundreds of bottles that range from basics to rarities. If you want to chill anything down to crack in-store, there's a whirlpool chiller near the door. They stock cider, mead, and wine as well. Sparkling wine, canned wine, some hard-to-get wine; they have a diverse selection for oenophiles too (though just a fraction of their beer offerings). They offer a bunch of different pub snacks--peanuts, starchy snacks, pepperoni, charcuterie plates, even hot dogs. They also welcome outside food and delivered food. You can expect a wide variety of events here--tap takeovers, special beer releases, competitions between breweries. They get packed for Hawks games and some other sporting events. They've been my local watering hole for years, starting with being the best beer shop in town when they opened. Now they're a bustling hangout that has a better beer selection than ever. I'm lucky to have these guys in my neighborhood.

    the outside of a restaurant
    Lambert L.

    So this store/pub sell you beer that you can't drink it in the establishment but they won't tell you this. We bought canned beer and walked straight from the cash register to the table. Wasn't told by anyone we couldn't drink the beer. Then after 10 minutes get approached from the guy that sold us the beer and watched us walk to the table that we're not allowed to open our own cans they have too. Literally scolding us like we knew better. They have no sign and do not notify after purchase. The beer also was horrible. Real racist vibes!! FIND ANY PLACE ELSE TO ENJOY YOUR BEVERAGE THIS PLACE IS TRASH.

    Open for Easter Sunday!
    Erica W.

    Great tap house & bottle shop in the north end! I've been several times, and realized I've never shared a review! Special Brews has 16 beers on tap. Today's tap list only had a few IPAs available. The rest were higher ABV beers, sours and dark beers. I had the only Hazy IPA on tap, which came from Skookum. Solid beer. There weren't a good variation of styles on tap, so I had to peruse the bottle selection. They have a great selection of beers in the cases. Many styles to choose from. I selected a few cans from Matchless, which were delicious. You can open the cans there, but I'm pretty sure they charge a fee to open them (which is typical for any bottle shop). It's nice to have the bottle option when they don't have anything on tap to appeal to your styles. I would've been done after one pint if they didn't have bottles!

    Special glasses for the anniversary chili cook-off!

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Great selection of beer, friendly staff and fair prices! I pick up locally canned craft beer all the time.

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    7 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

    Local, friendly, good variety, including non-alcoholic beverages in the refrigerated cases.

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Great variety of brews, and a helpful, happy, spritely crew of individuals. ‍what else you need

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    13 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

    We live within walking distance of this place. That's dangerous. Phenomenal selection of brews. I dare say it's a Mecca. You must visit.

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    6 years ago

    ThIs place has an amazing selection of beers. On tap and on the shelf. It's awesome. Check out the Snowdrift Cider. It's amazing.

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    13 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Dog friendly, friendly staff, antiracist, chill place to have a beer and watch a game.

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    11 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Special Brews

    Does Special Brews allow dogs inside besides Buddy?

    Service dogs are allowed. Buddy has passed away, though.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Special Brews

    I first checked this place out when I noticed they had a wide variety of mead.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    3.7
    (11 reviews)
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    In short A little divey, tons of pool tables and TVs, pull…read moretabs, full bar, and a surprisingly interesting kitchen. If you're in the mood for a basic place where they do everything right, you can probably round up a star. In long This has been at least one other sports bar, and you might be surprised how big it is inside. There's a decent amount of parking, and a ton of reliable places to eat also surround this lot. I came in to check out Husky hoops yesterday afternoon, which nobody around here was showing since it was on a streaming platform. The place was empty when I showed up 'cause it was way between lunch and dinner, so I got to chat with the cool bartender a bit. She had already scoured their channel guides to see which local teams she'd be able to show, so we shared a cheerful grumble about how you can't just get one subscription to cable anymore and see all your teams' games. I didn't get the sense she was a sports dork like me, so she was doing this so she could do a good job at work. I like that!@ This place from the outside looks like it might seat about 25, but the reality is that it's several times that big. Dozen pool tables scattered around, plenty of room for everybody to line up shots. Couple dozen TVs. Huge horseshoe-shaped bar going from the middle of room to the back corner, lots of stools. You can see a few nice choices for spirits here and there. Full bar for sure. Beers are a little on the industrial side, probably no wines. She mixed a decent old-fashioned for me, but asked multiple questions about how I liked it. I really loved how detailed she was with everything--which games are on, which drinks they have, how to make them, how they serve their food. She didn't seem like the owner (I don't think) but she knew the whole place like the back of her hand. I had a prime rib dip, which was just the sandwich you want when you can have a little cheat. Good chewy onion rings that didn't pull apart after one bite--you get batter and onion, both, every time. Jus was good, meat was tender, bread had a nice chew to it. The chef puts his name on at least one dish, and the bartender went on about how much scratch cooking he does. I asked if she recommended something specific, and she rattled off half the menu. This is definitely a place where you can happily eat during the game. I was out the door with a meal and a drink for under $30, which is an amazing value these days.

    is great place to relax bartenders are the best, food service needs help…read more Will be there tomorrow!

