Nectar Lounge

From emailing Lana about a special request, to Abby answering some questions and offering advice at the ticket counter. Katie at the main bar and her brother, Charlie helping us out upstairs, the staff at this local hidden jewel was off the charts.
Got a chance to see the PNW’s own, Chastity Belt, tonight and had a stellar experience.
Easy to see stage… perfect for me and my similarly sized 5’2″ friends.
Strong, reasonably priced drinks. Who’s heard of such a thing in a Seattle live music club?!?
But the shocker???
Their bar food, didn’t make me want to barf food. It was everything you need in a love music venue… tasty, fast, $ 10 or less.
At a time when the game plan is to have several drinks food is critical.
The Holy Pepperoni 10″ pizza, nachos, tacos brought a smile and some needed carbs.
Great band, great staff, best small venue in this town, since relocating.
We will all be back.
Thanks, Nectar for nailing it.

Absolutely love this venue! It’s not too big, you can chill inside or outside, and the staff is friendly =) Total fan of this place to watch shows!

There are a lot of places in Seattle to see a show. This is one of the best. Why? Well, it’s:
Intimate — the size is such that you’re never far from the stage. The only downer to this is that it gets PACKED and that makes it hard to move around.
Divey — This venue has a dive feel to it, but they pull top notch acts. So you get the quality music and sound, but with a less pretentious feel. Also, the drinks are cheap and STIFF.
Comfortable — The vibe here is laid back (at least for the shows I’ve been to). That’s what I want when I’m headed out to enjoy music.
Got a great patio — The patio is awesome. It’s large, they have a hidden bar out there which always has less of a line than the bar inside, and the roll-​up door means that those outside can enjoy the show too, with even more elbow room. And they have heaters for cold nights.
Got a balcony — which can be a good place to post up.
In a good location — Which makes attending shows easier. I don’t have to battle downtown bullshit to get to my show. I mean, on weekends, Fremont has its fair share of BS. But it’s not as bad.
Yup. I dig this venue.

Nectar Lounge is great… mostly because of the great names they bring to town. Acts that you won’t see elsewhere. They tend to draw a lot of reggae, electronic, and an eclectic mix. These bands tend to have smaller but really loyal followings. Some of the best music I’ve witnessed in Seattle has been here. The only reason I give it 4 stars is because the dance floor is pretty small and tends to get very crowded by the main act. That can be fun and high energy, but not a lot of room for dancing.

I went for TRL night with a few girls and I. The music was amazing. All the throwback hits had me singing and dancing all night long! The bartenders were so friendly and not once did they give off an annoyed attitude. I’m not a fan of their $ 7 cover, I don’t think it should be that price. I mean it’s not even downtown. Most places in Capitol Hill do $ 5 cover and the places are more high end. The crowd at nectar that night was late 20s-​early 30s. Most people looked like they were in a relationship. There was like no diversity at this bar which was my biggest disappointment but i don’t hold this against the establishment.

Came here by surprise and stumbled into this place to discover a few bands lined up to perform. Before all this started, I also started with a nice cocktail. So I thought. After one sip, I couldn’t take another. I think they really wanted me intoxicated so I’d lose my wallet in the middle of the night. Haha (joke)
My drink was just a glass full of gin with a slice of lime and a couple of mint leaves. There goes my first $ 10 bucks for a cocktail…
I didn’t like it so I went for a glass of very cold coke (the drink). To make this lounging more appealing, I also ordered a Margherita pizza and some nachos.
I have to say they were very busy attending to me because I had a lot of requests but I was also feeling good. I got my nachos and a little disappointed bcs the cheese was all dried up as if it had been sitting somewhere before it got to me. My pizza didn’t have basil. The waitress said that they had ran out of basil leaves and had nothing else to offer to make me smile.
Well, I didn’t have much to say but to suck it up and eat my plain cheese pizza with my stale nachos bcs I chose and really wanted to have a good time anyway. So there’s that…
On the flipside, this place is very open like a big garage with lots of windows. Staff was friendly and the vibe was really nice.
The bands delivered and I really had a great time despite some unexpected mishaps.
That was fun though. As always, I make the best of my night outs. Always!

