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    9 LB Hammer

    4.0 (192 reviews)
    InexpensiveDive Bars
    Closed 2:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    9 LB Hammer Photos

    Business Info

    9 LB HAMMER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - 9 LB Hammer

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    Reuben Sandwich with fresh cut fries.  Fantastic fresh hand sliced corned beef.
    Calvin L.

    I decided to try the Reuben Sandwich for a late lunch. I've had the fresh hand cut fries on a previous visit and was very happy. I was extremely surprised when I was served the plate, I was getting a first rate Reuben! I understand they cook their corned beef in house and they hand slice the meat in 1/4" slices, fresh! This ain't no cheap corned beef round roast, it's brisket, and it's cooked perfectly! It was heaped on nicely grilled true Rye bread that had a nice crisp bite as I went in for my first taste. The corned beef brisket was perfect, fresh and moist. It was higher quality too as it was not heavily over salted in the brine. A nice slice of Swiss cheese was melted on the beef and topped with excellent sauerkraut. Definitely rinsed like it should be, to remove the acidic taste and also had a nice crunch texture. The Russian/Thousand Island dressing was very good and enough that I immediately asked for extra napkins. The result? It was near a perfect Reuben Sandwich. Delicious, enjoyable! I give the plate a 9/10, mainly because the cook decided to serve up some old leftover French fries, probably from the night before. I'm know their fries are very good as I mentioned I've had them previously.

    Michael B.

    Fun dark dive bar in Georgetown. Parking can be a struggle in this area on the after 8p. Bartenders are extremely nice and welcoming. Some of the best affordable drinks in Seattle. Food is descent but could use more seasoning. Chill place to grab drinks with people without any drama that you might encounter downtown on a weekend.

    More ice please
    Jamal B.

    Bad drinks( this would be the reason you go to a dive right ?) , bad service. If you are not a regular don't bother showing. Also don't bother trying to pay more for anything extra. You can't customize anything even something simple like adding a hamburger patty.

    Glory glory hallelujah
    Rouz G.

    Cool dive bar. Free pool. Strong drinks. Glory holes. Very chill atmosphere, perfect for what we were looking for this afternoon.

    Pool area (free to play!) and Ms Pac Man machine
    Winston C.

    Really cool vibe that's relaxing and at ease. I'm pleasantly surprised by the consistent number of patrons coming in despite the area. Highlights: - Plenty of seating to chill and enjoy - Free pool! - Awesome Halloween decorations! Festive while not too overwhelming. - Reasonable and fair prices The minor grievances include that it was kind of too dark to read/see yet that's the vibe. Note that for credit card purchases need a minimum of $10; otherwise a $1 surcharge.

    Pinball
    Julius B.

    This place rocks. It's one of the rare bars that doesn't try to hide what it is or be something it's not. Very reasonably priced drinks, free peanuts, food menu for purchase (quality fries), shuffleboard, pinball machines, just a good time bar. Would highly recommend coming here and will definitely be back myself

    Bird on the shuffleboard light
    Claudia C.

    I've been to this place a few times but this time I ordered food for a football game. I ordered a double pattie burger with no cheese and I turned it into a lettiuce wrap. The meat was sooo good. Juicy with a little crisp on the outside. Yummm. And the onions rings were huge! So crunchy. The fries were like those yummy store bought ones so I think they were real potato. I would come pay for the food and play some shuffleboard or pinball.

    Matt K.

    9lb Hammer is addicting. Thank god I don't live close to there, otherwise I'd be there every night. This place is a simple bar that has great character. There are no yuppies that go here and in fact, you're more than likely to run into a couple burners here. I've caused serious damage to my liver at this place. I can't remember ever leaving sober. The only bummer is that it's in the middle of Georgetown, which can be a pain to get to. A cab ride home is super expensive, so convince one of your sober friends to drive you there and back.

    Dan L.

    One of my favorite bars in Seattle. Nothin better than going here after work, grabbing a bowl of peanuts and a beer, and playing shuffleboard and/or pacman for hours. This is a great dive bar, but during the busy nights you can grab a fresh Tamale in the corner by the bathrooms. Pretty good for a dive. If you are thirsty and in the Georgetown area, you NEED to stop in here.

    9 lb hammer

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    Great bartender. Prompt service. Good, strong drinks. Cool old building. Creepy AF atmosphere.

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    Quality drinks, prices within that of neighborhood, good vibe. No complaints here. Service is friendly and check out process is efficient.

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - 9 LB Hammer

    Review Highlights - 9 LB Hammer

    Pinball, pool, inexpensive beer, matter-of-fact bartenders and lots of room to hang out with your friends.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

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    Jules Maes Saloon - Waffles & Berries

    Jules Maes Saloon

    (370 reviews)

    $$

    Georgetown

    This probably isn't going to be a fair rating just because I wasn't here for drinks. I was here for…read moresome solid chicken and waffles. I had expectations to tell you the truth, but I was let down a bit. Although, I was convinced to try out the mozzarella sticks and that was a fantastic starter. Highly recommend it. They were huge and thick with the good white stuff stretching out of it when you pull on it after your first bite. Best mozzarella stick I've ever had. As for the chicken and waffles, that's another story. Now, this isn't your normal chicken and waffles here. It's a spicy chicken and waffle sandwich. Someone was trying to be clever with this one and granted, on paper it sounds like a good idea. Execution was pretty poor however. The spice on that chicken was overpowering. There was a lack of syrup when there should've been more. And the goat cheese made it worse. Honestly, if it were just a regular fried chicken that was not spicy and had a good amount of syrup with no goat cheese in the sandwich, it would've satisfied my craving hands down. It wasn't that unfortunately. Should just keep it simple with that one. I would've been happy with that. The stroganoff was solid though. Did not expect that to be so good coming out of a bar. Way better than what Olive Garden could ever dish out. So maybe that says a lot for some folks. I'd come here for the stroganoff and the mozzarella sticks. As for the place itself, it definitely has a saloon vibe to it. Place looked pretty slow when I was there, but there was a good amount of people finishing up their meals, so I probably just missed the breakfast rush. Bartender/server was quite friendly and there were no problems, so that's always good.

