Star Lake Inn

This place is a dive.
It should be obvious before you even walk in. It’s a little dirtier than I like my dive bars but pretty good crowd on a Friday night. Also, pretty good drink specials. Feels like they rotate through the night (or at least changed every time I bought a new pitcher) so you might want to ask when you go up there.
They do serve food.

Dropped in last night, to grab a beer and something to eat. The bartender said they already stopped serving food, but if I wanted he could turn the fryer on if I wouldn’t mind waiting 15 minutes. The food was decent and cheap, and the service was great.
It’s definitely a dive bar but as far as dive bars go, this one is pretty good. Decent size space with an outdoor deck for smokers. I’m sure I’ll be back.

Still wish they had wifi… but my favorite bar!

This is a good neighborhood bar… bartenders are very friendly and helpful… foods are not too bad but really cheap… this place is outstanding …

Stopped in to check this place out after a friend had recommended it was a fun local bar.
It’s super divey, which is my kind of bar. Seems like it would be real fun at night. Plays country/​hip hop music, and has TouchTunes, so you can play music from your phone.
I don’t really recommend sitting at the bar, only because you can smell the urinal cakes everytime someone opens the bathroom door. But, hey, its all in the experience, right? :D
I will most likely be back frequently. Staff seemed really nice, too.
Drinks = Inexpensive and strong. No complains there.

It’s a dive bar, what do expect? What makes this place good is the people, food is your typical fried stuff. You can customize your own pizza which is cool, wish they delivered. Located in the middle of a neighborhood on a lake, historical building/​landmark from what I hear. I’ve met some of the staff, who have come and gone, some good some not so good. They have a regular day AND night crowd and everyone knows each other. Seems very family oriented like cheers where everyone knows your name, if it wasn’t for that aspect I would rate this bar a 1 star. Back to the staff, I’ve notice some inexperienced bartenders, but not all bad, they make up for it in their personalities. Obviously a place to get your «1^st bartending gig». (see how I did that?) You will not find better pricing on drinks anywhere else, I do alot of bar hopping. So so selection, but this place seems more of a beer and a shot type of establishment and it fits the character of the place. Music is through the jukebox, pool tables, video games, darts, PULL TABS! Wish they had more TVs! All in all, I would recommend to whoever is into dive bars, it’s not for everybody, just don’t be quick to judge ;p

Had the fish and chips. They let me sub the onion rings for the fries. GREAT OFFER! Fish was juicy and the onions just right. With the vinegar they had, made for a perfect meal!

Good bar with jukebox, pool tables, and reasonable beer selection. Never had the food, but the drink prices are good. This place has a great vibe if you like casual dive bars. The only thing that I would improve is to get a couple more TVs (larger) for watching sports.

There are times when the employees of a place take on the identity of the place itself. Alas, you have the Star Lake Inn. This place is a dirt hole. I don’t suppose it always has been like that but ever since I have gone there, that is how it has been. The employees have been there way too long. They act like the dirt hole the place is. The worst part is that they don’t even know it. I see employees who work there BE THERE even on their days off. They would like to think they matter but they really don’t. That is the way this place runs and I go to many different places. This place is just the worst. You can get cold beer anywhere and that is the only thing this place has going for it. I will have a smile on my face if I get to see it shut down at some point. That might not happen because there is a market for sh$&ty people who like sh$&ty places but to know that I will never darken their doors again is satisfaction enough for me.

If you’ve never been to a dive bar before, then there is a reason why you haven’t and its probably valid so I’m not going to try and sell you on this one. But if you are the sort of person who thrives in dive bars and enjoys the atmosphere then this is the place for you. Yes, the furniture is old and yes it smells kind of funny, but the vibe here is very cool. Right on the water with amazing views (can’t wait to come back in the warmer seasons). Great beer selections, friendly bar staff, and eclectic customers. I mean you’ll find a varied mix of people. From straight up red neck, to tattooed and pierced. AND, I had a fantastic cheeseburger there! I mean really first rate! My boyfriend had the fish and fries and that was fantastic too! I’ve been begging him to take me back there! See you there!

This place sucks. It has office chairs for the tables they bought at a garage sale. There is a sheriff who frequents this place to hit on a blonde tender they have there. He calls it a walk through, but he is there for at least a hour at a time. It smells too, the whole place smells like their bathrooms. I also know someone who would frequent there before she was 21. Then after she turned 21, she was asked to show her I.d., when they find out about their mistake they 86ed her. Its the yuppiest dive bar around.

Fantastic Dive Bar!
Pool, cheap strong drinks, friendly locals. Good time!

The definition quite literally of a neighborhood bar as it is in the midst of a suburb neighborhood. This is a great watering hole for the working person. No glitz, no glamor, cheap drinks and decent bar food. My favorite are the hot wings. The décor is old and is smells musty in there, but it’s part of the whole experience. If you’re prissy and like prissy drinks and prissy décor, go somewhere else.

