Red Onion Tavern

surprised so many have had bad experiences. i've been here dozens of times, and yeah, its a dive bar - don't expect prompt and friendly service - but good beers are $5.50 (which insanely, is almost half price in this town anymore), and there's actually legit baseball fans who like to go here and watch the Mariners! its so refreshing that a few places like this still exist. obviously, its not for everyone.

Saddle up for the best dive on the east side of I-5. Cozy fire place, pool, pizza and premier company.

My daughter and 5 friends, all in their mid-twenties went to the Red Onion on August 23. Two of the 6 (both women) ended up in the hospital, unable to walk on their own or speak coherently and threw up within 5 minutes of receiving a drink directly from the hands of the bartender. One of the woman had just gotten off work and the glass of red wine was her only alcoholic beverage consumed all evening. Luckily these women had good friends ready to step in and help them get medical attention.

We love to go to red onion I haven’t gotten food there yet but I absolutely love the atmosphere… especially Howard who works at the bar he is absolutely a relatable amazing person I can’t say enough good stuff about this bartender he is at the top please don’t forget it even when they get busy

Came in for a drink with my husband and son since it was my birthday. Bartender was rude and seems intoxicated. Didn’t want to serve us. I usually don’t write bad reviews because as a small business owner I understand how hard it is to run a business. However, I feel that I should say something so other customers are aware. We walked out without ordering anything and went down the block and received much better service.

My Son stopped for a beer. He asked the bartender if he had Rainier and he said they didn't serve beer in a can (?!?!?). He then asked for his ID and after looking at it and him, asked for a second. My Son gave him his WORK ID and he looked at that for an extended time. He then asked him to remove his hat. He then gave him back the ID's and said "I can't do it." WHY???? Why beer in a can comment? Why wasn't his ID good enough? VERY, VERY BAD!!!!!!!!!

A fun old school neighborhood bar! The pool tables are rough, but a good time was had by all

Happened to be in the neighborhood on a weeknight. We walked by this place, thought it was interesting, so we decided to grab a couple beers. Great dive bar that's chill, laid back, and a great place to hang out. It was a chilly day when we stopped by, so the fireplace was lit and kept the area warm and cozy. Friendly service - bartender stopped by a couple times to check in on us. Cheap beers too! Would recommend.

We loved our visit here. We happened to stumble upon this spot while exploring the area, and although they're more on the divey side, we thoroughly enjoyed catching a game and enjoying some drinks by the fireside. Don't expect service, they're pretty no-frills so it's get your drink and vibe type of place. I will say other patrons and some staff were much more friendly than I was ready for. This place is definitely run down, a little old, and stinky, but that's what's charming about this little bar, they're not pretentious or try-hards here, despite the area they're in. We were sad to learn that they don't sell any food, just drinks, pool, games, and vibes.

Ok this is lot a place for the food or even the beers. It's about a time warp back to the 1970s. It's the kind of place where you belly up to the bar and then take your drink to one of the booths and spend the time enjoying what life was like 40 years ago. It's a pretty dark spot with dark leatherette and a nice bar in the back. The nicest spots are the booths by the window. There really isn't service, you need to get to the bar and order your beverages but that only adds to the charm.

Cozy bar with a fireplace. It was pretty crowded when we went and karaoke was about to start so we didn't stay long but the beer is cheap and it's a nice woodsy dive bar feel.

First of all there is NO food to be had there. They have peanuts behind the counter. The tall male bartender is by far the worst bartender I have ever seen, and is rude. I really cannot say there is 1 thing I would ever go back there for.

This is the first yelp review I've made but I feel compelled to share how awful my experience was here. I've never been treated so horribly by a service worker in my life. The bartender (I believe his name is Jon - tall, white guy) was extremely rude and condescending. I walked in with a group of about 15 around 9p on a Friday night. We walked up to the bar to order drinks and he told us to back up and go to another bar. The place was relatively quiet with not many people and we weren't being loud/obnoxious either. Later on I went up to order another drink and Jon was taking orders from people around me but wouldn't even acknowledge me. I waited for him to come up to me and he kept serving other people who had come up to the bar after me. Finally I asked if I could order a drink and he said in a very snappy tone "Can't you see I'm busy?? I can only do one thing at a time." I told him I've been waiting and he's helped all these people who've come up to the bar after me. He kept arguing and I told him I wasn't trying to be an asshole and that I was being patient and he said "you ARE being an asshole!!". If someone (unprovoked) is going to talk to customers in such a rude way after giving them shitty service they should not be working in the service industry. Especially after reading all these other 1 star reviews on this guy, Red Onion Tavern seriously needs to reconsider their employees. Unbelievable!

