Marcus’ Martini Heaven

Let me start by saying that I have been meaning to start Unilocaling for quite awhile now, because lord knows I am opinionated. I also fully appreciate a satisfying experience, but it takes a lot to wholly and completely disappoint me.
Marcus’ Martini «heaven» was most definitely the latter.
I went here this past Wednesday evening with my co-​workers (we are all in the food and beverage industry) and some other area bartenders. It was a super long day for everyone, and we wanted nothing more than to go grab a much-​deserved drink and literally throw lots of money at the bartender on duty.
That being said, I have never encountered a bigger jerk than the bartender on duty in my time in Seattle. He unequivocally angered every single one of us, and we are still upset 2 days later. He flat-​out ignored us to the point where three people left (that was $ 100 out the door for him,) was abrasive, rude, talked smack about us to his friends sitting at the bar, kicked us out half an hour before the posted 2am closing (he let his two friends stay,) and basically ruined our night. We are nice, polite, and tip overly well, so we didn’t understand what warranted this behavior.
One of my co-​workers spoke with a manager the next day, but was met with blank stares. Odd that they didn’t mind that the dude lost them probably a couple hundred dollars in business, not to mention he didn’t ring everything in. sketchy.
I could go on, but my blood is boiling. Please, go spend your money at one of the better bars in the area where you will be treated with a little appreciation for taking your business there.

Oh, whoa is me… one of the last remaining NON-​douchebag spots in Seattle has been destroyed. Destroyed by what I ASSUME are new owners. There are now crappy neon football beer signs in the window, inviting every tool from every sporting event who wanders by to come in, grab a stool, and pound their Bud Lights while discussing the latest NASCAR results… while in the booths sit various tools of the frat boy variety (the last time we went, 2 fights broke out). VERY disappointing, Marcus Martini. I realize you don’t give a crap because you’re probably making more money. But, just so you know… the ENTIRE local community is shaking their heads in disgust at you.

If you haven’t been to Marcus’ in the last 2 weeks you are missing out.
New menu, freshly painted bathrooms and no more stink!
If any of you are familiar with The Brooklyn Grinder or the original owner, Terry AKA The King of Sandwiches then you know the food is good.
He is now running the kitchen and brought in some of the Grinder favorites;
Sandwiches:
Italian Grinder
Meatball Hero
Eggplant Provolone Melt
Italian Cold Cut
Salads:
Caesar Salad
Italian Chop Salad
Along with new items such as;
Flat breads
Hand Tossed Pizza
Pastas
Eggplant Fries
Happy Hour menu is fantastic
Times 4pm-​7pm Mon-​Friday 6pm-​9pm on Saturday
$ 3.95 — Personal pizzas, Pasta’s (3 yummy kinds)
$ 2.95 — Caprese Salad, Caesar Salad
$ 1.95 — Eggplant Fries, Garlic Flatbread, French Fries
All kinds of drink specials
I think I have had everthing on the Happy hour this last week!
They are also open for lunch at 11am Mon-​Friday.
I have been going here for 12 years and its nice to see the place turning back around again, yeah!!!

It’s apparently closed on Sundays but was open for the Seahawks home game. I found three things strange: there was a dog sitting on a barstool at the bar (I could’ve sworn that the health department was cracking down on this, we didn’t get carded (we always do), and when a boy walked in (maybe 9 or 10 years old), the staff recognized him by name and treated him like a «regular» (I didn’t see him drinking any alcohol though — whew).
As for the drinks, I had a Cosmo and my hubby had a Classic — mine was like a less sweet, cranberry-​flavored lemon drop and I could have had a pitcher of it! We also shared the gyoza and edamame — both were quite yummy! It wasn’t happy hour so prices weren’t awesome, but still pretty decent.
The atmosphere was very relaxed (I was expecting a lounge-​type atmosphere) and reminded us of the bar in «It’s Sunny in Philadelphia» but a darker, slightly dingier version of it. I’d love to return for happy hour soon.

I’ve had Marcus’ bookmarked for months now, so the other day I was happy to learn that my friend was hosting her engagement party here.
It was a relatively slow night here (surprising since it WAS a Friday), which was good for us… it meant we didn’t have to worry about having enough seats, and proved to be a pretty darn decent place to hang out with a group.
I love the underground setting and I liked the fish tanks. The shape of the women’s bathroom was among the strangest I’ve ever seen!
Happy Hour Drinks: Their cheapest martini’s during regular hours (the $ 6 ones) were all $ 4 each. The dirty martini I had was fine and the Lightweight was okay, but disappointing because I could taste the grapefruit juice but not the cranberry. (Guess which one I prefer.) The wells were $ 3 and the beer was $ 1 off regular price. I was tempted by beer for a moment, but wasn’t into anything they had on tap. I believe it was Manny’s, Miller, and Guinness?
Happy Hour Food: We all loved the delicious (and super cheap!) tater tots and bites of spicy chicken… wings? The hummus was a-​ok and I liked that it came with a little side of tomato, cucumber, pepperoncini, and olives. The apps were definitely of the «perfect for sharing with a group» variety.
The one thing that was definitely keeping them at an A-​OK three stars for me was that I ordered a couple orders of tater tots, and they never arrived.
When I went to close out my tab, I saw that I was charged for them… and decided to say something about it. The bartender seemed to be taking a long while getting back to me… and then the female bartender that was acting as a kind-​of server the rest of the night came out. She apologized, said they took the tots AND one of my drinks off the bill, and said she hopes I come back again.
That last moment automatically bumped it up to four stars. I don’t visit Pioneer Square often so it’s not the best location for me, but I’ll be back!

