Lumberyard Bar

The only gay bar in the region that I know of that isn't on or near Capitol Hill. I'm from the White Center area. Although I don't have much reason to go here because I don't drink, it is comforting to know that this place exists. It brings new people to this culturally diverse and unique neighborhood and offers an opportunity for community to grow and a gives a sense of pride in one's roots. When I was a teenager 25 years ago, I thought the only way for me was to get out of here, but now I know that I didn't have to go anywhere because White Center offers nearly everything you can ask for and there is a feeling of realness and acceptance here that goes beyond race, national origin, class, or sexual orientation.

This is much better than cicis. Easier for friends to logistically get here, more creative drinks and better food options. A lot more space too, separating loud dance areas from little more quiet bar areas too. Only wish food was past 10pm but the pizza place across is open till 2am!

Editing my review following the owner's reply: Nathan, you really didn't have to give a wise ass reply. 1. The 3 single-shot drinks were in reference to the ones I personally had. But yes I ordered 2 other doubles for a friend (which I mentioned to you at the very beginning of our conversation yesterday before you even looked at my bill). 2. You also determined that there was in fact an extra drink on my bill hat wasn't supposed to be on there which one of your dumb bartenders added without my knowledge. 3. When we spoke yesterday, you had a completely different explanation to there being two separate chargers. You initially said that "whenever there are two charges, the second one is always for the tip". And when I exclaimed "a $115 tip? That's 90%" you immediately dropped that explanation and never brought it up again. I tried to help you save face by keeping that bit of the conversation to myself, but looks like now you casually have a completely different explanation to this second charge. Which one is it, Nathan? Because it can't be both! 4. If the first charge appearing on my cc statement is supposed to be this vague "hold" (which has never appeared my cc ever before from any other bar in Seattle), and the second one is the actual charge, then why is the first one (the $127 CAD / $85 USD) actually is the one that matches the bill, but the second charge ($115 / $79) which doesn't match the bill is the one that hit my cc the next day? Again, neither one of your own explanations matches reality. Make it make sense, because it doesn't. At this point, 4 different friends (that you personally know in Seattle) aside from me have shared that they've had this exact same problem. This includes a friend who showed me double charges on his account TWICE going as far as back January and February this year (which were never reversed as you claim would happen) and the second charge is always 60%+ the first charge. Now I'm more inclined to believe that you intentionally charge customers an inflated tip in a second separate charge on their cards when you close their tab for them. This is both backed up by your own initial response about the second charge being the tip, and the evidence in the cc statements clearly showing that those second charges aren't some temporary holds. You could have saved face and responded to my review saying that the matter got resolved privately, but you had to give a snarky little reply. So here, I'm handing your ass back to you 🫴🏻 Original review: Visited there on a Sunday afternoon, ordered 3 *single* shot drinks, and then 4 days later I found a $127 charge on my credit card on that day, and then another $115 charge on the following day (never been anywhere near the area on a Monday ever). So not only am I charged an inflated charge, but I'm charged two separate inflated charges on two different days. It has already been 4 days since my visit, so any mix-up or pre-authorization charge should have been cleared by now. If this wasn't some weird honest mistake, then it could be an intentional systemic issue. So people should check their credit card statements after visiting the bar.

The reality of my experience is the bartender chose to stop me from drinking knows what. Does it make me question yes. Especially on a Wednesday. Would I go back, not sure because it has shown stopping someone to drink is on the bartender perception and we have feollowers in that bar. It makes me question if I will return as I was not aggressive at all. If Capitol Hill the place to be, Lumber Yard made my decision.

