****NOTE: This review was done prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Of course, things are much different at the moment, but we hope things will get back to normal soon and hope you will continue to support these local businesses****
Lucinda Grain Bar
Recommended by: We are huge fans of both Edouardo Jordan’s Junebaby and Salare. We had reservations at Salare, so we decided to arrive a little early for a cocktail at his Lucinda Grain Bar.
Description on the Lucinda Grain Bar’s website: Lucinda Grain Bar is a 25-seat Bar and Cafe located in the heart of Ravenna. Lucinda is a place for people to relax, gather with old friends, meet new friends, and explore the wonderful world of grains through food and drinks.
Neighborhood/Type: Ravenna
Address: 2120 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115
Music playing: Let it Whip- Dazz Band, Got To Give It Up – Marvin Gaye
What we ate/drank: Barley Old Fashioned-Bourbon, Barley Syrup, Cardamom 13, Long Grain Iced Tea – Moonshine, Calvados, Gin, Grain Tea 14, Rhubarb Daquri – Rum, Rhubarb, Lime – 14
Comments: When you think about the best cocktail bars in Seattle, you think about Capitol Hill, Ballard or Downtown. These are the usual suspects, but Ravenna?!? Ravenna is a neighborhood made up mostly of families and former yuppies who have decided to settle down in a nice quiet area relatively close to downtown.
In a way, the location is not surprising because Lucinda Grain Bar is part of Edouardo Jordan’s(Two time James Beard Award winner!) growing empire and located right next to his renowned restaurant, Junebaby and down the street from his equally renowned, Salare. Still, I think it’s pretty brave to open a cocktail bar in Ravenna. We were thinking about it. The closest cocktail-centric bar might be The Backdoor all the way in Fremont. We’re not complaining since we live close by and now have an option for quality cocktails.
Unlike many of the swanky cocktail bars around Seattle, Lucinda Grain Bar has a casual inviting atmosphere. It’s an intimate place with about 20 seats, a few seats at the bar, and L-shaped counter along the window and wall and a few tables.
We didn’t order food since we were having dinner at Salare, but both their food and drinks are grain inspired and Edouardo’s great grandmother’s name was Lucinda thus the name, Lucinda Grain Bar. We’re sure the food is great, but when you have Salare and Junebaby in such close proximity, it’s hard to envision ever eating here.
The drinks as expected were top notch and again a quality cocktail you could not find anywhere in at least a 3 mile radius.
Moonshine, Calvados, Gin, Grain Tea
14, Rhubarb Daquri – Rum, Rhubarb, Lime – 14
We love the idea of having a quality cocktail bar so close to where we live without having to make a trip out to Capitol Hill. It’s the perfect spot for entertaining out of town guests without having to go very far and a place for a night cap after a night out on the town. It’s has a neighborhood intimate feel, but with top notch bartenders and liquors.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: We’ve posted about Junebaby and now Lucinda Grain Bar. We’ll next visit Edouardo Jordan’s Salare.
Related Articles:
Linda’s Tavern – The Last Place Kurt Cobain Was Seen Alive
Recommended by: Nobody. We talked about Viretta Park (aka Kurt Cobain Park)and It’s history with Kurt Cobain. Linda’s Tavern is the last place anybody saw Kurt Cobain alive.
Description on the Linda’s Tavern website: A nice place for nice people.
Neighborhood/Type: Capitol Hill
Address: 707 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122
What we ate/drank: Manny’s, Black Raven Pale, Pfriem Pilsner
Comment: Linda’s Tavern is supposedly the last place that Kurt Cobain was seen alive before he tragically took his life. I’m not sure this is well known about Linda’s Tavern amongst Seattleites. Linda Tavern has been a mainstay in Seattle(est 1994) for such a long time, it’s generally known for it’s low key Western-themed quirkiness.
According to Wikipedia, Linda’s Tavern has made servers Thrillist lists including “Seattle’s 26 best Boozy Brunches”, “The 21 best dive bars in America 2014”, “14 Seattle Bars That Are Open on Christmas Day”, The Best Dive Bars in Seattle” (2016). Those accolades should give you better picture of the type of tavern this is.
If you are interested here’s the booth that Kurt Cobain was last allegedly seen:
We’ve never eaten at Linda’s Tavern, but we’ve definitely done a lot of drinking here over the years. With so many high-end cocktail bars, clubs and craft breweries in Capitol Hill, Linda’s remains one of those rare places that’s laid back. It doesn’t take itself seriously. Just take a look at their “Hippies Use The Side Door” sign, the massive buffalo head above the bar, the Laura Palmer(Twin Peaks) high school photo, the stage coach wagon chandelier , the large print of cow herding.
There’s also some blasts from the past. They have some old school arcade games, their jukebox is full of CDs, not the digital jukeboxes you see in all bars nowadays. You get the feel like Linda’s Tavern is stuck in time-the song playing when we came in was “No Excuses” by Alice in Chains.