Great no frills place for mixed drinks. The fireplace during winter adds some character.

DO NOT GO HERE. I haven't made a Yelp review in years but this one felt warranted, after the Bartender (50s white man) decided to make extremely rude comments to my friend as we walked in. He took my friend's ID and began to try to question him, asking what his zip code is (it was an older address) and then continued to make rude, personal comments. "Why you touching your face" "you're so disgusting" "you should remember your zip code, that's what a functioning adult should know" How is this bartender even allowed to work anymore after I've seen other comments about his behavior? He got extremely unpeeled and flustered when I called him out on it. The fact that management allows this rude bartender to work here after repeated complaints should be telling of this establishment as a whole. Jon is a POS!

Not only was the bartender the rudest bartender I've ever encountered, he was the rudest human being I've ever encountered. Red Onion needs to seriously consider who they want to represent their establishment. I've been going there since the early 90s. I will never set foot in that place again and will be sure to let anyone that will listen that they shouldn't either. The owners of the Red Onion should be ashamed of themselves for employing such a jackass!

Maybe the worst bartender experience I've ever had. Pretty sure the guy was hammered while serving drinks. Idk how else to explain it

There is a place for every type of bar and I appreciate a good dive, but the atmosphere here was a bit too dingy for me and the faint but lingering smell of cigarettes nearly 20 years after the indoor smoking ban left me feeling like I needed to take a shower. All of this may have been overlooked in light of the comfy seats by the gas fireplace (where you can still see cigarette ash and match sticks mixed into the sand... wait; do they still let ppl smoke in here...?) but the service we received was also less than adequate. We walked in and asked if they had any wines (it was cold and a red sounded good) and were scoffed at and he just said, "yes." and stared at us. My friend thought to ask if they had a list, and he did slide us one. I chose the Cab (14 Hands) and my companion chose to order a cocktail instead. A Tito's Moscow mule, which we were told he couldn't do except with some ginger ale - which we said was totally fine. He proceeded to make a vodka on the rocks with a splash of ginger ale, which was comically strong. No offers of a menu, the bartender just wanted to get back to his conversation with his pals at the bar that we had so rudely interrupted. We sat for a while and talked, played a couple songs on the digital juke box from my phone, and sipped our drinks. I could not wait to leave and get some fresh air - it was so oppressively dank. My friend didn't want to go here in the first place and I should have listened to his instinct. I can see the Red Onion being a great spot for karaoke or boys night, but mostly empty on this rainy, cold afternoon it was not what we were looking for.

I honestly never ever Yelp a business but tonight was just ridiculous Great Karaoke & awesome host ! Good Location but there's one bartender that seems mentally unwell, rude & personally unhappy. Tonight I witnessed him throw napkins at a table of girls, swear at multiple customers & completely overreact to the simplest questions, like dude shouldn't be in customer service if he doesn't want to work with people, period! the Karaoke host even came up to our group to ask if things were ok & even apologized to our group after he witnessed interactions between us & the bartender where he completely overreacted the other bartender was awesome & I feel sorry he has a dickhead as a co-worker It's also so worrisome that this dude is so unwell he may eventually hurt someone. Oh & he's gave away so many beers I'm not sure how the tavern can make profit!

This is the dirtiest restaurant I have ever been. The floors are filthy, as is the seating which is ripped. The kitchen looks filthy. Dust is pilled up on everything.

What else is there to say? In the immortal words of the late great Tina Turner: "You're simply the best."

Love the low key atmosphere and karaoke on Friday nights. Great spot in heart of Madison Park.

Honestly the rudest bartender I've ever encountered. I'm so sad for the RO-we used to have so much fun there but the service was beyond awful.

I've debated for a little while whether or not to post this review. I feel that I would be doing the female community if I didn't. I've never felt as disgusted and taken advantage of as I did by young bartender Howie. I would highly recommend this establishment take a look at the people they have on their payroll. As much fun as it is to get free drinks what's not fun is being drunk to the point of almost losing consciousness off of 2 drinks. I will NEVER go back to this establishment and would implore any female going to this business to reconsider and put your safety first.

Amazing bartenders, classic bar, great music, I can't stay away!, I had the Rainier on draft and it was fucking outstanding

Red Onion has gone downhill. Go to the Attic, better bar and much more vibrant environment.

The R.O. is a fantastic neighborhood spot. Pancake breakfast for morning Seahawks game. Fun locals, cheap drinks, great fireplace and a much needed unpretentious Madison Beach hidden gem.

