#1680 - Tiki Joe's Wet Bar, Kirkland, WA - 2/15/2012

"Are you going to start your own tiki bar?" the bartender asked me, and I walked around taking photos.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that I have more tiki stuff in my basement.  Tiki Joe's is a small dive that serves strong drinks to a crowd in their lower 20s and wearing popped collar polo shirts.

106 Kirkland Avenue Kirkland, WA 98033 - (425) 827-8300
Est. 2004
Previous bars in this location: Smokie Jo's
tikisbarandgrill.com - facebook - critiki - yelp

#1679 - BeachHouse Bar and Grill, Kirkland, WA - 2/15/2012

6023 Lake Washington Boulevard Northeast, Kirkland, WA 98033 - (425) 968-5587
beachhousekirkland.com

#1678 - Suite Lounge, Bellevue, WA - 2/9/2012

 This is a pleasant place if you enjoy hotel bars, and I do.  It's got the typical benefits of hotel bars, such as the rolling cast of characters, many more interested in chatting than the locals are.  And it has a few unusual touches as well -- they have aerialists performing on weekends.  I had a pleasant bar chat and some good cocktails here from Joe, whom I met at Pop Kitchen in the EMP.

10500 NE 8th St, Ste 125, Bellevue, WA 98004 (Hyatt Regency Wintergarden) - (425) 679-6951
Est. Sep 22, 2011

suitebellevue.com - opening night photos - yelp

#1677 - Big Fish Grill, Kirkland, WA - 2/8/2012

10426 Northup Way Kirkland, WA 98033 - (425) 827-2722

#1676 #S999 - Lecosho, Seattle - 2/7/2012

Update: Lecosho closed at the end of 2020

Lecosho is Chinook for "pig," and Lecosho the restaurant was created by Matt Janke of Matt's in the Market, so you know there's going to be some tasty eating.  In the former location of Koji Osakaya on the Harbor Steps, Lecosho serves some quality cocktails at the bar and upscale preparations of a varied cuisine.  My scallops were excellent.


The Harbor Steps, 89 University St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 623-2101

Est. Sep 21, 2010 - Closed Dec 31, 2020 - Building constructed: 1994
Previous bars in this location: None known
lecosho.com - seattlemet - seattleweekly - seattletimes - thestranger - seattlemag - seattlest - yelp

#1675 #S998 - Amber Den, Seattle - 2/6/2012

Update: Amber Den was closed on June 16, 2012, and retooled into Nick's Off Market.

This place serves a small but pretty good selection of local wines and beers, with various tasty small plates.  It's too bad that it's located in a condo building, and feels like a hotel lobby fern bar.

1556 Northwest 56th Street Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 783-0131
Est. Feb, 2012 - Closed Jun 16, 2012 - Building constructed: 2000
Previous bars in this location: None
amberdenseattle.com - facebook - thestranger - ballardnewstribune - myballard - eater - yelp

#1674 #S997 - The Kraken, Seattle - 2/4/2012

Update: The Kraken closed March 4, 2023, after the new developers that purchased the building did not want them occupying it.

The Kraken is a moderate re-make of the Galway Arms, with some of the employees having become owners.  Part of the redecorating included modifying the stenciled ships on the wall to now include the squid arms of kraken wrapping around the vessels.  It's a fun, small place with character and characters, fairly good beers choices and food, and punk-ish live bands.

5257 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105 - 206 522-5334
Est. Jan 1, 2012 - Building constructed: 1919
Previous bars in this location: Galway Arms
facebook - seattlebands - thestranger - yelp

#1673 #S996 - Mioposto (Cece Pocket Bar), Seattle - 2/4/2012

Mioposto is a friendly neighborhood cafe in a nice 80-yo brick building in the Mt. Baker neighborhood from the Seattle Eats portion of the Chow Foods breakup.  It is family-friendly, so if you'd rather have a peaceful drink and/or meal without noisy children, I'd recommend going in the later evening hours (not too late, though, they close at 11:00).  That said, it is well worth the wait.

