Olaf's

Very tasty cheesesteak sandwich. Nice selection of beers. It's a dive bar so you should expect that walking in the door.

Comfortable bar with nice atmosphere. Not too loud so you can actually have a conversation. Staff was friendly. Corn dogs were good. They had NA Heineken.

Great bar. Good beer, good food, good vibes, pinball. I only wish they'd open earlier on weekends.

I didn’t have any food but service for drinks was great! My wife and I met up with a couple of friends for New Year’s Eve/day. Olafs even gave out free champagne for the count down to the new year ✨

Amazing tap list, delicious appetizers, incredible selection of Bourbon, Whiskey and Mezcals. I am not a good pin ball player at all but a cool selection of Pin Ball games and fun to just people watch and check out the games.

I don't know how else to say it, but this place is solid. The beers are cold and tasty, the food is amazing, and the staff... They are the main reason I keep coming back. I'm not sure who does the hiring there, but keep it up.

Ola's is a quick look at classic Americana. The service is top notch and they have nicely priced food! American food place of the West. I'd say cowboy culture, for the Yanks!

Poor choice of beer, but o got a nice one !! Bale Breaker I loved ! Also at the menu could have some French fries 🍟 with the burgers ! We came. At 7 pm the guy was very nice and polited, but when change shift things changed! Hot Wings was very hot and not flavorful I’m gonna give 5 stars because everybody needs a chance to improve. Good point: the plates from kitchen come very fast 👏👏👏👏👏👍👍.

This place has a cool vibe. It's in an area of Ballard we don't get to often, but that means that parking is much easier than some other parts. The main room is a huge bar with lots of seating. They can open up the front so that you can get some breeze and enjoy a nice summer day. They also have food but we have yet to try it. What I like about this is the pinball rooms located in the back. There are a lot of games here, including a change machine. A couple times we've had the room entirely to ourselves. I first learned about this from a list of local pinball places and am glad I did. I might never have found it had I not read that article. Most games are 75 cents, but there are still a few 50 cent ones. My favs are Jaws and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you are not in to pinball another thing that is nice about this place is that it seems like a separate place so the noise seems to not overpower those who are just trying to enjoy a drink at the bar.

Locals spot. Awesome Firecracker chicken sandwich. Aloof bartender. Lighting is bright and annoying. Burger and fries will cost you $23.50 At least the bun in local

Such a cool vibe...Corn dogs were a "tasty" treat Samuel Jackson would scarf... Friendly.Beer of the day was refreshing. Someone referred to this as a Dive Bar. Clearly that person hasn't been to a Dive Bar in North Idaho! Tunes were full-on. Ya'll gonna be satisfied fer sure...

This pub a great local spot. They have a Local owner, decent pub food, dog friendly, and a nice selection of whiskey and brew.

Please get your employees a larger broom for the outside patio and sidewalk. That thing is tiny. Thank you! Side note: it seems like a cool spot to watch games and hangout

Nice dive bar with bopping music and great rotating tap list! It's fresh hop season and I was delighted to see they had a list showcasing them! Service is very quick and it seems like they are steadily busy even during the week night. I tried the white bluffs fresh hop and it did not disappoint! There is a fun vagina doorway that seems to attract a lot of attention by bar goers. I'll definitely be back to try their firecracker sandwich to accompany my beer next time. The tots looked amazing and I was floored the person next to me opted to toss it out. Blasphemy. Can't wait to be back!

Great neighborhood local - excellent beers and a liquor selection typically only found at pompous douche bag joints. The regulars are super welcoming and the bartenders pour heavy Apparently pinball is popular and the food is upper tier for bar food (ask for Coach's sauce on the wings - damn great!) They also put on University of Montana football games when you ask - tremendous! Go Griz!

I have vouched and brought many friends here in the past. I brought a group today, and sadly, I don't think I will anymore. I raved about this place and told the group how great it had been in the past but this time, the service and food was pretty bad. The Firecracker Chicken Sandwich use to be my favorite, but this time they were burnt and mine was very thin.

