Tom B.
Yelp
I've been to this place once, and it already feels like olden days to me. Some places just slip over your feet like old slippers, set you down, and make you comfortable. Fiddler's is such a place. Add to that the fact that I have been meaning to try this place for nearly a quarter-century and it was probably inevitable.
94th and 35th really isn't an intersection that bustles like mad, but getting here is pretty straightforward, since they're both major arterials (er, well, 95th and 35th both are). There is, in fact, a decent-sized fire station right across the street from Fiddler's. Between people parking along the street, and the sirens, living here must get kinda noisy at times.
There are tidily-kept and very tall hedges shading Fiddler's back from the street, creating a nice sense of privacy and getaway. There's a grandfathered old neon sign shaped like a fiddle over the front door on 35th. You walk in the front door, and it pulls a rope that raises and lowers a little violin back by the kitchen. This does not seem to alert the staff or anything, but maybe it's some kind of secret signal. In any case, it's one of those amusing little touches that great neighborhood watering holes accumulate through the years.
And the years really do matter here. Those hedges didn't just get planted last season. That's advanced landscaping that can only happen over time. This place has been around since 1980 (I think). Virtually all of that time, they have been a friend to the beer industry, serving kegs from small independent brewers, spreading the word about what's happening in the craft beer revolution since back when the craft beer revolution was scarcely more than a couple underground splinter cells on the west coast (and a couple other places). Now the revolution has taken down the walls around the multi-nationals, and soon the castle will be ours. Like a wise old resistance commander, Fiddler's holds sway over its hot corner, surveying the progress.
They're still serving beers from the smaller locals breweries, digging up interesting pints you might not get most other places. They have a few bottles, I think, and some wine, I imagine. I focused entirely on the taps. Had a solid gose from NW Peaks--they've only done one or two beers better than that. It's so cool that a style like gose that was almost extinct 10 years ago is now widely brewed in the States (Germany never let up on it completely, but even Germany was producing less and less, and exporting none, as of a decade ago). Now a decent anglo ale brewery like NW Peaks has a solid gose to offer. That's outside their comfort zone, but they're rocking it. And guess where you can get a pour? As of last night Fiddler's (naturally) had it pouring through one of their faucets.
They have pizzas, sandwiches, some mountainous nachos, and other tasty-looking pug grub on offer. I will be back for some of that for sure. Finally crossed this place off my to-do list, where it's been sitting since before I was old enough to drink. Back then, I had a fraternity brother a few years ahead of me who bartended here. I always swore to come in and have a pint when I could. No idea where that guy ended up in life, but I'll be back in here soon, tipping him or whoever it is behind the bar next time.