These three restaurants have some of the best pub food in the region. Take the burger; grilled medium-rare and topped with caramelized onions and cheddar, it might sound simple… And it is, but it’s tasty, and reminds me a lot of the type of hamburger they serve in Germany. (Quite probably an inadvertent result.)

Or the burrito. Sure it’s more of a chicken caesar wrap, but it’s fresh, it’s good, and the price is fair, particularly seeing that it’s huge.

Most of the dishes are served with potato or pasta salad, which goes well with the simple but flavorful menu.

The Elk and friends do pub food the way it should be done; simple and good.

I really adore the bean burger here and enjoy bringing the whole family. We’ve never had the most attentive service but I don’t care – this is the best darn pub food around.

While visiting from Longview, TX, my husband and I stopped by the Elk for dinner. They have the BEST lamb sandwich! If you stop by, you have to have it! It’s amazing! Also, great atmosphere! Two thumbs up!

Okay, I choose The Elk for my Dine and Dish review. The girls and I went there for dinner last night. A nice crowd outside, most all the tables were full. The only one open still had stuff from the last people. When I asked the server clearing it if it was open, he responded “Well, that depends, how much money do you have?” Me, having the sense of humour that I do, thought it was great. He quickly brought us menus and took our drink order. My two youngest, being kids, choose a quesdilla and a grilled cheese sandwich. Myself, I opted for the grilled lamb sandwich and my oldest daughter did also. Being in the restaurant business, I always find myself playing critic. It is something I am trying to overcome. I could get really picky and say the drinks took too long, the food took too long. But, I am talking about The Elk, a casual venue. I just wanted to be fed. And they accomplished that goal. I could see that they had a good crowd and the kitchen and bar could be getting backed up. So, I overlook a lot. I personally thought the pea and pasta salad was awesome. I am usually not a fan of that old school dish. But this was great. There was a slight problem with my daughters meal, but our server comped it without a problem. All in all, I left happy. And I will return.

We keep going back to the Elk, but sometimes we have such a bad experience we wonder why. This week, prompted by Dine and Dish, off we went to explore the patio. But our service was so bad (surly waitress – the worst we’ve ever had in Spokane…) that we almost walked out. Overall our experiences have been mixed: On the PRO side, we like the food, value for money, casual atmosphere, patio, and the decent wine selection (compared to most ‘beer’ places). On the CON side, at best the service is ok, and this week it fell into the truly rotten category. And the beer selection is really mixed – there have been times when there wasn’t a single thing I wanted to drink, and others when everything on tap is interesting. Will we go back? Yes. Do we heartily recommend it? No – we tell people to try it but to expect a mixed experience. Would we love to heartily recommend it? Yes, and we think the fixes are easy enough.

Me and my family love all of these resturants. The food is always good. We go to one of them about twice a month. Our favorite is The Porch. I love the steak sandwich, it’s the best sandwich I’ve ever had. The corn pasta salad is another favorite. We even make it at home.

I can’t say enough good things about The Elk. Spokane isn’t really known for having outdoor seating, so on hot summer nights it is one of the only options (if a table is available of course). However, my absolute favorite item, creamy curry salad, has been removed from the menu! I tried to re-create this wonderful salad at home, but came up short. I hope they bring it back soon! As well as the lamb sandwich. mmmm

Moontime: Mid-October. I’m about forty minutes early for an evening appointment.

The guy next to me is eating a burrito, he sounds like my dog, sorta mumbling through the bites, eating like somebody is gonna steal his food. I don’t have a heckuva lot of time, so I order the cask conditioned ale which of course they’re out of (Moontime and the Elk are always out of cask.)and a cup of soup. It’s turkey Italian or something. I’m served right away, the soup is glorious, turkey swimming in a broth with tomatoes and other veggies, but a bit over-spiced perhaps (fennel?) but just the right temperature. It comes with a couple of slices of French bread and butter and I’m outta there on time with a pint, a cup of soup for eight bucks including tip.

The guy next to me loved his burrito.

That’s what you want out of a pub: a decent pint, a decent meal, a bit of conversation, and on your way.

The Elk has to be my favorite pub in Spokane. They have the best food for the buck hands down and a great beer selection. I recently ate there for lunch and had the chicken quesadilla and a half raspberry salad, which is huge. I have also tried almost everything on the menu and everything is excellent. Top favorites are the bean burger, pork tacos, swimming angel and the ahi sandwich which I am not sure if they have anymore. My only complaint about the Elk is sometimes when they get really busy the service get a bit spotty. If you want good beer and good consistent food hit the Elk.

My husband and I like going to The Elk for its laid-back atmosphere and funky location. Everyone here seems to rave about the food, and while it is good, I don’t think it’s as superb as some others do. It’s a comfortable place with good service, and we really like that, and we like to take out-of-town friends there. Sort of a PS…I tried the 74th St Gumbo once, and while I like hot food, this was way too hot. If they’d tone it down a bit, it would be really good.

Every neighborhood should have a pub like this. The food is quite good, and the atmosphere is young and alive, but the cask conditioned ale,(real ale) is why I keep coming back. If you like good beer, you have to try it.

One of my favorites!!! The service can be a little on the slow side, but they did a good job this last time. We tried the Gumbo finally – but WAY too hot for us!!! But now we know :-) The Reuben sandwich was excellent as always!! A great Spokane establishment. Especially nice this time of year to sit outside :-)