We finally made it here after years of wanting to check it out but never having an opportunity. We walked in around 9:30 p.m. and stayed for nearly two hours, so that gives you an idea of our experience! We knew they were known for their karaoke nights, but had no idea we stumbled into one until the host announced it shortly after we arrived. Well, let's just say it was a BLAST and probably the best run karaoke event in the city. One of the Waterwheel's own bartenders even sang a song which brought the house DOWN. After a year and a half of the pandemic, a crowded bar with happy vibes and lots of cheering and clapping felt so good. What was also good: the drinks. I saw they had house cocktails so I ordered the Spaghetti Western (rye, Cynar, angostura) and the Patsy Cline (their house lemonade mixed with huckleberry syrup and some kind of alcohol, forget which). My partner got his dive bar favorite, a beer from Seapine. The bartenders were friendly, efficient and took good care of everyone from start to finish. Also, the place was clean and had ample seating. We loved the 70s aesthetic with the wood paneling inside and astroturf outside. Definitely grab a seat inside if you're looking to participate in the karaoke nights (or just watch like we did). The crowd was a great mix of ages and backgrounds, which made for a fun song selection. My only wish is that they would go back to serving food in-house (even just fries), because I heard really good things about their brunch and late night menus. But I guess during COVID they have a partnership going on some days with local Mexican pop-up El Xolo. I hear it's pretty amazing so I'll have to check that out soon! read more

I love a good dive bar, and this Ballard classic doesn't disappoint. With its dark interior, vintage seating, and hidden away vibe it checks all the boxes for a place you're not likely to run into anyone you know. But **wow** do they deliver for karaoke night! Held multiple times per week, I've been twice now and it's probably one of the best karaoke bars I've ever been do. The music is great, the sound system is fantastic, and (best of all) the crowd is over-the-top amazing. When I sing karaoke, I like everyone to think I'm Beyonce herself slinging out the tunes on the main stage. Of course, I'm no Beyonce. In fact, I can barely hold a tune. But you wouldn't know it 'cuz this crowd is on FIRE. They dance. They cheer. They sing along. They make you feel like you should be touring the country with your latest rendition of "Take on Me" or other long-ago tunes. The Waterwheel also has an impressive selection of good beer on tap, strong drinks, and deadly jello shots. Getting a little warm after belting out the hits? Their outdoor seating area is great too! I haven't tried their food yet, but...next time for sure. read more

Waterwheel Lounge - Just saying. - Karaoke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Super fun my sister and I stopped in for a couple drinks around 5pm on a Saturday. The regulars were super fun and nice and the bartender was awesome and she was so friendly! Happy this place has stuck around want to make it down for Karaoke as it's so many nights a week! Fun place a gem of dive bars read more

Fantastic karaoke, and service. Love the old school vibe. Don't sleep on the Waterwheel! read more

Fabulous location!! I tried to get a margarita at the other location nearby- Terasco-but they would not allow my dog on the patio., Water Wheel welcomed me and my dog.. I love Seattle! read more

If you're a guy who actually wants to sing some karaoke don't bother. I put a song in immediately upon arrival and didn't get to sing for over two hours. Meanwhile my girlfriends got to sing over and over. read more

This bad review is for the karaoke only. Super involved and great crowd! Too bad the sound system didn't do the fun crowd justice. Muffled and very poor sound. KJ uninvolved and not caring about making awesome singers sound their best. Sound system and mike are very bad. Plus about the bar, fantastic audience participation, good pours, packed. Good energy! Hey y'all, come to Portland visit The Alibi or Baby Ketten to see what good sound is! read more

I love this place! It is not fancy, in fact some may use the term "dive." However, they have good food, , drinks, and a tasty selection of beers. The tater tots are some of the best I have had, and when you pair them with the Waterwheel Burger, you have a killer combo. The chicken fried steak with smashed potatoes is also good, and I usually add a couple of fried eggs on top. (See the photo) Finally, Tess, the bartender is great! read more

Waterwheel Lounge - My special chicken fried steak with eggs! :-) - Karaoke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

It feels like an above-average dive. It's alright. I just hung out briefly with some buddies before leaving for a buddy's dinner. And wow, you want length? Come here. :P read more

Waterwheel Lounge - it's like, the light shining down... - Karaoke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