Classic dive bar, strong drinks, ignorant staffing, if you are hungry don’t eat here, and stick to the basic drinks here, if its not made with one of the three J’s forget it.

Well what can I say? This place is definitely your typical hole in the wall dive bar… definitely isn’t a swanky place but because of that, it’s perfect. It’s laid back and super chill, no one gives a crap about what you’re wearing. The drinks are cheap but strong, over all the staff is friendly. It’s definitely one of those places where you could have a blast going with a big group of your friends.

The owner is a wonderful man and while the bar could use a few upgrades, you never taste your drink and wonder if they added the liquor. I have always ran into friendly staff that are responcible and welcoming– two thumbs up. Its also in a great location, boy what I would give to give that place a make over :)

I went last night for the first/​last time. I’ve spent a lot of time in dives/​pubs & taverns in my life and am ok with them, generally. They’re home. So…
Last night I went to the table next to my friends. It was beer slimed from one end to the other. I looked around and saw that just one gal was working. Having grown-​up in a restaurant, I don’t think twice about grabbing a towel and wiping my own table when there isn’t much staff. I went to the bar to get a towel. While I waited, I saw the food menu. Fish & chicken baskets and pizza… I was starving and planned to eat at the bar. But, I’ve been having terrible stomach problems lately. To the point that I’ve made 2 trips to dr and spent 8hrs in the e.r. 2 weeks ago. And knowing pubs, the menu was a red flag that they really don’t want to sell food, they’re just appeasing the liquor control board.
You might think — «You should know better than to expect food at a dive bar with a messed-​up stomach.» Not true. I was in different bars/​dives 6 nights last week and ate at all of them. Most pubs actually have pretty good food. (Kudo’s to Bubba’s Place in Kent! They made me an awesome steak salad after explaining that I’m trying to avoid bread & potatoes.)
So I asked her «Is any of that any good?» and pointed at the menu. She looked puzzled for a 2^nd and in her best smartass/​sarcastic tone said «I work here. What do you expect me to say? I have to say its all good!» I couldn’t believe how rude she was! It wasn’t just what she said, it’s how she said it. It was really offensive and set me off. I responded using the same tone that she hit me with and said «I EXPECT if you want a tip that you will give me an honest answer.» She got mad and said «YOU dont need to be like that!» Seriously? Ok… I said“Look, you started the attitude. If you can’t handle it, you shouldn’t throw it out there because if you do, I will throw it back at you.” She was enraged. Im sure I almost got thrown out. She walked off. I wanted to leave. I wont spend money to be treated like shit by the staff. I made a jack in the box run for my team.
My question is not an unreasonable request. Any professional food service /​hospitality staff should be able to handle it. In every restaurant /​bar /​dive /​pub… Whatever you want to call them, there will always be items that are better than the others and some to avoid. Some of the places I’ve hung-​out at, the bartenders couldn’t even make a simple 1-​liquor & juice drink right. (Mystifying but true!) When that’s the case, I order a Mike’s or such. I’m really not that difficult. But this place seems to think it’s ok to treat customers like shit when they aren’t regulars. Well, I don’t care how amazing the view is. I won’t be back and recommend that others think twice before spending money there until management heals that staff.

Boy… this place could be great. Right on the water… Great view… Everyone talks about what they could do if they owned this place.
But it is dirty and rundown. Old worn out office chairs. Smells like urinal cakes. The outside and yard are not «inviting»
Yet we like it. Reasonable prices. Not pretentious Don’t have to dress up or even worry about changing your jeans that you worked in the yard with. Great place to meet friends and play pool. We will keep on going.

Basically the reasons for loving this place are the same for hating it.
It’s mostly carpeted, seating is surplus Boeing office chairs from 10 years ago, it has velvet wallpaper, and just a general dingy vibe. But it’s cheap, they have pool and darts, a good music selection, and is off the beaten path. You never have to worry about what you’re wearing or how drunk you are — there’s always someone worse than you. The place has interesting history (including recently — someone drowned in the lake after getting drunk there!) and has a friendly dog that wanders around. If you buy pitchers of beer, you grab your ice-​cold glasses out of a Good Humor cooler. Their menu is five items long, and everything is fried. The only thing I dislike about the place is that on some Friday or Saturday nights it turns into a reunion for all the Kent/​Auburn 21 year-​olds that never left town. The solution for this is obviously to arrive and begin drinking around 7pm.
Basically, if you’re looking for a classy joint with mojitos and pulsing techno. go to Belltown. The Star Lake is just a good, old-​fashioned dive bar. And not the trendy kind of dive bar that hipsters go to.

So now I am a regular and God damn it– I love this bar!
If you ever find yourself in the Ef Dub and want to grab a drink and get the best chicken nuggets– call me!