I have never felt the need to review a business but tonight crossed a line. I have been going to the Red Onion for a long time. Tonight, I visited with my mom and a group of friends. I had been looking forward to tonight for a long time and had been telling my friends and my mom about this bar for awhile. Unfortunately, the tall bar tender with the brown hair ruined each and every one of our nights. My mom ordered a single beer on her tab and when she later went up to close out, she was handed a bill for much more than what she had ordered. My mom tried to clarify her bill by asking what else she had been charged for and the tall bartender replied with "there's other drinks on there and we don't know where they came from." When he offered to rerun her card, my mom said that it was no problem and that she could just pay for the tab as is. My mom then paid and tried to get her card back. The bartender asked if my mom was going to tip more and then proceeded to make a large scene by asking her to leave, saying "bye" and "if you aren't smart enough to figure out your tab then you can go." When I went up to close out my tab, the tall bartender proceeded to talk about my mom in a degrading way to me, and scream at people from across the bar. It genuinely seemed as though he was on drugs and/or highly intoxicated, maybe mentally unwell. A very disappointing way to end my last time at the bar I've had so many memories in. Genuinely don't understand the decision to bring this man onto the team. I love the Red Onion and the bartenders have always been friends. Not high assholes that do meditation and karate exercises behind the bar.

My friends and husband went to this bar about 2-3 weeks ago, we are from Queen Anne/ Green Lake area. We are all very busy people and we were happy we finally got out of the working routine. What spoiled our night was the bartender as he ( a tall guy) was very rude and to be honest racist or high or both. As soon as we arrived there he started to pick on me and talked to me like I was a long friend and I ignored him. After few beers, I tried to do the same and he basically kicked us out of the bar basically saying we were drunk and told us don't come back. We did not say or do anything wrong. All of us (6) could not believe that and he was even selling beer to a couple of white guys who couldn't even stand up properly while he was being highly disrespectful to us. Love the bar but we will probably never come back because Red Onion should pay attention of who they hire. This is not Texas!

Had the absolute worst experience ever here last night. This is my neighborhood bar and I have never had a problem here with any of the bartenders, but last night there was a new staff member behind the bar who was absolutely black out drunk and berating every man in the bar. He personally screamed at and embarrassed my husband, and my friends husband and was refusing to serve even though we were completely sober. It was honestly such a disgusting experience and I hope we never have to see that bartender again.

Bartender with the flat brim needs a trip to the back alley for a serious ass kicking. He's lucky my wife was with me or he would've been taught a serious lesson in respect. I ordered a beer and he slammed it on the bar causing it to spill over, mouthed some passive aggressive bullsh*t which I asked him to repeat and then he walked out of the bar to go be a weirdo. He then returned and acted like an ass towards me and several patrons around me that had zero to do with whatever imaginary problem he had with me. If you own this establishment, you should be aware that this guy is a liability to your continued operation. Might be a good idea to coach him up or let him go.

Their French dip and chili is very good. I add cheese and get the horseradish on the side because it is super intense almost like wasabi. Great prices on food and drinks. Only downfall is Sometimes the service isn't that great and you have to go up to the bar if you need anything.

Cheap drinks, great staff, and chill environment to play billiards or hang out with friends etc.

This bar reminds me of the corner bars I grew up around in Chicago. However, the bartenders are actually welcoming instead of surly. The drinks are priced to keep you around for a few too. The crowd was upbeat, open to talking to new folks and having a good time. If you are in Madison Park enjoying the beach, you should stop by the Onion for a drink!

First and foremost, I've been going to the red onion for a while now and I can honestly say that this is the best experience I've ever experienced at a bar. The bartender Howye is one of the best and will definitely take care of you. He has been the bartender nearly every time I've been there and I can't thank my friend enough.

We came in here to cool off from the Seattle heat. BEST. BLOODY. MARY. EVER. It was a Tuscan charcuterie board, an artisan salad, and a crisp cool cut orgy all in one drink. Wow. The service was just as great. Fun times. You won't regret coming to this place.

They just don't make 'em like the Onion anymore. A true dive in the middle of tony Madison Park, it gives me great joy to see this joint holding on and not being replaced by another Starbucks or gastropub. It also gives me great joy to see all the yuppies clutching their pearls over the existence of this place. Dark, divey, but not dirty, free pool, cheap drinks, karaoke every other Friday, the occasional beer pong game... the Onion has all the hallmarks of a stalwart dive, including occasionally-gruff bartenders and old regulars. I'm far from a regular, but I've always had good service here - just act like a human, don't be pretentious or entitled and you'll be just fine. It gets quite crowded on karaoke nights but the KJ is great and it's tons of fun. My only wish is that they cared about their food offerings a bit more, but that's not their priority here and that's fine. A hot dog will sate those drunken munchies well enough. Keep being you, Onion, and never change.

