Sam's Tavern

Sam’s Tavern in Seattle delivers a lively atmosphere with hearty burgers and creative cocktails. The laid-back vibe and friendly service make it a great spot for a casual meal or night out. Their signature Bloody Mary is a standout, packed with flavor and fun garnishes. A go-to for comfort food and good times in the city.

Fun atmosphere, especially in the summer on the patio. Unfortunately the "unlimited fries" advertised with the burgers were a huge disappointment. Each burger came with 5 (literally 5) fries originally. When we immediately requested more, it took 15 minutes and a reminder to get a few more baskets of fries (3 baskets for 6 people), which were also very skimpy number of fries. Food was good, but disappointed to pay for burgers with a smaller than normal fries when it was advertised as unlimited.

If you are doing a to-go order, check your order before you leave. They have a weirdly complicated “no” specifications for ordering online and don’t follow order specifics. I’m here on business and heard good things, so I got the Magic Mushroom burger. I love mushroom and was really excited. On the checkout page they what you don’t want on it, and it listed some crazy things that the Magic Mushroom didn’t have. To be safe, I selected no of on the craziest stuff (like pineapple and pico de gallo). Well I just finished walking back to my hotel from the place and pulled out the burger and is completely plain except for cheese. No mushroom, onion, and all the other goodness. I paid $21.00 for a patty and cheese in between 2 pieces of bread (attached photo is after I already put packaged ketchup on it to give it something). It’s a far enough walk that I can’t go back again to get it corrected. Disappointed and wish I double checked the order before I left. Update: I want to follow up that it ended up being a fantastic burger even with nothing on it, so that says something! Upping to 3 stars because it was good even if it wasn’t what I ordered

UFC game was on a Saturday, ordered fries at the bar since there was no service outside, no indication my fries were mine, in factvthey were next to snother order with no ticket, waited 30 mins and the bar tender handed me the cold fries and seems like I paid $7 for like 4 fries

This spot is great for catching a game on TV or listening to music while hanging out with friends. However, there seems to be some inconsistency with the service as the waitstaff can be less attentive at times. The chicken wings and drinks are decent, but nothing extraordinary. Overall, it's a nice place to hang out, but could benefit from some improvements in terms of service.

Always so much better than Bellevue, but in four years of patronage, they have never not been out of ice cream for boozy milkshakes

Hard to leave a star considering we never got served. We had a group of four at a table right next to the bar. I tried to order a round from the bar, but she said there was table service, sweet! However, there wasn't table service because we sat for a long time! I finally gave up and went back to the bar to order the drinks. The (not busy) bartender shooed me away saying there was table service. Surely someone will take our order now. Nope 5 more min and we just walked out. Republic was just a block away, way busier and we got served right away.

Great location for outdoor seating, servers are friendly, but food is at best average. We had the poutine and chicken sliders, both were cold when we got them. It was a Saturday around 11:30am with minimal patrons, but given there was only one server / bar tender they were pretty swamped.

Reasonable place, but fell short in several basic areas First. Nice atmosphere, outdoor patio area as well an indoor seating One area had large tables that are good for large groups Service was slow despite not being busy My food order was slow and was not hot Also did not get tableware, when asked the bar tender got us one fork and told us that's all they had. We also did not even have salt and pepper shakers for our table 20% Gratuity was automatically added to my bill Despite only two persons on my check I won't bother to return again

3.75/4ish stars. Came here with four coworkers for happy hour. Monday at 4:45, not very busy. Sat at the high top tables. The whole place is 21+ and very casual with a few TVs around the walls. Service was good. I got a house wine (Sauvignon Blanc) and the mini mozz bowl (steak fries covered in cheese and pepperoni with mozzarella sticks on top) which came to $20.68! Both items were $7 & change + $1 off drink for happy hour. Gratuity was also included in the total. Overall pricey, but the food was good.

