Disclaimer: I have never been to the old Crocodile. The new Crocodile is about average in terms of venue spaces....nothing really stood out to me as being particularly great....but it's definitely not bad either. Came on a Saturday night with a friend who had an extra ticket to the Heartless Bastards -- they weren't on until 11:30 so we hit the Cyclops in the meantime and came back. When we re-entered, the place was packed -- tons of people crowded in, most throwing drunken elbows every which way. The show started right about 11:30, rockin music, good vibe, LOUD! :-) While waiting for the band to come on, it was unbearably stifling in the space -- really humid. Someone had the good sense to turn air on (or just open a window or the door!), thank you to whoever did that! We didn't want to crush through the crowd for drinks, so I can't comment on the bar sitch. The random tables scattered around were...weird. They should be more off to the side than smack-dab in the middle of the floor. Overall: solid 3. Open space, really clean, not a bad venue for live music but nothing super-special. Check it out if you haven't already. read more

Made our first visit last night, 7/27/2012 to see Mealfrog, AoF and NoVey. The sound system is as good as I've heard for a smaller venue, all of the staff we came in contact with we're great. We had drinks at the back bar before the show, will call was hassle free, the doorman was helpful. Ticket prices are always reasonable and I like that they have all ages shows. Ventilation isn't the best and as been mentioned the floor is sticky (after people slop drinks all over the floor.) my wife and I are older and there is limited seating area but to be truthful, there just isn't enough room for that. We'll go back for a band we want to see. read more

Disclaimer: I have not seen a show here - I am commenting only about the small bar where they serve wood-fired pizzas. The pizzas are great! Really well prepared and cooked in a wood-fired oven. They have some crazy Happy Hour deal in which your pizza is half price ($4.25?!?) if you buy a drink. So, go for the pizza and buy a drink... ... but be warned that the drinks aren't great. In fact, a glass of really horrific white wine during Happy Hour was - wait for it - $6.40. Are you kidding me? Obviously, we'd been better off paying full price for the pizza and drinking water. Yes, the wine was that bad! The garlic cheesy bread was good, but the salads were a joke. So, if you're stumbling around Belltown and need some great pizza in your gut, hit the Crocodile's Bar. But you'll be overpaying for almost everything else. Note: Always check Yelp's 'Filtered Reviews.' One of the businesses I reviewed has a 1-star rating with only 1 review, but there are 5 'filtered' (hidden) reviews averaging 4.8 stars! read more

This place is great for shows and not ghetto people club night. I agree with Tonya H. below. The outside bouncer near the smoking area is a total douchebag. He acts like a complete dick to everyone unless your a skanky drunk. If that's the case he stops doing his "job" to take pictures or talk to skanks- nice predatory smile asshole. I bet it makes your out of shape balding ass feel good picking on people just to do so. Until you drop him, 3 stars for the crocodile! read more

A nice local spot for aspiring performer and artist. Small and intimate venue setting.

So into this place. Stopped on a busy Sunday night for the neighborhood, it was pretty slow and honestly perfect. Pizza hit the spot, the bartender was incredible, perfectly poured drinks. We'll be back, can't wait. read more

Visited The Crocodile on a Thursday night and there was a good crowd. Saw "The Builders and The Butchers" and they killed!. The 3 bands that night were great. To note, at around 11pm slide over to the pizza joint next door for $5 stone baked pizza. read more

Shit service. Bought tickets two weeks in advance. They Saw my friend holding McDonald's cup that previously had alcohol in it and without carding him sentances him to being kicked out for underage drinking (my friend is 21) And then we ask to talk to a manager, for which we wait 25 minutes to talk to one. Same guy who has ignored us and walked around us comes up and says he cant do anything, even after looking at my friends Id, doestnt even ask to look at sprite bottle I have which other bouncer stuck his nose in(has no alcohol in it) and didnt say anything to us . No even real talk about a refund for concert we waited in line 1.5 hours to see "tough luck sell your tickets" read more

It's a pretty nice venue to see a band, it's rather intimate compared to other venues and it's pretty easy to get really up close to the band if you want to. There is however a downside to the venue being so small when there are very popular bands who play there and they sell out instantly. The location is kind of shitty for those under 21 as there is a separate smaller blocked off area for those who can't drink, and the other has an open bar. I imagine those 21+ don't mind but it is a tad bit annoying especially when it isn't really that crowded and you're restricted to one area. That being said, if there was a band I wanted to see I would probably come again anyways. read more

If you want to see a concert up close, this is your spot. Saw Zakk Wilde here and the show was amazing. He literally walked through the crowd trailing roadies, and guitar cable, got up on the bar, and shredded it for 10 minutes. Not once, but twice. There isn't a bad spot in the house to see from (it's small). The only place I wouldn't recommend would be the small balcony upstairs. It gets stupid got up there. More fans in there would be a good thing for management to consider. read more