If there was a negative star I would rate this karaoke bar a -10 So much potential with an engaging crowd. We are from Portland and was searching for a great karaoke spot in Seattle. This spot disappoints.... Great crowd but the sound system is so terrible. Great karaoke singers shouldn't be subjected to the worst sound system north of Oregon. KJ is checked out. We won't be back. Cheesy speaker system says it all... read more

Waterwheel Lounge - Karaoke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Holy moley does it take a lot of booze to spend $25 here!!!! Some of my co-workers and I recently started trying to do a weekly happy hour, and I joined them for a Waterwheel one time. First impression was... "This feels very back-yard frat party!" We loved the astro turf. Note that none of those are BAD things to us... Just not what we are used to in a venue or something we were expecting to find! It was happy hour and apparently bingo night. We had lots of fun playing. We started off with one of those super-tall beer tower things... but I didn't have any from that. Not an IPA fan, and that's what the person ended up picking. I ended up having 3 Hoegaardens (and taking one red-headed slut shot with the team- ugh! Never trying that one again!) instead. I also had some tater tots and they were quite tasty. They had some amusing prizes that I never won, probably because I lost the focus to keep playing after about 1.5 beers. Is this a snazzy bar with fancy cocktails and a great view? Definitely not. Their staff is nice, however, and it's a fun place to kick back and enjoy yourself with a group of friends. read more

Special K is filthy. All the staff have super serving/singing abilities. I had a great Saturday night kickin at the waterwheel

I'm going to try really really hard to write this review as if I accidentally walked in to the Waterwheel. I didn't, though, and I can't imagine there will be some bias here as the Waterwheel is now owned by my good friend Stu (who also plays drums in my band, Stay Tuned). Stu is one of those few people who discover an opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream and regardless of the amount of work, loss of sleep[, and lack of time to practice with the band,] he pursues it. He's a killer bartender and a savvy business man, and would love to make his professional life the Waterwheel [and hopefully the band, as he's an amazing drummer as well. Come see us some time, you'll agree.]. So, having never been to the Waterwheel, but hearing often about it during practice, me and a few friends headed down to check things out. Cue to the theme song from Cheers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8IZfR08S1o), seems like a place where the locals know each other's names. Stu has been raving about the Waterwheel's food, so we came hungry. We had the Cheeseburger dip (think like a French Dipped Sandwich, but with a cheeseburger), chicken fried steak, and a regular old burger. We also saw someone having the roasted chicken which looked fricken good. The food was like comfort food, tasty and heart-attack rendering. :) Fries were a bit crispy, but Stu mentioned that was on the list of things to deal with. We had pitchers and/or bottles of beer, and regardless of the place being reasonably full, we still got them pretty quickly. Service was friendly, decor was unique. And the jukebox... it's been a while since I paid attention to a jukebox. In fact... I don't think I ever have. My friends are music-philes and put $10 in, reserving about $4 for me. Selection was pretty good. Rare you can hear Steve Miller 'take the money and run' back to back with Curtis Mayfield's 'Freddy's Dead.' read more

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I've given this establishment lots of money, but they hired this super rude, brash bartender named Sarah. She's rude, yells at people, doesn't seem to be able to deal with slightly tipsy patrons ( why work in a bar?). I was excited to bring friends and co workers there , because they've never been. She was so rude for no reason. They won't go back. She also starts rumors about other people. It's immature old and gross. Sorry, but your excuse " I'm from the east coast" Is BS. No one from the EC claims you, because that excuse is embarrassing. The sad thing is.... She makes the bat money, and I'm sure it's all the bar cares about. Won't be going back. Kudos to the Friday and Saturday night karaoke hosts though! Super fun and positive. Will not recommend otherwise. read more

After grabbing a sandwhich at Un Bien, we walked over the waterhweel on their recommendation. Glad we listened since this place is great! We went here for the first time on a weekday afternoon and the place is awesome. Super chill bartenders and their outdoor area is great. Cornhole and Ping Pong with plenty of seating area. If we weren't short for time we probably would have stayed much longer. Keep it up, dudes! read more

