#2537 - Webster's Saloon, Spokane, WA - 5/24/2014

Update: Webster's closed in 2015.

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Webster's Ranch House Saloon was founded and largely built by chef William Webster and his new wife Cody (the two were married two weeks after the saloon opened). Webster had already established several other restaurants/bars in the area: Isabella's, Geno's, and the Zola nightclub. Webster's features a bbq smokehouse, cocktails in mason jars, and hosts live music in its country western decor.

1914 N Monroe St, Spokane, WA 99205 - (509) 474-9040            
Est. 2013 - Closed 2015
Previous bars in this location: Barney's Tavern, Working Class Heroes Bar and Grill
Subsequent bar: Prohibition Gastropub
Web site: websterssaloon.com (decommissioned)
Articles ranked: inlander - yelp - spokesman - hibeam

#2536 - Steelhead Bar and Grille, Spokane, WA - 5/24/2014

An solid, affordable seafood and steak house.

Steelhead Bar & Grille, Spokane, WA

218 N Howard St, Spokane, WA 99201 - (509) 747-1303
Web site: steelheadbarandgrille.com - facebook  
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - inlander

#2535 - Jones Radiator, Spokane, WA - 5/24/2014

Jones Radiator, Spokane, WA

Update: Jones Radiator closed April 22, 2016.

Jones Radiator was operating in 1921 but has only been a bar since 2010. It started out focused on craft beers and eventually expanded to a very nice craft cocktail program, with interesting live music all along. The vibe is arty but relaxing during the days and busy on weekend nights.

120 E Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA 99202 - (509) 747-6005
Est. 2010 - Closed April 22, 2016
Web site: jonesradiator.com - facebook
Reviews: inlander - yelp - tripadvisor - inlander

#2534 - Irv's, Spokane, WA - 5/24/2014

"And a note to out-of-towners who end up at Irv's: Gay Spokane is trapped in 1999. They will not notice your clothes-that-fit and non-tragic vibe. Enjoy!" (Davide B., Yelp)

Irv's was a gay dance club with a diverse crowd and regular drag shows. Since this visit it was purchased by a new owner and was renamed "Stray," retaining the basic decor and events, but Stray also closed 15 months later.

There have been bars at this location since at least shortly after prohibition. It was listed as the Reno Beer Parlor in 1934, then the Senate Beer Parlor in 1935, which it remained into at at least the 40s.
415 W Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA 99201 - (509) 624-4450
Reviews: inlander - yelp - tripadvisor

#2533 - Maxwell House Restaurant, Spokane, WA - 5/24/2014

Maxwell House Restaurant and Bar
Spokane, WA

The Maxwell House Beer Parlor / Tavern / Restaurant has been here since 1934. It feels old-school in many ways -- "old" being perhaps the 70s more than any other era -- with the Bud Lite lamps, the carpet running up the side of the front bar, the faux brick and the brass hinting fern bar. Rather unexpectedly the side door doesn't open to some back alley smoking area but rather a spacious, sandy volleyball court. Inside the restaurant menu is something like a mid-century, family steakhouse, with prime rib and lobster tail, and the bar serves typical dive bar cocktails and beers.

1425 N Ash St, Spokane, WA 99201 - (509) 326-6890
Est. 1934
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - roadtrippers 

#2532 - Checkerboard Bar, Spokane, WA - 5/24/2014

Checkboard Bar, Spokane, WA

The Checkboard Bar is a nifty little dive that appears to have been a favorite neighborhood joint for decades, become increasingly more sketchy for many years (along with this area of town), and then been considerably refurbished under new owners in 2010. Before the new ownership, the bar closed at 7pm and did not contain a public bathroom. It was then a beer only tavern, and indeed, claims to have the longest continuous liquor license in the state of Washington. Joe Heaton purchased the place in 1937 and ran it for over 50 years, becoming what locals described as the "best loved bartender in town."

The bar today has been upgraded and at least a little bit hipsterized. It now includes craft beers, hard liquor, better food, and, yes, a public bathroom. And yet we were informed by our bartender Rachel that they serve only doubles, for $3.50, and using good wells.

I would love to have more info on the early history of the place. There are a few reasons to question the oldest continuous license story. To begin with, these claims are not uncommon across older bars across the state, and they are very difficult to document -- e.g. age of licenses is not tracked by the state liquor board, and verifying virtually anything has been "continuous" across 84 years is dicey (a bartender at Maxwell House told me he knows periods when the Checkerboard has been closed). And I've been unable to find the Checkerboard or any bar listed at this address in any primary sources before 1937 -- e.g. it is not in the 1934 Spokane Polk directory, nor in the 1935 telephone directory.

But in any case it definitely has a lot of history behind it and is a nice joint for a drink.

1716 E Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA 99202 - (509) 535-4007                    
Est. 1933 - Building constructed: 1928
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: checkerboardbar.com - facebook
Reviews: spokanedivebars - inlander - yelp - cityvoter

#2531 - Bubba's Bar and Grill, Reardan, WA - 5/24/2014

Like many central Washington towns, Reardan is defined by a railway stop and grain towers. The Central Washington Railroad line laid in 1888 was first used for transporting cattle, but the livestock increasingly gave way to barley and the wheat transfered through the looming towers, and which remains the area's largest crop today. (historylink)

The small set of buildings in the shadows of those towers includes the 1905 Stevenson Building, originally home to the town's first bank, and subsequently hosting a variety of businsesses, including, for over 25 years, a tavern and card room called Bonstrom's Place. Since 2006 it has hosted Bubba's Bar and Grill, a laid back tavern named for the owner's dog (which is depicted in the sign) and valued for its burgers, cold beers, and general divey goodness. The exterior features painted cartoon cowboys and the woody interior includes vintage murals of nature scenes.

Bubba's Bar & Grill, Reardan, WA

Bubba's Bar & Grill, Reardan, WA

245 E Broadway Ave, Reardan, WA 99029 - (509) 796-2640                           ;
Est. 2006 - Building constructed: 1905
Previous bars in this location: Bonstrom's Place
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - roadtrippers