Alright, I'll play it straight with you. This place gets busy on the drinking evenings of the week. I made the mistake of going here with a friend on trivia night as well. Protip to the staff, the entire block can here you reading the answers into the mic, turn it the fuck down. The beers on tap were mostly substandard, but I managed to track down a decent ipa before the tap ran dry. The beer garden outside, where we chose to sit was fine but lacked much in the way of ambiance.
It ended up feeling like a place for college freshmen. That was nearly 7 years ago for me and holds no more appeal anymore.
This was our second visit to KK. Â We were intending to use a Groupon, but alas, at 8:30 on a Saturday night, they were out of all food except for appetizers. Â How exactly does that happen? Â Apparently it's not a fluke, since that also happened the first time we went, except that only half of the menu was not available. Â Now I know that the primary reason for a visit is to imbibe, but it just seems like a bad idea to run out of food. Â If we visit again, it will be to sit in the beer garden AFTER we have eaten.
Review Source:Got a groupon, went there for happy hour and stayed for the pub quiz they hold on Wednesday nights. Friendly service, great fish&chips, huge taco plate. Free pool and they have some other games too. We spent like six hours there, got drunk and forgot to use the groupon as well :) Anyway, we'll gladly go there again!
Review Source:A sun soaked evening led to eating out on the spacious patio. We stopped for dinner and it took a bit to realize their wasn't table service and that we needed to order at the bar. I had been to the Aurora location only once before (inside beach party - Sand! Everywhere!) and never had their food, so I was wary at the "meat" pie with no mention as to what kind of creature was in said pie. My Friend had tried their veggie burger which turned out to be the most amazing chickpea burger in recent memory - it had great texture, delicious tangy sauce. And they have Strongbow on tap - what a treat!
It has a sign that's less tacky than its predecessor, and it's very pub-like in the ambiance in a former library.
Was truly impressed by the chickpea burger -two thumbs up!
A-OK. Nothing spectacular to write home about.
A friend and I came here for dinner a couple days ago. We ordered drinks off the happy hour menu (no great deal here, but nothing to turn a nose up at either) and then settled in front of a TV playing a soccer game. I got the lamb burger which was good. She got the chicken nachos which were also good.
All around this place was good. In the future I probably won't seek this place out to eat and drink, but if friends wanted to go I could tag along.
This place was great! The service was great! The atmosphere was....GREAT! This was my first time here for lunch and I got the burger with the fried egg and beets. I was not going to get the beets but the owner advises me to at least get them on the side and give it a try, needless to say...it was great! I will definitely be back for more beer and burgers.
Review Source:Great building. Â Nice staff. Â Meh-ish beer selection, although I enjoy the few Aussie selections (I can get all of them elsewhere. Â Where's the VB, the Carlton?) Â $20 for Vegemite tub? Â WHAT? Â Food has gotten horrific. Â After 3 bad food visits in a row we will still come for the outdoor drinking, but I'll go to Po Dog or Hi Life for grub. Â Don't go hungry.
Review Source:I enjoyed happy hour outside on a sunny Saturday. A bit loud and crowded, and you have to fend for yourself in terms of "service" (order at the counter), but the beer and nachos were good. The other food I saw going by looked pretty respectable as well. I liked the place overall, but it definitely had "frattish" feeling about it. Lots of rugby and soccer players come here in big groups and get pretty raucous. But overall, not a bad place.
Review Source:I was excited to check out Kangaroo & Kiwi Pub. I have a lot of friends who love this place for the trivia and atmosphere. This place is probably great, but I had a bad experience.
I went there for Sunday brunch. In a nutshell, I think there were only 2 people working to serve 20+ people (there might have been a 3rd dude, but he wasn't interacting with customers or working in the kitchen). I felt bad for the people working, because they're in a bad situation. How can they provide good service? They couldn't. My food was cold, and I waited over 15 minutes for condiments (this was after seeking employees out and waiting next to the kitchen door--it's not like I sat there and expected to be served table-side, and it was still over 15 minutes.)
I peaked at the kitchen. The floor was a mess (the only part I could see).
I won't eat there again, because it doesn't make sense. It was over-priced for what it was, and there are too many great alternatives.
I might go for drinks on a busy night. If I do, I might update my review.
Kristin and I came here to use a Groupon that was almost expiring.
