The Barrel Thief

My wife and I have been here several times for drinks. The selection of whiskey can’t be beat, with lots of choice for other spirits as well as beer and wine. I had the good fortune to organize a corporate event here as well, combining a mixology class with a light dinner and whiskey flights. The owner/​GM Christopher lead our class and gave phenomenal insights into some great cocktails from the simple Manhattan to the dangerous «Diplomatique Immunity.» We used local liquor from Mischief Distillery, and owners Mike and Patty came by to say hello. John also helped us out with great service. All in all there aren’t many places in Seattle with this combo of selection, service, knowledge, and friendliness. I can’t recommend The Barrel Thief more highly, for your own event or just a quick drink the next time you are in Fremont.

Came for a girls night and they had a tasting event — it was great! I loved the wines and even though it was busy, it was not annoyingly crowded. Highly recommended! I did not try the food, they did not have a very large menu — mostly appetisers.

every time we’ve been there it has been eerily quiet. Too quiet for an amazing bar! Staff are so helpful and knowledgeable. We love popping in here for a wine flight chosen by the sommeliers. Food is pretty good but needs a few more vegan options.

If I was a big drinker I would not have been so disappointed with the service and available beverage options. I am not. I attended a company holiday party here, and the catered cold appetizers provided were quite good, high end salamis, cheeses, roasted almonds, dolmas, hummus, and flat bread pizzas. However, their choice of non alcoholic drinks is almost non existent. I ordered a plain cranberry juice, and was given (no joke) plain water with red food coloring and a little bit of sweetener. I sent it back with a request for real juice, and was given a glass of concentrated food coloring and ascorbic acid, no detectable cranberry flavor whatsoever. I have had cranberry concentate before, and that was not it. The server actually said their ‘cranberry juice’ was a mix for the ‘starvation alley low-​calorie crowd,’ but that still doesn’t explain the lack of any cranberry content in their so called cranberry juice, or the lack of ANY lemon-​lime well soda (no sierra mist, no seven up, no sprite) whatsoever.
For my taste, this place was not worth the expense & the lack of any free or paid parking anywhere less than 6 blocks from the location on a mid-​week night. Only worth it if you don’t feel like you’ve had a good experience if you don’t pay at least 3 times what the food & service are worth.

This Fremont Bar is beyond well-​stocked for any lover of whisky or scotch. I popped in twice during my week in Fremont — once for a late night nightcap with my bestie (OMFG — GET THE CHOCOLATE PORT) and then had the room reserved for a larger get-​together on a Saturday afternoon.
The Barrel Thief was a gracious and friendly host to our rowdy crowd of 15+/- half a dozen kids of various ages. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the establishment as a kid-​friendly hang-​out spot, but they welcomed us with open arms on an otherwise quiet Saturday afternoon without complaint, and for this I will love them forever.
All food served is tapas style — we relished the dolmas, marcona nuts, truffles, olives (some of the best I’ve ever had) more chocolate port, and the notorious abundant plate of truffled popcorn. The flatbreads look delicious and were snarfed down by some of my gluten-​loving friends.
Whether hard spirits or wine is your jam, the Barrel Thief has enough varietals to keep you coming back for more. Don’t come expecting to get fed dinner, but do come for a tasty adult beverage over good conversation and maybe a bowl of popcorn to soak up your second (or third) drink.
And try the chocolate port. Seriously.
As a final note — if you do bring in a bunch of kids, even if it is a quiet afternoon, tip generously. It’s hard enough to integrate kids into U.S. American society without giving businesses a reason to turn away families.

A-​Okay bc while the food (popcorn and pizza) were delicious the service was S-​L-​O-​W! Poking your eye out with your fork kind of slow.

My friend and I went in for some HH after an afternoon around Fremont. What a cute place! I loved the lighting and the décor and I really enjoyed just looking around the place.
We grabbed a cozy booth and ordered some wine, stuffed grape leaves, and (huge) bowl of truffle popcorn. Service was friendly and my girlfriend and I had a really awesome time chatting away while munching on some yummy and light foods.
The menu looked like it had a large variety of whiskeys so I’d love to come back again and try a few of those!

This place has a really great whiskey list that is sure to make a hipster trying to be cool by ordering «something different» feel right at home. The service is always friendly, glassware smudge-​free, and close by to tons of other places if you need to have a progressive evening.

Went here before a concert at the Zoo. Service is great. Awesome selection of Whiskey and wine with good descriptions. Order the stuffed grape leaves which we good. Would definitely go back if in the mood for whiskey or wine. Not a huge menu selection but enough to keep the drinks coming. Service was the key here.

Got the «bulgogi style» meatballs. Taste nothing like bulgogi and one of the saltiest things I’ve ever eaten. I don’t know how the meat was because all I can taste is soy sauce.
The whiskey selection is nice. The wine seems to be a 5 oz pour.
Generally not impressed, and definitely won’t be back for food.