Linda’s Tavern has three main sections- the bar area, the elevated seating area where the jukebox and arcade games are and the huge outdoor patio that has it’s own bar. This is definitely a hidden gem during the warmer days and nights.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: Not rating. Never eaten and have only had beers.
Overall: 4.50
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Related Articles:
Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 3)
Here’s Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 1)
Here’s Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 2)
In our post, Seattle Bars For All Occasions, we discussed what we objectively believed were the best Seattle bars based on the occasion. Now we discuss our subjective picks. There are certain bars that you like, not because it’s a great bar with great atmosphere and great drinks. You may like certain bars, because it was the bar you went to to celebrate taking your last exam in college, where you met your wife/husband, where you witnessed the ultimate Seahawk comeback win, where you drowned your sorrows getting over being dumped. We also mentioned in Our Seattle Bar Thoughts post that our bar of choice is the neighborhood bar, Our Bartender Thoughts, How We Treat Bartenders, Best Seattle Bars to Impress Out of Towners and Seattle Bars for Each Stage of Dating.
Bars-Sports Moments Good and Bad
We’re big sports fans, but we normally watch sports at home. But we were at bars for these memorable sports moments.
- Metropolitan Grill Bar-1995 was a magical season for the Mariners. Perennial losers they never even sniffed the playoffs, when suddenly they were in the midst of a playoff race. At the end of the season they were tied with the Angels, so they had a one game playoff. A co-worker and I went to the nearby Met and watched the Mariners finally get to the playoffs to meet the Yankees, who they miraculously defeated. It’s now June of 2018 and out of the 4 major sports leagues-NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL, the Mariners have had the longest playoff drought of any team in sports!
Source: Yelp
- Red Door Tavern-This is in 1998 when the Red Door was in it’s original location on Fremont Ave. UW vs Uconn in NCAA Tournament. UW was an 11 seed and somehow made it to the Sweet Sixteen. They were on their way to the Great Eight, when Rip Hamilton of Uconn made a last second shot. What a heart stomping defeat.
- Rock Bottom Brewing-UW vs UConn 2006. De ja vu all over again. 8 years later they met again in the Sweet Sixteen. This time, UW was the #1 seed and had a promising line up with future NBA pros-Brandon Roy, Will Conroy, Bobby Jones and Jon Brockman. UW had this game wrapped up, but a stupid foul in the last seconds put this game into overtime, where they lost. This place has since closed down.
- The Duchess Tavern-Lakers vs Celtics-game 5, 2010. I’m a huge Laker fan and the Celtics are their main rival. In 2008, the Celtics had defeated the Lakers to win the NBA Championship. 2010 was payback. It didn’t look so good with the series tied 2-2 and pivotal game 5 being played in Boston. The Lakers pulled out a gutty win which propelled them to close out the series and win their 16th title. I don’t come to The Duchess all that often but I also saw the UW vs Nebraska 2010 Holiday Bowl victory and the UW vs Univ of Colorado 2016 Pac 12 Championship victory here.
- LTD-2012 Seahawks vs Green Bay-The Fail Mary game. Met a friend at LTD in Fremont to catch up while watching this game. At the beginning of the NFL season, the referees were on strike. So they had to hire scrub referees. The Seahawks dominated in the first half, but fell behind with seconds left. All looked lost and on the last play of the game Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass to the endzone. It appeared the GB defender intercepted the ball, but the referees called it a catch by Golden Tate and the Seahawks won. The bar went nuts. Shortly after this game, the NFL hired the referees back.
Favorite Dead Bars(RIP):
Bars that have gone out of business, but still reminisce about.
- Marcus’ Martini Heaven(Pioneer Square)-This was an underground cocktail bar that had a bunch of fish tanks. When I mean underground, I mean it was under street level in a room that had no windows. It was my go-to clandestine meet up place if I didn’t want to be seen by people from work. Kraken Congee was in this space for awhile, but I don’t think anybody is in this space at the moment.
Source
- Frontier Room(Belltown) Currently Villa Escondida. This was a very small bar known for making super duper strong drinks. When I was in my early 20’s, this is where we’d go to get cheap strong drinks before heading to clubs, which had weak expensive drinks. This was in the late 90’s/early 00’s.. Around 2004 in turned form the diviest of dive bars to an upscale BBQ place.
- The Chapel(Capitol Hill) Currently The Pinebox. You can actually see some of the remnants of the Chapel when going to the Pinebox. The bar used to be straight ahead when you walked in the door and had a U-shaped seating around it. Back then it really did look like a funeral home converted to a bar.
Source: Yelp
- Cloud Room(Downtown) Currently nothing. This is one I miss a lot. It was an old piano bar located on top the Camlin Hotel. Back then it had decent views and a bar that surrounded the piano. It reminded me of the Fabulous Baker Boys(filmed in Seattle). There’s actually an episode on Frasier(based in Seattle) where Martin meets his future wife who happens to a piano bar singer. I always wondered if it was based on the Cloud Room because it kinda looked like it.
