I'm a German-Mexican, heterosexual, 50 sometimes, cisgender male. I came in wearing light colored Columbia clothing. I came into the Cryptatropa Bar with my wife and had a GREAT TIME!!! Seems like the bad reviews are from haters. People who came in with a chip on their shoulders. I didn't. Why? I have been around the Goth and Dark Metal community for years. I know them. While they may look scary and mean to most "normies". They are actually some of the nicest and open minded people you could ever know. In all I felt welcomed here even though we were not dressed for the part. The staff here were very welcoming and friendly. The service was prompt and excellent. The drinks, especially the nonalcoholic drinks were good. We came in on a movie night. They were showing an art film whose name I can't remember. The film was very artsy and deeply interesting. I and my wife really enjoyed it. The BIGGEST kudos to the Cryptatropa Bar is actually showing an independent art film. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing up there were lots of theaters that showed art films. Then after the 90's they all went away. Leaving only a few mega theaters who they all show the same movies. This place is a RARE GEM for doing this. Independent film makers don't really have outlets to show their films anymore. THANK YOU!!! read more

Unimpressed. Lots of attitude, no substance. Too "try hard" in my opinion. I walked in, scouted it out,and walked right back out.

Place is the best. Theme is great, lots of music, staff is chill. Would recommend to anyone doing a bar crawl in Olympia!

This place is rad. They have drinks and music (live in the back if you time it right) and a lot of cool booths to sit and hang out. Would definitely go here again! I'd be there all the time if it was in my home town. Loved it! read more

Cryptatropa Bar - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Don't support businesses that don't respect you. Could not have felt more unwelcome at the bar. Would never go back to spend a dime. The owner was so dismissive of critical but fair review. Typical entitled owner of a place that would be amazing...if they had a good owner and bartender that doesn't that people as if they have no reason to be there. This place is the worst goth/metal bar I've ever been. read more

Service was a little slow and the bar was dead. my fiancé and i went in for the wonky tonk thing because we love music and just was immediately stared down like we didn't belong. overall vibe just weird for downtown olympia read more

For my birthday celebration, we decided to head over to Olympia and bar hop a bit. This was our first stop. It was around 7:00, so It was pretty mellow. The bartender was nice and the drinks were fine. The decor is really cool! That's probably the best part about it. Otherwise, the QR code had a drink menu that did not match the drink menu at the bar. When we walked by later in the evening, I noticed it was more of a club atmosphere, so I'm glad we went when we went. Worth the experience. read more

Cryptatropa Bar - Birthday weekend for me! - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Cryptatropa was such a fun spot! I love the horror/gothic/vampiric vibes inside and the drinks were absolutely delicious! This is definitely a great spot for anyone interested in live music, dark ambiance, and friendly CASH ONLY service! Come prepared to have a great time! There are also games and the local resident, Henry, available to say hello to/make offerings to! Haha! I will definitely be back anytime I'm in Olympia! Thanks for a lovely evening and the strong, but flavorful drink! read more

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It's a cute spot! Moving from LA to Olympia you realize the scene is much smaller...having a cute place like this without having to go to the city is really nice. It's very intimate and aesthetically pleasing. I like the booths best; bring cards or coloring books if you want a little activity to do!! (: They also have different events they do posted on their website/instagram. Went on a karaoke night when there was vendors read more

Really cool place. Definitely divey. But it's likely you know what you're getting into before you enter. I drank everything mezcal they could whip up for me. Maybe 6-7 drinks. Left barely buzzed...so their drinks are def being poured VERY lightly! Not thrilled as it's $$. But the bar itself all throughout is super cool, especially the booths in the back. I'll go back again but not for hard liquor... Just beer. Was originally going to give 4 stars cuz it's so cool but after thinking about the weak drinks and smelly bathrooms I'll go 3.5 but 3 vs. 4 since no half scores allowed. It's worth a visit for sure though. read more

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They only accepted cash, cool vibe / atmosphere though. Bartender was nice, friendly.

Needed a night out with my friends, went to what I THOUGHT was a safe place. It wasn't the customers of the bar that made me give this rating, although I was getting ran into every 2 seconds. The reasoning was the bartender Sam. My friend had offered to go get my drink, I had told them but over the extremely loud music, he did not hear me say tall. He ordered my oh SO complicated drink; which is tequila soda with a splash sour. The way he ordered, I could see the he did not tell the bartender tall as she was putting it in a short glass. I had asked the bartender before she handed me the drink if she could put the drink into a tall glass and fill the rest of the cup with soda water/sour mix. She looked me in my eyes and told me "No, I already made your drink" that response put me in quite a shock as I wasn't looking for more alcohol, but quite the opposite, as I am a light weight and don't drink quite often. I did try explain to her that I cannot drink a drink that strong and the bartender continued to say rude remarks such as "you should've said that when you ordered your drink" and started throwing the straws and slamming my glass on the counter. This unprofessional behavior should not be tolerated in a supposedly "welcoming space". I understand high tension with a big crowd, but this is downtown Olympia. I'm not sure what the problem was for the service I am PAYING for but that completely ruined my night out. So thanks. read more