The bf bought a Groupon for this place so we decide to come here on a Tuesday night. Little did we know, we walked right in on bingo night and we were late... It was a bit awkward trying to find seats since it was pretty much a packed house but we managed to squeeze with three others close to the bar. Turns out we had unknowingly sat with the owner and her parents!!! It was such a nice surprise because we all started chatting while playing Bingo at the same time... and it's pretty cool because my bf got Bingo on his first try... and then a few rounds later, I won too! We were really lucky! We got a free drink each for winning. It was definitely a nice introduction to our night. We then proceeded to ordering the pesto sandwich and fried chicken. I was super excited about the food because I heard great things about the chef and the menu. The pesto sandwich was fabulous and the bf really loved it. The fried chicken was HUGE... they really weren't kidding when they said that we'd need a to-go box after eating. Overall, the night was really fun and spontaneous. We got into a little trouble with parking since we parked behind the Pho Vietnam restaurant and apparently the owner gets really mad when people park in their lot... duly noted. Don't park behind the pho restaurant because they'll take down your plate number and tell on you. But we moved the car onto the street, no biggie. Karaoke night started at around 8:30 pm and we stuck around for a couple of songs which was very fun and entertaining too. Food is cheap and drinks are strong, friendly crowd, I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for a casual and drama-free night out! read more

Karaoke - check Cheap drinks - check Strong drinks - check Dive bar - check Great crowd - check Awesome outdoor space - check Any other check marks I'm missing to make this place worth going to?? Karaoke is like 6 nights a week at this place but fair warning, it gets super packed on the weekends. read more

It's an awesome dive with a country-theme! The drinks are strong and very affordable. A lot of karaoke... a lot... and it's a lot of fun! Parking is off Aurora and super small lot in front of the bar. If you're looking for a fun dive this is your place. read more

Waterwheel Lounge - Waterwheel - Karaoke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

So it's very casual and has lots of TV's if you want to cagtch the game. The environment is very close so can't be a germaphobe like me or have personal space issues. :) We were upset they ran out of ribs! We went there for the ribs because of the reviews from Yelp. They said they ran out Friday. Had a hard time finding parking, so we parked in the neighborhood behind the bar. We were there just before 5pm so it was just starting to pick up. Since there were no ribs or brisket we had the : Tattor Tots: Crispy and perfect with cheese according to my friend. Onion Rings: Over cooked and stuck to one another with a side of tarter sauce. Batter was smooth and brown. Fried Chicken: Salty and burnt. I'm a southern girl so I drowned mine in hot sauce because I didn't like the seasoning which was burnt on. It's a half chicken by the way. Mashed potatos: Large size and with white gravy. What?! I like brown gravy with black pepper. Mixed Vegetables: Peas, Corn, Green beans and carrots from frozen Coleslaw: Creamy and vinegary Drinks: Buttery Nipple: Yum! Perfect finish to my meal. ($5.00) Amaretto Sour: Sweeter than normal but still good. ($5.00) Bud Light: ($3.50) My husband had this and said it was good. Diet Coke: Can't go wrong here. It was good for a Group On promo but I wouldn't go back. Maybe if you enjoy college age girls, jeans and t-shirt, Sports on TV and Fried foods. Service was nice but needed more help. Only one waitress for a Saturday night. read more

Waterwheel Lounge - Sara holding up the menu for me to take a pix. - Karaoke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Possibly the greatest karaoke spot in Seattle!! Very encouraging host, Special K makes this place my go to karaoke joint.

It is hard to impress me in life. I drive a Ferrari, own a 5,000 square foot home on the water, have a beautiful girlfriend, own the Matrix trilogy on Blu Ray and iTunes, and a best friend named Kellan whom I've grown quite fond of recently. But I have to say I was blown away with how fun the Waterwheel Lounge is. The last time I had a night this fun was back in March when Kellan and I bar hopped local country bars and line danced until 2AM. First off, this place is more chill then Kurt Russell in 1982's The Thing and that movie took place in Antarctica so that's saying something. In addition, I would rather come here to drink and sing karaoke then stay home and practice my air hockey skills. That is also saying a lot. On top of that I would rather come here and hang out than sit at home on my PC playing Planescape: Torment to try and improve my level 99 dark elf's alchemy skill. This is a great dive bar and the karaoke is more on point than Ryan Gosling's stubble. You should check it out. Or rent John Candy's Uncle Buck. Either option is splendid. read more

A Pitcher of Mac n' Jacks = $14 $4 Two Egg Breakfast & a $3 Bloody Mary = $10 w/ tax n' tip. Happily Allowing Yelpers to Rick Roll it up on a Sunday Night = Priceless read more

