#1589 - Skyway Park Bowl and Casino, Seattle - 10/25/2011

A cheesy mini casino, bowling, a lounge serving cheap, strong drinks and chicken and waffles.  What else could you possibly want?  (How about a web site that is "Copywrite 2011"?)

11819 Renton Ave S, Skyway, WA 98178 - (206) 772-1220

skywayparkbowl.com -  facebook - yelp

#1588 - Skyway Sports Bar, Seattle - 10/25/2011

This has recently changed it's name from "Best Damn Sports Bar." Since no aspect of the place provides any hint of how that could ever have been taken seriously, and for people like me who like these sorts of places, I'd suggest just going the straightforward route and naming it "Dive-iest Damn Dive Bar."

12833 Martin Luther King Jr, Skyway, WA 98178-3513 - (206) 432-9379
Est. ? - Building constructed: 1950
Other bars at this location: Town & Country Tavern, Grumpy's Too, Whitey's T&C Tavern, Willy's Too, Best Damn Sports Bar

#1587 #S947 - Amore Infused, Seattle - 10/23/2011

Update:  Amore Infused closed after a fire in January 2012.

Amore Infused is the new version of Sean Lanagan's Italian restaurant which once lived just around the block.  Lanagan's range of events, charitable work, and personality make you root for the place, and the food and drinks make that easier.  The new name seems to accent the bar a little more, and the interesting infused spirits such as ginger limoncello, vanilla whiskey and chai rum.

I had a Cucumber Mist (house cucumber vodka, lime, sweet and sour, mist of fresh black pepper) and then a Winter Sazerac (absinthe, bourbon, Grand Gala Orange Liqueur, blood orange juice, fresh black pepper, bitters).  The cocktails tend to be a tad on the sweet side for my tastes, but these two were really tasty, and Ernie the bartender makes it a pleasure to explore your personal tastes.

522 Wall St, Seattle, WA 98121 - 206.770.0606      
Est. Feb 11, 2011
tasteofamore.com - facebook - seattletimes  - seattletimes (Thanksgiving dinners)- yelp

#1586 #S946 - Local Vine (U Village), Seattle - 10/21/2011

Local Vine has a terrific array of choices (100 wines by the glass), a few interesting cocktails, and their goal is laudable -- "a place where you can hang out the way you would in a coffee shop while learning about or just enjoying wine." In addition, the servers are very nice. But this location is in the middle of the University Village shopping mall, which is about as far as humanly possible from the setting in which I would like to sit back and enjoy a glass of wine. It would be like going to the middle of GameWorks to do yoga.

So I would never make this my choice for a drink (beginning with the extensive hunt for a parking space) if I was not already in the shopping center. But it's a nice little stop if you have already had the misfortune of being there.


2620 NE University Village St, Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 527-6222
Est. Oct. 13, 2011
thelocalvine.com - facebook - seattlemet - seattlemet - yelp

#1585 #S945 - Delancey, Seattle - 10/20/2011

As a bar Delancey is simply a friendly suburban neighborhood joint where you can get a good glass of wine.  So it doesn't get the a highest recommendation on this bar blog, and it's not recommended that you go (and probably wait) when you are simply seeking a bar.  Bur of course the main attraction of the place is the pizza, which has been praised by all kinds of local critics as well as the New York Times and other remote sources that know their pizza.

The accompaniments are also quite good -- I had a delicious Jersey salad, with a glass of PR Corsini Docetto blend, before the sausage pizza (tomato sauce, fresh and aged mozzarella, Grana, housemade sausage).  Delancey pizzas are thin crust and wood-fired, and I prefer them to the certified authentic Neapolitan style pizza of Via Tribulani or Tutta Bella, where the crust and pie tend to become goopy in the center.  Also, the ingredients on the Delancey pies seem a tad better to me (though I still give a slight edge to Serious Pie here).

You'll often have a wait but it's well worth it.

