4th Ave Ale House

First, they have the best Bloody Mary’s around, for a fair price. A little zing, a little spice, and plenty of the dog that bit ya last night. Bartenders are great people… bands on the weekend in a decent sized room, plenty of pool tables, and the crowd is real people… not pretentious hipsters. You find all kinds here, street gruffs, hotties, bikers, locals, metal heads, ancient ol’ bass turds, and their all pretty friendly. Food… meh, could be lots better, but there is plenty of food around the area. Good pours, good prices, good people, good music. My kinda joint.

Where exactly have the laid back people gone?
I know, let’s allow a motorcycle gang that doesn’t drink to post up outside and harass/​fight paying customers who just want to have a good time. This is a pathetic situation for Olympia to have and it doesn’t seem like the owner or people working at the bar care in the least. The police should have been out at least 4 separate times last night.
I’d say I would call them next time, but I will not be back.

Cold beer. Nice staff and place is full of locals. Need more?

Charged for a show with shitttty sound that was more annoying then anything, didn’t even pay the bands, made them stay by not unlocking the doors for gear even though two members were sick and lived an hour away. I’m a very angry person now. How dare you. Your place is dirty and you’re beer isn’t even that cold. I will never waste money on this place again, lesson learned… fyi I work as a server, have been a bar tender, and have worked at music venues. I’m a really pretty forgiving person but this is fucked up and basically theft.

Came here for a few drinks after brunch.
Typical dive bar — lots of pool tables in the back.
Laid back place with laid back people.

I came for a show and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I anticipated the bedazzled jeans and eclectic crowd, but other than that I have spent zero time in Olympia, so I had no frame of reference.
It is also hard to imagine what a show in an unfamiliar venue is like– will the sound be ok? Is the space so small and echo-​y that my ears will be ringing DURING the concert and not just after? Do they treat the bands okay?
Luckily, 4^th Ave Theater (which is what I heard it was called– am I wrong? Unilocal can’t be wrong, right?) came through on every count. I had pleasant interactions with staff– a pretty brunette was in the bathroom and warned me out of a stall. She cleaned it and was funny and helpful– later I learned she was one of the bartenders. Restroom checks on a busy show night spell stellar service.
The stage is in the back in a separate room past lots of pool tables and the bar and seating area. The sound booth is off to the right side of the stage, and the guy seemed like he was doing an okay job of both taking band requests on sound levels and setting things up. There is a ton of seating and a floor area in front of the stage for those kids who want to be up close to the action.
There is a walk-​up counter near the restrooms where you order food– I also had the pleasure of dealing with the cook, who kindly served me even though it was close to kitchen close and even delivered my food into the back show area. They take cash or you can add it to your tab. I wanted my tip on the food to go directly to the cook, and I’m sure my friendly bartender got it to him, but keep that in mind if you come. Garlic cheese fries are crinkle cut and really well seasoned, along with the perfect greasy accompaniment to a night of drinking. The hot wings were also delicious.

This place often has great bands booked with a pretty good sound system. This a casual dive that gets very busy. I tend to come when someone I know is playing. This is a place to come when you want to be around people on the weeknights. The days are good for meeting up with a friend or two for drinks or pool.

It’s a stellar spot. Comfortable and low key crowd to fend off the d-bags…I think. I’ve never been here past 8pm, so there’s a good chance this place could attract d-​bag unfriendliness, but it doesn’t have that vibe. Give it a shot.

Love this place, my people know this is my spot and chances are I’m going to be there any weekend night.
Love the staff Jim, Joe, T Bone, Alethea (spelling) Whit, Jeremy and the blonde cook…
But I don’t like going when the one cook is there. Makes me feel like a burden every time I try and order something. And I tip… I literally choose not to go when we know he’s there. Unfortunately it’s for football as well.
The one downfall is ONE cook. Definitely loses money when he’s there.

There’s not a whole lot to say. It’s a dive bar. It’s decent. They have beer. They have booze. Good lighting? Not too bright and not too dimmed. It’s a good size and seems like it would be good for accommodating large groups.
Interesting crowd outside. We watched one guy gently place some pliers on another guy’s nipple. Then I saw the second guy tear the pliers off his chest.
… So I’d say come here if you want to maybe drink heavily.

The 4^th Ave Ale House is just alright. It is a pretty big space that can accommodate live performances without feeling cramped. They have a decent selection of beer on tap, but the thing that really turned me off was the stale pint of Guinness I got. It must have been the bottom of the keg that was like a year old. I can’t fault them too much for that BUT with all of the other similar places nearby, this place is just OK.

We were hungry. It was Lakefair and Olympia was poppin off. The parade had ended. The streets were bustling with people. We were hot and a little tired. Refreshing beverages and some food was on the agenda.
«Excuse me,» someone behind us asks. «Do you know what time it is?»
A blonde girl on a BMX bike thanked us for the time and when we asked her what bar with food she would recommend us. She threw out some suggestions. We rejected where the «young kids like to go» and ended up here.
It is an interesting place with interesting people. Ordering drinks and ordering food are done at separate registers. A little different but whatever works, I guess. We had a booth seat near the entrance. I saw a clown order drinks. In the bathroom while I washed my hands, this woman walked in. I think she had a few too many.
«I think I’m going to beat him up,» she shouts at her friend who is in the other stall. «As soon as I find this toilet, I’m going to beat him up.» I can see why she would be confused. The door is camouflaged. The women’s bathroom is tiny enough that it is amazing there are two stalls. It gave me pause too and I hadn’t even started drinking yet.
The food was all right. I wasn’t expecting spectacular food. My gyro sandwich was all right. The crinkle fries (I LOVE crinkle fries) were the best part about the meal. The drinks were good. Gin and tonics are so refreshing in the summer.
Would I come back here again when I’m in Olymbia? Heck yea! Interesting people and good drinks. What’s not to like.