To all you people who don't like rowdy, sweaty girls with musical instruments gettin' all up in their grill while you're trying to sing karaoke, I have two words: My bad! I just can't control it. Like the full moon to the werewolf, something in the music-lyrics-beer combo turns me into another person entirely. Add in Cousin and her bag-o-tricks (i.e. percussion collection) and it's all over. The greatest thing about karaoke at the Waterwheel was that the karaoke-master didn't get pissed at us and make us put it all away. Dudes at the *other* places in town (cough-Ozzies-cough) apparently don't like their patrons to have a good time. No such snobbery at the Waterwheel. Let's see, what else was so great about this place? Well, for starters, when I ordered a Mack-n-Jack from Stu (owner), he offered me space to place my face right under the spigot. I declined, but still appreciated the offer. The fries we ordered were super good too! AND, just in case you feel a little hefty after the beer and pub grub, there are two exercise bikes out in the back to burn off some calories! You know, in case you're not comfortable making a spectacle on the dance floor (like yours truly). read more

Any bar that has free wifi is a good bar in my book. Any bar that looks imposing and a little rough from the outside, is set back on a road that doesn't have many other bars or restaurants around it, thus making it sort of dark and certainly not somewhere that you would "just pop in" on your way to another bar makes this my kind of bar for sure! The fact that I can STILL feel like I am super young when I walk in to a place seals the deal for me. This is not exactly a dive. No bar that has a clean bathroom with a medicine cabinet stocked with FREE tampons, Aqua Net and scented lotion could really be a dive. It does nod heavily in that direction, though, with the older clientele, wood grained toilet seats behind curtains instead of doors, cheap strong drinks and an interior that is dated back to the 70's. I haven't tried their food but I am guessing if my gramps were still alive he would think it was fantastic, which means I would, too. If only I had a take on whether gramps would like karaoke or guitar hero because, apparently, on set nights, this place also has these modern marvels to go along with the wifi. I personally prefer to go on the other nights and make a toast to gramps. read more

Bathrooms. I would totally throw down the 4th star but for the crazy, poo-tinky, curtain-covered-bathroom-door havin' bathrooms there. I am funny about bathrooms; because of my squirrel-sized bladder, I tend to visit them a lot when visiting an establishment, which is why it's muy importante. The karaoke crowd was fun on the night we went, the service was really stellar considering how busy they were, and even though crazy busy, the bartender was totally cheerful all night. Before consuming a couple of vodka rocks (karaoke juice, I like to call it), I had to prepare my stomach for the assault with some of their famous (?) fried chicken. It was pretty good, I must say. The vegetables on the side might have actually been my favorite part! The karaoke selection was pretty decent, although I wished we were able to get into the rotation more than 2x. My homie had...enthusiastic fans dancing...singing...and just generally celebrating his karaoke with their bodies...violently...awkwardly... Anyhoos, a great dive bar that you should add stop in and visit. They make savory crepes and hear they are pretty good. As of now, 3.5 stars fo' sho. Fix up that bathroom, make a tasty crepe and I would def give up the other stars. read more

Let's see. What did I do here last night? * Drank some very good beer. Mac & Jacks on tap! * Helped Don celebrate his B-day and Trevor & Jessie have a killer last Seattle event. * Unsuccessfully attempted 'Street Spirits (Fade Out)' by Radiohead on karaoke. * Pretty successfully tried out 'She Don't Use Jelly' by The Flaming Lips on karaoke. * Kicked 'Punk Rock Girl' by The Dead Milkmen's ass on karaoke. * Watched people play Wii bowling for their first time. It's always funny seeing people Wii it up for the first time. * Got licked in the face several times by the most hyperactive dog ever. * Heard good (for the most part) karaoke of songs I've never seen available in karaoke before. Very wide range of songs to choose from. * Had a blast with a crowd of happy fun Yelp and non-Yelp folk alike. Sundays here are going to be fun from here on out. Karaoke and Wii. Powerful combination. Go. You'll have a great time. read more