Great local place if you love a low key bar. I only visit once a year during the Christmas holidays, so I visit walking up the hill from Market Street to Loyal Heights where my family lives. It's the Cheers bar of the area:). If I lived there I would be there way too often!

Stopped in for some food and it was decent, just your average bar food. The bartender was super nice and welcoming. Plenty of dogs walking around enjoying themselves and saying hi to everyone. Ambiance was pretty dive bar esk but nice. Would stop in for a beer again but maybe pass on the food.

Olaf's a friendly neighborhood bar in Ballard a few blocks from the main street. I stopped in while bar hopping with some friends and we ordered drinks and hungout for a while. There was already a crowd of friendly regulars in there with plenty of available seating. The bartender serving us was awesome and the drinks were very affordable compared to other bars in the area. I should mention the vagina wall right in the middle of the bar, fully colored and decorated, which is hilarious and interesting. If you're looking for a low key dive bar with inexpensive drinks in Ballard, this place is it!

Finally made it to Olaf's for a drink and a burger with tots. The burger and tots were well seasoned. I was so hungry that I failed to take a pic. I'd come back for more tots and to try the Philly Cheesesteak and Chicken sandwich. Both looked really good.

Amazing food, especially for a low key bar. Nachos are some of the best in the city. They often do a specialty burger which are generally amazing.

Pup-friendly neighborhood pub. Bartender brought over a container of treats while we enjoyed our drinks. Thanks!

*** UPDATE *** Plant eaters can rejoice, not only are there more options, they've even got a Field Roast Sunflower Cutlet! Thanks Olaf, here's another star.

I'd say this place is fine, if you're the right crowd that is. It's clearly designed for a certain patron -- the kind who likes dive bars that play sports on a huge TV, feel kinda dark inside, and have a huge vagina shaped door to the arcade area. I'm surprised they even have a women's bathroom... I'm clearly not the right crowd for the place, but at the same time it really just wasn't the most uplifting experience all around.

Great neighborhood spot. Wings and tots are on point!! Good rotating tap lists. Everything on the menu is delicious

This is the quintessential neighborhood bar. You have a few dozen bar pulls on the wall. Great, curved bar with bartenders who look they they were just hired by a cast director to play the role of Bartender, Stud and Bartender, Kick Ass Asian Woman. Tasty, heart clogging, hot meat. Gigantic vagina in the wall for some pinball action. My friend brought me here, inducting me into the vagina-shaped door hall of fame. Olaf's is more of a bar than anything. The menu is small, a variety of burgers, sandwiches and a hot dog thrown in. I don't drink so I have zero feedback for you on that. She got their hot dog which she reported has a nice crunch, juiciness and is slathered with kraut. I got a burger and added blue cheese to it for an extra $1. Threw in some tots because my friend told me they make them well. Kinda hilarious because they are just frozen tots with zero seasoning but whatevs. The burger was on a brioche bun that my friend told me is made by a bakery down the street (can't give away her identity; she is mauled enough as it is in her foodie vocation but trust me, she knows what the hell she's talking about). It was really delicious. The burger was cooked like I asked, medium well, and was too tall so I had to smash it down and cut it in half to take a bite. Really great cheese. They brought over a basket with a couple different locally made hot sauces. I'm extremely white and can't eat hot sauce, but my friend enjoyed the ghost pepper sauce on her tots. We had Mr. Burly be our waiter who had a delicious, intense stare going on. Later, one of the bartenders checked on us a few times and she brought us our checks after we asked. My friend had to ask for refills on our drinks and helped herself to the water pitcher after waiting awhile. Two 55" flatscreen TV's with sports going on for those interested. Several barstools and tables with booths lining the walls. The tables still have the coppery sheen from when this joint was The Copper Table. Street parking only. Food: 4.5 Service: 3 Ambiance: 4 Parking: 3

