Very clean and well maintained. We came here on a Friday for a show and even at 8:30 it wasn't slammed. The bartenders were both very attentive and made sure each person that came in was greeted and made a cocktail or given a beer. Each time we returned to the bar during the show it was the same excellent service. There is only 1 bathroom and the door was locking people out with no one inside so at times there was an unnecessary line but again the bartenders would come over and make sure someone was actually inside or they would unlock it. The music side was great, intimate and the sound was killer. Love those smaller venues. All in all I loved this place and will be back. read more

There's something quaint about seeing one of your favorite bands perform at the The Sunset. On one hand there is absolutely nothing special about the actual venue itself. Luckily being situated in Ballard is the best quality about the actual location. The concert area is separated from the outward facing bar. Not a giant fan of the two-room venue setup but whatever, I can dig it. Like I said if you happen to catch one of your absolute favorite bands here it's an awesome and intimate setting. I dislike coming here for shows when the place is absolutely packed though -- It gets very warm and tightly packed. Not a fan of being a sardine! On the other hand, the room acoustics aren't particularly great either compared to some other local venues. If you're seeing a favorite band here - 4.5 stars If you're seeing any other show here- 2.5 stars. read more

I will always encourage live music in Ballard. Since the remodel this place has hit on all cylinders. I actually love the front bar more than the music venue now, but the back area attracts great acts and is a solid environment for live music. They have been getting much better bands since he remodel. Plus the front bar is great now too. read more

The Sunset - Dive Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The following is a review of a concert at Sunset Tavern: I was recently in Seattle visiting my friend Kristy for a few days. During my time there, I made the most of the city's terrific indie music scene and went to three gigs. The first show we saw was at Sunset Tavern in Ballard. It was a really intimate and cozy venue (and locally owned). Just as when I saw Cass McCombs in London, the headlining act, Kaylee Cole, was overshadowed by the opening musician. Both were empowering female artists, yet Shenandoah Davis stole the show with her brilliant keyboard playing and absolutely beautiful voice. Very Regina Spektor-esque. Her music is carried largely by the strength of her vocals. During the show, I became a bit agitated by the noise of the crowd. While Cole was performing the audience was particularly loud, yet during Davis' set, they were a bit more settled down. After finishing, me and my friend had the opportunity to chat with Davis. She was very friendly, and keen on doing an interview for the WILD honey pie. During our conversation, it came out that she actually grew up where I went to college (Boulder, Colorado). What a strange coincidence! It was really great to interact with such a talented musician so soon after she had performed. Below is a song from her album We; Camera, which is available on iTunes. Head over to her MySpace to find out if she's coming to a town near you. Enjoy! read more

Enjoyable. Nice vibe and good music. But DON'T turn your back on your drink. They are running a staggeringly effective little clip joint in here. They'll swipe your full beverage RIGHT BEHIND YOU and make you buy another one. It happened to me, and upon my recounting the story to friends, I found out that it is indeed something that they are famous for. Not acceptable. read more

Totally rude. The bartender was a complete a$& Toni's then super nice to the people right behind us. He even was a Richard enough to check our ID, then not check the kids behind us. Not a welcoming place. Music is generic. read more

Black mondays rock!! $20 for a pizza, $10 for a salad. $15 for a pitcher of beer. read more

From the look of the awning, I was expecting a more rustic-themed interior. In all actuality, the Sunset has more of an Opium Disco Den feel. You know--red wallpaper with gold pattern, leather couches, star-shaped chandeliers and other such luxuries. Makes you feel a lot more exotic than you normally would. As far as a music venue, it's pretty tiny. Definitely standing room only, and not a lot of space for dancing. (Which reminds me: To the guy whose drink I knocked out of his hand while I was flailing wildly with my Halloween prop--Sorry!) But there's also nothing worse than being at a concert that seems sparse. If I'm not being jostled from all angles, I'm not having a good time. Drinks were tasty, service was quick and friendly, people watching was excellent. (Which also reminds me: Why can't people wear costumes every time they go out? Why wait for Halloween? I know that I, for one, have a better time when I'm dressed like a total weirdo--I think it's something our culture should embrace year-round.) Yet another Ballard establishment that I will frequent. read more

Great job on the re-model! I had been to the Sunset a couple times prior to their new layout and it wasn't the best, really narrow, and awkward bar placement. This has all changed. I am happy to report that the new layout has a nice flow and somehow a lot more room for seating and for the performers. The new and improved Sunset is much more accessible considering that you could just come for a drink if you weren't interested in the show as there is now separate rooms. Still a bar in the back room though, so no need to panic! I like the new theme and the staff was ultra likable! This update makes me a lot more inclined to come back and considering the quality programming lately I think most people will agree. read more

