The Swiss

The SwissThe Swiss
The SwissThe Swiss
Bar, Eatery

1904 S. Jefferson Ave.
Tacoma, Washington, 98402
United States

(253) 572-2821 | map
theswisspub.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.02
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
9
pDev:
13.93%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

3.65/5  rDev -9.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.5
Visited on a Monday night with a friend. They had some live music while we were there. Only two pool tables, but they were free to play (not sure if that was a Monday night deal or normal). Vibe is very much a bar that has several good beers, not a beer destination. Beer selection included the real regulars and a couple unusual ones (including real small breweries like Scamp).

Didn't try any food.
Jan 02, 2020
 
Rated: 4.08 by LordBezoar from Washington

Dec 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4.39 by erickc from Washington

Sep 07, 2017
 
Photo of bundtcake
Reviewed by bundtcake from Washington

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 3 | service: 5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
The guys who work the bar are really cool dudes. The bars been there forever. Look down at the bar and imagine spitting. They have old postings up in frames. There is a bunch of art on all the walls. There are some hanging accordions. Oh yeah and a bunch of Chihuly bongs. It is a deceptively big place. There are a bunch of different areas to sit and a stage. Some games in the back.

I've been stopping by here a lot lately. There are a lot of taps. IPA fans will find a lot of their standards. Unfortunately, they usually only keep one dark beer on tap, and most of the other beers are flagship beers of the usual breweries: Georgetown, Full Sail, Elysian Men's Room, Mac N Jacks etc. You know, stuff for those kind of people. Plus Pabst, Bud Lite, and so on. The mixed drinks are good if that's your thing.

Basically I like to go here when they have something I like on. They put the Wingman porter on, which I like. Lately they have had an M-T head keg or two, the porter and the IPA. So for a week or so I was drinking the porter. The food is solid. They have weirdly good tater tots. In the sense that its weird that one tater tot could be better than another. But somehow they are. They put some pepper on them I guess.

I think the biggest strength of the place is that there is a bunch of cool stuff to look at art-wise and history-wise, and the overall relaxed atmosphere created by the staff. The bartenders are all really nice.
May 11, 2013
Photo of Redrover
Reviewed by Redrover from Wisconsin

4.14/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
I was able to stop by the Swiss during my last visit to Tacoma. It is located near the Harmon & the Rock Pizza, mini pub-crawl anyone?

This is a nice older but well maintained building. There is a smallish terrace in front to enjoy the outdoors and the street scenes. You can access the terrace from several of the rooms.

Inside it is divided into several open and connected rooms that are separated by some nice decorative arches or old doors. The barroom has 15' high old tin ceilings, a simple but nice old back bar and some really neat decorations (art glass sculptures mixed with brewarania and stuffed animals). The walls are a couple shades of soothing greens and beige.

Approximately 36 taps with 5 macros but these include PBR and that old school favorite Oly! There are 8 European choices with the balance being Western US micros.

They have a friendly staff that was freely giving out samples. Great classic rock on the sound system (Steve Miller's Space Cowboy, Lou Reed, live George Harrison, etc.)

The Swiss attracts a friendly crowd with a wide age range represented, but mainly lots of students from the almost adjacent university.

I did not try the food on this visit, but they have an extensive blackboard menu & the dishes I saw go past looked and smelled good.
Jun 05, 2009
Photo of youradhere
Reviewed by youradhere from Washington

4.61/5  rDev +14.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Went here once as the first stop of many on a tour of Tacoma's finest with my AF supervisor. Large place, but it was dead at 1pm (yea we had an early start on the day) so service was immediate. A huuuge selection of tap beer, quite possibly the largest I've seen at a bar to date. I need to go back and try some of the more obscure ones. Great place, I bet this place is pretty popular during peak hours. I highly reccomend dropping by this place when in Tacoma. Great location too, its within walking distance of several other pub/eateries in the area, as well as its right next to a train station to take you places when you get drunk and lost (not really recommended from experience.)
Mar 06, 2008
Photo of barleywinefiend
Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

3.11/5  rDev -22.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.25 | service: 3 | selection: 2.75 | food: 3.5
Big place and the place to be on weekends. Next to Rock Pizza downtown Tacoma. Large college crowd from UW Tacoma here. Also a large local wateringhole. Everybody goes here, not just young crowd but everyone is welcome. Often has concerts on weekends, serves good food and has a few pool tables and games in the rear area. Located on a hill, parking is either pay or street if you get lucky enough. The beer selection is local favs and crap beer. You will find some trash
beer here and I question line cleanliness.I once loved this place and my wife liked it too. Great place and lots of good memories. Service at the bar from one certain female is always poor. Desserts are really good too.
Nov 24, 2007
Photo of eballard
Reviewed by eballard from Washington

3.43/5  rDev -14.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
This is a great bar to relax in. It’s an old building that is divided into three major sections. The first section has the main bar and a good amount of seating. The next has more seating and a stage and the third has pool tables and some other games. During the day this is a great place to have lunch. They have great sandwiches and you have to try the Spudnicks. They’re little seasoned potato chunks and they are wonderful for a snack. One of the greatest things about this place is the free pool. Like most bars it helps if you have your own queue but theirs rarely much of a wait to get a table. They have a good selection of beers on tap mostly standards and local favorites. This is a great bar to get a bite in for lunch or wind down in after a night on the town.
Aug 04, 2006
The Swiss in Tacoma, WA
Place rating: 4.02 out of 5 with 9 ratings