We sat on the patio which is narrow and can get a little crowded with everyone else there, but they allow dogs. I had the special cocktail, which was rum, coconut water and lemon. It sounds refreshing and light, which is exactly what I wanted for a hot day, but the cocktail had that very strong cane sugar taste. I didn’t care for it. My boyfriend and I shared the A Twist Pizza, which had fennel pollen salami, mozzarella, marinara and roasted garlic. The portion size is good for two people, but the crust was too thick for my liking. Plus, other than the fresh roasted garlic on it, I didn’t think it was anything special. I wouldn’t order this again — it reminded me of pizza you would get in the refrigerated aisle of QFC that’s premade.

Best wine by the glass selection I’ve ever seen, hands down. Due to their argon injecting pour system, they can keep the wine tasting great for longer, and don’t have to focus just on super popular wine.
The owner and staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable to boot, and the snacks are tasty, so definitely my favorite wine bar in town.

Great vibe and a great selection of wines by the glass… Simply amazing… Also a huge selection of wonderful craft beers and whiskey’s as well. We had the cheese platter and the meat platter and it was a perfect light lunch. Olives rocked too. Great happy hour place for sure!

Stopped by here with a friend the other night for a Tango night, which they apparently host occasionally. This is a small space but it’s really adorable; it’s a dark burgundy color with hanging plants and string lights from the ceilings, a medley of 2 – 4 toppers… cozy, kind of romantic.
I did not try the food here, but they do have an extensive whiskey and wine list — which I did put to the test and was not disappointed. The bartender was knowledgable and friendly, and didn’t flinch at my 15 minute 30 question hunt for «the» wine.

This place is great! I came here after work with some coworkers before dinner. There was a group of four of us and we each got a flight of scotch. I got the four region flight since I’ve always wanted to compare the different regions without having to buy a bottle from each. The glasses came out with about ½−2/3 of a shot on a cool plank. They also provided a glass of ice cubes and water with a dropper. I usually have it neat, but my coworker recommending dropping a few drops of water into the scotch. This completely changed the flavor! It released so much more flavor/​smell and altered the taste. Overall, the place was hip, dimly lit and the server was friendly. I’d come back for more scotch.

My Meetup group held a book swap in the Velvet Room at The Barrel Thief, and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience — the atmosphere is very social with lots of people eating, drinking, and being merry.
I didn’t plan on eating, but after seeing/​smelling everyone’s flatbread pizza, I caved it and bought the Tasty Pizza which was a nice cheesy delight.
The service was good considering we had 20 people in our party. Someone in our group mentioned that their Sunday brunch was pretty good, so I intend to check that out in the very near future. Whether it’s for brunch or drink, I’ll be back.

I just wrote a huge review and Unilocal accidentally deleted it, so that’s cool.
Short version: this place has a fun atmosphere but tends to be really busy (at least whenever I’ve been here). I had wine, but my friends with cocktails said they seemed a little small for the price. I ate the So Cheesy pizza and it was DELICIOUS save for the giant chunks of garlic on top (I love the flavor of garlic, but don’t need to eat massive pieces of it — but your mileage may vary). Service was sort of slow, but otherwise, it’s a neat little place and the pizza was delicious.

Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10am– 2pm!
There is a short list for brunch options, but don’t let this fool you. This restaurant offers fresh and delicious choices. I ordered the Belgian waffles «the works», which had the arugula, sausage, and an overeasy egg on top. Husband ordered a baked egg with chorizo, which had hearty amounts of meat and potatoes. And a Bloody Mary.
The Bloody Mary was $ 8 and the dishes were each $ 10. Good price for the quality of food that they use. It was enough to be full, but wish the drink was taller and used less ice.
The restaurant doesn’t have a tv, but a projector. So there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The setup of seating is pretty cool, when we came for brunch there was only one other couple. It may be safe to say that brunch is a new service here, but it was nice to try it out.

Happy Hour in the Bar: 6 drinks (2 of which were beers), one small sangria popsicle, and stuffed grape leaves appetizer… $ 80. Is it just me or is this slightly high?
The Barrel Thief is a comfortable, laid-​back bar, but the service (slow with only four tables to wait) and the cost just doesn’t warrant another visit… at least not anytime soon.

I admit that I’ve stopped in a couple of times and both times, I have been impressed. I’m glad they changed their name from Wine Tea Chocolate to something a little less clunky. You might miss them but they are located across from the Fremont Rocket and PCC.
They offer an all ages dining area and they also take reservations for meetings and parties. Their menu is vegan and gluten-​free friendly, with items clearly marked for folks to understand. HH happens from 4 to 6PM and all day on Tuesdays! If brunch is more your style, they have a weekend waffle brunch too from 10AM to 2PM.
A note on brunch, they make sweet and savoury Belgian Waffles. The savoury variety come either with chèvre, walla walla onions and tomato jam, or one with onions, Tasso ham, arugula, and a poached egg. Sweet waffles come several ways:
— plain with sweet butter and pure maple syrup
— granola and bourbon maple syrup
— blueberries, whipped cream, and maple syrup
If waffles don’t excite you, they have poached eggs, a pizzetta, and a protein plate with tofu, cannellini beans and kale!
They do free tastings throughout each month, check their website for the updates.