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We went here to see Haley Reinhart. It was very unorganized beforehand when people were waiting to get in. There was no real line inside for those who arrived early to wait. The bar we had to wait in was very small for all those people. People who came right before the concert got right up front to get in. When I complained, they were rude & brushed it off. Other than that, Haley was great! read more

I was here twice in the last weekend. To start with the back bar, the pizza is great. We had the veggie, meat and Hawaiian pizzas, all were really good. Service was fine, and they had good beers on tap. For the actual stage/concert area, the floor is sticky and the place gets INCREDIBLY hot in there. And then there's the sound quality. The guys in the booth seem to just like volume over quality. The Macy Gray concert wasn't bad actually, she was hard to understand occasionally, but in general is was OK. If was the Oh Land concert that was pretty awful for quality. Her voice was distorted most of the time, other times her voice was COMPLETELY drowned out by the guitar/keyboard and drums. My ears are still ringing a day after the concert. The volume doesn't need to go to 11 guys... read more

4 star average? Seriously? I've been to The Croc twice in the past couple of months and both times sound quality has been below average at best. The sound engineers in this place just don't really have it down. The first time, I saw Grand Archives, second time (just a few days ago) I saw The Radio Dept. Both times I couldn't make out any of the vocals of both the headliners and the opening bands because they were too low in contrast to the instruments. Bass is also virtually nonexistent. Now before you give me the whole "Well you probably weren't standing in the right spot" accusation, I'll have you know that I was standing dead center in the crowd, about 8 to 10 feet from the stage, which in any other venue would give you primo sound quality. If they would fix this problem, which is an extremely bad one considering the fact that sound quality makes or breaks a show, then I would happily give this joint 5 stars. Until then, I'll stick with 2, and go to better venues who have their sh*t together. read more

This isn't regard to the music venue but the food side. So let get this hands down straight up - Cheesy bread here - the best tasting deal in Seattle and possibly a competitor amongst other US cities. No one else compares. Nice thin pizza type cheesy bread cooked in their brick oven with a side of a herby ranchy sauce. For 20 bucks, go have some cheesy bread, a pizza and a couple beers in an open air environment. Enough to feed two. Man its nice to know that some places in these cities have it figured out. Crocodile does. Do one thing and do it right and make it reasonably priced. Posers get lost. read more

It was the place on a Friday night. Drinks, bands, atmosphere. It used to be quite the experience.

So, when I went, my experience was kind of weird. I went and saw Sophie, and don't get me wrong, the show was f*ckin AWESOME!!! But the set up of the venue was so dumb. A tiny little section off to the side was for the 21 and under, there was a lot of us over there shoved in the corner like cattle.. Also, the 21 and up section took of 2/3 of the room, and was barely filling up compared to our section...the security guard was super creepy and gross. Asking for my number, letting me go up closer to the stage but NONE of my friends. Like sorry, I want to be with my friends at the concert , not by myself. I'm officially not a fan of the venue. But the show was great. I just don't recommend the venue. read more

Saw a great band here a couple weeks ago. Great space for seeing a band you like.

So there's a lot of emotion tied to this place, an I get that. I never visited the old, clearly dirty, obstructed view Croc, and I'm sad that's the case, but not much can be done. Except maybe just go enjoy the new one. And this is what I love: Going to the "New Croc" with out a clue who is playing, getting a to go pizza from the Trib next room down and eating it at the bar sipping high lifes' (would the plural be lives?) from a plastic cup. I think that statement defies and mergers a whole bunch of stereotypes at once, who knows witch, but instead of worrying, let the band play! read more

I've been here twice and I loved it both times! The first time for the Kate Voegele show and the second was for Liquid Courage Karaoke. Both times the staff was cool, we really like the karaoke host guy, and it wasn't too crowded but not dead either. The pizza and cheese bread I were really yummy too, and if I remember correctly I think we got half off because it was after 11, yes! read more

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I just heard the news that the Croc closed its doors for the last time. I am living in NY now but felt compelled to write a final review. This is one of the coolest music venues around. While living in Seattle from 1991 to 2004, I saw so many great shows here. One of my favorites was a John Doe gig in 1995. It was around the time they were filming the rock movie "Georgia" and he invited Jennifer Jason Leigh on stage to practice her singing. She got a big cheer from the crowd that night, which included Eddie Vedder, Peter Buck and Chris Novoslic. I am not alone in saying Seattle lost a music institution with the passing of the Croc. read more

