Elysian Tangletown

Elysian TangletownElysian Tangletown
Elysian TangletownElysian Tangletown
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

2106 N 55th St
Seattle, Washington, 98103
United States

(206) 547-5929 | map
elysianbrewing.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.67
Beers:
2
Ratings:
2
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.94
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
23
pDev:
10.91%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by roan22:
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Reviewed by roan22 from New Jersey

4.36/5  rDev +10.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
After a 6 hr flight from Philadelphia, 10/30/14, we arrived starving and thirsty. 3 blocks from the house we rented. Excited by several harvest time fresh hop beer choices by Elysian. Also the Citra Slicker by Bale Breaker was on tap, unbelievable flavor. The food and the service were great. We bought a Spacedust sixpack that was also amazing. Really nice experience, Cheers!
Jan 24, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of gandres
Reviewed by gandres from Philippines

4.34/5  rDev +10.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
went during happy hour
two truffle fries
two chips and salsa
2 buffallo wings
mac and cheese
for 6 people-not bad
food is ok, good but nothing spectacular
Pretty good service
very fast for two wait staff
very good beer
dragontooth stout
bifrost winter pale ale
Jan 03, 2017
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Reviewed by didgeboy from Washington

3.85/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
Good selection of beer and food is solid. Casual atmosphere, good food. If you are in the area and looking for a brew and some food, this is a great spot to seek out and chill.
Aug 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Sails_Ambassador from Washington

Jul 15, 2015
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Rated by Hawkfish from Washington

2.88/5  rDev -26.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3
Poor service, had to ask for additional beers and check multiple times.
May 10, 2015
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Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.86/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75
I'd heard good things about this Elysian pub, so I dropped in last Friday for a quick beer. Overall it's a good place; there were about a dozen taps of Elysian's offerings plus a local cider available.

The décor inside is pubby but new, with a wide stainless steel bar sitting about a dozen and lots of old wood tables and comfy-looking booths. Most of the other topers seemed to be regulars and locals, which contribute to a vibe I typically like. Staff were friendly, but seemed to be more like normal servers than dedicated beer geeks.

I had a pint of Split Shot, their delicious espresso stout. I would definitely stop in at the Tangletown again if I were in the neighborhood (which is, admittedly, rarely); but if you are nearby it is definitely worth checking out.
Jan 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by Anaxagoris from Washington

Dec 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Kurmaraja from California

Oct 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by strongaf from Washington

Jul 10, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

May 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Needmorebeer312 from Washington

Oct 24, 2013
Photo of dirtylou
Reviewed by dirtylou from Oklahoma

3.94/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Tangletown...it just rolls of the tongue, a fun word indeed.

I've stopped through here twice in the last week, primarily to pick up the Great Pumpkin and Dark of the Moon, is this location is much easier for me to access than the capital hill location.

Tangletown is much smaller than the other locations, with a bright and airy vibe. There is one small tv in the corner and a bar that probably sits around 10-12.

Taps are solid - all 3 of the current pumpkin brews (plus a nice guest of southern tier pumpking), a nice peppercorn saison, some of the standards, collaboration with new belgium, and some other guests. Bottles are available for sale, including the rarer pumpkins.

happy hour has cheap eats including a nice $2 portion of truffle fries that were pretty solid.

kind of a pain in the ass location in rush hour, but otherwise, located in a very cool and lovely part of north seattle. I'll be back.
Sep 17, 2011
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Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
This is my second fav location, with the first being Cap Hill. I went here twice and both times had trouble finding it. Once I got in it was nice, cozy and very Washington. My kind of place. The beer selection was not as vast as the Cap Hill. There were some stools, average bar size and numerous booths/tables and bar tables along the window, not as large as the flagship on Cap Hill.The bartender was pretty cool, the area was nice and inside was very very nice. This what you expect from a Washingron local brewpub.
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Dropped back in here today after a extended break. Same ol Tangeltown. Beers menu expanded a bit since the last time I was here. I went shortly after they opened and they pretty much had the standard Elysian handles. Food was good, service was good, but now thge parking area in the rear is covered.
Apr 11, 2010
Photo of RedDiamond
Reviewed by RedDiamond from Oregon

4.28/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Is Tangletown an actual brewpub? It's listed as such here and on Elysian's website, but I've seen no evidence of any brew house. Perhaps the brewing apparatus is carefully concealed unlike those at Elysian Fields or Capitol Hill.