- Duck Dodge (Lake Union). Currently The White Swan Public House. One of my co-workers knew the bartender here, so we always got the hookup with free drinks. It’s right on Lake Union so it’s a great spot in the summers. The spot has actually changed hands at least 3 times.
- Sit & Spin (Belltown)-Currently Commonwealth. This was a bar that you could do your laundry in. Hence, the name. it was a really odd combination. They also had a stage for bands there. I remember seeing a few shows there.
Source: Pinterest
- Buckaroo Tavern (Fremont)-Currently Restaurant Roux. I used to live down the street. It was known as a biker bar, which is strange because Fremont is the antithesis of biker anything. I remember riding the bus past it while they were shooting the movie, 10 Things Hate About You. One more story that I just remembered. There was a guy who was high as a kite on drugs and decided to drive. He hit about 10 parked cars(including mine which he totaled). He ended up flipping his car right in front of Buckaroo Tavern and tried to flee, but the bikers ran out of the bar and tackled him and held him for the cops. The incident was actually on the local news, so I have a VHS tape somewhere in storage of my totaled car on TV.
Source: Yelp
- Floyd’s Place(Queen Anne) -This was my go-to bar to have a drink before Seattle Sonics games. Now both are gone. Tear. Damn you, Howard Schultz!!!
- Dutch Neds (Pioneer Square)-Currently Box House. This was another hang out with my co-workers after work. Truthfully I don’t remember much about the place even though I went there over 30 times. Everytime I left Dutch Neds my mind was hazy. I remember it had a pool table. I remember it had an upstairs area. Other than that I just remember having fun times there.
- OK Hotel(Pioneer Square) -Currently an apartment building. I actually know somebody who lives here now, but before that, it was a bar with a stage right under the Alaskan Way Viaduct. It’s supposedly the first place Nirvana performed Smells Like Teen Spirit. It’s also portrayed in the movie, “Singles”, as the coffee shop where Matt Dillon and Bridget Fonda work. Here’s Nirvana playing at the OK Hotel in 91.
Pouring one out for all my dead homies.
Related Articles:
Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 2)
Here’s Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 1)
In our post, Seattle Bars For All Occasions, we discussed what we objectively believed were the best Seattle bars based on the occasion. Now we discuss our subjective picks. There are certain bars that you like, not because it’s a great bar with great atmosphere and great drinks. You may like certain bars, because it was the bar you went to to celebrate taking your last exam in college, where you met your wife/husband, where you witnessed the ultimate Seahawk comeback win, where you drowned your sorrows getting over being dumped. We also mentioned in Our Seattle Bar Thoughts post that our bar of choice is the neighborhood bar, Our Bartender Thoughts, How We Treat Bartenders, Best Seattle Bars to Impress Out of Towners and Seattle Bars for Each Stage of Dating.
Favorite Bars Based Purely on Memories
- J & M Café-I moved to Seattle for work from LA in the mid-90’s, not knowing a soul. My co-workers knew this, so as a way to introduce me to everybody, they organized an after-work happy hour. We worked in downtown, so J & M Café was in walking distance. As a new Seattleite, I was really shocked that they’d go out of their way to make me feel welcome. Though it was over 20 years ago, many of these people remain my friends to this day even though we’ve all moved on to different jobs. The J & M actually closed for a number of years and opened back up I belileve in 2010.
Source: Yelp
- Owl’N Thistle-This was deemed my work’s “satellite office” because we hung out there so much. We were all young and single(and dumb) at the time, so this was our defacto spur of the moment after work gathering spot. This is the place we bitched and moaned about our morons bosses, low pay and lack of respect. I recall whenever a fire alarm at work went off, the Owl & Thistle was our meet up spot. Many memories in the place. Oh, to be young again.
Source: Yelp
- “The Zoo” Eastlake Zoo Tavern-I had to take a grueling government administered test if I wanted to further my career. I studied months for this test, since the government only offers it twice a year. The pass rate for this exam is 11% and in one particular year it was actually 1.2%. I met up with a bunch of co-workers after the test at The Zoo as a celebration on getting it over with. Luckily I passed.
Source: Yelp
- Fado-There was a time in my life where I wanted to meet new people. I joined a Meet Up group that played pub trivia here every Thursday. The group lasted about 2+ years before it disbanded, but I met a lot of interesting people and it represents a time where I put myself out there and did something that was out of my comfort zone and helped me grow as a person and for this I’m grateful.
- Steelhead Diner-This is a diner, but it does have a nice view at their bar of Pike Place Market and the Puget Sound. The reason they are on this list? We held our wedding reception in the small room in the back. The bar worked with us to create a signature drink that incorporated the color theme of our wedding-purple and gold. It was in the summer, so it was a refreshing gin/mint drink and a big hit with our guests.