I purchased a ticket for a show there. I lined up a little before 7 for a show that was supposed to have doors open at 8PM. After almost 9PM someone announced that they were delayed and would be opening in another thirty minutes, but there was no assurance when the show would start.
It was a work night and I decided to cut my loses as no one can be sure when the show would start (and I was having doubts there would even be a show).
I called the venue the following day and voice my concerns and asked for a refund. They woman on the other end decided to tell me all the ways that I was wrong and that is how it normally is at concerts. I told her I have been to several shows and (while they often do not start on time) the venues at least open when they say they are are. She took my information and said the owner would be in touch in the next day or two to see how they can make this right.
Here I am two months later with no return call, no refund or anything.
I will never go to another show at this dump and I would discourage others from going there as well.

I don’t really know what to say about this place. It’s okay I guess. There are several different seating options, an upstairs area, main area around the small dance floor, and an outside seating area. I was surprised that the inside section was so small. The furniture is a little run down and the place isn’t all that clean. We went to see a show with a DJ. I don’t know if it was the DJ that wasn’t very good or the acoustics but the sound was not impressive. They have some really interesting shoes going on here though but not sure if the venue is good enough to bring me back because it detracts from the experience.

Number one favorite place to see an up and coming band in Seattle. Open air patio makes for most excellent music listening experience.

So the Nectar Lounge has a nice feel to it, staff is friendly, ambience is nice. If you’re coming here to chill with people and don’t really care about the music that much, you should be fine.
If, however, you’re planning to come listen to an artist belt out your favourite tunes, please make sure to check how many goddamn opening acts there are. We came by to listen to Phutureprimitive, and were so super chuffed we even arrived ages early to get decent parking (there’s no street parking) — and we had to sit through two achingly long sets of some really average opening acts.
No offence to the openers, but I came to see Phutureprimitive. I’ve been to plenty of concerts before, but it took so long to get to the main event, I just upped and left. Seriously.

There aren’t too many places with a good dance floor in Fremont and Nectar has a decent one. The clientele will really vary depending on what band is playing. Reggae nights in the summer are so much fun with the patio open. Techno nights attract all kinds of interesting folk and good for people watching.
The bar is reasonable priced with average drinks. The bathrooms are yucky.
If not dancing, sit up in the balcony and enjoy the show and people watch.

Event advertised as «doors open at 8, show starts at 9». Been here since 8, the band was singing when we came in. They sang 2 songs and have been gone since. It is 10 PM and no sign of the band. The place is overpacked and full of weed smokers. I can bet they are over capacity. I would just like the band to start so I can get my money’s worth.
And oh, by the way… Food is horrible.

Great place to hang out. Nice small venue for shows. This place use to be an old factory. So it has these huge glass sectional garage doors that roll up the whole façade. Making your indoor dancing/​eating experience and outdoor one.

My personal favorite Live Music and Event venue in Seattle. Tucked away in downtown Fremont is the gem that is Nectar Lounge.
I discovered this place when I came back home from college 4 – 5 years ago. Has a fantastic dance floor. A sizeable balcony if you want to get away from all the dancing. Plus it has a giant garage door that opens up to a beautiful patio. For a smaller venue it has so much character and so many places to hang out.
Funk, 80’s Cover Bands, Total Request Live 90’s nights, Ska, Punk, Reggae. This venue does it all. Whenever your looking for something to do Nectar is a solid choice.
Always places to park around the venue. You get the vibe of a city venue without the craziness of downtown. Too many good memories of this place.

I came to the Nectar Lounge for the Love and Light and Pega5u5 show. I had never been here before so it was a good chance to check out a venue I had walked by several times before.
Pros:
Security/​front-​door was quick and efficient
Quick, knowledgeable, and helpful bartenders
Outside covered and heated patio/​smoking area
Drinks were inexpensive (I bought at least three drinks and even with tip, the tab was under $ 20 so was a pleasant surprise. I only mention this because somebody else had posted drinks were expensive?)
Plenty of parking nearby
Cons:
Dance area inside is a bit small during the winter months, but I’m sure in the summer when they open garage doors it’s much bigger and better.
Will be back again next time I’m slummin’ in Fremont! :)

I wish I could give Nectar «No Stars».
Talk about misleading information. I purchased tickets on line (TicketWeb) to go to a show that was advertised to begin at 8:00 pm. It didn’t say «Doors open at 8:00». Knowing this is a bar where bands generally start late, I arrived at 8:15 pm on ¹⁰⁄₁₄. Boy, was I surprised when i found out that the band did not start until 10:30 pm!!! I spoke to the «manager?» at the door — Michael B. He looked at their calendar and confirmed that the show was indeed listed at 8:00. I told him I was leaving and wanted a refund. Michael then very calmly told me, fine and to contact TicketWeb and they would refund my money. Well, today, after being on the phone for 30 minutes with TicketWeb they said 1. They never heard of Michael B. and 2. I should have read the very fine print that they don’t refund money.
C’mon Nectar. You showcase fine music in Fremont. How about some truth in advertising? I really wanted to see the band. Had I known it started at 10:30 pm, I would not have rushed through dinner and left friends to make it to the show just to sit around in Nectar’s bar for 2 – 3 hours. Seriously, people should not be drinking for 2 and half hours BEFORE the band starts. Oh yeah, the poster INSIDE Nectar said the warmup band started at 9:15, but when I walked by later in the evening after leaving Nectar — the warm up band did not start on time either.

