Rock Bottom Brewery ClosingBellevue Rock Bottom Brewery will be closing permanently effective this week, according to an employee at the Bellevue restaurant. The restaurant opened in 1999 with the opening of the Bellevue Galleria, which is now named Bellevue Connection.

It is not known what will replace the restaurant at this time, or why they are closing.

Readers, sound off in the comments section for what you would like to see go into this retail space.

39 Comments

  1. Who cares, Bellevue sucks. All this “gentrification” is why we all moved away.

  2. Hey Bruce, you suck. Bellevue and everyone else in it is happy to see you go.

  3. I agree with Bruce, money is expensive, people in Bellevue have too much of it, they should make cheaper money.

  4. I Agree with Bruce. Bellevue is nothing but a melting pot of commercial chain restaurants and bars. So tacky and cheesy.

  5. Sad news. I’ll miss their lovely pumpkin beer and the barman, that guy is a great professional.
    I’d love to see Kemper’s office just right there just in case nobody’s realized what’s the game going on…

  6. Also, the city has the worst cops. They are literally in a bad mood all day and night.

  7. So with just the Taphouse left there, that Galleria thing is primed to get dropped & replaced with yet another 30+ story complex. I can’t wait for the high end clothing boutique & 30 dollar a plate tapas restaurants that will go in.

    Remember when the Galleria had an arcade, a movie theater, and a Hooters? Plus a woefully oversized Tower records? Those were the days.

  8. If you were a cop and had to deal with People Like Bruce, wouldn’t you be upset?

  9. Hey Bruce,
    Isn’t “gentrification” that word that neck-bearded hippies use to mean “make nice”?

    I’m sorry they didn’t have a place for you to set down your didgeridoo or hang your bicycle.

    I’m sorry they didn’t have a pot brownie as a desert option.

    There are lots of places you can go to satisfy your needs in Bellevue. For example, there’s a transit station very near rock bottom where you can find all kinds of Seattle leakage, you can even join the mixture and ride the sludge over to the west side – the land that time and hygiene forgot!

    Seriously though, I’m going to miss Rock Bottom. Now where am i going to go when I want to get sub-par food and indigestion?

  10. I missed the memo where ‘civilized’ became a synonym for ‘pretentious and rude’.

  11. Ha. I work in the area today, but grew up in Issaquah in the early 1980s. People insist I’m lying when I describe how this all was 30 years before.

    I remember driving to the old Tower Records on NE 8th when I got my license because Sound Garden was autographing the “new” BadMotorFinger album in the store.

    Glad people enjoy the $20/day parking and $12 sandwiches.

  12. Bellevue needs more nightlife. There are only a few small lounges around the area which are usually overly priced and overly crowded. Many places also close so early. Blue martini, Munchbar and the dueling piano bar all shut down which leaves you with very few options like lucky strike and Suite, which are nothing to shake a stick at.

  13. A civilized human

    “Real Culture”
    The memo was posted, elegantly on a nice display on a column in the center of town near the transit station.

    I’m sorry you missed it, we have a growing issue of individuals saving up enough drug money to buy staple guns and scotch tape, which they use to affix band posters, anti-incarceration protests, pot-shop ads, and pabst blue ribbon paraphernalia to every vertical structure imaginable.

    It’s quite possible that your view of the memo was obscured by these things.

    I can see that I’ve offended you by having a screen name on a forum. A heinous crime indeed.
    On behalf of the people of Bellevue, I’d like to personally apologize for our clean streets, safe community, ever-sought goals and aspirations, and appreciation for quality. Thank you for taking the time to address these issues. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your sandwich. It must have been very salty. Very, very salty.

  14. Remembering the weekly dollar beer night at Rock Bottom was so popular the city had to shut it down!

  15. Bellevue employee

    Hey “a civilized human”…
    Clean streets and safe community??? Are you fucking joking? Bellevue drivers are the freaking worst. Not only have I seen people run down in front of the mall, by people too fucking up their own asses (much like the commenters on this post) to pay attention to the pedestrians crossing the street, but i myself have been hit by a Mercedes-Benz. I might add that I was in the cross walk, and during the pedestrian signal to cross.
    A lot of you can suck that “…..” that you offered bruce. Money and pretentiousness doesn’t make a safe and clean city. May Bellevue missed the memo…YOU AREN’T SPECIAL. YOU AREN’T BEVERLY HILLS, or anywhere else that your fucked “greater than thou” attitude belongs.
    Next time you walked down bellevue way, take your head from your ass and note the homeless begging for change…note the strung out heroin users passing out while holding signs, note the creeps at the transit center making vulger statements to the women commuters. You won’t though. It’s easy to make your ridiculous statememts from you laptop, while sipping your latte from the comfort of your benz. No city is clean and safe. You are insanely delusional.

  16. Just here to read all the trolls and their comments they’re posting while at work. Isn’t Bellevue an amazing place to work?

  17. Locally sourced non GMO paleo 4 lyfe

    I don’t get why anyone would move to corporate homogenized suitville smellville.

    Just live life man. Everyone in bellvue is so hopped up on making money and inventing new products.
    PSHFF consumerism. Like we need more of that.
    No one in bellevue even has tattoos or rides bikes. It’s like, who cares man? They just need to smoke the ganja and learn how to live like the mother earth goddess wants us to. Smoke some herbs. We dont need the sterile hospital culture of bellevue. We just need to be free and do whatever we feel like. burgers should be cheap and local and gmo free and made with coconut oil and patchouli.
    Bellevue people have such bad energy. That whole town is filled with a red chi field.

    BELLEVUE WE DONT NEED CORPORATES OR GOALS. Just live life and do weed!!!!