Source: Yelp
- Lucky Envelope Brewing-This is the first place serving alcohol that we took our daughter to at 2 months old. Once our daughter was born, we thought our bar hopping days were over. Not only because we had a new life to take care of, but as you know, babies ain’t allowed in bars. The one exception to the rule-breweries. I don’t know if I would consider it a loophole but the license to operate a brewery in Washington State is considered a non-retail license. And there is no age restriction for non-retail premises. Bam! To prove to ourselves that having a baby would not preclude us from getting out of the house and continue meeting up with friends and having a cold one, we made it a goal to visit 24 breweries with baby in tow within a year. Did we make it? Hellz to the Yeah!!!
Source: Yelp
Lucky Envelope was the first and holds a special place in our hearts for that reason, but shout out to the other 23 breweries that we visited that allow families to enjoy very tasty beers- Counterbalance Brewing Company, Figurehead Brewing, Floating Bridge Brewing, Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery, Fremont Brewing Company, Ghostfish Brewing Company, Lantern Brewing, Lowercase Brewing, Machine House Brewery, Naked City Brewery & Taphouse, NW Peaks Brewery, Old Stove Brewing, Optimism Brewing Company, Peddler Brewing Company, Perihelion Brewery, Populuxe Brewing, Ravenna Brewing Co, Reuben’s Brews, Rooftop Brewing Company, Schooner Exact Brewing Company, Seapine Brewing Company, Stoup Brewing, Urban Family Brewing Co.
Note: We’ll soon have posts on Seattle Breweries shortly
Next: Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 3)
Related Articles:
Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 1)
In our post, Seattle Bars For All Occasions, we discussed what we objectively believed were the best Seattle bars based on the occasion. Now we discuss our subjective picks. There are certain bars that you like, not because it’s a great bar with great atmosphere and great drinks. You may like certain bars, because it was the bar you went to to celebrate taking your last exam in college, where you met your wife/husband, where you witnessed the ultimate Seahawk comeback win, where you drowned your sorrows getting over being dumped. We also mentioned in Our Seattle Bar Thoughts post that our bar of choice is the neighborhood bar, Our Bartender Thoughts, How We Treat Bartenders, Best Seattle Bars to Impress Out of Towners and Seattle Bars for Each Stage of Dating.
Our Favorite Bar (Overall): Palomino. Any Seattleite reading this is saying, “WTF”? The Palomino is a restaurant located in the City Centre in downtown Seattle. They do have a bar area with an actual bar that they claim is the longest in length in Seattle. Their happy hour is okay, but nothing special. Their beer selection and cocktails are ordinary. The atmosphere is a little strange because it’s open on a floor within a building kind of like a bar in a hotel or train station. So why is this our favorite bar in Seattle? This is where my wife and I first laid eyes on each other and met. She was in town for a convention. I worked downtown. It was easy to find and centrally located so that’s where we met. I guess we’re just sentimental fools. Later that night we had a drink at Kells, then the Pink Door.
Source: Yelp
Our Favorite Beer: Bodhizafa IPA-Georgetown Brewing Company.
Our Favorite Specialty Drink: Hot Mango Love- Suite 410. It’s a vodka based cocktail with Finlandia Mango, Scrappy’s Firewater bitters, a house-made Peach bitters, shaken with orange and lemon.
Our Favorite Bars By Area:
Downtown-Suite 410
Pike Place-White Horse Trading Company, Alibi Room, Radiator Whiskey
Ballard-Tractor Tavern, King’s Hardware, Ballard Loft(RIP)
Belltown-The Rabbit Hole
Capitol Hill-Knee High Stocking Co, Unicorn, The Lookout, The Pinebox
Central District-The Neighbor Lady(RIP)
Eastlake-Mammoth
Fremont–The Leary Traveler(RIP)
Green Lake-Latona Pub
Madrona-Bottlehouse
Pioneer Square-J&M, Merchant’s Café
Queen Anne-Hilltop Ale House
Roosevelt-Atlantic Crossing
South Lake Union-Brave Horse Tavern (RIP)
University District-The Duchess
Wallingford-Burgundian(RIP)
See Also:
Our Favorite Seattle Bars Part 2
Our Favorite Seattle Bars Part 3
Related Articles:
Seattle Bars For Each Stage of Dating
First Date Bar– Feeling each other out. You want somewhere casual, but lively. You don’t want to break the bank, because if things don’t click, you’ll never see other again. Our pick: Unicorn/Narwhal. Probably one of the least pretentious, casual bars in Seattle. There’s enough room to be in the center of things at street level(Unicorn), but a huge downstairs area(Narwhal) that you can find a secluded area if need be. It has a fun atmosphere that hopefully relaxes both of you, so you can get to know each other.