Chill atmosphere, and really friendly staff. We got lots of good recommendations for things to do in Seattle from the bar tender and other patrons. Plus there's pool! We had an excellent time.

Best Pub in Seattle. Full of character and characters. Bartenders will look after you, so look after them. Play pool, sing karaoke, listen to the great music selection by the DJ or by the bar staff, watch sports, drink great drinks, what more do you want or need? Not for the faint hearted so come for fun and antics...

The old bartender told me to fuck off and she threw an ice cube at my cousins boyfriend. They also screamed at me when my group accidentally dropped the pool que. She had no self control, the audacity of this woman to be so aggressive to my family, when all I wanted was a jack n coke. Totally unacceptable I'll never come back here again! Fuck you

Free pool , great karaoke, dive bar at its finest. Linda and Benny are superstars!! I come here regularly its two minute walk from the apartment so if you are trying to get rowdy on a Friday/Saturday night or just want to shoot a couple games of pool with your friends on a weeknight go to the Onion. A true staple of Madison Park.

I first came here almost 30 years ago. I'm glad to see it hasn't changed much. One of the last of the old school pubs. Friendly staff, pool tables, and a cosy fire place.

Karaoke destination when visiting Seattle. Sammy KJ host is the best in PNW. Yes, he is that amazing. Great crowd participation too plus lotza amazing singers. Bennie, Linda and Tim make you feel welcome, good pours and fair prices. Restrooms are seriously gross. Owner should hire a janitor to clean them at minimum once a week. 1 star removed for the restrooms. Just talked to owner about how bathrooms need to be cleaned once in while. He rolled his eyes at me indicating he didn't care at all about the nasty bathrooms. Shame on you! If you didn't have Sammy's karaoke, I would never be back.

What to say about the Red Onion... First off it is a Beer/Wine only bar, no hard alcohol. That is my only gripe about this place. It is spacious, has a fire place, 2 pool tables, Terminator pinball, and chips and pizzas to snack on. I arrived here late on a Sunday to celebrate my friend's birthday. It appeared the bartender was ready to close up but stayed open since we brought a decent sized group. He was nice enough to let us play music off of our iPod since there wasn't anyone else in the bar. He also gave us some tips on getting our taxes done, thanks John!

My wife and I are from Seattle and now live in SOCAL. We moved to Seattle in 2017 to deal with some financial issues and discovered the Red Onion. What a find! We love funky old taverns and good tavern food and the Red Onion has both, in spades. We only tried the 10" Hawaiian pizza, 10 bucks at the time, and although it was probably frozen, we enjoyed it about five times while we were in town. The place probably hasn't been updated in 30 years, but it has a big screen TV, an honest "ambiance", good food and good service. Madison Park is an upscale part of Seattle, and the Red Onion defies that moniker....which, is a very good thing!! If we could move it to SOCAL, we would!!

Best bar in Madison. Great atmosphere, great service and cool people. Theres some great pool tables and karaoke as well as strong drinks.

I like the location. We went for Karaoke last night. It's a neighborhood bar and thus the crowd showed it - All ages and a family affair for the most part. Issue is that the music was sooooooo loud and louder than the singing. The same signers sang, so I wonder how he chose them or in what order? I wish the Music was not too loud and people can actually hear the people sing. Please stop singing along with the singers.

I was looking for a local bar to do karaoke with my friends, and found Red Onion through Yelp. I called them to ask if Saturday night karaoke was still a thing, and the friendly man on the phone said it started at 9:30 PM and ran until about 1 AM. We visited Red Onion for the first time that very night. It's on the divey side for Madison Park, which I liked. The clientele ran a little older, as you might expect for the area. I didn't have anything to eat or drink, but my friends seemed to enjoy their wells and beers. The KJ was easy-going and would back people up on his microphone if they had trouble finding the right key or tempo. Plenty of song books to go around, and lots of songs to choose from. The backing tracks were a little loud; sometimes they almost sounded like they were blowing out the speakers. The crowd was supportive and engaged. All in all a great place to go for karaoke!

Let's say I have, like, a week left in Seattle. And for every night of the week I have left, I have to pick one perfect place in town that captures a small slice of my little Seattle life. Well, the Red Onion would be my Thursday pick, and anyone who's anyone knows that Thursday is definitely the third best day of the week. This is my homebase for monthly reunions with two dear friends of mine: one, a Botticelli beauty with a ghetto mouth; another, gorgeous, smart and gay as the night is long. And then there's me, tall and strange, snorting uncontrollably. The Red Onion is our place, and it's your place too -- whoever you might be. There's tons of happy seniors here, getting their 4:30 drink on... but somehow this just makes the bar more hip. It's truly a neighborhood classic for all walks of life. Important to note: You can order a large wine here for sooo cheap (a schooner!!). And they have the best French dip in town for under $7. For real -- I know my French dips.

