I really liked this place -- it had such a welcoming vibe, and the unique décor was amazing. From the moment we walked in, Luke the bartender immediately greeted us with a warm and sincere demeanor. We initially thought it was a fine dining restaurant and were a little disappointed to see a limited menu. However, it's actually a fantastic spot for drinks and light bites. We decided to stay since we had never been there before, and Luke was so gracious we almost felt bad leaving! We ordered the meat and cheese platter along with a couple of drinks, and everything was Grade A. I'm giving it an A+ though, because of Luke's outstanding service. read more

Everything was great and the owner Jeff was there tending bar when my friend and I went in for happy hour. We were the only ones in there for a while and so had a chance to talk with Geoff, who made great recommendations for food and was very pleasant and friendly. Everything we tried was delicious. My friend initially ordered a drink that wasn't on happy hour as she had forgotten to ask about it, and at the end, Jeff had changed the price to a happy hour price since he didn't let her know about that in advance. Very class move and going the extra mile in a way that makes a huge difference and leaves along lasting impression on the customer! Happy hour food menu is small, but that seems to be for a reason, because what they do they do well! read more

It's expensive. To be expected. But along comes another service charge that nobody wants to inform you of upfront. Their cocktails don't quite measure up. Maybe it's the alcohol to mixer ratio? Great atmosphere and nice wait staff. Didn't mind shooting them a nice tip. The food menu is small but interesting, not very tasty. Probably stick with the hummus or the bread. Definitely eat before you come. We stopped here three hours after dinner and only ordered a few of the small plates after we'd already been here an hour. The whiskeys are terrific. As expected. Several flights available like "In For A World of Peat", featuring three peated whiskeys from the British Isles and one from America. 05/25 read more

We stopped in before going to the holiday boat parade. This is a great spot with a good atmosphere, good food, and good drinks! It's seat yourself and it seems like everyone helps with all tables as we had a couple different people help us out. There are lots of options for seating: large tables, bar seating, tall tables, booths, etc. The cocktail list is fun with lots of great options. They also have a good food menu with plenty of choices. I had the Mac and cheese with broccoli. It was tasty! read more

The Barrel Thief - Food menu 12/13/24 - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Came here for a work event. They let us book a few consecutive tables near the window. The rest of the interior is a dark sort of ambiance that fits well with the whiskey vibe. They were friendly with their service too -- coming by multiple times to ask if we needed anything else. Their whiskey drinks were very good, especially the one with smoke. The smoke really lingered and imparted a woody scent with every sip. They have more than just whiskey too, all kinds of cocktails really. Their beer selection is light, so don't expect much in that area. read more

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Went to Barrel Thief with a meetup that was suppose to be around 16 people scheduled around 6:30 PM on a Sunday (The Barrel Thief closes at 9:00 PM). About only 8 or 9 people showed up and at 7:30 and later, so it was really nice of them to still let us keep our reserved tables. It wasn't busy enough that we needed the reservation however. Server was nice, everyone was allowed to have their own tab (with even some people sharing tabs with one another), we just had to let the host know when we ordered the drinks. Sunday is half off on scotches so I ordered the Goldilocks flight. It was fine, not much of a scotch person but IDK if I would pay the regular $30 for about 1.3 shots. I also ordered the Cheddar Jalapeño Hushpuppies and that was just okay. I wanted more Jalapeño read more

The Barrel Thief - Cheddar-Jalapeno Hushpuppies - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Beautiful, sophisticated interior. We came for a few drinks and snacks on a Sunday. Fries were nice and fluffy and fresh. I didn't really try any of the drinks but they looked nice. Attentive staff. read more

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"Thief" is appropriate. $21 for a standard cocktail. Kicking myself for not asking for the price beforehand. Nothing remarkable about this place to justify the price, just your average mediocre Seattle restaurant charging $$$ because they can. read more

This is the perfect spot to meet friends for a drink. They have a great heated patio and an amazing selection of wine and whiskey. Their truffle popcorn is a winner! We were there later on Saturday evening and it was fairly empty so the service was prompt and friendly. read more

The Barrel Thief has great ambiance. I love the barrel staves decorating the wall and it has this artsy, moody vibe. I came in with a medium sized group and found it was a bit awkward for all of us to be there comfortably. It was just hard to hear the person sitting a couple seats down. The drinks were great. Everyone enjoyed their cocktails. The food menu was mostly small bites and we ordered a few items. It was solid, but not necessarily delicious. I found the meat a bit tough. Our waitress was fine. She would check in with us often but she always seemed nervous for lack of a better word. She would come by, stay as far away from the table as she could, and then dart away. It was a bit odd. read more