Historical notes:  While I've found no previous bars listed at the 1415 address, the "Pantry at Delancey," which is behind the pizzeria and hosts dinner parties and classes, is listed at 1417.  This leads me to believe that at least a portion, if not all, of the street-facing Delancey was the previous location of several bars listed under the 1417 address.  These include the "West Seventieth Street Tavern" from the 40s into the 60s, "Sam's Place Tavern" in the 70s, the "Guardsman Tavern" in the 90s, Don & Ila's by 1975 and Burt and Flo's Tavern by 1977.  The brick building of which Delancey is a part was constructed in 1926.


1415 Northwest 70th Street, Seattle, WA 98117-5340 - (206) 838-1960
Est. Aug 2009 - Building constructed: 1926
Previous bars at this location:  West Seventieth St. Tavern, Sam's Place Tavern, Guardsman Tavern, Don & Ila's Tavern
delanceyseattle.com - nytimes - gastronomyblog - seriouseats - seriouseats - seattlepi - yelp

#1584 #S944 - Cafe Campagne, Seattle - 10/19/2011

French bistro cuisine with a tiny bit of a bar.


1600 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 728-2233
Est. 1994
campagnerestaurant.com - facebook - foodpluswines - seattleweekly - seattleite - seattlemag - seattledining - gayot - zagat - yelp

#1583 #S943 - Marche, Seattle - 10/19/2011

Update: Marche closed Feb 28, 2014

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The long time Seattle institution Campagne has been remodeled into a somewhat more relaxed format under owner/chef Daisley Gordon. (Cafe Campagne remains downstairs.) The white table clothes and wall between restaurant and bar are gone, and the menu offers more diversions from the central French theme.  The bar offers some interesting cocktails and, of course, wines (with some more adventuresome by-the-glass offerings thanks to the preserving powers of their new Enomatic preserver.

86 Pine Street Seattle, WA 98101-1531 - (206) 728-2800
Est. Oct 7, 2011
marcheseattle.com - facebook - seattleweekly - yelp

#1582 #S942 - C.C.Attles, Seattle - 10/18/2011

People go to CC Attles for the people at CC Attles, not for the unique decor or a fine cocktail.  So there are a lot of people very happy to see the much liked bear bar back in action.  But for the sake of variety, it's sad to see someplace as different as Café Metropolitain replaced with a remodel as utterly boring as CC's.

Café Metropolitain was by no means a great bar.  But it took the space in one more of those boring condos-above / retail-below buildings steadily diminishing the character from our neighborhoods, and turned it into something unique and surprising. One walked under the condos and into a Disney-like slice of Paris streets at night, with a fountain, cobblestones, and string lights.

CC's pours dive bar style cocktails (poorly made, but cheap and strong), and tries to replace the patio of the old location with, essentially, a hallway at the side of the room. If you want to have a night out with burly, gay men, CC's still seems to be one of your better choices, and the owner promises "no attitude." I'm obviously not in their target demographic, and perhaps boring and plain decor (with the exception of a large, plaster, Tom of Finland style figure) is just the right complement for a neighborhood bear bar that resents attitude. But speaking strictly from the personal tastes of someone who rather "collects" bars and likes to feel a strong, unique character, no matter what kind of bar it is, a little more attitude might have gone a long way.

1701 E Olive Way Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 726-0565
Est. June 11, 2011 (relocated from 1501 E Madison)  - Building constructed: 1993
Other bars at this location: Café Metropolitain  (Henry's Off Broadway in a previous building)
ccattles.net (NSFW) - facebook - thestranger -  yelp

#1581 #S941 - Shop Agora, Seattle - 10/18/2011

Unlike its sister Mediterranean deli in Phinney, the Capitol Hill version has a small wine bar and restaurant in back.  The food is excellent (I had the Pastitsio, which was very tasty, but wanted to try every item I saw served to the others around me, and a glass of Gouleyant Cahors malbec).  It's not a go-to place for a bar, but it is a fine stop for lunch or dinner.

346 15th Ave. E, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 322-1103
Est. Aug 3, 2011 - Building constructed: 2001
Other bars at this location:  None
theshopagora.com - facebook - seattlemet - thestranger - yelp

#1580 #S940 - Hilliard's Beer, Seattle - 10/14/2011

Hilliards was acquired by Odin Brewing in 2016 and the taproom at this location phased out. The space has been adquired by Lagunitas.

