Swamp Tavern

I’ve been going to this bar a number of years and its always where I like to start my night. Mike the bartender has an extensive knowledge of beer and what your taste buds are asking for. Price is perfect for the atmosphere also free popcorn with your choice of toppings.

Don’t judge a bar by its outside. The Swamp has little curb appeal and it’s not in a very nice spot but, it has that thing… that inner beauty. Super friendly bartenders, great ambiance and free fortune cookies, bottled water and popcorn (with an assortment of salts and seasonings). I typically go with some friends who frequent the place so it always feels really welcoming, though I bet I would get that impression if I went without those guys. Full disclosure, I don’t think I’ve been here on a weekend, so this is all based off of weeknight experiences. Because of this the «very loud» noise level doesn’t mesh with my memory.
There are three sections to The Swamp: the bar area, pool tables and patio.
The bar has a few fridges filled with bottled beer and between 8 – 10 taps. Of the taps, one is PBR and the rest are quality craft beers (No-​Li Crystal Bitter!), none of which are very expensive. I guess they also have wine but I’ve never ventured into that realm. There are probably 8 seats at the bar as well as some adjacent table seating. There are a couple TVs inside. If you’re there on a slow night the bartender will often put on whatever he wants to watch (which is often Family Guy).
The pool tables are a couple of steps lower than the bar. There are two pool tables that cost, 50 cents if I remember right. Surrounding them are small seating tables with chairs and stools. There is probably more seating down in that area than by the bar. I like the look of that area better too. Along with the green of the felt there are green lights, christmas tree bulbs hanging from the ceiling, posters for bands that have played there and an assortment of interesting and campy décor on the walls.
Finally, the outside area may just be the cherry on top of The Swamp. As one previous reviewer pointed out, there are green christmas lights in a mesh pattern that help create a swampy feeling. The whole area is fenced in. There is probably as much seating outside as there is inside. Half of the seating is under a roof, so you can go out when it’s rainy. The fire pit thing is awesome and perfect for chilly nights. All of the patio is smoker friendly so enjoy or be ready, depending on your preference.
In a sentence, The Swamp is a cozy, hidden gem in an overlooked fringe of Downtown.

Feels like a bummer.

This place ROCKS! It is home to probably one of Spokane’s best selection of fine beers. Plus it has started getting more bands to play there which is a good thing. I also like the patio and it comes complete with fireplace and the trains rolling by adds a nice touch. It is also about a five minute walking distance from my place.

This place was the shit! It will now be my favorite place. The atmosphere was fantastic. Music was not to load and the lights just right. Now for a bar it was a little bright but it was great. The bartender was friendly, the music was going all night with some great mixes.
Here is why I love it. They have my favorite beer. Youngs Double Chocolate Stout and Raspberry Framboise Lambic Ale. You pour just a little in the bottom and then the stout … you have a chocolate truffle! One hell of a beer!

There are nights when I just want to drink beer. When those nights happen I like to head to the Swamp. They have EXCELLENT beer on tap. I dig the fireplace in the beer garden as well. Kind make you feel like you are at a campfire with a bunch of friends. The staff all seemed friendly.

One of the first bars I went to in Spokane. It’s weird inside, the counter top at the bar really reminds me of the 70s and the Brady Bunch kitchen, but yellow and not red counter tops. BUT they have a nice outdoor patio. There is a fire pit and it’s great for groups. Unfortunately, the train that passes every 10 minutes makes conversing hard. Ah well, it all adds to the ambiance.
Beer is cheap, bar tender is friendly and gives samples. I should note, this place does JUST beer.
Park anywhere outside.

Decent bar, free popcorn, juke not bad, cheap pool, lots of TVs, a little oddly too bright. Not a dive but not fancy either. Seems like a place you make your own good time, which we did. I don’t see what’s so tummy-​glazingly awesome about it like some other reviewers, but it’s probably one of those you have to warm up to.

