#1143 #S689 - The Signature, Seattle - 6/18/2010

Update: The Signature closed in mid-April 2012.  It was replaced by Red Papaya Ale and Spirits.

A very nice Vietnamese restaurant, which in the evenings turns into one of the most gawdawful karaoke bars imaginable.

530 1st Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 283-6614
thesignaturerestaurant.com - seattle weekly - the stranger - yelp

#1142 #S688 - Grand Jumbo Chinese Cocktail Lounge, Seattle - 6/17/2010

The Grand Jumbo Chinese Restaurant is not prone to understatement, and above the door to the lounge there are large letters spelling out "BOSS," which makes me wonder if it is actually the Grand Jumbo Boss Lounge?

I didn't have the opportunity to eat there, and at 10-ish on a Thursday evening the large space hosted only one large table of patrons taking turns singing Vietnamese karaoke, and three or four more sitting at the bar.  The lounge is partitioned off in the manner of hotel meeting rooms, and my googling indicated that it sometimes hosts raves.  The gals working the bar were apologetic that their regular bartender was not there to prepare cocktails, but they were very solicitous in gathering the ingredients for a gin and tonic.


As the web site notes (to the tune of a lilting piano), "In 2009 the GJR proudly welcomed Danny to the management team.  Danny is kind, accessible, and very always entertaining."  The complete text of the "Bar" page is currently "Bar Menu:  Bar."  I didn't meet Danny, so I can't personally confirm that he is very always entertaining, but the people working the bar were very pleasant and attentive.

grandjumbochineserestaurant.com - seattle weekly - seattle times - the stranger - urban spoon - ravelinks - yelp
4208 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 - (206) 760-9200

#1141 #S687 - Columbia City Ale House, Seattle - 6/17/2010

From the folks who pretty much invented the grastropub in Seattle, The Columbia Ale House is the sister to the Hilltop and 74th Street.  That means they have very good food, excellent rotating specials and soups, and a very good selection of craft beers in a British pub sort of setting.

4914 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 - (206) 723-5123
seattlealehouses.com - facebook - seattle times - the stranger - yelp

#1140 #S686 - Angie's Tavern, Seattle - 6/17/2010

Angie's is a classic neighborhood dive housed in a structure built in 1905 that has been home to a bar since shortly after prohibition, which is apparently closing after Saturday June 20 2010, as the state refuses to renew their liquor license.

The structure was originally a barber shop and pool room -- there were no saloons in the town at the time, as Columbia City was a "dry" town until it was annexed by Seattle in 1907.  It begins being listed under bars again in 1958 as Columbia Billards, then The Pink Poodle starting in 1960, and subsequently hosted bars named Alex's Tavern, Bo Jo's, Al Joe's Tavern, and Bert-N-Anne's Tavern. It was renamed Angie's Tavern in 1985.

For many, Angie's happily preserved a bit of the old Columbia City, as the other side of the street became increasingly gentrified.  (The racial difference of patrons of the respective sides of Rainier Ave was fairly remarkable at the time).  I went on what seemed like the perfect night, catching the last half of game seven of the NBA championship.  The crowd seemed pretty evenly split between Celtics and Lakers fans, and I can't imagine that Staples Center was any louder than Angie's on that night.  ("Get your ass up off the ground!"  "Here they come!  Here they come!"  "It's irrelevant!  It's irrelevant!")

Angie's made Mike Seeley's list of Seattle's 10 Most Intimidating Dive Bars, and the state liquor board is refusing to renew the tavern's liquor license due to the number of problems with drugs, fights, and gunfire.  I don't know how much the existence of Angie's contributed to those problems, but it's a shame to see this place go. After the 2010 closure, the building was razed in August 2013.

4915 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 - (206) 722-7771
Est. 1985 - Closed 2010 - Building constructed 1905
Previous bars at this location: Pink Poodle, Alex's Tavern, Bo Jo's, Al Joe's Tavern, Bert-N-Anne's Tavern
seattle pi - uw digital collection - rainier valley post - the stranger - seattlecrime.com - yelp

#1136 #S683 - Laadla Lounge, Seattle - 6/14/2010

Now this is a swell dive bar.  It's super dark, even in the daytime, with cheap, strong drinks and decor that looks like it was obtained via some cousin in the Mafia.

Oh, and as the photograph shows, the men's room wallpaper is fabulous.

234 Fairview Ave N, seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 223-1980
Previous bars in this location: The Nine Tavern, Fairview Bar and Grill
laadlarestaurant.com - the stranger - seattle weekly - yelp

#1135 #S682 - Paddy Coyne's (SLU), Seattle - 6/14/2010

Update: The South Lake Union Paddy Coyne's changed its name to O’Máille’s Irish Pub in late 2015 and then closed in early 2016.

