Amazing magical evening. The aerialist was stunning, the music was wonderful. The whole evening felt surreal. The bartender Ireland and Brantley made sure we were taken care of all night. High recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sabre One
No prices on the menu, even for basic beers and drinks. Menu was out of date.20% Auto-gratuity for groups of 5 or more.3% extra charge if you use a Credit Card.Service was ok, time to drinks was quiet long for a place that didn't seem super busy and 2 bar tenders. The theme was really just cheap decorations with some decent wall paintings. The chairs were not comfortable at all.The place really had no guide to what a speak easy was or the style of ordering. If you haven't been to one that gives you the rundown on how things work, you would be pretty lost like most my friends who just opted to order the basic cocktails and beers. If anything I would say this place is more of a restaurant then a real attempt at being a Speak Easy.There is food, but I didn't try any so can't be a judge on that.Overall, there is far better Speak Easy(s) out there.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 3
Britt Sylvester
Atmosphere/ambience, lighting, wall art, other décor are all PERFECT. 100%Service is VERY slow (though polite!) regardless of number of customers: last time I came on a Friday at 7:30pm when there were only 6 other tables in use, my party waited 30 minutes for the waiter to first show up just to say hello and take drink orders.Drinks are delightful (though they arrive an hour after you've first arrived).Haven't tried the food in over 7 years so no comment at this time.Summary: come only if you have LOTS of time and patience, and enjoy a classy view/ambience.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
Angel M. Esperas
What a cool place! Love the atmosphere. The server was great. I'd love to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Zachary Whitney
Nice atmosphere, plenty of seating. There are no prices listed in the menu and their beers are listed as “market price” which is weird for a bar. They also don’t split checks. Overall okay experience but we won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Matt Logan
The worst dirty martini I’ve had, unfortunately. Ordered a dirty gin martini and received something that tasted like a lukewarm mix of half vodka and half vermouth. Martinis should be ice cold and should not leave an aftertaste of rubbing alcohol. No olive juice flavor to be found. Server and host were friendly and service was great, just bad drinks. Also weirdly way too bright in there. Dim the lights!
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 3
Alex Lapenkou
"The Wrong Door"This place feels straight out of Kitchen Nightmares.Dirty glasses - checkVery slow kitchen - checkOverpriced - checkFirst off, it's not a speakeasy. It's effortless to find, with a huge sign on the wall pointing to the entrance. The entrance is simply a door, not hidden or anything. We were greeted by a very nice and welcoming waiter, who, I admit, was the best part of the experience - a kind and polite person. The menu had some mocktails hastily taped over, so three or four of them were unavailable, depending on the menu.One hour in, we received our appetizers - baked brie, truffle fries, and baguette with butter. They were, at most, okay, absolutely nothing special. The baguette was cold and pre-cut, giving the impression that it had been purchased from a nearby grocery store. It didn't seem to require much preparation to justify its cost or the time it took to bring it to our table. At about the 1:45 mark, we got the main dishes. Boy, were they bad. Many ingredients in most dishes had been changed without notice; the salad didn't even resemble the one on the menu. The burger tasted okay, but it was, again, nothing special - somewhat like a Big Tasty, with added mushrooms and bell peppers. The bun seemed like it came from a grocery store, and the patty was pre-frozen.The cocktails were $16.99 each. The one I ordered looked and tasted like a batch cocktail, and it fell short in terms of both taste and strength.I have no clue how this place is still afloat. It's so subpar, not even half as decent as other places in Seattle we've been to. What's even worse - the prices do not reflect that, they set the expectations pretty high. It was painful and infuriating to be there, and I've never left a restaurant or bar so unsatisfied. We were given some concessions - two menu items with mismatched ingredients were taken off the bill, and we were given desserts at no charge. Unfortunately, this didn't help to fix the overall unpleasant experience we had that night.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Saba Z
Overall it was a different experience than the usual bar/restaurants in Seattle. The service was very slow I don’t know if it was a one time thing or it is their norm.The food was just fine but the drinks were very good.The decor and atmosphere of the place is great. I would definitely recommend to try it at least once just for the beautiful place and drinks! Not the food so much though.I would recommend the baked Brie and gimlet ?Vegetarian options: There is beyond burger on the menu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Demi Marsh
We rented the entire place for our rehearsal dinner (before wedding), we talked to them about service how slow it was (as you can see from all reviews) and was guaranteed that wouldn’t be an issue as you can see in reviews it’s slow been there 3 times and it’s beyond terrible service, well it was bad and even worse than usual. My own brother never got his food, he asked where his food was several times and they kicked him out, he was one walking me down aisle the next day. He left since he was starving and after 9PM and not once did I get an apology from this restaurant. Service was beyond awful!! We paid for entertainment to come and for night to be awesome for guests and they blew it again, don’t rent this venue out if you want to eat or drink. It’s too bad because the venue is cool but service just kills it and just not worth it. Awful awful service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Amanda Camp
This is one of my favorite places to take my friends visiting Seattle. The atmosphere is incredible, the service is always top notch and the drinks are perfect.If you get the chance, do the bartender picks option. The staff asks you a few questions and the bartender creates a drink based on your responses. I've never been disappointed by the results. This is a must stop in your Fremont experience!
