#1602 #S958 - Azteca (Ballard), Seattle - 11/12/2011

Update: The Ballard Azteca closed Feb 28, 2014

---

Azteca is a local, family-run chain, that sells pretty much the definition of standard American Mexican food.  They were established in the greater Seattle area in 1974 and now have about 35 restaurants across the Pacific Northwest, including four in Seattle.

Adventuresome or remarkable Aztecas are not, and foodies should pass. But for people who like -- or are just in the mood for -- this type of food, they have a wide array of affordable selections, which arrive in large portions. They are good for families, but usually have a cantina area, which again serve relatively bland standards.

Of course if you would like fine Mexican food, La Carta De Oaxaca is pretty much right around the corner, and if you want fine cocktails, the Ballard area has any number of fine options (consider Sambar, The Sexton, Golden Beetle, Hazlewood, Bastille, Moshi Moshi, MacLeod's, Paratii or Staple & Fancy). But on the other hand, while Azteca is not about to win three Michelin stars, you know what you're getting, and it is just fine for what it is and whom it is for.


2319 NW Market St, Seattle, WA 98107-4027 - (206) 782-7079
Est. 1974? - Closed Feb 28, 2014 - Building constructed: 1915
Previous bars at this location: None known
aztecamex.com - happyhoursinseattle - yelp

#1601 #S957 - Jamjuree Thai, Seattle - 11/9/2011

This is a Thai restaurant run by a family that ran it under the same name name in Bangkok. There is not much to the bar here, but they do serve better than average Thai food.



509 15th Avenue East Seattle, WA 98112-4512 - (206) 323-4255
Est. 1995 - Building constructed: 1929
jamjuree.com - whatsthesoup.net - whatscookingoodlookin- seattletimes - citysearch - yelp

#1600 #S956 - Coastal Kitchen, Seattle - 11/8/2011

It's hard to imagine many people would come here for the small bar, with options like Liberty and 22 just down the street.  But they serve some decent drinks and are better known for their rotating menu, especially breakfast and seafood.

429 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 322-1145
Est. 1993 - Building constructed: 1924
Previous bars at this location:  None known - Unknown if any of these restaurants included an actual bar: Beau Jardin restaurant (1970s), Bentley & Ives' restaurant (1979-1980), Diamond Lil's restaurant (1980-1981), the Ritz Cafe (1982-1993) 
seattle-eats.com - seattletimes - thestranger - funfeasts - topthisplace - gayot - yelp

#1599 #S955 - Cafe Kanape, Seattle - 11/7/2011

Update: Cafe Kanape closed the weekend of Nov 17, 2012, apparently with plans to re-open elsewhere.


"Kanape," this cafe's web site explains, is a "finger food, often eaten in one bite, but shared with many."  Cafe Kanape features such dishes from across Europe, with an emphasis on Eastern Europe.  Owner Sabine, who is from Latvia, previously owned Contour for 10 years, and could hardly have created a greater shift in ambiance, with this romantic little cafe.  In addition to the small plates it features a worldly selection of coffees, wines and beers.  It is a nice stop for some pretty good food, much of which you do not see too often, and for a relaxed conversation.

700 Broadway E, Suite D, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 708-1210
Est. Feb 11, 2011 - Building constructed: 2002
cafekanape.com - facebook - thestranger - seattlepi - seattleweekly - thehungerseattle - thestranger - thrillist - yelp

#1598 #S954 - Dulce Latin Bistro, Seattle - 11/6/2011

 Update: Dulces closed at the end of July 2012

This upscale bistro, which builds around the tastes of Mexico, Spain, and France, has moved from Madrona to a portion of the former location of Typhoon, below the Harbor Steps (the original location of Wild Ginger).  Dulces started out many years ago from a bakery in West Seattle, and is now a somewhat pricey European style bistro, with white table cloths and piano bar.  The bar is nothing particularly special, but we enjoyed the food and the service from bartender Annie.

1404 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 - 206 623-3556
Est. Oct 2011 - Building constructed: 1915
Previous bars in this location: Wild Ginger, Typhoon
dulcesbistroandwine.com - seattlemet - seattletimes - eater.com -

#1597 #S953 - The Terrace Lounge (Fairmont Hotel) , Seattle - 11/2/2011

While the "Terrace Plaza bar" may evoke images of rooftop patios and ornate gardening, the location in the Fairmont is simply a small, elegant bar off the main lobby.  The Fairmont Olympic is Seattle's grandest hotel, hosting celebrities, world leaders, and every U.S. president since Herbert Hoover.  For several years I walked past it on my way from bus stop to office, and it was a fairly common event to see motorcades and security guards swarming the back entrance.

The hotel was specifically designed by the community to be just that sort of grand hotel, with the construction in 1924 funded by public bonds.  It sits on the original location of the University of Washington, in a place known as Denny's Knoll when Arthur Denny donated it 1861 to the Territorial University.  The UW, which moved northward to its current location in 1895, retains a large chunk of ownership of the land and building, although it sold 64% in the mid 90s.  The hotel was built around the Metropolitan Theater, which was demolished in 1956 (and eulogized by Helen Hayes, after a final night performance), providing the current entrance area.