Source: Yelp
Impress The Date Bar-You decided you’re interested and want to pursue the relationship. Time to impress. You want someplace with a price point a bit higher than normal to show your date they’re different from the rest. It has to be quiet, chill with some dark lighting to set the mood for romance. Our pick: Suite 410. It’s a pretty intimate setting and it’s been around long enough to not be a crowded hot spot. There’s seats at the bar, a few along the window and just a few seatings for groups along the wall and that’s it. It’s also in downtown and not really close to anything else which might be a reason it’s relatively easy to get seats. I find the cocktails here superb.
Source: Yelp
The Test Bar -You’ve now shown your date the high end bar. Those places are reserved for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and other important life events. Now take your date to a bar to see if they’ll have a fun time. Not divey, but not too fancy. Can your date have some fun? Our pick: Rhein Haus. We’ve all bowled, mini golfed, shot pool or played video games/pinball before. Bocce is a little out of the ordinary, but such a simple game to play that anybody could play it. You can find out a lot of things in these situations. Is your date game to try something new, are they competitive, how do they handle winning, defeat or trash talking? This is also a great atmosphere for your friends to meet your date for the first time since it’s a great place for groups. Then when you’re alone with your friends, get the scoop on what they think of your date.
Source: Yelp
Seal the Deal Bar-You’ve determined after dating a while this is thee one! Now it’s time to pull out the big guns and make it special. Awh, yeah, playa! You want to ask for a committed relationship or a wedding proposal even, this is the place in Seattle. Our Pick: The Smith Tower Observatory Bar. This place will cost you an arm and a leg because you pay to go up to the observatory and then you pay for the expensive drink, but you cannot beat the views, the history and the ornate Asian-inspired décor. It just feels special. At one time The Smith Tower was once the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, which is funny because it’s really dwarfed now by all the more modern downtown buildings. I believe it costs $12 to go up if you’re from Washington and $19 if you’re not. Cocktails run in the $15 range. Sit down, relax, take in the view, hold your date’s hand and ask away.
Source : Yelp
Drive Off the Date Bar-This is the opposite of the Seal the Deal Bar. You’ve determined that it just ain’t gonna work out. How do you tell your date? If you take your date to this bar, they probably know what’s coming next. It’s one of those places where if you dump your date and you get a bottle broken over your head because of it, nobody will blink an eye. It’s normal here. It’s also loud enough to drown out any screaming or loud arguments Our Pick: Take your date to The 5 Point. It’s the type of bar where you don’t plan to go to, but end up there after a full night of drinking. It’s open 24 hours and although they don’t serve beer after 2:00am, I believe they start up again at 6:00am and known for morning barflies starting up early there. This bar is notable for a few things. Their signage of “We cheat tourists-n-drunks since 1929″ and “Alcoholics Serving Alcoholics since 1929” and Tom Leykis getting thrown out and assaulted outside. He required 17 stitches. They do have one cool thing in the men’s restroom though. It’s a periscope that’s set up so you can see the Space Needle while peeing. Fancy.
Source: Yelp
Also see: Seattle Coffee Places For Each Stage of Dating.
Related Articles:
Best Seattle Bars To Impress Out of Towners:
Of course when we have visitors to Seattle, we invariably end up at Pike Place Market at some point. Here are our suggestions for bars in the Market. One thing they all have in common is that they are off the beaten path from the crowded areas. Another thing they all have in common is that in a day and age when bars don’t have a long shelf life in Seattle, these 4 have been in existence since I moved to Seattle in the mid-90’s.
- Alibi Room-Hidden near the gum wall, this bar is an old standby for us. They have great pizzas that are a bargain during happy hour-one of the best kept secrets in Seattle in my opinion. Their bar is relatively small, but there is plenty of tables. I remember back in the day they had a DJ down stairs. If you look along the walls when you enter, they have a bunch of movie scripts if you are interested in reading while drinking. My understanding is that they used to have live performances using the scripts.
- White Horse Trading-It’s hidden in post alley. When you walk in, it’s as if you been transported to another time and place. They only serve beer and wine, but they have two signature drinks. At least these are the two drinks I recommend to visitors-Pimm’s Cup which is a concoction of wines, bitters and a lemon. The other is their own honey mead. One other unique feature is their restroom. There’s a swinging door that latches, but you’re pretty much out in the open. Make sure you latch it! The other strange thing, is that whenever I pay with catch they always give me change in 2 dollar bills. Not sure if this is just a coincidence or if this is a regular practice.
Source: Yelp
- Maximilien-This one is a bit of a cheat since it’s actually a restaurant, but if you’re craving a drink around happy hour time, this is your spot. They have a patio that has gorgeous views of Puget Sound and a relatively cheap happy hour considering it’s in the Market and the views. One of their happy hour specials is a six pack of Kronenbourg in a bucket for $20. For those of you who don’t know Kronenbourg is one of the few French breweries and was founded in 1664.
Source: Yelp
- Zig Zag Café-Is actually right outside the market. Back in 2010 it was named thee #1 Cocktail Bar in the US by GQ Magazine. The bartender at the time, Murray Stenson, has since moved on, so this title has lost a bit of its luster, but for awhile after 2010 visitors were impressed they could get a drink at the #1 Cocktail Bar.
