McMenamins Spar Café
| Address: | 114 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501, USA |
| Phone: | +1 360-357-6444 |
| Site: | mcmenamins.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | 7AM–12AM 7AM–12AM 7AM–12AM 7AM–12AM 7AM–1AM 7AM–1AM 7AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 10
A
A Private User
McMenamins "Spar" is getting better. I still stop by and get an occasional burger and beer and the wait staff has been pretty good. Everyone has been friendly and I seem to see the same faces behind the bar. Especially important is there is a wider selection of seasonal beers to choose from. Im going to up their rating to four stars (originally 2...) and see how things go over the next year or so. Just to be safe, Im leaving my old comment below. I like McMenamins beer, so Ill stop by the Spar and have a drink every once in a while and every time I remind myself to never go to the Spar again. Much like every McMenamins Ive been to, the evening service is lousy (Seattle McMenamins still have great service!). The food is decent for bar food, moderately priced, and essentially identical to all their other restaurants. Their dinner specials always sound interesting, but Ive yet to try one. Their beer is always good and is the only reason I keep on returning to the Spar. Make sure to try some of the seasonal and nitro selections. Despite loving their beer, Im rating the Spar a "below average" because their evening service is so damned crappy. I suppose riding on the coattails of their beer and name is good enough to keep them in business, but for how long?
SO
Sophie Blake
My review has definitely changes over the last several months. I have loved The Spar since I moved to Olympia in 2002. I must admit that I had some doubts and a bit of. ..um...resentment, perhaps, that some of the "old things" has to change. However, Ive come to really like the "new" place too! I feel like I can still get a taste of the history a bit, and the food is great, as is the selection of delicious, quality beverages. I love going out with my wife and having one of the cozy little 2-top booths to ourselves. Usually, service is top-notch and we actually feel like the servers care about our experience. Last time we were there, though (probably a couple months ago), this was definitely not the case. Our server acted resentful of having to actually take time out of his busy night to serve or check on us, and then after we were ready to leave we waited almost forty minutes to get our check. Oh wait--we never got it! My wife finally got up and had someone at the bar ring us up and took care of it. Frankly, it kinda ruined the place for us. We might be back. Who knows. Right now, we are enjoying a couple other locale restaurants that make us feel warm and welcome.
CA
Cae ABW
Food and wait staff were good, the atmosphere is brilliant. But, its over priced. Stupidly overpriced. Any given lunch will be over 8$ up to nearly 20$. A salad, a basic fairly small salad, will run around 4$. A large milk will run nearly 2$, and calling it large is a laugh, the glass being maybe a cups worth, if that. If I knew the staff were being paid well, if I knew the cost went towards upkeep of the historic building, I might suggest going here - Id suggest going if youre just getting find, their beer selection looked great. But, if you just want comfort food... Go somewhere else where a lunch wont cost you what a dinner would else where. The fish and chips were good, but at 15$ for three smallish pieces of fish and a plate of mostly fries, youve lost me. Again, this is no dig against the food itself or the people who work there. I just in good conscience can not pay nearly 2$ for what amounted to a mouthful of milk.
J.
J. Frank Parnell
Ate at the Spar on the way back from Portland. Glad we did. They introduced me to the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich. This sandwich was primo. YOu must get it. Portobello mushrooms marinated in olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, and garlic. Then grilled. You would swear you are eating meat. They are so good, I now make them at home. My daughters reuben sandwich was also very good. The service here sucks. Be prepared to wait for your bill, and water refills are few and far between. The atmosphere is great. It is a very historic building, with a tin ceiling, and great old photos on the wall. Outside you can look at all of the weirdos that seem to populate downtown Olympia by the truckload. The beer from Mcmenamins is also great as always.
AN
Andrew Kuka
I stopped here for breakfast one Monday morning around 7:30am. Got an egg, toast, jam, hash browns, and bacon for around $8.50 i think, and then a coffee. It was dark and quiet in the historic feeling room. I was pretty blown away at the quality of the food. The bacon was meaty, the hash browns juicy and flavorful, the wheat toast buttery, the egg perfectly cooked (over medium), and the jam was thick and sweet with lil seeds. It was one of the best breakfasts that I have ever had, and I am not exaggerating. The servers were nice and attentive enough.
A
A Private User
Everytime Ive gone there for breakfast we get one of two waitresses: one who is about as friendly as a doorknob, and the other who is basically sloth lazy. This goes beyond "smile more"...this is a complete disregard for customer service. They dont want to be there, they dont want you there, and they really SHOW you that. Im not going to go into details. Youll know exactly what I mean if you go in on the weekend and sit in the front area. You have been warned. I think were done. Its a shame because the food is pretty good...
ZO
Zoey J
I went here with a few friends not expecting anything too great but we ended up all falling in love with the place. The atmosphere has an old style feel to it, and the food was delicious. I got a chicken burger with salad and an iced tea. The salad was very fresh and the chicken was perfect. The ice tea wasnt too sweet or too bitter! My friends got the Marias special, tacos, and a turkey sandwich and all enjoyed their dishes very much. The service was fast and friendly. I cant wait to go back.
JO
Jon-Luke Fabré
U cant find a place w/ such history and personality! It speaks to me, I can hear/feel it wen I open the door! Pre-WWI décor, old pictures of its past lives&1920 cigar lounge w/ cigar boxes set into the back wall of bar so cool! Foods good drinks ok overpriced, but no place Id rather be w/time 2kill! I step out of time wen im there. I see myself a hundred years ago drinking and walking thru wat it was like. I think I might have been there in a past LIFE!? Call me crazy go & see for yourself!!??
A
A Private User
Ordered the "Puget Sound steamer clams". When they came out, they were clearly not a puget sound species and tasted old. When we asked, we were told that the clams were frozen and shipped from SE asia. When we asked why they were called "Puget Sound steamer clams", we were told that "Puget Sound" refers to how they were prepared, which is thawed out and served in butter. Please. Also, their beer is boring and their service is awful.
JU
June Hansen
I love this place. In 18 years its still one of my favorite restaurants to go to and enjoy a great meal and a drink in Olympia. The food, service, and atmosphere are all fabulous. This is not fast food, so expect to spend some time there and enjoy your meal to the fullest. Last night a couple at the bar paid for my tab and slipped away before I could thank them. Thank you, sweet couple! I will pay it forward in your honor.
