If you're looking for good food, great service and a friendly bar - then you've met you match.
Squirrel's tavern offers you ALL of that. I ate a cheese burger and it was great! The selection of beers was awesome as well.
When I'm back in town - i'll def come back.
My recommendation: The Squirrel Burger
Looking for that old man bar in downtown Corvallis? Well Squirrel's is about as close as you are going to find. This a cash only establishment but there is a ATM in case you need it. The bar is know for mainly serving beer and wine, and while part of the year they serve liquor it is for a very limited time. The beer selection is a decent selection of regional microbrews and standard American favorites, but the selection doesn't typically change that often.
The kitchen offers the typical burger and sandwich fare, but there are some surprises like deviled eggs. There are vegetarian options but not vegan that I can tell. The food is good and cheep, and the kitchen is usually open til about 10pm.
Best TAVERN around. Â A Corvallis institution. Â A "Learning Center in Downtown Corvallis." Â A wide diversity of customers. Â You'll meet someone different from you, and you'll have a great conversation. Â Enough taps for most tastes. Â Beer to go if you need it. Â Good menu for a tavern. Â Try the sunburger with swiss and bacon. Â No, bacon is not a vegetable, but a sunburger is not a pig either. Â
Back before the ban on smoking, Squirrel's offered smoke-free Mondays. Â It was a great chance for folks to go out for a pint without coming home smelling like an ashtray.
Great wood bar, and always friendly.
I love this place, and have for 30 yrs. A classic brick and wood tavern with an antique back-bar and a grill kitchen. So many towns and cities have a bar like this, it felt like going home the first time I walked in. The owner Greg is one great person, and often there working in the kitchen when he isn't traveling. The bartender knows craft beer as well as anyone I know.
Great beer selection, local, regional, and beyond; wine too; and three of the best sandwiches in town: the cheeseburger can't be beat, "Chicken Little" is the closest thing to a DeFrisco's you'll find around here except when there's a festival, and the two veggie burgers are just fine, thankyou - even for a carny like me. Fries are the real thing, too. The only thing that's under par is the chili, I'm thinking it's to provide another veggie offering maybe, but it's not so swell.
Everything else to eat is really good and the prices are very fair. Lunch and bev for 10ish.
Pool tables upstairs. Music now and then. Seating outside for when it's nice. You may find smokers and dogs are OK in the outside area.
Couple of TV's w/ sport &/or classic movies. Sound up or down by popular call.
The crowd is mixed, mature, and jovial. All walks of life, no pretenses. Artists and builders, profs and researchers, retirees and musicians. Students too, in the evenings.
If you're a 1% er or have a stick up your backside, or are an irony-snorting jaded hipster, you won't like it, and that's OK too.
Squirrels...
Ignoring the obvious, like great beers, great people, and multiple decades serving as a defacto community center for Corvallisites who like to swill, I think it's important to note that the Squirrel's kitchen provides the best value in town for a home-cooked meal: for the low low price of $7.50 one may enjoy the dinner special. Â It's always delicious, and it's always made from quality ingredients. Â I know, because I often see Greg shopping for the food that he serves. Â Thanks Greg, for everything you do!
First, Â may I express my appreciation to Peter R., from 'The Big Apple" and L "PDXme" W. from Portland for their guiding hands which led me here.
It's unusual for me to give a five star vote to a place based upon a first visit. But I have no choice here.
Squirrel's is in an old brick building. The interior is all brick and natural wood and has the ambiance of a place that's been there for scores of years. Above the bar is a display of vintage beer bottles and one of the vertical wooden support beams is covered with currency from around the world. Two stairways lead to an upper level where pool tables and restrooms can be found. An open mezzanine level has a couple of tables and a miniscule bandstand.
I drove through slushy falling snow and rain from Salem to enjoy one of their legendary Burgers. And enjoy it I did! The friendly innkeeper took my order for a Swiss Cheeseburger Basket. I had observed, from another table that the Fries were fresh and hand-cut, but I ordered them crispy anyway, thinking "good luck with that". The gent asked if I wanted the works on my Burger. I told him to load it up.
I cracked my book, and enjoyed the easy blues emanating from a good sound system.
Soon my Burger arrived, via Greg, the kitchen wizard, who actually knows how to make hand-cut Fries Crispy! (This is a rare thing.) The Burger was a flavorful and juicy hand-spanked Patty with good Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and, I think, Thousand Island Dressing on a nice Sesame Seed Bun. Malt Vinegar was provided.
This was one of the better Burgers I've had in recent memory. That and good service in a perfect casual setting makes for a pleasurable lunch.
Squirrel's is going on my "Best Burgers in the Valley" list and getting a five star vote from me right out of the chute! I Â highly recommend this place.
Note: It's cash only.
I have no idea why so many people love this place. And I mean LOVE... locals rave about this being a fantastic place for a beer. I gave up trying this place some 15 years ago, but someone gave me a ticket to the recent Dick Dale concert. How could I turn that down?
