BalMar

I have been to BalMar a couple of times now, twice for birthday parties, and once just to stop in for a drink. For the private parties it was great because we supplied the crowd, and they took care of the drinks and atmosphere. But when we went for a random night out the crowd was not the best. Nothing against the actual bar/lounge, just the people who happened to walk in that particular night. It was like a 30 year old group of over-aged frat boys. Not sure what was up, but BalMar is great as long as you aren't trying to meet people there.

Pros: Fun atmosphere, great service

Cons: A bit on the pricy side and the crowd is not my scene

Posted 05/18/09

The BalMar is a good private party location. They have a good sized back room that is private enough to only have your people there, but still feel like you are part of the bar/lounge atmosphere.

They were helpful in organizing, flexible with working out how the bar tab was going to work and everything went without a hitch. The only downside was only one server for 30+ people, so service was slow.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Service a little slow

Posted 02/01/09

chill place with great staff. food is awesome as well. the perfect end to a long evening.

Posted 12/29/08

We had our holiday party at the Bal/Mar and it was great! The food was good and the spacing was perfect. It was perfect for a crowd of about 85 people. I would say it would work for any group 70-100 but not much more than that because it would be too crowded. The facility was nice but still casual enough that people did not feel like they had to dress up too much. Everyone enjoyed the pool tables and all of the areas to "hang out". I would strongly recommend this for any sort of party. Susan, the party planner, was very helpful, keeping our party within budget and making sure that we had enough food for everyone. She pulled together a great assortment of food that had enough variety for a large group of people. Overall, our party was very successful, appealing to the whole range of ages in our office.

Posted 12/14/08

I've been to BalMar a couple of times. It's very cute, and it's great to see that Ballard is finally catching up to the rest of the city in terms of having more classy places to grab a drink. However, both times I have been to BalMar, the person at the door checking ID's has been extremely rude. Ever hear of a first impression? The first encounter I had was with a girl who asked me to fix their door mat AFTER I TRIPPED ON IT BECAUSE IT WAS ALREADY MESSED UP BY SOMEONE ELSE. Excuse me, but I do not work at BalMar. AND I could have seriously injured myself. Instead of asking me, "Um, are you going to FIX that RUG?" after I tripped, it would have been nice if the girl could have extended an expression of concern and then FIXED THE RUG HERSELF SINCE SHE IS THE ONE GETTING PAID TO WORK THERE.
The second time, the guy checking ID's was just rude. That's the best way I have to describe him. I'm SORRY if you don't like standing in the cold. I'm SORRY if you hate being a bouncer. However, the fact that you CHOSE TO HAVE THAT AS YOUR PROFESSION is clearly NOT MY FAULT. Get a new job if you hate it so much, or deal with it and smile, because YOUR JOB is in the HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY and therefore you should be HOSPITABLE. :)
Once you get past the door, the atmosphere inside is classy, and the cocktail waitresses are attentive, quick, and friendly, which is the main reason why I will come back here.

Pros: Great cocktail waitresses, classy place in Ballard

Cons: RUDE people at the door!

Posted 11/24/08

This is still one of my favorite bars in Seattle. I think they have the best drink menu around. Though, I have to say that I will miss my bartender Joe. Good luck cutie. You will be missed!

Pros: Drinks, Ambience, Decor

Cons: Sometimes it's to loud on the weekends

Posted 11/22/08

I made reservations for my birthday of about 15 people and they reserved a portion of their lounge downstairs for me for free, with no minimums and they even split our tabs up. The service was great, everyone was very friendly, and they made really good mixed drinks. I highly recommend this place.

Pros: Good drinks, good service, reasonable prices.

Cons: Can't think of any.

Posted 11/08/08

The BalMar was fantastic. I had a small party for my husband down stairs near the bar. The wait staff was great. My guests were raving about the facility - the comfort of the couches.
We had a great experience and would highly recommend BalMar

Posted 10/27/08

Balmar is the perfect place to hold a birthday party! We had a 25 person party at the BalMar, our reservations were right across from the pool table area, this made for great mingling, it felt like we had our own area for just our friends, but still in the middle of everything. Food, drinks, service was EXCELLENT!

Posted 09/14/08

I am confused by a couple of the bad reviews of one of my favorite spots in Ballard... Not only are the bartenders educated and creative mixologists, but they don't come off as pretentious if you have a question about what they recommend or a new product you don't recognize. Joey and John are well-versed in spirits, wine and beer knowledge and I found them very helpful. The Owner/GM, Dwayne is very gracious and always has a smile on his face. He puts on a great trivia night and other fundraising events for local non-profits. Dwayne takes great pride in working with his chefs to come up with a wide variety of small bites and entrees (as well as desserts) that use ingredients at the peak of their flavor. I have never ordered anything that wasn't delicious and look forward to new selections as the seasons change. On the weekend, the DJ packs the upstairs and there are plenty of young singles to peruse. During the week there are more regulars and locals that frequent the bar/restaurant for a nice quiet lounge environment. I hold Balmar near and dear as I have seen it evolve since its inception (I live just a couple blocks north). If you have had a less than stellar time there long ago, I definitely encourage you to give it another shot!