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One of the more likable Irish bars in the Seattle area.  It's moderately sized, but with enough corners and crannies to feel fairly intimate.  The "Irish Club" plaques include people like "Big Will" and "Tizzy Tom."

Unfortunately, they serve authentic Irish food, but there's enough liquor and good beer to get you through even that.

1190 Thomas St, Seattle, WA 98109-5331 - (206) 405-1548
paddycoynes.net - seattle times - seattle pi - seattle weekly - the stranger - yelp

#1139 #S685 - Talarico's, Seattle - 6/16/2010

  
4718 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 937-3463               
Est. 2006? - Building constructed: 1950
Previous bars in this location: New Luck Toy (1950-2005)
talaricoswest.com - myspace - seattle times - the stranger - urbanspoon - yelp

#1138 #S684 - Maharaja, Seattle - 6/16/2010

4542 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 935-9443              
Est. 1989 - Building constructed: 1929
Previous bars in this location: Vann's Restaurant / The Discover Room (1934-1985)
maharajacuisineofindia.com - urbanspoon - yelp

#1137 - Jerzy's Wine Bar, Redmond, WA - 6/16/2010

I'm not a big fan of wine bars, given that they tend to be pretty formulaic, and that you can buy a really good bottle of wine at any QFC. But Jerzy's Wine Bar and Bistro is a happy exception.

It seems to rise up like some red farmhouse accidentally dropped in the middle of an intersection, with signage that looks more like a suburban burger joint than a wine bar and European bistro.  Outside is a nice sort of tiki hut area that must be really pleasant in years when the Seattle area actually has some Spring weather.

There are, of course, lots of intriguing wines to choose from and the varied menu made it really challenging to narrow down my choice (I eventually ended up with a very tasty Croque Monsieur, with ham, Gruyere cheeses, and Bechamel sauce, and a Caprese salad). I don't make it down to these parts very often, but if I did, I think this would be a regular stop.

16727 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA 98052 - (425) 861-5407
jerzyswinebar.com - urbanspoon - yelp

#1134 #S681 - Southlake Grill, Seattle - 6/14/2010

There's nothing really outstanding about the Southlake grill family of neighborhood places, and they're not a place I'd recommend if you want a bar.  But they do have fairly good food, and while I probably won't see this one again, I like having the Greenlake version available near my house, and will hit the Eastlake version now and then for the view.  The residents of the condos this one is built into may feel the same way, and it has a pleasant patio for nice days, but the "Southlake" name is strictly for the neighborhood -- there's no hint of the actual lake from here.

1253 Thomas St, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 621-1090
neighborhoodgrills.com (warning: music) - seattle times - the stranger - yelp

#1133 #S680 - Chandler's Crabhouse, Seattle - 6/14/2010

The craft cocktail trend does not appear to have reached as far as Chandler's Cove -- it's all flavored vodkas and berry syrups.  But one can't underestimate the value of a seat on Lake Union on a sunny day either.

901 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 223-2722
schwartzbros.com - seattle times - seattle pi - the stranger - yelp

#1132 #S679 - Mix, Seattle - 6/13/2010

Update: The Mix closed on Oct 31, 2015.

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The bar here is fairly minimal, with some fine beer choices, but it's the nifty, funky club and music that are the focus.  It has a nice garage-y feel, and co-owner David was very cool and showed me around their Khaos Records studio next door, where the main mixing area, elevated and surrounded with monitors, looks like the heardquarters of some supervillain about to take over the world.


6004 12th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 767-0280
myspace - seattle weekly - the stranger - citysearch

#1131 #S678 - Ravish, Seattle - 6/12/2010

Update: Ravish closed in March 2015.

I'm not too fond of the setting for this place -- it's one of those retail spaces on the ground floor of new condo buildings -- but everything else is pretty super.  Their Prickly Pear (Pear Absolut, Hot Monkey jalapeno vodka, Saint Germain, lime, cucumber, sweet & sour, and a dash of tabasco) is particularly delicious.

The food was very good as well.  (I had a Grapple salad, curry flank steak satay, and flatbread with goat cheese, grapes, and carmelized onion.)  This place is less than a year old and doesn't seem to have been much discovered yet, but I'll definitely be coming back.


2956 Eastlake Ave E., Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 913-2497
Est. 2009 - Closed Mar 19, 2015 - Building constructed 2008
ravishoneastlake.com - facebook - the stranger - urbanspoon - yelp

#1130 #S677 - All Nations Soccer Bar, Seattle - 6/12/2010

Update: All Nations Sports Bar is closed.