It's hard to pick where to go to eat when out of town on vacation. Silly me forgot to check yelp reviews while the rest of the group did some google searching. We picked Sam's. It was empty when we got here. Awkwardly between lunch and dinner as we are still internally on East Coast time. Waitress/Bartender was quick to welcome us in. She took orders pretty quickly. 2 of us started with broccoli cheddar soup. Just a cup as it was expensive for soup. It wasn't bad. But left a lot to be desired because of the price. (We both agreed.) For meals, 3 of us had burgers and our other friend had a chicken sandwich. We all agreed they were great. I had the magic mushroom burger. The menu says it's "a mushroom freak's delight" and "a gargantuan amount of mushrooms" and they weren't lying. It was truly delicious. We were a bit confused as the waitress told us when ordering that they were out of bacon, so their breakfast burger couldn't be made with the 50/50 mix of beef and bacon and my friend wanting the BLT had to order something different. Then when food came out, one of the burgers had bacon on it. ‍ Service was weak after the food was brought. Had to wait a while. Weren't asked if we needed refills. Check wasn't brought for a while. Server would yell over from the bar asking if we needed anything. Burgers were an 11 out of 10. The rest of the experience was a 6 or so.

I work about two blocks away, so Sam's tavern is a staple for most people but I went for the first time on a Friday during happy hour. I was seat yourself and it was not too crowded with nice weather around 5 pm, so we opted to sit outside. They had some decent deals on shots + beer, and a pride menu, but I opted for a cocktail. Service is quite slow. At one point people in my party went to order at the bar since it had been a while since our waitress had come outside but they said no at the bar and ensured us our waitress would be right out, which to be sure, was true. Drinks overall tasted fine though, as were their sliders. They don't split checks and added an automatic gratuity for my party of 6. Not a bad place overall but definitely not amazing, but will likely be back!

Decent tavern, love that it's dog friendly. Food is good. I've had their burgers a few times and the best is the one with avocado on it. Their wings are pretty good too. Decent beer selection. Service is okay. Can be quite loud with music so might not be the best place if you're trying to hold a conversation....but it is a sports tavern:)

Taeler our waitress was amazingly personable. My drunk/tired husband wanted a milkshake and when she broke the bad news he was really bummed but still kept the mood light. Walking by and joking around and checking on us often. The whole meal it was clear she was bubbly and friendly which made the atmosphere fun. Even I was surprised when she was able to make my husband laugh in his grumpy mood. Thank you for making a memorable end to our night!

Sam's looks like a fun place. I would love to watch a Kraken, Seahawks, or Mariners game here. A daytime lunch spot before meeting with Amazon proved to be very quiet and that was okay. There are limited vegan options here so vegans and vegetarians, you'll need to ask nicely to make accomodations. I spoke to our server and did that. She was very accommodating and very sweet to ask the kitchen about the dressing for my Quinoa salad. My salad was very big and very tasty. Food quality was excellent and I enjoyed every bite. I can't speak to everyone else's meals but for the most part, they ate what they ordered.

Basic modern tavern. Lots of big screen sports and bar space. A friendly crowd and a delightful bartender with a beautiful smile named Ryan. Ryan is really quick on her feet too.

Definitely the highlight of our Seattle trip. Sam's Tavern is such a good vibe. It's clean, the drinks are good, the service was amazing. We truly appreciate the great service Ken gave us. Thanks to Ken, my fiancé and I had a great time with great food and drinks. The reason for all the 5 stars is due to how good Ken was to us. We will definitely be coming back to Sam's Tavern. KEN- WE HOPE YOU GET A RAISE AND ARE APPRECIATED! You're the best bartender ever!!!

It's fine, the bar tender was cool but didn't feel the hype. Went on a Sunday and only one bar tender, he was helping everyone and their mom so service was slow.

An enjoyable bar. I like to come here on fun nights like a cowboy / country themed night, but it does get quite rowdy. The food is solid. The drink ordering situation can get a bit frustrating but that is common for crowded spots like this.

solid bar / tavern in the area. there are a few others that do the same thing but I'd say this place keeps up. I didn't get to try the burger which I hear is good.

It's fine. We came to watch the hockey game and the atmosphere was a vibe! The food was average and pricey, but that's Seattle for you. The service was sooooo slow, we had to flag our waitress down multiple times.

Just want to drop in here and give kudos to our server Taylor, who was a true delight. We were a party of 50 and she handled service with style and grace. Taylor was attentive, fun, and helpful. I would definitely recommend Sam's SLU for your next event. Thanks, Taylor!

Door dash messed up my order but the staff was amazing and were so helpful and fixed the problem really fast, shout out to Allison and Mark, they deserve a raise!!!

Do yourself a favor by skipping this place and going to Local Public Eatery instead. Visiting from out of town and chose Sam's for dinner. My group may have been 1 of 4 in the whole place but it took forever for someone just to greet us. The waitress, Savannah, finally came and took our drink orders. She went to the bar/register to put them in not realizing someone from our group had gone to the (nearby) restroom. My friend overheard her talking crap about our group cause of the NFL gear we had on & how she hates our team's fans. Service continued to be horrible so we tabbed out before we even ordered food. By that point, I honestly didn't trust being served by her.

