McMenamins Spar Café in Olympia

I would give them 6 stars if I could. The staff was all super friendly and very helpful even during the dinner rush!

We went here and thought we would be getting lunch. We were informed after we were sat that lunch doesnt start until 1. I looked up the menus prior to going online and this was not stated anywhere. As a person who eats mostly plant based I was extremely disappointed as the vegan options for breakfast were extremely slim. I decided to get eggs because I dont like sweet things and I wanted more than potatoes and sausage (the only vegan options other than oatmeal). There were parts of the yolk in my scrambled eggs that looked like they had been soft boiled. While we were eating we heard the host tell people there would be a 40 minute wait so they can turn the kitchen over to serve lunch. Which would be fine, if advertised. Our server was slow and preoccupied with other things. She disappeared and we ended up waiting awhile multiple times (she was not helping other tables during this time). I was pretty disappointed. We decided to come here because of the vegan options offered on their lunch/dinner menu. The decor was cool. Not sure if I will be back to try their dinner menu or not as this visit left a sour taste.

Our server, while nice, wasnt attentive. I had to pour my own water and she never came to ask how the food was... which is good because their food is WAY overpriced. The Reuben was soggy on the bottom and the salad was drenched in dressing (which did taste good).I wont be coming back.

First time in that restaurant. Was a nice place food was good, our server was excellent. We had a large group of 8 out for the evening going from bar/restaurant for fun.

Love the originality of the layout. Its not too reflective of sound. The music is light enough to where if you dont want to hear it. You can zone it out.Servers are friendly/proffessional & consistantly busy. Never sitting around. So please be patient & respectful.I only got coffee. So, I cant really put a price / person. Yet I would say expect to pay $20-$30 w/meal and beverage.Regular Coffee was $4.10W/free refills.Their creamer is good.Art is how I tip and I hope table waiters and waitresses dont take offense to it.I dont have much $$$ but I do have art.I plan to come again for a meal in the future!

Great food, better service in a historic setting with true period pieces to get you in a nostalgic mood. Family-owned by the McMenamin brothers this cafe in Olympia serves tasty drinks that help take you back in time to a friendlier time. Stop by for a burger or just a drink and don’t forget to check the dessert menu.

Wife and I went here after I got my tattoo done. Everything was excellent. I love most McMenamins locations but Spar cafe managed to stand put even among that high bar.

The food is great, with great service. The waitress was very helpful and made sure we were doing good and if we needed anything. The biscuits had been amazing and filling. Love the atmosphere. Definitely coming back. Going to try the chicken fried steak. Until next time.....

Good basic food. Great burgers! Great in house specialty brews. Couple of vegetarian choices on the menu too. On street parking on a busy downtown thoroughfare. Building is not really set up to be disability friendly. Its in an old charming early 1900s building with high ceilings, uneven flooring by the entrance and definitely not handicapped friendly diminutive bathrooms. Other than that, the atmosphere is quaint, staff is friendly and you could even play some pool while youre there.

Great food and service in a really cute environment with character. Has fun pinball machines in back.

Raw fries. Soggy burger. No love or care was put into this cooking at all. An expensive plate of yuck.

In town on vacation and it was the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time! The salmon lox benedict and biscuits and gravy were really really incredible!!!

We were passing through Olympia and this looked like a cute spot for lunch. Unfortunately the historic building is the only thing positive about Spar Cafe. We ended up getting food poisoning from the burger. Avoid at all costs.

Food was ok but we didnt get what we ordered. They didnt say to us that they ran out of Wedge salad and just brought us salad that my GFs grandma couldnt eat, she didnt eat at all! In addition we ordered fajitas and asked for sour cream when ordering. We said we would only order them if they had sour cream. We never got sour cream even after we asked for it 4 times. We even asked the manager for it after she delivered our food but never got it. After we ate we finally got a visit from the manager and she comped half the bill. But all they had to do was come talk to us right off the start about being out of things. No communication was why we were not happy.

