King Cobra

King Cobra was great, but it has been closed for a few months. For live shows, head to Neumos, the Comet, Chop Suey, or the Crocodile.

Ok — I have to be honest … I wasn’t totally sober when I visited King Cobra. but I had a great, GREAT time!
I went with some friends who had just performed at El Corazon in SLU and we made our way up the hill to King Cobra with some other bands for an after party. The bartenders were really friendly and welcoming (maybe because we were 20 people deep and spending lots of money?). Either way I was impressed with their service and their willingness to take on such a loud, drunk group.
I just remember the bar itself being really cool on the inside and the patrons and employees were all cool too. I had a few shots so I can’t really comment on the quality of the cocktails but I had a good time and should really head back there again soon.

I had this place recommended to me as a «punk rock bar» that just might be what I’m after. And after a few visits: totally a swing and a miss.
First off, I don’t see where the term «punk» ever got put in the same sentence as this place. It’s a night club that happens to have rock shows and rock music on the loudspeakers when there aren’t bands playing. Compared to bars I would absolutely use «punk» to describe: Funhouse, Slim’s Last Chance… This place fails in the «punk» department.
Now on to the bar, and not my preconceived expectations of it. Whoever designed the interior failed miserably. This has to be the most uncomfortable, boring design for a place like it that i’ve ever seen. The beer selection is weak (which I let slide in bars that don’t actually suck), and to make matters worse you’re going to drink your crappy beer in a plastic cup. I did drink a lot of Jameson here one night, and that was fun (see my review of the hot dog stand that sits outside this place). And as someone who suffers from the «drink one, piss 3» problem with alcoholic drinks… Their bathroom situation is bad enough to make me not want to go there even if the bar was awesome. Waiting in line for the men’s room is NOT okay.
The crowd is really really… off. I know it’s capitol hill, and i know that alternative lifestyles flourish here, and I’m 100% on board with that, and fully support it. However, the crowds I’ve encountered at King Cobra have been the bottom of the barrel of said groups. I have run in to more rude snobby, holier than thou attitude people here than anywhere else I have been in Seattle. Oh, the bartenders haven’t exactly been friendly to me either.
Moral of the story: I’ve only had fun here when the Jameson made me not know any better. This has been one of my least favorite bars ever, hands down. It could certainly be enjoyable for the right people, but that people isn’t me.

One of my fave bars in town…
Never had any issues with this place. Great staff, usually good bands, and couldn’t be in a better location. Perfect staggering distance from home.
Perfect little punk rock club.

This place is a punk rock club, that’s it. So don’t complain bout not getting your goofy mixed drink you want or whatever, that’s not the reason to come here. I’ve played this venue a few times and seen a handful of shows, both on the stage and off, the sound is great. The sound guy knows his shit and is professional about doing it right.
Next time, get a fat tire in a can

King Cobra, King Cobra, King Cobra…
The highlight of my visit to King Cobra was the initial conversation with the overly aloof bartender:
Me: «Hi!»
Bartender: «What do you want?»
Me: «What kind of rums do you have?»
Bartender: «Crap, crap and Crapardi.»
Me: «Oh, really?»
Bartender: «Well, I don’t like rum.»
Me: «Oh, OK (insert frowning, the sad kind) Well. Can you make me a mojito?»
Bartender: «I don’t have mint.»
*Sigh* Then, they talk about women being difficult…
Me: «Well, do you have a drink menu?»
Bartender: «No. Whatever you see is what you get.»
*Eyeball the scarce selection of nothing special.*
Me: «OK. Can I have a glass of house red?»
Two minutes later, I get thrown a tiny, school cafeteria-​like, plastic glass with wine that makes airplanes quarter bottles of red to be stellar libations. Ryan kept on telling me «this is a dive, don’t expect much more.» But I’ve been to awesome dives with great liquor/​beer selections and thoughtful, kind service. This place is pretty cool inside – colorful and bright décor, and a nice stage – and we were there for the Emerald City Soul Club, which was a blast.
BUT if I have the chance to avoid this place, avoid will be. Or maybe, I’ll get a couple of absolutely wonderful drinks at the Hideout and then drag my chipper self to King Cobra, if the musical offering is good enough to keep me away from the bar.
Hasta nunca, King Cobra!

Went to see the Hockey-​Punk Combo The Hanson Brothers here a few nights ago. Decent club, with pretty good sound. Many seating options with a view of the stage for oldies like me who like my shows non-​contact. My old lady bought my drinks, so they were perfect!
Go see a show here, unless you have bad taste in music, then stay home and listen to «College Radio»
GRR

I love the vibe of this venue, especially the murals on the walls with the cool robots. I am still amazed though that it is not more popular considering it’s prime location between nuemos and the comet and then chop suey up the street. I feel like they need to brand themselves better in terms of what music they have coming through and really promote those happy hour specials.
I hope this venue takes off because I love the lounge areas, the bar layout and the lighting. They just need some more cohesion in terms of marketing.

