I’m turning twenty-one in about three weeks. I already have sources of alcohol, so I’m not looking so much towards being able to buy beer at grocery stores (although it will be slightly more convenient).
What I’m really looking forward to is the ability to go to drinking establishments. I often, passing by on foot or bus, notice bars that look really well-kept and interesting, and think I’d like to try them.
What nice Seattle bars can you recommend? They don’t have to be really ritzy, but, you know what I mean: well-kept, good food on offer, not too many hoodlums.
I’m pretty sure I say this every time you ask a question about Seattle and I bet you’re bored of hearing it, but you might want to check out the Seattle LiveJournal community. You wouldn’t even have to join up on LJ to ask this question on your own- just check on the “bars” tag and see what the snarky people there have to say.’
Yelp (link goes straight to Seattle Nightlife section) will also be pretty darn useful, since you can search by neighborhood there and get a lot of reviews.
It’s not at all classy, but if you find yourself looking for a reason to have a beer on a Tuesday evening with some Dopers, drop by the Old Peculiar for trivia night. We could use a young person to answer questions about that damn hippity-hoppity music the kids listen to.
Just post in our thread to let us know you’re coming and we’ll save you a seat.
How about Oliver’s? Winner of many a martini contest. It is a classy hotel lobby bar (Mayflower) - small, intimate and quiet. At the corner of 4th and Olive.
I’d start there then wander up to Belltown for the rest of the celebration.
If you want to learn about wines, try the Purple Cafe, 4th & University.
In the U-District, just about the only classy bar is the District Lounge underneath the Hotel Deca. It’s intentionally out of the way and away from the general student griminess of the Ave. The second nicest bar on the Ave is Kais and that’s also not on the main strip.
For serious, craft oriented, cocktail focused bars, The Zig Zag Cafe underneath Pike Place Market is one of the best bars on the west coast and a serious Seattle gem. Liberty in Capitol Hill & The Hazelwood in Ballard are also other great cocktail bars.
If you want pretentious yuppie bars, belltown is the place where you can be well dressed and fabulous for a lot of cash.
If beer is more your thing, then Seattle is a great place for you. There’s literally more beer focused bars in Seattle than you can drink in a lifetime. Die Bierstube in Ravenna, The Belgian Beer cafe in Fremont, Pike Place Brewery downtown…
But if you’re about to turn 21, why not do the classic 21 run up the ave? Start from the College Inn and grab a drink at each bar up the Ave until you end up at the Knarr… No better way to be introduced to drinking in the U-District.
By the way, I may have phrased my OP in a poor manner. I’m rather chickenshittish, so when I said “high class” I really just mean “would not scare me”. I didn’t mean to seem pretentious or anything like that. My mother actually recently filed for bankruptcy, which tells you how much money my family has.
I second the U District Ave climb. A great variety of bars, none too nasty or too pricey. Diving into Broadway/Capitol Hill or Belltown for a first adventure may be a bit intimidating if you are a bit skittish like you say.
Certainly not “high class” but an always fun and interesting little joint is the 5 Points, located just a few min. walk down from Seattle Center.
It has a feel like many classic lounges, with students, slackers, businessmen and average 9 to 5 workers all enjoying a drink and a bit of each others company…
Ok, I’ve only been there a few times, and not at all in the last 15 years. But I hope they still have their tie-dyed pool table and chess games in the back!
Edit…on second thought…save it for when you’re more experienced. I suspect you’d be squicked out, and you need a more positive good time on your b-day.
Good luck in advance, and happy birthday
And if you do decide to swing over to the blue moon, avoid Fusion Ultralounge next door. I met the owner of that place once, he made his fortune in the dot com boom by inventing the pop-under ad and he’s exactly as douchey as that implies.