Tangletown is a relaxed neighborhood pub tucked away in an oddly placed commercial district just off Green Lake. The vibe is low key and somewhat intimate with no neon, pool tables or video and just one lonesome TV that couldn't be ignored during March madness. Though menu items share a common thread with Elysian's other two locations, the atmosphere is cozier and the floorplan much smaller.

I formed a quick first impression from the friendly, responsive bartender who served me water (how did he know I needed water?) and asked about my lemon preference when I ordered a hefe. The bar has a modest but active array of distilled spirits, candle-lit tables, and windows facing the street. Two bay doors open into the neighborhood during warm weather and there's also a small patio. Seating is contemporary and wooden with Persian carpets, holiday lighting, potted palms, and local art.

Selection is fairly accommodating with as many as sixteen Elysian taps, most of which are brewed at their other two locations. There's also a small selection of bottled beers from Belgium and Capitol Hill.
Mar 28, 2009
Photo of zonker12
Reviewed by zonker12 from Washington

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 1
My only complaint is the food, but it's a significant one. The first time I went, I thought I had been given a special "after hours" menu - it was pretty sparse and mostly sandwiches. However, after subsequent visits, I came to realize that was their only menu. If the sandwiches had a stand out among them, that would be fine, but none impress. The wedge salad is disgusting. The best thing on the menu is their Penn Cove mussels appetizer in a great garlic sauce. Watch out, though. They charge for extra bread!

I don't understand why a place like this can't have acceptable food. The beer is good to very good. I live very close and would be here all the time if they had more than one thing (the mussels) worth ordering on the menu.
Nov 10, 2008
Photo of RoryGilmore
Reviewed by RoryGilmore from Washington

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
After going to the Capitol Hill location about 20-25 times, circumstance has forced me to try out the Tangletown location a few times.

Atmosphere is OK, seems a bit more "yuppie" than I expected for a brewpub, especially compared to the Capitol Hill location. I can see how some people might prefer this location, but it just misses the mark for me.

Beer was what you would expect from Elysian. Everything I've sampled has been good and fresh.

Selection is pretty good with all of the standard Elysian brews (IPA, porter, esb, stout) and a bunch of seasonals. Also, they had at least 3 guest taps. Pretty good selection, but again, not quite the selection of Capitol Hill.

Food, as voted by myself and others, isn't quite as good as Cap Hill. I found it to be quite bland and unremarkable. Nothing offensive, but not good either. The menu is smaller here as well.

In both my visits the service has been really slow, even though the restaurant wasn't particularly busy.

Tangletown is not a bad place, but, like their food, is bland and unremarkable. Fortunately, they have a good selection of quality beer and is an adequate substitute if you can't get over to The Hill.
Aug 19, 2008
Photo of shivtim
Reviewed by shivtim from Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
A nice airy joint in a beautiful (probably expensive) neighborhood just south of Green Lake. The big garage door in front was open, letting in the nice spring air. The walls are bright yellow, and everything is clean and looks new. Seemed to be some regulars at the bar as well as a couple of groups eating at the tables. Service was great, I was served right away and offered free samples. Selection was interesting, including one on cask, and the prices were just right. Glad I stopped by here for a bit.
Mar 28, 2007
Photo of benito
Reviewed by benito from Oregon

3.3/5  rDev -16.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 2
Tangletown is a couple-of-blocks commercial district plum in the middle of residential neighborhoods, a short walk away from the shores of Greenwood Lake. Elysian's Tangletown location is an open, breezy street-corner pub that was packed to the brim on the Friday night I visited. The tables located along the edge of the pub near the open garage doors are especially nice as they afford a half-indoor/half-outdoor feel and blend seamlessly into the street outside.

