#1150 - Hell's Kitchen, Tacoma, WA - 6/20/2010

Hell's Kitchen closed in late June 2012 (people involved later opened The Lochs in this space).

 
928 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402-4402 - (253) 759-6003
Est. ? (approx. 2002) - Closed 2012
hellskitchenonline.com - myspace - yelp 

#1149 - The Swiss, Tacoma, WA - 6/20/2010

Update: The Swiss announced their permanent closure on Sep 12, 2020.

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The Swiss is a great example of urban renewal via giving new life to great old abused spaces .  The large rooms were first The Swiss Club in 1913, "a meeting place for Swiss immigrants to conduct business, hold dances, throw back a few, and just enjoy the company and fellowship of others." 

It was subsequently "improved" and then abandoned, until the current owners, three friends who worked at Engine No 9, reclaimed it from the drug dealers, rescued much of its original character, and reopened in 1993. 

They sanded the Kelly green paint off the original South African mahogany bar, removed the acoustic tiles hiding the pressed tin ceiling, chased away drug dealers and added art and good beer.  They added a stage and music schedule (and at one time plays). 

It's a great victory for people who love old bars.

1904 S. Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, WA, 98402 - (253) 572-2821
theswisspub.com - history - myspace - yelp

#1148 - Acme Grub Cage Tavern, Tacoma, WA - 6/20/2010

Update: The Acme Grub Cage closed Aug 5, 2017.

How can you resist a place called the Acme Grub Cage?  This is a fairly typical, medium-sized, neighborhood dive, with beer company decor mixed with Halloween decorations.  They have some interesting beers, a stage area for live bands, Twister, and a stripper pole.  Rob the bartender told me the Grub Cage has been around since 1932 (this would, of course, been during Prohibition), and that it moved to its current location sometime in the 40s or 50s.  New owner Steve Campagna apparently cleaned the place up considerably a few years ago.

1310 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402 - (253) 272-1892
Previous bars at this location: None known
Subsequent bars at this location: The Camp Bar
facebook - northwest military - yelp

#1147 #S693 - Habana SoDo, Seattle - 6/19/2010

I am not a big fan of salsa, but I am a big fan of hot women in tight clothing.  What first appears to be a smallish, glass enclosed space opens into a large warehouse space in back where the dancing action takes place.  As for the bar, well you don't go there for the cocktails.

2942 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 - (206) 829-9956
facebook - yelp

#1146 #S692 - Club Kolbeh, Seattle - 6/19/2010

Update: Club Kolbeh is now closed.

The bar at Kolbeh, AKA Astoria, is pretty standard -- that is, the liquor bar, not the hookah bar around the corner, I wouldn't begin to know how to judge the latter.

The service has received quite a few bad reviews, and was not very attentive when I went, though not terrible.  The Persian food I had was quite good, and I would have liked to have been able to stay longer to check out the music.

1956 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 - (206) 224-9999
the stranger - yelp - citysearch 

#1145 #S691 - Targy's Tavern, Seattle - 6/18/2010

I had never even seen Targy's before this date and had a picture in my head of a boring bar somewhere in lower Queen Anne. What I found was a very fine neighborhood dive, nearly hidden in a residential area of Upper Queen Anne since shortly after prohibition.

The one-armed bartender informed me that it was I had never even seen Targy's before this date and had a picture in my head of a boring bar somewhere in lower Queen Anne.  What I found was a very fine neighborhood dive, nearly hidden in a residential area of Upper Queen Anne since shortly after prohibition.  originally across the street.  The decor is a likable dive sort, with varying vestiges of decades past like the blue sofa across from the black and red vinyl booths in front of 70s orange and mirror patterned wallpaper.


600 W Crockett St, Seattle, WA 98119 - (206) 352-8882
myspace -  the stranger - yelp

#1144 #S690 - Buckley's (Queen Anne), Seattle - 6/18/2010

I'm not a fan of sports bars generally, and the ones I do like tend to be old ones, where the memorabilia has the appearance of accruing over years with a personal touch, rather than a single trip to the mall.  Nevertheless, I like this Buckley's.  The crowd is likable, the service is friendly, and the decor is lots of dark wood and books.  Even if the books are of the buy-by-the-yard variety, they give the place an older, more comfortable feel.

232 1st Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119 - (206) 691-0232-
buckleysseattle.com - facebook - seattle pi - the stranger - yelp

#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