Maritime Pacific Brewing Company

Was a rooftop regular. It has been really neat to come see this place, and I was definitely missing out. Amazing food and beer, chill atmosphere, kind of seems like it's going to be a match made in heaven (I hope). Should have come before, but so glad to discover it now. Come on by!

Came for the pirates, stayed for the beer. The fries and sliders were great, but I wasn't a big fan of the burger

Compared to all the other breweries in ballard this seems like old pub. No "fancy" hazy ipa or sour, just good old pub beers. Loved it.

This week I hosted a Cribbage Meetup group event here. The venue worked out perfectly for the seven of us. They have large tables that were spaced apart. The place was not crowded at all so we all enjoyed the fact we could hear each other conversation during game play. Food was good - where ELSE in Seattle can you get a $7.50 burger ($8.50 deluxe) that is worth eating in a sit-down restaurant. The beer selection was good - enjoyed the Skeleton Stout Nitro - nice chocolate, oatmeal flavor that was not smokey. Recommended for similar group events.

I have enjoyed Maritime for years - and I will say this is one establishment to that has improved with age! The pub grub is excellent - but some of their special entrees are truly exceptional. As I'm writing this I'm finishing some very tasty curried fish cakes. For a while it felt like all of the microbreweries in the area were leaving Maritime's is beer selection a bit behind... But at some point recently they started cranking out seasonal ipas that rank amongst the best. Drop on by for a pint and dinner! The Lil Mahi sliders are a Ballard delicacy.

I live locally and had always thought about trying this place. The beer was good, but the service was very bad. We sat at the bar and nobody checked up on us after we ordered. My wife and I actually wanted food, but we were never offered a food menu. Overall, the beer was okay, but the service was pretty bad and I probably won't be back here.

Everything is awesome, but Tori is exceptional. Thank you, Victoria, for making us feel at home! ♥️

Great beer and great service!! What more could we ask for!?

They are hands down the best brewing co in Ballard. Always have been. Great Food! Love the Mahi Mahi sliders! Bar staff is very sociable. Place has a good feel too.

Went there on a Tuesday night. Not many people in the bar. It was about an hour before they closed. They have some really good beer. Their double IPA was really good. We bought some bottles to go. Food was really good! Very friendly bartenders! Cheers!

Enjoying lunch on the patio! Great food, staff and facility is fully COVID prepped. Excellent time.

Yet again I am impressed with the prompt service and tasty unique food. Oh yeah, I'm at a brewery; the selection is varied, classic, and new. Supper tasty beer and some cask options to boot. It's a quick trip from the Ballard brewery complex so expand your pub crawl or grab a e-scooter.

Oh, man! MPBC and their Jolly Roger Roadhouse must the the best of all brewpubs. I've gone there since they first opened just west of the Ballard Bridge in Leary Way to their present location. ALWAYS the beer tastes fresh and vibrant, and the menu stands out and above all other brewpubs and their near-generic offerings. Please go to their website and look for yourself at what is there! It might just boggle your mind! As if you can get Mahi-mahi sliders anywhere at all? Their Caesar Salad is so rock-solid, it's tough making yourself try anything else. Just a nano-touch of jalapeño to make the flavor tighter than a bungee strap. I'll be the first to confess that the menu isn't quite on the level of when they first started out in the place that made them one of those "Seattle's Best Kept Secret Spots." Still, what they do keeps them above better than all the rest. One mystery note is the CoVid question. Last year, they had this totally bonkers Oktoberfest menu. The manager is Danish, so he knows what it's all about (the border between Germany and Denmark was a democratically elected decision). I've never seen such a crazy assortment of O-fest grub ever! If not this year, I do hope they will try again in the future. I have a dear German friend I want to into induce a food coma at MPBC. He'll probably have to crash on the couch overnight, before driving home, if that original menu appears again.

Great place for a chill night with friends. They even allow you to bring your own board games to play all night. Super friendly for large groups! Food wise, the fish and chips is good and large! but the plank fries aren't the best fries you could get...that was disappointing. Beer float! Dark beers aren't my thing so I didn't enjoy it much but you can decide.