I like this place. No liquor but lots of good beer, there’s far more bottled/​canned than what’s on tap. Great things about this place: a fire pit outside during all seasons, outdoor music when it isn’t freezing out, eerie dim green lighting, really cool and often funny bartenders, 2 pool tables and the owner seems to always be making interesting new additions to the place.
Great crowds at this place too. Usually pretty down to earth people. Rock, blues, punk, folk, djs. This is one of the only bars in town that can get away with it, must be because it’s blocks away from any residential blocks. The outdoor patio area is big. I swear, there were a few times this summer when there must have been 200 people back there. I do wish the lights inside were more dim.
UPDATE/​EDIT: February 2010–
Well, the Swamp landlord (owner of Sunset Junction just blocks away, a place I feel mixed about) is clamping down on this place, enforcing a 49-​person capacity limit. Which is pretty lame, this place can fit many more than that safely. Probably a huge blow to their revenue, I mean this has been a busy, successful bar. In an economy like this it’s crazy to see a successful place have its potential cut down, intentionally. Oh, and the once-​huge backdoor patio has been shrunk to half or less-​than-​half the size it was before. I hear the landlord thought it went over property line or something. LAME

Very enjoyable little tavern, the outdoor area rocks and has a fireplace which is usually lit, and accentuated by a pretty concrete statue of a few mermaids. The swamp-​like green Christmas lights give the place a good vibe from before you even walk in, and gives the outdoor area a nice ambience. It’s cozy, the jukebox has good music, and the beer is well priced.
The Swamp is practically built on the train tracks, so expect a few train honks. Raise your glass to the passing freight.
The brew selection is alright and well-​priced. If they have a beer on tap from the local Northern Lights brewery, get it. You won’t be disappointed.

The Swamp is located out of the way and under the tracks — so to speak. Right next to tracks actually. They have good prices for beer on tap. They also have PBR on tap. They light a fire during the winter out back. This is nice comfortable bar.

Full disclosure: The Swamp is currently my favorite bar
I moved to Spokane about 7 months ago. As a lover of all things beer, I quickly scoped out the best places for a brew in Spokane, even before moving out.
When I saw the name «The Swamp», I was a bit skeptical. The last place called that was fraternity/sorority/“look at me” hangout in Gainesville, FL.
Spokane’s «The Swamp», is anything but. The place is just so damned warm and cozy! In the winter there’s usually a fire in the back with nice people to talk to (that’s something I never have a problem with at The Swamp, I know very few people in Spokane but never cease to make some single-​serving friends at this tavern).
Oh yeah, and the beer is great too. About 8 taps, but they make every one of them count. There is definitely no «crap» on tap at The Swamp. The bottle selection is fantastic and the prices are incredibly good. (sometimes even cheaper than buying them at the store)
The owner frequents the place is a severely nice guy. He loves beer so much he brews it himself!

i am not a drinker and i’m not a huge bar-​goer, but the moments that led up to us ending up at the Swamp may have made me love it even more.
I arrived in Spokane at 10pm on a Thursday evening. my girlfriend picked me up and after dropping my stuff off at her place, we headed out to some crazy cowgirls inc. type bar, minus the hot waitresses but they did have a mechanical bull. it was some kind of hip hop night. not my thing. after waiting around for a couple hours for the high-​maintenance «performers» that my girlfriend was supposed to be photographing, we finally said «SCREW IT» and left.
she took me to the Swamp for one more drink before calling it a night. i really wasn’t looking forward to going to another bar after the hip-​hop scene, but when we got to the swamp, i immediately understood why she wanted to take me there.
when you walk in, it just looks like a regular little dive bar. there’s a jukebox, a bar and some tables. to the right of the jukebox there is a door that goes outside, and they have a fully fenced in «back yard.»
the back yard was awesome! there were all green twinkly lights strung across above our heads in a netted fashion, giving the aura of «swampiness» but in a cool way :) the crowd was awesome! such a relief after the crazy thug scene at the other place. they even had a free-​standing fire-​pit that this cool dude kept throwing wood into. on top of all that, there was a dj playing all kinds of music (GOOD music) that made the mood very chill and comfortable.
definitely the best dive i’ve been to in the NW.

Good crowd, great selection of beer, and any place that screens Eraserhead on a warm summer night is worth checking out. They also have a pool table, jukebox, and free popcorn. The owner/​bartender, Joe, and his dog (i forgot his name) are friendly, too.