94 Best Nightlife in Seattle, Washington

In an area full of bars with themes, styles, and hooks, La Dive stand outs as simply an excellent and fun bar for absorbing the neighborhood vibes. A long, L-shaped bar opens the room for conversation, while the booths allow for small gatherings. The sidewalk tables in front are prime people-watching spots and give the feel of a popular Parisian bistro. The drinks menu focuses on natural wine, with a few classic cocktails, plus their signature alcoholic slushies. As the evening goes on, more customers turn to the Cham-bong to slurp their sparkling wine. Thankfully, a strong food menu, with late-night options, keeps things from getting too wild. Look for upscale bar snacks with a slight Eastern European tinge, as in the dumplings section.

A spot of Caribbean sunshine in the Northwest, Rumba stocks hundreds of rums which they offer in a half-dozen styles of daiquiri, various punches, and other assorted cocktails. Staffed by many of the best bartenders in town, this is a place for serious spirit aficionados to dig deep, but even rum rookies will feel welcome in the bright, friendly space with its turquoise bar stools and banquettes.

Cocktail nerds should reserve ahead for the immersive bar-within-a-bar, Inside Passage, where Kiki, a tentacled sea monster, greets them for drinks served in unique vessels, including a camera lens and a rice cooker.

Stoup is a great starting point for exploring Ballard's excellent craft-beer scene. A good-size tap room and patio area are family-friendly, and a rotating roster of food trucks feeds beer enthusiasts as they sip staples like the Citra IPA and Mosaic Pale Ale, as well as new and experimental brews.

The heart and soul of Seattle's music scene since 1991 has hosted the likes of the Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam, and Mudhoney, along with countless other bands. There's a reason Rolling Stone once called The Crocodile one of the best small clubs in America. Even now, in new, much larger digs (the main room has a 750-person capacity) not far from the original, The Croc retains its old-school Seattle vibe.

A mixed crowd of mostly locals hunts out this unique spot at Pike Place Market's Street Hill Climb (walk past the Gum Wall to find a nearly hidden stairwell leading down to the piers). In addition to pouring a perfect martini, Zig Zag features a revolving cast of memorable cocktails and a Mediterranean-inspired food menu with plenty of tasty bites. A small patio is the place to be on a summery happy-hour evening. Zig Zag is friendly—retro without being obnoxiously ironic—and very Seattle, with the occasional live music show to boot.

Well-dressed locals head to this hard-to-find wood-paneled bar to sip double martinis while taking in peekaboo views of Elliott Bay or studying the scripts, handbills, and movie posters that line the walls. The lower level is more crowded and casual. Stop by for a drink or a meal (the pizza is great), and stay to listen and dance to live music. Happy hour—daily from 11:30 am to 6 pm—is quiet and a good respite from the Market.

Sit at the white tile bar—or on the patio on a sunny day—of this Italian cocktail bar and order delicious antipasti and desserts to go with expertly prepared drinks. Beer selection is limited, but Artusi has great wine options. Make it to the 5–7 pm happy hour.

The fruits of Yakima's hops and apple crops come to the westside at this sprawling joint facility. One of the state's best breweries brings its vertically integrated beers to the space shared with a creative-minded cidery. Together, they offer 32 drinks on tap, a rotating selection of food trucks, and plenty of seating of various sorts at the kid- and dog-friendly, indoor and gravel-lined outdoor space.

On the quiet side of the hill, this cute European-style café-bar feels like it's been around forever despite opening in 2022. The craft cocktails feel like classics but include a number of creative originals, and the menu offers plenty of low- and no-alcohol options. The terrific food menu reads like a high-end restaurant menu, but the upscale, gastropub-style snacks come out bistro casual.

Part of the Sea Creatures mini-empire led by chef Renee Erickson, Barnacle is a narrow bar adjacent to the popular restaurant The Walrus and the Carpenter. It invariably collects people waiting for tables, but with a beautiful copper-topped bar, tiled walls, and plates of oysters, cured meats, and fish to go with the aperitivos, it’s a great place to drink and snack even if you aren’t planning to dine next door.

The speakeasy trend has produced some lovely, intimate bars, including this one, which is reached via a wooden door in an alley next to the Humphrey Apartments (it's actually in the basement of the building). The tiny, shabby-chic bar is a laid-back spot to settle into a couch for a few drinks. Note that despite being a pain in the neck to find, the bar still attracts the hard-partying Belltown crowd on weekends, so go midweek for maximum serenity.

With its neat brick walls, polished wood floors, and vintage memorabilia, Big Time Brewery is one of the best places in the U-District for a quiet beer away from the frenetic college scene. Opened in 1988, it was one of the first local brewpubs of the craft beer movement. The brewery offers more than a dozen beers on tap, including cask ales. Skip the mediocre pub grub.

This sleek and sexy gastro-tavern makes the northern reaches of Belltown look good. The interior is simple but stylish, with black chairs and tables and shiny wood floors. It gets crowded on nights and weekends with a laid-back but often dressed-up clientele. A small selection of beers on tap and a solid wine list (with Washington, Oregon, California, and beyond well represented) will help you wash down the sustainably sourced and creatively presented snacks and shareable dishes, including house-smoked wild boar ribs, pork belly with kimchi, and oysters on the half shell. Vegan and nut-, dairy-, and gluten-free options are plentiful.

It may look like a trendy Gothic castle, but in fact this is heaven for Belgian-beer lovers. Set in a former warehouse with two floors and lots of seating (as well as an outdoor patio), Brouwer's has 64 drafts in total—though not all dedicated to Belgium's legendary suds. Also on tap: German and American/Northwest beers, as well as English, Czech, and Polish selections. Brouwer's serves food too, with several Belgian dishes among the options.