Just got finished up with a trip to the newly merged sunset and squirrel pizza place! Not only were we treated with the best service, but also treated to a bevy of drink and pizza options! Our hostess/server was kind enough to offer some opinions on what was good. We settled on a pitcher of the Alaskan amber ($3 off on the happy hour menu) and the pulled pork pizza with chives, garlic, lime and maybe some other ingredient. The pizza was served promptly and was just as delicious as we were promised. Between three of us, we were able to scarf it right down at 2-3 pizzas each. I am sold on this place!! I'm pretty sure I'll be back many a time:) read more

The Sunset - pulled pork pizza!! yummy! - Dive Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Intimate and cheap without feeling too dive-y. Went to see some live music and was totally satisfied. The bartenders were polite (even when I got Way Too Drunk - didn't overserve and helped me find a way home) and poured well, the setup and location of the stage was ideal for small venues, and the location is good for public transit and cabs. My only nitpick was the general lack of seating, but that's inevitable in a small place designed for dancing. read more

The Sunset is a great, gritty rock club, one that books some great bills despite their small capacity (I would think they could squeeze in maybe 200...?) The red textured velvet wallpaper is swoonworthy if you don't think too hard about all the cooties that have likely gotten embedded in there over the years. My only issues: 1) It's a terrible place to shoot photos. Everything looks red and dark and phooey, and I've seen master photographers shamed by the haunting Sunset gloom. 2) When it fills up, it gets packed to the gills. 3) When packed to the gills, the restrooms are in the front, near the stage (read as: difficult to access for those who lack serious elbowing crowd management skills {of note, not an issue for me}). Mostly I'm just thrilled they finally started serving hard liquor and stopped allowing smoking. Beer-only bars are so boring. read more

This place used to be rad. I am not a fan of the cut off front section. Worse, there's no food here anymore. And the bartender was rude and offered no other options (i.e. bringing in outside food, etc). Worse still, while the sound was decent, the sound man was an arrogant prick who talked down to the band onstage during their performance. Sadly, I won't be returning despite the fond memories and history of the old Sunset. Too bad. read more

Great little joint to see bands. Decent layout for a small place, capacity around 200. Sound is quite good, too. Solid selection of draft beers. Was just there for the busy Young Fresh Fellows weekend & on top of all the other positives (great shows!), the service was friendly & very prompt. Hell, even the pizza was pretty darn good. Honestly, I don't understand how some cannot appreciate venues like this that are a dying breed. These guys are still booking cool bands & doing a fine job covering all the basics, which is easier said than done especially these days. Bravo, Sunset + staff! read more

Great place to see a show. I love me a good dive bar and this place fits the bill. Here are the issues that kept it from getting five stars: 1. Parking. It sucks. It is nearly impossible to find parking on a Friday or Saturday night. 2. As others have stated, and it really does need to be repeated. This places gets very crowded during a show. If your all claustrophobic I'd stay away. read more

A dive bar meets themed bar meets night club (if that is possible). I have always had a good time and the vibe is good, however, the last couple of times it was clear people are taking more than just beer....but that is not the fault of The Sunset. The live music nights are good with some great bands, worth a visit just for that. read more

Not only is this tavern a great place to drink, but it is a great music venue also! Newly remodeled, the front area is the bar which is pretty awesome in itself. The back area is the stage. I went to a show recently and it was great. The volume was just loud enough.... but mixed well. Like I said, a great place to see a show! read more

Kids are allowed before ~8pm! Hard to decide whether to put this review here or in the Flying Squirrel listing, but this is where I tried to find the kid policy so here goes...went here for dinner with two kids. The server (also the bartender) was fan-tastic. Was mostly empty, which was bad for them but great for us. But let's get down to business. The Pizza Was Great. As was the appetizer we got, a rosemary white bean spread with freshly baked breadsticks. They were out of the two on-tap beers I was most interested in (local Amber & IPA), which was a bummer. Food and service (and the kid policy) are the reasons we will definitely be coming back. read more

The old Sunset was rather dirty & gross with a lousy sound system. The remodel does wonders and I love the fact that you can go enjoy the front bar without having to pay a cover since the live bands are now in a separate area in the back. It's a bit tight back there but the acoustics are many times better than they were before. AND removing that gross carpet is a godsend! Had a couple of umbrella drinks at the front bar which were fantastically kitsch - that is Hawaiian Punch kitsch but potent. Not everyone's taste but hey they can make a regular cocktail and it looked like they had decent beers on tap. The bar in the back room makes basic cocktails and has beer & wine. Conveniently in the corner so no need to go back out for a bevvie during a show. Good job! read more