Olaf's is my favorite neighborhood bar in Ballard and in Seattle. Good food, weekly rotating craft beer, awesome pinball, and truly fantastic service. The food at Olaf's is top notch pub food. The firecracker chicken sandwich is the go-to dinner option for my wife and I. They also have some amazing local hot sauces from down the street in Ballard. Amazing for your burgers, sandwiches, and hot tater tots! Yum. They have a wide variety of pinball machines from many different eras tucked away in the back rooms. They play great and are a blast! It's a great pinball venue for the casual player or the diehard pinhead. The staff at Olaf's are superb! If you need help with their weekly rotating craft beer selection ask Tom! He always has a recommendation for what's best on tap. Drew is a fantastic bartender who can show you how to play the pins or help out if a ball gets stuck. Laura is my favorite bartender there. She's always super friendly and helpful. Everything she does makes Olaf's feel warm, welcoming, and fun! Give Olaf's a try! You won't be disappointed!

We came here last night for my friend's 50th birthday celebration. It was held thru the anatomically correct vagina doorway, it gives a new meaning to "hole in the wall". The room itself was a throw back to the '50s '60s rat pack days. Plush red booths lined the room with tables and stools. The room also had a projection system. And there were velvet paintings of very voluptuous, naked ladies on the walls. It was a really cool, intimate room. Olaf's provided some pub grub for the party like sliders, veggies with dip, tater tots, and salad. All were decent enough and we had one server for the party, Cheeto (yup, that's his name), and he did an awesome job with the group!!! Opposite to the room was an area with pinball machines, too. Olaf's is a cool, neighborhood spot to grab a beer (or two), eat some pub grub, and watch the game. If this was in my hood, I'd be a regular... (even just to gaze at the vag doorway)

My favorite pinball place in town. There are a lot of places to pinball in Seattle but Olaf's tops my list. They have a fun collection of older games as well as newer pins. Black Hole is a rarity and really trippy with the lower playfield gabbing the opposite direction. The Powerball in Genie really speeds up the game, making fur a fun time. The food is absolutely delicious. You should try the chicken sandwich--you can thank me later. But the best part is the staff. Laura and Drew are always warm, welcoming and helpful. They take great care of us on pinball nights even when the football crowd gets a bit rowdy. Olaf's is a great place to grab some food and drinks and try out some pinball!

Third or fourth visit here in the past year. How does one write a review for a 'community bar'? Sight, smell, taste I guess. All very good! The visuals are good when walking up to it. Outdoor patio looks inviting. Stepping into the main lounge there's a medium sized rectangular bar top with large tv/s at one end. Various artwork hang on the walls, and the lovely 'doorway' (in the shape of a vagina) into the back video game room, however it is tastefully done as art and not offputting. Entire place is well lit, clear air, can see the bottles along the back wall for selecting the scotch or libation. The barstools are sufficient. The three or four separate bartenders that I've experienced are all adults that are there to serve; it's quite a respectful legit vibe. They have a great selection of beer on tap, I tried a couple flavors, but on return visits being more interested in a nice scotch and gin, found they serve Hedge Trimmers a boutique gin that is downright amazing. Ordered a quesadilla, and two burgers with tots, all on separate visits. The burgers are legit! Good pattie, good proportion to bun and accoutrements, far better than I expected from a pace that is a 'local dive bar' and I'd put it up against some of the best burgers in Seattle. The tots... they are 4 for 5. One basket of tots way overcooked, but the other 4 times i ordered tots they were absolutely perfect. Of note here is the people I met at each visit. Not that sitting solo for a burger at this kind of place would be abnormal, but each time there were a number of people visiting enjoying time out. I met the owner twice and several community memebers who are all very nice people. Why did I stop in the first place?? On the recommendation of a friend. He wasn't wrong. This is an awesome spot, close enough to get to, far enough off the beaten path to be quiet, good enough to plan a basic bar meal, healthy enough to meet friends for drinks or just to hang out. Five stars for the overall great job.

Great rotating beer selection. Good also good and served late. Pinball for those who are into that. Fun staff. An interesting doorway into the pinball room. Plenty of seating. Overall great spot!

