McMenamins Spanish Bar

The Spanish Bar was a chill and relaxing bar at the Elks Temple. Great beer and food as always. The porch on the stairs just outside was inviting but too hot for us on the day we visited. With the kind staff and the natural sunlight that pours into this bar, we enjoyed our trip to this location.

The food was only okay. And honestly, the staff was sort of rude. I thought I lost my wallet there (thankfully recovered) but when I asked, the staff was very short, asking who the bartender was/what they looked like, and then reiterating that they hadn't seen my wallet. There are better bars within the McMenamins (e.g., the Tiki Bar) but not there.

We stopped by for a quick bite on our way to the zoo lights. While the service and atmosphere were great, I cannot in good conscience recommend the food. Meals are priced around $20–$30, but the quality is absolutely unacceptable. I ordered a cheeseburger, and my boyfriend ordered the Caprese Grilled Chicken—both of which ended up being the only things we ate all day. Unfortunately, what should have been a fun evening turned into a nightmare. Shortly after eating, my boyfriend began experiencing severe food poisoning. He was violently throwing up in the bathroom for an extended period, suffering from unbearable stomach pain, and feeling absolutely terrible. To her credit, our waitress was amazing and incredibly understanding. Once she realized what was happening, she immediately comped the chicken dish. While her kindness and professionalism were appreciated, it doesn’t change the fact that this experience was beyond disappointing. I wish we could have walked away with a good impression and become returning customers, but I will never recommend this place to anyone.

I'm unfortunately always let down by McMenamins' food. So much fun to wander the space, great location, our server was very nice but the food was a flop. We ordered the Hummus Plate which I would recommend. Great selection of pickled veggies, olives, the Hummus and tziki was good. A good couple of pieces of flat bread that were cold. We should have stopped there. The ahi tuna salad was very very Salty and over loaded with vinegar. They put half a jar of olives on the plate, way too much for anyone. The shrimp scampi was almost $30 for cold plain pasta but a good amount of shrimp. The gyro was just so so with fries heavily sprinkled with feta cheese... which was not a great combo. Our server was super sweet but tried to pack up our meal and give us the check while we'd hardly touched our entry. A little bit of a let down. In short, I am reminded that McMenamins is a chain.

We had lunch on the Spanish Steps, overlooking the Puget Sound. We had ample shade from the large trees that surround the area, so it was a very nice outdoor eating experience. The food was delicious (although maybe not quite as Spanish a menu as we were expecting) and was a nice change from usual McMenamins pub menu (which we love). I had the chicken gyro and Greek fries, which were good, but maybe a touch overpriced and could have used a little more spice. My wife had the dip trio which she enjoyed - especially the Sriracha Queso Fundido. The drinks selection is quite interesting - I had the gunpowder and lead, which is gin, chartreuse, rosemary, juniper, and anise. My wife had the strawberry steps mojito. Both were great! Our server, Yvonna, was friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. There is ample free 2-hour parking just at the top of the steps, and while people were passing through the outdoor eating area (the steps are public land), nobody bothered us. Overall, it was a great place to stop and relax while exploring the great city of Tacoma!

Great atmosphere and fun to explore after dinner as you can peruse with beverages and I was handed a fresh soda with the check which I can’t complain about! Bit expensive, but overall wonderful date night with the misses.

Wow, wow, wow! This is the best concert venue I've ever been to in my life!!! I was so impressed with this space. It's the perfect size for live music and it's just next-level intriguing decor. Have to see it for yourself. The live band I saw at this location, commented that this was the coolest/ best venue they play in the entire country. It's a very unique space. The food and drinks are great! Customer service was above and beyond by every McMenamin's team member I interacted with from servers, bartenders, door guys, security guys... everyone. Amazing place to check out if you are in Tacoma. This building has 7 bars and a hidden bar. Highly recommend!!! I know I will be back again.

My Lady and I enjoyed a wonderful meal and had the best service. We will be back again soon. You have to have the chicken wings. Tasty moist and full of flavor. The bar back is absolutely incredible. during the warmer day enjoy your meal outside on the patio. When your done, take a stroll in the building and find the hidden door to the secret speak-easy room, don't tell anyone if you fi d it....

I came here for a family gathering. I always come to Tacoma and say that this building is a hotel, bar, or restaurant. The interior of the building is very atmospheric, and you can take the elevator to the bar on the other floor. We went to the Spanish bar on the second floor. The server lady was pleasant and friendly. Our table was by the entrance and it got cold every time people came and went. We had a total of seven adults, but everyone except me ordered cocktails and alcohol. I took a sip of my husband's cocktail, and it was very delicious. I think the drink was pink***. I ordered a Zeus Lamb Burger and shared it with my hubby. The taste was okay. I want to come here again and look at other floors.

Not as exciting as the other bars inside McMenamins, in my opinion. Two pool tables and mostly standing room to drink. Menu seemed similar to the other locations (limited food menu and good drink menu) and while I didn't get anything here, my friends reported it was similar in quality for food and drink.