I've had some particularly excellent nights here at this little venue. I may be biased because it is the site of my first "date" with my boyfriend, but damn, I love it. A bunch of my favorite local bands play here- and why wouldn't they? The place gets super packed but not very often. Bartender's are nice as pie, and there's seats plus standing room galore. I love it. The decor is nice as well, reminiscent of Rendezvous actually.... but with it's own flare and touch. I honestly can't say enough good things about it. I'm going back soon because there's a killer show on July 6th. read more

The remodel is gorgeous. Love the new old school photo booth. Nice touch. Love the intimate small stage in back Alex is the absolute bartender I've ever met in my entire life. Great customer service. read more

Sunset, you continuously impress me. From the quirky bands to the freshly made pizza being pumped out of the oven courtesy of Flying Squirrel; from the ever-changing cool art hanging on the walls to the ability to get a stage-front spot at EVERY show to dance, sit, or ogle the seemingly random pairings of people exploring their limits of pda, I am never bored at this joint. I like a place that has a water cooler so you don't have to wait in line at the bar just to quench your thirst. Everyone should come here at least once-for a slice, a drink, or to see a good band! read more

I like the bar. I have trouble calling it a dive bar as it has been cleaned up and looks brand new and a bit themed. I do enjoy the highly lacquered paneling and the fishing style. Great place for a beer. read more

Bought tickets to a show here tonight, uber-ed 30 minutes to get here. Only to get denied because my girlfriend's italian drivers license was not an acceptable form of identification and a picture of her passport did not suffife. The law is the law and that is no issue, but the bouncer who was completely rude to us over this totally is. He offered no help in telling us how we could get refunded for the tickets, and was just overall rude. If your not going to allow two hardworking people into a show that they paid to go see, dont look down on them for not being american, who carries their passport with them anyways? read more

Caught a comedy show here and enjoyed the venue. It wasn't that full, on a Monday. Yes though, Ballard sort of is it's own town and difficult to get to for many. I like when I get to Ballard though, places like this make it worth the trip. The atmosphere was pretty laid back and the show was great. Bathroom are around the corner near the front of the stage and awkward to get to, especially if you don't feel comfortable walking in front of everyone watching the show. Worth checking out. read more

This place is kind of like Chop Suey decor meets the High Dive floorplan I like it. Nice small-mid size venue with good bar, seat, floor space ratio for a venue. Sound wasn't too shabby as these brand of venues go. Bands every night! Tough street parking, small paid lot across the street Ballard is cooler than I had remembered. read more

I've been to many, many shows here. It isn't a place you want to go if you want to see a big act and be comfortable. I've seen a few shows that were so crowded there was no getting to the bathroom and the windows fogged up due to the people overload inside. If you can handle huge crowds, well there you go. They offer a lot of music, and just recently started offering food and hard liquor. I wasn't impressed with the hard alcohol offerings; the bar tender had to look up a screwdriver before making my drink quite poorly. read more

This place is great. I've played here several times and it's always so much fun. The bartenders have always been great, really nice, really quick. They usually have really cool artwork up on the walls too. Be warned though, if you are a band playing here, if you load in the back and happen to park in the "wrong" spot, even for 1 minute, you'll have some crazy bastard who lives next door to the Sunset screaming at you. Last time we played there he was in our face threatening to tow us but we had already finished loading in and were trying to back out but he wouldn't move, he just wanted to scream at us. Beware of the crazy cook living next door to the sunset :) read more

Part of the reason I enjoy living in Ballard is the proximity to cool spots like Sunset Tavern. I find myself paying a cover and popping inside the air conditioned venue at least once a month. Out of all the smaller music venues in Seattle, The Sunset may be my favorite. Their stage is low, the space is dim and intimate and the sound system is pretty top notch. This is the place to go if you want to see up and coming local bands for a small cover. Over the past three years I've seen bands ranging from Fol Chen to Team Gina to Horse Feathers and Ravenna Woods. While the genres may be varied, there's one common denominator between all the shows: FUN. If your ears enjoy hearing music, but your aching back and feet try to convince you that you should skip shows, then you'll be pleased to know that The Sunset has plenty of stools, chairs and tables, so that you can grab a seat and still enjoy the show. read more