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The Hilliard's tasting room comprises a small bar, some wooden cable drum tables, and a few concrete seats tucked in the corner of a pretty sizable brewing warehouse in Ballard.  Ambitious new brewers Ryan Hilliard and Adam Merkl, who plan to skip the microbrew stage and go straight to regional brewers, covet the other half of the building, which currently hosts practices by a roller derby team.  Their self-financed facilities produce brews in 450 gallon lots and they can their beer with a machine that produces 24 cans a minute.

The owners are amiable and enjoyable to converse with.  They are carving a niche in the craft beer business by skipping the usual IPAs and starting with brews like an amber and a saison, and with large runs in cans.  The cans are very attractive, and the brewing facilities themselves are a great makeover of a dilapidated old auto warehouse.  It's large and industrial, but they pay attention to details, from the hops, to the cans, to the paint.

On Saturdays, you can also grab some dinner from visiting food trucks from the likes of Skillet, Snout & Co., and WhereYaAtMatt. 


1550 NW 49th Street, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 465-0078
Est. Oct. 7, 2011   Building constructed: 1947
hilliardsbeer.com - fueledbybeer - seattlemag - seattlebeernews - seattlemet - thestranger - yelp

#1579 #S939 - Momiji, Seattle - 10/12/2011

 I am not a great fan of sushi, so I cannot really advise on the food at Momiji.  It is, however, decidedly more elegant than Umi and the raucous Kushibar, owner Steven Han's Belltown establishments, and the bar in front glows with a welcoming wood and brick warmth.  "Momiji" means "maple," and in addition to the maples on the walls there are a couple live ones in the Kyoto-style garden courtyard in the middle of the back room restaurant portion.

The crowd is more typical of Belltown than Capitol Hill, and the cocktail list is large and dominated by sakes and shochu.  Again, these are not something I have any developed any particular taste for, so I don't feel any notes on my reactions would be helpful.  But it is at minimum a happily dark and graceful place for a meal and a drink.

1522 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 457-4068
Est. October 2011 - Building constructed: 1922, but heavily remodeled in 2011
momijiseattle.com - facebook - bizjournals - thestranger - itsyowyow- capitolhillseattle - seattlemet - yelp

#1578 #S938 - Crush, Seattle - 10/12/2011

Update: Crush closed Aug 28, 2015

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The Crush restaurant winds around the old rooms of a century-old Tudor, and serves very fine food from owner and award-winning chef Jason Wilson.  The prices are a bit upscale as well, but Crush now has a Happy Hour menu with small bites for $4 to $12, and for a romantic occasion it is hard to beat.  In addition to the extensive wine list, Crush has some different and enjoyable cocktails, and a seat at the small bar will afford you a good view of the food alternatives and their delicate preparations.

2319 East Madison Street, Seattle, WA 98112-5416 - (206) 302-787
Est. Feb. 22, 2005 - Closed Aug 28, 2015 - Building constructed: 1903
chefjasonwilson.com - seattledining - seattletimes - seattle weekly (slides) - seattle weekly - komonews - meatyair - thestranger - gayot - yelp

#1577 #S937 - Altura, Seattle - 10/11/2011

People have been raving about this new restaurant from chef Nathan Lockwood of "The Ruins," but I probably saw the place in it's worst light.  Having just had dinner, I stopped in for just a cocktail, and although the wine list is quite good, the list of spirits is not.  So I won't be stopping by just for drinks unless/until they up their game substantially, but I definitely will be back for dinner.


617 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 402-6749
Est. Oct. 5, 2011 - Building constructed: 1931
Other bars at this location:  None known
alturarestaurant.com - facebook - gastrolust - thestranger - seattlemet - yelp

#1576 #S936 - Bako, Seattle - 10/11/2011

Update: Bako closed Aug 23, 2012

Bako is lovely. First there are the Cantonese-style small plates, some of the best Chinese food in the city.  But there is also the small bar, manned by Guy Lafitte, lately of Vegas, a big fan of tiki drinks, and with a look and presence that might lead you to think you're in the most popular bar of gold rush era San Francisco.