They have stiff drinks and a great history. The space in very intimate and has good acoustics. I would like to check out a couple more bands to get a better feel for it. I was not a fan of the leaky roof. read more

The food sucked, the place was dirty, but I loved this place. My favorite place to play. My favorite place to see bands. I'm so bummed it closed. read more

I wish we'd found this place sooner in our Seattle journey. Cheap drinks, nice divey atmosphere, great service. Didn't try the food but the pizza oven looked awesome. read more

I love pizza. I love music. Pizza and music, high five. The bar at Crocodile is very great. Taylor and Eddie kill it straight up. Very nice. read more

As opposed to the usual concert goers, I started going to the Back Bar after work for $6 HH pizza after a long day of work. I didn't expect it to be basically MY neighborhood bar but honestly Hefe is one of my favorite bartenders in the city and makes me happy to be a (semi) regular. At a place with hundreds of new faces an and out, she remembers you, your name, where you work, what you drink.. even when you only stop in that one night every couple of weeks. I hadn't come by in a few months, she still recognized me when I walked in the door, asked me how I was! That's not a good bartender, that's a great person and in Seattle sometimes those can be mutually exclusive. I love places with history and that's why I like coming here so much now, Hefe kind of evelops everybody sitting at the corner of the bar and makes you feel like you're seeing the character of a place that's been cool for almost a quarter century. I don't think my yelp review matters much but I spend all day giving recommendations to tourists on where to eat, drink, play within spitting distance of Pike Place and if I liked them I tell them to walk over and catch happy hour where Nirvana played. read more

Drink lemonade eddy on the rocks and have a cheese pizza at happy hour. Then Sean may save you from the drunk man in the photo booth so you can take a cute black and white photo to tape on the side. Somehow my drink was $6 and it was straight alcohol. Great videos that are very alternative and slightly weird but good backdrop for drinking. And i love a unisex restroom read more

Got put on the guest list of a friend's show and thought the venue was fantastic. It wasn't as divey as I expected and the bathrooms were cleaner than those of most bar/music venues. We got there early enough to enjoy a pizza in the adjoining bar and it was (surprisingly) one of the better pizzas I've had in Seattle. Would definitely go again should another show come up. read more

The Crocodile - Club Pizza - Music Venues Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Jerry Seinfeld he had a girlfriend who he couldn't be with in the dark. Her face changed. It was creepy. I would say that Crocodile Cafe is the opposite. At night, she's quite lovely in the colorful lights creating questionable dark corners and funny-colored walls. The bar has some standard funky artwork featuring Bob Dylan and the ilk, and also has really great bartenders (thanks for the free drinks!) Besides, it's a great venue and a great location (they are close enough to the streets where you can actually find a parking space in the evenings). Amazingly, you can find something interesting at this place almost any day of the week. The place is a she-devil in the daylight. The ratty chairs, the grimy walls, and the molasses staff are less-than appetizing (I mean, I waited 45 minutes for a bowl of soup). But, if you dare put their eats close to your mouth - and you haven't yet turned into a dusty old skeleton from all the waiting - the food is actually pretty tasty. I recommend the soups and sandwiches. Great for vegetarian options, as well. read more

SWEET NIBBLETS! YES I'll be back in my flatssss! Saw the #2ems in the concert section! Emeli Sande and Emily King!! Which makes me love this place even more my drinks were cool sooo yes! if you get a chance come to a performance chill at the bar/grill section prior to the booths are pretty cool! Parking is like anywhere else in Belltown keep searching until you're satisfied! read more

So a co*worker & I had some pretty hungry tummies after getting Pedi's on Friday. After walking into Biscuit Bitch & them being hella rude, We decided to walk out. Next stop..we just so happened to land at the Crocodile! Whew am I glad we ended up at this place. Our bartender A.C. was a barrel of fun! His customer service was grand & he could pop jokes out his mouth like no other. If you know me, once I get ta rollin, I dont stop! He was quick & fun . Kept me on my toes! Not to mention he could shake up a mean drink. Ooh to top it off we ordered I believe it was called the club pizza. Ooh I could slap my Mom the pizza was sooo good. Mm mm yum oven bricked goodness. Talk about a foodgasm! Oh & I surely cant forget the star of the show. MR. Ranch. Yep thats right, even their ranch cracked!! I am a ranch whore, so condiments like that ARE important to me. So if you are on a solo mission or out with some friends...stop in here bc not only do the concerts crack here, but so does the atmosphere, customer service, & eats! Nikita singing "Go A.C. Go A.C. Go...about your white sauce tho. Mmmmmyum!" read more

The staff was needs some training! The ticket taker threatened my friend because he spilled some water on the counter. The bouncers by the rest rooms were berating patrons. The bartenders, I know they're busy but frankly the place was empty, were rude. Will likely seek out other venues over this one next time. read more