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Such a nice vibey spot. We just came for drinks but our friends had some food that looked delicious. I had a gin drink and I mentioned to the server what I liked and she picked a great drink for me. My husband loves whiskey and scotch and we went on Sunday. Highly recommend that if you love scotch you go on a Sunday! Overall a great visit and we will be coming back. read more

The Barrel Thief - Gin Manhattan type drink - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

A rare find - open on a late Friday night, taking walk-ins, and equipped with outdoor seating. We were visiting nearby and realized the drive back home was too daunting without food, so we made impromptu plans and were grateful for the accommodation! The Caesar salad is standard but good, no more or less garlicky than the usual fare. The burgers were a standout, cooked as requested, juicy and filling. Their cocktails were a mixed bag, between a highball that tasted mostly like water and some other, sweeter options, the names of which escape memory - but perhaps just being advised of which one to avoid will suffice. read more

Love the food, service, vibe and new ownership here. Very close to our office so we come here quite a bit. For this area, easily one of the deeper whiskey and Scotch menus, but there's no need to care about such things if you're into cocktails - they do that fairly well too! read more

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First time customer, atmosphere, vibes and drinks were good. Staff were excellent, attentive and customer focused. Food ordered ruined the evening, way too salty, crispy Brussels sprouts no flavor other than salt and grease, truffle popcorn overly salty with a tinge of truffle flavor, chips were salty and my brisket sandwich was okay brisket was tender with minimal flavor. Chef, cooks blew it here. So much from managing one's salt intake. Will return for drinks only. Hence the 1 star, chef, cooks did not represent the wait staff's level of service. read more

Atmosphere is great, food is alright, drinks are great. But, tbh we will not be going here ever again - we were shocked when the tab came back with a huge sum of auto-added gratuity! That is unacceptable. Gratuity/tips are a gracious gesture on the part of the patron for great work, NOT a presumed auto-inclusion by the establishment. How pompous read more

My husband and I were in the Fremont area looking for a bite and drink on a Sunday evening. He called and restaurant accepted vaccination cards and negative COVID tests so we headed there. We were asked if we had a reservation and we explained we had called ahead. With a little hesitation, which was weird because there were more empty tables than ones with diners, we were offered a few table options to choose from. After sitting, it did take a few minutes before we were approached. Long enough for me to start reading reviews and looking at pictures of the menu items to see if it was worth staying at least. Being completely honest, the food was decent but it was not enough to bring me back. Although, the pricing is decent, the food just did not fit the ambiance or vibe of the restaurant for me. I expected a little more flavor in my chicken Caesar and my husbands burger. The fries were over salted, the burger was just too dry and the bun was too charred and dry for our taste. I expected a little more and not something comparable to a Blazing Onion down the road. read more

The Barrel Thief - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I know Seattle is expensive, but when you are charging a premium price it should be edible at the very least. $18 for a cocktail that you could get at Triangle Pub for $6 less. This is the first time in my life I have sent a dish back. $14 for "sourdough toast" (photo below). It was advertised as having pickled pomegranate, which piqued my interest. When the dish arrived I almost started laughing. I took one bite that I couldn't even swallow, and sent it back. It smelled like wet dog. I make better toast at home for $1.50. We spent just over $100 on 2 drinks, 1 entree, and 1 app (the toast was removed from our bill without question, +1 star for that.) Our server was great! Still would not return. read more

The Barrel Thief - Sourdough toast. - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Barrel Thief was a solid spot with a ton of booze offerings. I had a pretty good Pimm's Cup (after a small amount of confusion about what a Pimm's Cup was, and the bartender needing to look up a recipe...), as well as a good local red, and the dude had a couple of good whiskeys. Despite it being immediately after we had a large dinner, we couldn't resist getting an order of fries which were pretty damn good. Whatever's in that garlic salt is super addicting. Service was perfectly fine, and the ambience was a little sleepy, but overall a good experience. Definitely a great place to go if you've got a group with super eclectic tastes. read more

The Barrel Thief - Pimm's Cup - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Favorite cocktail bar in the Fremont area. Love the ambiance inside. Very chill and great mood lighting. The cocktails here are always a hit. A big fan and love to bring friends here if they're looking for a nice cocktail. Prices are standard with other cocktail bars in Seattle! read more

A neat spot. I appreciated the wide selection of whiskey and picked a nice flight. I'll probably return here soon to try more! Note that they do add an automatic 20% service charge to the bill which I almost missed. read more

The Barrel Thief - Whisky Flight - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Server was very nice, but this place throws in a sneaky 20% service charge along with a tip line. Price your food appropriately and stop trying to live up your restaurant's name. If you can't afford the rent or labor cost without running your customers away by making (already exorbitantly high) prices 20% higher, you shouldn't be in business. read more

Didn't get the food but we got the drinks! Their menu looked great though! Would come back to order food and drinks again. Drinks were great too and not crazy expensive (see the menu attached). Vibes were great! And the service was friendly, quick, and attentive. read more

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They add 20% gratuity to everything, including bar tabs. $13 gratuity for 2 rounds of drinks.

