North Shore Lagoon

North Shore Lagoon is part of McMenamins Anderson School complex, and opened on October 15, 2015. The Anderson School is no longer a school. It opened in 1931 as Bothell Junior High School, and now lives on as a collection of attractions: a hotel, a brewery, a movie theater, restaurants, bars, and with the North Shore Lagoon, a swimming pool and tiki bar.

The tiki bar is decorated in traditional style, with lots of bamboo, distressed wood and driftwood, and pufferfish, bamboo and tapa cloth lamps. The soundtrack includes Exotica classics. The tiki bar overlooks the swimming pool. There is an extensive spirits list, including over 80 rums. The tropical cocktails are made with the classic recipes, including a Mai Tai, Zombie and Suffering Bastard.

If you'd like to swim in the pool, it is open to non-hotel guests for 2-hour open swims during the day; at the very beginning and end of the day swimming in the pool is for hotel guests only.

Kapu Hut in Eugene, Oregon

is also a McMenamins property.

Comments

Monster A GoGo

Monster A GoGo has visited North Shore Lagoon.

February 1, 2019, 12:37 AM

This place was a pleasant surprise--really! I had heard the place was a combination swimming pool and tiki bar. It sounded lame to me and I was expecting one of those bars that you can swim up to. Boy was my wrong.

Yes, there is a large pool...but it is downstairs. Upstairs, overlooking the pool, is the bar and restaurant. The interior is well done. I traversed one side of the place to the other, checking it out. I was impressed.

The bar though was the focal point in the center of the long, narrow restaurant. The drinks were a tad disappointing, but it could have been an off day (or maybe it was just a substitute bartender?). For photos of the place (and a look at other Seattle-area tiki spots), feel free to visit my blog. The link is here:

https://monsterago-go.blogspot.com/2018/03/im-freaky-for-tiki-13-super-seattle.html

CHEERS

AtomicTikiSpy

AtomicTikiSpy has visited North Shore Lagoon.

November 22, 2018, 1:24 AM

Great looking place but would be better if staff knew something more about tiki. The decor reminds me of the pictures I have seen of historic Trader Vic's restaurants. They do have a branded zombie mug (limited edition, logo on the bottom) that is now polynesian styled. Food was good, but menu had very few exotic themed items. Moai and banana trees at the entrance were a nice touch! This restaurant is just one part of a repurposed school that became a unique hotel and dining complex. Worth visiting.

spiltbeerpirate

spiltbeerpirate has visited North Shore Lagoon.

October 8, 2018, 11:25 PM

Found the decor to be above average, and the food was really good. But the drinks and service were seriously lacking. The menu listed specific by label ingredients (such as Appleton VX rather than Jamacian Rum). Although i was at first impresed that they did this, i became upset when the drinks arrived and the clearly werent using the ingredients listed. As a good tikiphile, I have a home bar will and often make drinks with the exact labels they listed on their menu....so i know what they taste like and that they were missing or swapped out. I think that similar to Clifton's that the bartenders rotate from other bars of different themes on site. Im not sure if the guy behind the stick had ever even made a mai tai before. He was just using "pre-mixes" and adding rum. But had know level of experience to know what these drinks should look and taste like. Was probably used to just serving beer at the next bar over. When called out for the mistake, they became defensive and argumentative. Very dissapointing.

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