This place has really gone down over the years. We pretty much love all the McMenamins, but have to give up on this one. Food is average at best, the place is not clean, service is slow. Love the building, and if you are just stopping for a beer you should check it out. We go about once a year when we're passing through, and I can't remember the last time either the food or the service was actually good.
Review Source:I came here for breakfast on Easter Sunday with my family and everyone enjoyed their meals. I had a greyhound to start with which is fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and vodka (very tasty) while my family all enjoyed bloody marys. I had the Olympic club scramble with hashbrowns and sour dough toast and jam. The scramble had spinach, tomato, bacon, and tillamook white cheddar which gave it a great tang that balanced the other ingredients well. Everything was great and I cleaned my plate. This historic old gentleman's club is such a neat building. I will definitely come again when I'm in town.
Review Source:I love McMenamins~ My boyfriend and I frequent here regularly. Sometimes to have dinner and a movie or for a beer and wifi. Â wether to view a movie or to dine only. Â Good atmosphere~ Great food. Good Happy Hour prices and the staff is always friendly. Â We love having dinner and watching a movie in the theater as you can do both at the same time~
Review Source:I hate to give one star, but this was just terrible.
We'd been in the area celebrating my best friends birthday , and he requested a Ruby Ale or three as part of his celebration.  We went into it  with the following expectations OK food, terrible service, and good beer. Thankfully the beer was good.
We drove into Centralia to the Olympic Club, and arrived around 8 on a Saturday night. We had some problem figuring out where to go in, with the 3 sets of doors leading in to the restaurant. We found a table pretty quickly , and ordered beers and appetizers. Â
Service was surly, and any question posed was shot down with a bullet of attitude. The beer on nitro pour was a "Stout" no not the Terminator Stout. No not any other stout, just "Stout" When my boyfriend asked what the sides were he was reminded that they were on the menu, he should pay better attention.
All of us ordered burgers, they arrived, charred beyond belief, with my burger being more crunchy carbon then anything else. It's fine to serve Costco patties, (or sysco probably) but to burn them? We brought this to our waitresses attention, but she could have cared less.
Dessert included a Beeramisu, a bread pudding and  pear and brandy cobblers.  We never figured out what made the Beeramisu special, the menu included no description.  The bread pudding was good, the crumbles were really dry and hard, with skin on pears and no flavor of brandy.
The location is interesting, it's a vintage building that's been refurbished and they've got some nice touches, like decor in the bathroom. They also have weird touches like a window into the men's bathroom. (Which my boyfriend insisted smelled like it hadn't been cleaned since the 1920s)
In the end, the beer was good, the venue has interesting decor and we'll be giving it a pass next time.
On our way up to Seattle we decided to stop for dinner on a Thursday night. This was my second time a this McMenamin's and I wasn't expecting much after my last stop about a year ago. (Stopping here wasn't my idea.)
Well I wasn't disappointed. The service and food were both below the level of other McMenamin's that I've eaten at. I live in Portland so I've eaten at a number of McMenamin's.
Sorry I can't recommend this place.
The actual physical space is very cool. Â The Olympic Club is a classic, turn of the 20th Century space. Â It feels like it should be transported to Yellowstone to work as a lodge. Â
I wasn't terribly happy with the service. Â I thought it was slow, inattentive, and strangely unfriendly. Â Delivery of food took an eternity and it wasn't terribly warm. Â
I wonder if McMenamin's has gotten so large that the standards slip due to lack of leadership as one is farther away from Portland.
This place should rock but it's just ok. Â I would have given it 1.5 stars but decided to round up. Â It's a cool old bar and restaurant with lots of character which is why we went there. Â The food was just ok and the salad I ordered tasted like all the produce were really old & tasteless. Â They did have have a bunch of pool tables and stuff but the place was pretty empty when we were there, maybe it's more of a night time attraction. Â If you want to see the cool bar maybe just go in for a drink but otherwise it just wasn't a great experience.
Review Source:Despite what anyone says, I really like this place. When you walk in, you're literally transported back in time a good 80 years. It doesn't just look like an old saloon... it IS one! And you can't build that history no matter how good your interior decorator is!
When I come here, I typically only stick to three things: Beer, Happy Hour, and their dessert. I've had other things on their menu, but none of the food was good with the exception of their burgers (try the communication breakdown burger, you won't regret it). The beer here is good; however, I typically order something not on the menu but is something I learned about from going here with locals (ask for a Rubinator... again, you won't be disappointed).