Two stars because the bartender was friendly and the acoustics were better than expected. The french fries are also decent. The crowd was a weird mix of hipsters and crusty old guys with beards and leather jackets. I would've called 'em "bikers," but there were  no bikes parked outside.
Squirrel's loses a star for being a tavern without any actual booze. I hate beer, their wine selection is limited and overpriced, and they were out of the one hard cider they normally carry. Who runs a bar where you can't get a rum and coke in the 21st century? This isn't Utah. They lose another star for not taking credit or debit cards.
The stage at Squirrel's is between the first and second floors. You can either be one of the lucky few who manages to grab a seat downstairs at the bar or one of the too-few tables, or you can crowd onto the staircase, or you can lean over the balcony from the upstairs pool area while some wasted old groupie who is standing on the bench gyrates into the side of your head. Even when she left, you are basically kneeling on a wooden bench awkwardly trying to see the band. I am a Dick Dale fan, and the show was great. I just wish it was somewhere else.
I lived in Corvegas for 2 years, and can confidently say Squirrels is my favorite place in Corvallis. Great beer selection (and basic spirits too, they're not on the chalkboard but you can ask for your poison of choice), delicious burgers and tots, fooseball, pool, arcade games, TVs downstairs to catch a game... there's something for everyone. If you're looking for a comfortable spot to hang out with friends, look no further.
Review Source:Every town needs a cozy place like this! While the burgers aren't my very favorite (if only because I find the buns mushy), the genuinely friendly atmosphere and tasty beers make up for that. As has been noted here, owner Greg Squirrel is a great guy. He doesn't know me as more than a face in the crowd, yet always greets me with a sincere smile. Everyone here is friendly, service is responsive, and the light coming in from big windows makes this a nice place for casual lunch with friends.
Review Source:Excellent, comfortable neighborhood bar, good service, better than average food, and a great local beer selection! Â Pool tables upstairs that are only 75 cents and even a sit-down style Ms. Pac-Man machine! Â The outdoor seating is covered for enjoying your beer and a smoke during the rain. Â It will definitely be a regular watering hole for me.
Review Source:Squirrel's wins hands down as one of my favorite places in town because of it's owner, Greg.
I have friends in an ever-touring national pop-punk band, Handguns; He not only let them play there for few people, but gave them top notch food and drinks -- FREE. I've been on tour before, and 95% of Venues catering = Pepperoni Pizza or Spaghetti, so my friends were stoked to say the least.
Greg really showed everyone a good time, and my friends then left down I-5 to go support fellow national acts The Wonder Years, and Hawthorne Heights.
I grew up in the Corvallis area, and even though I didn't go to OSU, I did take a summer school Spanish course there one summer (really awesome course! but that's another story), and my professor was a HUGE fan of Squirrel's. Â He talked about going for beers after classes, and raved about their burgers. Â After our final at the end of the summer, he took the entire class to Squirrel's for burgers. Â This was my first Squirrel's experience, the first of many!
This is one of those places I put on my agenda when I'm down visiting my mom in Corvallis. Â I was just there this weekend, and had yet another amazing burger. Â Their prices are super reasonable, their fries are some of my favorites (regular, curly and tots?! yes please!), and you can get a glass of PBR for a mere $1.50. Â Not that you'd want to, since they have a decent selection of micros on tap, but if all you've got are some quarters, you can still kick it at Squirrel's. Â
It's not a gorgeous place by any means, but its comfortable. Â And as others have said, the college kids seem to frequent other establishments in the area. Â So if you're tired of waiting 30 minutes for a table at Block 15 and you're looking for a tasty burger, head down to Squirrel's. Â He'll take care of you!
Fantastic local bar. Friend of mine's Dad knew Squirrel from way back in the day (he actually used to own the bar before it was Squirrel's). Very laid back scene, you won't find ANY frat boys or many college students for that matter. Nice staff, they always changed the channel to a specific game if I asked, very courteous. The food is really cheap and good too, lots of beers on tap. Be warned, this bar is CASH ONLY, and they don't have waiters/waitresses. You order from the bar/kitchen and they bring it to your table. They also have the full size glass pitchers, so you never get gypped like you do at most bars these days. Live music most nights, pool, video games, TVs...what more do you need?
Review Source:Great burgers and really affordable beer. Staff and costumers are really friendly. Good place to watch a game. My favorite bar in Corvallis and hands-down the best burgers. Great happy hour prices on pints and pitchers.
Every once in a while, a beer might taste a little off because it seems like the lines need cleaned. Might be beers that don't get a lot of drinkers.
Squirrel is extremely friendly and you can tell he values his costumers.
Highly recommend!