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    Blu Burgers & Brew

    Blu Burgers & Brew

    4.4
    (322 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$

    To clear up the "& brew" confusion, this restaurant is under NEW OWNERSHIP! Formerly Blu Burgers &…read moreBrews - Now just Blu Burgers. They are OPEN TUESDAYS, same hours as other weekdays (until 7:30 pm). I rode my bike from Seattle to try this place out - and the service was amazing. I got the Blu Burger, and I took The Hippie Burger (vegetarian, vegan if you remove the Chipotle mayo) home for my partner. The woman at the counter was super friendly and packaged the burger very carefully so I could take it home in one piece! I ordered the Blu Burger & Butterfinger Milkshake - both were solid. Butterfinger shake was delicious, although part of me wishes I got some of their on-tap root beer instead. The burger was tasty, albeit a bit of an adjustment for me since I'm still warming up to blue cheese. The only downside was that the bacon tasted a bit too meaty (if that makes sense) and one of the pieces had a part that couldn't be chewed in it. Regardless, it's a solid burger and I'm excited to go back and try another one! They do not serve beer/alcohol here anymore and have converted the old beer tap to a root beer tap. I highly recommend trying this place out as the new owners/workers are very friendly & the food is delicious!

    Food: solid burgers (The Blu Burger and Shroom N' Onion) and good fries (Parmesan Truffle Fries)…read more Service: quick and moderately friendly Ambiance: clean, on the cool side, loud pop music birders on annoying

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    5x5 Bar & Bistro

    3.9
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    In short Great deals on great drinks, food is really solid,…read moreand the setting is nice and friendly. Only drawback is that the hours are limited. In long Lately we've been seeking out places that are literally quieter--less volume on the music, more space between the tables, and so on. I'd been wanting to check out 5x5, anyway, since it's the only spot around with an exactly perfect rating score. It looked like it'd fit the bill for a low-key place, and off we went. We came in shortly after they opened on a Saturday (4:00 PM). You're in a larger business-traveler hotel here, aimed at Boeing and Boeing-sub folks traveling for work. The building looks kinda generic from outside, but there's plenty of parking, and the lobby has a high-ceilinged atrium vibe for sure. Nice floor tiles, nice carpet, tasteful furniture. Everything's in perfect shape. You don't feel the lounge vibe right away, but there's a gigantic fireplace ahead of you, warming both sides of the room from the middle. Around that, there are lots of sturdy, shiny tables under the lofty ceilings. Off to the side, there's a little lounge area, then another one. Everything in the lounge is bar-height seating, and there are a few flatscreens, probably showing the game. Most folks are in here, sitting around the bar in the middle of the room. We posted up at a table just outside the lounge. Lindsey was behind the bar, and cheerfully answered every single question we had about food and all their cocktails. She's super friendly and makes a great drink for sure. She seems to have a bunch of regulars who aren't staying at the hotel, which is a great sign, no doubt. We checked out the warm pretzel--such a decadent treat. The waffle fries (and especially the aioli that came with them) were awesome. The pizza was a great choice; we added pickled onions to the Speedway. The crust could be a little crisper but we took home what we didn't finish and it's great here, too. Service on food and drinks was really quick. The cocktails here can be really creative, and there are lots of classics with house twists on the recipe. They even have a pisco sour they've tweaked--that's a fair bit of work for a bartender to make mid-shift. We got 5 great drinks and 3 nice plates of food for $96, and I don't think we even ordered anything from the HH menu. This is a very easy place to add to the rotation.

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    Moe's Market

    Moe's Market

    4.0
    (5 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    First off the owners always watch your every move whenever you come in the store. They NEVER have…read morethe products you might really like because they FAIL TO REPLACE THEM AFTER THEY'VE BEEN SOLD!!! Completely asinine. The regular workers (Jack mainly) are super friendly and will often go out of their way to help you. For example everytime I buy cup of noodles he fills it up with water & gives me silverware that HE BOUGHT HIMSELF! On the other hand if I buy from the lady owner she'll INSIST ON CHARGING ME FOR BOTTLED WATER instead of using the faucet to fill it up. She even TOOK AWAY THE MICROWAVE SO WE CAN'T HEAT UP THE FOOD ANYMORE!!! SMH. And the husband is a TOTAL PRICK!!! I've NEVER SEEN HIM SMILE NOT ONE TIME IN THE 7 YEARS I've been there. He constantly complains if I happen to use my debit card more than one transaction per visit. Like dude I'm buying MORE STUFF FROM YER STORE RELAX!! In conclusion the owners need to seriously chill the F out and actually start replacing the products people are buying frequently. Stop assuming that everyones gonna steal from your store its totally rude how you stare at the customers when we're shopping. And listen to your employees more often they know ALOT MORE THAN WHAT YOU GUYS THINK THEY DO. ​

    Very friendly except the owner china man. But his wife is nice and the other workers are as well…read more Moderately priced. And open late.

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    Special Brews - beer_and_wine - Updated July 2026

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