The pub has a classy feel, though it avoids being pretentious, remaining firmly rooted in its brewpub roots. The Elysian beers are excellent across the board--their ESB and Porter are exemplary brews, as is their Pale Ale. In addition to some of these mainstays, my friends and I tried their weizenbock and dubbel, both of which were quite tasty.

My only gripes here were the overall quality of service and food. As I said before, this place was busy on Friday, but the service seemed overwhelmed, taking twenty plus minutes to get us our first round of drinks after sitting down. As for the food, the menu (as other reviewers point out) is a little scatterbrained. It's a small menu that eschews typical pub fare in favor of some more interesting combinations (bbq chicken plate, pork chili verde, brie and pesto sandwich), yet the flavors don't really hold together that well and both my dish (the pork) and my friend's (the chicken) were, for lack of any better description, bland.

The Tangletown Pub is worth a look for its atmosphere and for an introduction to Elysian's delicious beers, but a worldclass brewpub it is not. In the future, I'll stick to Elysian's bombers or check out their original pub.
Jun 13, 2006
Photo of kolbe
Reviewed by kolbe from Washington

4.68/5  rDev +18.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I'll admit my bias, as I consider Tangletown my local place, living 2 blocks from it. However, there are a couple other places just as close, and I choose Tangletown. Why? It's great!

Elysian really does a fantastic job with their beers. Facing the bar, the taps on the left are Elysian standards ... Pilsner, Pale, ESB, IPA, Porter, Stout, their Cyclops Barleywine, and Snoqualmie's Avalanche. Their IPA is fabulous, and their nitro stout is creamy and wonderful. As a matter of fact, the Elysian beers are amazing from a cask as well, and you can enjoy two rotating casks at Tangletown, Stout and ESB as of this writing. The taps on the right are a rotating mixture of Elysian one-offs and guest brews from the world 'round. As of this writing, you can find Elysian's Great Pumpkin, St Feuillien's incredible Cuvée De Noël, Elysian's Bifröst Winter Ale, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Water Street Burr's Frosty Winter, Elysian's outstanding Minotaur dark lager (a smokey, complex beast that I will miss dearly), and Taunton-Blackthorn cider on the end to round things out.

Food, yes, is a little bit expensive, but beers are quite reasonably priced, and you can enjoy a pitcher with your friends. Imported bottles are available if you have something specific you're after, and you can buy 22oz and 12oz 6-pack bottles of Elysian brews to take home with you if you don't want the party to stop when you walk out the door.

Tangletown employees are universally good folks, and you can tell 'em I said so. They're the ones with the beer, after all.
Jan 08, 2006
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Reviewed by jclovebrew from Washington

3.9/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3
Nice laid back comforable atmosphere. In a nice little neighborhood. Visited on a Friday afternoon. Most people were eating brunch; some were playing cards. Only had a chance to sample 2 of their beers (IPA - good, and Belgian-style golden - not so good). There were several more to choose from, including a cask and several commercial bottles and a few guest taps. On the friday afternoon had a cheddar burger. It was so-so at best. Went back for Sunday brunch and had eggs benedict. Tasty! I'd definately revisit this place next time I'm in Seattle.
Nov 07, 2005
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Reviewed by warmstorage from California

4.68/5  rDev +18.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I LOVED Elysian Tangletown, and it allowed me to drink Elysian's fantastic beers in an entirely non-smoking atmosphere, which allowed me to taste them again. Unless and until Washington voters eliminate smoking in bars, I simply won't return to the Capitol Hill location, and will send all my Elysian business here.

Atmosphere: I liked it, a lot. Unlike the other two reviews, it wasn't loud or crowded at all on the night we visited (8pm on a Monday night, Halloween night.) Many of the tables were busy, but the noise level was fine, and at no point did we see anyone wait for a table. The mood of the place is slightly upscale-ish (red velvet curtains/wallhangings and dim offset lighting), but we were fine in jeans and fleece. The crowd is definitely not as young and loud as the Capitol Hill location, and is more people having dinner (with a functionally similar menu to the other location) than solely drinking. This is my kind of place, and we'l be going back -- a lot. I almost want to give it a 5 for atmosphere, but I realize this is in comparison with Elysian Capitol Hill, and I want to try to be more reasonable than that.

