The Pub at Third Place

I wanted to like this place, but it was pretty bad.
I came here with 3 other friends. We’re all grad students, so we came in on a Sunday afternoon with computers and books and stuff. The place we had been at previously closed, so we walked to the nearest spot. There were two other people with computers in there, so us being there didn’t seem sketchy, especially in the middle of the afternoon.
The waiter/​bartender came over and handed us menus. He then proceeded to disappear for about 10 minutes. He came back and someone in our group asked what the soup of the day was. He had to go upstairs and check. Another 5 minutes. He told us, then walked away for another 10ish minutes. I was really confused. Maybe he was trying not to bother us? Maybe he thought we weren’t going to order anything?
We finally ordered. I got the falafel plate and it was borderline gross. I ate it, but It was Ehh. Also, I got 4 tiny pieces for $ 5 (happy hour special) which was steep for such a small portion and that was the special price. There were a few pieces of shredded lettuce too, but it’s hard to eat shredded lettuce with a fork. Lol With tax and tip, I was at nearly $ 8 for a plate of rabbit food. Should have just gotten a beer.
Ugh also, there was really terrible dad rock blasting from the speakers. We almost left because of the music.
I didn’t get any drinks, but the beer list was decent. Place was cute, but confused about why the service was so bad. They did have outlets, which was handy for using my lap top. Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing and came in at the wrong time.
Oh also, bathroom was gross. There was soap, but I’m pretty sure the last time the toilet was cleaned was before I was born.

Totally unexpected atmosphere, it looks like a hole in the wall (with a very large wooden door) but inside is beautiful wood and great classic, clean, cozy pub feel. Pretty good happy hour prices, great brew selection (18 on tap!) my date and I both enjoyed our food and also a game of cribbage at the large wooden bar. Staff was attentive and nice. Lots of games and books available for use on premise. Quiet enough to have a nice conversation but not so quiet as to make you feel as if you were loud if you were talking. I plan to return!

Pro: Great atmosphere and décor! Great patio, very cool pub downstairs. Awesome bookstore. Good menu. Lots of cool cats.
Con: Consistently weak service. The waitstaff are on island time, esp on patio or downstairs. Dont expect quick service!

I love this place to death! It’s a really quiet little gem. A bar in a bookstore is a great idea. The parking is good as well.

I came here to catch up with an old friend that I hadn’t seen in awhile. The environment was great for talking and it seemed like there were quite a few groups hanging out there.
But this place is just way overpriced for what you get. The flavor was alright, but the portion was sad and it definitely tasted like $ 7 or $ 8 food you could and should find somewhere else. Save a lot of money and enjoy better quality at Schwarma King in the U District, or if you want to pay the same price as here and get a better value then go to Mediterranean Kitchen in Bellevue.

I love the Pub at Third Place. Very cool basement-​y atmosphere, but up scaled, wood everything, great but not extensive selection of beers, hip and friendly service, and killer grub from Vios, the Greek joint upstairs. And then you can go book shopping!

Love this place for the atmosphere, food and beer selection. Staff is usually aloof but not intentionally rude.

I live in the neighborhood and I absolutely love this place! Great ambiance, beer selection and service. The only down side is that sometimes it can be hard to find a seat and the last few times I’ve been there the portions seem to be a bit smaller. Great place to take people visiting, for a good meal or just a drink with friends. Also, try their truffle popcorn — cause its amazing!

Third Place is my neighborhood bar pick! The atmosphere can range from crowded and noisy to quiet and chill enough for some work or reading. I really like their Greek salad along with one of the great local beers they have on tap. I enjoy all their Greek/​Mediterranean food, though. Great place to meet up with a friend.
Service is generally predictably acceptable. Not amazing, but this is a bar, not a sit down restaurant.

Tasty beer.

The food was good and the beer selection is terrific, but the service is so poor that I won’t be coming back. Last time I was in about a week ago I waited at my table for several minutes while the server was behind the bar looking at her phone. That alone is nearly enough to cause me to walk out. When you’re working, you’re working. Turn your phone off, put it away, and do your job.
When she came over to my table (no smile and no greeting, by the way) I asked her about a beer on the menu that I hadn’t heard of before. She said, «Um…yeah…it’s pretty good.» I then asked a couple questions about the food menu, and she gave me one-​word answers. It was clear she had no interest in helping me with my order.

