The Best Bars in Seattle Right Now

For all the stunning natural beauty Seattle is situated amid, there’s always been something understated about the city. Seattle doesn’t really promote itself, which explains why the elite bar scene here flies under the radar nationally. It has major bonafides, though: The city was an early hot spot during the craft cocktail revival of the late 1990s, when influential local bartender Murray Stenson gained some (reluctant) celebrity. Today, Seattle’s cocktail culture continues to evolve, as the city is home not just to top-notch bars, but also excellent whiskey distilleries such as Westland Distillery, Copperworks Distilling Co., and OOLA Distillery, as well as amaro distilleries including Letterpress Distilling, Fast Penny Spirits, and SennzaFinne.

But a great bar isn’t just about a great drink; some achieve greatness thanks to a strong point of view and sense of place. Others preserve elements of a city’s history or serve as a hub for specific cultures within the city. Seattle has all of these in its bar scene—just don’t expect ostentatious VIP rooms, which never fit the vibe of this low-key city.

Music The Doctor’s Office

1631 E Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98102
@tdoseattle

Located on Capitol Hill, but away from the fray that is the Pike-Pine corridor, The Doctor’s Office feels more like the private library of an eccentric drinks obsessive than a bar. The 12-seat, reservation-recommended cocktail cocoon is luxurious in the best sense of the word. That is to say, you will be very comfortable and well attended to here, welcomed to the moody, lounge-like space with a complimentary cordial glass of bubbles and a soft, warm hand towel. The bottle selection is well curated (especially the whiskies and agave spirits), the staff is composed of experienced bartending legends and rising stars, and the cocktails are impeccably composed masterpieces.

Don’t miss: It may seem counterintuitive with all the creative resources available, but order a classic cocktail: a vodka or gin martini, vesper, Negroni, or Manhattan. Before opening, original bar manager Keith Waldbauer (who’s since passed the baton to the excellent Peter Cho) and owner Dr. Matt spent two months blind-tasting over 300 variations on each of those five drinks before arriving at TDO’s versions.

Music Screwdriver Bar

2320 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
@screwdriver_bar

Descending the stairs into this basement rock-and- roll bar feels like arriving at a great house party in full swing: Halfway down, you begin to hear the buzz of the crowd and music, usually vinyl being spun by some of the most prolific crate-diggers in the city. The aesthetic is maximalist rock-and-roll iconography plus local ephemera: a velvet Lou Reed painting here, a sign from a long-gone Seattle music store there. Accordingly, it’s a destination for locals and tourists alike—and if you stay late into the evening, you might even run into a legendary musician stopping by after their tour date.

Don’t miss: You might think that Screwdriver would be a Jack & Coke (or a Screwdriver) kind of place, but the bar selection is eclectic and the bartenders are aces. Order the Knife Party, which mixes American whiskey from the local Westland Distillery with amaro by local producer SennzaFinne along with peated scotch, allspice, and chocolate bitters. The result is a cocktail that’s bold and rich with notes of leather, smoke, and baking spice, but also deep and sophisticated. It’s like if you could drink Television’s Marquee Moon.

Music Phởcific Standard Time

1923 7th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
@pst.seattle

Imagine this: You’re at the Denny Triangle location of OG Seattle Vietnamese chain Phở Bắc. The atmosphere is counter-service utilitarian, and there isn’t a bar anywhere in sight. But there is a staircase off toward the side of the dining room. If it’s after 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, go up those stairs, pass through the curtain at the top, and be transported to one of Seattle’s most unique bars. The lighting is dim and moody, glowing paper lanterns cast a red glow over the space, and there’s Vietnamese pop music playing over the speakers. The energy works equally well for a friend meetup as it does for a date night.

Don’t miss: Anything on the cocktail menu, which heavily features Vietnamese producers like Sông Cái Distillery and ingredients like bittermelon, rau ram leaf, and andan dust. But for a simple ramp-up, get a Khoa Was Here, a phở fat-washed shot of Jameson with a phở broth back. It’s no gimmick; the phở fat-washing brings out a subtle and appealing note of butterscotch, and phở broth makes for an elite chaser.

