The Grizzled Wizard

I love this pub so much. The bartenders are all friendly and personable. The beers are consistently tasty and somewhat vague. If you live in Wallingford, this should be your go to pub. Should youn’t live in Wallingford, you should go there anyhow. I actually adore this area and loathe to even tell you to go there, but fuck it, the nachos are tasty and so are the beers. Support your local pubs. Hooray.

Love this place and the people! Such an awesome vibe! The chorizo nachos were amazing, and the bartender even brought us extra sour cream free of charge. Drinks were strong, company was great, and I’ll definitely be back very soon for my second dose of the grizz

Went there for St Patrick’s day, it was an excellent choice. Good beer selection, fast, friendly service and free corned beef & cabbage! A kung fu movie was playing on one tv and a sci fi show on the other. A solid dive bar slash brewcade.

It’s cash only; but that’s what keeps it cool. Oh, Try the food! Their chorizo sandwich is the bomb; and I think they allow outside food after midnight; when they close the kitchen.

This place is alright. I don’t understand why everyone loves about this place. The bartenders weren’t friendly and the drinks were mediocre. Moreover, there is limited seating and food options. The best part about this bar is the name, which is very good.

As a local drinker and business owner, this is the perfect little home away from home. Friendly owners, great staff, solid food. It’s small so come prepared to make a couple new friends but such a beautiful part of the Wallingford neighborhood!

To the best of my knowledge, this is the only dive bar in Wallingford. My friend who is a dive bar expert said it merits five stars. We went for a nightcap and there were two crunchy guys and a scraggly dog at the bar. Great, easy service and cheap drinks both times I’ve been. Dig it.

This is my favorite bar in Seattle. Even after moving out of Wallingford, I still would rather go here than any other local bar.
The staff are some of the nicest and most genuine folks I have met and their knowledge of beer is always impressive. They can also mix a mean cocktail.
The vibe here is also fantastic. It’s a smaller bar but it is cozy at the same time. You will meet someone new every time.
Keep in mind that this place is cash only. They do have an atm.
Get their sandwiches!

The perfect bar for a person who has graduated to their mid 30s and now enjoys a tastier drink and polite conversation with the bartender… but who wants to pretend to be in the same gruff dive bar they enjoyed in their early 20s.
Also a great place to enjoy a game on tv while not being *surrounded* by the game on tv.

I really like this place. What is not to like about a giant wizard mural, arcade games, and a bar with a nice pour?
Cash only, nice PBJ sammiches. I would probably live upstairs given the opportunity.

The Grizzled Wizard is what nearby Al’s would be like if it grew up in the ‘70s instead of the ‘50s. Like its nearby neighbor, it’s a divey little joint with a strong beer selection, some okay cocktails, pinball, and a cash-​only policy, but it adds a funkier vibe and a handful of stunt drinks that you should probably avoid. Stick to the familiar, act like a local even if you aren’t, and stay away from the food (not that it’s terrible, it’s just that this sin’t the kind of place you go to eat). It gets a bit much with a big crowd, so stick to pre-​theater drinking and you’ll find it hospitable and navigable. More grizzled than wizardly, but you could definitely see a failed, embittered gnome illusionist getting his drunk on and complaining he never got past Level 4 because of politics. I’m tempted to raise my rating by one just because they let us play gin rummy at our table for like an hour even during a Blackhawks playoff game.

The least rape-​y dive bar in North Seattle. Love the atmosphere. Bartenders are knowledgeable and kind. Drinks are stiff, sandwiches are delicious. If you’re looking for frills and nonsense, head elsewhere. If you’re looking to hide-​out from your responsibilities for awhile or numb away your crappy life (and maybe meet some new friends while you’re at it!) this is your place.

Low-​key local watering hole. Awesome owner and a cool guy to chat with. Great place to grab a beer and hangout with your buddies. Excellent chip selection.
A+ would do business with again.

This is a nice dive bar and I am sure it is enjoyed verily by its regulars. I found it via Unilocal and the reviews and website are far more exciting then the actual bar.
The happy hour is a good deal but no different from other happy hours. But the biggest caveat is that they are cash only.
I think you need to be an exciting and interesting bar to make up for the effort that someone will put in to obtain cash. Maybe some day The Grizzled Wizard will be that bar.

Over two years later, still fuckin’ awesome. Try the nachos.

Probably my favorite place to kill a bit of time
awesome bar staff
good whiskey selection and cash only
go check this place out you wont be disappointed

Mmmm, though I LOATHE cash only places the GW wrangled a four star review out of me.
First off, you aren’t surprised about the cash only. It says so. CASH ONLY in multiple large signs, thank baby Jeebus cause I hate when they hide that stuff. It’s not a huge bar but nicely laid out when we were there and plenty of places to sit.
The bartender apologized for the lack of music — he had No Country for Old Men on — uhm, no need to apologize if you have a good movie playing on instead! We got our (stiff!) drinks quick and at $ 3.50/pop during happy hour for the well drinks. I didn’t see what the well vodka was but it wasn’t the typical vile HRD so color me happy.
There’s free PacMan!
Overall it gets four stars for being a chill, quaint bar to grab an affordable brew. They had some fancy looking sandwiches my fellow patrons exclaimed over — and if I hadn’t been super stuffed I’d have tried one myself.

For me, this was a respite in a sea of madness. I pulled over and parked a couple of times because traffic was too crazy and I just wasn’t getting anywhere.
The Griz probably isn’t the quintessential Seattle dive bar, but It’s close enough. A little dingy, a little rough around the edges, with a big wizard painted on the wall. The interior looks like they spent at least $ 500 decorating it. The booze behind the bar rests on what appear to be a set homemade bookshelves. The top shelf booze isn’t going to blow your hair back.
It’s also the kind of place where regulars greet each other and will buy a round for each other as they come in. It’s a neighborhood bar. During the times I stopped by, I appeared to be the only one who wasn’t a regular. The barman was friendly, and helpful about the beers they had on tap. The beer selection was great when I stopped in. The first time I dropped by they had four IPAs on tap, although one was due to get swapped out momentarily.
The menu is sparse, but there is plenty of good food within walking distance. And the happy hour beer prices are nice. OK, I’m refreshed, time to hit that traffic again.

I really don’t want to give this place 5 stars because they don’t have a fucking quarter machine for the pinball but I’m a grown man and I make my own decisions so I’m giving it 5 stars anyway.
The Elvira pinball machine is fucking awesome and this one is in great shape. Plus it’s tucked away in a nice little room with some cool movie posters on the wall and some paintings of boobs and shit.
The machine was the just really great. I recommend this place but bring your own quarters so you don’t have to feel like a fucking burden/​jerk-​off asking the barman to change all your ones and fives.

I was taking a walk in the neighborhood, and decided to stop by the Grizzled Wizard for a beer.
It was empty when I came in, so the bartender was reading something on his laptop. He immediately switched his attention to me, though, and I ended up getting a glass of the ESB they had on tap. Not my usual order, but they didn’t have anything else I’d normally order on tap (I believe they had two IPA’s and maybe an Amber available), and it proved to be good enough for me to finish the whole glass. Also cost about $ 4, so I was able to cover the drink and tip without having to use the ATM. (Cash only.)
We chatted for a while and I watched the Stephen Colbert show (just happened to be on) for a few minutes before taking off.
I don’t know if I’d like it much when it’s super busy, but it seems like a good place to randomly grab a drink, watch some tv, and maybe play some games.