#658 - The Jones, Seattle (Maple Leaf) - 6/5/2008

Good drinks, very good food

8824 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 - (206) 527-5480
thejonesbistro.com

#657 - Maximiliens in the Market, Seattle - 6/5/2008

81 Pike St #A Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 682-7270

#656 - The Local Vine, Seattle (Belltown) - 5/30/2008

web site

Update: This location closed in 2010

2520 2nd Avenue Seattle, WA 98121-1427 - (206) 441-6000

#655 - Zoe, Seattle (Belltown) - 5/30/2008

This location closed July 23rd, 2011

2137 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 256-2060
web site

#654 - Six Seven, Seattle (Edgewater Hotel) - 5/30/2008

2411 Alaskan Way Seattle, WA 98121-1313 - (206) 728-7000
Previous bars at this location: Spat's Nightclub

#653 - The Blarney Stone, Seattle (Belltown) - 5/29/2008

Another surprise - a big neighborhood bar with a typical cross-section of blue collar patrons (complete with entertaining drunks), smack between dives like Kelley's and the upscale Belltown scene.

1909 3rd Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 448-8439
Est. 2006 - Closed July 27, 2013
Web site: blarneystoneseattle.com
Previous bars in this location: None known

#652 - Zeitoon, Seattle (Belltown) - 5/29/2008

Small, unimaginative beer selection, no interesting cocktails, a better wine selection and really good food; Andrea the bartender told me that Jean Enerson is a kleptomaniac whose illness and lawyer brother keeps her out of trouble, and that she (Andrea) could get away with murder because she has migraines. I didn't challenge her story because she's cute and also because she can get away with murder.

2510 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 838-6011
Est. 2007 - Closed 2011
Previous bars in this location:  None known
zeitooncafe.com

#651 - The Ould Triangle, Seattle - 5/24/2008

Update: In mid 2018 the Ould Triangle Facebook page anounced that they are losing their lease as of June 30, 2019: "We have a year left on our lease...(June 30th, 2019) come enjoy every last day in our amazing space that we have been in for 15 years....Pool table, dart boards ... characters ... we have it all!  Come join in the fun!!" The bar lasted a bit longer than that, but finally closed in December 2019.

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I've actually been here several times before, but never managed to doc for K-Bar. A pleasant enough place, from the same folks who run Molly Maguires.  Darts nights, poker nights, trivia nights.

The bar also has a regular calendar of live music, including briefly hosting one of my favorite events with Underwood Stables and Billy Joe Huels.

The Ould Triangle, Seattle, WA

Historical notes:  There's been a bar here since shortly after prohibition -- city guides list a bar owned by Ivan McKinnon in 1934, later listed as "Mack's Tavern" under his ownership. Mack's remained until the mid 60s, where it very briefly became Mae's Tavern and then by 1969 was the "Score Card Tavern." In the mid 70s it became the "Mustang Tavern" briefly and by 1979 and into the early 80s was known as "O-Zone." The mid 80s brought the "M-G Tavern," followed by "Headquarters Tavern" late in that decade, then "Cardiff Arms Ale House" in the 90s, "The Globe," and then the "Ould Triangle" sometime in 2000 or 2001.

9736 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103-3054 - (206) 706-7798
Est. 2001? - Closed Dec 2019 - Building constructed: 1932
Previous bars at this location: Mack's Tavern, Mae's Tavern, Score Card Tavern, Mustang Tavern, O-Zone, M-G Tavern, Headquarters Tavern, Cardiff Arms Ale House, Ould Triangle, Ivan McKinnon, Globe Ale House
seattleirishpubs.com - facebook

#650 - Tigertail, Seattle - 5/24/2008

Update:  Tigertail was closed by the Washington State Dept. of Revenue in Sep. 2009.

The swanky, Asian decor would seem to make this a fine addition to the swell little bar area on 65th around the Tin Hat, Molly Maguires, etc. I have no clue why it was dead on the Saturday night I went.

704 NW 65th St, Seattle, WA 98117 - (206) 781-8245
Est. Nov 2007 - Closed Sep 2009 - Building constructed: 1938
Previous bars at this location: None known (subsequently The Blue Glass)
tigertailbar.com - phinneywood (closure) - seattletimes - thestranger

#649 - The Dray, Seattle - 5/24/2008

A tiny, pleasant source of beer, a few choices of wine, and expresso

708 Northwest 65th Street Seattle, WA 98117 - (206) 453-4527
Est. April 11, 2008 - Building constructed: 1938
thedray.com - facebook

#648 - Chez Shea, Seattle - 2/16/2008

Update: Closed April 29, 2012

94 Pike St, Ste 34, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 467-9990
Est. 1984 - Closed April 29, 2012
chezshea.com - seattletimes 

#647 - Calamity Janes, Seattle - 5/24/2008

5701 Airport Way South Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 763-3040
Est. April, 2007 - Closed April 15, 2014 - Building constructed: 1909
CalamityJanes.biz

#646 - The Hideout, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 5/18/2008

"Art is social ..."