Fun place to hang out that you don't have to talk over the din. The drinks are fun, well priced and delicious!
Aubrey S.
I just love to escape here. On Thursday nights you can see an aerialist perform from the ceiling, where else can you see that? And now I just learned that David James a local guitar and vocalist performs every Wednesday night at the Backdoor. If you have not experienced this marvelous gem, you need to make it a point to come in. The cocktails are always spot on, and the food makes it a perfect outing. Make sure to check the website for upcoming adventures, they host a wide variety of different events. The Backdoor is always a great place to visit!
Jann H.
Initially the waitress was immediately unpleasant. Our party arrived and was underway. Nice singer/guitarist mostly 70's music. Truffle fries were amazing. Smoked olives were great but didn't pair well with mozzerella. We had choice of three meals. Salmon was dry and overcooked. Worse yet, sirloin steak was cold, dry, overcooked and extremely salty making it inedible. The mini potatoes were undercooked an sad two little carrots were overcooked and shriveled up. Worst dinner I've had in years!Dessert of cheesecake was delicious. Bartender was really great.I suppose if you are going for cocktails and apps the ambiance is fun.
Kendra S.
Second time we came here and we're underwhelmed. The food is not very good and the cocktails are overpriced. Giving it back one star for the friendly staff and cool ambiance, but we will not be returning.
Jane Arge
Understaffed...close to an hour to get a refreshment meeting table of friends. Food never came, server would run away / hide... settled up and left impossible ugly experience on a Saturday eve. Too bad, I wanted to enjoy place w my friends.
Amazing magical evening. The aerialist was stunning, the music was wonderful. The whole evening felt surreal. The bartender Ireland and Brantley made sure we were taken care of all night. High recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
No prices on the menu, even for basic beers and drinks. Menu was out of date.20% Auto-gratuity for groups of 5 or more.3% extra charge if you use a Credit Card.Service was ok, time to drinks was quiet long for a place that didn't seem super busy and 2 bar tenders. The theme was really just cheap decorations with some decent wall paintings. The chairs were not comfortable at all.The place really had no guide to what a speak easy was or the style of ordering. If you haven't been to one that gives you the rundown on how things work, you would be pretty lost like most my friends who just opted to order the basic cocktails and beers. If anything I would say this place is more of a restaurant then a real attempt at being a Speak Easy.There is food, but I didn't try any so can't be a judge on that.Overall, there is far better Speak Easy(s) out there.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere/ambience, lighting, wall art, other décor are all PERFECT. 100%Service is VERY slow (though polite!) regardless of number of customers: last time I came on a Friday at 7:30pm when there were only 6 other tables in use, my party waited 30 minutes for the waiter to first show up just to say hello and take drink orders.Drinks are delightful (though they arrive an hour after you've first arrived).Haven't tried the food in over 7 years so no comment at this time.Summary: come only if you have LOTS of time and patience, and enjoy a classy view/ambience.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
What a cool place! Love the atmosphere. The server was great. I'd love to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Nice atmosphere, plenty of seating. There are no prices listed in the menu and their beers are listed as “market price” which is weird for a bar. They also don’t split checks. Overall okay experience but we won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
The worst dirty martini I’ve had, unfortunately. Ordered a dirty gin martini and received something that tasted like a lukewarm mix of half vodka and half vermouth. Martinis should be ice cold and should not leave an aftertaste of rubbing alcohol. No olive juice flavor to be found. Server and host were friendly and service was great, just bad drinks. Also weirdly way too bright in there. Dim the lights!