Cash only bar. Excellent service. Consistent with live music (I hear). I just really dig the vibe there. While it is dark, everyone is friendly. The mixed drink was rather good. $10. There is plenty of room, and you can maintain a conversation amid the music. read more

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I can go to the Crypt dressed as I want, grab a drink and a booth, sit in the darkness and be alone with myself and my copy of Frankenstein, if I so desire. In other words, it's just my thing. I don't need a bar to have a food menu. I don't need it to take credit cards. I don't need it to have TVs lining the walls or be blasting the latest dance music. I do need it to be a place where I can nurse a few drinks and be with myself (or my friends) without such distractions, and the Crypt fits that bill perfectly. BTW, if you need to have the aforementioned things, there are a dozen other places for you to go near downtown. If you want to be more social, or party with a bigger group, they have a patio. It's actually really nice out there during the summer, hanging out with the other weirdos. It's a shame we can't have clove cigarettes anymore. If you know, you know. They usually have some awesome events going on most nights of the week, too, with a little something for everyone. On the bar side, the drinks are excellent (try the Rose Rickey) and the staff has always been friendly. The seasonal cocktails can be pricey, but they're damn good, and you're worth the treat. Go there. read more

Drinks are a little expensive but the live venue here is amazing. Very nice staff and overall great ambiance. Lots of interesting people to meet here as well from all walks of life read more

One of the best bars in the Pacific Northwest. The seating is all booths or barstools, the patio is huge and they do a lot of cool stuff with vendors there. The stage area is totally separate from the seating/bar so you can go to a show and choose to hang out with your pals... All this, and they serve some of the strongest and tastiest cocktails I've ever had. Would definitely recomend a visit, and it's a great place to stop on tour too! And before I forget to mention it, the enormous statue of Baphomet in the centre of the room is pretty awesome too. read more

I like the chill vibe of this bar and the friendly staff. Lots of interesting things to look at and cozy intimate seating

Super cool bar and great place in Olympia. Olympia is a chill place, but this bar is a spot definitely worth checking out. Great music and great ambience. Wish I could check it out when they have a dance night read more

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This was a really great bar that we stopped by the other night when my sister was visiting. My sister is all that is dark and creepy rolled into one cute little blonde barbie doll...I know, it's perplexing. In looking for a place to lounge and have a drink, she came across the reviews for this place and determined it was a must. No cover on the Saturday night we were there. It immediately gave off a wonderfully fantastic eerie feeling. Maybe it was the organ music that promptly makes the hair on your arms stand on end, possibly the red twinkly lights emanating from behind stuffed animals or various strange decorations, or it could be the giant golden demon statue in the middle table of the back room. Either way, we were loving the vibe. The bartender was friendly and mixed us up a couple of drinks. Being allergic to gluten I have to ask the bartenders to hand mix the sweet and sour rather than using the premixed stuff. This guy did a great job and my drink was delicious. We then explored the back room. We loved the intimate little hide-a-ways with tables and chairs that just added to the creep effect. The red glow made my heart pound uncertain if a vampire might be lurking in one of those shadowy tables. It was lounge meets haunted house..who knows what awaits. We also weren't looking for a place where people would bump into us, be too close to us, and certainly not talk to us. The intimacy of the little separated tables let us keep our distance and watch the bar interactions without invading our safety bubble or forcing us to have social interaction haha. Definitely a must if you are not into the classic bar scene. We'll be back for sure. read more

Cryptatropa Bar - Red glow.. so eerie.. so awesome - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Just look at the owner's responses on their Facebook. Any negative comment is responded with a rude, 'pick me' attitude. They say they're LGBT friendly, when really they're turning away anyone that are cis/het. Their staff is rude. My sober friend was told they absolutely don't make mocktails and was ignored at the bar after buying a ginger beer. And? They water down their liquor. Try ordering any kind of whiskey shot or anything neat. Watered. Down. Their food selection is laughable. Candy bars? Pepperoni sticks? Seriously??? The only positive to this bar is their patio and decor. Before they reopened after the pandemic this used to be my favorite bar. I will never go back. The owner needs to get off their high horse and maybe take into consideration what the negative comments are actually saying. There hasn't been any reviews on their Facebook since summer off 2022 even though their ratings have decreased significantly. Dirty deleting? Wouldn't be surprising. Decor and patio is their only positives. But not worth the experience. read more

