Belltown Happy Hour Guide

Description:

Amber is popular with singles, and makes the most of its Belltown "strip" location. The large bar opens onto the sidewalk, and the venue expands with outside tables in good weather. The interior is elegant: patrons enjoy artfully hung lighting, bamboo sculpture, and tall twigs in river rock dividing spaces. Food is uninspired but well executed. Roast chicken, grilled halibut, kobe cheeseburger, and "amber club" served with roasted Gorgonzola potatoes serve as a backdrop to the real draw here– cocktails. With over 100 distinct choices on the drinks menu, including 29 martinis and 8 "hot" drinks, it's a great place to sip and be seen.

Description:

Pool sharks take note: Down below street level on a side street in Belltown, you'll find Seattle's favorite upscale pool hall. With plenty of tables, Italian food, DJs, and DK dancing several nights a week, this place is much more than just someplace to drop by for a game of pool.

Description:

Chef Tamara Murphy, much lauded over the years by national food magazines, is one of Seattle's finest chefs, and here, at her attractive Belltown restaurant, she has introduced many a Seattleite to the joys of Mediterranean cuisine. Because the space is equally divided between lounge and dining room, and because it serves dinner until midnight on weekends, Brasa attracts a wide range of diners -- from foodies out for an evening of haute cuisine and fine wine to revelers looking for a late-night bite. If you've got a few dinner companions, start with a variety of tapas; then, for entrees, stick to the wood-fired and grilled items and you won't go wrong.

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Just downstairs from the ultra-hip Ace Hotel, this Belltown favorite offers spicy fare and tasty cocktails. It's a great choice for dinner or weekend brunch. Portions are more than generous-an appetizer may provide more than enough sustenance. Entree choices include options for both vegans and meat-lovers, and diners will love the creamy, smoky pepper flavor of the Chipotle Mashed Potatoes. A decent and well-priced wine list presents interesting choices, but the cocktails are simply stellar, with generous pours, great top-shelf selections and fresh juices as mixers.

Description:

Sexy, sophisticated, and small, this Belltown bar seems to be where everyone wants to start the evening, so it can be hard to get in or get a drink ordered once you do get in. On the other hand, if you're here to make the scene, be sure to put Del Rey on the schedule. There's good bar food, and on Friday and Saturday nights, there are DJs.

Our Local Expert Says:

One of the oldest bars in Belltown, tiki meets Seattle old-school, the staff and clientele are always local, DJs play on Thursdays and Fridays. The walls drip with the history of the edgy hip history of Belltown before the yuppies moved in.

Description:

The Scene
While the crudely carved wood sign and torches outside of the bar promise a full-on tiki experience, the interior reveals that the theme is entirely incidental. A few Polynesian items dot the busy walls, but the overall decorating scheme is a random assemblage of kitsch--most notably, a menacing stuffed cat. An equally eclectic mix of rockers, young professionals, and grizzled old-timers keep the place busy, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Draw
After years of serving only beer and wine, the Lava is now pouring the hard stuff, too. It's still beer that flows most freely, though. With a lineup that ranges from PBR to Chimay, most every palate is accommodated. A popular shuffleboard table and some video games offer amusements. The jukebox is good, but the lineup of DJs who spin a gamut of punk, soul, hip-hop and metal is better.

Description:

It's no secret why, for the last 25 years, this fun Mexican eatery has survived the economic ups and downs of its Belltown neighborhood. The menu is diverse, the preparation terrific, and the cost very reasonable. The festive space is fairly small and nearly always filled with people and chatter. The platters are enormous, yet the generous portions fill them up. Order up a round of margaritas and give the tasty fajitas and enchiladas a try. There is a good selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes as well.

Description:

The tiki-torch and beach decor may not thrill everyone, but no one who stays to eat will be disappointed. Making the most of Hawaiian plate-lunch tradition, Chef Dennis Odea serves up delicious island comfort food from appetizer pupus to hearty entrees. Try the classic Ahi Poke. Also try the Japanese menu items. A tender and not-too-sweet Beef Teriyaki competes with Seattle's best. Desserts include a decadent Bananas Foster. The full bar features more tiki drinks. A late-night menu is available. Reservations are recommended.

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This jazz club is the real thing: a popular after-hours hangout for musicians and a good place to catch up-and-coming performers. American and Mediterranean food is served.

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This big, bright, and boldly styled Japanese restaurant is a hit with youthful habitués of Belltown. Not only is the sushi good, but the menu has plenty of other interesting options. To start, try the miso soup with clams and then maybe the kabocha squash dumplings with mushrooms. But be sure to save room for some of the creative sushi rolls (makimono). I like the caterpillar roll (eel, cucumber, avocado, and flying-fish roe). There's live music (mostly jazz) here Sunday through Thursday nights.