This place is extremely nice compared to the blah exterior. I saw a live show here & the acoustics were awesome. Reminds me of a strip-​club slash jazz club combo. Nice plush upstairs area and a pretty diverse crowd.
Great nachos. The bathroom situation sucks. They have two, maybe three unisex single occupancy rooms. I waited in line so long I didn’t have to go anymore.

I’ll ruin the ending: neither Cobra Commander nor Venom made an appearance despite my inner child’s desperate wish. Beyond that I wasn’t really sure what to anticipate, require or request from a live music venue going by the name King Cobra.
I found myself here largely incidentally when joining a friend’s entourage for a $ 12 3-​act indie rock evening. I’m not sure whether it was the rumors I’d heard or the crowd I’d seen in the general vicinity outside while walking by on weekend evenings but I was expecting (dreading?) a relatively dingy and rundown dive bar with a hammed-​up snake theme.
Like the aforementioned dashed hope, that is not how it went down. This is an authentic-​feeling venue with an unobtrusive balcony area overlooking the stage, reminiscent of a few bars I went to for live music in New York, and far homier than a certain «reading room» across the street despite the subjective affinity I have for it. Sound quality was enjoyable: no earplugs needed and I could mostly discern lyrics.
I’m not sure how it would be to just hang out at the bar here and it very well may attract a different crowd at non-​show times but I would absolutely see a show here again. My biggest concern is not getting too attached — I just can’t see King Cobra triumphing in the good fight against G.I. Condo Developers.

The staff is all really nice. The drinks are surprisingly stiff. I stood up and was so surprised to be hit with a wall that knocked me off my heels. A security guard made sure my friends were taking care of me so that he didn’t have to kick me out… I realize now that I will have a two-​drink maximum at King Cobra.
SO. Not a place for lightweights, but I usually enjoy myself when I am here. The crowd is so mixed that it doesn’t feel clique-​ish like some other Capitol Hill bars.
My only complaint is that since they have been using the stage as a venue to host bands, sometimes there is a cover… and it’s usually pretty dead on those nights.

This review is based purely on one experience, but this episode was SO BAD that there’s no way I can recommend this place. The bouncers were incredibly ridiculous and unnecessary (I heard that the prior club had shootings which justified their presence). Other staff was totally rude and amateur.
I liked Kincora a lot and always welcome the presence of new bars on the hill. But despite the prime location and semi-​cool and odd layout (think RKCNDY mixed with the remenants of Manray) this place is a joke.

I would have only given this place 3 stars, it really didn’t impress me that much, but I had to give them an extra star for having Fat Tire in a can. Yes you heard me right, Fat Tire in a can! Now it doesn’t taste any better in a can but it’s just the fact that I could order my favorite beer in a can, I didn’t even know that was possible?!
We were at the Block Party and ducked into this place to see Champagne Champagne and it was a pretty good show. There were some moments that I wasn’t thrilled with but overall it was a good show. The stage and surrounding dance floor are pretty small and it got packed. There was a lot of bumping and bubble popping going on. The acoustics sounded pretty good but I was only a few feet from the stage so I can’t vouch for the back or the upstairs area.
The restrooms are private, which is nice but that means the lines are long, so plan accordingly.
I’ll have to go again to get a true «feel» for this place but it’s already impressed me with it having Fat Tire in a can, I know I’m obsessed!

Big place. Was here last night for the SSP (Seattle Semi-​Pro), which are an amateur wrestling gig. They tried… lordy, they tried… But the state has shut down their wrestling. So they filled it with fake drinking contests, strip tic-​tac-​toe, blah, blah, blah.
The venue itself had pricy drinks, but not oppressively so. It had good ventilation and floor space. Otherwise?
Meh.

There was a time in the Seattle scene when someone you knew (well, or maybe you dated their best friend for an hour, or maybe just by sight) would die every year. Seems like it would happen a lot in the summer. Sometimes it was many; 1993 — 1994 was particularly bad.
As we’ve grown-​up (cleaned-​up), our mortality rate has decreased markedly. It’s been a relief to say the least — nothing like watching your peers drop like flies to depress the living shit out of you. This Saturday was the first memorial show I have attended in many years. Ben McMillian of Skin Yard and GrunTruck fame died of complications related to his diabetes at 46. We’re moving on to natural causes kids.
Ehhh…enough with the sad parts.
King Cobra was a great venue to hold the Ben McMillian Memorial show — AKA Fogy Fest ’08, AKA LolapaGeezer, AKA FUCK WE ARE ALL GETTING SO OLD LETS SEE HOW LATE WE CAN STAY UP? I’ve seen this space in it’s many, many, many iterations and I have to say that I was most impressed with the face lift — great use of the lower space and the upper balcony — the sound was awesome and there was ample seating for tired old bones. And the Red Bull/​Rock Star — whatever the fuck it was — on the gun was a nice touch for the MANY in attendance who no longer imbibe.
The first two bands (Slippage and Kandi Coded) were great — new tunes, old faces. And then the headliners — Coffin Break. Heh. No new tunes as there have not been any in many years, the crowd singing along and Grandpa Pete playing the SHIT out of his guitar like he was 24 again, not fortymmpphmm… See what clean living can do for you?
RIP to Ben… a good night’s sleep for the rest of us.