For the happy hour, I am addicted to their hummus (which is really garlicky, which is why I like it so much). I also like their seasoned tater-tots as they are EXTREMELY addicting! Especially with beer. The other things on the happy hour menu are good too, so don't hesitate to try any one of them. Plus, everything on the happy hour menu is very budget-friendly!! Including the beer!!
Although I try to stay away from dessert in general while going out to restaurants given the fact that the dishes are notorious for being calorie bombs, the desserts here are both delicious and inviting. I recommend the black and tan brownie with vanilla bean ice cream and bourbon caramel sauce. I always asks for lots of spoons so I have to share with others at the table despite wishing I had the metabolism to keep the whole thing to myself. I've also tried their berry cobbler a la mode... it was very old-fashioned and really good!
All in all, this place is very representative of the time period for which it was originally built in. If you stick with the items I mentioned above, you can't go wrong. Oh, and I should mention, if you stick with happy hour and dessert, it's also VERY affordable!!! Which is a big plus!
I used to love this place. Â I used to stop for dinner or lunch regularly on trips to/from Portland/Seattle. Â I'm thinking I'm not going to do that any more. Â Service was so slow, food was 'eh' at best, and the used-to-be funky and 'McMenaminsy' atmosphere seemed loud and cold. Â Quite disappointing. Â The back yard patio may be the only redeeming quality that will persuade me to give it one more chance if the weather is promising when I'm next through the area. Â Otherwise, pass.
Review Source:I love 95% of McMenamins restaurants, but this one is a real disappointment. Â The staff is perhaps the most unfriendly I've encountered in quite some time. Â They were just flat out rude. Â Also, in a place with several TVs, you would think that some of the major events of the day would be showing (US Open, NBA Finals). Â Unfortunately all they were showing was bull riding! Â I thought at first that maybe bull riding was enjoyed in Centralia, but in talking to the locals that's definitely not the case. Â I will continue to go to other McMenamins locations but definitely not this one again. Â The manager needs to seriously consider an overhaul of the disrespectful staff.
Review Source:I was very disappointed! Â We were on our way back to portland from a M's game My buddy's and I stopped in last night to have dinner and watch the end of the NBA finals. Â I asked the 1st bartender if there was a room with the game on she said in a rude voice I DONT KNOW! Â So we looked around and didn't see the game on so I asked another bartender and she ignored me! And finally looked at me and said u guys wanna eat or what!! Â We left and went somewhere else. Normally i get great service from all mcmenamins in the Portland area. So this experience was disheartening due to how far we had to drive off the freeway to get there!
Review Source:This was probably the worst service I have seen in a long time. Our bartender was very snotty and slow serving our beers. It went downhill from start to finish.
We took a seat at the bar... and there was a whole 6 other people in the bar area. She asked if we wanted menus, we said "yes, please". She basically just threw the menus at us and walked away. After talking to some people at the other end of the bar for about 5 minutes... she comes back over and asked what we wanted to drink. We ordered our beers, and proceeded to wait. Since two beers should take about 2 minutes to pour... we waited 10 minutes for those beers. Then for some reason, she used a spoon to take out the foam.... now my husband said to me, "I wonder how many beers she put that spoon in, then into mine." Then the spoon goes back into a glass next to the taps.
Finally, we got our beers... we decided not to order food since we were already wasting our time by sitting at this bar. She came back over and was complaining about how "busy" it was... yeah, a whole 6 people is super busy.
Then this other chick walks behind the bar. She started to pour one of the beers and it ran out... so some beer splashed on me. All she said was well at least you weren't the only one who got splashed. Wow, thank you for almost apologizing.
Yep, never again will we step foot into this bar.
Beautiful old building, nicely restored in a tasteful leaning-towards-baby-boomers kinda way. The food is OK, the beer is OK, the service is slow....yep, you guessed it, it's another McMenamins project.
To be fair I knew that when I suggested to my fellow travelers we stop here for dinner on our way home after an incredibly long and tiring company meeting in Seattle (notice I didn't say boring because I like my job and my bosses can read).
The fair was the usual stuff, my companions had burgers, I had a turkey san on whole wheat, it was good but the Turkey was all wadded up on one side, almost like a meatball-Note to cooks, please take time to spread the meat across ALL the bread next time you make a sandwich, your patrons will appreciate it.
