#764 - Joe's Bar and Grill, Seattle (ID) - 1/29/2009

For hard-scrabble, roily bars in Seattle it's hard to beat south Pioneer Square and the International District, and perhaps the hard-scrabbliest, roiliest one of them all is Joe's Bar and Grill (Happy Hour 7am to noon). You will not find this place filled with hipsters.  If your idea of a great dive bar is one filled with grizzled regulars, working men and non-working menm who've led hard lives, this is probably the best dive in Seattle.

Joe's Bar and Grill, Seattle, WA

Historical notes: There have been bars located at this address since at least 1898, and by 1915 it was the Nebraska Music Hall. The first bar I've found located in the current building, constructed in 1926, is one owned by Mrs. Ko Nishiyama in 1939.  By 1948 it was the Combination Tavern, and in the 50s and 60s it was the Red Front Tavern (which later moved one block north to Jackson). It is also listed as Johnson Corner Tavern in the 60s, and eventually (?) Joe's Bar and Grill.  (This space may have been split for a while, as the corner location is listed under 500 1/2 in earlier years.)

500 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 223-9266
Previous bars at this location: The Combination Tavern, Johnson Corner Tavern, Red Front Tavern
thestranger - yelp - tripadvisor