Savage Moose Sports Pub — Restaurant in Kenmore

One of the best Dive Bars! Food is definitely bar food but one of the best I’ve ever had. Will plan to come back for the food and sports (lots of TVs!)

Pet friendly: no Family friendly: yes Parking: private lot but not very large

FOOD: Frickles (Fresh Skagit Valley Madrona Market pickle chips deep fried in the Moose’s own secret recipe batter, served with homemade Frickle sauce) $11: 4 Star – There is only one other place that has amazing Frickles (Gaslamp Bar at Issaquah) but this is a lot closer to me! Very dilly-pickley (yes, real words) so if you’re a fan of pickles you have to give these a try. The batter is just the right amount, not too thin, not too thick and freshly made so its piping hot. Fried Shrooms (Fresh mushroom dipped in our own homemade batter, served with choice of dipping sauce) $11: 4 Stars – Full size button mushroom that are battered and fried fresh. Super hot so be careful when eating these! Just like the frickles, they make the batter just right and fried to perfection! Turkey Club (Moose-carved turkey breast, Daily’s bacon, fresh lettuce, tomato, and cheddar cheese on toasted sourdough) $14: 5 Stars – I love a good turkey club. Its seems silly considering most of the component isn’t made or cooked, its more like assembled. But theirs is super good, and toasted just right… probably a little messy but who doesn’t love a good sauce! The Afterburner (This burger is a full-scale spicy taste bud assault! ½ lbs Angus patty, pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, our own chipotle ranch sauce, and LTOP) $15: 4 Stars – Tasty but not very spicy. Most burgers aren’t very spicy no matter what they advertise. Their Chipotle ranch sauce is great and should be the sauce for everything.

MENU: Good size menu for a dive bar, something for everyone. Mix of Healthy and FRIED!!

RESTAURANT: The Restaurant is definitely bigger from the outside LOL I was surprise how big it was considering I don’t think they have enough parking for how big the place is. Their bar area is 21+ but everywhere else is family friendly. They have some bar games – pool, large jenga, darts, etc. Tiny “outdoor” seating but for anyone who wants to be outside, there is tables for that. Very good number of tables and tons of TV so great place if you want to watch the game.

SERVICE: Chris was a great bartender! He was the only one working the front of the house but very attentive and stopped by multiple times to check on us and refill our drink orders. The kitchen turns food orders pretty quick. There was only a few tables occupied but it was still...

The main flaw is the building. If you're into a dive/sports bar, come in here.

Here are the challenges: It's noisy (mostly echo of conversations, darts, pool, skeeball, basketball, etc). It's reasonably clean, yet everything seems "grimey" at first... You get used to it. The floor and layout is awkward. It's an older place, but without the charm of it's age.

Old buildings tend to get this way over time. Surfaces are coated in varnish, which wears from cleaning agents over time. Bits of trim come loose from the wall. Unreachable areas grow dingy with airborne.... everything. And it's generally dark.

So basically, the worst thing I can say is that this place has genuine "dive-bar character". To the patrons that spend their time here, all of this falls into the plus column. The clientele is charming and robust, and so is the food. The folks behind the bar (there are at least two every day) are engaged and attentive without being slow. They will make rounds to the busy areas and remember you on your third visit. There's plenty of elbow room, and space for a quiet conversation, unless it's near the pool tables.

They pour the typical wells, have at least one cider, and the beer list is humble, if a big game is happening, expect to see it on the...

We've eaten at the Savage Moose twice now, and each time we have really enjoyed the experience because of the great service and mostly because of the food. This time I had the fish and chips (hand battered cod, and lightly battered french fries) and my sister had the bacon cheese burger with potato salad. On our previous visit we had the poutine (this could use some extra cheese curds, to be honest), and got a club sandwich and a philly dip sandwich to go (I have to say the food is MUCH better eaten in-house). One of the outstanding things about their menu is its real house-made foods, made to order, using fresh real ingredients. The Savage Moose isn't much to look at from the outside, and the seating isn't luxurious or fabulous, but the food is honestly really good. It's a really great little local place that we are very glad we took...