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J&M Café
A lot of places claim to be the oldest bar in Seattle, but this is the most charming of the bunch. It's right in Pioneer Square but avoids the screeching party throngs that roam these streets on weekend evenings. Food is reasonably priced, and there's a patio out front that's great for people-watching.
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Jolly Roger Taproom
A secret treasure tucked away off busy Leary, the Jolly Roger Taproom is a tiny, pirate-themed bar with a nautical chart painted onto the floor. Though lately it's gone less scurvy-barnacle and more placid-yachtsman, the beer's still tops - and served in 20-oz pints. The food's not bad either; try a chef's special ( US$4 to US$8 ) or a mess of clams and mussels (around US$9 ). The strong winter ale, Jolly Roger, is highly recommended.
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Jules Maes Saloon
Built in the late 1800s, this traditional saloon now benefits from punk rock and tattoos, a regular schedule of live music, pinball and other vintage games to play, and no need to hide its booze from the authorities (the place operated as a speakeasy during Prohibition).
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King's Hardware
Owned by Linda, of Linda's Tavern , King's Hardware has a hunting-lodge-meets-Old-West-gameroom feel. There's pinball and skeeball toward the back, big wooden booths, and taxidermied jackalopes propped between bottles of liquor behind the bar. The spacious hangout also has a good jukebox and, in case you're feeling shaggy, easy access to Rudy's Barbershop (it's attached).
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Lava Lounge
This tiki-themed dive has games of all kinds and over-the-top art on the walls (can't miss the Mt St Helens mural). High-backed booths encourage all-night lingering.
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Linda's
The back patio here is an excellent place to observe the nocturnal habits of Hipsterus Northwesticus . Linda's is also one of the few joints in town where you can recover from your hangover with an Emergen-C cocktail and a vegetarian brunch while taxidermied moose heads stare at you from the walls.
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Market Theater
The Market Theater hosts improvisational comedy, called Theater Sports, on Friday and Saturday night; call for the schedule.
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Mecca Café
The Mecca has been called - by folks who know - the best bar in Seattle. Half of the long, skinny room is a diner, but all the fun happens on the other side, where decades' worth of scribbles on beer mats line the walls, the jukebox still works the way a jukebox should, the bartenders know the songs on it better than you do and you can get waffles with your beer until or so.
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Murphy's Pub
This charming, many-windowed Irish pub could almost have been airlifted directly from Ireland to Wallingford. There's live Irish music on weekends; the rest of the time the place is filled with dart players and devotees of the perfect pint.
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Neighbours
Referred to on one occasion as a 'big, soulless, cha cha palace,' Neighbours is ostensibly a gay disco but attracts a varied crowd - even newbie suburbanites come in for its weekly '80s night.
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Nine Pound Hammer
This darkened beer hall in Georgetown is generous with the pours and the peanuts, and the mixed crowd of workers, hipsters, punks and bikers vacillates between energetic and rowdy.
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Nitelite Lounge
This little place attached to the Moore Hotel has an outsized charm, thanks mostly to the seen-it-all-and-liked-most-of-it bartendress and the unpretentious regulars. It can get crowded with hipsters on weekends, but most of the time it's a comfy place to hang out, have a cheap drink and shoot some pool. The sign out front is cool but misleading: alas, the Nitelite's no longer open 24 hours.
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Online Coffee Company
Just because there's wi-fi in every corner of every scraggly soup-kitchen bathroom these days doesn't necessarily mean you brought your laptop with you to Capitol Hill. If you need a quiet place to check your email over a latte, this coffee shop in a renovated house is a good bet. Internet use is 14¢ per minute, and students get an hour for free. There's free wi-fi too, of course.
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Panama Hotel Tea & Coffee House
The Panama, a historic 1910 building that contains the only remaining Japanese bathhouse in the US, doubles as a memorial to the neighborhood's Japanese residents forced into internment camps during WWII.
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Pike Pub & Brewery
The hilarious '80s-industrial decor and abundance of nooks and crannies make this market-side brewpub feel like a Chuck E Cheese for grownups. Mammoth burgers, inventive vegetarian specials and Pike's signature beers (try the Kilt Lifter) add function to the fun.
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Prost!
You can order German beer in liters at this tavern, whose name means 'Cheers!' There are free pretzels on the bar and bratwurst on the menu ( US$3 to US$6 ). It's a small, usually crowded place with black-and-white photos, deep red walls, darts in the back, and a sticker behind the bar that says 'My bartender can kick your psychiatrist's ass.'
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Pyramid Ale House
South of Pioneer Square by Safeco Field, this brewpub has the cleaned-up-industrial feel - all bricks and brass and designer lighting - that defines the typical Pacific Northwest brewpub. It's a nice, mainstream, but still appreciably Seattle-ish place to take your parents or tenderfoot visitors. But don't even try on a game day, unless you want to squeeze into the standing-room-only beer tent outdoors.
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R Place
Three floors of frenetic dancing to hip-hop/R&B DJs and plenty of sweaty body contact make this club a guaranteed blast for pretty much everyone who isn't terribly uptight.
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Revolution Bar & Grill
The renamed and redesigned bar inside the Experience Music Project makes for a good excuse to check out the EMP building without forking out the cash for a ticket, if you're feeling cheapish. There's good music playing, a good happy hour ( to daily), and fifty beers on tap!
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Sapphire Kitchen & Bar
A groovy spot for nightlife in Upper Queen Anne, the Sapphire has a well-stocked bar and serves Spanish-influenced Mediterranean fare in a chic dining room with sapphire, red and purple walls. The black-painted facade and the neon sign outside might not fit with Queen Anne's style, but don't let it turn you off.
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Shea's Lounge
Good for a romantic drink, this intimate lounge beside Chez Shea restaurant has views over Pike Place Market and Puget Sound; there are only a few tables, so you'll want to arrive early.
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Shorty's
An unpretentious oasis in a block of très-chic lounges, Shorty's has cheap beer and hot dogs, alcohol slushies and a back room that's pure pinball heaven.
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Six Arms Pub & Brewery
Part of the Portland-based McMenamins chain, this charming old tavern is resplendent with high ceilings, cool antique lighting fixtures, friendly staff and funky art, like the crazy twisted-pipe sculpture over the bar. There's a good selection of sandwiches and burgers and a few specials, such as pasta or halibut-and-chips. And, of course, there's a selection of the McMenamins' microbrewed beer.
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Smartypants
This giant industrial hangout for scooterists and sportbike riders has vintage motorcycles propped up in the windows, a hearty sandwich menu and an obvious fondness for two-wheeled mischief of all types. Ask owner Tim Ptak about ice racing! Wednesdays are Bike Nights, when fans watch the week's recorded MotoGP, SuperMoto and superbike races. The kitchen is open until midnight Monday to Saturday. There's a covered patio outdoors for smokers.
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Solstice
This coffee shop has a nice wooden outdoor patio on the Ave and a comfy organic vibe - lots of vegan and bran-heavy snacks, and so laid-back you have to wonder if anyone here is actually drinking the coffee. The interior is well-worn dark wood and much bigger than it looks from outside. There's also panini, salads, beer and wine.