The space is fun -it's occupying the old Ballard Carnegie library- but the restaurant is loud. Like very loud. Maybe it's better on a weeknight.
We shared the wings, meat pie with cheese, and fries with gravy. Yes, we were having a balanced meal.
We agreed the food was all just okay. We didn't finish the wings or fries. I thought the meat pie was pretty good and I might order this again. Each of the appetizers was around $6-7 each.
They don't offer table service but do bring the food to you when it's ready. You have to order everything at the bar.
I'd definitely come back for drinks and maybe something to nibble on. It would be fun to play a game here with a group.
You're probably better off getting food during happy hour which goes till 6:30pm. We enjoyed our glasses of Strongbow.
$5 8-oz wine goblet of Cooks. Okay! Wait, why do I feel like I'm in a college frat?
Yeah, that's the vibe I get at Kangaroo & Kiwi. They are located in the old historical Ballard Library. The rich 100 year old plus cherry wood framing decorated with dive bar furniture and garnished with Christmas lights in the middle of July give me flash backs to my years at Washington State University.
It's kinda sad to me that a building with such amazing architecture is unfortunately being misused with a stinky pub. But the environment is like any pub, so its good at what it's doing - friendly staff, nice selection of beers, don't come looking for carefully crafted cocktails or an extensive wine list. That's not what this place is and doesn't pretend to be.
Beer garden? Crappy food? Board games with half the piece missing? Yup. I feel like I'm in college again.
Eh, this bar was pretty fun. The drinks weren't that strong, maybe it's more of a beer bar?
The reason this bar gets such a high rating despite its weak drinks is because they have THE BEST idea for a drunken bar game there.
Ok, get this: They give drunk people a hammer and some nails, and the goal is to successfully hammer your respective nails into a giant tree stump. FOOLPROOF! How can that possibly go wrong?
That is a great idea and more bars need to think about adding this delightful game to their repertoire.
I am not being facetious, either. That game was effing fun.
Came here on a Saturday night.
It is decent for what it is...but goodness did it stink!!!
Ordered the wings (not bad), sausage rolls (preheated) and a few drinks.
This isn't really for families after a certain time even though there is a section for under 21, they had a DJ spinning and he was ok. Plenty of college kids and I couldn't shake off the bad odor in there!!!
The Backshed Burger is pretty darned good. Â We've been back 4 times just for the burger with beets, pineapple and I'm not sure what else but its good - and the salad. Â But not really the chips....sorry.
Martini's start out good but soon enough are more juice then....juice. Â
The rule is to order everything at the bar yourself (including food) and to open tab. Don't look like a fool and wait for service at your table - lol omg.....like me! Â Â You will get a number for your table & friendly service will deliver and clean table which is nice :)
We loved the fireplace and available games, had incredibly enjoyable time.
I miss the divey, colossal old location on Aurora, but...the new location will do.
The beer list? Great. Wish they could get Steinlager on tap, since i'd pay a premium for that. Â Taps are mostly UK and some Aussie stuff too. No, they don't have Foster's. That's Australian for water, mate.
The chips are pretty good. They usually sell Berocca, which is the secret to avoiding hangovers. Seriously. Alas, as it's tricky to get into the States, they don't always have it.
The new location gets a little loud in a bad way; the old one didn't, and that's a few points off. Not too late to add some sound deadening, folks. The fireplace is nice, though.
All in all, not the same as the old place, still pretty cool, kinda too loud, we can has Steinlager on tap plz?
Went on a busy Friday night with a group of friends. Â The place was so smelly, loud & felt like I was at a frat party. Â Took a while to get drinks at the bar too. Â There are better places to grab a beer in Ballard.
It's a cool building & I've heard it is nice in the summer when you can sit outside. Â I will have to wait and give it a try when the weather is nice.
Set back from the street in what may have been a quaint old office building at some point, the Kangaroo & Kiwi presents a more welcoming appearance than most bars. Inside, it's pretty much kitsch and noise, rather than a typical pub experience.
It's bright, boisterous, and filled with people. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of sound dampening from the surroundings, so expect casual chatter to fade into the ambient noise level.
The service is good, if a bit short with their patrons. It seems to be a toss-up on whether you get friendly or surly. (Unless, of course, you're friends with the surly one -- it seems to be a fairly popular neighborhood joint.)