Today I met my friend for lunch and had the fish &chips. My friend had the lil mahi x 2. Anyone lucky enough to live in Ballard/Seattle I highly recommend this place. This is the 4th time I've been here, first time since Covid and the food and brews are first rate! I live on Vashon so it was a trip, treat. Fish and chips were the best I've had in a long time, even better than the Tides Tavern !! Try this place out!

It has been some time since I was at the Jolly Roger taproom and forgot that Maritime Pacific Brewing Company is the same that runs that taproom and has their beers on tap there. The beer from this brewery is fairly enjoyable but it isn't as memorable as some other breweries in Ballard. And there are plenty of breweries in Ballard to pick from. So since I forgot that Maritime was connected to Jolly Roger I went back recently for a refresher. On my last visit here I got the Nightwatch Dark Ale as well as a wheat beer and an amber... again enjoyable enough but... In the past I have gotten their lagers which are ok but in the end I simply prefer some other places a bit more. With that said however the times that I have been here the staff has always been friendly, prompt and eager to please. The Jolly Roger taproom itself is cool and especially with the treasure map type design they have on the floor adds a good atmosphere to the place.

Once upon a time Maritime Pacific had Amazing Food! SADLY that is NO LONGER the case. TAKE 5 URBAN MARKET has an AMAZING RUEBEN compared to MP's new menu addition. MP does continue to have VERY Good Fries. But MEDIOCRE BEER & FOOD has SOURED me to a 20+ year Favorite... I will NOT GO BACK! As far as brews are concerned, their Christmas Season JOLLY ROGER'S is truly the ONLY GREAT beer that they make. There are so many other BETTER BEERS available within 5 minutes of MP. And while they did finally ADD some NOISE ABATEMENT to the Ceilings when the place is crowded, you can NOT HEAR yourself think! And while I was Excited that Deep Fried Bacon was Back on the menu, it is So OVER COOKED that it is CLOSE TO BURNT...

Meh. Came for the Stranger burger week. Burger was good. Fries were cold. Service was disappointing. Never brought the ketchup we asked for. Had to ask for a refill on our drinks. Very inattentive. Not in a hurry to come back or recommend.

It's more of a restaurant inside than what you'd typically think of as a brewery, with lots of beers on tap. They also serve food (burgers and fries, that kind of thing), though we didn't try any of the food this time.

Two beer tenders working(?) And one didn't know if flights were available...even when they had preprinted tray liners. 15 minutes after asking for a menu WHILE SITTING AT THE BAR, one finally took my order - there were only four other tables, but Ying and Yang spent more time on their phones than doing their jobs. Neither checked on me till the 17.00$!!!! Taster tray and food was finished. Really not worth a $38 tab for two appetizers and 5 5oz tasters. Sad, this place used to be better.

If I thought their Lil jollys were small before, little did I kNow just how small they would get and now for $4! I love you maritime, I do. But damnn. Really $4 for this? The burger patty is a fraction bigger than my thumb! They weren't even this small just a few months ago. I'll still love you and keep coming here but I'll probably order something else. Now I need to order more food cause, that wasn't satisfying at all. You're beer is and always been stellar .

Went here for a bite to eat and drink. It was a great time last June on a sunny afternoon. There's plenty of room and a fun ocean theme. I got the hamburger sliders and the stout. Very tasty. Not enough signage from the street. Overall great time.

First time here and very impressed. Happy hour specials on all appetizers and small plates. Great selection of choices - beer battered bacon was amazing as were the sliders. Lots of choices for beer too. We had the five sample flight and enjoyed them all. There is a pirate theme, great service and an overall fun time. Will definitely stop back.

So I suppose you could say that the "Brewing Co" listing is more for the beer, whereas the Jolly Roger Taproom listing is for the place to go hang out and eat and drink. Alright, That's cool. Let's set up this review as being just for the beers. MP makes a decent lineup of ales. There are IPAs, APAs, DIPAs, and the deservedly legendary Jolly Roger Christmas Ale, among others. Their lagers are usually a little on the buttery side (that's a brewing flaw caused by hurrying beer into the kegs before it's ready), but the ales are generally delightful. The Flagship was a go-to six-pack beer for me in my 20s for quite a while. The Jolly Roger is maybe Seattle's most famous Christmas beer after Pyramid's Snow Cap, but IMO is probably the superior beer. They often put their fine ales on cask as well as on regular carbonated taps, but let's save that conversation for the taproom review.