Just arrived in town, and went for a couple of late-night burgers. I watched from across the room as our server stopped with our plates to allow one of her fellow servers to grab a handful of our fries from both plates, before she continued over and placed them down in front of us. The fry-stealer even brazenly walked past us while stuffing them in her face, and was nice as pie to us when she was the one to clear our table later. Never in my life have I seen this - if you're going to do it as a server, at least have the decency to do it out of sight. Music was insanely loud, with only about 15 people seated and just trying to talk and eat. Food was also very over-priced for what it is, and gratuity was built into the check - so my parter ended up tipping twice, and was frustrated but too anxious to say anything, as he didn't notice until after he'd signed the receipt. I would have left zero tip and had the built-in one removed for the fry theft, but he's far nicer than I am and paid the bill without complaint before I could. In hindsight I wish we'd left as soon as she tried to place the plates on the table, and confronted her about why - but it was 12:30am and we were hungry due to a delayed flight, with no clue of where else to go on our first trip to Seattle. So we just stayed and ate her leftovers. But two days later I'm still annoyed, and here I am on Yelp venting.

Never been made to feel less welcome in a restaurant and it's not even remotely close. One of those cliquey local places in Seattle where if you're not a regular, you'll be hard pressed to get even the time of day. It's almost a diamond in the rough, but the lack of attention to service is borderline alarming. The waitresses clearly didn't care about us to a shocking degree. We weren't even sure our food was coming because of how briefly the waitress stayed after we said one thing. A different, equally uncaring person talked to us each time too, which was just a bit strange. It took so long for anyone to talk to us at any point, even though it was less than a third capacity the entire time. To top it all off we got sick of waiting and of course found the waitresses watching TikTok by the pos station. Food was actually pretty good, despite of course having severely upset stomachs pretty soon after. Lovely outdoor seating too! Would have been great if we didn't feel so alienated by the staff- I've never once felt that way at a restaurant before :/

Our waitress was great! However, an employee at the bar was completely out of line and intentionally (with his hand) pushed me out of his way aggressively near the restrooms. Tall guy wearing a green shirt today. No form of communication was given that I was in the way. Completely out of line and unprofessional. I would suggest heading elsewhere if you value common courtesy and respect.

I haven't been to this bad of a restaurant in a long time. I know it's technically a bar and not a restaurant, so you shouldn't expect much out of the food. However, I've been to plenty of bars with pretty good food. I ordered the 1 lb wings, and the spicy garlic ranch sauce was pretty good. I would highly recommend it. However, the wings were small, over cooked, and dry. I had asked for the sauce on the side since I prefer crunchy wings. Please refer to the picture below to see how much meat were on these wings. Absolutely none. My friend and I had ordered a sprite and received seltzer water instead. The waitress came back and replaced our drinks. We tried it and it was seltzer water again. She later came back to let us know that someone had placed the seltzer water and sprite in the wrong place, and that they were working on fixing it. My friend ordered the sliders and they accidentally gave him a burger instead. Towards the middle of our meal, he asked for a refill on his sprite. When the bill came, we noticed they charged us a dollar for the refill. I can't remember the last place I've seen charge for a soda refill unless it's canned. I tried my friend's fries and they were also dry and way over cooked. Even the dipping sauce couldn't save them. All in all, wouldn't come back and wouldn't recommend to anyone I know.

Sam's served me up a Dru Bru peach sour (tasty) and I got a free shot from one of the guys there-- he actually bought everyone shots. Going to Sam's was probably the perfect pick-me-up after a long day and the best place i could've started off my night out. The staff was very sweet and fun, the drinks were good, the service was quick, the music was actually relevant and enjoyable, and it just looks and feels like a cool place to be at. 10/10 would come back to dance on the weekends.

Terrible service. 2 drink glasses were chipped. One had a small piece of glass suck up the straw. All they said was, do you want another one? Food wasn't good either.

Great tap selection! The vibes were slightly off but we persisted nonetheless I would come here again.

Pretty standard all things considered and very similar to their cap hill location. Provides all the standard dive bar eats and drinks. Nothing that will blow your mind but it's a fun place to camp out, enjoy drinks/food, and have outdoor seating options. I'd come here in a larger group setting as they have large tables to accommodate for drinks but likely to stay away from their food as much of it is heavily greasy and heavy.