Beer selection is a good mix of local micros, imported treats, and a few mainline staples that ought to appeal to anyone who isn't into the other stuff. There are even a couple of non-alcoholic options, if that's more your speed.
I did notice the manager seemed pretty uncompromising on what was on the TVs, causing more than a couple people to leave for greener pastures while I was there, but this was during a playoff game.
All in all, it had the feel of a young, college-populated bar, though the population was varied. I aim to try it again on a quieter night, but I'm not in any particular hurry to return. Also, I'm not particularly sure that they're pot-friendly, but cripes did it *reek* in there.
I like their beer selection and the fireplace. We tried playing Connect 4 from their available games, but it contained a total of 12 pieces.
Grabbing the attention of the staff at the bar was difficult, even when they weren't very busy. It took me about 10 minutes to get a menu. The food came out at an acceptable amount of time.
The meat pies threw me since the website led me to expect chunks of meat, not ground meat in a slightly gelatinous gravy (think cornstarch-thickened Chinese food). It tasted fine.
At least their fries/chips were great - not cut too thick and had little crisp to it. I tried the sweet chili sauce and sour cream combo and it reminded me of crab rangoon. I personally enjoyed it.
To be honest, I was a little bitter when the K&K split from Aurora for trendy Ballard. Part of the reason I really liked the K&K was because they weren't located in some hipster neighborhood and part of that scene. Alas, I'm now forced to admit the new location in Ballard is pretty awesome.
The building it's located in is very interesting architecturally, and it's a pretty big space, although the space is broken up into several different rooms. When it's crowded on Fri and Sat nights, the configuration can be a pain since the main room becomes a big bottleneck and it's tough to move around. I really like that they have a decent size outdoor area though.
The only real problem I have has to due with my sense of nostalgia I think. K&K Ballard just isn't the same as K&K Aurora, the vibe is different for sure, for better or for worse.
Great location and building, and that's about all I can say. Â Went on a Friday night around 10pm. Â The place was really loud when we walked in, and could barely hear each other (was willing to get over it b/c...well...it's a bar). Â But the smell of bathrooms was overpowering. Â It smelled like a honeybucket at the entrance.
Ok selection of beer. Â We sat in one of the side rooms next to the fireplace. Â There was a couple playing a board game, and just a few feet away a DJ with a blacklight playing hiphop under ceiling covered with rugby flags.
I think I'll stick to my usual pubs on Ballard Ave. Â I couldn't figure out if this place was trying for meat-markety 20-something club, english pub, or sports bar.
The building this bar resides in used to be a library and has held a prominent space on Market Street in the heart of Ballard for a long time. As soon as you walk in, you have the option to turn left in to a game room, turn right in to a spacious area full of places to sit or hang out, or you can walk straight up to the bar and order a drink. A tough decision to be sure, but since food and drink orders must be placed at the bar, I would head there first and then scope out a good spot to claim.
The friendly staff will keep your drinks filled and your area clean which is really all you need from them as the focus here is on having a good time whether you are here to watch a sporting event, participate in one of their famous trivia nights, or just to hang out with some friends. The Happy Hour is definitely a highlight as it goes all the way to 6:30pm making it a perfect spot to hit up if you're running late or as a place to get the night started. As far as food, I would recommend the nachos or the fish bites.
Loved their Aurora location - but this new place in Ballard really kicks its ass. Â The building is awesome - the location is great and everything else is absolutely fantastic. Â The food, the prices, the crowd, excellent.
We've been here many times since they opened (and were there for the opening as well!) and will continue to come back again and again. Â The outdoor area is ideal for those gorgeous Seattle summer days and the inside is always lively and warm for the other three seasons.
The staff is always friendly and helpful and getting a drink (even when it's crazy busy) is never a hassle.
I just freakin love this pub. Â When they were on Aurora I loved it and now that they've moved to Ballard it's even better! Â This Ballard location is spot on: cool space in the old Carnegie Library, right on Market so close to the heart of Ballard, large outdoor patio, 3 separate indoor rooms with pool, shuffleboard, flat screens and cool pub tables. Â I love the aussie decor/theme and bartenders with an accent are always a plus. :) Â
They continue to serve great beers and ciders on-tap and I love the bar food! Â Chips with sour cream and sweet chili sauce will forever be a favorite snack of mine thanks to the K&K.