This is a mirror of my review for the Jolly Roger Taproom. I've stopped in on multiple occasions to have a late lunch and a cold pint. Each time I go, I tell myself that I'll order something else from their lunch menu but I can't do it. Their Lil' Mahi sandwiches have a nefarious hold on me and I cave every time. They are a favourite because of their simplicity. The fish is pan seared and served on a fat little bun with our roasted jalapeño tartar and shredded cabbage. Or if you crave cow, grab some of their wickedly good Lil' Royals. Those damned things are also quite addictive with your choice of housemade sauces (Jolly Roger Habanero BBQ, Nightwatch Stone-ground Mustard, or Root Beer-Vanilla BBQ.) Looking for a great appetizer for a few people or have a great capacity for fried things? Order the Smokers... these are massive hand-cut onion rings smoked with apple wood and hops, double breaded and fried. These come with the same roasted jalapeño tartar as the Mahi sandwiches. They also have fried pickles AND fried bacon. Yeah, you heard right. It borders on the obscene but they have pepper bacon dipped in a dark amber and ghost chili batter, fried crisp and served with maple-chive aioli. I've never been brave enough to order it but I've seen it parade through to other tables. The food is consistently tasty with excellent beers. There have been days when I wish I had errands in Ballard so I could fit lunch in at the Taproom. I love their Lil' Mahi sandwiches THAT much. And a pint or two of the Nightwatch Dark Amber or Bosun's Black (both excellent) will hit the spot quite nicely. Speaking of spots, parking in their small lot or on the street. I've never had an issue but we don't really go during peak times either. The bathrooms have always been clean with speedy competent service. If you're in the area and want to check out their beers, they offer a tasting sampler of all of their beers for $8 or so. You won't be disappointed!

Its all about the beer and onion rings. Seriously. I did a small order just to myself and ate the whole darn plate. Perhaps it was beer munchies but man those were good. Not greasy, crispy light batter. So good. I opted for the beer taster as well. IPAs and pales were on point. Overall the beer was pretty decent. Reason for only 3 stars however is the fact that I came in, sat...alone...and it took quite some time for anyone to recognize that I needed service. Also, after I had placed my order I had to flag them down for water as they did not check up on me. When it came time to ordering some actual food outside of the onion ring order, it took another hot minute to flag them down once again. The burger slider I ordered was great. Not sure if it was worth the wait though. By then I just wanted a to go box and to head home. All in all I'd give it another try but service was slow on a Sunday evening.

Lovely place the decor is amazing, make sure you pay attention to the floor. Pirate map that has the name of the employees on it. As a Hospitality enthusiast this excites me, this industry is about fostering an atmosphere that creates memorable experiences for it's customers. Warm, welcoming, friendly yet professional. Outstanding delivery, the doggie cookies jar at the entrance is the cherry on top of the cake.

A beer place that's kid friendly I think there's a handful of places that are kid friendly and this is one of them. The food was sub par but I heard the beer was good. The place was packed on an early Friday night and we waited a good 30 min. It's really loud in there so I couldn't hear what anyone was saying unless they were sitting right next to me.

We had a very pleasant experience sitting at the bar. The IPAs are smooth and easy to drink. I got a cup of seafood chowder and it was delish. We ordered the poutine, because I hadn't had it before and it had actual curds; it was also delicious. The beer battered bacon was totally insane, but as good as you might expect.

Just happen to pop in during their annual Jolly Rodger event. It was a little crowded, but was still able to get service quickly. I had one of the best beers so far in Seattle ( Tanenbaum Jolly Roger which is made with spruce pine). Soooo good.

Great value in Seattle. Chef's specials always good! Lil' mahi & Po'Lil 'oysters w/ smoked jalapeño Caesar is killer and definitely order the Smokers (smoked onion rings) Best onion rings ever!!! Beer!!!

Unfortunately we were very unhappy with our time here. A lot of the beers taste of the same. And there wasn't a big difference between the different varieties. Also their service was slow. And the pretzels were stale

My fav stop on the Ballard beer troll. Beers are nice and food is tops (over the top beer food) They know how to fry! Humongous Onion rings, fried bacon, and fried oyster sliders (tip.. use the onion ring sauce and lemon, mmm). Beer tasters x5 was a real good deal. Overall great atmosphere, had a blast. A must stop in Seattle, Argh!!