One of my favorite places in Corvallis. When you're a townie, this is where you want to be. It's one of that places that you can camp out at a table and your friends will come by throughout the night and say hi. The bartenders are all super friendly, there's a great beer selection for reasonable prices. It is cash only, and they do not have hard alcohol which is actually a good thing because it seems to keep the annoying students out. They also have awesome food. Great burger for around $6. They also have an incredibly cheesy grilled cheese... Now that I'm thinking of it I want one... Meet me there! :)
Review Source:Only beers and wine, though the beer selection is great. Great atmosphere. Feels very homey, if sometimes crowded. Nice outdoor seating for Corvallis. I LOVE playing shows here. The stage is weird and tiny, located halfway between the first and second floors, but that's why it's fun. Your band is crammed together, and people are watching you from below and above as well as right next to you since the stage is right off the stairs. I've only had the vegetarian options there, but they're good bar food. They have sun burgers from nearly normals, which go good with their vegetarian chili and tator tots. Really, anyone who serves tator tots gets a bonus star from me. =]
Review Source:I've eaten there twice, had  a hamburger and cheesburger.  Wow, it was real meat, not that pre-made patty stuff.  The burger was excellent.  Be forwarned, you can feel your heart slow down with every bite of the greasy yet tasty burger.  On both occasions service was slow, and the bench seats are terribly uncomfortable.
Review Source:Had a chicken sandwich with chips. Â Decent sandwich with chips and a pickle. Â Don't drink much so can't really comment on the brews. Â Salad a coworker had instead of chips looked pretty good. Â Plenty of vegetariaan choices, which is pretty cool.
Overall, good place for staple burgers and fries, and good selection of beer from what I hear. Â As far as purely food, wouldn't mind going again, but nothing really draws me to this place. Â Remember to bring cash.
I'm at Squirrels on average once a week-Friday for happy hour. This place is just what you want in a pub. Good, cheap grub (burgers, fries, chili etc.) and a good beer selection. Great vibe, mostly grad students, young professionals and the loyal crowd that has been there since the 70's. Â I suggest getting there for happy hour for the great deals on the pitchers and pints-make sure to do a run to the bar at 6:25 even if you don't need a beer yet to make sure to get the deal one last time. I highly recommend grilled cheese and tots, pitcher of TG IPA and a game or three of pool. Cant be beat.
Review Source:Why do I like Squirrels? When I go out to eat, I love nothing more than a big juicy hamburger, with egg (The Squirrel Burger), fries or tator tots, and a great top down view of a rock 'n" roll band, from high up in the bullpen on the second floor of the bar. The service is good, and the environment is great. Just remember to bring cash. ^BR
#corvsmb
Was told to go here after I asked around about a place to get a good burger.
This place has a nice layout. Â I like that the stage is on a landing between the bar/restaurant and the pool tables upstairs. Â Beer is a good, NW selection (as brought up in another review). Â
The food wasn't as impressive as people told me it was going to be. Â Squirrel burger with curly fries was ordered. Â It was a standard bar burger with a small portion of fries. Â My buddy got it with tots. Â Seemed that there might have been a potato shortage as his was small portion too. Â Majority of the tables were small.
I won't go back for a burger but to grab a beer and chill this place is on my list for a return.
The Corvallis bar. Nothing more, nothing less.
Friendly bartenders. Super fresh beer. Endless examples of local memorability abounds - ask a local and they'll tell you about the Green Merchant raid that took down Tom's business and put the Full Moon sign out to roost over the pool table. I particularly enjoy some of the older signs, like the "This is a no Cannabis zone!" that was apparently necessary back in the day.
Oddly clean and upstanding for a bar some might call dive-y. I've brought family members here before though, it just has a sweet homey thing that you won't understand 'til you thumb a plastic squirrel on the window ledge.
Live music happens somewhatfrequently, as I recall on Saturdays (during the summers especially). Small covers for the bands but I've seen some worthy stuff and I'm jaded. Also if you show up late they'll often wave it.
The beer is fresh and the tap-list is impressive...if you've never been to Oregon before. Its always pretty much the same Oregon staples: Bridgeport, Terminal Gravity, Deschutes, Rogue, Calapooia, Oregon Trail, Block 15 (last three very rarely). And its usually the same beers from aforementioned breweries. But hey, we all have to remember the first time we went to a bar and BAM, more good beer than you know what to do with. Like I said, its fresh. Fresh Bridgeport IPA tastes like Oregon smells much of the year.
Diverse crowd that has always gotten along (mysteriously). Food is barfood done perfectly, cheap, but dude don't be too cute when ordering it. Beer is too expensive by the pint, perfect by the pitcher. Good-ish happy hour.
Lord of the Rings pinball, foos, and pool.
Tater tots, salad that actually contains a variety of fresh vegetables other than lettuce and tomatoes, great microbrews, and two relatively clean pool tables with ample space to play... can't get much better than that. Just remember to bring cash, or be ready to pay ATM fees. (There is an ATM near the entrance.)
Review Source:Ah, Squirrel's. There is a certain ambiance about this place. Â I try to eat at least 1 squirrel burger (w/ tots) per week. The happy hour is awesome, they've got pool tables, foozball, TV's - everything a good pub should have. Very welcoming, laid back, no bro's/attitude. Always a blast
Review Source:Hands down, the best place to hang in corvallis. They've got pool tables upstairs, a place for a band to play, and a rowdy ass crowd. Well, when my posse is there, ha.
Great food, good prices and the beer selection on tap is superb. Way cool bartender named Aaron, who rocks beyond the others.
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