#976 - Barrio, Seattle - 1/17/2010

1420 12th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 -(206) 588-8105
barriorestaurant.com - seattletimes - yelp

#975 - Tower Tavern, Centralia, WA - 1/11/2010

114 S Tower Ave., Centralia, WA                    
Previous bars at this location: The Nimble Nickel (30s)

#974 - The Olympic Club, Centralia, WA - 1/11/2010

This is my favorite yet of the great old, preserved spaces in the McMennamins chain. It is said to have been built in 1908 and to remain "virtually unchanged from the time of its opulent remodel in 1913."  Originally named the Oxford Hotel and owned by "King of the Bootleggers, Jack Sciutto (the 1910 Lewis County Polk guide lists the owner as J. Schutto), over the years lured many a logger, miner, and rail worker to its billiard room, liquor, and welcoming working women in the rooms upstairs. (McMennamins)


(more photos)

112 N Tower Ave., Centralia, WA 98531 - (360) 736-5164
Est. 1908
mcmenamins.com - yelp - urbanspoon

#973 - Darrell's Tavern, Shoreline - 1/7/2010

I despaired of ever getting Darrell's on my list.  I made several trips hoping to find it open, to no avail (I could find no phone number and certainly no web site).  As I did my "research" in various bars around the neighborhood, I began to fill in the back story.  The owner, now in his 80s, who also collected cars and worked as a CPA in an office upstairs (and may or may not have lived up there for a while), had once had the place relatively thriving with the help of his gregarious Korean wife.  People told me his wife left him and the place started to dwindle, with the old guy not much caring about when he was open or closed, and probably well ready to retire at any rate.

So I was delighted to find it actually open on this night, and even more pleased to talk to Dan, the new owner, who is now combining a fine appreciation for the vintage 60s decor (he dropped nine grand into refurbishing and moving the sign out front alone) with some much needed upgrades, including a web site and soon live music.  "The place your dad used to drink," is how Dan describes it.  And while it's a little out of the way for most Seattlelites (just south of Aurora Village and Sky Nursery), it is well worth the trip.  Go out and support people keeping these great old bars alive.

18041 Aurora Ave N., Shoreline, WA
darrellstavern.com - seattle weekly

#972 - The Filling Station, Kingston, WA - 1/6/2010

The Filling Station (previously the Holding Lane Pub) seems to have the most character of the Kingston bars, and when I rolled in on a Wednesday afternoon the place was packed for Bingo Day. I slipped outside and had a nice chat with regular Jim beside the gas fireplace encased behind a custom-made grill with the owner's family coat of arms. Jim told me that a few years ago he got a DUI, said "fuck it," gave his farm to his daughter and bought a little house just across the street from the bars. Jim told me about some of the fights he'd seen at the bar, and about the time the bartender woman saved him from being beat up by three gay guys. "Just because they're gay doesn't mean they can't kick your ass," Jim told me. After chatting for a while, I thought I'd tell Jim about this bar project, and started with "I have a project from God, Jim ..." Jim winced a bit, cut me off to go refill his drink, and said, "I ain't much of a God guy." My glass was empty by that point too, so instead of trying to explain, I told Jim goodbye and headed down to the ferry dock.

11200 NE State Highway 104, Kingston, WA 98346 - (360) 297-7732               
Est. 1980
yelp

#971 - Kingston Inn, Kingston, WA - 2002 (OOO)

We went to this bar on the boat of our friends Eric and Tracy and met Jen and Jason there.  This was shortly after we discovered the remote control fart machine, which made it a long night for some.  Then the Kingston Inn burned down in September of 2005 (no fart devices were implicated).  The sign in the photo now resides in the Filling Station.

#970 - Main St. Ale House, Kingston, WA - 1/6/2010

This is the upscale bar of the Kingston trio, with a view of the bay out back, a baby grand piano, and open mike nights. 

11225 N.E. State Highway 104, Kingston, WA 98346 -(360) 297-0440

myspace - yelp

#969 - Drifters Pub and Grill, Kingston, WA - 1/6/2010

This seems like a nice enough place, with the bar basics in liquor in food -- although when I asked the bartender if they had a syrah or a malbec, she thought I was referring to beers.

11265 NE State Hwy 104, Kingston, WA 98346 - (360) 297-4400

yelp

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#968 - Point No Point Casino, Kingston, WA - 1/6/2010

Now simply "The Point" Casino

7989 Northeast Salish Lane
Kingston, WA 98346-9649
(360) 297-0070
Est. Feb 14, 2002
the-point-casino.com -
yelp

#967 - McCormick & Schmicks, Seattle (4th Ave) - (OOO)

(This is listed out of order due to confusion with the other downtown McCormicks and Schmicks.)

#966 - Crow, Seattle (lower Queen Anne) - 8/13/2008 (OOO)

Update: Crow is closing June 22, 2019

(Note:  This is out of order because it used a duplicated number in the original entry.)










823 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 283-8800
Est. 2004 - Closed June 22, 2019 - Building constructed: 1900 or earlier
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: eatatcrow.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - thestranger - seattlepi - eater - yelp - tripadvisor

#965 - Jax, Portland - 3/17/2007

(Note:  This is out of order because it used a duplicated number in the original entry.)