    Popped in for trivia and it was fun. Service is good, super friendly and attentive. Mozzarella…read moresticks are thick and have a solid cheese pull.

    Smarty Pants - French Dip

    Smarty Pants

    (515 reviews)

    $$

    Georgetown

    Smarty Pants is a cool, no frills restaurant and bar in Georgetown. Located in a really cool area…read morenext to some awesome stores. There is no frills here- standard seating, typical bar. Food is fantastic- myself, and the three people with me all loved our sandwiches. Italian beef was delicious- I would pass on the potato salad. French Dip was scarfed down- one of my husband's favorite French dips- in his words. We all shared the chips in queso as an appetizer- was shocked how spicy it was, but was very addicting. My only reason for 4 stars is that two of ordered Moscow Mules and we were brought what we thought were Whiskey Sours- definitely not what we ordered. Our server seemed to be the bartender and server- so she was busy! Overall highly recommend for decent drinks and bomb sandwiches.

    Food: we split the Chicago Italian Beef with provolone cheese and the Taylor Street Italian. The…read moreItalian beef was superb--wouldn't change a thing. The Taylor Street was mediocre--the cold cuts were whatever and it needed some sort of zing. For sides, the green salad with bleu cheese dressing was outstanding, thanks to the house-made dressing, but the chips and salsa were lackluster due to the stale chips. The salsa was good. Service was top notch--attentive, friendly, and timely. Ambience: I like old buildings, so this was right up my alley. The restaurant was clean and had an upbeat vibe. The seating was hard on the butt and back.

    Loretta's Northwesterner - Tavern Burger

    Loretta's Northwesterner

    (695 reviews)

    $$

    South Park

    Loretta's Northwesterner still has it! I'm drinking a delicious Amber Ale from one of my hometown…read morebrewers. The guy behind the bar is a big ol' badass! The other front of house guy, kind of a more wiry guy named Brian with a hysterical t-shirt, is cool AF too. The beer selection remains extraordinary! I just spotted a Lucille grapefruit that's a favorite of one of my sweet Aunt's. That'll be my next beer, guaranteed! Here's to you, Aunt Dee! Cheers to Loretta's Northwesterner and the great people who make it iconic!

    One of the dishes I miss after moving to Seattle from the Midwest is the humble tenderloin…read moresandwich. A giant plate-sized piece of pork, pounded flat, breaded and deep fried? Yes please. After finding out about Loretta's Northwesterner, which is basically the only place in Seattle that serves tenderloin sandwiches, we made it a priority to visit on a surprisingly rainless and cloudless February winter weekend. Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich ($18) - That's the stuff. A perfectly fried and breaded tenderloin, easily 3 or 4 times the size of the almost vestigial bun, topped high with veggies (on the side, of course, to assemble to taste). It's a very respectable size, larger than many places I've visited in Indiana and Iowa. Thick breading encrusts a perfectly cooked tenderloin, allowing a hard crispy shell to develop, while the interior meat, pounded flat, remains tender yet moist. Both the breading and pork are liberally seasoned with salt, pepper, and spices, which creates a well seasoned bite. They include tons of romaine, red onion, tomatoes, and tangy pickles - with everything in place, I almost had to unhinge my jaw to eat the sandwich. The bottom bun is slathered with an ungodly amount of mayo. It's necessary to add more creaminess and fat to the relatively lean meat. The one qualm I have that prevents me from anointing this sandwich the best in the west: the bun. While toasted on all sides, it's dry and kind of crumbles apart while eating. Otherwise, this sandwich is excellent and easily competes with the many pork tenderloins I've eaten in the Midwest. (5/5) Fries ($6) - A $6 basket comes with a generous portion of freshly fried potatoes. The fries are skin on, which basically makes these crisp starchy sticks a health food. I found them to be fried a bit too far, rendering the interiors fluffy but dry. They have good crisp exteriors, though, and aren't overly salted. (4/5) Tavern Burger ($7) - Loretta's is actually more famous for their burgers than the tenderloins, with many publications in Seattle claiming they serve the best in the city. People often recommend getting the Double Tavern Burger, but we opted for the single given that we were planning on a couple of stops for desserts and pastries afterwards. For a full meal, I'd definitely want to upgrade to the double - the single isn't that large, probably comparable to a cheap fast food burger with a slightly larger patty. The beef is heavily charred in flavor, lending a great smoky aroma and a beefy bite. It's cooked well done, so the entirely of the burger is the same brown color, but there's more than enough moisture coming from the other ingredients to offset the dryness of the beef. There's a requisite slice of melted American cheese on top and plenty of fatty mayo-based secret sauce underneath, dressing a bunch of chopped onion and sliced pickle. The tanginess from the pickle balances out the fat and meat quite well. I'm not sure I'd call the burger the best in the city, but it's certainly pretty good. (4/5) I don't eat at dive bars very often, but I'd definitely return to Loretta's for the tenderloin sandwich. It's not a dish commonly found in the PNW and the fact that Loretta's rendition is actually really good, is a boon to the city. Bathrooms - Two tiny unisex rooms

    9 LB Hammer - divebars - Updated May 2026

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