...Imagine you have a soft spot for dingy, merry and colorful holes-in-the-wall with karaoke. ...Imagine then you win some money via inheritance--oh, that sweet, sweet Aunt Margie, rest in peace! ...If you don't have Aunt Margie or your family members tend to live up until they're 100-years old, then you got the extra money because you just asked for a Quick Pick as your change at the gas station's mini-mart. ...Don't dream too big. The extra money isn't that much! Well, it's enough to buy a house and make some remodeling. Happy now? ...You decide to buy an old but charming house in Ballard. After paying for it, you still have a bit of the money left to make your dream of "I want a hole-in-the-wall-in-my-house" a reality. You have an unfinished basement-dungeon underneath those 90-years old original hardwood floors. Better place? Impossible! ...You sit down and visualize how you want it. Then, magically, you're transported to the Waterwheel for ideas, beer and karaoke. That's what the Waterwheel is about. I felt like entering into the "bar in the basement" of a good friend's house. It's a warm, friendly place where Alex the bartender, sings along some tunes while he's serving you a pint. If you ask him, he will be happy to mix a Cosmo for you (he told me he likes to be asked for a specialty drink, 'cause he doesn't have much chance to make those). Needless to say, libations here are on the cheap side of the moon! The karaoke selection is large, large, large. From Motown and hairband Rock to Enrique Iglesias and The Hoff, you'll pretty much find the song you have been craving to sing for ages. You can even dance when someone else is singing: there's space enough to shake it to the raspy voice of a Michael Hucknall wannabee. We had a wonderful time during the Pearl Jam Karaoke night our dear M'lady Katie hosted. Even thought not everyone sang to the tunes of the legendary band, we had fun listening to a varied selection of musical choices between those. Yelpers and non-Yelpers (Garrington, man!) kept returning for 5 more minutes of fame. That night I discovered, after two years dating The Dude, that he LOVES karaoke and that he can do a killer impersonation of Eddie Vedder. I wish I could be a bit bolder, so I could have a "Tom Jones fervent female fan" moment...! Second place in the karaoke competition can give you an idea of my man being good (and hilarious). Fellow Yelper Heather F. and her pretty voice got the first place. Our friend Garrington came up third. Karaoke is not the only form of entertainment available at the Waterwheel. They have a pool table. The have TVs with your favorite games on. They have plenty of great bar conversation. The incredibly sweet karaoke gentleman--very a-la-80s in his gray suit--will sing for you from time to time. Waterwheel feels like home. In these times of general tribulations, this is one of those places where you'll successfully wash out any pains and worries. Just ask for a pint and grab that microphone. And make sure you can reach Marvin Gaye's highest pitch! And afterward, get your butt back to your basement...good luck trying to recreate such a wonderful place! read more

Waterwheel- a place where the owner will 86 you for no damn reason. Well done, you did it! Good riddance. Response to Owner: If you are so sure there was "blatant illegal activity" What sort of backing do you have for that? Is it the reliable word of your drunk patrons? Is it your own perception? Your own jealousy? I'm just curious because I really miss this certain regular and this bar as I stopped going after this all went down. And as far as I know, your idea as to what was going on or not, is so grossly skewed it does come across as a jealousy thing. Why 86 someone who only brought happiness to your establishment? Who always made sure to tip the bartenders well and help the establishment overall? Maybe back in your hay-day, you were exactly what this person is now. It's ok to miss it, but don't let it affect everyone else and maybe, don't let it make your establishment look bad. Because that is about all it did. read more

I don't know if I'm a FAN here. Yelp actually called me A DUCHESS here once and I laughed maniacally at my phone. Alone, probably. In a dark corner here by my self. Why by myself? Because for EFF sake people LOVE KAREOKEING here. I get dragged here fairly regularly and I hear many, many different reditions of songs that should probably be left alone. Yeah, I'm that girl making faces when you lose your nutsack hitting the last high C in your tinny Falsetto. Let Freddie Mercury rest. I prefer to sing loudly in the shower, in my car, to my dog, when I want to wake up my hungover partner. These are great times to sing loudly, I think. In a crowded bar? I'll pass. So that's why I can't say I love it here or I am a so-called FAN. Here are some tips, because Yelp thinks I've been here 7 times (and I've been here far too many past that number): + FRIES. They're some of the best in the city. True facts. - The bathrooms are a little too close to comfort..the size of a closet and the "doors" are window curtains....don't you dare poop! +TOTS WITH CHEESE STICKSSS (if you know anything about me you know I love tots) -If you want to get on the kareoke list, make sure you're there early to put your name down. +Great bartenders with great vodka selection! -Occasional Friday nights become college night. If that's your thing, awesome, if not, you will feel very old. read more