My boyfriend and I are regulars now and Olaf's has a nice, easy vibe.. Can get busy on Friday and Saturday nights, but they can usually accommodate in the "V" room if the tables out front are full. It's also more intimate back there, so we don't really mind. Plus, pinball! They make a mean Moscow mule and the chicken firecracker sandwich is not to be missed.. love the local hot sauces on my tots.. Did that sound dirty?

They changed the burger patty to terrible, frozen, flat, flappy patties!!!! Noooooooo!!! Please please please bring back your old burger recipe. That was the main attraction for Olaf's. I asked the waitress about it and she said the new chef is trying something new. Well, it sucks, so please bring back your old burgers. Next time I go, Ill have to ask about the burger patty prior to ordering. Otherwise it's a total waste and I'm going somewhere else. :(

Came here seeking a burger and it was pretty delicious other than it being bloody rare. I couldn't eat it because I'm pregnant, so I told the waitress to flame it up just a tad. When she came back to give me my burger, it was really charred and not palatable. It's ok though, I should have ordered something else. Next time I will ask for medium-well rather than medium. It was a miscommunication on both ends. Anyways..the service is great and your food comes out promptly. The place fills up fast and it can be hard to find seating, but I would comeback to try different items on their menu. I hear the corn dogs are pretty good.

I went here for drinks after eating at Copine. This is a great neighborhood bar and great place to watch a game ( in this case, the Mariners). They have a great bar menu with a good selection of beers and drinks. Service is quick and dirty good and you feel very comfortable here. With a name like this, it should have good longevity as the Frozen generation grows up and drinks.

This is a good place to get a craft beer in Seattle. It's a fun tap room with a giant U shaped bar, a retro pinball room (love), lots of booths and even a private back room. Recently remodeled and reopened, Olaf's has a lot going for it: nice bartenders, a fun crowd, great beer on tap, a nice, window-filled setting, and a food menu with decent looking burgers and tongue in cheek tater tots served with local-made stiracha sauce. Honestly, I only have one problem with this place, I'm not a fan of their tongue in cheek vagina doorway. Don't get me wrong, I've got no problem celebrating the v-jay-jay, and this thing is certainly creatively put together, but in this setting with the great craft beer and Ballard-cool retro vibe, a giant vagina doorway looks, well it looks the decor at a frat party. In fact I'm pretty sure I was invited to a frat party (my one and only, that I decided to go to as a sociology experiment) and they had a created a vagina doorway too with crepe paper. All the kids are doing it. Ugh. For such a fun, lively, retro-cool place, it took things down a notch for me. As a female customer, its not about not having a sense of humor. It's about feeling uncomfortable and targeted in a forced, slightly hostile joke that you are expected to laugh along with, but that you are not finding particularly funny. Its like the elephant (um, vagina) in the room. Any-who, I did like the refurbished setting, the beer and had a fine time here, particularly when looking in the right direction: away. If they could put a pair of panties on that thing, I might really love it here. Just saying.

I sat at the bar for at least 20 minutes. Totally ignored. The bartender saw me but didn't come over. He continued to only serve the line of young hip kids. Maybe it was the silver grey hair, tattoos all in black and the fact that I'm over 50 that kept me from getting service. This is a fake dive bar. Ageist and rude bartender. No thanks

Horrible bar, constantly ignoring curfew and playing loud, horrible, and obnoxious music on the sidewalk.

Good drinks for a good price. The food is subpar. Even though it's typical bar food, it could definitely be better. The owner was there when I went, and he was really nice.

Fun place with decently priced drinks. Service is about what you would expect from a Seattle dive bar, maybe a bit better. Food is descent and served late, but they usually don't have coffee. Owner is super friendly. They have some good pinball in the back room along with a comfy lounge. No service back there, though.

Whether you're looking for a place to watch the game or you're just looking for some good grub and good people, Olaf's is the place to be! The staff is super friendly and helpful. Laura and Drew are always there to give great drink recommendations, or just be great listeners when the week has me down. Their kitchen is really great too. The menu is AWESOME! I have had everything on it, and I'm never disappointed. Believe it or not, I probably go for the corn dogs more often than not. Finally, while you're there you should take a peek at the pinball room in the back! You might find a skill you never knew you had! Also feel free to ask Laura or Drew for some pointers because they know pretty much everything about pinball!

