Recommendations in Seattle?

bashfulQ

bashfulQ

New member
I'll be in the Seattle area soon, planning on taking a day to sneak off and shoot some racks. I will be taking the ferry, and relying on public transit/walking so I will be further limited in where I can go (no Golden Fleece). I will be limited to Downtown Seattle, Belltown, and South Lake Union.

Similar threads I browsed before posting this topic were dated, or the original poster inquired on surrounding areas that are outside what I'll be able to do.

I've found some viable poolrooms, including potential benefits and drawbacks of each from reading reviews company sites.
  • Temple Billiards
    + opens early (11am weekdays)
    + 9ft tables
    + tables appear maintained
    + relatively cheap for area (can't find table rates though)
    - furniture tables
    - gets crowded during events in area
    - reviews a year ago said they do not accept cash
  • Ox Billiards
    + Chinese 8ball tables, snooker tables, and 9ft Rasson pool tables
    + 75% of profit goes back to local cuesports, and hosts many cuesport organization events
    - members only on Monday & Wednesday
    - does NOT accept cash
    - pricey rates ($12/hr before 8pm, $15-$20 after 8pm)
  • Garage
    + decent table rates ($6/hr as of 2019 review)
    + appears to be 9ft GC's from pictures
    - nights and weekends are packed, long wait times common
    - extremely pricey food & drink
    - strong college crowd
  • Art Marble 21
    + All games are free (including pool & their snooker table)
    + appears to have 9ft GC's from pictures
    - no table reservations
    - crowded at night

My first choice will be Ox Billiards from what I've read, with Temple as my backup plan. After I play, I'll be sure to update the thread with a review.

If any locals have anything to add or clarify, feel free to let me know.
 
E

evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
welcome to the forums-
looks like you've done some good research

I've been to all of the places you've mentioned multiple times, tho only ox and am21 in the past few months
each place has its pros and cons, some of which you've noted- if your goal is to play "serious" pool, there is only one choice: ox
snooker is their primary objective, but they feature 9ft. rassons and in general, all their stuff is pretty clean
they host tournaments, bring pros in (styer and fefilova were just there)/as you mention, actively advocate for cue sports
you get what you pay for, I suppose. it can be a little pricey- I usually hit the happy hours when I go
active rates might differ from what you have listed: https://www.oxbilliards.com/table-rates

otherwise
am21 has gold crowns, but they're pretty beat-up from free use/flippant play- and new rules don't support long sessions
garage is just up the block from ox, so you could peep both- I haven't been there in awhile, but when I went it was pricier than 6/hr.
maybe that's their happy hour. I would double check that tho. I think they have gandy tables there. same with temple maybe..
temple is a decent place. when I last went a few years ago, it was cheap and uncrowded. I think getting there early is the ticket.
there is a room upstairs with one table that could insulate you from any hubbub, but again you might have to be there early to get it

for what it's worth, I'm also on the bus- you can get to the fleece from downtown if you don't mind the transfers/time
I wish you could've seen the old fleece, it was the place and was closer to town..but the new fleece is good, too..diamonds
enjoy your time, feel free to get in touch if you want to knock some around, first (happy) hour at ox is on me ok:giggle:
 
bashfulQ

bashfulQ

New member
evergruven said:
I've been to all of the places you've mentioned multiple times, tho only ox and am21 in the past few months
each place has its pros and cons, some of which you've noted- if your goal is to play "serious" pool, there is only one choice: ox
snooker is their primary objective, but they feature 9ft. rassons and in general, all their stuff is pretty clean
they host tournaments, bring pros in (styer and fefilova were just there)/as you mention, actively advocate for cue sports
you get what you pay for, I suppose. it can be a little pricey- I usually hit the happy hours when I go
active rates might differ from what you have listed: https://www.oxbilliards.com/table-rates
Click to expand...

I figured Ox, Golden Fleece, or the Vietnamese place I saw were my only choices for a 'serious' poolroom, unfortunately a medical emergency within the family left me only one day in the city to do anything and was not a day which Ox Billiards is open to the public.
evergruven said:
I think they have gandy tables there. same with temple maybe..
temple is a decent place. when I last went a few years ago, it was cheap and uncrowded. I think getting there early is the ticket.
there is a room upstairs with one table that could insulate you from any hubbub, but again you might have to be there early to get it
Click to expand...

I ended up going to Temple Billiards for around 2 hours during my day in the city. I believe you are correct that they are Gandy tables, being in my 20s I'm not really familiar with Gandy tables, but I place them in the same realm as an Olhausen (though this could be totally misplaced).

The table I played on was the one standing solo up in the mezzanine. It was adequately level, the cloth was surprisingly clean Simonis and I didn't have issues with getting the CB around the table when needed.

# House cues were decent, with a good number of playable cues available to choose from.

# Balls were a bit dirty, and I didn't note what type they were (I assume Action).

# Couple of dead rails on my table, but I expected worse going in and still had fun.

While the the place is labeled a poolroom, it feels more like a bar that is centered around its poolroom (and that's okay!). The place reminded me of Tarantula Billiards in Denver, CO in that regard.

Overall, I was happy with my experience there. I would gladly return to Temple Billiards under the right circumstances. I wouldn't hesitate to go back If I was with a group that wanted to knock back a few cold ones and casually shoot some racks while in the city. Staff was friendly, patrons were friendly, beer was cheap (for Seattle). Walking the area wasn't too bad either, minimal drama from the transient population, stuff you see in most cities these days.

evergruven said:
or what it's worth, I'm also on the bus- you can get to the fleece from downtown if you don't mind the transfers/time
I wish you could've seen the old fleece, it was the place and was closer to town..but the new fleece is good, too..diamonds
enjoy your time, feel free to get in touch if you want to knock some around, first (happy) hour at ox is on me ok:giggle:
Click to expand...

I will be sure to keep this in mind when I'm visiting Seattle again. I'm intent on hitting both Golden Fleece and Ox Billiards both on my next trip, and also bringing my cues. I appreciate the kindness, I'll be sure to PM you in advance before next time and we can try to work something out. I'll cover the first hour at Ox or Golden since I didn't get back to you while I was in town given an accident mentioned above.

Thanks for your thorough response and kind invitation, I'll reach out before my next trip.

Best wishes,

bashfulQ
 
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