Things have changed a lot in Seattle in the last four plus years. Namely, food standards have gotten better and better and yesterdays spots have in some cases, failed to live up to the rapidly expanding Seattle food scene.
Case in point, although I’ve been a regular here (its in my neighborhood) tonight I ate on the patio outside at the Pub at Third Place on and had a pretty terrible experience.
From spilling two drinks on us (and damaging books we just purchased inside their store, but this I wasn’t too concerned about) to being left for long stretches on the patio without any anyone from the pub in sight, to debating whether the medium rare burger I ordered and sent back was actually medium rare (it wasn’t, mostly grey very little pink) with a server, to receiving a second burger that was far too rare to eat when the kitchen decided to send something out that was just shy of raw, I can’t recommend this spot in good conscience. Certainly, its a no-​go for a solid burger.
Skip it. You can do better. The bar has gone up in the Seattle food scene and there are many very solid burger spots out there and most are familiar with how to cook a succulent medium rare burger and serve it up with style and alongside craft beer on tap.
My last thought for you Third Place: if you are offering a $ 16 burger (yep, that’s the price) you’d better be super solid on how to prepare it.

What a wonderful and hidden bar! Imagine if somebody carved out a cave in the trunk of giant tree and put a bar in it… It’s awesome with natural wood slabs everywhere!
We came in for happy hour. The food was delicious; order the fries. As someone else mentioned, the beer list made of good beers and there’s a rotating selection. Happy hour means $ 1 off pints and $ 2 off pitchers.
Our bartender’s name was Frank. He was good to us. There were a few others in the pub, but we got our orders quickly.
Near the bar you’ll find lots of books and games including Settlers of Catan and Cards Against Humanity!
I can’t wait to go there again!
Oh… Also, the music that was playing in there today was so good… I’ve never heard it before.

I’ve been coming to Third Place Pub since they opened and before they were run by Vios. I’ve enjoyed their selection of beers and decent food. The food used to be better pub food but now they serve whatever Vios has upstairs. So, overall I do like the joint.
But what really bugs me is their pricing and odd happy hours. Beers run $ 5.50−7, with no pricing on their rotating beers, so its just a crap shoot. More annoyingly, their happy hour times are confusing. I tend to not visit during happy hour but today I met someone for beers and some happy hour appetizers only to learn the appetizer happy hour times end an hour earlier than the drink happy hour. This is only noticeable if you read the fine print or stare at wonder at why your bill is $ 10 more than you expect.
So, 3 – 4 stars for food and beer but 1 star for deception and confusing happy hours. Until they fix this problem it will remain 1 star and I will go visit the new pizza joint near home with clear and better priced happy hour times.

It’s an unique place and I enjoyed the food and beer selection. The 4-​star rating is for the restaurant-​bookstore connection. If I lived in the neighborhood, I’m pretty sure I’d be there all the time.
My husband had the eggplant sandwich and he said the bread was pretty tough, but otherwise okay. We both enjoyed the appetizer dips. Their beet salad was yummy.
The only really downfall was the slow service. I use to be a waitress, therefore I understand that things could be happening behind the scenes and want to give the benefit of the doubt. They were somewhat busy, but the patio had four tables open. They told us to go ahead and seat ourselves, so we did. All the tables still needed to be bussed, but that was okay by us. We’ll just wait at one of the tables. And wait. And wait some more. A server came and went several times with no signal from her that she’d be with us. A bus boy walked by and cleared another table (perhaps he doesn’t recognize we’re new customers?).
My husband finally stood up and grabbed our silverware, water and menus from a nearby waitress station (not sure if we were suppose to, but we were thirsty from a day in the sun and not sure when we’ll get service). I used my menu to scrape all the food from the table to the ground (I needed to take some kind of action after staring at it for 10 minutes). Once the waitress came by, we put in most of our order since we weren’t sure when we’d see her again. I’m curious what the service would had been like if we ate inside.

