Where are the good downtown Seattle happy hours?

August 3, 2015 6:17 PM

I'm getting a drink with a friend Wednesday after work in downtown Seattle, and kind of at a loss as to where to go. My ideal happy hour is a Moscow mule or Dark And Stormy with a big plate of fries/tater tots/onion rings. I'm looking for somewhere reasonably priced, within walking distance of Westlake Center, and (perhaps most importantly) will still have a place to sit available when we show up at 5:15 pm. Thanks!
posted by skycrashesdown to Food & Drink (17 answers total)

RN74 is the on the pricier side of reasonable for HH, but the drinks and food are amazing, and you should easily find a bar/HH seat on a Wednesday. And the fries are very tasty!
posted by jpeacock at 6:32 PM on August 3, 2015

That's a tough combo - there's lots of places that have a good cocktail near Westlake Center but don't have the greasy food aspect. Some examples include Radiator Whiskey and Knee High Stocking Company. Pine Box might be your best bet, although it's more of a beer place (they do have a full bar though). If you're willing to walk further up into Capitol Hill you might enjoy Sun Liquor Distillery or Linda's Tavern.

Or if you're okay with chains you could do Gordon Biersch or Taphouse Grill.
posted by joan_holloway at 6:51 PM on August 3, 2015

Downtown HH tends to the upmarket, rather than divey. Case in point: Blueacre Seafood has a great HH with tots...covered in crab and bay shrimp.

What you really want is The 5-Point, which is a little stroll of about 8 or 9 blocks from Westlake Center over to Belltown.
posted by weeyin at 6:59 PM on August 3, 2015

+1 for the 5 Point.
posted by CrystalDave at 7:11 PM on August 3, 2015

Seconding Linda's. I just walked to Linda's (well, the same block) from Westlake station and it took me about 10 minutes. It is uphill, though.
posted by pazazygeek at 7:47 PM on August 3, 2015

You are looking for Linda's.
posted by azarbayejani at 7:54 PM on August 3, 2015

Response by poster: I should add, I looooove Linda's - my husband used to live around the corner from it when we were first dating and I spent many an evening there. But I suspect the friend I'm going with won't be up for walking up the hill, unfortunately.
posted by skycrashesdown at 8:25 PM on August 3, 2015

Try Yard House. It's just across from Westlake Center and last time I was there at 5:30 it wasn't packed.
posted by oxisos at 10:43 PM on August 3, 2015

I was going to suggest the 5 point.
posted by lunasol at 12:36 AM on August 4, 2015

Radiator has some of the best tots in the universe (with gravy and a fried egg!) - five point is also awesome, try the chicken fried bacon and/or fried mac & cheese!
posted by AaronRaphael at 8:09 AM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

If you're OK with Pike Place Market, there's always the Zig Zag Cafe on Western.
posted by sapere aude at 9:27 AM on August 4, 2015

If the 5-point is in range, I'd say in the opposite direction, Damn the Weather fits your criteria, particularly for the delicious cocktails (but I do love the chicken fat fries). As a plus, you can take the light rail from Westlake down to Pioneer Square, and from there it's a simple walk.
posted by chillin411 at 11:44 AM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

I came here to suggest Damn the Weather, but chillin411 beat me to it! I walk past it every weekday around 4:30 on my way home from work and have noted that it's never full around then, so you'd be seated immediately. Plus they have a cute little sidewalk deck now!
posted by jess at 12:00 PM on August 4, 2015

Worth noting if you want a dark and stormy, that a LOT of seattle bars inexplicably don't carry ginger beer. This has gotten better in the past couple years, but is still widely true.

I came in to suggest montana(who make their own ginger beer! and are barely at the base of the hill on olive), but they don't have food.

So with that, and the not-going-up-the-hill thing in mind, you want the belltown pub. Somehow no one knows the place exists, but it rules.
posted by emptythought at 1:49 PM on August 4, 2015

The Innkeeper, also in Belltown, has good Moscow mules, fries, and a fun and delicious alternative to fries: freshly-made plantain chips. It's never been too crowded when I've been there.
posted by pril at 1:59 PM on August 4, 2015

Oh man. Montana is a great suggestion and while Wednesday has come and gone (where did you wind up going, skycrashesdown?) - I did want to say in response to emptythought that while Montana does not serve food, there is a crazy awesome little food stand right next door called Kedai Mekan and it is SO TASTY and it is totally fine to bring it with you into the bar. For future reference. :)
posted by pazazygeek at 2:01 PM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: After all that, it turned out she was fine with walking up the hill so we wound up at Linda's after all! But now I have a handy list for next time, because we're going to try to get a drink together every month, so thanks all!
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:34 PM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]