Source: Yelp
Speakeasies-All visitors like to think they’ve been to a secret place that only locals know about. Both Knee High Stocking Club and Bathtub Gin & Co fit the bill. These two places are difficult to find if you’ve not been there before and if you’re not looking for it would just walk by and never notice they existed.
Source: Yelp
The Lookout-Located in Capitol Hill, but off the main drag of Broadway Ave or the Pike/Pine corridor. It’s located on a residential street and I don’t think too many locals even know about it unless you live in Capitol Hill. It’s a nice cozy neighborhood bar with patio views of South Lake Union and the Space Needle.
Source: Yelp
All guidebooks mention Salty’s, Palisade, and Ray’s Boathouse for seafood and views. I think a really underrated place to take visitors for drinks is Chinook’s At Salmon Bay. Located in Seattle’s Fisherman’s Terminal, it has a huge bar and big patio area and the restaurant itself is huge. They also have great seafood which is what the NW is known for. It overlooks the fishing boats, some of which were featured in The Deadliest Catch.
Source: Yelp
Next: Seattle Bars For Each Stage of Dating
Related Articles:
- Our Seattle Bar Thoughts
- Our Seattle Bartender Thoughts
- How We Treat Bartenders
- Seattle Bars For All Occasions
Seattle Bars For All Occasions
As I said in my previous post-Our Seattle Bar Thoughts, there’s is a time and place for all types of bars, ranging from the high end expensive cocktail bar to the no frills cheap-ass dive bar. The type of bar we go to depends on where we are, who we’re meeting up with and what type of mood we’re in.
Perhaps we go to a certain bar if we just want a quick drink. We may go to another if we want to comfortably lounge a bit and have few. I think if you look at your own life, you looked for certain types of bars at certain periods of your life. When you’re young 20-something, you might favor a place like Ozzie’s or College Inn Pub. Maybe when you’re dating, you go to Canon or Knee High Stocking. When you have kids, you may go to Barking Dog Alehouse or The Loft. Also, the time of year plays a role. In the summer, a patio is a plus, because we Seattlelites have only a certain amount of outdoor drinking days in a year. Of course, a patio or a nice view makes no difference in the winter if it’s dreary and raining. But rest assured, there is a bar for all occasions and here are our Seattle selections:
Seattle Bars For All Occasions
- Best Bar to Watch Sports(non soccer)-The Westy. Runner Up(s): Quality Athletics, Tap House Grill
- Best Bar to Watch Soccer- Atlantic Crossing. Runner Up(s): The George and Dragon
- Best Family Friendly-Barking Dog Alehouse. Runner Up(s):Naked City Brewery & Taphouse, Chuck’s Hop Shop
- Best Dog Friendly-Beveridge Place Pub. Runner Up(s): Norm’s Eatery and Alehouse
- Best Wine Bar-Bottlehouse. Runner Up(s): Purple Cafe
- Best Beer Bar-Toronado. Runner Up(s): Brouwers, Chuck’s Hop Shop
- Best Sake Bar-Sake Nomi ( the only Sake bar in Seattle?)
Source: Yelp
- Best Speakeasy-Knee High Stocking. Runner Up(s): Bathtub Gin & Co, E Street Mercantile, The Hideout.
- Best Patio-The Innkeeper(couldn’t tell you what the inside looks like). Runner Up(s): Teddy’s Tavern(ping pong, yo), Kings Hardware, Rooftop Brewing, Naked City Brewery & Taphouse.
- Best Old Bars: J & M Cafe & Cardroom. Runner Up(s): Hattie’s Hat , Merchant Cafe
- Best Old to New-The Pinebox (former funeral home). Runner Up(s): Good Bar(former bank), Kells Irish Pub(former mortuary)
- Best (actual) Bar– Radiator Whiskey. Runner Up(s): Stoneburner, Canon , Unicorn, The Backdoor, Bathtub Gin
- Best Place to Get Your Video Game On-Add A Ball. Runner Up(s): Shorty’s, Popluxe Brewing
- Best Place to Get Your Bowling On– Garage
- Best Place to Get Your Mini Golf On-The Flatstick Pub
- Best Place to Get Your Board Game On-Café Mox
- Best For Big Groups – Unicorn/Narwhal. Runner Up(s): Optimism Brewing, Rhein Haus
- Best Dive Bar-Leny’s Place. Runner Up(s): Teddy’s Tavern , Bernard’s on Seneca, The 5 Point, Monkey Pub, Eastlake Zoo
- Best View-The Lookout. Runner Up(s): Mbar, Eastlake Bar & Grill, Westward, Little Water Cantina
Fun Facts/Myths/Folklore Bar
- Linda’s Tavern-The booth nearest the jukebox is reported to be the last time Kurt Cobain was last seen alive.
