Great bars in Seattle

January 21, 2008 1:47 AM

What bars can you recommend in Seattle? That will be open on Monday (Martin Luther King's day).

My beloved (and her boss, and his boss) are tourists from Sydney AU and are in Seattle, and they need to find a bar for Monday night.

She reports that she quite enjoyed the Stumbling Monk the last time she was there.

What do you recommend? Does it matter that it's Martin Luther King's day?

posted by yt to food & drink (8 comments total)

MLK day shouldn't really matter. Kel's Irish Pub is a bit touristy, but the food is excellent and it is on Post Alley which is a 100 ft. from Pike's Place Market. It's very hard to recommend something without knowing exactly what you're looking for. Chop Suey and Neumos (now that Crocodile Cafe is gone) are the best places to check out a band. The Can Can Room near Pike's Place is a novel experience, but the food is shitty and the show is hit or miss. The atmosphere there can't be beat though. One final option is Freemont Ave near 35th Street. You've got the Dubliner, The Triangle, and about 7 other bars within 3 or 4 blocks.

Monday (sans football) is going to be pretty wildly dead at most places, so you're better off going someplace that has entertainment or is really comfortable.
posted by lattiboy at 1:59 AM on January 21, 2008

Brouwer's in Fremont is great for Belgian beers, American beers, and food.
posted by proj at 5:29 AM on January 21, 2008

Yeah, a part of town preference would help (and that 99.999% if not 100% of bars are gonna be open tonihgt).
posted by tristeza at 7:44 AM on January 21, 2008

Plus, how do you define "great"? Are you looking for a "cool" bar with hipsters, or a neighborhoody bar with locals, or a bar with good food, or anything specific like that?
posted by pdb at 10:39 AM on January 21, 2008

If a proper seattle dive bar experience is what you're after, you can't be the 5 point cafe.
For a general guide to a bunch of seattle bars, this guide to seattle happy hours covers a lot of ground.
posted by nomisxid at 10:40 AM on January 21, 2008

If Belgian beer was the attraction at the Stumbling Monk, then proj's suggestion of Brouwer's is a good one. It's larger, less divey, has food, and a broader beer selection. (I have mixed feelings about the food, but it's better than most US bar food.)

If you want another neighborhood pub, possibilities in the same neighborhood are the Summit Ave Tavern (a ~6 block walk from the Stumbling Monk, heading north) which skews young, or the Hopvine tavern on 15th Ave.

The new trend around here is "gastropubs", pseudo-bars that have fancier food. Brouwer's is one. In the same neighborhood as the Stumbling Monk, you'll find Quinn's (excellent food, not cheap) and Smith.

Another possibility: have dinner at the new hip & trendy Boom Noodle (modern decor, japanese small plates and noodle bowls) (Pike St x 12th Ave), then walk a few blocks down for a beer at Quinn's (also on Pike), check out a Seattle classic pub across the street (The Comet), or a band at Neumo's (same intersection) if anything is playing.
posted by mvd at 11:09 AM on January 21, 2008

Thanks guys, there are some great suggestions here. Really appreciate your help. I will check in with Ms YT and report back.
posted by yt at 12:44 PM on January 21, 2008

I liked the food a Brouwer's a lot, so YMMV, and the beer selection is world class.
posted by turbodog at 10:03 PM on January 21, 2008