Food was excellent as were the cocktails. Had very attentive service and the atmosphere is wonderful. Cozy and warm and a very comfortable place to spend time. Will definitely return read more

We came here on a whim while walking through Fremont looking for a place to eat. We started with the Caprese appetizer and the popcorn. Both were good! The cap read was incredible and would definitely get that again. They give you a lot of popcorn for the price but the truffle oil was a little much. If they had put less truffle oil on, it would have been significantly better. As an entree I had the steak. It was VERY tender and good. The marinade they use is awesome!! My only problem with it was how small the portion was and the lack of any veggie. It was a small strip of steak and a small bowl of mashed potatoes. I wish it was slightly bigger, but also with the price point it sort of makes sense. Drinks were good, but took a while and we're expensive. Overall would return! read more

The Barrel Thief - Truffle Popcorn - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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A cozy spot for wine and whiskey in Fremont -- stopped by on a Saturday night and it wasn't too busy! The ambiance is super nice and it's a really intimate vibe. I loved that the staff were so friendly and made the drink selection process less intimidating. They were super knowledgable and could recommend flights and glasses based on totally different tastes. Overall had a great time -- didn't get the chance to try out too much of the food but would totally come back for that! read more

The Barrel Thief - Featured Winery Flight - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Restaurant has an excellent outdoor seating area. Servers are nice and helpful. The mushroom dish and asparagus dishes I ordered were good--but felt like they didn't quite align with the menu description. Truffle popcorn was excellent, didn't taste like fake truffle oil. Cocktails were excellent. The only dessert--beignets--were chewy and dense, not light and fluffy. Wouldn't order again. I thought the prices were reasonable until I got the receipt--where there is a 20% up charge fee AND this amount doesn't go to staff. Tax applies to this surprise 20% fee. So you have to tip another 20% on top to make sure wait staff get paid tips. Absolutely horrific lack of transparency and ethics from the restaurant's owner. I'd like to return but maybe for just a drink. Note to owner: we know this is Seattle and things are expensive. Just post your full prices as prices. Don't make your patrons feel simulated robbed and guilty at the end of a meal. read more

Delightful bar with great beverage.. ambience is nice and the service kind and attentive. read more

The Barrel Thief - Whiskers on kittens - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Food is pretty good and the rotating options are really nice. cocktails are excellent. Service is always good as well. What I hate is the 20% service fee added to the checks that goes to the owner. Just put the honest prices on the menu. read more

I Was given a gift card to The Barrel thief by a generous friend and was finally able to take advantage on a recent Friday night. We reserved a table a week ahead of time. Upon arrival, our vaccine cards and IDs were certified (thank you!) and we were promptly seated at our booth, a cozy fit for 4 people. We were early enough for the happy hour menu and took advantage with a round of Old Fashioned cocktails, truffle popcorn and cauliflower. The drinks were lovely. The cauliflower was my favorite! It was perfectly done with great flavor. Later in the evening, I tried the Whisker's on kittens... fabulous if you like a little bit of smoke and a little bit of sweet. My companions all had burgers which were too large to finish! I had the vegan Shepard's pie and really liked it. I have a high spice tolerance and would have liked a little more heat! Overall, we loved the speakeasy vibe and look forward to returning to try more cocktails. read more

The Barrel Thief - Burger with fries! Very large. Very delicious. - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Amazing food. Service was excellent. We had oxtail ragu, delicious chicken legs with rice. The atmosphere was relaxing and comfortable. We'll be back. read more

We came in here after the solstice parade. Service was ok, nothing to really be excited about, the ambiance was nice, dark and relatively quiet for what was going on in the streets. We ordered a hummus plate and two of their old fashioneds. My boyfriend had a question about a specific bourbon he wanted to taste, the waiter wasn't sure of the price and she reluctantly went to find out. The hummus plate was ok, a very large portion of hummus however the consistency was rather lumpy and did not like it to much. Our drinks came after the appetizer as well which is always kind of annoying since the order was placed well before the app order. I did notice after she saw the hummus being delivered she then went to the bar and grabbed our two cocktails immediately. Normally not a big issue, but when you are paying a premium for a craft cocktail it's a little annoying when it comes watered down after it had been sitting for a bit My biggest issue was the service charge they added to the tab without telling us. We saw it on the bottom Of the receipt underneath the credit card slip to sign with spot for tip. The server never mentioned anything about this and really made us feel like she was expecting another %20 on top of the service charge. I posted a picture below of it and I also posted a picture of all the leftover hummus she just took without asking if we wanted it for take a way. read more

