McMenamins Spar Cafe & Bar

07/13/06

Breakfast or Dinner, the Spar is a Great Choice!

by weatherboy

Even though Washington doesn't allow smoking anymore, the smoke shop/restaurant still has its history and its awesome food to rely on! Breakfasts at the Spar are second to none. They have two different kinds of bread, regular, or, for like $0.40 more, you can get their specialty bread that's crazy thick and really good! It serves breakfast, and dinner for that matter, just like any cafe would. It just does it with WAY better quality and in a truly awesome, historic environment. The Spar has been around since the turn of century and it is currently one of only two restaurants that use the artisian wells (the wells that yielded the water that made Olympia Beer famous) for their water supply. (The other restaurant is King Solomon's Reef, aka 'the reef') I find sitting at the cafe bar helps service go a little faster. Going later on at night for a late dinner is a good way to go as well, usually there are not a lot of people. Also, if you need some cigarettes or a good cigar, the smoke shop that's been the foundation of the establishment is still running right along the right side of the cafe!

• Pros: Great Food, Great Ambience, Good Service
• Cons: The smoking ban has taken some of the feel away from this historic smokeshop/restaurant

09/27/04

Ack!

by shawnzangel77

Being from oly and my wife from Wisconsin i thought we would stop in for dinner as a neat place as i remembered it.But when the food got to the table (Hot Turkey gravey sandwich)It was anything but hot the bread old and gravy horrid at best my wife didnt eat but first bite =(.My food was ok and i tried to swap plates to just make things go better..All i can say is if the kids they had working paid as much attention to the food as they did talking maybe this would be a place ya could eat at.And the street folks begging was also a downer.

• Pros: neat place, great to look at
• Cons: , horrid food, so so service

05/13/03

Breakfast homebase

by r0ht

They have the breakfast market down. Very traditional meals - like omelets and eggs/hashbrowns, toast/bagels, etc. Nothing that will blow you out of the water. I'd go here if I were visiting town with family/company because it feels like a fun restaurant.

The night time rules are terrible. If you just want coffee they will only give you 1 refill and rush you out asap. They have a strict booth price expectation, and aren't favorable to teens/kids w/out parents.

• Pros: tradition, smoke shop, not smokey
• Cons: rude to teens