Not only is the food, drink, atmosphere, and people amazing, but they frequently have fun events (including lube-wrestling!) and game-watching.  Check out their website (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkangarooandkiwi.com%2F&s=f607d7223a096f4f7cfbdc6e543023b1f97d1d8ba36071d747329c8f13ab77c3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://kangarooandkiwi.c…</a>) and Facebook page for details.
I went to the Yelp Helps event here, and I really liked the pub! Â It was the first time I went to an Aussie pub and I'd like to take my husband there. Â The atmosphere was great, and everyone was having a great time.
They have late happy hour specials. Â I had some nachos and the chips are home made! Â I didn't even realize that they had a full menu because I was paying to much attention to the bingo part. Â But I'd definitely like to try some Aussie food!
Besides the great food, they have trivia every week! Â I wish that they had the TWIF bingo would be a regular event, since it was extremely fun. Â Of course I had the physical challenge where I had to make myself into a moon pie unicorn. Â I was the only female and I had never had them before, so I didn't know they were soft with marshmallow inside. Â I completely had a great strategy - to twist them like Oreos and stick the marshmallow part to my forehead. Â No that I know that... Â If I get that challenge again - I'll have chocolate all over my hair. Â I need a bigger forehead!
I definitely would come here again. Â Totally love it. Â But I sucked at the trivia...
This place is so fun! Â I've been here a couple of times now, and three things stand out: Â Cider (Strongbow) on tap, awesome employees with sexy accents, and fries with sour cream and sweet chili sauce! Â How can you go wrong with that combination?
Love the location. Â The old building it is in has a lot of character. Â They also have a pool table and some sort of bar shuffleboard game. Â I'm terrible at both, but it's super fun to play while having a pint! Â
This place has a very causal atmosphere, and you feel perfectly at home be you Kangaroo, Kiwi or other. Â Check it out!
Came here last night for bingo/physical challenge/trivia night put on by TWIF. Â Very cool place, in an old library so has cool architecture/set up. Â Quite large, but things were a bit cozy for bingo--they had a great turn out!
I had fries and they were delicious and crispy but lacked seasoning. Â Served with sweet chili sauce and sour cream which was different.
All in all a nice place!
For a TWIF twist on Bingo, Kristin and I descended upon Kangaroo & Kiwi for fun and drinks.
My memory and her math skills are at odds with just how much I drank...my new found love of a well made Dark & Stormy is going to prove to be dangerous, I think.
We chose a table in one of the "side rooms" of this gorgeous old library turned great bar, right by the toasty fireplace.
Board games were everywhere (including...Twister??). We went for a round of Scrabble- Words with Friends style.
Bartenders were friendly, and as the place was packed still kept up with the orders. During Bingo there were almost no breaks between rounds, so when there was a brief intermission they were inundated with drink orders. No sweat, they rocked it.
We didn't go for food, but it was Taco Thursday (screw you Tuesday!) And we saw many orders go by. For $2 they are pretty big tacos. On my list to try.
It was a fun night, and one of the only Kristin and I can remember where we got "girl date time" just us! Jorge joined in for Bingo (and bought us drinks! Yay Jorge! :D ) making it a really fun trio to try and keep up with the silly Bingo announcer.
Thanks Yelp and TWIF for putting it all together for us to have fun and support some great causes!
P.s. they charge $1 fee for using your card if your tab is under $10
Some of my favorite things: Libraries, Booze, board games, Girl-Dates, Australian Accents, and now BINGO! The Kangaroo and Kiwi totally had all of these things, and more!
Riss and I headed over here for the TWIF Bingo night. $10 for a couple hours of shenanigans for charity, especially in an old Carnegie- library- turned -Australian -Bar, in the middle of one of my favorite neighborhoods, is really hard to pass up.
I have been dying to check this place out ever since it changed locations. The fact that this historical Library is still getting used is awesome. I also love bars that have board games, and fireplaces. So, needless to say, I'm a fan.
I didn't try any of the food, but the chicken wings, and the tacos both looked good, and I can't wait to try the Australian Meat Pie, which I am guessing is like an English Meat Pie with ketchup and cooked on the barbie and served with a Fosters? The Australians are weird, so I don't know. We plan on coming back here when they have Australian rules Football on, so we can drool at all the Hot Australian/New Zealand Ex-pats.