Very friendly and professional staff. The cocktail menu was fantastic. Upon trying a new cocktail I was completely blown away! They even prepared a fancy non-alcohol cocktail (not on the menu) for my partner and it too was amazing. read more

Great little corner of down town. Went for karaoke turned out there was live music instead. Was a great show love the patio area. The drinks were ok I couldn't get a buzz off a pint so next time I won't try anything signature in house. The servers are great. read more

After burning down the Hot Topic you can swing downtown to hang with the dark prince of dentistry or your local beelzebubba for some broodish hangs and stiff drinks. Relive your youth smoking cloves at the local dennys by ordering an Absinthe tonic or Bloody Mary. Be sure to tip the bartender, but don't use a wooden stake please. Jokes aside, the Cryptatropa is a wonderful bar in the heart of downtown Olympia. It is spacious, laidback and has a fantastic staff. It is a nice respite from the dude-bro vibes of some other places or should I say some other Societys in downtown. Don't be a dip-stick and you are treated well, or be a dip-stick and internet complain about it later like some of the other sun walkers up in this shizzz. I personally recommend the drink with ginger beer and vodka, whatever the hell that is. read more

Let's party hard & Best atmosphere best feeling with music all night with whiskey .. heavenly with excellent service & help ourselves & treat the workers every dollars in their pocket.. read more

One thing about this bar is it is very hard to find in the dark and it is really easy to walk or drive past it when you are looking for it. The inside is like a vampire's wet dream, with dark corners, red lights and goth music on the jukebox. I visited early in the evening on a Wed and I was one of the only people there but I kinda felt like I was interrupting the bartender's night. After seeing some reviews remarking about exotic drinks I asked him if there were any signature cocktails and the answer I got was something about how they are in the middle of seasons so they weren't really offering anything at the moment. ok? So I order a pricey shot of bourbon and a beer. And for the amount I paid for the shot, you would think you think he would go a little heavier on the pour. Either I got this guy on a bad night or you have to be a regular to get decent service. Anyway, the bourbon I got was pretty outstanding and I liked the ambiance, so I might try this place again when there is a different bartender working. read more

Just moved here and went bar hopping to find a good spot, got here and they had live music, fantastic service, great drinks, and a mutual understanding of the fucked up-ness of the world. Also super goth which was a huge plus! the booths are super cool and give you a more private experience, while there are also more open tables too. read more

Terrible sound. Just loud for the sake of being loud with absolutely terrible mixing, kind of like when bands can't hear themselves but refuse to wear in-ears so they just crank up the volume. You can tell singers often can't hear themselves because they'll be noticeably off key. So bad mixing plus music so loud that it is physically painful. Even blocks away I can still hear it INSIDE my apartment, even with ear plugs. Nothing resembling soundproofing and apparently zero consideration for the rest of the neighborhood who needs sleep so they can get up and work to pay rent. Also no masks and frankly, as a woman I did not feel safe there. I will probably have to move just to get away from the noise, which sucks when housing is so incredibly hard to find. read more

SUCH a cool bar! They also have anarchist flea markets outside their bar sometimes, which is a rad event to check out. 11/10 would recommend. read more

Awesome place. Bar tenders are very caring and the gothic decorations are amazing. Got an old fashion with gin and she made it perfect. 10/10 read more

If I could rate less than a star I would. If I had the bartenders name I would call him out. He has long braided pig tails. He was rude and disrespectful. Will not return read more

Incredibly rude staff. Wasn't even in here for 5 minutes before a friend and I felt unwelcome and unwanted. We tried to give our bartender the benefit of the doubt, chalking her short, rude responses up to just having a bad day but the whole 20 minute experience here felt uncomfortable. Awful first impression read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. I gave a straight forward order and three of the four drinks were made incorrectly even with the bartender looking at a book for information. When asking the bartender about the drinks instead of provided good customer service, he chose to argue and didn't attempt to remake any drink. The bar was not busy at this time so really there is no excuse for the bartender to be rude. read more