One of the best low-​key, warm, homey spaces in Seattle. Tucked underneath Third Place Books, my girlfriend and I refer to this bar as «The Hobbit Hole» and it’s easy to see why. The outside door is made from gnarled wood, the tables are beautiful wooden slabs, the bar is (good) beer and wine only, and the vibe is welcoming and friendly. They have board games, table service from someone in plaid, and a greek restaurant upstairs that serves fries with whipped feta that are wonderful. Firestone’s Wookey Jack, a favorite of mine, is usually on tap and the selection covers a lot of ground stylistically. The only negative thing I can say is that I have had a flat pint here, though I don’t know if that’s their fault or the brewery that produced the beer.
This is a conversation bar where the music is never too loud or intrusive, the service is adequate and quick, and the room is upbeat though intimate. This is a place to talk with friends or break out the Settlers of Catan over a few tasty pints. Seattle needs more bars like this one.

Upon first walking into this pub i’m overwhelmed with wood… the kind they put on the walls… to be clear. It’s pretty great! The beer selection is plentiful and the service is nice! Great neighborhood bar, really! The food comes from upstairs via Café Vios, which i dig because they have FALAFELS! and the most delightful of mediterranean dipping trios — hummus, olive tapenade & baba ghanoush — with yummy pita, kalamat & feta. Prices were a bit steep but hey, I’m willing to pay a bit extra to hang out in a pub like this. They have board games available for you to play. You’ll see a student pouring over a stack of books in one corner, a small family having dinner in the other, & thirty-​somethings at the bar. It’s also really clean! yay for cleanliness.
Bonus: hop on up to third place books and feel really good that you are in such a great bookstore!

I often stop by this place after work to get a beer and read. The bartenders/​servers are very friendly and attentive, the beer selection is good (although I’d like to see the taps change more often, but I’ve only been going there a few months so I’m not sure if it’s something they ever do) and the food is good when I’ve had it.
I wish there were more two-​top tables, or bar seats for those of us who go alone and don’t want to take up a giant table or sit at the mildly awkward, albeit insanely beautiful reclaimed wood, community tables. The bar and smaller tables fill up fast and I feel like a jerk sitting at the big ones alone!
I love how well lit the pub is, as it would be a really good place to work on writing amidst the low murmur of table top games and meetings.

I adore this pub.
It’s tucked below Third Place Books, and it looks like it’ll be dim and tiny on the inside, but you’re mistaken. It’s well-​lit and covered with beautiful wood paneling and furniture, from the rough-​hewn tables to the bar. The beer list is extensive and delicious, and the menu is even more so.
«Mediterranean food» has, as of late, unfortunately suffered at the hands of the masses and become, in many locations, greasy and unappetizing. Not here! Third Place serves impeccable options by the lovely Vios Café. Personal favorites include: the dip sampler (three delicious spreads, like kalamata olive or feta-​pepper), chicken souvlaki, or the special I had last time: roasted dates, smoked almonds, and marinated olives. So. Tasty.
The bartenders are friendly and helpful, there are board games to play, and plenty of seats (though it does fill up). What more can you ask for?

Didn’t even know this was here, but it’s really cool. There’s a great bookstore upstairs, which is probably obvious to everyone who has ever heard of Third Place Books in either location (for some reason I had thought they were only in Kenmore). There’s a nice café upstairs along with it, with a big coffee counter and espresso machine. This place fills up with tons of kids at big family tables.
Downstairs, there’s a separate entrance on 65^th, and there’s also a staircase down from the café. There’s a ton of pretty wood paneling, and the tables and benches have a nice rough-​hewn look to them as well. It’s kinda packed in, with a ceiling at basement height and tables close together. Feels homey, though – not cramped.
The staff is pleasant and funny, and they’re right on point throughout the meal no matter how busy it is, or how long you stay. They have a two-​page menu of greek food from Vios upstairs, and they have a dozen good beers on tap – all thoughtfully chosen craft beers, too. They also serve wine and a few other things.
The prices are very fair, and the food’s really good. Dig everything about this place. Definitely be back.