Note to Mike and Brian McMenamin, please change your fries, they suck, I don't know anyone who has ever said they were "The Bomb". They are almost always cold, lacking in salt or any seasoning for that matter, greasy, soggy and generally poor.
Make some that are crisp, hot and tasty and you will get rave reviews from your customers.
Since I wrote my last review a couple of things have happened at this place.
First the owners evidently figured out that, since they own a brewery, they could use the spent grain from beer production to bake their own burger buns. Â This may have been an eco-friendly decision, but it was a bad mistake in terms of the cuisine. Â The spent grain buns are dry, with a crumbly texture and simply not worth eating. Â
There's a workaround: Â if you order a burger ask them to put it on toasted sourdough bread, which they will happily do. Â
Second, they've changed the way they produce the french fries somehow. Â They no longer have a wonderful brown color, they're much chunkier and less like shoestring fries, and they just don't meet our high standards. Â We are french fry aficionados. Â The fries here previously were as good as we've found. Â No more.
The service remains excellent, the surroundings unchanged, and it's an overall satisfactory place to find a meal. Â But they lose a star in my estimation.
This is a nice little stop on our way north or south on I-5 toward our destination.
First Centralia is a cute little burg with many little shops in the center of town which I would love to check out at some point. Â I would liken it to the town of McMinnville.
This place has the standard McMenamin's fare and I'm not sure what this building was prior to the McMenamins folks buying it but it's a cool restaurant, bar, and pool table area. Â
We elected to sit in the bar this time at the bar just to enjoy a beverage. Â The windows are quite spectacular beautifully ornate.
The women's bathroom it interesting as the sink has so many faucets on it it's hard to tell which are ornamental and which are actually functional but very fun and definitely a conversation piece.
I'll be back again because it's a fun and quick stop. Â Free parking just a block away.
Was going to see The Expendables.
When i got into town, I had just missed the train stop for Olympia. I had been contemplating seeing the Olympic Peninsula, except wound up here.
Bleak and desolate, I was so discouraged. i was wondering around, like WTF? But then I saw the Beautiful and wonderful Centralia College, and I was like...man o man..this is sooo neat. I kept walking and saw a Billboard showing The Expendables. I was like, oh my GOSH! I'm going! I strolled inside, and it was fantastic! The antiquated phone booth and entrance into the Mens Bathroom were so awesome! Big pipes going throughout the facility and a killer menu.
Its not a place I'de want to stay for too long, but a decent escape from the Seattle area....when exhausted.
Needs better management. I've always loved McMenamin's but was very disappointed at our last visit. We stopped in w/ out of town friends, wanted to watch the 9pm movie. Got seated, went to order food & was told that the theater turned into a 'bar' after 9p so our 20 yr old friend wasn't allowed in the movie area. OK, so we're escorted to a booth & a chair is brought in since there's 5 of us. Nope! Another employee comes over & says we can't sit there so we're moved to a picnic table outside. The waitress comes over & tells us they stop serving food after dark so we can't stay....ok, now I'm getting pissy. WHERE THE HELL DO YOU WANT US? There's 5 of us, not a bus load! She comes back & they'll let us stay outside. WOW! Thanks for the favor.
The food was good but not memorable, reasonably priced. We go here for the atmosphere anyway, no biggie.
Our friends wanted to purchase a couple of things in the gift shop & after tracking down a bartender to help, turns out the inventory hadn't been added into the computer. Nothing could be sold but 'HEY! You can order this stuff on line you know!' Wow, thanks for the tip.
We'll return but there's an overall feeling of unprofessionalism & a lot of people not knowing what's going on. Disappointing :(
Word to the wise: Their portions seem to be getting smaller. I ordered a (non-happy hour) burger and tots and received enough tots to count on two hands.
Food is okay, but give them props for Royal Crown Cola. There are better places to eat around here for a better price, but then again McMenamins is more about the atmosphere and beer than the food.
Great place to rest and get lunch while on a road trip. Â Get yourself some sweet potato fries and a sandwich. Â Its the best, most honest meal you can get in town.
McMenamins is to beer what Starbucks is to coffee. Â They democratize the beer pub experience. Â They are very conscious of the look and feel of their establishments. Â They generally move into historical buildings like high schools, libraries and theaters and turn them into bars. Â They make great effort to maintain the original identity of the building.