As a kiwi currently residing in Seattle sometimes I need something to ebb my occasional pangs of homesickness. The Kangaroo & Kiwi is that place.
I love that the new location was once the Ballard library making this pub rather unique in appearance. It is much more bright and spacious on the inside than the previous location but this is not the reason why I frequent the Kangaroo & Kiwi. I go for the food, the beer and the rugby.
The meat pie is the closest thing I have found to one from an NZ bakery. Needless to say I get one every time I go. I am also a big fan of the chips with sour cream and sweet chili sauce, so good! All this delicious food needs something to wash it down with luckily the beer selection is great providing local favorites as well as imports from Australia and New Zealand.
Besides the food and beer from home the ability to watch rugby matches in this pub is awesome. I love being able to watch a sport that often times is not shown in this country while being surrounded by avid rugby supports. It also provides a unique opportunity to interact with fellow transplants from Australia and New Zealand which is always a delight.
I was here recently to watch the MNF game. Â I was impressed w/space and the lack of crowded ness I ran into at the other local bars. Â Don't get me wrong it was busy, but there was tons of room and the bartenders were on top of their game! Â No one went thirsty here!
Oh man the chicken wings were great! Â Wow!
I had the Portabello sliders yum... something I've never even heard of but they were great, had great flavor and texture!
Oh yeah there HH is different -4:30 to 6:30pm so that is a plus+
I love that this is a former library. The architecture is cute, I love the patio, interior and the backyard. Â The garden in the backyard reminds me of Pinterest. hahahah.
You can even bring your dog!
The only downside is that the crowd was way too meathead, shouting stupid things like "they're ALL beautiful" to the entire crowd, "5 years out of the frat house" for my taste!
I've been here a few times and I've always had a good time. I actually came here last night to watch the Sounders US Open Cup final... which I refuse to go into detail about, but anyway, I'll focus on the pub itself.
It was happy hour when we got there (4:30 to 6:30), but I didn't know what the HH prices were, so I just ordered the Strongbow Cider, which was really pretty amazing. I'm not a huge beer fan, so I usually opt for cider. We also ordered some appetizers and a pie. The pie was my favorite!!! We got the one with peas, mashed potatoes, ground beef, etc... so so good. The "spicy" fried chicken wings were really bland... and the nachos were OK too. I had a bite of the portobello sliders, but I was too full at that point to finish it. But it was pretty tasty. I'll just say that the food took forever, but it's expected since it was a packed house for the soccer match.
They have lots of board games and random games that people can play. There are plenty of tables and stools around as well, including an outdoor deck area, which I haven't been to yet.
Overall, I really like the place because it feels casual, fun and chill, all at the same time. And they also have liquor if you're not a beer fan.
I think the thing I love the most about Kangaroo & Kiwi is the old, re purposed library the establishment calls home. What an awesome way to revive an old Ballard landmark. Â In these days of sprawl and the epidemic of condominiums that Ballard currently has, it's refreshing and nostalgic to see that there are bits of the old 'llard still sprinkled among the new growth.
We came here on a Sunday and it was fairly empty inside, but there were people seated in their outdoor area, which features wooden tables, seats made from barrels, and a cute little garden in the corner. They had many different Aussie beers on tap, as well as a few local favorites. I went with a 21st Amendment while I was there, and we sat outside in the outdoor seating area. The bartender even had an Aussie accent.
A very cool space. I'd like to come back in the future to try some more beers and maybe see what they have to offer for food.
The location is good, but the 3 rude bartenders really ruin this place.
I was there Friday and each girl behind the bar was grouchy and clearly did not like their job. I did notice that they were waaaay sweeter to men.
I overheard a woman paying her tab next to me that she did not want to tip b/c they did not deserve one. Clearly I am not the only one miffed.
The outside seating is nice, but with no drink service it is kind of a drag to get up and go inside every time I needed a beer.
Overall they did not impress nor do they deserve my money. Ballard has too much competition to turn new customers away like the staff did to me.
I lub this pub! After traveling to Oz and NZ last summer I was ecstatic to see this bar all decked out with soccer and rugby banners, flags and jerseys. I was even happier to spot some Aussie pies on the menu too!
The beer list was great, the service was friendly and there was a trivia night I participated in and it was a total blast. In fact, I had so much fun that I plan to come back every Weds night for trivia. If you haven't checked out the Kangaroo & Kiwi get your butt down there!
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