Fabulous food and great service.We thoroughly enjoyed the eggs benedict and classic breakfast. Highly recommend their biscuits and pancakes which are so well made.Had good burgers here too and excellent fries.The restaurant has a long and interesting history as well as a great atmosphere which makes you feel like youre stepping back in time.

if I could give this establishment a negative star rating I would, tried to give "no stars" but this rating system would not let me. not only did we have to wait for 45 minutes after we ordered our lunch- with only a few other diners present ,& excuse was "turnover of kitchen from the breakfast menu" which is ridiculous for a restaurant ..... the fish & chips were hands down the absolutely worst I have ever eaten - fish was burnt to death and the fries were not hot they were soggy, greasy and undercooked - left most of it . What has happened to this place ? Eat somewhere else - cant be any worse than this - what a dismal dive.............. Ill never eat here again .

food was awful, flavorless and pricey. if i’m paying $14 for fries as a meal it BETTER be flavorful and not soggy and tasteless. extremely disappointed. would give 1 star but waitress was nice

First off, let me start with Heidi. She was amazing! The restaurant was super busy and she was attentive, friendly and efficient!!! Did not miss a beat!!! The poke nachos are a must have!!! My only complaint is that i wish there were more ginger pickles on my nachos! Thank you so much Heidi! You rock!

Service was fantastic! All the food arrived super fast and was absolutely delicious. Will be going back again soon. Loved the whole experience. 🙂

Great Service, Wonderful Feel, The Food Superbly Delicious, The Wine They Make, Let Me Say I Purchased A Bottle To Take Home With Me To Share With Others!

Pretty poor service, considering how slow it was. Many items were sold out and we werent informed until we went to order those items. A couple of items were wrong and the waiter was rude when they were brought up. The food that we did get was incredible though

Had breakfast, 9 on Saturday morning. Busy but we sat at the bar & were seated immediately. Food was wonderful! My chicken fried steak was covered in scrumptious sausage gravy. My husbands burrito was enormous and delicious.

Great service, food selection, and atmosphere. I’d come here again!

Had the cheeseburger with their own recipe coffee-bacon jam. Best burger I’ve had in my life. That jam is…sorry..the jam!! So so good! Try it!

Spur of the moment decision to go out to breakfast with my friend. Its been a long time since Ive been out for breakfast and Im glad we decided on McMenamins or the Spar as I still call it. I even stepped out of my comfort zone and tried my friends dish.The servers were super nice and the environment is funky and fun. Super cozy seating and atmosphere. I got the breakfast sandwich and it was super filling, I only ate half of it.If you go at lunch or dinner I recommend the Cajun tator tots, delicious!

$30 for a 4oz flank steak with fries because the NY strip (cheaper optionwas not available. Only gave two stars because the server was really nice. We spent over $200 here but will not be coming back.

Ive been to Spar several times. Very much the McMenamins vibe you expect. Sat at the family bar (think breakfast counter), not adult bar (with the impenetrable 4 barrier), for happy hour. Very chill on a Monday afternoon, which was perfect for catching up with my friend. Great staff, per usual McMenamins quality.For some reason, I expected more of an "in house cocktail" menu, but there were only 5 or 6. Happy hour menu was a good selection. Since happy hour has only been back in my rotation a month or so, Im not sure if the food/drink prices are on par with other spots. However, since food and everything is a bit pricey than before, I expect this is the same as everywhere. The 6 arms salad with steak is a meal portion.

Our waitress was very friendly and gave just the right amount of attention: wasnt hovering, but not completely absent. Only went in for a drink and appetizer, mostly just to check the place out. The food and drinks came to us pretty fast. I split a large order of the truffle fries with a friend, and there was more than we could eat. I will definitely be coming back to try something more than an appetizer!

I am a big fan of McMenamins establishments. This is my first time the Spar Cafe. It was excellent. Great team, great food, great atmosphere.

Love the yesteryear atmosphere!! Had the dungeon burger and side salad, it was delicious! No hard cider this time but was tempted when I saw there was a blackberry one... Next time if its still available.

Jen (the managerwas our server and she was absolutely phenomenal! Food was incredibly delicious and the service was the best I’ve had in a long time! Will definitely be back (:

Food was fresh and tasty. I ordered the sweet potato salad and a cup of chicken sausage bisque. The portions were generous and the staff was very polite and cheerful.

The atmosphere! Very cozy, private feel, and beautiful with wrought iron, plants, books, and gorgeous nook sofa at the front for larger party of people. Service was friendly, accommodating, and attentive. Food was quality and delicious with great prices! Love this place. Everything fresh. The cider and beer I tried were very good not too sweet! Our server Emillie S. was amazing!!!!!