 They remodeled in late 2011 and reopened with a small cocktail bar, which they call "Cece" (Italian for chickpea, inspired by the small size).  The drinks are good and the food, from the appetizers to the wood-fired pizzas to the desserts, was all quite tasty.  In addition, we had super friendly from everyone we interacted with (which was, I think pretty much all the staff working that night from, including the cook), including when we did things like deciding to change where we were sitting.

3601 South McClellan Street, Seattle, WA 98144 - (206) 760-3400
Bar Est. Dec. 2011 - Building constructed: 1930
Previous bars in this location: None known
miopostopizza.com - seattle-eats - seattlemet - seattletimes - seattleweekly - gayot - seattlemag - urbanspoon - yelp

#1672 #S995 - The Wurst Place, Seattle - 2/3/2012

The Wurst Place has a sort of warehouse type of feel, like some brewpubs, with high ceilings, lots of wood, and fairly goofy artwork on the walls. And like a brewpub, it has a large selection of interesting beers on tap, with the emphasis on Belgian. But unlike a brewpub, it has a large selection of unusual sausages -- including rattlesnake and smoked elk with jalapeno.

I attended on opening night, and there definitely some bugs to be worked out.

 These seemed to stymie them a bit more than necessary, e.g. it seemed to take an inordinately long time for them to figure out that they could forgo the non-working iPad-based credit card processing and at least take orders from people with cash. But the servers were all helpful and enthusiastic, which gives me faith in the service long term. The range of beers and sausages definitely makes this worth a visit.

510 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 223-5528
Est. Feb 3, 2012 - Building constructed: 1919
Previous bars in this location: None known
thewurstplace.com - facebook - eater - beeradvocate - yelp - dailycandy 

#1671 #S994 - Super Deli Mart, Seattle - 2/1/2012

 "Super Deli Mart" may not sound like much of a bar, and it is simply a small section of convenience store, but like Chuck's 85th St., it is a mecca for beer lovers. It was one of very few Seattle locations to have poured Pliny the Younger, it has a huge selection of bottles and a few high quality taps, and at least when we went, it had a entertaining and engaging set of characters squeezed into the wooden table and counter.  It draws hundreds for some of its tasting events.

9051 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126 - (206) 937-1442        
Est. 2009 (as bar) - Building constructed: 1977
Previous bars in this location: None known
twitter - theatlantic - seattleweekly - westseattleblog - seattlemet - westseattlefunblog - yelp

#1670 #S993 - Rosita (Rosie's Cantina), Seattle - 1/30/2012

Fairly typical American Mexican food and drinks in the cantina, just off Greenlake. They also feature massive portions and a nice, neighborly feel.

7210 Woodlawn Avenue NE Seattle, WA 98115-5336 - (206) 523-3031
Est. 1979 - Building constructed: 1948
Previous bars in this location: None known
rositasrestaurant.com - seattleweekly - yelp

#1669 #S992 - Henry and Oscar's, Seattle - 1/27/2012

Update: Henry and Oscar's closed in Nov. 2013

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Henry and Oscar's is a "lodge inspired supper club" with brown alligator skin vinyl wallpaper, antler chandeliers, monogrammed glasses for regulars, and updated American steakhouse classic dishes.  It is owned by Mark and Katie Stern of the Big Picture, somewhat redolent of El Gaucho, and named for Mark's two grandfathers.  The template was mid-century New York clubs like the Pump Room and Toots Shor's.  It has a somewhat formal but comfortable vibe, with the lounge and fire place in front, and dining areas behind.  The cocktails and food are both above average, and the patrons tend to be engaging and happily free of the Amber sort of crowd that one often associates with Belltown.

2525 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 448-2444
Est. Jan 25, 2012 - Building constructed: year
Previous bars in this location: Shallots Bar & Bistro
henryandoscars.com - facebook - thrillist - seattlemag - seattlepi - slightly pickled - thestranger -  eater - yelp - urbanspoon

#1668 #S991 - Neptune Theater, Seattle - 1/25/2012

A historic Seattle movie theater, which first opened Wednesday, November 16, 1921, was let go by the art movie chain Landmark Theaters.  The local STG group, which manages the Paramount and Moore theaters, signed a long term lease for the location in Feb 2011 and remodeled it slightly into a venue for live music and other performances.