This bar is JUST what I have been looking for! Too bad it is not in the town where I live in! I don't like the bar scene all that much in Tacoma. All the bars here seem to look the same in concept and have no character, no memorable atmosphere. Just blah. The ones that ask for cover I go into and I think, " I paid three bucks just for THIS!?"( I was starting to feel the same way with Olympia after visiting a few bars there as well) For several years I thought the bars I could really enjoy would only be in Seattle or Portland. Then I saw that there was a place called Cryptatropa in Olympia and it has the ability to intimidate, to sway the casual bar denizen and bring in the artistic, eccentric kinds of people I hope to immerse myself with. The atmosphere is definitely Gothic in nature. The outside of the building is painted black. The inside of the building is black and is accented with red lighting. The booths with tables are under kind of an arch so you can really get that crypt feel going on all the while with goth, darkwave, whatever you want to call it music playing. Not intimidating enough? Still too accessible? How about the embalming table with a statue of a demon perched upon it and other hard to define props and items that could only be associated with crypts and funeral parlors? I'm sure coming here later in the evening would bring out ripe fruit for people watching. I am not sure exactly what night is THE night to go to see such things here or if it is just random. Probably asking the bartender would be the best to gain that info. Apparently the place only accepts cash, no cards. They do have an ATM in house though which makes getting to cash easy and efficient. Really a cool bar!!! read more

This is a REAL goth bar. This is a place you go when you want to just go to the outerspace and chill out. If you're a 30 something gen xer who wants to feel like you can be yourself for an hour, come visit the Crypt! No annoying pop music on the FREE juke box - all hand picked goth stuff. Garmarna, Sisters of Mercy, etc You're never going to find another place like this. I wish they had a food truck outside though, those pub tables scream for some good food. I find myself not visiting right after the thought "Man I'd love to go to the crypt....but I'm so hungry" They will let you bring food in though, last time I checked, as long as you do cleanup. Excellent craft drinks. They have a menu to select from (I love bars that do this!) Old ones too, like the 1800's Brandy Alexander and new ones like The Bloodhound. An array of rotating beers on tap No champagne, and last time I checked they did not know if there was a corking fee available for bringing your own champagne. The staff allows meetups to meet here as long as you buy a round. I had to stop the meetups here because it was just not enough space and it was too loud. they have a big area in the back that I would love to rent if they got in some couches. No dancing space. Church pews and confessional style booths for sitting. Amazing! Life size statue of Satan Embalming table. Authentic 20's DECO bar is the most gorgeous thing you have seen. Dead flowers. Clean bathrooms! Friendly bartenders, one of which is friendly without smiling, ever. true goth. Wishlist: Wifi, true spanish Tapas option, a comfortable meetup area in the back. read more

Best Moscow Mule EVER. Hands down. They make their own lime cordial & ginger syrup. DELISH. We were recommended to this place by the locals for their absinthe (which was a fun experience although I do not much like the taste of absinthe...). The staff was incredibly friendly & informative. The decor was amazing... A little off putting at first what with the embalming table & life-size demon. However, the staff was friendly, the crowd was friendly... We came back like 5 times in 1 day!! Nice row of table/pews for private seating. Cash only. read more

I love this place! In all honesty I'd give Cryptatropa 5 stars if they changed the lighting in the booths. Right at the bar the lighting is perfect (red-lit!) but they're using way too bright yellow bulbs in the booths. Why even mention this? Lighting in bars is paramount, silly. Everything else about this bar is excellent: location (right next the the artesian well downtown), ambiance, and drinks. And you don't have to be a goth to feel at home. It has a very relaxed atmosphere and is frequented by a nice and interesting crowd (I even met an actual porn star here once). Speaking of drinks, there is no better place in town to get a Bloody Mary. For reals, if you're a Bloody Mary fan and you're in Olympia, you must order one here. read more

So I am a new to the bar scene, and this bar was best so far. A lot of times, when I go to the bar, bartenders and people there turn their noses up at me because I am dorky newly 21 who doesn't know what I really want, but the bartender was really cool and explained things to me and even helped me pick out my drink so I didn't go too expensive. He was the nicest bartender out of all of them seeing that on my 21 birthday not even one bartender acknowledged it was my birthday and were rude to me. I also liked the atmosphere, and the dark secluded booths. I went on a Monday so it wasn't that crowded, but it still had a cool atmosphere to it. read more

This bar is unique. If it weren't for the large shrine for the Devil, I probably would go back but... nah! I did like the little booths they have to sit in though. I had some type of mule drink - not sure exactly what it was but it did have ginger beer in it. The ginger was overpowering. I could only take small sips. When I left, it looked like I hadn't even taken a drink. The ginger was just too strong. read more

Straight up, this place is awesome for the broody soul that lives deep inside everyone. While everyone is friendly and you can have a great time overall, the ambiance definitely makes you feel like you're having drinks at a bar while you wait to take your train to hell, which I absolutely love. There's a huge demon statue in the middle of the bar, and the booth seating is quiet and intimate, making it a perfect place for conversation with your friend or the demon on your shoulder. My only wish is that they took card as payment, but there's an ATM inside, so that works too. They also have events from time to time, so definitely check this place out! read more

Barely adequate service. Great atmosphere.