#964 - The Lotus, Portland - 3/17/2007 (OOO)

Update: The Lotus closed Aug 20, 2016, with the building to be demolished

Animals heads!!!

The Lotus Cardroom and Cafe are said to have opened in 1924 and one guesses became a licensed bar shortly after the Beer and Wine Revenue Act in 1933?  It is said to be Portland's first legal gambling establishment and also it's first hipster bar.  As David Dekrey kindly pointed out to me, the bar also contained a fine antique Brunswick bar which appears to be identical to the one in Loggers Inn, in Sultan, WA. Happily, at least the bar has been obtained and will be restored by the McMennamin's group.

932 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204 - Phone: (503) 227-6185

(Note:  This is out of order because it used a duplicated number in the original entry.)

#963 - Atlas Foods, Seattle - 12/31/2009

For my 216th new bar in 2009, I finally made it to Atlas Foods on their last day in business after a decade in U Village.  The Chow owners say they were not a fit for a mall (nor, apparently, as partners any longer), and it's hard to argue with the point after suffering the seventh circle of hell known as "U Village Parking."  The food seemed fine to me, though I've heard mixed reviews from people who have been there more than I, and strictly as a bar it didn't appear to have anything that will be particularly missed.

2675 NE Village Ln., Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 522-6025
seattle times - yelp - seattle weekly - chow foods

#962 - China Dragon, Seattle - OOO

With the previous post, I realized that I'd forgotten to list one of the venerable dive bars in my own neck of the woods, the lounge at the China Dragon.  Consider for a moment all the things that are charming about dive bars, and all the things that are disgusting about them.  This place is pretty keenly focused on the latter.  It is one of those bars where you want to get drunk BEFORE you go in.

10119 Aurora Avenue N. Seattle, WA 98133 - (206) 524-5525
yelp - citysearch

#961 - Four Seas Restaurant (Dynasty Room), Seattle (I.D.) - 12/29/2009

Update: The Four Seas and Dynasty Room closed in late 2017.

---

The Four Seas Restaurant and Dynasty Room Lounge
Seattle, WA

It seems to me that the grand tradition of dive bars attached to Chinese restaurants breaks down into two major designs -- what I'll call the "slipshod" and the "classic."  In the slipshod design, the bars seem to have been improvised over a hasty weekend, with decorations from a local flea market.  Cheap Chinese cardboard mix with 50s Americana and various liquor company paraphernalia, in a hodgepodge that creates the unavoidable impression that the owners were looking for almost ANYTHING to fill wall space.  Typically, the hastily improvised lighting is far too bright for a bar and eliminates what little hope of romance might have existed.  In the Slipshod design, the only thing that seems to have been planned at all is the karaoke section.  Prime examples from the Slipshod School include Greenwood's Yen Wor Garden, Aurora's China Dragon, and Lake City's Seven Seas.

Four Seas Tiki Mug, Seattle, WA

The Dynasty Room, inside the Seven Seas restaurant, is from the Classic School.  The liquor choices are limited and the decor pedestrian, but the lighting is happily low, the decorations adhere to theme, and there are few, if any, of the cheap cardboard decorations.  It's not fancy, but you can still envision the rat pack rolling in for a few generous pours of scotch and soda or whiskey and Coke.

Slipshod Chinese Restaurant dive bars can be excellent fun due to the corresponding hodgepodge of human beings they bring in.  But Classic Chinese restaurant dive bars provide a more serene and abiding pleasure.

The Four Seas Restaurant has been running here since August 1962, constructed with the idea of taking advantage of the Seattle World's Fair, although construction delays led to it opening with just two months of the exposition to go. It is owned by the same Chan family who founded it and also Tai Tung, established in 1935 and the oldest Chinese Restaurant in Seattle. While Tai Tung serves traditional cross regional Chinese dishes, the Four Seas catered to tastes for Chop Suey, General Tso's Chicken and the classic Americanized versions of Chinese fare.

Just north of the current stadiums and a tad bit further from old Sicks Field, the lounge also hosted a number of local athletes over the years, and in Northwest Asian Weekly, co-owner Dean Lum recalled:

"I even worked the night the Seattle Supersonics (all of them) came in for dinner 30 minutes after they lost the deciding 1978 NBA Championship game to the Washington Bullets. General Manager Zollie Volchok called right after the game to say, “We’re all coming down! Get three bartenders!” and hung up. To say they were completely devastated would be a gross understatement."

714 S King St., Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 682-4900
Est. Aug 1962 - Closed 2017 - Building constructed 1962
Previous bars in this location: None known
Website: fourseasrestaurant.com 
Articles ranked: nwasianweekly - seattle weekly - seattlemag - yelp -

#960 - Lil' Jon Lounge, Bellevue, WA - 12/27/2009

As a bar, Lil' Jon holds lil' interest.


3080 148th Avenue Southeast, Bellevue, WA 98007-6420 - (425) 746-4653                
yelp -  urban spoon

#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