The Croc used to attract bigger acts, but due to mismanagement, they mostly dwell in regional and local bands. Still, there are great performances and it's actually a better space than Showbox, which draws better known performers. If you like indie music and a nice space to see a band and hangout with friends for drinks, this is a great location. read more

I heard this place was the best indie show venue in Seattle prior to moving here, didn't disappoint. They have shows all week and cheap happy hour on the weekdays. Cheap pizza all week, cheap drinks, reasonable cover for good bands and good music. If you're into the music they play here, come visit the crocodile read more

The Croc is hands-down, the best place to see an indie rock show in Seattle. While I was regularly travelling to Seattle for work, I went there quite often for either a show, good food, a tasty beer or all of the above. When I'm in Seattle, I almost exclusively drink Mac and Jacks, a most excellent local brew. Whenever I'm back in town on the weekend, I'll stop by for some excellent brunch without a big crowd. Try the chilaquiles, but get toast instead of the sometimes dry tortillas. There are many vegetarian options... read more

I finally took the opportunity to check out shows here during last year's decibel festival. I'd only heard negative things from friends regarding the Crocodile, so I'd braced myself for a bad experience. Fortunately my experience was fine. The sound was OK (not great, but not as bad as I'd heard), I didn't think the venue was overly warm, and the crowd was fine (though very young). My two major complaints were: 1) the entrance line was very long and they were making no distinction between ticket holders and people waiting to pay at the door. Why do venues do this? Let the customers who've already paid in first. 2) The rail between the dance floor and bar just makes the room more difficult to navigate. I'm sure they intended to make a clear path near the bar, but it just ends up creating a denser crowd by the bar, which makes it hard to reach the bathroom, smoking area or exit. read more

I have seen and played shows here. This was the best venue in Seattle. It brought in great mid-major type bands, and several excellent underrated bands. The sound in the best in Seattle (many others will attest to this claim) which has a lot to do with their guy who ran the board. This is refreshing since 75% of the smaller live shows you hear sound like junk. The room for shows is fairly big, but definitely chokes at its 500ish capacity. The bar was OK, but drinks were a little pricey and staff was a little stand offish. I heard food was good. Would love to see this opened again. My theory is they probably had a massive rent since it was so big and included essentially a venue, bar, and resteraunt. If there was a way to split it up and at least to venue, or bar/venue, that may be the way to go. I really miss this place! read more

I'm old enough, and have lived in Seattle long enough to have been to the old Crocodile Cafe, but was not lucky enough to visit during it's real heyday. Of course, back then I wouldn't have been old enough to get in anyway but that's beside the point. The new Croc has a slightly more upscale feel to it and the stage area is way bigger. Honestly I think it's a great venue to catch local bands or bands from far off doing the small club scene. It feels very intimate and there isn't a bad angle anywhere on the floor to obscure the view of the stage as far as I could tell. The real clincher for me? They actually serve decent beer. I can actually drink an IPA while listening to great music? Oh yes, A Winner Is You! read more

(This review is of the bar/pizza joint only.) This is a cool dive that surprised me with two things: 1. A stone oven 2. Olympia beer on tap Those two things could have made the Crocodile a treat. Except... my otherwise very tasty margherita pizza came out burned on the bottom and on the crust's edges. I ate it anyway, because what else are you going to do when you're visiting Seattle, you have a couple of beers in you, and you're hungry somethin' fierce? My point is, the baker guy should have seen that the pizza was burned, but he didn't (or did, and served it to me anyway). And for that, I'm knocking two stars off an otherwise fine experience. The short story: Go for the beer and the ambiance and the music, but sadly, not the pizza. Is it the oven? The baker guy? Just unfortunate timing? I may never know. read more

I got engaged in your photo booth on 12/22/14. SO 5 STARS FOR YOU! read more

The Crocodile - Crocodile photobooth engagement! - Music Venues Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I will NEVER be returning to this establishment after what happened to me tonight at the Carbon Leaf Concert. I was getting some water which was set up at the end of the bar. I turn around to listen to the band while drinking the water before returning to my friend in the crowd. All of the sudden the bartender shoves me from behind the bar and yells at me to not stand on the white lines. I'm shocked at this point that he shoved me but I move off of the white lines just as he demanded. He then proceeds to walk out from behind the bar and shoves me again pushing me further away and yells at me to move again. This all happened so fast and put me in a state of shock that I became too upset to stay so we ended up leaving the concert shorty after. This "man" had absolutely NO RIGHT to touch me let alone shove me not once but twice without asking me to move politely even once. I have never been treated so aggressively and want to warn any females entering this venue in the future. read more