Tonight at 8:30pm, the owner of Red Onion stopped me, as soon as I walked in, from sitting at the corner booth, with my laptop. It wasn't busy and no special events on Wed. nights. In fact there weren't any people sitting at the booths, by the fireplace or at any of the tables. There were only He said his bartender, a middle aged woman with Blonde hair, wanted me to sit at another table, instead. He pointed at the smaller table by the open door. Well, I smelled the smoke from outside sitting by the door, tonight. I argued with him that it's not busy. He said it's summer and it's going to get busy later. Sitting by the door I said I will get cold and needed a better outlet. That outlet by the door was loose and I showed him when I plugged in the adaptor. His Neon Sign plug was half off and about to fall off too. He told me to I can't plug my laptop, even though they offer free wireless. He told me to go home when I run out of my battery. That comment was uncalled for. Any restaurant that offers Free Wireless as a customer service and doesn't want their customers to be able bring in their laptops have no clue. Plus it's an informal pub and not a fancy restaurant. I've seen other students bring their laptops. The Madison Park Starbucks closes at 9:00pm, so I like to go somewhere close, after 9:00pm and has free parking nearby. I haven't been so insulted from an owner of any bar or restaurant in Seattle. Plus it's Madison Park, where it's upper middle class and wealthy neighborhood. The owner acts like he owns a Biker Bar and the customers are low class the way he treated me. Low Class! I was going to write a good review of the Red Onion since I've been coming here once a week for the past month and half. The other bartenders have been very friendly and they have never hassled me sitting in the corner booth on a weekday night ever!

Came here to get a soda pop with two friends to relax because was were just in the area snapping some photos. Being a visitor in Hawaii, I've never been to a place like red onion tavern with such character. The place was old and a little run down but the people in there didn't mind. There was a older lady playing pull tab and me being from hawaii i wanted to see what its all about. I start snapping photos of the pull tab machine and my ticket that i got. Then up comes the bartender asking us if we are doing a documentary on their place. He was really rude and un welcoming and so were the lady playing pull tab. Won't ever go back there again, people were weird, creepy, bartender was rude as hell and unwelcoming and place was run down more worst than a crack whore house that was in operations for 20+ years.

Tis where I met my husband 31 years ago. It was a super bustling establishment at the time and needs to be again. Who else met at the RO and later married??? Let's all meet up and celebrate this fine establishment!

We heard this place a good vibe and decided to try it out. When we first walked in we were a little disappointed with there being almost no one in the bar and the decor clearly has not been updated for at least 20 years. Then we met Benny. This guy is something else. We ordered drinks and Benny introduces himself. He is full of witting banter and really made the whole night. Having a small fire with some love seats around was a big help too I'll be back for suede Thanks Benny!!

Here sits a bar, unchanged as far as even my parents can remember. Incredibly great atmosphere, a touch of comfortable, Shakesperean gloom, leather couches surrounding an old fireplace, and somehow the mid-fifties bartender has an ipod full of trendy musica. The beer comes in pitchers, the regulars are, though rather old, a blast to talk to. Games are available for play, and the window booths offer awesome people watching. Overall, one of Seattle's best kept secrets.

Karaoke Saturday night with Baby Van Beezly rocks my world!!!! She is the karaoke champion of the west coast and if you are lucky enough to hear her sing pony by ginuwine or f**k you be cee lo it's going to be an excellent night. There is some serious talent in the singing pool at this place and no judgement if you're not as *well practiced* as some. Benny the bartender is awesome and drinks are cheap, so really you have no excuse for not coming here. In fact, even I you're not in Madison park you should make the trip for Saturday karaoke because it's a full night event that usually culminates in dance party shenanigans.

Poor/slow service and rude bartender. We even left our food behind today after the bartender refused to let us keep our service dog inside with us. He told us that we had to leave her in the car even though we clearly told him that she was a service dog. This establishment clearly doesn't honor federal ADA laws, so if you require a service dog for epilepsy or any other ailment, definitely take your business to the Attic down the street. We gave two stars because the prices appear to be reasonable, but we cannot comment on the food because we weren't able to eat ours.

The only dive bar in Madison Park. Friendly service, stiff drinks. The weekend Karaoke is a hoot. Free pool table.