Guy serves a mixture of classics, sometimes in their unfamiliar, original versions, and newly invented drinks.  The latter include the "Jimmy's Pearl," named to honor Jimmy and Pearl Woo, owners of the divey Jade Pagoda that preceded Bako in the location for 63 years (before closing in 2006 and being partially torn down for a new building in 2010).  The cocktail menu is divided into “Classic Variations”, “Colonial Heritage”, and “Bako Now” and ordered by spirit, "taste", and "effect."  Guy also features a "spirit of the week" and will create variations upon it to suit your tastes.

606 Broadway East Seattle, WA 98102-5391 - (206) 829-8958
Est. Oct 5, 2011 - Closed Aug 23, 2012 - Building constructed: 1926, substantially rebuilt in 2010
Previous bars at this location:  The Jade Pagoda (1943-2006)
bakoseattle.com - facebook - eater - capitolhillseattle - capitolhillseattle - thrillist - eater - seattlemet - rollwithjen - thestranger - yelp

#1575 #S935 - Diesel, Seattle - 10/10/2011

The soft jazz and romantic fire feature of Martin's are replaced with an unambiguous bear bar, with musclebound gay porn on the walls and televisions.  The cocktails are uninteresting, but that's probably fine for what is basically a blue-collar, neighborhood dive for large gay men, and a bit older crowd than many of the nearby alternatives.

Historical note:  There have been bars at this location since at least 1939.  By the 40s it was known as Fritz's Tavern, and by 1960 and into the 80s it was "The Cellar" or "Cellar Tavern."  It was Hombres Saloon in the 90s, The Sea Wolf by 2000, and Martin's Off Madison from 2005 to 2010.


1413 14th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122-4145 - (206) 322-1080
Est. Sep. 2, 2011 - Building constructed: 1928
Previous bars at this location: Fritz's Tavern, The Cellar, Hombres Saloon, Sea Wolf Saloon, Martin's Off Madison
dieselseattle.com - facebook - sgn -  yelp

#1574 #S934 - LloydMartin, Seattle - 10/8/2011

Update:  LloydMartin closed Dec 31, 2017.

A pleasant, somewhat mundane wine bar, with good, somewhat fancy small plates.

1525 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - 206-420-7602
Est. Oct. 6, 2011 - Building constructed: 2005
Other bars at this location:  Bricco Della Regina Anna 
lloydmartinseattle.com - facebook - seattletimes - thrillist - eater - yelp

#1573 #S933 - Mezcaleria Oaxaca, Seattle - 10/8/2011

 Along with it's sister restaurant in Ballard, this new Queen Anne location the best Mexican food in Seattle, from chef Gloria Perez (and managed by her family).  As the name suggests, there is a bit more emphasis on the bar in this location, featuring every mezcal available in Washington state.

2123 Queen Anne Avenue North, Seattle 98109 - (206) 216-4446
Est. Oct 6, 2011 - Building constructed: 1920
mezcaleriaoaxaca.com - facebook - gastrolust - seattleweekly - eater.com - seattlemet - thestranger -  yelp

#1572 #S932 - Phoenecia, Seattle - 10/5/2011

Update: Phoenecia closed Dec 24, 2018.

My ratings are focused on bars, not restaurants, and thus this wine bar does not quite get my highest recommendation; but it would if I were based on the food.  It is my favorite food in West Seattle and among my top four favorite pizza locations in the city (after Serious Pie, it is in a rough tie with Bar Del Corso and Delancey).  The menu is Mediterranean focused, with some very fine tapas, and rotating special entrees on the chalkboard.   I had the Sausage & Peppers pizza (house-made fennel sausage, Mama’s Lil Peppers, fresh and whole milk mozzarella, Grana Padano, parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, and red sauce), which was terrific, and the Fiery Diver Sea Scallops, also very nice.

