This was my first experience at a McMenamins property and we found it to be lots of fun! The Tacoma property is at the old Elks We explored all seven floors, five of which featured different bar/restaurants! All under one roof. We are in the main dining room, and then went down to the Old Hangout for after dinner drinks. We loved the artwork on every floor the unique chandeliers, and the eclectic atmosphere!
David
It started out really great. Waitress was super friendly. Then I think there was a shift change cause after we got our appetizers and drink from the first waitress, we waited around 40 minutes for someone to come back and take our food order. Plus the first waitress said cause it was my birthday she was gonna bring a little something out for me and that never happens since I guess her shift had changed.
Elliot
I use to love this place, but no longer. Last Dec. we waited 2.5 hours for 2 garden burgers and fries, that arrived soggy and cold. I chalked it down to being an extra busy night and gave them the benefit of the doubt, and decided to try again when they were less busy.... boy was I wrong. Went there again, this Sunday afternoon. Place was not busy, maybe 3 other tables. While the wait wasn't as long it was a good 40 min, which I could have understood, if the food didn't, yet again, arrive cold and salted fries after ordering no salt. Then after asking for a to-go box and a dessert to go, our waitress, Zoe, goes on break. Granted that is fine, she should go on a break if needed, but that doesn't mean your customers are on a break too, especially when you know they're ready to leave having asked for a box. That is on management, they should have taken over, got the dessert and cashed us out.... NOPE! We waited for 15 minutes until we finally went to the counter and asked the manager who rudely snapped "I had to send her on a break, what to you expect? We'll get to you, go back to your table." I expect you to still serve your customers and not talk to me like I'm your child you are berating in the grocerystore... not unreasonable IMO. So I go grab my stuff from my table and return to pay because I don't want to spend another minute in this place. The waitress is finally off her break so I flag her down to pay, and tell her to cancel the dessert, to which she replies "that's good because I was coming to tell you we're out of that, I just found out." So I order it, and you went on break before putting it in? Very poor service. A shame too because I have been enjoying McMinnamins restaurants since the 1980s. Looks like they are no longer enjoyable, at least not this one. Save yourself time, money and hassle, there's better places in Tacoma, ones that actually care whether or not you have a good time.
Lorraine
Burgers, fish and chips and Ruben were all very good! Server was nice but service was slow.
C
Our server was very nice. She timed the order so we had plenty of time to enjoy an appetizer before dinner arrived. There were some minor issues with food and drink and I opted not to make a fuss. I hoped for a better dining experience but I made a decision to keep it light and not to say anything. The issues were about quality control behind the bar and in the kitchen. Cheeseburger with no cheese. Beer not cold. First world problems. The turnoff of the night was as we were heading to a show in the ballroom. The ushers were obnoxious. Yelling at the customers, like cattle. No respect. I wish I was their boss. I would have fired them on the spot. Two staff, and one in particular, did not like how customers were lined up down the stairs and the path patrons were taking to access the ballroom. Bear in mind -that's a facility set up issue, not your customers. Don't verbally yell at your paying customers, “Up against the wall, up against the wall. No!! NO!! Get UP against the OTHER wall! All of YOU need to be up against the other WALL! I wanted to invite that disrespectful loudmouth to walk down the stairs and talk to us like human beings. It was a training issue. On the upside, the music was great.
Janet
The jambalaya bowl was very good, but the hamburger was overcooked (supposed to be med rare), and the aztec salad was missing the avocado and the corn salsa. It also took close to 40 minutes to get our order, ands the restaurant was not that busy! They did adjust the bill to make up for the salad snafu, but we likely will not return.
TroyKa
It took 30 minutes to get our drinks (not really fault of pregnant server) soda was out in basement. Appetizer showed up at same time as burgers.
