#959 - WingMasters, Seattle (Ballard) - 12/20//2009

Wingmasters, Ballard, Seattle

Update: Wingmasters was acquired by new ownership and reconfigured into "Fitzgerald's" in October 2015.

If you like fried food and guys dropping various shots into pints of watery beer, then go for it.  I've already described my opinion of boring, formulaic sports bars here.

Wingmasters, Ballard, Seattle

Historical notes:  There has been a bar at in this 1908 building since at least shortly after prohibition, with "Davented's Tavern" appearing in city guides in 1935. By the mid 40s it was "Club Two Hundred," which it remained into the 80s. By 1985 it was listed as the "Oar House Tavern," by 1990 as "Tor's Tavern," by 1995 the "Galaxy Tavern," and it was "Epp's Place" until 2005.

5811 24th Ave NW., Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 706-9999
Est. 2005 - Closed 2015 - Building constructed 1908
Previous bars at this location:  Davented's Tavern, Club 200, Epp's Place, Tor's Tavern, Galaxy Tavern, Oar House Tavern
yelp - the stranger - gastrognome - chowhound



 

#958 - Wild Mountain Cafe, Seattle - 12/20/2009

Of course most people come here for the food (which is very good and also earth friendly, BTW).  But there is also a fairly minimal but cozy bar here, at least until the 9:30pm closing time, where 8 or so people can squeeze in.  And it seems particularly welcoming when it is damp and cold outside.

1408 NW 85th St.,  Seattle, WA 98117 - (206) 297-9453
wildmtncafe.com - facebook - seattletimes - yelp - notfortourists - the stranger -

#957 - The Lobby, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 12/15/2009

The Lobby is the ambitiously remodeled and now fairly swanky bar in the space of the former King Cobra -- formerly Sugar, formerly The Easy, formerly Spintron, formerly Velocity, formerly Nine 16, formerly Ego, formerly X-Factor.  Good luck with this one, guys.  The owners reportedly want to capture the design -- but not the attitude -- of New York boutique hotel lobbies. 

The bar caters to a predominantly male and gay crowd.  The cocktails I saw seemed fairly ordinary and the bartender seemed relatively inexperienced, but the service was prompt and friendly, and made me want to root for their success.

916 E. Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 328-6703
thelobbyseattle.com - facebook - seattle pi

#956 - The Seven Seas Lounge, Seattle (Lake City) - 12/15/2009

Update:  The Seven Seas lounge closed 5/28/2011

The lounge at the Seven Seas is a classic Chinese restaurant dive, which appears hastily assembled with various nostalgic Americana (in this case dominated by Marilyn Monroe) and drawing and odd variety of patrons. In fact, person-for-person, the light crowd in the lounge when I went may have been the most diverse set of drinkers I've ever seen; there were not more than ten people there the weeknight I dropped by, but the range included African American, Asian, Caucasian, Native American and wheelchair-bound. Debbie, the Native American representative -- a full-blooded Blackfoot, she informed me -- draws pictures as a way of getting to know people. She was chatting with me within three seconds of my entering, and had just finished a drawing of an albino giraffe on roller sakes. She asked me to name any animal. For some reason a squirrel came to mind (perhaps the recent Squirrels show at the Tractor?), and in about 30 seconds one appeared.

8914 Lake City Way NE., Seattle, WA 98115 - (206) 522-3863
myspace - 7seasseattle.com - seattle weekly - yelp

#955 - Boxcar Alehouse, Seattle (Magnolia) - 12/12/2009

(Formerly, the Roadhouse)  The Boxcar, a basic neighborhood bar, was hopping on the Saturday night I went, and had a fairly ordinary mix of people, though it included this guy, who apparently had just given some marriage advice to the guy on the right and his sister.

3407 Gilman Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98199 - (206) 286-6000
myspace - - the stranger - seattle weekly

#954 - The Ebb Tide Room, Seattle - 12/11/2009

"You're going to Harbor Island on a Friday night without a knife?" asked my friend Marlowe. That comment, and the great name, had my hopes up for an interesting bar. But the Ebb Tide Room, aside the Chelan Cafe, was one of the most boring bars and crowds I've seen. It was at what one would assume is one of the busiest nights and times for a bar, but perhaps the tide schedule is different here? It does open at 6:00am.

3527 Chelan Ave SW., Seattle, WA 98106 - (206) 932-7383
facebook - Seattle Weekly - Voracious

#953 - Cicchetti, Seattle (Eastlake) - 12/2/2009

Wow, add Cicchetti immediately to your list of great cocktail bars in the city. I'm not quite ready to put Cicchetti (chi-KET-tee, a Venetian term for a small plate of food) in my very top rated bars -- the modernist space (a previous office designed by George Suyama) leaves me a little bit cold and I'll have to get more of a feel for the clientele and conversation around the bar itself. But I may have to change my mind after working my way further through the very interesting cocktail menu (by Chris Bollenbacher), or perhaps in the summer when the open feel and garden courtyard between the bar and parent restaurant Serafina becomes even more welcoming.

We had the "Silk" (Moldovian brandy, St. Germain, Liquor 43, lemon and egg white) and the "Blushing Goddess," and both were quite fine (you can see more of the selections here). I definitely foresee coming back many times.

121 East Boston, Seattle, WA 98102 (around the corner of through the courtyard from Serafina)
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