Music Zig Zag Café

1501 Western Ave, Ste 202, Seattle, WA 98101
@zigzagcafeseattle

When Ben Dougherty and former business partner Kacy Fitch bought Zig Zag in 2002, they hired star bartender Murray Stenson, and together the three transformed the business from a standard-issue pizza tavern into a standard-bearer for the craft cocktail revival movement. Stenson moved on from Zig Zag 15 years ago (and sadly passed in 2023), but the high standard he set for craft and hospitality remains intact. The space has an elegant, timeless quality with red-tinged lighting, Victorian lampshades, dark wood, the occasional rose in a vase, and live jazz on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings. Service is in the same echelon as fine dining; bartenders have a next-level awareness of everything that’s happening in the bar, and your needs are anticipated with a subtlety that’ll fly under your radar if you aren’t paying attention.

Don’t miss: This is the definitive place to enjoy a Last Word; Stenson famously repopularized the chartreuse-based, Prohibition-era drink during the aughts. But you’d also be well-served by drinks like the Manhattan-adjacent All Hat No Cattle, a marriage of Toki whisky, Oloroso sherry, the cherry-almond-flavored spirit Mandorla, and aromatic bitters.

Music Revelry Room

4547 California Ave SW, Ste A, Seattle, WA 98116
@revelrywest

Colorful 1970s retro-futurist motifs, velvety seating, and eclectic music like Japanese jazz or experimental hip-hop greet you when you step through the alleyway entrance into Revelry Room. The space is laid out with small tables in enough proximity to encourage mingling. (We’re in West Seattle now; it’s friendlier here.) The substantial DJ booth in the corner hosts local and national DJs, tending toward a full-album listening format, while the bar highlights Black-owned distilleries, breweries, wineries, and producers such as Vusa Vodka, House of Brown, Métier Brewing Company, Boon Boona Coffee, and more.

Don’t miss: The creative cocktail menu here changes with the seasons, but a great stalwart remains the Revelry Old Fashioned. The split base of cognac and Jamaican rum is enhanced with a touch of banana syrup, plus a splash of Boon Boona coffee bitters made by the neighboring restaurant/bar Lady Jaye.

Music The Central Saloon

207 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
@centralsaloon

This list wouldn’t be complete without a representative from briny, barnacle-encrusted Old Seattle. Located in Pioneer Square, Seattle’s original downtown core, the space The Central occupies has been home to drinking establishments since the 1890s, with a pause during Prohibition. Today’s Central Saloon has seen a few modern upgrades, including a recently overhauled tap system and the installation of a couple flat-screen TVs, but the prevailing atmosphere is the kind of well-worn watering hole from another era that every true city should have. For decades, it’s also been a music venue hosting up-and-coming bands playing rock, blues, metal, and more, and most nights feature live music beginning at around 7 or 8 p.m.

Don’t miss: True to its saloon moniker, The Central isn’t really a place for cocktails. But that overhauled tap system pours very nicely, so order a Manny’s—a pale ale from the local Georgetown Brewing Company that’s a local staple and accessible mid-point in flavor profile between hoppy craft ale and mild old-school lager.

Music Linda’s Tavern

707 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122
@lindastavern

As Seattle’s preeminent dive bar, Linda’s was imbued with a heavy kind of lore mere months after it opened in 1994 as the last place Kurt Cobain was seen alive. In its early years, it was nicknamed the grunge Cheers, and it was a common meeting place for local musicians. That nickname is long outdated, but only because of the reference: Linda’s remains a staple in the music scene. The atmosphere is always lively, and the aesthetic is warm-toned, worn-in wood, vinyl booths, and amber lighting—a look that belies its ’90s origin and veers more ’60s. When the weather is warmer, Linda’s back patio is one of the best in the city, spacious and beer-garden-esque.

Don’t miss: Linda’s has margaritas on tap, a quirky option that doesn’t seem particularly dive-bar-like on paper, but makes perfect sense for Linda’s. But if you want to keep it traditional, fewer things would be more Seattle than drinking a tallboy of Rainier.

Music Rob Roy

2332 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
@robroyseattle

This refined cocktail den has served as a reprieve from the maximalist party-oriented side of Belltown since bartender Anu Apte bought it in 2009. Gentle lighting, leather couches, a midcentury-modern stone arrangement behind the bar, high-backed bar stools, a wall of vintage hi-fi equipment…it’s Don Draper–coded without feeling like a Mad Men set. Rob Roy has evolved its cocktail menu more deftly than a lot of other craft cocktail bars that opened around the same time, and it’s not a fluke that they earn frequent James Beard Award nominations.

Don’t miss: The house martini is an exercise in restraint, with a split base of vodka and gin, fino sherry instead of vermouth, and a triad of garnishes comprising olives, a citrus twist, and cocktail onion. It’s luscious with a touch of earthy minerality and sophisticated dryness from the sherry.