May 30 is Mint Julep day, so I went looking for a Mint Julep, and took this as an excuse to try out The Lumberyard, which I had not had the occasion to visit, and unfortunately had never been in their old location across the street. The exterior is unspecific other than the significant presence of Pride flags. Inside ambiance was reasonably nice for a bear bar, leaning more toward "traditional" than industrial (for a bear bar). Has a nice little skylight with some greenery around it, presumably to go with the tree motif. There was a small television over the door to the other, more occupied, main room, which show ads for events. The ones I noticed were karaoke, but spelled queeraoke, and some kind of fetish night. Mostly they seemed to play 80's and 90's music, which is proper Gen X music, though they also played some unrecognizable and presumably more recent stuff. I also wanted dinner, so I ordered the Big Lumberyard Burger with a side of wavy fries. I was sadly informed they did not have Mint Juleps. This is not an elaborate drink, so I'm supposing they just didn't keep mint on hand. I was referred by the barman to an array of drink menus that were clustered immediately in front of the serving station. He seemed impatient that I had to actually read them and didn't immediately know what to order when they turned out not to have the drink I wanted. I assured him this was my first time in his establishment. I had to stand aside while he served the next person in the line that hadn't been there when I arrived, moments earlier. I rushedly looked over a card with some thematic drinks specific to the bar and realized maybe these were non-alcoholic drinks, so I looked on the other side, at a different set of thematic drinks, and chose a Daddy's Drink, based on its purported contents. The $8 drink supposedly had Bourbon, iced tea, and some kind of peach flavoring. I watched the bartender handle bottles labeled as such, but I frankly have had flavored waters with more punch, and I'm not convinced there was actually any alcohol in it. The $16 burger plate was freshly made and the wavy slices of fried potato were initially extremely hot, which is good. Their burgers are 1/3 pound, but this is formed into a flattened disc that extends about an inch outside the bun, so I would probably have made a different choice of shape, but it tasted adequately burgery. It was better than bland, but apart from the comical patty, there was nothing outstanding about the experience of the burger. In retrospect, I should have gotten the Cowboy, which has more flavor components, but also seems a little kitchen-sinky. Maybe I will try that some day. Overall, I got out of there paying $33 and change, including 18% tip and presumably some tax. I've definitely had better meals for less money, even in these inflationary times.

Love this place. Often understaffed but what bar or restaurant ISN'T understaffed these days. Great owners! Nice clientele. Generally not attitudy. A bit overcrowded on Beer Bear Sunday afternoon.

Had good bites and drinks and loved the entertainment of Dolly and DJ Al with Showtunes night. Hope to see more of that! All in all a good time and chill crowd and was worth the trip.

My friends and I come here for Ru Paul’s Drag Race viewings and we love it here!! It’s such a fun place to watch. They have a good happy hour menu that goes until 8pm, and we love Paul the server, such a sweet heart! Things I’d recommend: 1) getting wider stools cos they start getting uncomfortable after a while. 2) lowering the brightness of the “neon” signs in the bar room, takes away from the atmosphere/vibe.

I got to experience this little gem as part of a work mixer. Due to that I did not get many photos but man I enjoyed myself. From the very first step in the door I felt very welcome. Bartender was friendly and the pour is generous!!! We had a mix of bar food (chips and salsa, wavy fries, barcuterie tray, pretzels) Everything was hot, fresh and tasty. We are in full halloween mode and the bar is decorated quite nicely for the season. Music is very dance worthy, and the place is sparkling clean. There is a list of special events on the screens in the bar so you can stay up to date. I love this place!! The entire area is bustling with businesses. Go experience!

I went to the Lumber Yard for the first time a while ago. It's a gay bar and I have to say it's more down to earth both with staff and fellow clientele compared to the bars in Capitol Hill where pretentiousness is readily embraced. The mixed drinks are good here and the atmosphere is relaxing and chill. I had no complaints in the slightest about my visit here. Another perk is it's located where there are lots of restaurants so if you want to eat prior (or after if it's not too late) there are plenty of options to pick from as it's in the heart of the White Center neighborhood. Parking is not as much of an effort to accomplish either. So lots of good things and praise about the Lumber Yard!

Updating my previous review: Now I know, LY defaults to double shots in their cocktails so if you want a single just be sure to ask for that. After my experience last night, management reached out to me and did more than enough on their end to ensure I had a good taste in my mouth with LY and I did. The drinks are strong here, beware lol. Great space, great music, could use an extra bartender or 2 on Sundays as it is quite packed.

