The Cliff House started as a tavern in the mid-twenties by Bill Keyes. Mr. Keyes was an avid soap opera fan and all customers were to be quiet during them, absolutely no noise. The tavern was later owned by Buz Erhart. In the late 50's, the Cliff House Tavern burned to the ground due to a brush fire.
Mr. Hugh Smith (H.O. Smith) built a new Cliff House, not a tavern, but a restaurant known for its view of Commencement Bay, Mt. Ranier, Tacoma, and the famous sing-a-long-piano bar. Mr. Smith's success ran into the late 70's when he turned it over to Guido Brendicke,

Current owner Guido Brendicke took over the Cliff House in 1976, and with three re-models has built the establishment to it's stature today, offering fine dining upstairs or casual dining at Guido's Downstairs.