It's also a lot smaller than the other location: there is a dining room as you walk in with maybe 12-15 tables, mostly four-tops; then another half a dozen tables in the bar area to the right, and a short bar with 4-6 stools. My friend said there was an upstairs eating area too, but I think she was drunk with this observation, and meant the bar area (which is up one step.)

The service was outstanding: the bartender was hustling his ass off all around the place, with only one other server/barback to help, and doing an amazing job of it. He was on the spot with water, beers, food, everything, and friendly and engaging to boot. He brought out unrequested samplers, and I'm awfully glad he did: I wanted to (re)taste the Dragonstooth Stout, as it had been a while, and he also brought out the Pumpkin Stout, which was AMAZING. I had just had this beer (lots of it) nights before at Elysian Capitol Hill, and I guess the intense smoke in that location kept me from appreciating how delicious it is: thick, sweet, spicy, cinnamon-y, roasty, declicious goodness.

Which leads me into the beer: they had three different pumpkin beers on, all excellent, especially the incredible Pumpkin Stout. I was sent into near fits by the Cyclops barleywine, which made me want to write home, cry, and sing all at the same time. The Bifrost winter ale was excellent. Boy, if we didn't have to drive...

The food was tasty and fresh, if a little on the spendy and high-concept side. Not super expensive, but high for what I want to pay for brewpub food (it was average $8.95 sandwiches, for example.) Beer is more reasonably priced: 10 ounce glass of barleywine $3.75; pints of Pumpkin Stout $3.75; pints of Bifrost (considered a strong ale) $4.25.

The selection was excellent: all of what Capitol Hill has to offer, plus a couple (including a Belgian style that I didn't taste and forget.) And parking is easier than at Capitol Hill. And the service is better. And the place doesn't stink like s&#t from smoke. Better, better, better all around, and damn good in its own right. We'll definitely return.
Nov 03, 2005
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Reviewed by czechsaaz from Washington

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Based on two visits, one a Friday night end of happy hour start of dinner rush. Very crowded and pretty loud. Place was hopping but our orders came in reasonable time and we weren't rushed to turn over the table lingering over another pint after eating. Second trip was on a weekday afternoon and it was pretty quiet. Couple of what must have been regulars at the bar and me. Bartender and the folks hanging out were very friendly, usual bar-type small talk ensued.

The bar area here is very small, most of the room is dinning tables. I can imagine that it's not a comfortable bar when it gets crowded, not too many seats, not much standing room either.

They have mostly their own beer (or from their much bigger place in Capitol Hill). They have a guest tap or two (It's Saison DuPont when I was there.) But their beers are really good. Don't know what a yuzu is supposed to taste like but the Yuzu Belgian Triple is pretty outstanding. Liked the pumpkin beer a lot too. In fact, the only beer of Elysian's I don't care for is the Elysian Fields Pale Ale. It's fine, just middle of the road.

Anyway, pretty good food. I had a jazzed up grilled cheese sandwich on one visit and a good salad the next. Both were tasty and reasonably priced.
Oct 11, 2005
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Reviewed by jreitman from California

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Very upscale atmosphere in a way but it is fairly appropriate for the neighborhood. One major complaint I had was that it was incredibly load and impersonal. Food selection was all over the place style wise with some very interesting selections but still had a limited number of entree's. Beer is what Tangletown is all about. The sister brewery at the Elysian is significantly larger and the smaller system at Tangletown is supposed to allow the brewer to do more experimental belgian style beers. Dick is a phenomanal brewer and his belgians are a real treat. Hopefully all will get worked out and the atmosphere can be tweaked a little.
Aug 18, 2003
Elysian Tangletown in Seattle, WA
Brewery rating: 3.67 out of 5 with 2 ratings