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I just dropped in for a quick gin & tonic and the last part of the US/England World Cup match.  But I will have to return, as they have an impressive looking set of infusions and what looks like a tasty Cuba Libre. This bar comes from Sam Hassan, who first introduced rodizio dining to Seattle at Rio and also founded Sambar and Ipanema.

930 N 130th St, Seattle, WA 98133 - (206) 365-5165
allnationssoccerbar.com - facebook - seattle times - the stranger - yelp

#1129 -The Hob Nob, Tacoma, WA - 6/9/2010

A nice little dive and greasy spoon, with a reputation for Bloody Marys and hangover food.  It's hard not to like a bar with an alley entrance.

716 South 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98405-4603 - (253) 272-3200
facebook - myspace -  yelp

#1128 #S676 - Cafe Metropolitain, Seattle - 6/9/2010

Wow, this was a surprise.  I expected a small cafe up until the point I walked through the doorway and found a large space that tries to recreate the streets of Paris.

The food and drinks are not very interesting, but the decor certainly is.

1701 E Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 324-0771
cafemetropolitain.com - myspace - the stranger - yelp

#1127 #S675 - Cafe Amore, Seattle - 6/5/2010

To be frank, I just went to this place for a quick addition to my list and not with any high expectations of the bar.  But this turned into a great visit.  Their "Cucumber Mist" (infused cucumber vodka, lime, black pepper, splashed sugar) not only further entrenched my belief that there's never a bad cocktail with cucumber, but it was just about the perfect refreshing cocktail for the first sustained sunny weather in a long, long time.

Maybe this was due partially to that oh so rare sun, but the staff were all super friendly (including chef/owner Sean Langan).  And it was especially pleasant to chat with Ernie the bartender, who had me try various things including some ideas they're working on for "wine bombs."  You might think that sounds wretched, but the don't actually drop liquors into the wines, they just give you an interesting combination of a glass of wine and shot of liquor.  It's actually pretty nice.

I passed on the (Italian) food, as I was about to go to a happy hour at the house of a friend known for her large spreads, but I did take a look at the menu and definitely plan to be back for dinner soon (and another cocktail or two).  I also subsequently found online that they served 500 homeless people to Thanksgiving dinner.

2301 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 770-0606
tasteofamore.com - myspace - seattle times - yelp - the stranger  

#1126 #S674 - Night Kitchen, Seattle - 6/4/2010

Update:  The Night Kitchen closed in August 2011

I like this place.  In addition to being one of precious few downtown bars with character and having The Pogues playing when I first arrived, they serve slightly upscale comfort food until 6am and feature some tasty cocktails.

Missy, the bartender during my visit recommended the Pangalactic Gargle Blaster -- which sounds like a terrible drink but is actually quite good (St. Germain, muddled mint and red pepper, Hendricks gin, orange bitters, and possibly something else I forgot).

216 Stewart St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 448-8810
nightkitchenseattle.com - seattlest - the stranger -  yelp

#1125 #S673 - Kristos, Seattle - 6/2/2010

Update: Changed name to Ship Canal Grill in 2011

Kristo's is a pretty swanky place hidden under the I5 bridge around the corner from the old Eastlake Red Robin. The bar is pretty standard, and the menu is a mix of Greek and American standbys.  I had one of the "gourmet pizzas," and while I'm not sure what was gourmet about it (Serious Pie would seem to fit that description a bit better), it was quite tasty.

The staff were friendly, as was Kristo himself, who has a long history in local bars and resautrants including Suni's (Greek in Shoreline), the Back Door in Lake City, and the old "Appointment" downtown.  It's a nice place that the neighbors in the area are fortunate to have nearby.  They have an upstairs area for private parties and events and will sometimes host music, fashion shows, etc.

As I went on a lazy, sunny afternoon, I now must check it out on a weekend evening, when the place has the buzz of a few more patrons and the romantic interior is no doubt at its best.

3218 Eastlake Ave, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 588-8885
kristoseastlake.com - the stranger - seattletimes - yelp

#1124 #S672 - The Ram, Seattle - 5/31/2010

The Ram is a large, heartless sports bar, pretty much devoid of any character or charm, located in a congested shopping mall, and catering to people who are still learning to drink (it's about 80% UW students). This makes it not much of an attraction for me, but I did amuse myself by engaging in various wagers with my neighbor at the bar on the two snockered guys on the other side. But such wagers aside, if for some reason you want to drink with students at a UW sports bar, and you don't belong to a fraternity, I'd recommend heading a little bit further north to the Duchess.

2650 University Village, Seattle, WA 98105 - 206-525-3565
theram.com - the stranger - urban drinks - yelp