Don't bother ordering their advertised mix drinks. I ordered a Cyclone for $9 and received a horrible pre-made cocktail in a glass that was 3/4 ice. I like the decor and it was cheap to watch live music. read more

Went here for the 2nd time Friday night to see an old friend of mine play. Just looking up at the shirt on the wall that says 'The shittiest bands play at Sunset Tavern' makes me smile, though it's not true. It's more like 'Great bands play at the shittiest place- Sunset tavern'. Because I've seen 2 of my friends play here now and they friggin' kick ass (why the hell else would tons of people show up???) And it does get packed in there quick. I sink into the red ambience (I'm gonna steal that wallpaper), and the back leading to the bathrooms. (They have bathrooms???) Nice bartenders, I guess, though it's weird just ordering a Coke from them. Heh. Bad sound, bad sound people. They have no idea what they are doing. I think that's what makes it shitty. *shrugs* still a great place to see bands. read more

I love it that Seattle has a lot of local, small venues to experience the vast array of talent that this city grows, attracts and supports. However, the handful of times that I've been to shows at The Sunset, since its remodel, have been disappointing. The music area is hot, small, and crowded. And perhaps this is something that involves a simple fix, but the sound of the lead singer is typically drowned out by the background band/instruments. I'll most likely avoid shows here in the future because of these two things. I have no affiliation with The Crocodile, but the sound there is always great. read more

Awesome place to go for KungFu Grindhouse movies, or for being a drunk. Concerts usually aren't EQ'd very well, and require a $3 set of earplugs so that you don't go completely deaf, but it's not horrible. The food, however, is literally the worst. The pizzas are thin and flavorless, and the salads are way too expensive and poorly put together. I can't even see this food being delightful if you were completely drunk. Caesar Salad here is a plate of bagged lettuce, covered in lemon juice, splashed with a tiny bit of dressing, unseasoned, with a baby's fistful of unseasoned croutons. Eat at one of the million actually good restaurants in Ballard before coming here for anything but drinks and shows. The bartender is a sweetie, but the food is so very, very bad. So bad. I would probably hire a new kitchen crew. read more

I think I finally met the Ballard people talk crap about. It was crowded, obnoxiously loud and the bartenders had no sense of how to effectively spread the love. Standing at the bar for 5+ minutes (I didn't time it) waiting to order with money in hand while a litany of people came and went with drink from the spot a few feet down is not my idea of a good time. Apparently the couple next to us had been trying for even longer, 'cause he was very clear about the fact they were first. The gentlemen also seemed to think my name was Buddy. Sorry Charlie... that's your name, right? Charlie? Anyway, my name's Chris. read more

The Sunset Tavern is my home away from home. Except the pizza there is way better than the pizza at my actual home. They also have a ton more beers available than I do at my actual home. Really good beers too. I don't pay rent there either, so I guess it's less of a home away from home, and more of a bad-ass venue/pizza place/bar. One time I freaked out about how good the pizza was and some other people eating there looked super concerned but it was all good read more

Just Saw NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIILLLL Hamburger here last night. This is a great, tiny place to see shows. They've booked alot of garage/punk/rockabilly shows in the past.... you know, ROCK N' ROLL MOTHERFUCKERS!!! The place has a real cozy feel. Carpeted, Christmas-Lighty type lighting. Cheesy art on the walls, cute staff. If a band comes here that your at all remotely interested in, I'd go. Oh... I do think paying $5.00 for a well drink at this type of place is a little steep, but that's because I'm a really cheap bastard and an alcoholic. Oh yeah....there's always a hot-dog stand outside the door... so I got that going for me. GRR read more

Went all the way to Seattle to see Chicago musician Jon Langford. This place was pretty cool - old chinese restaurant lookin' place with a cool t-shirt that left me with an obsession for weeks afterwards. Don't get there too early, though, unless you like making eye contact during the sound check. We were very close to the band. read more

The artwork on the north wall of this place is totally disturbing (and everything is washed in red lighting). Band was ok, bathrooms were clean. read more

Great service,Great Bands,Great Drinks...what more could you ask for? Well I will tell you...they also are centrally located in the 'old' ballard area and they are walking distance to many other cool places.Such as the Tractor Tavern and Aunt Hatties Hat and many more.....this my friends makes for a very fun and convenient night on the town. read more

I've seen some great shows here in the past and had some good times, but the Sunset is a bit overrated. $6 for a beer?! I thought this was a dive bar, not some fancy ass Belltown club with overpriced drinks. Unless there is a band you really love playing, I'd skip it. read more