The atmosphere was pleasant with a lot of sports televisions. Menu has bar food of course. My wife had a grilled cheese and I had the French dip sandwich. She liked hers, mine was alright. Decent french fries. Cokes seemed watered down. Once we got our meals, we never saw the waitress again until she came to ask if we wanted our check. Terrible service. This place is ok for a one off but I would never be a regular.

Ordered takeout from Sams tavern during the pandemic.. they have nice outdoor seating with tents, igloos and heaters..the outdoor patio was packed with people each in their own space and tents.. we ordered the teriyaki chicken and jalapeno reno burger with fried chicken.. both the burgers were delicious but the jalapeno reno won it for me! That sauce is just divine super flavorful.. for the sides please try their sweet potato fries they are really nice and I also substitute normal fries for these sweet potato fries.. their tater tots are okay.. Deal Alert: they do have a bogo offer on facebook if you comment on their post so feel free to avail before you head out that way.. all in all a great place with good food to hang out with friends in slu..

I could not be more disappointed by the lack of service and attention from the server with the long blond hair that waited on us this evening. Not only was the food mediocre at best, the server did the absolute bare minimum that was required of her. We were never offered a refill on our weak and overpriced drinks. We had to ask for silverware from the food runner, and our server ignored every attempt I made to get her attention so we could get our check and get out of there. Very poor experience overall. The magic mushroom burger I ordered was much smaller than it used to be, the fries were cold and came with a small cup of ketchup. I would have asked for mustard if I'd had some service. Also it wasn't very busy. I could easily forgive the lack of attention if it was a busy time but it was pretty dead.

If you're in the mood for a bland burger and fries that tastes like it's on a strict no-seasoning diet, Sam's Tavern is the place to be! My burger was so flavorless, I almost asked for a salt shaker just to bring it back to life. And the appetizers? Let's just say, if I wanted microwaved snacks, I would've stayed home and nuked some leftovers. If Sam's Tavern was aiming for mediocrity, they've truly mastered it!

None of the locations (SLU, Capitol Hill, or Bellevue) will answer their phones. The phone number for each location is listed on Google, but was verified by their own website. When dialed, SLU's number says, "your call cannot be completed at this time." When dialed, Capitol Hill's number rings and rings and eventually goes to a voicemail box that is full. When dialed, Bellevue's number says, "the call cannot be completed at this time." Even the chat feature on their website says, "Failed!! Try again," when you try to contact the restaurant. Why have this feature if you cannot even reach someone? I tried from multiple different phones and from a laptop.

First off this tavern is so adorable walked there from the space needle and people were sitting outside because it was beautiful out they also have indoor seating which that's what I did is the indoor seating and me and my date we end up getting hamburgers that were delicious that mushroom burger had Rosemary in the meat which was flavorful and delicious the milkshake was amazing as well I love me a good milkshake. the only thing I would have to say that I wasn't impressed with was the French fries they did come out cold. so the fries were a little cold which I was disappointed but other than that I would come back to this place. Also, the service was great. I love the w

First time to this location; I like it much better than the broadway one. More space, and cuter vibe. Food and drinks are great, and they have a dj on the weekend- at least the night I went. Our waitress was also very sweet and helpful with our large party. Definitely a good night out with friends!

Food was decent and drink's reasonable but the service had a lot to desire. The staff seems very disinterested in wanting to serve. They kicked everyone out for a 30min deal and wanted us buy tickets if we wanted to stay. Of course we left but man they lost business.

This is the best bar ever. They are friendly, amicable, and helpful. Greta drinks and food

There is an employee here by the name Sydney who steals cards and information from the customers. I was also assaulted by this employee when I confronted her. Then the manager is extremely unprofessional and confrontational when the situation was brought to her attention. She also called me to tell me they found my card 5 days later but I cannot get it because they will call the police. I never threatened anyone. I wanted my card back. Yet they claimed I threatened the employee ha! I wouldn't risk everything I have going for myself for a 40 year old bartender who has to steal from customers. She just had possession of my card and I simply wanted it back. This establishment is a complete joke.

Hidden gem. Food and service was just amazing. Cool spot in downtown district I had a blue cheese melt , fries, and a few beers Woukd come here again.. Busy at firstborn was quiet and enjoyable quickly after rush hour people left.

