#2243 - Bake's Place, Bellevue, WA - 7/25/2013

Downtown Bellevue seems like an odd place for a jazz club, and Bake's is in an odd part of downtown Bellevue.  It's away from any considerable foot traffic and away from the malls, but still in the business core at the foot of a pedestrian 8-floor office building. It's not the sort of space that attracts people who don't know where they are going, but that doesn't appear to be a major problem for Craig Baker, who's been pulling fairly large crowds in for music performances in various other unlikely venues, including his basement and the Washougal, WA Grange Hall.

It's pretty sedate when the music is not playing, but that may not be a problem as virtually every evening it morphs into a swanky, relaxed yet formal jazz club, or sometimes blues, R&B or Latin music. It quite intentionally has a vibe similar to Seattle's Jazz Alley, with a crowd and space that emphasize listening to the musicians rather than a steady road of chit chat. The food and cocktails are better than average, and after much negotiation they've become able to use the patio of the building, which is one of the nicer lunch spots in the area on sunny afternoons.

155 108th Ave NE #110, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 454-2776
Est. May 11, 2012 - Building constructed 1986
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: bakesplacebellevue.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - seattletimes - thebellevuescene - yelp