#2178 - Pe Ell Pub, Pe Ell, WA - 5/19/2013

"Welcome to Pe Ell," I am greeted with as I enter the Pe Ell Pub, "You won't like it and you'll never come back."

Actually, the very first words this woman greeted me with as I stepped in the door were "We're closed." It turned out this was a joke, and I can't remember the woman's name, partly because I just started calling her "Chamber of Commerce Lady" after her first few snarky comments about the town.

Actually I *do* like Pe Ell. I like the smell of log fires wafting through the air as you arrive, I like the tiny town, and I like this little bar with the sign that says simply "The Pub." Chamber of Commerce Lady tells me that the building used to be the morgue and that underneath there are tunnels used during prohibition, but I've heard local lore about tunnels in so many bars around the state and with so little remaining evidence, I take this part with a grain of salt. I would really like to know how old the Pe Ell Pub is, as it has clearly been around for some time. (A 1934 city guide lists only "Pastime Billiards," with no address, under bars in Pe Ell.) I'd also like to know how Pe Ell got its name -- and so would the town, apparently, as there are competing theories.

Today the pub is a classic, small town dive, with Taco Tuesdays, Bingo Nights, Ladies Nights, Man Nights, karaoke, and a lively little crowd rooting for the Seahawks like pretty much every bar across the state. Actually, I think I'll come back sometime.

205 N Main St, Pe Ell, Washington 98572 - (360) 291-2707
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