The bathrooms were screwed up, the music was cranked, and they took Dave’s beer that he was only half-​done with. I guess last call means you don’t put your drink down?
Fail.

There is something about being in the actual Seattle underground that makes Marcus’ a fun place to be… Sometimes it smells a bit musty and therefore I have never had any food there but the martinis are stiff and the bartenders are on it. Also a great place to throw a party as it is usually not too crowded so it is great to fill it up with all of your friends!

So in all fairness, I was only here for about 15 minutes one night, but with good reason. A group of us stumbled in here on a Wednesday night around 9 or 10. There were maybe two other groups of people in there, who seemed to leave 10 minutes after we got there. The place had lots of great seating, and I could see it having potential. My issue with the place was the smell. Maybe it was just an off night, but the place definitely had a unique odor which was not making my drunken nose happy.
The place earns an extra star though for having jello shots and the waiter scraping the edges of the shot with a stick before serving them. It saved me from a stained finger! The bartender was definitely a nice guy! I felt bad that we left so quickly, but I really couldn’t stand the smell.

Good bar that would be a great bar if it weren’t always empty and weren’t in Pioneer Square. Seriously, I’ve been here 10 – 12 times at different times in the evening, on weekdays and on weekends and my friends and I are always 1 of maybe 2 or 3 groups in there. I don’t really understand why. It’s a fabulous lounge with a kind of retro 80s atmosphere and, yeah, some of the martinis are expensive, but the other mixed drinks are cheap-​o. The bartenders are nice and the music is awesome. I guess maybe Pioneer Square is just not the right neighborhood for this kind of place.
Martini happy hour can’t be beat, though. $ 3.75 for a classic martini? Yes, please. Highly recommended to start out your evening.

Well mixed drinks in just the right sort of place. Being a vodka drinker, myself, I’m a bit disappointed in the house cocktail menu, but not the bartending or selection. The sharable food is much tastier than you’d expect, which is handy for lightweights such as myself who must use some carbs for pacing.
Reviewers whinging about the price of drinks should probably think twice before visiting a place with «martini» IN THE NAME.

Stinky stinky stinky!
My favorite drink, a french 75, was $ 9! And it wan’t nearly as good as it is a Liberty, for about $ 7.
Bathroom was gross too.
Music unremarkable.
Good thing I was happy to be there w/​a friend I don’t get to see often & enjoyed time visiting w/​her & some other friends. And the bartender was nice.

I like my Manhattans, and the other half enjoys a gin martini, so we head down to Marcus’ occasionally. We were driven there last night after the Owl n’ Thistle girl ignored us for the last 20 minutes of Happy Hour. C’mon, it’s Friday night! My glass is empty! If you won’t fill it, I know Marcus will.
Their bourbon selection is okay – not the best I’ve seen, but better than average. The drinks are strong but balanced. Not watery – they don’t let the booze sit in the ice too long, some many places. The bartender didn’t blink at my request for a twist in my drink instead of a cherry. Shane got two olives in his martini – a bonus.
Some negatives: it’s often cold down there. Sometimes it smells weird. I love the 80’s, but more Duran Duran and less Bön Jovi. The crown can get a little frat, but no more and significantly less than the rest of Pioneer Square. I like to munch on stuff, and it seems difficult to get food there. Do they have food? They have to, with a full liquor license, right? Why can’t I think of a menu?

An interesting place I guess. Sort of hidden down a flight of stairs, but easy enough to find. I was surprised by the loud 80’s rock playing here; I figured it would be more of a lounge type place, but I guess I feel like the music is too loud wherever I go. Is too much to ask that the patrons can talk without putting mouth-​to-​ear? It’s not like there was a dance floor.
We went went here for a friends birthday, and it seemed like a pretty good deal for a martini specialty place — the basics were just 6 bucks. Unfortunately, my Manhattan was pretty sweet and I tried a friend’s dirty martini and they definitely don’t skimp on the olive juice, although I suppose that’s why I would never order one.
Maybe I just haven’t been to a downtown bar in awhile, but the guys here were on the prowl. I spent a lot of time playing, «Quick! Pretend you’re my boyfriend,» for the girls in my group. I just had fun people watching.