Kirk Anderson
although I've been to the ballroom a few times this was the first time I stopped at the bar. Great atmosphere and the service was fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lex T
We stopped by for a quick bite on our way to the zoo lights. While the service and atmosphere were great, I cannot in good conscience recommend the food. Meals are priced around $20–$30, but the quality is absolutely unacceptable. I ordered a cheeseburger, and my boyfriend ordered the Caprese Grilled Chicken—both of which ended up being the only things we ate all day. Unfortunately, what should have been a fun evening turned into a nightmare. Shortly after eating, my boyfriend began experiencing severe food poisoning. He was violently throwing up in the bathroom for an extended period, suffering from unbearable stomach pain, and feeling absolutely terrible. To her credit, our waitress was amazing and incredibly understanding. Once she realized what was happening, she immediately comped the chicken dish. While her kindness and professionalism were appreciated, it doesn’t change the fact that this experience was beyond disappointing. I wish we could have walked away with a good impression and become returning customers, but I will never recommend this place to anyone.
Depending on where you eat , food on the 4th floor.
Isn’t a good but okay. Alcohol is okay.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Judi
The only reason this place gets a 2 star review is because the music was good. Went with a friend this past weekend to see Kalimba in the Spanish Ballroom. First time I've been to this location, and last. There was at least over 150 people in attendance and they had seating for only 26 people!! They had about 10 tiny round tall tables, so most people had nowhere to set their drinks either.
Half the crowd left after the first break due to the fact that they had nowhere to sit and relax, rest their feet, set their drinks. With as much as they charged for tickets and drinks, you would think they could put out more tables, and definitely some chairs.
Many people complained to the bartender, but they gave nothing but excuses. Won't be returning.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Staley Explores
Cool spot and the mocktails were good.
Parking: For the show Street parking is free after 6 pm. So I didn't have to pay anything.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sara
We place our food order, 45 mins later the waitress came and said their new system glitched and our order didn't go through, and now our order is another HOUR out. She said she asked the kitchen staff to make our order asap and “they yelled at her and said no”. When I asked if a manager could help the situation, she (the waitress) said she was the only manager there that night. We had a young child with us so it was a really poor experience. They brought the child's food and we opted to not wait an hour for our meal. Really disappointing experience, they need better management all around.
Wow - What a find! Great food and service. On top of that, this place is the most unique and intriguing place I've ever experienced - globally! After dinner, we experienced the multiple bars hidden throughout the restaurant/hotel. All had a unique theme to them. You have to visit this place to truly appreciate it - you will not be disappointed!
This was my first experience at a McMenamins property and we found it to be lots of fun! The Tacoma property is at the old Elks We explored all seven floors, five of which featured different bar/restaurants! All under one roof. We are in the main dining room, and then went down to the Old Hangout for after dinner drinks. We loved the artwork on every floor the unique chandeliers, and the eclectic atmosphere!
It started out really great. Waitress was super friendly. Then I think there was a shift change cause after we got our appetizers and drink from the first waitress, we waited around 40 minutes for someone to come back and take our food order. Plus the first waitress said cause it was my birthday she was gonna bring a little something out for me and that never happens since I guess her shift had changed.
I use to love this place, but no longer. Last Dec. we waited 2.5 hours for 2 garden burgers and fries, that arrived soggy and cold. I chalked it down to being an extra busy night and gave them the benefit of the doubt, and decided to try again when they were less busy.... boy was I wrong. Went there again, this Sunday afternoon. Place was not busy, maybe 3 other tables. While the wait wasn't as long it was a good 40 min, which I could have understood, if the food didn't, yet again, arrive cold and salted fries after ordering no salt. Then after asking for a to-go box and a dessert to go, our waitress, Zoe, goes on break. Granted that is fine, she should go on a break if needed, but that doesn't mean your customers are on a break too, especially when you know they're ready to leave having asked for a box. That is on management, they should have taken over, got the dessert and cashed us out.... NOPE! We waited for 15 minutes until we finally went to the counter and asked the manager who rudely snapped "I had to send her on a break, what to you expect? We'll get to you, go back to your table." I expect you to still serve your customers and not talk to me like I'm your child you are berating in the grocerystore... not unreasonable IMO. So I go grab my stuff from my table and return to pay because I don't want to spend another minute in this place. The waitress is finally off her break so I flag her down to pay, and tell her to cancel the dessert, to which she replies "that's good because I was coming to tell you we're out of that, I just found out." So I order it, and you went on break before putting it in? Very poor service. A shame too because I have been enjoying McMinnamins restaurants since the 1980s. Looks like they are no longer enjoyable, at least not this one. Save yourself time, money and hassle, there's better places in Tacoma, ones that actually care whether or not you have a good time.