This is an elegant place for dinner and dancing, with a polished, 2,000-square-foot dance floor. Salsa and swing events often include lessons in the cover charge. There's swing dancing on Tuesday and Wednesday, a bachata social on Thursday, and salsa on Monday and Saturday.

One of the city's defining music venues of the early 21st century continues to put on terrific shows, book acts that will make headlines in the future, and support local artists. The eclectic mix of performers defies categorization, and nights without shows offer dance parties and DJs. The venue underwent a much-needed remodel in 2015 that improved the space and removed some of the questionable "Asian" decor, though the name, to the chagrin of many, remains.

Were it not for the awning, picnic tables, and rotating food trucks routinely parked outside, this place might look like just another corner convenience store—which it used to be before owner Chuck transformed it into one of North Seattle’s favorite spots for sampling craft beer. With 50 taps, Chuck’s features an especially good selection of IPAs and ciders on draft, many of local origin. Families love this extremely kid-friendly spot—there’s an ice-cream counter, ample seating inside and out, and stacks of board games. Chuck’s also offers a huge selection of bottled beers from all over the world, including gluten- and alcohol-free options.

The best beer bar in Pioneer Square features 22 rotating taps of Northwest (including Boundary Bay, Chuckanut, and Anacortes) and California beers and a long list of bottles from the region. Its upscale pub menu features local and seasonal ingredients.

You might actually hear an Irish accent or two at this laid-back pub, along with live folk, roots, alt-country, bluegrass, and traditional Irish music. There's live music almost every night and great beer (including the obligatory Guinness on tap).

The Cuff Complex is one of the city's oldest LGTBQ+ bars and also one of the broadest, with four bars, billiards, darts, and all sorts of events. It strives to be a manly leather bar but attracts all shapes, sizes, and styles. The loud, crowded dance floor is tucked away downstairs; the main-floor bar, with its patio, is the place to be on warm nights.

Renowned local chef Renee Erickson opened an enchanting nautical-themed speakeasy inside the Amazon spheres. The immersive decor adds to the swanky feel. Aside from the luxurious setting, guests are drawn by the fancy and creative cocktails using ingredients such as fig-infused grappa. The short but sexy food menu includes a high-end version of the cream cheese-garnished Seattle dog and a caviar service.

Seattleites dress up to see nationally known jazz artists at Dimitriou's. The cabaret-style theater, where intimate tables for two surround the stage, runs shows nightly. Those with reservations for cocktails or dinner, served during the first set, receive priority seating.

A true neighborhood spot, this small jazz club and restaurant is devoted to music education during the day and performances from local and touring acts in the evenings.

On a quiet street removed from bustling Ballard, Essex boasts craft cocktails, a handful of which are served on tap. The rotating cocktails often include house-made ingredients or are barrel aged, and all have something of a cocktail-nerd bent. A solid wine list and local beer selections are also available, as is a selection of wood-fired dishes that come out of the pizza oven at next-door sibling shop Delancey.

In the land of IPA enthusiasts, Fair Isle bravely brews an assortment of innovative saisons and farmhouse ales, often incorporating local ingredients such as rhubarb and elderberry. Fair Isle lends its kitchen to a wide variety of pop-ups serving everything from Turkish lamb roasts to Taiwanese soups. While the taproom is adults-only, the food is sold from a tent in front, allowing all-ages access (and plenty of nearby breweries will let you bring in food). On Fridays at 5 pm, one of the co-owners guides tours through the brewery that include a tasting of young ales.

The original idea was a clever one for a perennially drizzly city: indoor mini golf for grownups and a great local draft beer list. Flatstick Pub's fun-focused concept was such a hole-in-one that it's since expanded to six locations total around the region, including this underground Pioneer Square spot. Set in an industrial-cool space with brick walls, exposed ducts, and colorful artwork, Flatstick features a mini golf course that spells out "Seattle" and a 12-foot tall Space Needle that lights up if you sink it on your first try. You can also try your hand at Stick Putt (think skee-ball meets putting) and Duffleboard, a Flatstick-invented tabletop golf game.

The quirky murals at all Flatstick locations were painted by local artist Ryan Henry Ward. If you spend any time driving around Seattle, you're sure to see his art and prominent simple signature on a building or wall; he's the city's most prolific muralist, with works sometimes featuring Pacific Northwest subjects, including Sasquatch. Not everyone appreciates his widespread whimsy, but nobody can deny his art is a memorable part of the cityscape.

This bright, high-ceilinged space in a historic building in Pioneer Square still features the safe doors of the former Japanese Commercial Bank that once occupied the building. Post-work crowds and pre-game sports fans mix at the U-shape marble bar and a few small tables during a daily 4–7 pm happy hour. There’s a rotating list of classic cocktails, newly developed libations featuring house-made infusions, and a beer and wine list. Small plates like pork terrine, wings, and sardines come out of an open kitchen.

From the owner of Linda's Tavern in Capitol Hill, King's Hardware has the same ironic rustic decor, great patio space, and cachet with hipsters. It also has great burgers. It gets packed on weekends—if you want the same scene with fewer crowds, go two doors down to Hattie's Hat, which was the reigning spot until King's showed up.

This small, sweet bar gives grandpa's basement vibes, if grandpa came from Eastern Europe and alternated his glass of house-infused vodka with the occasional craft cocktail. A few booths surround the live-edge, U-shaped bar, and floral wallpaper completes the feel. The small food menu features Slavic classics, including a variety of dumplings, pickles, and borscht.