-
Alibi Room
The perfect place to hide from the perfect crime, the Alibi provides entertainment as well as a hideout, with regular DJ nights, art installations, standup performances and experimental film screenings. Good eats, too.
-
Baltic Room
Classy and high-ceilinged, with wood-paneled walls, paper lanterns and an elegant balcony, this Capitol Hill club hosts an excellent mix of local and touring DJs in a range of genres, from reggae and house to DJ Darek Mazzone's monthly global dance party, Juice .
-
Barça
Velvet couches, filmy curtains, plush booths, a serpentine bar - this is one sexy, decadent lounge. Settle in among the other pretty people for seduction or quiet conversation.
-
Bauhaus
Bauhaus looks like the most beatnik library in the world, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and stylish-looking people of all stripes sitting around reading. Big windows make it a good spot for Capitol Hill people-watching.
-
Big Time Microbrew & Music
A fun hang-out in the U District, this expansive brewpub is quiet and casual in the daytime, but gets hopping at night. During the school year, it can be crowded with students still testing their alcohol limits.
-
Brouwer's
Shaped like a giant industrial oubliette, this dark cathedral of beer has rough-hewn rock walls and a black metal grate on the ceiling, plus two curved metal balconies, a bunch of cozy black-leather couches, snug booths and an epic bar behind which are tantalizing glimpses into a massive, expertly stocked beer fridge.
-
Bungalow Wine Bar & Café
Above the Open Books store in Wallingford, this balcony nook offers a light menu and 2oz tasters of wine (about US$4 each).
-
Café Racer
Conspicuously friendly to two-wheeled transport, this tiny bar has a rec room upstairs where you can lounge on couches and watch movies from the bar library on the bar TV. Downstairs there's a short counter, a couple of tables and a microscopic open kitchen, and decor includes the occasional taxidermied gazelle poised above a MotoGuzzi gas tank. Check the bulletin board for community goings-on.
-
Caffé Vita
Vita is known for small-batch roasts and expertly poured shots. The café also hosts seminars and other educational events, many to do with teaching people about sustainable coffee-growing practices.
-
Canterbury Ale & Eats
If you can get past the suit of armor guarding the door, you'll find that everything else about this Old English-style pub in a pretty, black-and-white building makes for a cozy hangout, from the snugs to the tapestried booths to the fireplace and friendly service.
-
Advertisement
-
Cc Attle's
A self-proclaimed 'drinkin' bar,' CC Attle's is a little cheesy, but it's a longstanding favorite hangout for gay men. The drinks are famously stiff and cheap, and the crowd is pretty well mixed and welcoming. A large outdoor deck adds to the fun in summer.
-
Century Ballroom
Dance lessons followed by an everyone-out-on-the-floor dance free-for-all makes a night at the Century the perfect combination of spectating and participating. Dance nights include everything from the Lindy hop to salsa. Check the website for a schedule.
-
Comet
The diviest dive on Capitol Hill, the Comet's a blessed refuge for anyone allergic to the surrounding plethora of basil-infused cocktails and shimmery clothing. This is the domain of cheap pool tables, tattooed barkeeps and loud rock and roll. Live bands play on the weekends.
-
Contour
This plush venue is open late and has a more extensive food menu than you might expect of a club whose top priority is clearly to keep your booty shaking until dawn. Contour hosts local and visiting DJs, with after-hours dance nights until Thursdays through Saturdays.
-
Copper Gate Scandinavian
Formerly one of Seattle's worst dives, the Copper Gate has been converted into a bizarre upscale bar-restaurant focused on meatballs and naked ladies. A Viking longship forms the bar, with a peepshow pastiche for a sail and an assortment of helmets and gramophones as cargo. Barstools arranged two-deep encourage conversation. Food and drinks are Scandi-themed. Try an aquavit or an exotic bottled beer; the Sinebrychoff Porter from Finland pours like motor oil.
-
Dad Watson's Restaurant & Brewery
This place is Fremont's representative of the McMenamins brewpub chain headquartered in Portland. It's roomy and comfortable, and there's a patio where you can sit and watch the street life at the so-called center of the universe.
-
Doc Maynard's Public House
This atmospheric pub transports you back to the old days of pioneer Seattle. It's named after Doc Maynard, one of the city's founding fathers and quite a character. An Ohio native, Maynard was divorced when he arrived in the city and was out for a good time; he was vivacious and generous and he liked his liquor. The gorgeous carved bar here was shipped over from Chicago. Doc's is also the starting point of Bill Speidel's Underground Tour.
-
El Chupacabra
The patio is where it's at for sipping margaritas at this kitschy neighborhood hangout. Be warned, service can be slow when the place is crowded.
-
Elliott Bay Brewery & Pub
Long and narrow, with a loft at the back of the room and a beer garden outdoors, this comfortable brewpub makes a nice retreat after a day at Alki Beach. Pub food emphasizes organic, locally sourced ingredients and includes monthly specials. There are always two cask-conditioned beers available.
-
Elysian Brewing Co
Sort of a factory-outlet shop for microbrews, the Elysian should be cooler than it is. Its beers are pretty metal, with names like Loki Lager and Dragon's Tooth Stout, but the place itself leans more toward a soccer-mom-sportsbar vibe. Pros: it's large enough to accommodate big groups, it has giant windows that make for good people-watching and it serves a good veggie burger.
-
Advertisement
-
Five Point Café
Not 'retro,' just old and endearingly grim, the Five Point Café in Tillicum Square has been around since 1929, and so have many of its patrons. Half diner, half bar and too worn-in to be mistaken for hip, it's where seasoned barflies and young punks go to get wasted, any time of day. Check out the men's bathroom - allegedly there's a periscope view of the Space Needle from the urinal.
-
Frontier Room
Once an old-school holdover from Belltown's gritty whiskey-drinkin' days, the Frontier Room has recently been colonized by frat boys and partay-ers - sort of a microcosm of Belltown as a whole. It still looks cool in here, but enter at your own risk.
-
Georgetown Liquor Company
This odd mishmash of a bar has an elegant industrial-chic design, a vegetarian menu and an astounding collection of retro video games. Plus, you know, beer and liquor.
-
Hale's Brewery & Pub
Nestled between Fremont and Ballard, Hale's makes some fantastic beer, notably its ambrosial Cream Ale. But its flagship brewpub feels a bit like a corporate hotel lobby. It's worth a quick stop, though; ask the friendly staff about the personalized mugs hanging above the bar. There's a miniature self-guided tour in the entryway.
-
Hilltop Ale House
Hilltop is a comfy neighborhood hang-out on Queen Anne Hill. It has a friendly vibe and a large selection of microbrews. There's a good range of dishes on offer; the Reuben sandwich takes a beating.