Phoenicia opened on California Ave in 1974, moved to Queen Anne from 1980 to 1992, then relocated to its present space back in West Seattle, across the road from Alki Beach.  After the much loved founder, Hussein Khazaal, passed away in 2009, his wife and daughters remodeled and continue to run the place, with a menu revamped by Byron Hummel (who trained  under Charles Walpole, now chef at Anchovies & Olives).  The family are friendly and engaging, and I especially like stepping into their warm confines on a rainy Seattle evening.

2716 Alki Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 935-6550
Est. 1992 (1974 on California Ave) - Closed Dec 24, 2018 - Building constructed: 1968
phoeneciawestseattle.com - facebook - seattletimes - westseattleblog - seattlemag - seriouseats - thestranger - urbanspoon - zagat
Khazaal's passing:  seattletimes - westseattleblog

#1571 #S931 - Outwest, Seattle - 10/4/2011

This is West Seattle's only gay bar -- the first since Guppy's West was in the space of the current A Terrible Beauty in the early 90s.  Given a fairly substantial LGBTQ population in the neighborhood, that may be enough to sustain the business, and perhaps the crowd and age will add some character as time goes by.  Right now it is a fairly bland, boxy space with mediocre drinks.


5401 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98136 - (206) 937-1540
Est. Aug 11, 2011 - Building constructed: 1925
outwestbar.com - westseattleherald - westseattleblog - sgn.org - yelp

#1570 #S930 - Pan Africa Grill, Seattle - 10/4/2011

Update: Pan Africa Grill closed March 7, 2013

As a bar, this is not much -- at least at the early date I visited.  And since this is a bar blog, I can't recommend it as a bar. But if I were reviewing restaurants this would would be one of my top three in West Seattle and in my top 20 for all of Seattle.  They have a very tasty rotation of entrees from different regions of Africa each month, along with dishes from owner Mulugeta “Mulu” Abate's native Ethiopia.

5905 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98136 - (206) 971-0698
Est. Sep. 27, 2011 - Closed March 7, 2013 - Building constructed: 1926
Other bars at this location:  None known (previously Ho-win Chinese, unknown whether this had a bar; subsequently Chopstix 
panafricagrill.com - facebook - westseattleherald - westseattleblog - westseattleblog - thrillist - yelp

#1569 #S929 - Pritty Boys Family Pizzeria, Seattle - 10/3/2011

Update: Pritty Boys closed in August 2014

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This is a new, family-oriented pizza place from the owners of Branzino in the former Madrona location of Dulce Latin Bistro.  I had already had dinner when I stopped in, and was only interested in the bar -- which is not very good, overly bright, and suffers from being right across from the children's play area.  The pizza did not look like anything special to me.  However since I have subsequently learned that the chef is the same one who did the excellent pizzas at West Seattle's Phoenicia (and trained under Charles Wadpole, of Anchovies and Olives), so I definitely will be back to give the food a try.

It's probably a quite good option if you have young children with you.  You will not want to go there for the bar.

1430 34th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 257-1319
Est. May 26, 2011 - Building constructed: 1996 - Closed Aug 2014
prittypizza.com - seriouseats - eater - thrillist - yelp

#1568 #S928 - June, Seattle - 10/3/2011

Update:  June closed in Dec 2011

An upscale but casual bistro from Vuong and Tricia Loc, featuring Vietnamese-influenced French cuisine.

I had an Aaron's Cucumber cocktail, the prawns with green cocktail sauce, the burger (ground bacon and beef, Kurtwood Farms camembert, fries).

1423 34th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122-3300 - (206) 323-4000
Est. May 2010 - Building constructed: year
juneseattle.com - seattleweekly - seattleweekly - thestranger - seattletimes - seattlemag - yelp

#1567 #S927 - The Cactus (West Seattle), Seattle - 10/2/2011

The West Seattle version of this popular Mexican restaurant does not have quite the neighborhood feel of the Madison Park version, but it does have a location right on Alki looking across the beach to the water and large roll-up windows for great summertime seats.  The Mexican food and margaritas are both better than average, and the airy, modern building makes it a sort of loungey, modish counterpoint to the funky and fun Chupacabra up the road.