Loud, drunken and a place To go where drinking is a sport. I've never seen anyone get cut off here and they used to have shower curtains for stall doors. One of the best dives in Seattle if you avoid weekends when it's mostly 21 yo from Shoreline haha read more

This is quite a small bar, but it packs a lot of fun! One of my best friends used to live in a condo right across the street and I can't believe we never ventured here, we sure missed out! I came here for my first time for the "Singing for (your) Change!" yelp event. I walk in and this place is packed, granted it's a rather small place, but it was like sardines in a can in there and I'm not complaining! I would rather be in a packed bar any night of the week then sit awkwardly an empty bar, the more the merrier I always say! :) The bar tender was a really cool, friendly and very attentive dude. Granted I was sitting at the bar but he was always there with my next drink when I wanted it, no waiting! He even got into the karaoke and sang a few songs, which weren't too shabby if I remember correctly. It was nice to see some yelpers I knew and a few new faces too! This is a fun bar with a great atmosphere and I'll be sure to check it out again, definitely if the yelpers host another event here! read more

Three visits later, and it's time for an update. My first visit, I had a close encounter with the best smelling yelper I know and a Sharpie. Second visit is a blur, because it was Party Bus time! Third visit, was for Don L.'s birthday party! After the fun time at the Rickshaw, karaoke was something that was gonna be for his birthday, and I had just found out they started doing it at the Waterwheel....but...could they do it on a day when we could do the party?!? Oh hellzyeah! Wil was a wonderful middle-man between me and Stu and Stu was more than accomodating and happy to have us crash his place for the party. Rumor has it the Waterwheel will now be sporting Wii bowling and karaoke every Sunday in honor of the 'late, great', Sunset Bowl, so be sure to check them out!!!! Don't make me cut 'ya, GO! What a freakin blast Don's birthday was! Just about everybody sang (you songless people know who you are, sit and cry in your cheerios at the shame of it all!), and the songs were just as fun. You never knew what someone would pick next! My karaoke debut consisted of trying to sound like a 12 year old girl for Don's rendition of "Teenage Dirtbag"...thanks to the free-flowing alcohol I somehow managed to get up there 3 more times. HUGE props to Sarah for joining me for "Faith" and for gyrating on the floor with me to "I touch myself", I could not have done it w/o ya lady! =) *Single Tear* for Jesse's "Leavin on a jet plane", and ^5's to all the yelpers I drug up there to sing with her, you and Trev are gonna be sorely missed lady! I mean it, Greyhound, $40, I'll be waiting at the station!!! ;-) I'll run out of room if I try to highlight the entire night and all the fun that we all had, so I'll leave more up to everyone else's reviews. Happy Birthday Don L! you really rocked (and rick rolled!) that mic all night mister! read more

By the time I got here, I was already very, very drunk, thanks to the combined and coordinated efforts of one birthday, my beautiful girlfriend, many awesome Seattle folks, and some very heaving pouring. So, I don't really remember many things about the Waterwheel. In fact, come to think about it, the ONLY thing I remember is that I was served a rather wicked Gin & Tonic at the (faux?) wood-paneled bar. I know I had a great time... Clearly, I'm going to have to come back at some point. read more

I don't recall alot about this place other than it is very far from my house. And they made a shot that ended my night..... Walking 30 blocks while drunk I am surprised I only fell once....my knee is still scabbed up. I don't know if I will be back this place it is bad news bears. read more

New ownership = good times! My love affair with the Waterwheel has been rekindled! Where to start...basically what's not to like about this place. The staff and patrons are super friendly, the chicken is heavenly (hasn't changed a bit), there is free wifi, Tuesday night bingo, and Thursday night Guitar Hero duels. The prices are good and the pours are healthy. I can't say enough good things about the place. This place is like an oasis in a sea of boring meat-market type joints (so sad Seattle is slowly losing its unique watering holes). Check it out for yourself! P.S. I am almost ready to compete next Thursday, so watch out ;) read more