I don't know how long the Terrace Plaza bar has been open in this location, but if you enjoy genteel hotel bars, this is a nice, intimate one, with capable bartenders and a small number of interesting patrons passing through.  The lounge area extends into the lobby, but if you like bars, you'll want to be in the elegant room around the bar itself, with it's welcoming wood and lowered lights.  And from 3:30 to 6:00pm Sundays through Thursdays the bar features all-you-can-eat appetizers or cheeses for $12 each.

411 University St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 621-1700
Building constructed: 1924
fairmont.com - facebook - historylink.org - thestranger - fairmont.com - seattleweekly -

#1596 #S952 - New York Pizza and Bar, Seattle - 11/2/2011

Update: The last 5 of 7 New York Pizza restaurants closed May 12, 2017 during bankruptcy proceedings.

New York Pizza and Bar explains on their web site that they serve New York style pizza with a nice picture of a family eating Chicago style pizza.  In the next sentence they explain that they also have "extraordinary service and unsurpassable food and drink quality," which also doesn't quite square with reality.  Perhaps they are aiming for a New York style of overstatement.

But it's not a bad place.  There is pretty good, nice-sportsbar sorts of food (think Fox Sports Grill quality), many televisions to catch games, decent cocktails, and a vibrant decor in a style that recently graduated frat boys would describe as elegant and classy.

It seems like a comfortable choice to catch a game or bring the family.

500 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98104-7097 - (206) 587-0381    
Est. Nov 7, 2011
newyorkpizzaandbar.com - facebook - seattleweekly -  thestranger - yelp

#1595 #S951 - Spinasse, Seattle - 10/31/2011

Based on the Piedmont region, highly regarded upscale northern Italian cuisine, which lives up to it's reputation.  I had the tajarin, a long-standing favorite (delicate egg pasta with butter and sage).

1531 14th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122-4023 - (206) 251-7673
Est. Aug 2008 - Building constructed: 1910
Previous bars in this location: None known

spinasse.com - thestranger - seattlemet - seattletimes - komonews - seattleweekly - gourmet - yelp

#1594 #S950 - Cafe Lago, Seattle - 10/30/2011

A very good Italian restaurant (Peter Reinhart's “American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza" called it the best pizza in America in 2003).  It also has a small bar with limited cocktail options.  It serves thin crust pizza and a terrific looking antipasti plate that I will certainly order next time.

2305 24th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 329-8005
Est. Oct 10, 1990 - Building constructed: 1922
Previous bars at this location: None known
cafelago.com - seattletimes - bonappetit - seattlepi - yelp

#1593 #S949 - Electric Tea Garden, Seattle - 10/28/2011

 A small-ish club that caters to DJs and electronica, with an "infusion lounge that specializes in tea based cocktails and elixirs," hidden around the corner and upstairs from an artificial limb store.

1402 E Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 568-3972   
Est. March 10, 2007 - Building constructed: 1909
Previous bars in this location: None known
electricteagarden.com - facebook - yelp

#1592 #S948 - Pecado Bueno, Seattle - 10/27/2011

Pecado Bueno ("Sin Well") serves pretty standard American Mexican dishes, with a bit more quality than average and a good deal more personality.  They have a salsa bar, but to taste the Diablo sauce you need to sign their "Unconditional Waiver and Hold-Harmless Stipulation" where the customer agrees to "hold the ownership, management and employees of Pecado Bueno utterly without blame for any discomfort, pain, first, second or third degree burns, ruined mascara, and/or loss of self-esteem and/or respect from one's peers resulting from ingestion"

The owner is one of the founders of Taco del Mar, the margaritas are affordable and drinkable, and the food stresses local, organic, sustainable ingredients.

  
4307 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 457-8837
Est. Oct 2011 - Building constructed: 1952
pecadobueno.com - facebook - seattleweekly - thrillist - williamson.ws - fremontuniverse - eater - yelp

#1591 - Afriq, Skyway WA - 10/25/2011

Afriq is a night time place.  It opens at 9pm.  It's a Kenyan-owned dance club, with food and drinks from across Africa.  The best nights to go are Saturdays, which are reggae nights.

12619 Renton Ave S, Skyway, WA 98178-3712 - (206) 772-6300
Est. Feb 2008
thedjpeter.com

#1590 - Roman Casino, Seattle - 10/25/2011

The unincorporated Skyway area, just south of the Seattle city limits and an on-again/off-again subject of annexation by surrounding communities (Seattle, Tukwila, Renton), is not quite like anyplace else in the greater Seattle area.  It is probably the most ethnically and racially diverse large area -- one of the few where whites a (slight) minority.

The Roman Casino is one of those places that accentuates both the diversity and the ethnic cohesion of the area.  The workers seem split evenly between white, black and Asian, while the customers appear about 95% Vietnamese, and the whole is surrounded by the ersatz simulacra of famous Roman art, including a mini Michelangelo's "David" in a fountain.

 The cheesy decor does not lead to cheap food and drinks.  The mostly Vietnamese and Chinese menu ranges from $50 for lobster-based dishes, to $40 for crab-based plates, appetizers $9-$17, standard American Chinese dishes (beef with broccoli) $12-$18.  The drinks are pretty much what you would expect.  The casino is housed in a sort of shopping center structure, with a Pawn Pros store conveniently located around the corner.

11829 Renton Ave S, Skyway, WA 98178-3723 - (206) 772-7524

#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

---

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