...for an insane and meat-markety evening if you go on Wednesday's Karaoke night. It sounds like the other nights may be different, so this only counts for Wednesday's! If you go to actually sing -... More

...for an insane and meat-markety evening if you go on Wednesday's Karaoke night. It sounds like the other nights may be different, so this only counts for Wednesday's! If you go to actually sing - you have to do early or there's no WAY to get on their list, and there's very little chance you'll get to sing more than once unless you tip the guy well! Anyway, if you're claustrophobic in any way or over the age of 25, you may be a little uncomfortable, but don't take my word for it...
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I'm about as far from a genuine cowboy as you can get (indian with a british accent) so I was apprehensive about the Hen initially. My first visit there was on Jeff's birthday (I wasn't responsible... More

I'm about as far from a genuine cowboy as you can get (indian with a british accent) so I was apprehensive about the Hen initially. My first visit there was on Jeff's birthday (I wasn't responsible for his inebriation, no matter what his review says) which was a complete blast. I learned all about buckle-bunnies (girls who chase cowboys) and posers (non-cowboys in the gear). I also learned that ordering a dirty martini in this environment will get you funny looks. Suitably enlightened, I spent my second visit relaxing, ordering beers and attempting to order a bite to eat. While the food is tasty bar-fare (probably contains trans-fats) it takes forever to get served. I'm sure this is a consequence of Saturday night craziness, but still, rather annoying. I also learned that most of the songs that the band was singing were covers of well-known music as opposed to songs they made up (known in other circles as original composition.) Shows how much I know about the genre... All in all, it's a ton of fun, no matter what kind of music you like. People are genuine, friendly and the ratio of women to men on the dance floor is spectacular. If you're not afraid to shake your stuff, you could do a lot worse.
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This country dancing place is locate in the north of Green Lake, and with its modest front, could be easy to walk by. But once you’re in, that feeling goes away. Full of life on Saturday night... More

This country dancing place is locate in the north of Green Lake, and with its modest front, could be easy to walk by. But once you’re in, that feeling goes away. Full of life on Saturday night (and I hear other nights too), the Little Red Hen offers entertainment to all: drinking, dining, music, country dancing, or just oggling the dance floor. The décor does not bode well for the quality of food, but our dinners were surprisingly good. (Although…my healthy salmon had a country take on it: baked potato with a mountain of butter and sour cream and a ceasar salad smothered in creamy dressing. Good but not as healthy as some Seattlites might like.) The best part, of course, is the dancing. They had a live band, and the dance floor was full the whole time we were there (9pm-12:30am or so). There were some very good country dancers out there, as well as those (me!) who are just learning. There is also a pool table in the back, though it is clearly not the focus of action here.
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Talk about a hidden gem in Seattle. The Little Red Hen is hidden in the Green Lake neighborhood, which makes it a short jaunt from my house. We went with friends, and what a blast. I'd not been... More

Talk about a hidden gem in Seattle. The Little Red Hen is hidden in the Green Lake neighborhood, which makes it a short jaunt from my house. We went with friends, and what a blast. I'd not been there before the city-wide non-smoking ban when into place, and from what I understand it used to be so smoky you couldn't find your way through the place. I'm from the midwest, so from a red-stater's perspetive, this is a honkytonk in every sense of the word. It's great fun, whether you like country music or not. It's not a pickup scene, and you'll find all ages in the place. They're open 7 days a week, with different things happening each night: free dance lessons on Sundays, Mondays, & Tuesdays (trust me, the regulars know how to MOVE); Karaoke on Wednesdays; and rotating local cover bands every Friday and Saturday. You won't notice at first, but the regulars are the ones to watch. Talk about dancing; all shapes and sizes, and they know what they're doing. You can identify them by their apparel: cowboy hats, boots (ropers & kickers), and wranglers. The regulars can also identify you as a "poser" if you show up with your new cowboy hat and boots and don't really fit the part. If you go, make sure you don't look like a member of the Village People. It gets busy on the weekend, and the place says it holds 168 people or 16,800 chickens (seriously). If you go, I would suggest arriving before 8:00 to be sure you can at least get in the door. Go earlier if you want a table. The bands will generally start playing at 9:00 or thereafter, and the place gets jumping. Also, if you run into someone named "Rahul", don't let him buy you shots.
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I was skeptical when I visited the Little Red Hen for a friend's birthday. I'm not a big fan of country music, line dancing or anything else that I associate with red-staters. However, we had a... More

I was skeptical when I visited the Little Red Hen for a friend's birthday. I'm not a big fan of country music, line dancing or anything else that I associate with red-staters. However, we had a blast. The band was excellent and they played a very lively form of country music that was very easy and enjoyable to dance to. There was no line dancing (phew), but the floor did have more than a few cowboy hats bouncing around. The crowd is mixed, but tends toward older. There were a good number of skilled dancers among the men, and they were frequently spinning far younger (and more attractive) women around the floor. The service was a bit slow at the tables and dreadful at the bar.
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