- Kells–This former mortuary is supposedly haunted. The Travel Channel’s show Ghost Adventures visited and took a photo with an image that they believe to be a mangled child. Google it. It’s creepy.
- The Pinebox–This former funeral home was supposedly the site of Bruce Lee’s funeral. Also, for those who don’t know, Bruce Lee and his son, Brandon, are buried a few blocks away at Lake View Cemetary
- Red Door Ale House-Was originally located one block east on Fremont Ave. They actually picked up the entire building and moved it one block away, so they could build new construction(where Peet’s coffee currently is) on it’s previous site.
- Merchants Café -has a lower basement that was converted into a bar/gambling parlour during prohibition. The ladies restroom on this floor is supposedly haunted by two kids who died in a fire in this area in the 30’s. This is believed to be the oldest bar in Seattle.
- Blue Moon Tavern-The first and oldest tavern in the U District became a gathering place for literary giants such as Tom Robbins, Dylan Thomas, Richard Hugo, Allen Ginsberg in the 50’s and 60’s. Supposedly Tom Robbins tried to make a collect call from the pay phone her to Pablo Picasso in Spain, but he refused the call due to the overseas charges.
Next: Best Seattle Bars for Out or Towners
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Our Seattle Bar Thoughts
If I have time to kill and not on the clock at work or no intention of exercising, I normally look for a bar. This normally happens when I’m early for an appointment/meet up, waiting for my SO, waiting for a flight in the airport, taking a break from running errands, etc. Other common occasions when we head to a bar-After a hard day at work and needing to wind down, celebrations(birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, engagements, hitting other milestones), catch up with friends/family, watch a sporting event(we don’t have cable). Let’s just say we’ve spent a lot of time in bars.
General Observations:
It’s hard to pinpoint an all-encompassing checklist of what makes a bar a favorite bar of ours. We try to keep a good attitude and an open mind when visiting a bar for the first time but we tend to lean towards certain types of bars. We tend to like neighborhood joints that are not so big, but not so tiny that they are always packed. These places tend to have a good mix of single men and women, couples and groups. It’s normally low key and full of regulars and a sense of community. These bars tend to be friendly, relaxed and make it easy to enjoy your stay. Some examples-Latona Pub, The Neighbor Lady (RIP), The Rabbit Hole, The Lookout, Bottlehouse, Atlantic Crossing, Café Racer(RIP), The Leary Traveler(RIP), Burgundian(RIP).
While we are partial to the neighborhood bars, there are different bars for different occasions, but that’s for a whole separate post. There is a time and place for the high end expensive cocktail bar and for the unsophisticated cheap dive bar. The type of bar we go to depends on where we are, who we’re meeting up with and what type of mood we’re in. Below are our Seattle Bar Thoughts:
General qualities we tend to avoid when it comes to bars:
These aren’t deal-breakers. We always try to keep an open mind, but with so many options why bother if certain qualities are below par.
- Meat markets and clubs-There was a place and time, when we were younger and dumber, but that time has passed.
- Super Loud Music-Whether it’s a live band or piped in music. It’s just too loud to talk to others.
- Theme bars-Example Irish or British themed pubs, pirate themed bars, goth themed bars
- Massive chain bars–Example-Yard House, Fox Sports Bar, Buffalo Wild Wings
- Too hot or too cold-Door or window open in mid-Winter when it’s freezing or stifling heat due to no breeze or air conditioning.
- Lack of maintenance/cleanliness-Dust so thick it obviously hasn’t been dusted in years, cobwebs, total lack of pride in appearance such as, taped up seats, unsafe loose carpet, peeling paint on the walls and the dreaded disgusting restrooms.
General qualities we don’t really care about when it comes to bars:
Fine if the bar has it, but doesn’t sway us like it might other people.
- Happy Hour
- Signature drinks–We know most bartenders/bars have em, but it’s not what we typically order.
- Big sized drinks–Save those for New Orleans/Las Vegas
- Strong pours–We just want the drinks to taste good. Although I have a few friends who frequent bars known for strong pours, because they feel like they save money not having to order as many drinks.
- Games-video games, pinball, pool, ping pong. Darts are a nice option though.
General qualities we do care about when it comes to bars:
- Draft beer options-Since this is mostly what I drink, a good variety of craft breweries and a few hard-to-find exotic selections are my choice. I have to say, most bars I go to meet this requirement easily. I do feel that
Toronado(RIP), Brouwers and Chucks Hop Shop really excel in this area. - Bartenders–(link)
- Patrons–As mentioned above we enjoy places with laid back folks and a good variety of people(singles, both men and women, couples, groups) who are out having a good time. We don’t like places where there are regulars who think they own the joint and feel they can act and be as loud as they want and who are particularly cold to newcomers. Also over zealous sports fans who rub it in opponent fans’ faces when their team is winning or makes everybody miserable when their team is losing.