This is a good staple neighbothood bar. They have 14 beers on tap, 9 are rotating. They also offer a few delicious food items made from scratch. And of course a selection of wine and mixed drinks. I had an order of their corndogs and they were a bit greasy, but not heavy at all. And the mayo dipping sauce was pretty good. but it isn't the food that makes this place nice, it's just super comfortable. The atmosphere is cozy. There is a "vag" doorway, but its tastful and you have to be looking for it.

I am so sorry I have never been here. It is a great bar. They have well stocked bar, but not unmanageable. The servers were so friendly and knowledgeable. The overall feel of the bar is friendly. This was a place where you go with your friends, grab a drink and something fried, had an enjoy. The music wasn't too loud, good B movies on and a vagina door to pinball.

Surprisingly good food with fresh, high quality ingredients. Great vibe. Great service. Decent cocktails.

Olaf's exudes the proper amount of relatability and seediness to properly serve as the epitome of the term "dive bar." As a caveat, it is exceptionally clean. The seediness is mostly derived from the giant door meant to entice a historic, lonely occupant of Ballard, interested in a much more enticing prize that the flashy lights of the pinball machines currently there, a prize, I might add, that was more costly than the 75 cents needed to find pleasure now. With a standard food menu and the exceptional beer menu that you would expect from America's brewery capitol, Olaf's provides everything you would want from a neighborhood bar. Would highly recommend.

Positive vibes. Friendly feel. Heavy pours. Great prices and happy hour. Delicious food. I wish I lived closer.

I take my friends here and the food, service, and beer is great. The atmosphere is a bit eclectic but it's a great place to grab food and hang out.

This place has excellent service and awesome fish and chips. They had Olympia beer on tap and football on the television screens. It was a nice cozy bar with good food. And fast polite service. Fully recommended.

Olaf's, which used to be the long-standing neighborhood staple Copper Gate, still has a large vaginal-like opening. I'd just thought I'd get that out of the way, for those concerned about if Copper Gates lady parts were neutered in the switch over. She still stands proud, canoe shaped, bright red and pink, with a large spray-painted sphere hanging top center, to demonstrate Olaf's designers' faint familiarity with female anatomy. Olaf's may have to be called Ola's, or Olivia's, if you want to get technical. Have no fear, you must enter the skillfully constructed and slightly anatomically correct vaginal crevice to enter the plush secret room of the P***Y. (I edited it, see? I can be polite. ) Olaf's has plenty of well-priced beers on tap, often rotating, if you'd like to sip on suds while you check out the big Vag hole. The day I went it was IPA heavy on the rotating list, with cider and hometown faves (read: Ballard approved) on of the permanent tap list. There's also a full bar, obviously, and the whole bar had shots of whiskey along with their beer, so clearly it was a special I was unaware of. I was aware of tater tots on the menu, of which my inner child approves of, and plenty of burgers and greasy sammiches great accompaniments for the beer drinking. Olaf's whole vibe is chill..relaxed friendly staff, art on the walls, cozy booths, and a very unpretentious neighborhood crowd. A nice change up from Copper Gate, and props for them keeping their crotch door intact.

Friendly bartenders, pinball machines, Rainier Beer, and the new bar has lots of room, kudos to the owners' trying to save a Ballard classic. I didn't try the food, was not sure if there was any available, was never given a menu. The boat bar and the porn are gone; which is sad but, just maybe they could re-implement some porn into the restrooms? I don't remember how it was at the Copper Gate. It definitely doesn't feel like the Copper Gate, so if you're a hardcore fan don't get your hopes up. That nostalgic feeling of a dark old Ballard bar is now gone. It looks like they kept some of the old lighting which is awesome; however, they have added new LED type lighting up on the ceiling (possibly tube lighting?) that is truly terrible, it's way too bright, it kills the mood, and it honestly reminds me of walking into a retail store with florescent lights everywhere that give you a headache within the hour. The Copper Gate was too dark and now Olaf's is too bright, there has to be a middle ground here somewhere right? Also, the chairs at the tables could be comfier. And the TV was on the entire time playing Sports Center; killed the atmosphere a bit; hopefully it will be used less and strictly for Seattle team game days. I need to know if there are plans for a happy hour and live music in the works.