Went here Saturday night, about 830pm for dinner. It was pretty quiet, mostly people at the bar and one other table filled. The service was atrocious. Our server was quite rude and unhelpful. It took a very long time for him to come over and take our order. The food was actually very good but I would not go again.

I'm doing a separate review for Maritime Pacific Brewing vs combining it all into my review of the Jolly Roger taproom. Reviewing them on the beer, to me, is necessary to distinguish from the pub experience. In my opinion, some of the finest ales made in the Seattle City limits come from Maritime. Unless you want to count Big Al's and Baron as being in Seattle proper, Maritime takes it. My first ever taproom experience was in the Jolly Roger taproom, so this place will always hold a special place in my heart. As I was a budding baby beer snob at the tender age of 21, I was dragged to this brewery on a visit from Florida, and was poured my first pint of fresh, made on site beer. I visited again a year later on another visit, and wasn't as impressed with the beers, so it took me a long while to warm back up to them after I had moved here shortly after that. The lineup of beers is extensive, and rotating. Every time I go there is something new available. To this day I have not found a specific beer that I was not a fan of. The beers for the most part are english, and pacific northwest inspired ales. No trendy belgian or other recent big hits, just the classic styles that have been tried and true since the craft revolution started. The only beer I can't categorize there also happens to be my favorite, the Nightwatch. Malty, dark, and smooth. There are few beers I've ever had that match up with a pub meal better than this. There are always cask options available, most notably their IPA casks, and their famous Jolly Roger. I highly recommend at least sampling these offerings when available. I have one complaint and one only about the beers, and that's on the consistency. I've noticed over the years a fluctuating quality, most notably from my second visit here that I had mentioned earlier in this increasingly lengthy review. Some times you will have some of the finest tasting beer you can remember, others you'll be left wondering why it's not as good as you remember. But I think the good makes up for the bad. You can find their beers at many local grocery stores and retail locations, but I highly suggest scooting over to their taproom and getting it fresh from the source. My highest recomendations are the cask pours, the Nightwatch, and the Flagship Red. This is the one of the two classic Seattle Breweries I can strongly recommend. Far too many of the places that have been around for a few years make boring, bland beer that was only impressive 15yrs ago. Not the case here.

I love this place. Laid back, interesting interior, the floor is very cool, painted like a pirate map. Great beer. We got the fish and chips and several sliders. All excellent. Great place to hang and eat.

Connected to the Jolly Roger Taproom, I was thrilled and priveleged to take a tour of this brewery. No, it's not big. But it made my day to get my picture taken with the Jolly Roger Christmas Ale that they make here. It's my favorite seasonal beer ever!!! Thanks to Matt and Maritime for making my new life in Seattle awesome and for helping me find the best beer in Seattle!

Ah, another establishment that practices unhappy, miserable, bah humbug service. Food was ok on the cheaper side. Would it kill ya (to the waiter/tress) to smile a little bit? Come on...how difficult is it to smile back? Stick to making beers and forget serving food. Better yet forget serving.

This place, maybe because it's been around for a zillion years, kinda gets lost in the shuffle; it's no longer the Flavor of the Month. And that's a REAL shame because, beer for beer, IMHO, there is hardly anyone in the Seattle area making better, more thoughtful, more intensely-flavorful ales than Maritime Pacific. At Beveridge Place Pub, during the recent opening ceremonies for Seattle Beer Week, Judye and I sat with a line-up of all eight featured ales from breweries all over the area. I can't hope to remember them all but Trade Route's Sour Mango, Schooner Exact's Three-Grid IPA, Elliott Bay's Bourbon Cask Stout, Elysian Prometheus, and Pike's Double IPA were among 'em. And the clear winner, to both of us, was the Maritime Bosun's Black Porter. All were interesting and very drinkable but the Bosun's was just seamless; bold, balanced, complex, and silky. It tasted, among those ales brewed especially for Beer Week, like something with finesse, history, and pedigree. Their winter seasonal, Jolly Roger, has always been among my top three regional Christmas ales (along with Deschutes "Jubelale" and Hair of the Dog's "Doggie Claws") and their Flagship Red, IMHO, is the Northwest's second-best red/amber, behind only Mac & Jack's African. With all due respects to Baron Brewing, their Old Seattle Lager is the best lager I know of in this area and the Nightwatch Dark Amber is just a revelation every time it's brewed - toasted flavors galore, gently hopped, and filled with smaller grace notes that keep me interested for two or three refills. Their brewpub, too, is the least pretentious and most comfortable brewery-run pub in the state. It's intimate - well, small, really - but not cramped and has that homey Ballard vibe about it that makes you settle in nicely for what is surprisingly good pub grub. It's especially great (for reasons that seem to be sort of spiritual and visceral and aren't easily put into words) in cold weather, around Christmas. Can't tell you why but, after the weather turns, Maritime is where I want to sit with friends and share great beers.