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 3
"The Wrong Door"This place feels straight out of Kitchen Nightmares.Dirty glasses - checkVery slow kitchen - checkOverpriced - checkFirst off, it's not a speakeasy. It's effortless to find, with a huge sign on the wall pointing to the entrance. The entrance is simply a door, not hidden or anything. We were greeted by a very nice and welcoming waiter, who, I admit, was the best part of the experience - a kind and polite person. The menu had some mocktails hastily taped over, so three or four of them were unavailable, depending on the menu.One hour in, we received our appetizers - baked brie, truffle fries, and baguette with butter. They were, at most, okay, absolutely nothing special. The baguette was cold and pre-cut, giving the impression that it had been purchased from a nearby grocery store. It didn't seem to require much preparation to justify its cost or the time it took to bring it to our table. At about the 1:45 mark, we got the main dishes. Boy, were they bad. Many ingredients in most dishes had been changed without notice; the salad didn't even resemble the one on the menu. The burger tasted okay, but it was, again, nothing special - somewhat like a Big Tasty, with added mushrooms and bell peppers. The bun seemed like it came from a grocery store, and the patty was pre-frozen.The cocktails were $16.99 each. The one I ordered looked and tasted like a batch cocktail, and it fell short in terms of both taste and strength.I have no clue how this place is still afloat. It's so subpar, not even half as decent as other places in Seattle we've been to. What's even worse - the prices do not reflect that, they set the expectations pretty high. It was painful and infuriating to be there, and I've never left a restaurant or bar so unsatisfied. We were given some concessions - two menu items with mismatched ingredients were taken off the bill, and we were given desserts at no charge. Unfortunately, this didn't help to fix the overall unpleasant experience we had that night.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Overall it was a different experience than the usual bar/restaurants in Seattle. The service was very slow I don’t know if it was a one time thing or it is their norm.The food was just fine but the drinks were very good.The decor and atmosphere of the place is great. I would definitely recommend to try it at least once just for the beautiful place and drinks! Not the food so much though.I would recommend the baked Brie and gimlet ?Vegetarian options: There is beyond burger on the menu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
We rented the entire place for our rehearsal dinner (before wedding), we talked to them about service how slow it was (as you can see from all reviews) and was guaranteed that wouldn’t be an issue as you can see in reviews it’s slow been there 3 times and it’s beyond terrible service, well it was bad and even worse than usual. My own brother never got his food, he asked where his food was several times and they kicked him out, he was one walking me down aisle the next day. He left since he was starving and after 9PM and not once did I get an apology from this restaurant. Service was beyond awful!! We paid for entertainment to come and for night to be awesome for guests and they blew it again, don’t rent this venue out if you want to eat or drink. It’s too bad because the venue is cool but service just kills it and just not worth it. Awful awful service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
This is one of my favorite places to take my friends visiting Seattle. The atmosphere is incredible, the service is always top notch and the drinks are perfect.If you get the chance, do the bartender picks option. The staff asks you a few questions and the bartender creates a drink based on your responses. I've never been disappointed by the results. This is a must stop in your Fremont experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Fun place to hang out that you don't have to talk over the din. The drinks are fun, well priced and delicious!
I just love to escape here. On Thursday nights you can see an aerialist perform from the ceiling, where else can you see that? And now I just learned that David James a local guitar and vocalist performs every Wednesday night at the Backdoor. If you have not experienced this marvelous gem, you need to make it a point to come in. The cocktails are always spot on, and the food makes it a perfect outing. Make sure to check the website for upcoming adventures, they host a wide variety of different events. The Backdoor is always a great place to visit!
Initially the waitress was immediately unpleasant. Our party arrived and was underway. Nice singer/guitarist mostly 70's music. Truffle fries were amazing. Smoked olives were great but didn't pair well with mozzerella. We had choice of three meals. Salmon was dry and overcooked. Worse yet, sirloin steak was cold, dry, overcooked and extremely salty making it inedible. The mini potatoes were undercooked an sad two little carrots were overcooked and shriveled up. Worst dinner I've had in years!Dessert of cheesecake was delicious. Bartender was really great.I suppose if you are going for cocktails and apps the ambiance is fun.
Second time we came here and we're underwhelmed. The food is not very good and the cocktails are overpriced. Giving it back one star for the friendly staff and cool ambiance, but we will not be returning.
Understaffed...close to an hour to get a refreshment meeting table of friends. Food never came, server would run away / hide... settled up and left impossible ugly experience on a Saturday eve. Too bad, I wanted to enjoy place w my friends.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1