With a bevy of beverage purveyors, it can be hard to decide where to get a drink in the sea of Seattle’s fabulous bars. From cocktail bars and craft beer joints to wine bars, speakeasies and dives, here’s the definitive list of the 10 best places to get a drink in town.
Bathtub Gin & Co.
This Prohibition-era cocktail bar in Belltown can be a little hard to find. Located in the alley between 1st and 2nd Ave, the “hidden” bar is housed in what used to be the boiler room of an old brick hotel. Once you find the unmarked entrance, you’ll be walking into one of the most respected drinking holes around town. Gin is the star of the show, with 30 kinds of G for your T on any given night. The tiny, two-level space has an exposed brick interior, tin ceilings, and actual bathtub in the middle of the floor. Cozy up on a comfy couch in the low lit lower level lounge with a book from the tiny library in the back, or sidle up to the small pine bar upstairs.
Bottlehouse
We’re suckers for both wine and bars in old houses, so of course, Bottlehouse made the list. The converted 1905 craftsman, tucked away in the borough of Madrona, offers all the comforts of home in an intimate, charming environment. Bottlehouse’s well-curated wine list consists of vinos from the Pacific Northwest and all over the globe, with an emphasis on local, small/boutique, and natural production finds. The seasonally rotating menu of one-of-a-kind cheese and charcuterie is perfect for snacking while you sip. Sometimes there are educational garden wine parties on the lovely patio, a nice place to sit when the sun is shining.
Canon
This craft cocktail bar in the Central District boasts America’s largest spirit collection at 4,000 labels and counting. The award-winning “whiskey and bitters emporium” has 100 inventive, delicious drinks on the menu (the whiskey menu alone takes up 176 pages). Canon’s accolades range from “World’s Best Cocktail Menu,” to “One of the Most Beautiful Bars in Seattle”. Plus, there’s a “secret” patio that’s open during the warmer months.
Chuck’s Hop Shop
IPA lovers need to hop on over to Chuck’s Hop Shop. What was once an old corner store is now one of Seattle’s best beer bars, with cases full of hundreds of beers from around the world and 50 beers on tap at the counter. Enjoy a mason jar full of beer on the small patio when the weather is nice, like the hipster you are. There are still some light snacks for sale (a throwback from the location’s convenience store days), but we recommend grabbing some grub from the rotating selection of Seattle’s most popular food trucks that park out front. The original location is in Greenwood, but there’s now a Chuck’s in the Central District, too!
Hattie’s Hat
This Ballard dive’s stiff drinks and good food make it a local fave. The homey bar and restaurant has been around for over a century, so you know they must be doing something right. Filled with large booths, small tables, and vintage decor, Hattie’s isn’t much to look at, but it is the quintessential Seattle dive, with trivia, DJ music, karaoke, and a generous happy hour.
Unicorn
We had to include at least one “do it for the ‘gram” bar, and this circus-themed double threat is it. Unicorn is an institution , and a bar you should definitely hit up if you’re a newcomer to Seattle. The whimsical drinks are what you’d expect from a bar named Unicorn, and the carnival-style deep-fried food (think crazy corn dogs, funnel cake, and burgers) is better than it needs to be. What you’re really here for is to photograph the over-the-top, wildly colored decor full of stripes, old carousel panels, and taxidermied animal heads. Once you’ve got your Insta-story, head down to Narwhal, the downstairs area of Unicorn, where the fun really starts with pinball, arcade games, a photo booth, live music, a weekly Mimosas with Mama drag brunch, trivia, karaoke, and more.
The Pine Box
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. The macabre Capitol Hill location was once a funeral home/mortuary, having hosted Bruce Lee’s funeral in 1973. It’s a large space with comfortable booths, a vaulted ceiling, lots of dark polished wood, and plenty of room for big groups of craft beer lovers.
Knee High Stocking Co.
This “hidden in plain sight” speakeasy on Olive Way in Capitol Hill is in an unmarked building with no sign, so there’s almost no way to tell there’s a bar there from the street. The bar was so tiny that you used to have to make reservations by text, but the addition of a subterranean space, coated in rich wallpaper and topped off with a crystal chandelier, has doubled the bar’s size. Now you can just ring the doorbell to enter, although text reservations are still suggested. In addition to excellently crafted cocktails, the Filipino-inspired menu is full of treasures, from steak tapa sliders (with Velveeta cheese and Kewpie mayo) to duck-fat-fried patatas bravas.
Linda’s Tavern
Known as the “grunge Cheers,” this Capitol Hill haunt is supposedly the last place Kurt Cobain was seen alive, giving it some serious Seattle street cred. This old-school ideal of a Northwest dive is Western-themed, with a taxidermied buffalo glowering over the bar. “A nice place for nice people,” this 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.
Rumba
If dreary days have you desiring a tropical experience, look no further than this rum-driven bar in Capitol Hill. This Caribbean inspired spot is the Northwest’s premier rum bar, with over 500 sugar cane spirits. Flavorful, yet never too sweet, alcohol-forward craft drinks are made with rum from Abuelo to Zacapa, freshly squeezed juices, and house syrups. The turquoise seats, tropical cocktails, and pan-Caribbean island food menu (order the plantains!) invoke island vibes even on the rainiest of Seattle days.
Hopefully this list has helped narrow down Seattle’s selection of drinking holes for you. If you’re lucky enough, you can get an apartment within walking distance of one of these local gems. Cheers!
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