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    The Velvet Elk

    4.7 (60 reviews)
    ModerateCocktail Bars
    Closed 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 2 months ago

    The Velvet Elk Photos

    Business Info

    THE VELVET ELK ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Intimate
    Romantic

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    Recommended Reviews - The Velvet Elk

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    We came here on a Saturday evening and there were still a few seats left that we got seated immediately. Mistress hibiscus was a soury and sweet drink that included great tasting spices and the liquor was not too strong tasting Caine mutiny was smoky, citricy, and slightly bitter. The liquor was a little stronger than the mistress hibiscus. The house made ginger nuts were roasted and had a pleasant ginger taste.

    Cassie A.

    Drinks, ambiance, and service so good, I'd have my last supper here. But seriously, if you like a good whiskey flip, check theirs out.

    Corn dog with pimiento cheese and aardvark sauce
    Joelle P.

    I was excited to check this place out. The vibe looks like a super chic/funky living room. I love the style. I know I'm no longer a spring chicken, but the music volume was turned up 3 or 4 times in the almost 3 hours I spent there. That changes the vibe to more of a club kid space. The corn dog was good; spicier than I expected, as was the pimiento cheese, which made the aardvark sauce extraneous.

    Jay S.

    We stopped by after dinner at Mioposto. It is unique place and cool set up. I do like the painting. My friends wanted drinks after dinner. The bartenders were very attentive.

    Moody ambiance no matter the weather outside.
    Julian G.

    Decor - Funky, unique, and inspired. Drinks - Funky, unique, and inspired. Staff - Funky, unique, and inspired. This is a place where you feel at home dressed-up or in short and a tank top. ... Selfishly, I hesitate to write a review of this place given I want to be able to get a seat whenever I'm craving a nice drink with a cute date. Ultimately, this is your reason to visit Mt. Baker.

    Looking down from the second floor.  Fabulous.
    Blake V.

    An outstanding little neighborhood bar. Welcoming to all. Drinks are unnecessarily pricey ($17.00 + tax for a single Tanqueray & Tonic). l

    Myranda M.

    Neighborhood gem! I visited on a Friday night and it was pretty packed. The bartenders were warm and greeted me promptly. I love the vibe of this place. The lighting is a perfect match of calm and cool. Even the restroom has a selfie light mirror where you can snap your best photo. They have an upstairs area where you can hang out with a larger party. They also provide card games. I ordered a couple of cocktails and each one was delicious. They were reasonably priced and well made. As a heads up, they don't serve food but they let you bring food from other restaurants. Mioposto is next door so feel free to bring a pie over. Best bar in Mt. Baker hands down.

    Cozy upstairs hang space!!
    Maren H.

    This is one of those crazy fun hidden gems. I LOVE IT HERE. The bartender was awesome both downstairs and upstairs are so cozy and fun. We also came upon a night where a tarot card reader was upstairs doing readings which was also super fun. Their food menu is extremely limited, but tasty. We had the Okazu Pan which is Japanese-style fried bread stuffed with Beef Curry, Jerk Chicken, BBQ Tasso and Vegan Lentil. We tried the jerk chicken and the vegan lentil They were delicious! Also I had one of the few twisted old fashioned. Amazing! LOVE IT!

    a cocktail in a coupe glass
    Valentina M.

    Great cosmic vibe at this lounge! The staff is place very nice, welcoming, and attentive. The drinks were pricing, to be expected, but were delicious.

    Lei C.

    small place , but all the music and lights are good for date night. Cocktail just so so, nothing special.

    Drinks and meats and cheese platter!

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    4 months ago

    Fantastic and unique place! The drinks are amazing, vibes are cozy and eclectic, it's perfect

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    2 years ago

    Neighborhood vibes & good cocktails. We enjoyed the friendly service as well. We will be back when in the area.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Velvet Elk

    Review Highlights - The Velvet Elk

    Super cute little cocktail bar right in the heart of Mt.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    The Bourbon Bar - All local!! :-)

    The Bourbon Bar

    3.5(26 reviews)
    1.5 miColumbia City
    $$

    This place is pretty bad ass! I can't say that I was terribly impressed with the liquor selection…read morebut for a small (and new?) bar - they're really doing a great job. Aside from the awesome food - which I'll get to in a second - and the live music, I was most impressed by the bartender. He was super charismatic, super friendly and very funny. When I popped in with a group of 6 or so friends, he swiftly tended to us, made sure to introduce himself and took everyone's drink order. When it came time to get food I actually decided to opt out. It was nearly midnight and I had already eaten dinner hours earlier. But my friend next to me got a basket of fries and that's when it got hard to ignore the menu... The fries were AWESOME! In fact, they were so tempting that not only did I sneak a few, I actually asked to see the whole menu. Comprised mostly of about a dozen varieties of slider, I was super happy to see the variety. Suddenly my stomach growled and though I didn't want two sliders, I knew I could share with a friend. The only issue then was deciding which to get. I recall a buffalo chicken slider but only got as far as the fried bologna. HELL. YES!!! I ordered one and my buddy ordered another. (They come two to a plate.) My little slider was DELICIOUS! In fact, it was so good that I could totally envision making a trip all the way back to this bar just to have them again. So yeah... I'm a fan. The food is great, the bartender was totally rad, the live music playing in the theater was piped into the bar and the selection of beer and booze was just enough to satisfy. What a great little addition to the hood!