  18. I’m fine with a chain opening up there… I’d be happy with a Buffalo Wild Wings.

    I gotta say I’ve been to Rock Bottom multiple times and consistently got terrible service. There were two occasions where they sat us down and disappeared for a half hour without ever coming back. I had to walk out once… i never walk out of restaurants… I’m not one of those people.

    Food was mediocre. Looking forward to seeing what opens there instead.

  19. Used to work there

    Sad this place is closing!! Used to work at the restaurant when there were $2 Tuesday’s and there was the movie theatre. The staff there worked loyally there too. Probably the lowest turnover rate that Bellevue restaurants ever had. Guess the Seattle location will just have to do.

  20. Too bad, one of the only “laid back” spots downtown. That is a large space, it would be interesting to see a more upscale place take this over and turn the upstairs part into a more nightlife/music vibe.

  21. Used to go here all the time before they fired everyone who was cool, gordon biersch took over and messed the whole thing up.

    It’s called rock bottom brewery but they raised the prices sky high, stopped all $2 Tuesday/Sunday promotions and fired their excellent (and award winning) brew master.

    It’s a crying shame, they did it to themselves. I will forever miss the old rock bottom and look upon those memories with fondness – that place was my freakin’ cheers. When I get to heaven bartender Rich will be there with a frosty mug of hop bomb waiting. To rock bottom!

  22. Hey! At least we finally got 13 Coins! Seattle is about to tear their 13 Coins down and replace it with a high rise.

  23. Bellevue is tacky for having awesome resturants and bars??? Seriousy? U must love the farm u live on, stay there for all our sake

  24. Personally , I would really like a Tom Douglas restaurant in Bellevue as well as a Dean and Deluca grocery store. The service at 13 Coins was disappointing, but we went early in their tenure .

  25. Rockbottom is a chain. Bellevue restaurants are mediocre at best and all you moron’S arguing about whether Bellevue was better in the 90s or today are stupid. Change is literally the only constant and all you techies represent what is destroying our culture. So you are all ass holes and idiots argument settled.

  26. People acting like Rock Bottom was some sort of small business being outrun by corporate giants. It’s a freakin chain that had half ass food. The beers were good, but if you really want rock bottom, go to northgate. Easy enough.

  27. Bellevue is full of a bunch of clown animals who like clown food. who cares if there is one less circus to feed the monkeys. lol get real who cares. go blow up a bunch of balloons, dorks.

  28. A More Civilized Human

    Bellevue is not gentrifying. Gentrification assumes that poor people and minorities were allowed to live in Bellevue in the first place.

    Also, a didgeridoo? Really, A Civilized Human?

    You might want to update your hippie clichés, because I know many a hippie and I’ve never seen them get excited about didgeridoos. Drum circles? Yes. Quinoa? Yes. But a didgeridoo? Never.

    It was once said of Oakland, “There is no there there.” Similarly, it has been said of Bellevue, “Wait, where the hell is Bellevue?”

  29. The Most civilized human

    There’s a lovely low income housing structure that was recently erected on the corner of 12th and main. Low-earners, or “poor people” as you rudely call them are welcome here, and Bellevue actually provides a culture that inspires far-reaching goals and aspirations.

    As for “minorities” shame on you for being so culturally blind. Bellevue is a diverse melting pot of multicultural peoples. People of all ethnicity come to work in Bellevue. We have a verbose array of cuisine from around the world, and many of Bellevue employees have joined us from many, many other countries.

    Everyone who is driven can find their way to Bellevue, but it is a culture of hard work and rapid learning. It encourages people to strive to be the best at what they do, and be innovative.

    As for the didgeridoo, they’re common in Seattle, Eugene OR, and other lands that time forgot. The world is bigger than the town you live in, you shouldn’t assume that your weed guy counts for “many a hippie”. There is a big world outside.

  30. Rock Bottom was too empty. Tap House was too dark. But the Pumphouse was just right.

    Honestly, I only loved the pumpkin beer and RB was just unpopular enough to get group seating at a moments notice. More trips further east (Malt and Vine, Black Raven, Hi Fi, Bellevue Brewing).

  31. Hello,
    I would be more concerned why we are building a fence from San Diego to Miami to keep the poor out of our country but in the same breath selling our citizenship to the wealthy Chinese for $500,000 a pop. Bellevue is currently turning into ChinaTown. While you are at it you might ask; is Bill Gates the Manchurian Candidate?

    Thank You,
    Elwood

  32. I love this restaurant in Bellevue, we love the food their. I don’t want to see it go. The Seahawks, Brews are best

  33. I have a feeling that whole block will get sold to the new mall add ons! First rock bottom then tap house? Everything is replaceable tap house and rock bottom are small companies the store above rock bottom flowed too

  34. The Galleria has been going downhill since Hooters closed.

  35. Someone with Ambition

    If you don’t see what is happening it’s because you are too poor and probably to stupid to live in Bellevue. The landlords are kicking out all of the tenants so that they can tare it down and build a sky rise. They will probably buy out the church next door (finally) to do it. If you don’t like Bellevue then move away. Actually don’t visit because you probably can’t afford to live here anyways. We will continue to grow without you.

  36. I will miss Rock Bottom. As for all the nasty comments from the “Trolls” above, I’ll bet you would not be this way if your real name was posted. As for Bellevue vs. Seattle, I will frequent Bellevue and avoid Seattle as much as I can. Between the traffic, secular progressive intolerance of alternate views, and cost to get there, NO THANKS. Seattle has gone downhill bigtime.

  37. I have zero regrets that Rock Bottom Bellevue closed. Over the past few years it gradually became a shithole. Food and beer was getting worse, portions were becoming smaller, and service was only getting slower.
    I would’ve stopped going there anyway, so everything is for the better. Now there is a least a chance that it will be replaced with something good.

  38. Amen brother, preach it