Awful service and mediocre food. Came here tonight with a group and the waitress was pretty rude from the start - would not seat us outside, though others were outside and tables were open, she didn't take our order until we'd been there for almost 30 minutes, never refilled our water, finally got some food delivered and it was overcooked and dry, waitress never came to check on us and we had to go find her to get our check. Very disappointing and I would not recommend it.

We stopped by for a quick bite on our way to the zoo lights. While the service and atmosphere were great, I cannot in good conscience recommend the food. Meals are priced around $20-$30, but the quality is absolutely unacceptable. I ordered a cheeseburger, and my boyfriend ordered the Caprese Grilled Chicken--both of which ended up being the only things we ate all day. Unfortunately, what should have been a fun evening turned into a nightmare. Shortly after eating, my boyfriend began experiencing severe food poisoning. He was violently throwing up in the bathroom for an extended period, suffering from unbearable stomach pain, and feeling absolutely terrible. To her credit, our waitress was amazing and incredibly understanding. Once she realized what was happening, she immediately comped the chicken dish. While her kindness and professionalism were appreciated, it doesn't change the fact that this experience was beyond disappointing. I wish we could have walked away with a good impression and become returning customers, but I will never recommend this place to anyone.

This place was nice. The service was great and the food was okay. It wasn't what I would eat again. Not a lot on the menu.

Amazing views, great service, and a good number of choices to choose from. Went here for lunch on Saturday and was absolutely stunned by the outside views and the "Spanish steps." I went with the smashed avocado torta, marinated olive tapas and the fiero spritz as my drink. I wasn't too impressed with the food, but would not mind coming back and maybe trying something else.

Worst service ever!! We were a table of 6 and waited 2 hours to get food!! Then were told that they ran out of everything we ordered except 2 servings of ravioli! While waiting for the raviol, we watched them bring food out to every table that arrived at least an hour after us! After waiting another half hour, the ravioli never came out and we left and had pizza at PSP!

This is a full bar inside the McMenamins Elk Lodge. It is on the second floor. The food menu is limited, but drink menu is extensive. The food is Spanish theme oh, of course. The music is nice and mellow, and the atmosphere is romantic. The bartenders are nice and helpful, but I think they are short staffed. They have few booths, and the bar seating area is fairly large.

Can't go wrong with the Spanish Bar at Elks Temple. Lots of unique tapas to choose from, but they also have shared plates and yummy sammies! I had the Kasbah fried chicken sandwich....2 die for...super juicy with a slight crunch...I'm getting hungry as I type this! My boyfriend had the Dali burger. We were both satisfied with our choices so much so we didn't even want to share:) I'm a cocktail girl, but they have plenty of craft brews as well.

Saturday morning, we were in the mood for something new and we hadn't claimed our prizes for getting all the Elk Temple stamps on our passports yet so we headed to McMenamins. The main restaurant was packed but we went down to the 2nd floor and this little bar area was almost empty but they were serving coffee and brunch too. Perfect. We got two coffees, I ordered the spanish migas and my husband the pork pinchos. Both things were delicious. The migas are crispy corn tortilla squares, sprinkled with paprika (?), mixed with sautéed padrón peppers and onions, fried egg on top and drizzle of sour cream or creme fraiche. Delicious. The pork skewers were so tender, smoky flavor with a lightly spicy honey sauce. 10/10 would order again. Service was amazingly fast and very friendly. (And boohoo to the Karen complaining about the change in menu after 9pm, that's pretty standard in most restaurants/bars. The kitchen staff have to clean the kitchen and limiting the menu allows them to clean certain areas so they can home at a decent time.)

Overall great: they let you bring dogs and they've got loads of shade. The location is amazing (and soon they'll have their own light rail stop!) and the device is super friendly and attentive. Our only issue is with the drinks: I'm a lightweight and could feel/taste no alcohol after drinking the White Rabbit sangria. Hubs ordered Gunpowder and Lead Gin & Tonic. While both drinks were tasty, neither of us could discern ANY alcohol. When we asked, the server seemed not too surprised. So, we just shifted to beer and wine.

Dude! Ef this!... I was soooo stoked to come back to Mcmenamins Elk Temple's Spanish Bar for the most incredible burger I have ever had... the Dali Burger... low and behold... the DAY BEFORE we were here for a family members 30th birthday... they tell us its ONLY HAPPY HOUR MENU after 9pm! Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I'm so upset. I raved about this to my family all day... and what a let down. I'm really upset about this! The server even said they stopped the full menu after a certain time because after 9 it's just a bunch of wasted young people who don't want fancy food... well... what about the rest of us not young wasted people... spanish room... you lost this late night customer for sure. Sour taste here.... and I was SO enthralled with this place on my first experience. Boo!

We went here for my sister's 18th birthday. Was definitely not impressed with the food, music, or service. The music was way to loud we had to yell to talk to the person sitting next to us. The food took a while to be delivered, and had little to no flavor. After 4 tries, the soft drinks were all flat and stale.. The service was just, OK.