The atmosphere is perfect. Nothing wrong there, but thats not why it gets the 5 stars from me.THE FOOD IS PHENOMENAL!! Whatever they do, they do it right. Its never a disappointment for me at least. Im not gonna sit and sell you this place, but its places like this that repeatedly keep me from offing myself. Whatever breakfast bowl I ordered last time I had breakfast here was sooo good. The elk burger I had recently was also delicious. My wife had this curry thing that she thought was just crazy good. Coffee is also on point. Got theyre own brew. Best food in Olympia.

i love this place. also, have been here countless times, and the food only improves, it gets better and better forever, seemingly. also: charlotte is the best (levi close second)

The food was good. The drinks a bit strong. They did start seating people right next to each other all in one section… even though it wasn’t busy. I’d prefer it was every other seat due to COIVD. But not a huge deal.The waitress checked on us a little too frequently… but annoying but rather that then rarely checking in on us. I think she was just board.Bathrooms were clean. I only 5 star when places go above and beyond… I’d come here again. Definitely has the individual McMenamins vibe. Worth a try.

Very disappointed!Ordered our food through Door dash. Took over an hour for food to arrive. We can accept that our food wouldnt be piping hot due to travel distance but our food was cold. No warmth at all. I had to put my meal in the toaster oven and my husband had to microwave his pizza.Also, my fish and chips was WAY overpriced for what I got. 3 small pieces of fish and barely enough fries (didnt even cover half the bottom of the container). The fish plus the fries still hardly filled up half.So disappointing, for being our first time eating there, not a very good impression. We were looking forward to finding somewhere that had good food that we could enjoy either inhouse or through delivery. So bummed...

Grace under fire! Waitress kept her cool with squabbling couple over a very loud breakup.My Simpsons scramble was great and arrived 19 minutes from ordering!

I really enjoyed the decor, staff, and the food was amazing. I would 100% recommended. Especially their garlic fries with the aioli. They have a pool table which is a great idea for a night out with friends. A really great place I will definitely be going here again.

Last night my friends and I went to McMenamins Spar Café. We only ordered fries but they were phenomenal. They come with a black garlic sauce, which is a type of aged garlic that is deeply colored brown. It is made by heated whole bulbs of garlic over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves. Normally, I would not think this would work well with a truffle fry…. but I was greatly mistaken. I am extremely loyal to malt vinegar with my fries. Ketchup? BORING! Mustard? YUCK! Don’t even get me started on plain fries…. But anyway, the truffle fry paired with the black garlic sauce really holds its own. I think it’s on par with ketchup, and you might even prefer it! It is good to try new things.

Good atmosphere, might be a little too dim for some people but I liked it.Good beer selection.Food is good but nothing to brag about. Fries were a bit soft and soggy, wheel of fortune ice cream sandwich was a joke. It looked identical to what you could get at 7eleven for $3.Service was good, staff was friendly.

Food is very good, service was quick and polite.I tired their spar vodka, made from the artesian spring in the basement. Its a good, clean, smooth vodka with nice finish. Id recommend the restaurant and the vodka! A sweet surprise from an ale house!

Justin, my server, was awesome. He offered great customer service and ale tasting so I could choose which to order. The Fall chicken salad sandwich is delicious. Descent Happy Hour menu. Ill be back!

Bloody Mary mix had too much celery in it for me but the menu in general is excellent. Oyster shooters were divine!

This place never ceases to satisfy. Danielle’s suggestion to substitute eggs with an avocado was choice! Thanks so much. Our road trip weekend would not have been the same.

Heard people talk about this place for years never been until recently. Really liked the atmosphere and ambiance of the place. Its got a nice feel to it. Menu had a lot of amazing sounding food. They had a lot of good beer on tap too. Would definitely recommend visiting this place.

For a Mcmenamins pub, this is a pretty good one. The design features the typical eccentric Mcmenamins pizazz with a clean, almost modern bar design. Seating is ample. Further, there are a few bar games, like pool, available to play and entertain oneself. The staff is friendly and the food, albeit typical Mcmenamins grub, was good. Parking can be a hassle.

Love McMenamins. Always great drinks and good food! Lattes are really good, delicious truffle fries and cajun tots. Cubano sandwich is a must try. Friendly staff, good service.

Had to wait about 10 mins to get in so not too bad. Food was good, typical bar food. Food came out FAST! Environment is pretty noisy and a little cramped at times. A bar to the side and restaurant on other side. A couple pool tables and pin ball machines in the back. History of the place is pretty cool and present throughout the facility.

Delicious grass-fed burger. The service was pretty good. The atmosphere was nice, I had a tasty lunch with my mother in law and we enjoyed ourselves.