The ambiance is rather cold, even though they have an awesome floor of maps and a pirate theme throughout. The space is very large and there is so much they could to with it, but I wasn't impressed. They were out of about 5 beers that we wanted to try and our waitress was nice, but very slow. The food was totally underwhelming and honestly zero options for anyone who doesn't prefer eating meat. I ordered the mahi sliders and the huge portion of fries that were served alongside the two sliders were good, but definitely gave my stomach an ache later in the day. The sliders were served with a weird cabbage slathered in mayo called a "slaw" but there was nothing slaw about it beyond it having cabbage as the main ingredient. The jalapeno tartar on the side was also not very good. I tried the deep fried dill pickles as well and was not impressed. Maybe I just had a bad experience, but I doubt I would get food again there.

Thoroughly enjoyed. We stopped by here after a long ride with a serious need for a snack, and Maritime nailed it. First: the beer. Oh... the beer. I had the Flagship Red, and found it to be astounding. I mean, really, this is one amazing red ale. I've only had their bottled stuff before this, so I guess maybe I'm a little bias. But seriously, try the Flagship Red! Snack-wise, we went with the mahi sliders, 3 of them for like about $8. I'm expecting lots of fluff and little fish, you know how sliders go... but, alas, a serious chunk of fresh-tasting mahi with just a touch of savoy cabbage light tangy sauce. Right. On. Better than pretty much every slider I've ever had. Plus the house sauce, what ever it might have been, spicy and delicious for sure. Ambiance and service were fine, I kinda like the vibe, and it wasn't very busy, but still kinda loud, dunno, echo or something, and sitting waiting to get the check squared for a while, cause, you know, conversations or whatever with colleagues, it's cool, I get it... shouldn't be in a hurry anyways really. Overall, solid 4 I'd say. Great beer, solid food, really decent prices [$5 blackberry crisp a la mode, $3 pints for happy hour (not on weekends)]. I'd go back for sure for a tasty snack and beer, anytime. Thanks for listening!

Reasonable beer. Food was meh. Had a Philly and a burger. I guess you have to get the Mahi here. At least that is what the reviews say. Service was sub par. Our server was rude. With a table of eight it will take a couple minutes for you to take our order - sorry for having questions and you have other tables. If you want mediocre service with mediocre food that is overpriced for what you get. This is the place for you. Enjoy Nick

We had heard the place was small so I ran in before my party of 6. I was delighted to see one group of 6 leaving and two small tables we could possibly put together. I gave the crew a thumbs up and the waitress straightened the table. Just as she finished another group came in and promptly pushed past me to get to the table. Damn my NW passive aggressiveness! I offered one feeble "Hey!" as they stoically ignored me and set up shop. The waitress was displeased that two groups had decided to visit the establishment. She sighed when I explained that- no, those people ignoring me and sitting at the table were not my friends & set up one of the smaller tables. Pleasant service from her all night- ha! Despite this initial obstacle, we got a pitcher and perused the menu. Whoa! Those are some hefty dinner prices. 14-18 for some ok sounding options. We thought we were going to a brewery. Lunch prices looked much more decent, but no good when you are there for dinner. We ended up sharing some plates of onion rings which were awesomely tasty. Good price, hefty, tasty sauce, and enough to share. The other server, the guy, was quite friendly and helpful. I liked the decor of pirates before even heading in and while deco is obviously not a priority, it worked. A table behind us was friendly and the visit ended "A-ok", not "Me thinks not". I was hoping for better, but it was ok.