Try: The Lark.

A most excellent Seattle bar discovery, The Hideout immediately leaps into my Top 5 of Seattle area bars. As always, the vibe is the most important aspect, but this bar manages to be swanky and romantic without emulating either the cookie cutter upscale wine bar theme or the faux blue collar hipster theme. It's a bonus that the bar features adventurous and excellent cocktails, comfortable company, a regular publication of the doodles and poems of customers, and the ever-present chance that he customer next to you may be a part of a performance artwork, or that you might catch a glimpse of the strange monkey creature spotted only in brief, mysterious moments in the upper regions of the room.

1005 Boren Ave., Seattle, WA 98104-1325 - (206) 903-8480
Est. 2005 - Building constructed: 1930
hideoutseattle.com - seattle weekly - yelp - the stranger

#645 - Chac Lounge, Seattle - 5/18/2008

1621 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 322-3569
Est. 2007 - Closed 2008 - Building constructed: 1917
Capitol Hill Arts Center Lounge

#644 - Sixth Ave. Bar & Grill, Seattle - 5/14/2008

2000 6th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 403-5067
web site

#643 - 1st Hill Bar & Grill, Seattle - 5/14/2008

Update: The 1st Hill Bar and Grill closed April 27, 2013
901 Madison Street, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 623-6333
Est. 1979 as Grecian Corner
Previous bars at this location: Grecian Corner Restaurant

#642 - Quarter Lounge, Seattle - 5/14/2008

A pleasant surprise near downtown Seattle (sorely lacking in good bars) -- the best bar that side of the 5-point.

909 Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112 - 206-332-0772
Est. 2003 - Building constructed: 1908
Previous bars at this location: Adobo Taco Lounge, Terry Tavern
quarterlounge.com - facebook - seattle weekly 

#641 - Vitos, Seattle - 5/14/2008

The Moonspinners perform at Vito's Seattle
New Years Eve 2013

It doesn't seem to make much sense for me to recapitulate the various articles already written about Seattle icon Vito's. So I will instead recommend reading articles like those from   historylink.org and postalley, with a small number of pull quotes. E.g. the HistoryLink article includes:

'Vito's was a beloved Seattle restaurant for more than four decades, from its opening in 1953 until owner Vito Santoro's declining health forced him to sell the business in 1994. Situated close to First Hill hospitals, low-income apartment houses, and Seattle University, and several blocks up Madison Street from City Hall, Vito's was a smoky, convivial clubhouse where politicians and lawyers rubbed elbows with cabbies, bookies, and priests, and where regulars hob-nobbed over platters of Italian food, jugs of wine, and stiff drinks.... Although Vito's went into steep decline after Santoro sold out, the restaurant was reborn in 2010 under new owners Greg Lundgren and Jeff Scott, who remodeled Vito's with a nod to its colorful past.'

Jimmy Santoro, Vito's, Seattle, WA - 1960s
(Photo via HistoryLink.org)

And:

"Rumors abound of hanky-panky in the dark recesses of Vito's. Reputed gangsters and other unsavories frequented the place, as did bookies and gamblers. It was easy to make a wager if one were so inclined, that much is known. When high-stakes Liar's Poker became popular, small fortunes were won and lost in the Vagabond Room. When The Untouchables became a television hit in 1960, the restaurant ran a pool each week on how many people would be killed in each episode. The bettor with the right number of corpses got the money."

The modern version of Vito's was a great combination of old school and modern. But as Wikipedia notes:

"In 2021, Vito's suffered a catastrophic fire that caused it to close temporarily. On January 1, 2024, a second fire occurred in the building while Vito's was still in the process of resolving insurance claim issues. The building is slated for demolition, and Vito's has closed permanently."

Jimmy and Vito Santoro, c.1965
(Photo via HistoryLink.org)

Vito's, Seattle, WA - Sep 26, 2014

927 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 397-4053

Est. May 8, 1953 - Building constructed: 1902 - Closed June 12, 2023

Previous bars in this location: Wood's Cafe (Vagabond Room) 
Web site: vitosseattle.com - instagram 
Reviews: historylink - postalley - seattlemet - wikipedia 

#640 - 700 Club, Seattle - 12/23/1999 (out of order)

700 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98121 - 206-343-7518
(Inside Jersy's All American Sports Bar)
Est. June 1998 - Closed: 2000
Previous bars at this location: None known
Subsequent bars: Skybox Lounge

#639 - Ravenna Alehouse, Seattle - 5/11/2008

Update: The Ravenna Alehouse was sold and its name officially changed to Flying Boots Ravenna on July 15, 2017.

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Historical notes:  There has been a bar in this building (built 1930) since at least 1939, when it was owned by Mrs. Elizabeth Bisson.  By the early 40s it was the "Friendly Tavern," which it remained through the 60s.  It was renamed the Ravenna Tavern (later Alehouse) at some point in in 1970 or 1971.
2258 Northeast 65th Street, Seattle, WA 98115-7073 - (206) 729-9083
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