Love it. Best bartenders, tons of variety, Oly’s largest music venue, and local seasonal clams. Decent pub fare, lots of games. I own Last Word Books, the independent bookstore and print shop across the street, and we have affectionately dubbed the long table in the front window our ‘office.’ Good folks to have on your block, they defend their own, keep an eye on our turf and treat everyone fairly and neighborly.

After a very long day of adventures in Washington my friend and I decided it was time to sit down and get a drink to rewind and relax a little. I mean it was only like 7pm but hey its 10pm somewhere in the world right? So after getting off the bus we walked around Olympia to see what kind of shops and bars we could find.
We found 4^th ave and decided to give it a try. We walked in and the bartender looked at us and carded us immediately. I found this to be no surprise because a lot of people in the mainland look a lot older then we do at our age. I mean even catching the bus here in Washington; people thought we were youth (which worked out since we didn’t have to pay the adult fare! LOL).
So we sat down in a booth and decided to get a Midori Sour and STP. The bartender didn’t know what was in an STP. Luckily, I bartend in Hawai’i so I was able to tell him what to put in the drink. Then I wondered if an STP was just a local thing or if it’s a popular drink in the mainland as well. On the other hand STP is more like a club drink rather then a bar drink.
The atmosphere of this bar reminded me of a place you would find in Kalihi or Kanaohe. In other words, a bar full of locals in the area and a little rough and tough looking. Overall it was okay there, but personally I didn’t care for it too much.

4^th Ave Ale House & Eatery was something I had only seen at night, and in an extremely crowded situation. To belly up to the 4^th Avenue bar during the light of day was nothing short of a great treat.
The 4^th Ave has a fantastic jukebox, a huge room of pool tables, a predictable selection of domestic-​micros on tap, sandwiches, pull tabs, and of course — the infamous «back room.» This room is my favorite.
A full stage with plenty of tables suited for any local band to host the show of all shows. This just about covers all my bases, and makes the 4^th Avenue Tavern by far my favorite dive in Olympia.
Joe, The 4^th Ave’s 12-​year veteran bartender, chatted us up, asked questions about our day, talked Oly talk with us, and made sure our beers were as delicious as we expected them to be. We studied the dusty and aged paraphernalia taped to the back wall while a shower-​challenged man ate his sandwich next to us. He politely informed us that at the end of the bar sat the owner of the building and the owner of the tavern.
We felt as though we were in the presence of Oly-​celebrities, yet we were comfortable as though we were right at home.

What a dive, but I love it. The Tav is in the heart of Olympia yet it is the kinda place you can go if ya don’t wanna see anyone you know. I certainly enjoy an afternoon drink here on occasion.

Hmm, this is a tough one. I like the 4^th. I like the bartenders and I like the drinks. I just had one of the worst food experiences (without getting sick.)
I’ll start by saying I come here every once in a while, I tend to frequent other bars more, but I’ve been liking it more.
I had lunch here the other day, and it was pretty good bar food. I had a tasty burger-​dip and my wife had a bacon cheese burger which was also tasty. With tater-​tots which I always love. No complaints there.
Then comes tonight. I met up with a friend from out of town, and didn’t feel like coming home and cooking dinner. Went to the 4^th because we could get a cocktail or two and get food to go. Figured we’d try the pizza. (yes, I know there are a ton of tried and true pizza joints in town, Al Forno, you kick ass.) But I wanted a cocktail while I waited.
Got home, and saw some sort of pizza abortion, after waiting upwards of 35 minutes for it. I wouldn’t have minded the wait if it had been even decent. I may be thinking that my food was either made twice back there, or maybe the dough hadn’t been made yet? If the food isn’t ready, or you mess it up, please let me know, so I can make my own decision as to whether I want to continue waiting or not.
The crust is by far the worst crust I’ve ever had, and that includes the early attempts at my making my own crust at home. It was cracker thin, undercooked, incredibly floury, and just unacceptable. It was even ugly as sin. (see my pictures.)
The calzone I got was moist and doughy, and the ricotta was weird and grainy. (my wife is convinced it was cottage cheese.)
A place like this needs to concentrate on doing good bar food. Good, quality burgers, maybe have a variety of hot dogs, good french dips and other sandwiches. If you can’t do something even decently, take it off the menu and add something that you can do well.
I still like the 4^th, hence the three stars still, but I am very unhappy about this experience, and I hope that maybe someone reads this and gets those pizzas out of there so no one else has to have a ruined meal.

It is a fun place to hang out at the only problem i have is the cover charge to get in

Drink specials are cheap, the burgers are good, and they even have clams (steamed or fried) on the menu. They have pool tables, an air hockey table, and the most pinball machines I’ve seen together in one place so far in Olympia:
The Addams Family (Bally, 1992) — a lot of non-​working lights, very dirty playfield, weak kickout on the electric chair, and an occasional propensity to reset completely mid-​game for no apparent reason. Still fun and quite playable, however.
High Speed (Williams, 1986) — fine condition.
World Poker Tour (Stern, 2006) — fine condition. Disturbing backglass.
Warning: Avoid playing the pinball machines when the pool table closest to the street is in use. It’s too cramped, and if they’re polite, the pool players will have to come up with inventive new shots to get around you.

Many visits later, I am more of a fan. I am a semi-​regular, even.
Burgers are slidey and delicious. I like the green chile burger at Hannah’s better, but these are up there on the bar-​burger scale and highly customizable.