The Nightwatch should be my go-to beer. Smooth, drinkable, and reliable. But sometimes I try the Red alt, which to me, will vary in bitterness from visit to visit. I'm told that's not possible (although one staff member said they'd noticed the same thing); but sometimes I like it, and other times, it's very hoppy. Anyway, I will still chance it, especially if it's on cask or nitro. I just wish it was more consistent. I really liked the maibock, and I hope they have it again next spring. The waitstaff is usually excellent. There are a few who are kind of goofy, but for the most part, they give damn good service. When some friends and I were in a few months back, they were out of 64oz growlers. I don't understand why they didn't just buy plain, BLANK growlers in the meantime? Yesterday, we bought a new one (for only $2!!) up at the brewers supply on Greenwood Ave N, so surely they brewery could have done the same. I won't get into the food, as I've reviewed the Jolly Roger separately, but it is excellent. Disappointing lunches are very rare, and are most often swoon-worthy. And now, they have a happy hour, woo hoo! If there's one thing I wish, it's that the IBUs would be listed on their menu. Rogue and Redhook do it, and it makes it much easier for me to choose what to drink.

We came for the beer only, so we sat at the bar at the Jolly Roger Taproom and shared a flight. Service was very friendly and the beer was pretty good. Our favorite: Bourbon Barrel Jolly Roger Didn't get the chance to try any of the food, but almost everyone else there had a big ass plate piled high in front of them so I'm thinking if you're getting hungry on your brewery crawl, hit up Maritime for some grub while you're at it.

The beers are killer. They've got all sorts- dark burly beers- light girly beers- and everything in between. This is the one brewery I know I can bring my wife and she'll find more than one beer she'll like. The food is super good- best brewery food I have ever tried. Had a really terrific Ceviche this weekend- came with a deep fried avocado ($9). And the food is good value- got a killer steak and sides for under $20. The mussels and clams for $9 is one of the best values in the city. The service is always friendly and the seating outside when the weather is nice is hard to beat. Loads of street parking. I'd give these guys 6 stars if I could. I think this place is excellent. Give it a shot. You won't be disappointed.

Hey guys and gals-I'm writing in regards to the tasty, foamy brew I had at a local bar in Spokane, WA. I was lucky enough to have a taste of Pacific Maritime's Imperial IPA and I've got to share the amazement! The light pale/ amber color is deceiving due to the brews imperial status :0) great mouth feel, great head retention and worth every penny!

Food is not outstanding and the service is not great. It took about 20-30 mins for my husband and I to get a menu and we had to flag down a different waitress each time to request for a refill of our water. The place was not busy, but c-mon, please pay more attention to your customers instead of dilly dallying behind the counter.

Came here for a group beer/dinner thing. When we first came in, the host was helpful, letting me know what we should do if our group got larger. Eventually we had about ten people. Every attempt me made to expand was rejected. Could we use the table next to us? No. Could we go outside? No. Could we use the table that was reserved that the party was over 20 minutes late for? No. Never during this time were any of the "no"s polite. They lacked normal human decency. Obviously we were just trying to figure out something that worked. We were not rude. We were not loud. We just needed one more table in a half empty bar. Finally when we were told to try to "meet them halfway" we decided to leave. At least the beer was good.

Long a fan of their beer, and now that I've made it into the pub, a fan of the food. Burgers are on exceptional buns, dressed with their own spicy mustard and balanced by a garlicky mayonnaise. A properly housemade vegetarian burger didn't suffer from the usual structural integrity problems, and my pal's bacon cheese burger was perfection. Normally I don't care to finish accompanying fries, but these were crisp-tender and dusted with herbs, all the better to enjoy with an additional pint. New favorite under-the-radar burger place.

All I can say is YUMMY! WOW, I was soo impressed by the new menu! I went in tonight with my boyfriend and we ordered the duck app and the mussle and clam app! Well lets just say there was a party in my mouth, HOLY COW! the Duck was cooked to perfection and the dried fruit was infused with the duck fat and can I say GOOD LORd it was perfect! I'm from ballard so seafood is part of my everyday and I have to say I have NEVER had clams and mussles that were cooked so well and the flavor was out of this world! As for the main dishes we ordered the halibut and the chicken dishes! the chicken was so good and rich (but not too rich you can't eat the whole thing :) ) and the veggies were a perfect pairing! The Halibut was a party in my mouth, with just the right amount of spice that it didn't over power the fish! PLEASE go check out the new menu! A++++++ all around!

