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!

• 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.

• 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.  

• 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.  

• 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.

• 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.

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