That said, I would be reluctant to step foot in a McMenamins in the Seattle or Portland areas because there are so many beer pubs that do the same thing but better. Â But outside of the major metropolitan areas, nobody beats it. Â They don't even try.
I've been to a lot of McMenamin's, but only came here recently. Â It's a cool historic property, as are most of their bars/hotels/restaurants. Â The food and beer are pretty much the same here as at their other joints...it's very good but if you're looking for something really exotic or exquisite then keep looking.
I'm glad I checked this place out...in a way all McMenamin's are similar, but they're all unique too.
Super cool place...feels like it hasn't changed in 100 years (which it really hasn't). Very old vibe with awesome food and drink.
Excellent pub food with house made beers. The pulled pork sandwich is incredible, awesome burgers, delicious mac & cheese, great fries and excellent tots.
The place also has rooms. Small, loud but just like they were as an old skool flop house. Shared bathrooms in the hall. Don't stay here unless you have a sense of adventure (Four Seasons regulars need not apply).
As with many McMenimans there is a cool theater filled with old stuffed chairs and sofas so you can eat and drink slouched in comfort...just like at home.
This is our regular lunch stop on the way to Portland...exactly half way.
We were totally excited to check this place out as we'd read the whole story about the property renovation - the theater, the hotel, the restaurant - and appreciate what McMenamin folks do in terms of developing older properties and making something old new again. Very hip.
With the muscle relaxers starting to exit our system, and the freshly inhaled herbal supplement on our breath, we parked our car in the public parking area about half a block south, grabbed the mobile blogging unit and headed up the street. We were so spiritually disoriented that we walked by the entrance about three times before we realized how to enter. Not their fault - it's pretty obvious once you step back.
Walk inside. Totally packed. No signs telling you what to do. Where are the signs? What the hell are we supposed to do here besides not bring in minors.
Walk toward the back and see sort of sporadic seating arrangements like they crammed in tables wherever they'd fit. Look into the big room and see five huge billiards tables, all empty, and occupying the majority of the floor space.
"May I sit at a billiards table?" I asked.
"You can't eat there," said one of the wait staff, hurriedly.
"Where can I sit?" I reply.
"Wherever you can find a spot" she said as she flew by on her way to the kitchen to pick up an order.
Wherever I can find a spot indeed! It may have been paranoia, but we became incredibly uncomfortable and fled the building. Walked around to find an alternative, but no alternatives exist in historic downtown Centralia.
In terms of funblogging facilities, this place was completely insufficient. We're not small-breed types. We need room to stretch out and set up our equipment.
I can't wait to find more McMenamin's, even the music was good. Â The food was just okay, but it's worth it to see the building. Â As far as I can tell, they take historic buildings and renovate them to be modern but still echo the past. Â
Their website says "Several of the McMenamins' businesses are long-storied structures honored by their inclusion on the National Historic Register". Â Which doesn't surprise me, this building was amazing.
Another McMenamin's property. I love the fact that they have aquired so many historic sites and preserved them. I don't quite get the other reviewer's getting a 50s-60s vibe? This is a history early 1900's building that retains the feel and interior from the 1920s. The woodwork, fixtures are amazing.
Food wise it's McMenamins pub grub which is to say it's pretty good food. I personally don't care for their beers but I know many who do.
It's a very nice place for lunch or dinner next time you stop thru Centralia. Instead of fast food or Country Cousins, check out historic downtown Centralia and the Olympic Club.
Fantastic setting with wonderful polished, carved moldings with gorgeous pool tables and furniture. Â There is a lot of space, giving a person a lot of room to wander around and enjoy the 50s-60s vibe of this place. Â The cast iron stove and tall-backed chairs lend a nice touch to the homey, laid back, small-town atmosphere. Â I read a review of the breakfasts here that was pretty unfair. Â I had an omlette at this place that knocked my frickin' socks off! Â The bourbon selection is wonderful, and the beer is fantastic. Â If you have spare time on the way to Seattle or Portland, stop in Centralia and give this place a shot. Â As a bonus, you can get a cheap room at this place for around $60, so it's a safe alternative to a lot of places (get blasted then just wander upstairs to bed).