WHY I GO TO OLAF'S: It is the closest bar to home. WHY I DRINK BEER AT OLAF'S: The rotating beer menu is superb. Last time I went, there were 4 or 5 IPAs. WHY I DON'T EAT AT OLAF'S: The steep prices do not justify the small portions of uninteresting food. WHY I KEEP GOING BACK: It is comfortable. The staff are friendly. They aren't always attentive, but the place can become busy in minutes. When they interact, they are engaged and upbeat. Plus I can walk there. WHY I DON'T GO MORE FREQUENTLY: They are too expensive. I understand they need to pick up where a business failed, but two pints of beer cost me $14. Yes, it is delicious and micro-brewed. But I would rather go to one of the breweries, buy two pints and fill my growler for the same price.

I love this place. It's great to see a new drinking establishment that is a true "bar" bar, and not a gastropub with fancy cocktails and pretentious food. Don't get me wrong, those places have their time and place, but it seems few new places are opening that are all about grabbing a beer and shot and hanging out (not to mention, open until 2am). This place has a ton of character, with a u-shaped bar that encourages socializing, multiple back rooms and just a really fun vibe. Definitely recommended!

It's awesome to see another awesome bar open up in Ballard, especially one with pinball! The beers they have on tap are rather tasty too! Not to mention the (cheap!) vegetarian corn dogs. In conclusion, pinball + beer + yum = I'm coming back! P.S. For the curious, these are the pinball machines they have: Doctor Who Elvira and the Party Monsters Terminator 3 WWF Royal Rumble (possibly the most annoying sounding game I've ever played. haha)

I loved The Copper Gate and I also loved the Viking so I figured this would be a good match. Even though I was sort of shocked that they pulled out the big ship bar (it was so cool!) the new set up does open up the space better I must admit. Some naughty bits of burlesque can still be found in the new pin ball room. And who doesn't love pin ball??? Awesome. I love the Narboo murals throughout the bar and bathrooms that really cheer the place up. The Copper Gate was pretty dark. The pussy room entrance still looks like well, the pussy room! This makes me happy. I spent good nights listening to cozy music back there. They have cleared out all the old junk that had been jamming up that room (like the old shower head above the grand piano, remember that? That was weird and now its gone!) Although the pussy room now boasts a gigantic tv (for sports, I guess? Yuck), I have hopes that eventually they'll get live music back there again. So overall they have done good things with the space. Its not divey, but its not pretentious like a lot of the new bars in the hood. All the serving staff we encountered were very friendly folks. The menu has a ton of sandwiches, but none really peaked my interest. Maybe next time. We really just stopped in to check out the joint and have a couple of brews. Ok...so the pints are NOT $7; however they were $6 and no happy hour in sight. Not the smartest choice in my opinion, but they have good taps and maybe happy hour will come later? I dunno, but $6 pints is really dumb when I can go buy a whole 6 pack for under $10. Conclusion? I'll probably try this joint again in a few months to see how they're working out.

Love the bartender- (wish I knew her name) first bar since covid and it felt very safe... safer then Safeway... she also treated us to some lemon drops. Definitely coming back. Thanks!!

Olaf's is the friendliest bar in Seattle - great and attentive staff, great food, great drinks, and great pinball. If you want a fun night out to watch the game, have a casual night out, or just relax with a nice beer, give it a try. Special shout out to the excellent tots and server Laura who will take the best care of every visitor.

Love this neighborhood bar! Nice, friendly staff, awesome atmosphere and yummy food. The best egg sandwich ever. Not sure how they make the cheese sauce that is on the egg sandwich, but they should sell some pretzels or good bread I could dip in that sauce as an app too, so good! They also have a backroom that is fun if you're meeting a lot of people or celebrating. Great pinball machines too.