    4 is the average between 3 stars and 5 stars: Why 4?…read more 3 stars: Meh. It is a cool, cute and subtly(?) intimate space for a hole in the wall. I had no drinks and drinks are not my forte, so I have nothing to contribute to with drinks (although I did get a water, more on that later). An interestingly mixed group of folks here (including the supposedly "local favorite", more on her later). =P Late Wed night, a bum can be met outside the front asking for crap... I didn't think this downtown-phenomenom could reach this far and late into Columbia City. o_O Now for the 5 stars: ENTIRELY for my fond memory of rockin' the mic with Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight----and ALL fuc*ing 7 minutes of it! ----BAM! In addition to doing my thing up there, this "local favorite" chick asked me if she could join in---of course! Before I finish, let me fill you in on the intro deets. On occasion, one of the folks in our mini Yelp group asked me if I'd picked a song, yet. --No. --Nope. --Not, yet. --I'm kind of tied between between two... come almost-midnight, I'd finally settled on the one that's been bugging me all night, Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang. Drop my card off and wait several songs until I'm called.... wait for it... ....dar-en ....dar-en ....dar-en ....dar-en ....dar-en--- (omg, ---WHAAAT?!). DUDE, both groups started *GASP* ---CHAN-TING & clapping(?)--- my name, when right then Kira *bowchikawowow!* took my hand and guided me up front. Rewinding back, the local favorite black lady joins me. I notice the screen.... someone says "wow, 7 minutes?!" I glance at the screen----hot diggity dam! Within 1 second, I thought of: why did I pick this song, 7 minutes seems long, I totally dig this song and the beat, I've heard it before but not the whole 7 min... and thankfully glad I asked for a glass of water prior to singing, because boy I tell ya, did I have a mouth drought in the minutes coming up to this (and slightly during, but I pressed on because, the more I sang/rapped it, the more I had tunnel vision on the lyrics screen and rippin' it in my own little world). I definitely heard the times the crowd join in during the good parts---most encouraging, hehe. All said and done.... wow (and phew!). Afterwards, the local lady came up to me and said something like, "Mmm Mm...that was ^fine^!..." I think I did come with my confidence, after all. 7 minutes... of rapping!? I think I just experienced a miracle... amazing. I think I want more karaoke (and drinking not even required! =P).

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    The Bourbon Bar
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    Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack - Shrimp ceviche! With Plantains -- refreshing and delicious!

    Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack

    4.0(1.1k reviews)
    1.4 miColumbia City
    $$

    My first time at Island Soul and I was blown away. The food is rich and flavorful without being…read moreheavy. The servers were attentive without being overbearing - thanks Natalie and Hector! The atmosphere is a little noisy just because people were having a good time. I look forward to going back.

    This place is one of a kind and so delicious for Carribean and Jamaican cuisine! If you have not…read moretried -- you must! We were celebrating my colleagues birthday the day before and were going to see a show at the Royal Room! We got drinks and I had the caprihlana and the Carribean Star! The Carribean Star is a MUST- TRY, the flavors of that drink were amazing! Both the tostones and shrimp ceviche for appetizers was out of this world! The fried catfish was breaded and crisped perfectly and their sides, especially the collard greens are tasty, a bit tangy and phenomenal! I was able to sample my coworkers dishes (they offered of course and I did too) and the goat curry -- try this too if you like curry! Such amazing flavor and tender goat! They do not take reservations but it's peak around dinner time and weekends! We got lucky with the last big table! The menu is creative and colorful. Staff is amazing! They actually had a location in Kirkland but had to close it and this location remains and is a HIT!

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    Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack - Amazing curried mussels, a Must Have

    Amazing curried mussels, a Must Have

    Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack - The sampler was impeccable...

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    The sampler was impeccable...

    Asa Gathering - Inside

    Asa Gathering

    4.5(31 reviews)
    2.4 mi

    Asa is one of those places you walk into once and instantly think, Oh... this is going to become a…read moreproblem. A beloved, delicious, keep-me-coming-back kind of problem. Locally owned, beautifully run, and absolutely overflowing with craft, Asa is everything a Mercer Island bar should be. The cocktails? Thoughtful, balanced, and downright impressive. The food? Elevated without ever feeling fussy. The atmosphere hits that rare sweet spot between date-night polished and neighborhood familiar. And then there's Zeke--the bar manager, the legend, the mixology wizard, my personal hero. Whether he's crafting something off-menu or guiding you toward your new favorite drink, Zeke and the Asa team deliver hospitality that sticks with you long after the last sip. Asa has quickly earned a spot among the Island's must-visit spots, and if you're lucky enough to grab a seat at the bar, you'll understand why. Come for the cocktails, stay for the people, and leave wondering when you can justify coming back again (hint: the answer is probably tomorrow). Cheers to Asa, to local ownership done right, and to the hero behind the bar.

    Upon entering it is clearly more of a liquor bar than a coffee bar. I was really hoping for some…read moregood coffee and maybe a pastry, since I was pulled in by the sign outside boasting about "organic coffee" and bakery items. It's a very small space, they made it cozy and the patio looked great. I had a lot of time to look around because I waited so long. The bakery items were on a plate on the counter right next to the contactless pay thing. There was no cover, or barrier between the pastries and the many people coming to the counter. I've seen buffets that have better distance and covering between people and food. There seemed to be only one barista and one bartender. More people kept coming in, At one point the bartender asked the barista if he could help her, though he wasn't trained. Seems unorganized and coffee was mediocre at best. If you want a cocktail you'd be in the right place, but a cafe this place is not.

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    Asa Gathering - Great bourbon selection !

    Great bourbon selection !

    Asa Gathering
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    The Velvet Elk - cocktailbars - Updated May 2026

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