Description:

Just look for the crocodile skin-patterned sign in the window, and you'll have found this popular hangout. Part eclectic diner, part rock club, it draws people from all over to its location in chic Belltown. This popular 21+-dive club attracts people from all over to hear live rock and alternative music. Famous rock stars that have Seattle roots are said to play inexpensive, unannounced shows at this location. There is a full bar and a full menu of burgers and the like; the Cajun Burger is especially popular.

Description:

Umi Sake House is a unique Japanese cuisine restaurant in the Belltown area of Seattle featuring the highest quality seafood available in the Northwest, a large izakaya-style tapas menu, and boasting a sake list of over 60 imported Japanese bottles. The interior is multi-faceted, with a black slate tiled traditional dining room, a gorgeous 14 person capacity wooden sushi bar, a semi private "tatami" room which holds 12 people, a larger 25 person private dining room, an enclosed "back patio" casual dining room complete with tropical garden, a black concrete liquor bar with custom sake cocktails and fusion traditional cocktails, and a "front porch" casual dining area with a daily extended happy hour from 4-8pm. The variety of atmospheres allows for a different experience with every visit, and the vastness and quality of the menu does the same. For the budding sake enthusiast or the seasoned veteran, the sake menu at Umi is bottle for bottle the best found anywhere outside of Japan!

Description:

Conjuring up the ghosts of dinner clubs of the 1930s and 1940s, this high-end Belltown steakhouse looks as though it could be a Fred Astaire film set. Okay, you may find a better steak at one of the other high-end steakhouses in town, but you just can't duplicate the purely theatrical experience of dining at El Gaucho. Stage-set decor aside, the real stars of the show here are the 28-day dry-aged Angus beef steaks, definitely some of the best in town -- but know that the perfect steak doesn't come cheap. All the classics are here, too, including Caesar salad tossed tableside and chateaubriand carved before your eyes. Not a steak eater? How about venison chops, Cornish game hen, or Australian lobster tail? There's also a classy bar off to one side and a separate cigar lounge.

Description:

Black Bottle is an informal gathering place that bills itself as a 'gastro-tavern' and accommodates intimate rendezvous or large boisterous parties. The décor is minimalistic yet comfortable, with namesake black floor, ceiling, chairs, and barstools. A full bar, several choices of beer on tap, 'hard-working wines'–those that delight the palate for a reasonable price–and imaginative dishes sized for sharing won't leave you with sticker shock. Indulge in pork belly and kimchi, mussels Marseille style, potato and prosciutto wheels, or one of several specialty flatbreads made to order. Finish with pear sorbet with candied lavender for a satiating meal.

Description:

There is something striking about this stylish and trendy restaurant, known as the Frontier Room. Established 50 years back, it stays true to its roots and serves delicious Southern fare. Spread across 4,000 square feet, be ready to be dazzled with the casual yet cozy and stylish ambiance of this eatery. Their menu includes mouth-watering barbecue dishes that go along well with excellent wine. Their bar is certainly top of the class that not only serves regular beer and cocktails but also exquisite wines. The large space is ideal for functions and events. Live performances are the norm here. There are  DJ nights as well. It is a great place for some live entertainment. Come and see it for yourself specially their thrilling Christmas and New Year's day parties. There is no dearth for entertainment or good food here. Come by and indulge in gastronomic delights and first class entertainment at the Frontier Room.

Description:

Cellar's is a restaurant that wears many hats. For dinner, it's an elegant, intimate event, complete with filet mignon and candlelit tables. For happy hour, it's a hip, crowded joint with $5 cocktails and a lengthy appetizer menu for under $6. And at night, it's a live music venue where you might see anything from couples enjoying jazz to dancers shaking to it some samba.

Description:

During the day, this is one of your options if you happen to be in Belltown and craving Mexican food. By night, come to dance some salsa, reggaeton and merengue – and have a few drinks as well. Happy hour is from 5pm-7pm, and includes discounted appetizers as well as $3 wells, $4 beer, and $5 margaritas.

Description:

Located in the historic MGM/Loews building, Buckley's is the place to go when nothing other than a pint of Guinness in a "classic pub" atmosphere will do. In addition to the bar and regular seating, Buckley's offers two private rooms for meetings and parties, both of which include audio/video capabilities. When there's a game on, this is the place to go in Belltown.

Description:

Infamously low-key atmosphere, fantastic sushi and $3.95 appetizer items for happy hour – what's not to love? If you need a little sashimi and sake in Belltown, come on in.

Description:

Not your normal Japanese joint, Kushibar offers Japanese street food like kushiyaki, hot pots, udon bowls, along with cocktails, beer, sake and a great happy hour menu.