I stumbled across this bar last night after leaving the arcade. As soon as I heard «Shakedown Street» blasting through the streets from a live band, I just had to check it out. I just had a ginger beer which was good. I was more about the music anyway. Great venue for smaller shows. It was packed and people were happy and dancing. Such a good vibe in there!!! This lounge was pretty large, but you could never tell from the outside. Check it out!

Summer outdoor area, fair bartenders, audience participation, a place you can be silly and intimate.
We’ve been here for Brazil Night and fundraisers. The most packed I have seen the place was on Mardi Gras. The acoustics are great! So much so that some people dance in the alley way. Depending on where you listen in the audience, it’s laid back and high energy at the same time. The crowd seems like a mix of free spirits and the timid, not the pushy, omg-I-can’t-believe-you-are-trying-to-see-the-same-thing-as-me-and-you’re-standing-next-to-me people that you get at some places like the Showbox.
The drinks are creative without having waaaay too many ingredients.
There is some interesting people watching through the gate and a taco truck across the street.
Jammin’

We’ve been Here a Few Times
And every time we’ve received excellent customer service!
The last time we came to See Fortunate Youth!
What A Blast It Was! All The bands were Outstanding! Only $ 10 to see Local Bands!
Not Bad :)
Definitely a spot to Check out if You like Live music and good Drinks :)
We’ll be coming here again
#NomadicMavericks

I have been to this place about 4 times now:
Halloween
2x Long Stride
Revenge of the Band Nerds III
Overall, I would say other than the changing talents, I am a fan! It is difficult to review an establishment based on the venue and not because of the performance of the groups. I will however say that the choices of entertainment has been mostly funk but, overall, very various which makes this establishment fun and keeps them innovative.
The setup of the downstairs/​upstairs/​and sometimes back door lot, gives this place lots of options for viewing and experiences. The bar has been organized and pretty straight forward. They have always taken care of me and never messed wrong with my drinks no matter what kind of object I order! ;)
The layout is pretty fun and lets smokers do their thing outside the front while drinking and still enjoying themselves as well. I am surprised on how much variety this place has with the size of it. Good job I say! and thanks for the good times.

I’ve been in the area before, but have never been here until the other night with some friends for a show that was held here. From the outside looking in, I was little surprised because it seemed a little small for a show, but there is an outdoor patio that opens up which adds more space and more ventilation which is good, since it was a little crowded in there.
I saw that they have an upstairs, which is nice if you’re here for a show and want to avoid the crowd below. I didn’t have much to drink here, but from what I remember it was good. They have food here which is a nice touch if you’re having a good time and want something to munch on, however I didn’t end up ordering anything here. (It was one of those nights where nothing there sounded good to me, but they have pizza and I usually LOVE pizza. It was an off night for me haha). Service was friendly, and it was nice that the staff would come around regularly to pick up any empty glasses.
It was overall a fun night, and would be fun to come to again for another show or hang out if I was in the area.

Love this place!
Great for live shows with a balcony upstairs and a great outdoor area for when the weather’s nice!
Don’t be afraid to be the DD for the group, drinks can add up pretty quick, especially if you’re there for a show!

There is not a bar venue in Seattle that I find worthy enough to pay a charge for, and maybe Nectar agreed because they negotiated on their own cover charge by 50%…a five dollars savings!
The night I came to Nectar, there were three bands of a range of genres. They all seemed to be good… This coming from a 45% sober customer. The drinks also seemed to be good… But again, 45% sober at that time.
If I were to come back, it’d be in the summer to for some patio action.

Nectar lounge is always a good time! They have an eclectic selection of live music showings that range from bluegrass to jazz fusion to hip hop. This combined with a big dance floor attached to a nice patio. Winning!
I took one star off because the bartenders are seriously slow. And the bar is sometimes understaffed on Friday nights (which is just. heinous). The average wait time for a drink has been anywhere between 15 – 25 minutes for me. And this is time spent not dancing.