Not sure why this place is rated so low. The place is clean, the ambience is wholesome, and the staff are friendly am playful. What the hell do you want from a place? Just be happy this place is better than any gay bar you'd find in cap hill!

This is the second part of my first review regarding the rating of this establishment. I received an email from the owner with a response that assured me that I was welcome back to the establishment after a berated incident. The owner I corresponded with, and I thought everything was ok. A month later a friend invited me to attend an event at the establishment. Hoping to amend disagreements and improve the rating, I was hopeful. I arrived at around 6 PM and found my friend with another coworker discussing the event. It was a bit uncomfortable, at first, and felt at ease when we started to discuss the agenda of the event. I was approached by the bartender, who requested to go outside for a word. It was at this point that the bartender yelled at me, called me a liar, and said." How dare you come back on my shift when you gave me a bad review". That was the last... However, I can say that the meatballs are good, and I love the jukebox. But after this recent confrontation, I will never return. I am closing this chapter. Peace

Ambience. A Service. A Food /Drinks. A Price. A This is the.new 2nd location after the initial location caught fire years ago. So, glad the support of the community came together and helped support the rebuild. Very comfortable lots of room tables huge bar in front room and smaller bar in 2nd room. Good bar eats. Drinks were reasonably priced and bar food was good. Had the impossible burger and tots. $10. Good deal. They also sell $1 pickles! Very sour. Reminds me of the days of bug jar pickles in a grocery store I worked in. This pickle gives another meaning for a pickle back to go with your drink! Happenstance to pop in for Tuesday trivia night. Too prize was $100 and 2nd prize $50. Makes it worth to go out with a crowd. I came in 5th...I mean ...who follow Vannderpump Rules reality. Ugh! Lol Overall , I'm a fan of this joint. Very comfy and friendly service. I'm a fan!!!

I saw this place has 2.5 stars and showing some love. I miss their old space. Loved the old bar and the adjacent space they opened right before the fire. That said I enjoy the new space. I just wish there was a bar on both sides. Easier to randomly socialize at a bar and most of the time folks hang on the side without one, as the shows happen over there. Glad you're back!

Service is poor. All but one bartender is welcoming. Automatically serves you a double without asking, which is dangerous and a questionable practice. Quite a few places within walking distance that are welcoming and are better than this.

Never have I ever heard of a bar automatically charging you for a double when you never ordered one. Imagine staring a tab and ordering your regular cocktail, only to find out that they charge and pour you doubles for every drink poured. I can understand if signs were displayed stating this policy, but it's not displayed anywhere. BEWARE: make sure you ask for a single shot or else their default and standard is to pour and charge you for a double. This seems like an unethical business practice and should be illegal. I was also charged for 6 extra drinks on my tab today and had the rudest bartender to deal with. Lesson learned: close your tab after every round you order.

I'm a fan of this space, and the staff. However I have never ordered a double pour of liquor and yet, I have been consistently charged for a double pour at $13. If you want a $9 single liquor pour, you must specifically say this. I've heard others complain, and the bartender was visibly annoyed. I think it's a bit of a scam.

The Lumber Yard Bar is an amazing place to hang with friends. Great service, good food and friendly staff members. I highly recommend it regardless if you are LGBTQ or straight.

Let me start by saying I like this bar and all the events they put on. My biggest issue is with how much they charge for drinks. Three drinks here cost me $42.93 plus tip. The same three drinks at Diesel would cost $30.00. Yeah, I know they "claim" to pour doubles, but compared to the Diesel or even The Cuff, their drinks are pretty weak. Definitely not worth the extra charge!

10/10 if you haven't gone to a Sunday bear social! The people are amazing! I stayed in the corner most of the day as I was a little shy but the people were amazing!! Very welcoming!!

Service is good. Great venue and very well done! Food is nothing to write home about. Drinks are good. Glad to see them back up and running.