The Barrel Thief - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I really wish for those half stars in Yelp because barrel thief would get a 3.5. As soon as you walk in, you get an overwhelming whiff of their truffle popcorn and it stays in your nostrils long after you leave. If you're into that, you're in for a treat. If you're more like me and find it an overpowering smell, you're in for a few hours where you won't be able to think or smell anything else but the truffle popcorn. The old fashioned was one of the sweetest old fashioneds I've had in years and not in a good way. Had to switch to a non cocktail beverage because I don't know if I would have been able to handle that much sweetness for round two. Overall service is very nice - the ambiance was extremely dark which I'm wondering if I just wasn't feeling the vibes that particular night. read more

The Barrel Thief - Old fashioned - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The bartender is fantastic! Great cocktails and a great ambiance. Recommend sitting at the bar for the full experience.

Very expensive for what you are paying for. The food was okay and the drinks were very small and not that great. The service was also very slow, and our waitress didn't seem to know the menu. Our gnocchi was not very flavorful and Brussels sprouts were super undercooked. I would recommend a few other surrounding restaurants before recommending the Barrel Thief to anyone. read more

The Barrel Thief - Gnocchi Brussel Sprouts - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Dear GM, This was super disappointing. What's the point of making a reservation- when you walk in and the table you requested has been given to other guests? Made my reservation in advance for an anniversary on Sunday the 26th. Came in on Thursday night around 6pm to double check on the reservation and put in a specific request for a certain table. The blond gal who helped me on Thursday took me over to the bar, where the reservation iPad was at. She pulled up my reservation and added 3 notes based on our conversation. 1- request booth on left side closest to bar- she even provided the table number you all use. 2- flower delivery 3- all vegan table. I watched her as she typed everything in the iPad reservation. She assured me things would be all good for Sunday. When my partner and I arrived on Sunday, there was no host to greet us. And I saw that the table I had requested on Thursday night was occupied by people stuffing their faces with linguini. The host was busy doing other things, but when she saw we were waiting, she came up to check us in. I let her know we had reservations for 5pm and we were right on time. She looked at a clipboard and said yes I have your reservation. Awesome. However, the table I requested was occupied. Host said she knew nothing about that, very unapologetic, disinterested and unwilling to do anything to make it right, just stared at the clipboard, rather than open up the iPad. Not her problem on a Sunday night at 5pm right? Even though I went the extra steps on Thursday night to make sure it was all set up for our reservation. Rather than try to argue about a fucking table that I make sure to double check on Thursday. We walked out. The disengagement and lack of concern from the host- was appalling and apathetic at best. Pretty gross Barrel Thief. Super disappointed. I guess there's a reason why I hadn't gone back since our first date 3 years ago. Won't be coming back ever, even if for nostalgic sake. What a disappointment and a failure of the staff. Making sure to share my experience on all platforms of social media, Google and Yelp. Hopefully others won't have the same disappointment and not waste their time and money at the Barrel Thief. And others too will learn that making reservations and specific requests will not be accommodated nor entertained by the host. read more

Incredible vegan gnocchi with mushroom "sausage". Just finished the rest of my take-home half of it for lunch. Delicious! The staff were the kindest and most helpful ever, and I really dig the atmosphere. I'll be back. read more

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The bartenders & waiters here are absolutely kind & attentive. They answered all of my questions about the types of evergreen beverages they have. Sarah, my server, was an absolute godsend. She helped me pick out the right beverage. Jeremy made me one of the best cocktails I've ever tasted. It had gin, pine essence, a splash of champagne, and a dash of citrus. The drink was really strong, but they were super responsible in listening to me when I told them to cut me off at two of these delicious cocktails. Kudos to the staff. They deserve all the raises and promotions. Thank you very much for the wonderful service. read more

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Stopped in for a quick drink before dinner at another establishment. Old Fashioned and the Rye Tai were excellent. Bartender was very friendly. The chairs at the end of the bar required some squeezing to access but were quite comfortable. read more

Had a good dinner (during happy hour) this evening. The small plates (sprouts, hummus) were good, but the gnocchi entree was a bit disappointing as the tomato & olive sauce overwhelmed the amount and flavor of the pasta. I would recommend the autumn dollar cocktail as it was quite tasty for the season! read more