- Food options or allow food if they don’t serve food- You know when drinking, you start craving food. We’re looking for simple bar foods like burgers, fries, nachos, pizza. Nothing fancy. I love bars where if they don’t serve food, allow you to bring in food such as Teddy’s, Triple R and the various craft breweries around town. Free snacks will always earn bonus points in my book.
- Music selection /Jukebox –As long as it’s not too loud I enjoy places that play background music.
- Pub Trivia –Anywhere that happens to have pub trivia while we’re there, earns bonus points from us and we’re likely to participate if we have the time. We’re nerds.
- Location-Selfishly, bonus points for being close by to where we live or accessible by public transport. Location friendly for us due to being close to us, near link light rail or Seattle Metro bus lines from our house are Fremont, Wallingford, University District, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Green Lake, Greenwood, Downtown, Cap Hill, Beacon Hill, Colombia City, South Lake Union, Pioneer Square, Belltown, South Lake Union. Unfortunately for us this limits places we can try in West Seattle, Upper Queen Anne, Magnolia, Georgetown. Although Ballard is also lacking in public transport from where we live, the high density of bars/restaurants and popularity as a meeting area makes it easier to visit multiple places at a time.
- A nice bar( the actual bar )-If I’m by myself or we’re out as a couple, I always opt for sitting at the bar. Hatties Hat, Merchants Café and J&M have beautiful ornate old vintage bars. I also love Canon with it’s dark wood shelves against two white walls, Bath Tub Gin with shelves of rare liquors against the red brick wall, Radiator Whiskey w/crate shelves of whiskey and giant barrel on the wall, Unicorn with it’s circus themed colorful bar, Stoneburner with it’s strangely shaped wrap around bar, and The Backdoor with it’s mirrored altar-like bar.
- Interesting things to look at-posters, old pics, strange décor(like White Horse Trading Co.), I’m partial to older bars with lots of character and things to look at. For you non-Seattle folks, think McSorleys in NY, Jacob Wirth in Boston, The Brick in Spokane or Joe Jost’s in Los Angeles.
- Overall Atmosphere – Welcoming, Comfortable, Relaxing, Not to crowded and loud, but not dead and silent.
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How We Treat Bartenders
Previously we told you what qualities we look for in bartenders. Now we tell you how we treat bartenders.
Try to be observant of the bar environment–Don’t go screaming and high fiving everybody if the Seahawks score in a swanky speakeasy-type cocktail bar and don’t expect high end whiskey in a dive bar. If it’s a beer bar, don’t order a pina colada. If it’s a high end craft cocktail bar on a packed Saturday night, don’t order a bloody marry. Sure, you’re the customer and you should be able to order anything you want, but think of the people lined up in back of you, waiting for their drinks. And think of the bartender who is trying to get as many people served as possible with drinks that they specialize in, not one-off time consuming drinks. If you’re not in the mood for a fancy craft cocktail, perhaps something simple like a gin and tonic, screwdriver or whiskey neat or on the rocks?
Be patient and smile–If especially busy and the bartender is scrambling, just make eye contact and wait patiently. I’ve actually never seen anybody do this since my college years, but don’t wave dollar bills or scream out your order over everybody elses. And if the bartender accidentally takes another person’s order out of turn, just roll with it. We all make mistakes. Also, if I’m new to a bar and it’s full of regulars, it may not be fair that I’ll be served after them even if I’ve been waiting longer, but that’s life and not worth getting bent out of shape and ruining your mood. It’s a privilege of being a regular. One last thing, if a place is super busy, I try to tip a bit more than usual because I know they are working hard and it normally helps me the next round I order.
Small talk-If things are pretty mellow and the bartender has some free time, my favorite thing to ask bartenders is their favorite bars and restaurants when not working. We all like to feel like we’re experts, right? They’ll normally elaborate on why it’s their favorite and I find that they normally have great insight into getting the most bang for their buck, great food and drinks for reasonable prices. I don’t know if this is common since I’ve never bartended, but many of them seem to bartend at not just one bar, but multiple bars. Also, if it’s a bar with some history, background on the place is always interesting.
I also love when bartenders talk about the intricacies of the business or little secrets. I’ve had bartenders tell me the following:
- Beer Tap handles really do make a difference on beer sales, especially if somebody is deciding between two beers they’ve never had. People tend to pick the most distinctive tap handle.
- Maybe this is no secret, but you must have three choices of IPA and maybe one double and triple IPA in Seattle because we are IPA crazy at the moment.
- Pinebox(formerly The Chapel) was the site for Bruce Lee’s funeral
- The Good Bar was once the Japanese Commercial Bank in 1907. You can still see remants of the vault door to the right of the bar.
- Bathtub Gin Co is located in the former boiler room of the apartment building it’s located in.
If it’s a place with some history, background on the place is a nice.
We don’t get sloshed-It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten stumbling drunk, but leave this for your own home party. Drink water, have some food, know when to call it quits. Nobody wants to have their outing ruined by a loud, obnoxious, out of control patron.
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