Seattle has no shortage of nightlife options. From trendy bars and eateries to legendary live-music spots, we’ve got the best places to go out and paint the Emerald City green.
Belltown
This hip, historic neighborhood is filled with high-rise condos and trendy bars, eateries, nightclubs, and legendary live music spots. The central Seattle district is a 10-minute walk north of downtown near the Space Needle, the pier, and Pike Place Market. Skip the touristy First Ave and head over to Second Ave to catch happy hour at one of the many restaurants, or start bar-hopping with skee ball at the Rabbit Hole.
Branchwater is Seattle’s Kentucky bourbon bar, boasting an expansive menu of craft cocktail and bites with a southern flair. Those who prefer suds should head to No Anchor. The world-class beer bar was also a James Beard Best New Restaurant Semi-finalist in 2017.
Bathtub Gin—one of the most respected drinking holes around town—boasts 30 kinds of G for your T. You just have to find the hidden entrance to the Prohibition-era cocktail bar (Hint: It’s in the alley between 1st and 2nd Ave). Housed next to two iconic Seattle staples, The Rendezvous and Jewelbox Theatre, Wakefield Bar is another popular spot, known for its southern-inspired food and great drinks.
Since 1991, The Crocodile has been recognized as Seattle’s best live music venue, hosting Nirvana, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and more. For jazz, there’s no place like Tula’s. The jazz club hotspot has live music by top jazz artists six nights a week, plus Northwest and American cuisine. Then head to The 5-Point Café for some late-night (or early morning) grub at Seattle’s best dive, open 24/7.
Capitol Hill
Known locally as “the Hill,” this area directly east of the downtown retail core is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Seattle and the center of the city’s LGBT community. One stop from the Westlake Link light rail station, Capitol Hill is largely urban and fairly walkable. The eclectic, culturally diverse hood has a slew of restaurants and a plethora of bars.
Still Liquor on Melrose is an old-fashioned watering hole housed in a 1920s garage. Urban cowboys should head down Olive Way to Montana, a Western-themed dive bar featuring cocktails on tap, craft beer, live music, and happy hour specials. “Hidden in plain sight,” the Olive Way speakeasy Knee High Stocking Co. is in an unmarked building with no sign where you have to ring the doorbell to enter (text reservations are suggested). In addition to excellently crafted cocktails, the Filipino-inspired menu is full of treasures, from steak slider tapas (with Velveeta cheese and Kewpie mayo) to duck-fat-fried patatas bravas.
Linda’s 
Known as the “grunge Cheers,” Linda’s Tavern is supposedly the last place Kurt Cobain was seen alive, giving it some serious Seattle street cred. This Capitol Hill haunt is where you go for shots and pitchers of beer in a wide comfy booth, with a pool table and jukebox to boot. Breakfast is served until 3pm on the weekends, but the burgers are exceptional if you’re there for lunch or dinner. Get there early to stake out a place on the giant outdoor patio out back when it’s sunny.
Head to Pike/Pine to one of America’s best whiskey bars in America, Canon. This craft cocktail bar in the Central District boasts America’s largest spirit collection at 4,000 labels, and has been praised as having the “World’s Best Cocktail Menu,” and for being “One of the Most Beautiful Bars in Seattle”. It’s also one of our top 10 picks for where to drink in Seattle. Be sure to check out their “secret” patio that’s open during the warmer months.
The Pine Box Rumba
Pine Box, aka “The PB,” is one of the best beer bars in Seattle, the Northwest, and America, with over 30 rotating taps of craft beers sourced locally and globally. The curated beer list includes lots of hard to find rarities—some are even poured through a flavor-infusing filter. Head to the Foreign National for highbrow cocktails and a late-night snack (food is served until 11pm). Or, check out the Spanish-influenced bar and eatery Herb & Bitter Public House’s vintage vibe. Seattle’s own slice of Bavaria, the German Biergarten Rhein Haus, offers bratwurst, pretzels, and schnitzels, plus fireplaces and bocce ball courts for rent. If dreary days have you desiring a tropical experience, look no further than Capitol Hill’s rum-driven bar Rumba. This Caribbean-inspired spot is the Northwest’s premier rum bar, with over 500 sugar cane spirits they mix up with freshly squeezed juices and housemade syrups.
Ballard
This former fishing village just seven miles outside of downtown is largely residential, but walk down the tree-lined Ballard Ave and you’ll find plenty of lively bars and restaurants to explore. Have an Amaro cocktail at the snug, Moroccan-tiled Barnacle, opened by Seattle’s hottest chef, Renee Erickson. Then go next door for oysters at her restaurant The Walrus & The Carpenter. Enjoy a cold one and some live entertainment at Seattle’s oldest Irish pub, Conor Byrne Pub or visit ye ole Macleod’s for a pint, a dram of single malt whiskey, or a scotch cocktail.
Ballard Ave is a mix of refined drinking establishments and dive bars, all on one street. If you’re feeling bougie, treat yourself to an “apothecary-inspired cocktail” at Percy’s & Co. (they have a Southern/Creole menu) or peruse the menu of craft cocktails and southern comfort food at The Sexton. If a tall boy is more your style, check out Hattie’s Hat for happy hour. The quintessential Seattle dive’s stiff drinks and good food have made it a local fave for over a century. Head to the divey Tractor Tavern for the best selection of live local and national rock, pop, alt-folk, and blues music.
The neighborhood hangout Bastille is an ode to Parisian café culture, serving dinner, late-night bites, and brunch as well as wine, beer, and cocktails. Staple & Fancy has simple, Italian-inspired food with à la carte staples offered alongside the multi-course “chef’s choice fancy menu”. Ballard Annex Oyster House serves the type of fresh seafood Seattle is known for, including made-to-order bisques, chowders, and soups. You can’t go wrong with cocktails from Essex, or with the “World-Famous burger” cooked in a woodfire oven from the trendy cocktail bar’s sibling and neighbor, Delancey.
This barely covers the tip of the iceberg when it comes to going out in Seattle, but these three hoods should give you a good start. Find your apartment on Zumper and make one of these spots your local watering hole.
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