Ive been here twice now and both time, their burgers have been pretty consistent. The first time I did take out and got the chicken teriyaki chicken with a lettuce wraps and it was cooked perfectly. I like that the lettuce gives a nice crunch and the flavor was spot on. The second time around, I decided to take my boyfriend there since he was craving for burgers and we dined in. We got the 50/50 Burger and the veggie burger with a lettuce wrap and a side salad instead of fries. Again, both burger was cooked perfectly. The 50/50 Burger Definitely hit the spot when you are craving for a burger. We did like the veggie burger more though as it was different from most veggie burgers. The texture and flavor was good and again the crisp lettuce brought it to a new level. The unlimited fries are ok, the flavor was good but I wish it was crispier. The wedge salad was good but I wish I knew I was getting a wedge salad as my side cause I would ask to have the dressings on the side Price was pretty standard for what you get. Service was a little mixed. The waitress that helped us in the beginning kinda disappeared after taking our order and then just reappear again to ring us out, but we also had another waitress in between that who gave us food, refill our water and making sure we were good. Overall, I definitely will be back to try their other things

Nice local bar in SLU. Bar staff is a little too much into themselves when their friends stop by and the customers seem to take a back seat. Food is good bar food, but nothing special. Very dog friendly which is why I gave three stars vs two.

I would give them 6 stars if I could, seriously. I went with some coworkers for happy hour, and it being a chilly day, I was being extra and asked for a hot toddy. The waitress was very friendly and said they could make it. It took them longer than usual to make my drink compared to everyone else, but it ended up being delicious. It turns out they didn't have any honey in stock, and the bartender ran to CVS to buy it! A+ customer service right there. The food was also pretty good, I recommend the nachos and chicken tenders.

They have more security than bartenders or servers. Went in and waited at bar. Bartender walked right by without acknowledging me. I left and went to Republic around the corner where the service was prompt and friendly.

We were starving after our flight, checked into our hotel and walked over to Sams. We were craving a burger, it's open seating so you can pick your own table. We sat down, took a quick look at the menu and ordered a burger and salad. I was shocked at how small my husbands burger was. I mean it was smaller than a McDonald's cheeseburger. They do have endless fries so that helped him fill up. My salad was pretty good, nice presentation and can't really go wrong with a Cobb salad. Nothing special.

Everything was great and a good place to watch sports. I will definitely go back when I'm in town.

Came here for an after work event network. This place was packed but is located in a prime area and this was during the week. Overall I liked the atmosphere but it is definitely not somwhere to come to talk. The music was very loud and hard to have a conversation. We got drinks (their pink lemonade mule was amazing!) And appetizers. All the food from the onion rings, to the sliders, nachos etc. Were very good! Service was also decent for how busy they were. There isn't really parking besides going into a garage but that's what you do in this area. Overall I would come back for sure. One other thing I loved was that they were dog friendly.

Food was good for bar, but service was a bit disappointing (never refilled sodas or waters). Overall, it's exactly what you should expect from a basic tavern like this; good for a chill meal and sports.

Absolutely incredible service from Abby, the bartender. Great service and extensive knowledge of the area, drafts, liquor and cocktails. 10/10 would recommend this bar to anybody, especially if dealing with Abby. Great gal.

Went to the bar around 5:40 pm on a Saturday and sat at the bar. I saw at least 3 bartenders who weren't busy. I was sitting with a friend for at least 5 minutes at the bar without any hello or acknowledgement, so we left. I would give this place zero stars if possible.

outdoor service is good. indoor service is slow. they take too long and are passively brash

Why did I not take a photo of the crazy Bloody Mary?! It was $15, I think, and had so much stuff sticking out of it, including a tiny burger and a little Vienna sausage. It was definitely photo-worthy, but I was distracted by work, I guess. It was worth the price and I would get it again. Jalapeño Reno burger was better than the chili cheeseburger. The chili isn't bad, but it's not spicy, either, and wasn't particularly memorable. You do get a lot of it on your burger, though. Service is so-so. It started off pretty bad (no acknowledgment whatsoever for at least 10 mins, even though it was dead; I was actually about to leave when I was finally approached). It got better as time went on. I think you can get those Bloody Marys delivered these days - I would def be down for that, and trying some other stuff on the menu.

Capitol Hill and South Lake Union locations are great. Excellent food and drinks, great service, and the best is that it's dog friendly!

It was my first time there it was busy but the food was still in a good temperature and it was good I will come back again the waitress was doing the bar and tables at the same time.