2820 Alki Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116-2788 - (206) 933-6000
Est. 2006 - Building constructed: 2003
cactusrestaurants.com - gayot - yelp

#1566 #S926 - Via Tribunali (Belltown), Seattle - 5/13/2011

Many of us will miss the dirty foam and neon sheep and the divey atmosphere of the back bar in the original Crocodile.  But the remodel included many things done right, including the dark and swanky Via Tribulani in the back portion.  This was Mike McConnell's fifth and most romantic of his AVPN-certified Neapolitan pizza restaurants, with a bar that seemed like a central point instead of squeezed in.  The most striking features where the very high-backed black vinyl seats and the gorgeous paintings of Mt. Vesuvius, emphasized with carefully positioned Rembrandt lighting.

 When it closed after approximately one year, Via Tribunali left the wood-fired pizza oven made from ash from Mt. Vesuvius and the mahogany bar to the owners of the Crocodile.  They continue to sell very similar pizza and fairly decent cocktails, though no longer under the volcano paintings.

2200 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-4618
Est. April 16, 2009 - Closed 2010 - Building constructed: 1924
facebook - seattlepi - hideousbelltown - foodbuzz - seattleweekly - seriouseats - cornichon - belltownpeople - yelp  - zagat 

#1565 #S925 - Emerald City Beer Co, Seattle - 10/1/2011

The Emerald City Beer Lab is a medium-sized tasting room for the microbrew that has moved into the historic old Rainier Brewery between Airport Way and I5. The new brewery is also lager focused, but create a variety of craft brews.  The "lab" is somewhat spare, consistent with the industrial setting, with a good sized bar, two taps, and a big screen television.  The owner and staff are casual and friendly.

The tasting room is most notable to long-time residents for its historic location.  Beer has been brewed here since 1883, and the large R from the Rainier days was a Seattle icon.  The current building was constructed by Kopp & Hemrich brewery in 1887 and has been the site of major brewing from then until 1999 (around the prohibition years) under the names Bayview Brewery, Sick's Seattle Brewing & Rainier. 

The Mountain Room  ran within the brewery from the 30's until 1999, hosting at times Jim Whitaker (the first American to climb Mt. Everest), Mickey Rooney, and the Seattle Rainiers  baseball team. The brewery and Mountain Room were closed in 1999 and "Rainier"  subsequently sold to Pabst and brewed by Miller.  In recent years, developers have converted portions of it into artists studios and rehearsal spaces.

3100 Airport Way S, Ste 8100, Seattle, WA 98134 - (206) 351-8250
Est. Aug 21, 2010 - Building constructed: 1887 (Historic Bay View / Rainier Brewery)
Other bars at this address:  La Cantina, The Mountain Room (1930s - 1999)
emeraldcitybeer.com - washingtonbeerblog - seattlepi -  king5 - seattlest - yelp

#1564 #S924 - Epic Ales, Seattle - 10/1/2011

Epic Ales is a microbrewery run by Cody Morris with a tiny bar & tasting room in the KR Trigger Building in SoDo.  You'll need to ring the doorbell to be shown in.  On Saturdays he teams with a chef and presents upscale meals in the "gastropod," an upstairs room with lovely old wood and signs.  The room contains a lovely old bar made to look like a ship, which the landlord obtained from an old tavern in Spokane, and which now juts its bow through the wall into the next room.

The beers are adventurous and use some offbeat ingredients, and the food and beer pairings of the gastropod show the same creative considerations.  I had a lambic made with fresh hops called Zero Minute IPA.  Belgian-styles are not my personal favorites, but it was nice to have an intriguing set of tastes so different from the typical offerings.


3201 First Ave South, Suite 104, Seattle, WA 98134 - 206-351-3637
Est. January 22, 2010 (Brewery est. Dec 2008) - Building constructed: 1923
epicales.com - facebook - yelp - hessbrewing - beerblotter - eater.com