Yum Yummy Yum, Yum Yummy Yum, Yum Yum De-​Dum…
Holy nut sack, this place is a sugary climax in my mouth! Granted my gut is still not 100% so I nursed just one martini over the course of two hours, but also tried sips of other concoctions in my group and each one was delightful. The music playing was honest to god the best mix I’ve heard in a public venue quite possibly EVER (how’s that for a bold statement?), although it was playing so loudly that conversation with anyone more than two feet away was impossible (hence the star deducted in review). People were dancing in the open areas, which is always great fun to watch and hard not to join. Easy mingling with the bartenders and other customers while watching the shaky-​shaky action of martini madness being created. And I lucked out and found a great parking spot only a block away. Extra yummy!
Challenge to Marcus himself– create and sell those devil-​stemmed martini glasses drawn upon the martini menu, and you just may earn your fifth star back, my friend.

I use to have a friend who was unhappily married and all she ever wanted to do was go out and get drunk. Me being the good friend that I was and going though a period where I thought all men were lying cheating ass hole I would go with her, not to get drunk but to keep an eye on her and talk smack about men, she was not in a good place mentally after all.
There were three places she loved to go Fado’s, the Art Bar (RIP) and here. I can remember many a happy hour sitting in the dark dungeon like lounge sipping martini’s while she went on and on about how miserable she was because he never ever wanted to do anything.
I’ve spent a lot of time and money here over the years, and to be honest I like it better six seven years ago, now it’s just not the same, the martinis are and I still have one of my favorites every now and again… Appletini, Chocolate Cake, Cosmo, Dirty, French, Key Lime Pie, Pagan or the Pink Lemonade.
At happy hour and weekday evenings this place is ok. However Friday and Saturday evenings are not, there are too many douchbags in here so unless you yourself are a douchbag or you like douchbags don’t go here, otherwise by all means go check this place out on a Friday or Saturday evening.

CAN I POSSIBLY GET THE BEST DRINK EVER!!!
Me: can I get a grey goose soda?
bartender: *pours.mixes* here you go. 6 dollars?
Me: Sorry? How much?
Bartender: 6 dollars … do you want to close or open your tab *smiles at me*
Me: Open
— — — — — — - orders drinks all night long — — — — —
Me: Can I close my tab?
Bartender: prints tab…
Me: Signing. shit. Did I get the wrong tab… asks bartender. is this my tab?
Bartender: *shakes head* yup…
Me: Here’s a big tip…
I tell my friends about this. guys… just to see… yup. same thing!!!
How we love our great cheap tabs at Marcus’s…
They are wonderful and they can make anything … but I stick to the usual… vodka!!! :)
—- also. it’s really fun on fridays or saturdays… usually d.j. mullet is spinning the old cuts… awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee… and there is always good artwork on the walls… you can buy them too!!! during december the artwork was amazing.

I have to say that Marcus’s makes a mean «Decadence» martini, however, the simple fact that it’s in Pioneer Square makes me only want to visit on weekday eves. Because weekends in the square SUCK. (Read Michelle’s review)
Andy is a fantabulous bartender and he treats us right, the artwork is always funky, and the drinks themselves are creative and yummy, but location, location, LOCATION. Good for the people who like to drink in Pioneer Square. Not so good for those of us that are older and can’t deal w/​the stupidity there.

I adore the drinks and the atmosphere here for happy hours. I love secret, dark, chic little spots. The prices are absurd though, sorry have to say it (or maybe it’s because I will put down 5 of them and at $ 10 a pop it feels like a lot). Their foodstuffs are hilarious and yummy – a grilled pepper cheese sandwich? Oh hell yes. And after 5 martinis at a happy hour – a must. :)
Warning: do NOT try the peanut butter and jelly martini no matter how «fun» the bartender tells you it is. *stifles gag reflex*

All together now: Dark! Funky! Martinis!
Fun art on the walls, tanks o’ crazy tropical fish. I’ve never had the food here (appetziers out of a cold case, last time I was in), but I’ve had many a gimlet, dirty martini, etc., etc. I suppose the music is sometimes too loud, and I could quibble about what they’re playing, but I like the dark ambiance. And the happy hour prices. Did I mention the happy hour prices?
Considering that this place is surrounded by no-​spirits joints (Pioneer Square Hotel), weird «trattorias,» and other assorted not-​terribly-​satisfying places to drink, I like it even more.

It seems like Marcus’ has been our de facto meeting spot in Pioneer Square since I turned 21. I’ve had more than a few dozen of the martinis on their list as well as some of their food items. Yes, they actually have food. In general their drinks are good and there are lots of booths for you to converse — but try if you can to grab the couches right in front of the aquarium. Those are the cooshy spots. The music not too loud so you can hold a nice conversation, but there are nights with a DJ and the volume goes up quite a bit. The last few times I’ve been here, the place seems to be a little dead. So maybe this place is on its way out. Hopefully not, since I still consider it one of my regular stops in Pioneer Square.
4 stars for the good memories. 3 stars for lack of bodies inside.