I've been going to the waterwheel for years, and, yes, could consider myself a "regular". The thing about the Waterwheel is...hmm....it's like going to a bar that exists out of time and space. Let me explain what I mean: -At 35, I'm usually one of the younger folks there. -The square footage is just a bit larger than my apartment. -The bathrooms are sparkly-cleen. -The booze is cheap. -The food is cheap. -The finest cheeseburger in Seattle (no, really). Not fancy, just mmmmmm good. -Tami the weekly bartender will actually give you a hug when you come in, and cut you off when you need it, not when your head hits the bar. -Did I mention Cheap? -Weekend bartender Toni laughs at all my stupid jokes. -I have a drink named after me! Tell Tami you want a "Jason" and you'll get a tasty sensation ONLY found at the Waterwheel. -On your birthday, you get hosed down with water. -Pool is just fifty cents -The jukebox contains everything from Johnny Cash to Eminem to Patsy Cline to Sublime to 80's hair-bands to the Star-spangled Banner. -Hey kids! Do you like violence? There is an occasional fight. Sometimes between girls!! Just go. You need to experience it. Bingo night is Tuesday. Monday is Taco night. Enjoy! (and tell them I sent you!) read more

So I ventured all the way up here to see Will L.'s band (Stay Tuned) play. I arrived and worked my way through the pretty big crowd there on a Saturday night. I squeezed in with my group around the back side of the bar. At first, service was quite slow. However, I don't blame the bartender as he was working as fast as he could and there were a *ton* of people in there. The atmosphere was great and people seemed to be having a good time all around. This is really where my review should stop. The rest of the night gets a bit hazy. However, I can tell you that the following things with some certainty that they are true: * shamelessly flirting with the bartender while drunk will get you service a bit quicker * the bartenders handle people who get out of hand quickly (I was nearly knocked over by one running to kick someone out) * chances are you won't leave here sober unless you're a DD or just not interested in having a good time * there's a diverse crowd here, but people are super friendly * there are some steps that take you to a back patio that are hard to navigate in heels while drunk I'd highly suggest you stop in here sometime and have a few drinks (or many) and enjoy! I hope to make it back sometime for the infamous karaoke nights! read more

We stopped by here to check out Stay Tuned last Saturday night. I always feel comfortable in bars like the Waterwheel. From the hooded sweatshirt clad to the dolled up, all were welcome here. The bartender was very attentive on a busy night, and kept us well lubricated without having to leave our seats to venture to the bar. And while I'm on the subject of seats. Can I mention: Holy Hell, where did they get the ginormous stools? Finally! A bar stool that can accommodate the circumference of my booty!!! The selection of beer on tap wasn't extensive (Bud, Bud Light, Mack and Jacks, and Guinness) but I'm always happy with Mack and Jacks, so I wasn't bothered. My only recommendation to the new owners? The sign outside with the Burger and Martini is strangely disturbing. But it is quirky, and gets your attention while driving down the street, so maybe it should remain unchanged. read more

This place is a perfect little dive bar right in Ballard. Great outdoor patio to enjoy when it's sunny, and nice and dark inside for the rest of the time! The drinks are reasonably priced... I personally got a beer, but saw another person going back to the bar to get more mixer put in her cocktail, so I imagine those are poured pretty strong haha. I saw that they have karaoke, so I will DEFINITELY be back for that! I did ask about their food menu, and they said they were "in transition," whatever that means. They said I could order or bring outside food, but I opted to just stick with drinks that day. Absolutely come here if you are looking for a chill bar in Ballard - good people watching! read more

It is amazing to me that I haven't written a review of the Wheel yet! Where to begin? How about Karaoke! Not only do they have Karaoke on both Wednesdays and Sundays but it seems that the Waterwheel has become the new venue for Yelper birthdays. This is in no small part to the Karaoke host who always gets the house pumped up with suicide Karaoke songs and wild introductions to the next singing victim. Slap into that equation, the owner of the joint (Stu) who ensures the drinks are stiff and that the food is sizzling and good. Tara, one of the bartenders is cool and very friendly. There's never an empty glass in front of me longer than a minute and it's never a task getting efficient and fast service. Out of the various places close by to stop in and have a good time, I'd put my money on the Wheel as the best of the lot. Ample space on the outside patio for smokers (or those who just smoke when they've been drinking), as well as the opportunity to play Wii...poker....pool..etc. Your wish is the Wheels command. read more