Best onion rings that I have EVER TASTED!! Good service and GREAT beer selection! Wife LOVED the coleslaw and the fish was PERFECT!

We ended an all day Seattle pirate-themed-scavenger hunt in their Jolly Roger Taproom and couldn't have asked for a better reception! The staff was great and the food and beer were perfect. As stated, the onion rings are worth the wait and the beer sampler is definitely worth getting. I personally liked their Nightwatch Dark Amber Ale the best!

Similar to previous reviewer Matt, ***** for the beer. Imperial Pale Ale. Excellent hoppy, citrusy beer. ***** for the service. despite obviously having many regular patrons in the bar area, we were well attended by two staff. *** for the food. I only tried the short ribs starter, which was prepared in an interesting combo with a spicy mango salsa The quality of the meat on the short ribs wasn't too high though... one of those meals where you need to wait for your party to not be paying attention so you can remove the gristle from your mouth, into a napkin and slide it under your plate edge.

The taproom is a small, homey place with 10 to 15 tables, a decently sized bar and a single television. This last fact made it difficult to watch March Madness, but it was better than nothing. The pirate theme is not over-done, which is nice, and the floor is a giant treasure map. I wonder if there's a big X on the floor in the brewing room? Jolly Rogers features a decently sized and very inventive menu. As the name suggests, go for the seafood. Two small sandwiches of either fried Mahi or grilled Ahi tuna are your best bets, or the larger version of either. All of these were greatly enjoyed by my company. I, on the other hand, felt adventurous and went with the Asian Po'Boy featuring barbecue pork and Portuguese sausage topped with pickled Asian veggies and ginger mustard. It was spicy and tasty, but I would have preferred the fish. I was expecting something like pulled barbecue pork and was disappointed when the meat looked like lunch meat (though I'm sure it wasn't.) But the star of the meal was the Smokers. These are giant slices of hand-cut, applewood smoked onions hand breaded and deep fried. These are the best onion rings I've ever had, and I love onion rings. They've got quite a selection of beer here including two nitro taps and two cask-conditioned taps. The sampler comes with your choice of 5 samples of 5 ounces each. I didn't get to try everything, but what I did have ranged from good to great. The two that stuck out in my mind were the Flagship Red Alt Ale and the Nightwatch Dark Amber Ale. The Flagship wasn't different from other great red's, but it was crisp, malty and hoppy all at the same time. The Nightwatch was very dark (I'm surprised they call it amber) and was velvety smooth with rich, complex flavors all the way through. The whole restaurant is served by the two bartenders, which means service can be very dicey. If you manage to capture their attention they take care of you, but if you don't you can be forgotten. And careful when ordering a sampler. They really hate taking the time to fill 5 separate glasses. When we told the waitress we were going to hang out and drink after lunch, she said fine as long as you order, "real beers."

OHHH GOOD LORD!!! Good: -Happy hour 3-6 mon-fri with $4 apps and half salads (half? more like whole!) -The food at this place is out of control delicious!!!!! Ended up getting the H/H (happy hour) ceaser salad. OMG it was good, smoked jalapeno caesar dressing with some kinda cheese and some tortilla strip things. Deep fried ravioli had some delicious stuff in it, and served with a home made pesto...not the horseradish/yogurt which i was thankful for. They had a special that i hope they keep...the MEATBALL FROM HELL! a huge delicious spicy meatball with cheese served as a slider...mmmmmm -Beer Is Delicious, one of the best ipa's around. -decor is really cool, the floors are painted as a huge pirate map! Bad: -I can honestly say I have not experienced a single bad thing with this place yet!

A five if this were a beer review. A three if this was a restaurant review. Hence, the 4. I haven't been here for a few years. What hasn't changed is the great beer and a good wait staff. What has is the crowd. On a Wednesday night the small room was crowded, patrons were circling our table like vultures, and we felt rushed to leave after our meal. I guess that is what you get with all the new condos in Ballard - crowds. Anyway, the meal was so-so. I had the stuffed chicken breast which was a tad dry and a little salty. The onion rings and sliders are still top notch though. And, well, there is alway the gorgeous, luscious beer. If you go, be sure to ask for what's on cask and I hope, for you, that it is the IPA!