The Bourbon Bar

They have local beers and spirits! :-)
No food :-/​but you can bring in out side door or have food delivered cool!

This review for Bourbon Bar is for a WEDNESDAY Evening when Absolute Karaōke sets up and KARAOKE night is on.
This is a great, fun, welcoming, open, friendly crowd that is into the night’s «entertainment». My wife and I are big fans and always have a blast.
Also, the TALENT of many (most) of the people who show up and perform is really off the chart. You can really enjoy (be amazed) at what you hear, especially sometimes WHO it is coming from!
Josh of Absolute Karaōke is the regular host for WED. He is a super pro KJ. And even if there is another host when you show up, they work for Josh and AK, so they will be great!

My boyfriend: «Do you have any local whisky?» Bartender: «Nope. Not good enough. If we don’t have it, we don’t need it. ««…oh.» I think our local distilleries make great whiskey, and it’s sad when local business don’t support each other, but anyhow, my Old Fashioned was very good.

I’m still new to the Columbia City area and had to check out this place because well… I love Bourbon. I went in on a Friday night that was surprisingly low-​key. There was a burlesque show going on in the adjoining theatre, so once that let out it got a bit more lively.
What I liked about this place is that while many places will say they’re a vodka bar, a tequila bar, etc, there doesn’t seem to be any emphasis on said liquor aside from they happen to have vodka… like every other bar in the world. This place actually has a real emphasis on not just whiskey but specifically Bourbon. The bar tender was happy to tell us all about their best drinks (Old Fashioned and Manhattans were his recommendations) and about the various Bourbons they had.
My drinking buddy had a rye Old Fashioned which was delicious – just the right amount of orange to balance out the strong whiskey taste. I wanted some Bourbon neat and he recommended the Eagle Rare which was very smooth, no need for ice, a very easily drinkable Bourbon.
The atmosphere may be nothing to write home about, but great personal treatment from the bartender and their willingness to really talk to you about the whiskey (as opposed to the many hipster bars that are assume you should know and are bothered to be asked) I’ll definitely be back to work on refining my whiskey pallet.

Went to the open mic. Everyone was very friendly and supportive. The open mic was mostly acoustic, singer songwriter types. However they welcomed the eclectic acts as well. The host was very cool. The bar is very beautiful and part of a larger venue which is a restored theater. It is located in a small downtown area with many other bars and restaurants. The bus line went straight to the area from Seattle.

After one visit to The Bourbon Bar, I would have to say this is a spot you definitely want to check out. Even on a Friday night, the place was relatively quiet, but that only meant the group I was with could stake out a prime spot at the bar which turned out to be the perfect hangout spot for the time were were there. The bartender was a cool dude that joked around just as much as we did and especially since I’m sure he could tell we had already been drinking quite a bit.
As far as the people here, there was a good mix of regulars and people dropping in to see the live music in the adjoining auditorium. To our benefit, the band that was on stage at the time’s music was piped into the bar area so we got to enjoy it as well which was a nice change of pace over the standard muzak, ipod, or jukebox fare. To top things off, the food we tried was unexpectedly delicious with at least one full review star dedicated just to the amazing sliders we decided to order.

This place is pretty bad ass! I can’t say that I was terribly impressed with the liquor selection but 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!

My first experience here was…
Had a blast. Was actually on my way out after catching a burlesque show in the CC Theater and overheard some karaōke! I frickin love karaōke! So I preceded to pick a few songs to sing to my date and in turn she chose a few to sing to me. How awesome! We rocked it!
Fun group of people at the bar– mostly it consisted of the burlesque dancers from the show we just attended.
Just a warning: bartenders poured some very strong drinks! I wasn’t drinking but I still got loaded off of my dates breath.

Nice bar. It’s not huge, but they have a very good selection of some choice items. For a «bourbon bar» I thought the selection was good, but small. Still, enjoyed a glass of Black Maple Hill while waiting for a show to begin at the adjoined Columbia City Theater. The bartender was friendly and fairly knowledgeable about his products. He made a good drink.

First off I must say that I LOVE THE BOURBON! I would give it a 5 star rating except for the menu. The food there is good (just not 5 star) and is delivered to you fast and always with a nice presentation. The menu is actually a newer menu and they are improving all the time so I have very high hopes. The ambience is just the way I like it. Dim, mellow and covered in ever changing art works! It is that perfect place to relax and have a casual but romantic date, some drinks with friends before a show or just that perfect spot to catch up with the locals who are always friendly if you are :) This place is unique because people of all walks of life can fit in and feel comfortable here. Regulars range from executives to bike messengers and everyone converses together. Also I would be forever guilty if I did not give props to the excellent staff. Everyone is always very friendly, funny, lively and accomodating. My favorite person is Jory (sp?) though. He makes sure that every visit is a good one!