Pros: Educated Helpful Staff, Delicious Food and Creative Cocktails

Cons: Parking is sometimes difficult

Posted 08/28/08

Avoid! Problem with Balmar is there are so many better places to go. Happy hour food and specials are poor, service is rude and unfriendly as others have mentioned.

The upstairs lounge can be fun and has pool, but the downstairs is a waste with terrible service and cold service all around. Only reason to go here is if you are meeting friends upstairs, bad spot for happy hour or food, and not a good singles scene either.

Posted 07/06/08

Last weekend I was at the BalMar and I left very unhappy. During last call, the group I was with and I ordered drinks and moments later an employee (not the bartender) grabbed it out of our hands! I asked why he just did that and he said the bar was closed and we had to leave (it was 1:45am on a Friday). I spoke to the bartender and asked why he would sell us drinks when they would take it within seconds and he just shrugged. He voiced no apologies whatsoever.

I could not believe the poor customer service and I have never experienced this mistreatment before. I've been to BalMar a couple of times now, but I can say wholeheartedly that I will never be coming back.

Pros: Location

Cons: Rude Employees

Posted 07/06/08

Went there for the first time last weekend and loved it! Out on a date Friday nite and the bar across had a loong wait, so we decided to try it. our waiter was great, gave good suggestions and it was cozy and quiet until it got a bit later and louder. Loved it so much I went back the next night with a friend. Again, good service and a good crowd. It's my new favorite bar!

Posted 11/19/07

I love this place. I honestly don't know what the other reviewer was talking about when he said any of the employees were rude. I've never experienced that and in fact, have only had very friendly and fairly quick service there. I love their bar menu - pretty extensive for snacks and portions are generous for everything pretty much being around $8. I love that the cushy area on the main floor in back is almost always open for casual chat w/ your friends if you come w/ a larger group or there's usually somewhere just for 2. The upstairs gets crowded on weekends for sure, but I tend to visit during the week when it's a bit more low-key. The bartenders have always been nice and conversational and everyone I've brought there has loved it. Seriously, one of my favorite bars in Seattle.

Pros: prices, atmosphere, service

Cons: can get crowded on weekends, staff = busier

Posted 06/24/07

I really gave this place a try.... not worth it at all. Every bartender/waitress I came into contact with was rude, standoffish and generally angry. The bartender on Tuesday nights is a $%#. We ventured upstairs to "trivia night" (on Tuesdays)... the bartender upstairs was equally rude... Don't bother with this place. It's the kind of place that's giving Ballard a bad name nowadays. There are many more bars on the same street that are much friendlier, cheaper and have a better atmosphere....

Pros: nothing

Cons: service, price

Posted 06/04/07

pool tables, cool vibe and good bartenders round out this new place. i like the location as you can go to other bars in the area. good singles scene here for people

Posted 10/29/06

I like this place. It's the perfect, more upscale place to have post-dinner drinks. The brick and the lighting make you feel relaxed, homey and urban and like you're tucked away in a spot that not many other people know about. The drinks are good, and BalMar takes a well-meaning stab at creating an interesting drink menu. Perfect for a date, or after-work-professional drinks too. A little more expensive, but I'm happy not to pay that money for a meat-market like the Red Door.

Pros: Building, ambience, patrons

Cons: Parking

Posted 08/17/06

My wife and I stopped in here after dining at Volterra for a nightcap. The place was great looking and the staff was attentive...and also easy to look at. The drinks were VERY good and reasonably priced. We had just eaten so I can't comment on the food but I will definetly be back to try it. A nice place to have a drink where you can still hear well enough to have a conversation.

Pros: Great Drinks, Hotties, Service

Cons: None that I noticed

Posted 05/26/06

The food is excellent, the staff is on the ball and the drinks are above average. The only complaint I have is that they are not open for lunch. I would eat there 4 days a week.

Pros: High quality, Not snotty, View

Cons: Not open for lunch

Posted 04/30/06

Tonight we celabrated a girfriends birthday at Balmar. First of all she called a couple of days ago to let them know that she was expecting about 15 people. They readily accomidated her by reserving an area without question on a Friday night. Our service was great! I have worked in the service insustry for many years so I consider myself to be very picky in regards to performance and I have nothing but great things to say about our experience. Our waitress even keep separate tabs without us asking and I was amazed how well she kept trackof us. The test of good service is with a large group and they passed with flying colors! Incase you are wondering I don not know or was persuded by anyone of Balmar to write this it is just my honest opinion. Thanks you guys!

Posted 04/27/06