The bar in the back of the main floor is not exactly one you pine to go to when you're not attending a show.  But of course the bar is not the main consideration here, and it's great to see this historic place maintained, and with a pretty attractive set of performances (we've seen Tim Minchin, Concrete Blonde, Norm MacDonald, and Demetri Martin there, among others).  It also happily inherits the features of an old movie theater that most live venues lack -- a sloping floor, and ample seating.  They occasionally have issues with heat, but it's one of the better places in the city to see a show.

1303 Northeast 45th Street Seattle, WA 98105-4502 - (206) 781-5755
Est. Sep 25, 2011 - Building constructed: 1921
Previous bars in this location: None known
web site  - seattlepi - seattletimes - yelp

#1667 #S990 - Pete's Fremont Fire Pit, Seattle - 1/24/2012

Update: Pete's Fremont FIre Pit closed sometime in the third quarter of 2013.

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The theme here is classic Fremont weirdness, with items from the Solstice parade and signage like a back bar at Archie McPhee's.  The barbecue struck me as mediocre, but serviceable, and the help is very friendly.  Pete, the owner, also owns Roxy's and the Backdoor at Roxy's across the street (his son informed me that he proposed calling the latter "Roxy's in the Rear," but this may have been just to needle his wife).  The bar is fairly limited.

The vibe of a place like this only seems to work if you attract an equivalent sort of eclectic regular patrons.  I'll be very interested to see if that happens.

501 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 453-3667
Est. Dec 4, 2011 - Building constructed: 1927
Previous bars in this location: Santolea
facebook - fremocentrist - thrillist - thestranger - fremontuniverse - yelp

#1666 #S989 - Bitterroot BBQ, Seattle - 1/23/2012

"BBQ. Beer. Bourbon. Ballard."  Sounds good to me.

These guys took the old ugly Acme Stamp building and created a  woody, narrow barbecue joint.  The meats are dry rubbed, and served with a variety of sauces at your table.  Sandwiches come on pretzel rolls from Tall Grass Bakery. Down the long hallway of salvaged barn wood is a cozy back bar, with a few additional tables.

The cocktails were not overly impressive -- my iced tea drink was a bit of a watery mess. But they have many good beer and bourbon choices.

5239 Ballard Avenue Northwest Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 920-4196
Est. Jan 18, 2012 - Building constructed: 1900 or earlier
Previous bars in this location: None known
bitterrootbbq.com - facebook - seattlemet - myballard - dailycandy - seattleweekly - yelp - eater - thestranger

#1665 #S988 - 8oz Burger Bar, Seattle - 1/21/2012

The emphasis here is the burgers, which areThe emphasis here is the burgers, which are very good.  The bar choices are okay, and served in front of a great looking, 1920s, art deco style bar from Dayton, Ohio. very good.  The bar choices are okay, and served in front of a great looking, 1920s, art deco style bar from Dayton, Ohio.

1401 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 466-5989
Est. Jan 20, 2012 - Building constructed: 1996
Previous bars in this location: Tidbit
8ozburgerbar.com - facebook - legitbeef - eatinseattle - capitolhillseattle - seattleweekly - urbanspoon

#1664 #S987 - Manhattan Drugs, Seattle - 1/21/2012

Another interesting addition in the takeover of the Seattle bar world by Chris Pardo and Laura Olson's Pterodactyl Group (Grim, The Social, Detention, Auto Battery, Queen of Norway, Po Dog). This entry is a plush steakhouse, featuring Nebraska prime corn-fed steaks, and a gun-antlered ram.  (I noticed a similar piece in LA's Angels and Kings.)  They offer some nice, medium-priced, small plates from chef Khampaeng Panyathong (The Herbfarm, Spring Hill, Grim’s), and have a medium-sized bar where Roman serves a first rate Old Pal.

1419 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 325-6574
Est. Jan 5, 2012 - Building constructed: 1920?
Previous bars in this location: None known
web site - facebook - thrillist - eater - seattlemet - seattleweekly - thestranger - yelp