I am still drunk…*HIC-UP*, whoa.
OK, after allowing myself my standard 3 drinks upon arrival so that several hours later I can drive home… I was not able to drive home. The drinks here are so stiff, they border on shots. So, good for the wallet, good for the kind of time you and your overly drunk friends have as well.
The bar has great floor plan, both up and downstairs… I also love that most of the bar stools are bolted down, keeps the crowd spread out…
Really enjoyed my time… Zzzzzzz…

I’m trying to think of a witty snake reference to go here — but nothing is coming to mind. Fuck it! Guys, this place is rad! It’s owned by the same guy who owned Kincora and staffed by a lot of the old Kincora staff, only it’s not like Kincora at all — and that’s a good thing. It’s not dirty, the seats aren’t broken and have springs that poke your ass and it doesn’t smell weird!
I don’t know if it was the name or what, but I imagined this place to be scary and dark with long-​haired, leather-​jacket wearing dudes in metal bands hanging out there. But, it wasn’t like it at all. Ok, maybe a couple of those dudes were in there somewhere. But, the décor was really cool and mod looking. A huge mural was painted behind the big white bar and neon lights lit the room. There were two pinball machines in the back — which helped add to the festive feel of this place.
And guess what?! Now you can add this place to your list of where to karaōke on the hill! I went last night (Wednesday) for King Cobra’s first (I think) karaōke night! It was the same VJ that hosts karaōke on Sunday nights at the Twilight Exit. Seems like it was the same crowd, too, which is fine by me! The bar was filled with a pretty diverse group — some who were just there to watch, some who were upstairs away from the crowd, some who were just there for the pinball, but most who wanted to dance and sing good songs (or in my case, bad songs — I chose Milli Vanilli). It was a more intimate karaōke experience — quite like the Twilight Exit — where people will come up and sing with you or high-​five you after you belt out an amazing song.
And, if you’re not already convinced this place sounds awesome, here’s a little bit of shinfo:
1. The drinks are strong and pretty cheap AND they have Strongbow!!! (the last part probably doesn’t excite anyone but me actually)
2. The bathrooms are REALLY clean and there is FOUR of them. 2 regular bathrooms with 2 stalls and 2 handicapped bathrooms (if you wanna bring a «friend»).
3. I got really, really drunk and managed to escape a hangover! Which could only mean two things, either I’m STILL drunk (which is possible) or their well vodka is a step up from Monarch. I’m guessing the latter. But, we’ll see.

Cool I like it… :)
We walked by to go to Boom again (it’s not worth waiting to be seated to get some noodles there am not doing it again.) and the place looked cool. I mean you can’t really see inside but we (my husband and I) both agreed that one guy hanging out in front was cool. So on the way back we stopped by.
The guy was actually the bouncer and gave us stamps on our wrists. Cool.
We only had a drink and didn’t stay long cause we didn’t plan to drink.
But
The space is really cool. The high ceiling, the long mezzanine across the bar, good lighting (for a bar), bunch of stools, a few lounge kinda seating, I was really impressed because the space actually had some character, it had –it’s still gonna look great 10 years later-​goodness. Not some modern clean no character shtuff.
What matters to me is the space, do I want to be there, or the place makes me want to get out of there asap, like Boom (my mouth is bad today,)
I can’t wait to go there to see some bands play. (I’ll assume it will be packed tho it’ll probably be worth it)

Great new Seattle bar! It has a bit of the rock’n’roll swagger of Ballard and the Funhouse coupled with a hip Capitol Hill crowd. They poor stiff drinks, have two bars (one on each floor), and I recognized bartenders from the Croc and Comet serving up the booze. There’s two pinball tables, Monster Bash and Funhouse (both great games!). King Cobra’s halfway transition from neon lit LA/​IKEA styled dance club (it was previously Sugar’s) to rock’n’roll club gives it sort of a Vegas strip club feel that I actually totally dig… the lighting ends up being pretty cool. They’ve been featuring tons of local band members and other people from the music community DJing until they get the live music happening and last night they had the place packed and rockin’!
I’m curious how it will be for live music when they start having shows, it looks like a much better layout/​set up than the Croc or Chop Suey, but around that size. It’s really nice to have big, clean bathrooms in a rock club instead of the completely destroyed ones in most clubs in town.

Tetsuo No Boyfriendo and I hit King Cobra around 9pm, opening night — there was food, drinks, the requisite hipsters, and a gaggle of fellers who kept tossing the phrase «douchebag bar» into every other sentence — whether warranted or not.
«Hey man, how did you get here tonight?»
«I told the cab driver to take me to the douchebag bar!»
«Damn, I’m hungry; don’t you miss Frites?»
«Yeah, their fries were better than those at any douchebag bar!»
«Igot a cat yesterday»
«Oh really»
«Yeah, i named it douchebag bar»
Patrons notwithstanding, I think I’ll like this joint. The stage area wasn’t ready yet, but I took a peek over the balcony and it looks good. Word has it that Jenny Bendel will be booking, and I recognized a bunch of staff from the Crocodile.
Drinks were strong and the music was loud. Here’s hoping…