Burgers, fish and chips and Ruben were all very good! Server was nice but service was slow.
Our server was very nice. She timed the order so we had plenty of time to enjoy an appetizer before dinner arrived. There were some minor issues with food and drink and I opted not to make a fuss. I hoped for a better dining experience but I made a decision to keep it light and not to say anything. The issues were about quality control behind the bar and in the kitchen. Cheeseburger with no cheese. Beer not cold. First world problems. The turnoff of the night was as we were heading to a show in the ballroom. The ushers were obnoxious. Yelling at the customers, like cattle. No respect. I wish I was their boss. I would have fired them on the spot. Two staff, and one in particular, did not like how customers were lined up down the stairs and the path patrons were taking to access the ballroom. Bear in mind -that's a facility set up issue, not your customers. Don't verbally yell at your paying customers, “Up against the wall, up against the wall. No!! NO!! Get UP against the OTHER wall! All of YOU need to be up against the other WALL! I wanted to invite that disrespectful loudmouth to walk down the stairs and talk to us like human beings. It was a training issue. On the upside, the music was great.
The jambalaya bowl was very good, but the hamburger was overcooked (supposed to be med rare), and the aztec salad was missing the avocado and the corn salsa. It also took close to 40 minutes to get our order, ands the restaurant was not that busy! They did adjust the bill to make up for the salad snafu, but we likely will not return.
It took 30 minutes to get our drinks (not really fault of pregnant server) soda was out in basement. Appetizer showed up at same time as burgers.
although I've been to the ballroom a few times this was the first time I stopped at the bar. Great atmosphere and the service was fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We stopped by for a quick bite on our way to the zoo lights. While the service and atmosphere were great, I cannot in good conscience recommend the food. Meals are priced around $20–$30, but the quality is absolutely unacceptable. I ordered a cheeseburger, and my boyfriend ordered the Caprese Grilled Chicken—both of which ended up being the only things we ate all day. Unfortunately, what should have been a fun evening turned into a nightmare. Shortly after eating, my boyfriend began experiencing severe food poisoning. He was violently throwing up in the bathroom for an extended period, suffering from unbearable stomach pain, and feeling absolutely terrible. To her credit, our waitress was amazing and incredibly understanding. Once she realized what was happening, she immediately comped the chicken dish. While her kindness and professionalism were appreciated, it doesn’t change the fact that this experience was beyond disappointing. I wish we could have walked away with a good impression and become returning customers, but I will never recommend this place to anyone.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Excellent show tonight.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Depending on where you eat , food on the 4th floor.
Isn’t a good but okay. Alcohol is okay.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
The only reason this place gets a 2 star review is because the music was good. Went with a friend this past weekend to see Kalimba in the Spanish Ballroom. First time I've been to this location, and last. There was at least over 150 people in attendance and they had seating for only 26 people!! They had about 10 tiny round tall tables, so most people had nowhere to set their drinks either.
Half the crowd left after the first break due to the fact that they had nowhere to sit and relax, rest their feet, set their drinks. With as much as they charged for tickets and drinks, you would think they could put out more tables, and definitely some chairs.
Many people complained to the bartender, but they gave nothing but excuses. Won't be returning.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Cool spot and the mocktails were good.
Parking: For the show Street parking is free after 6 pm. So I didn't have to pay anything.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We place our food order, 45 mins later the waitress came and said their new system glitched and our order didn't go through, and now our order is another HOUR out. She said she asked the kitchen staff to make our order asap and “they yelled at her and said no”. When I asked if a manager could help the situation, she (the waitress) said she was the only manager there that night. We had a young child with us so it was a really poor experience. They brought the child's food and we opted to not wait an hour for our meal. Really disappointing experience, they need better management all around.
Wow - What a find! Great food and service. On top of that, this place is the most unique and intriguing place I've ever experienced - globally! After dinner, we experienced the multiple bars hidden throughout the restaurant/hotel. All had a unique theme to them. You have to visit this place to truly appreciate it - you will not be disappointed!
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