Was having a nice time here with a few friends until they started setting up for live music and some guy that worked there started moving the table that my drink, my elbow and my sunglasses were sitting on without consulting with me first. How about asking first? I know this isn’t Nordstrom, but common courtesy says ask first. I called him out and he got pissed and said I was being rude. He was clearly having a bad day but we all have those and we can’t take them out on our customers; its bad for business. Teach this guy a lesson an don’t go to the Bourbon Bar.

Okay, let’s be clear on where we are — it’s a bourbon bar. So the food is bar food. Acceptable. Their booze list is pretty good. The bourbon list (and recommendations from ANY employee) is awesome.
But really, we go here for the ambiance. It’s a small, quaint bar. Dark corners for some, large tables for others, a good size bar to lean on.
Best part: the bartenders and waiters are funny. And informative. Always a delight for a get together —
PS: I read the other reviews — I saw, no heard any karaōke. If I did, I probably wouldnt go here ;-) They do have a stage in the back, havent been yet!

This place is great! There is always some form of entertainment going on. From open mic to trivia. They have a great selection of hand made cocktails and good wines! Now they are serving southern cuisine which is awesome because A) I love that kind of food B) The BBQ place across the street closed :(© good food goes with good drinks. Its a no brainer.

4 is the average between 3 stars and 5 stars: Why 4?
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 Unilocal 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 karaōke (and drinking not even required! =P).

Of course being a non-​bourbon/​rye/​whisky drinker, I end up somewhere called The Bourbon Bar. Makes good sense all around.
Cute little space, little being the operative word. One bartender, so our big karaōke group (plus other patrons, but really, who cares about them?) kind of swamped her. She was obliging, though, and asked me unprompted if I preferred ginger ale or ginger beer with my gin. Good call, young lady! I will drink ALL of your ginger beer! «Where is our ginger beer? We have none left.» — The bar
Prices were surprisingly good, managed to have 5 drinks and come out at an even $ 20. Thumbs up, guys.

I actually feel more ‘meh’ but this place doesn’t deserve a 2 star review.
I had fun, it was karaōke night with my favorite KJ group: Absolute Karaōke which almost always guarantees a good time but there was still much to be desired.
I had 2 vodka/​soda cocktails and ordered one beer, it was $ 24. I’m cheap I suppose, but that seemed pretty pricey to me. The space is nice, the staff were really great, the selection of alcohol was wide and they did have some specialty cocktails that sounded amazing — I had a sip of a friend’s and it was pretty damn good and worth the $ 10+ it cost. Mine, although admittedly nice and strong, were, at the end of the day, just vodka/​soda and at about $ 8/​ea, seemed excessively priced.
The rest was good too: clean, well appointed restrooms, fun atmosphere, mixed ‘post –Angie’s crowd with some other fun patrons thrown in and all in all, I’d go back anytime, but at those prices, I’d likely pre-​funk somewheres else.

I was very impressed with this place the first time I checked it out. However, I have been back a few times now, and never had the same experience. The service is good every time I’ve been in, but not outstanding. And — they seem to have done away with their partnership with Tutta Bella. They now have their own menu which consists of mostly sandwiches and a few appetizers. My boyfriend and I tried the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. It was OK, and I liked that it came with warm pita and veggies. However, some of the cucumbers were less than fresh, and the whole plate was presented on a giant bed of romaine lettuse that was totally unnecessary. That kind of useless garnish always upsets me a bit.
I still think its a nice little spot with a decent liquor/​wine selection, and I still want to check out a show at the Columbia City Theater (which is attached).

The Bourbon Bar just opened in August 2010 in conjunction with the refurbished Columbia City Theater, and the owners managed to snag Kim Warnick (of the Fastbacks and Visqueen) from the Cha Cha.
One might expect that a bar opened in the midst a cocktail boom and named «Bourbon Bar» would have a mind-​blowing array of whiskeys, and some of the city’s leading mixologists devoted to them. The Bourbon Bar is not that, although they do have a moderate selection of whiskeys and whiskey-​based cocktails, which may not be particularly well made, esp. if you are in the middle of a surge of customers waiting to get into a neighboring show.
But while the drinks are only average, it does have a pleasantly dark and woody décor and usually a pleasant crowd.