Review Source:Love the setting in this historic building. Â The old pictures and articles on the wall present the history of the Olympic Club very thoroughly. Â The Billiard Hall looked like a lot of fun too. Â Went in with the kids since it is always pure bliss to find a place to get goof handcrafted beer that also welcomes the way under 21 crowd. Â The quality of food for the very inexpensive prices was amazing. Â We liked it so much for dinner that we returned for lunch the next day before taking the kids on the Chehalis steam train ride. Â Good pub food in a history rich environment. Â I'll have to check out the movie, billiards, and hotel part some time.
Review Source:(3.5 Stars) Full disclosure: with the exception of the Washington Mill Creek installation, I have never met a McMenamins pub I didn't like. Â For the most part, this installation didn't disappoint me, although I experienced it in conjunction with the hotel/theater, so your mileage may vary. Â
At first glance, I thought the place to be tiny, with just the bar and then the small table area by the billiards corral. Â But then you start snaking thru hallways and you keep stumbling into new areas to grab a seat, like in the new tourist pub, or outside by the fire pits. Â Best to know the lay of the land as this place can fill up quick - breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and dinner (we did all four, twice). Â I must admit that service is hit or miss, never neglectful, but (and more for the morning service) often bordering on grumpy (hung over?). Â Other times, you couldn't ask for a handful of more cheerful people who know how to ensure a never empty pitcher of beer. Â Food is OK, about average for McMenamins, stick to the simpler dishes and when busy don't ask for alterations as you probably won't get them (refer back to the never empty beer, and you probably then won't care too much).
Do I recommend making a special trip down to Centralia just for the pub? Â No, but do stop by if you're in the area as you won't regret it. Â Have fun looking over the historical pictures and comparing it to today's restorations - they have done a great job of preserving the past. Â Regardless of gender, don't forget to take a gander at the men's restroom - those urinals are *insain* (there is a clear window on the door so everyone can look in). Â You might also consider staying at the hotel for a night or two and taking all your meals in the pub - there is a real groovy local vibe happening with a handful of locals/regulars that add a completely new level and richer color to the experience that a one-off visit would be deprived of.
Amazing setting. Original 100+ year old cafe and snooker parlor, tons of character. It's great to sit and consider how many people over the years ate and drank and played here.
After that, you're in a McMenamin's, and what's true of one seems to be true of all. The food is OK, not great. It could be great with a little attention to details but that's not the case. McM's does not do a good job with their bread products, they are either stale or frozen. Salads tend to be a bit dried out and a bit old. The espresso was weak. But the food is tasty and harmless, and the service was outstanding. And the men's room is worth a look: the urinals are as big as phone booths, I'm guessing to facilitate aim if you're a bit less than sober.
This place makes you feel like you are walking onto the stage set of a play. Â We walked through a little pool hall like area to get to the seating area to eat. Â The place hardly seems real as you sit in the dark handsome bar or in the booth at a table. Â You can't help, but to look around and feel like you've been transported to the time period as there are signs that still remain that don't allow women in and all the decor of the old gas fireplace. Â The bathroom was ridiculous! Â There were so many knobs and faucets around the sink that it was hard to tell which was the real one to use. Â I can imagine that this would really suck if you were drunk. Â Maybe some people aren't washing their hands afterwards, either. Â Our waitress was pretty cool. Â We had the wings that were very mediocre here. Â They were kind of dry, and not very spicy at all. Â My burger was kind of average as well. Â I wasn't wowed. Â I did appreciate the bread pudding dessert. Â This is a place though that you come for the beers.
Review Source:Nice setting in downtown Chehalis. Â The pub menu is going to be awful familiar if you are a McMenamin regular, but I usually approach it as, "what food do I want to accompany this awesome beer?"
Lots of interesting restored touches and nice nooks/crannies. Â Movies are cheap and you can indeed have beer with your movie.
I've been going here since it opened in 1997. Â If you're ever driving up to Seattle or down to Portland, along the 5, this is a great microbrewery that was once a bootlegger's paradise during the Prohibition. Â I think it also used to be a gentleman's club of sorts, that is, a whorehouse.
Anyway, they've got killer pool tables, like 8 of them, including a snooker table, and a great jukebox. Â If you're grabbing a bite to eat, ask for Sam.
They've got some nice microbrews on draft-- I recommend the amber.
Shoot some stick and grab a microbrew, and experience the old North in Centralia, Washington, so-called because it's about midway between Portland and Seattle.
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