Downtown Seattle, Seattle

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I was wandering around south downtown Seattle neighborhoods around SafeCo Field when I stopped in the Pyramid Alehouse, which is directly across the street from SafeCo House. With this kind of location, the beer just needs to be adequate in order for the place to flourish - and I can happily attest that the beer here is more than adequate. It's actually pretty good. But I wouldn't say that it is really so good that you'd want to go out of your way in order to come here. Don't get me wrong - ten years ago this place would have been somewhat remarkable. It's just that today the overall quality of small breweries is higher than it has been at any time since Prohibition, and having "pretty good" beer is no longer going to get you noticed as a microbrewer in a such a beer-passionate town as Seattle.

Rooftop bar (28th floor) at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel - which is already a good ways up the hill. They have good happy hour deals during the week as well. There are about 20 tables, and you can sit at the bar. There are also a few couches.

For years we've worked downtown a few streets NE of the Westin, and Von's is the perfect after-work watering hole saloon & cafe for good drinks and comfort food.

Feels like a very "local business crowd" saloon with not many if any tourists (except us).

Along with the typical Pacific NorthWest microbrews they specialize in making good old-fashioned icy cocktails like martinis & manhattans, with refrigerated brand/call drinks and tubing on the back bar piped directly to the bar guns. Good, well-made quality cocktails, especially (my opinion) the ice-cold martinis.

The roasted meats & burgers, etc. are the norm, I also like the chowder. You can sit at the bar, in the wood & brass saloon or outside on the Pine St. terrace.

Bottom line: been going here for years, I still like the vibe, food & drinks, conversation, not so much a "nightlife" spot, just a really good place to chill after work.

Dress Code: Casual, it's a downtown pub.

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Of all the jazz clubs in the world I have had the pleasure to enjoy, Dimitriou's is easily in the top 10, & may be my fave. Over the years I've had the privilege of hearing everyone from Stanley Turretine, Toots Thieleman, etc here: certainly some of the best live music I've ever heard in my life.

Excellent sound, lights, sightlines, staff, and world class music.

(photo top-left) - A foto of my man Dr. John (da' night Tripper) performing a killer set of New Orleans fonk the night of Tuesday 3/15/05 at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley.

A special night, the Doctor and his band were returning to the road refreshed from a week off, and on opening night Tuesday 7:30 show he burned the house down.

The new band (Lower 911) fits like a glove, and it is a tragedy this particular show was not recorded. Two nonstop high-energy hours of the Doctor at his best. I was one of the lucky 200 or so to be there & experience it.

Anyway, the Doctor ravings aside, give this club a look. It is a world class jazz venue, with owners and staff dedicated to providing the best jazz nightclub experience.

Here's an extensive VIDEO PREVIEW of the Jazz Alley experience.

I hope you get to go to Dimitriou's someday. It's Seattle nightlife at it's best.

Dress Code: Casual come-as-u-feel jazz club attire. Very laid back.

music & ambience is some of the best on the planet, and they serve food.
Check out the website.

Just saw Mitch Hedburg there this Saturday 5/29/04. I had never been there before so I'm not sure if it's always set up like that but the place was packed and because the club is very narrow and long with the stage at front it was really hard to see the acts. I think it would be a great place to see a jazz show there because the bar is really great and if they set up small tables with candles the place would be perfect. Too many people in a small place really takes away from a show though I think. we had a great time though, Mitch Hedburg is one of my favorite comedians!

Allure is my favorite place to go on Saturday night. I usually like going to bars more than clubs but I'll go to clubs if I like the music & venue. I moved to Seattle in June and I've been looking for a Saturday night spot where I can just chill, enjoy some drinks, and meet some cool people. I finally found a place that I love going to: Allure. They always have a great DJ, good music, great drinks, cool bartenders and bouncers, and I always meet some interesting people at the bar. Plus they have 3 bars so it doesn't take forever to get a drink. The dance floor is great too, not huge, but not too crowded (not a big fan of the whole meat market thing). The layout is really cool, and the VIP lounge is pretty chill and doesn't get overcrowded. I'm glad I finally found a cool spot to chill because I really haven't found many places in Seattle that play good music and have such a great atmosphere. I'll definitely be going back to Ibiza on Saturday nights.

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Dress Code: Dress nice

Just like in Oakland & Denver, Seattle also has a beautiful old Paramount Theater that runs the gamut of possible entertainment venues.

One night Elvis Costello or some other intermational music act; the next - a road version of a Broadway play; the next, maybe a classic film; etc.
Check out the website on this page and look at their events calendar: you won't believe the variety of artists & events they have all the time.

And all in a beautiful old restored theater that can be converted on the fly to any venue layout & configuration necessary.

They even have patron "club" memberships for different types of entertainment you can join & get "VIP" status if you're willing to pony up the $s.

Hey, I say any group or organization that is willing to go through all the pain & hassle of restoring and maintaining a vanishing style of theater and book quality entertainment into it, more power and hats off to 'em.

I've seen shows at the Paramounts in all 3 cities and they are almost always special and worth the bucks, and I support and recommend all three whenever I can.

Dress Code: Depends: dress down for rock; dress up for live theater.

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On Monday evenings, Jillian's has its slowest night. Therefore, they offer unlimited games for $5 from 5pm until closing time (at least, many of the games are included. There are a certain few games that are outside coverage by the fee.) For that $5 fee you are issued a magnetic card that allows you to pay for your play in any of the games.

The bad news is that we found it really hard to get stuff to eat and drink, as there was only one very overworked waiter serving the entire place. Orders were slow to be taken and stuff was slow to arrive.

There are quite a variety of games covered by the fee, including a pile of networked arcade games that allow racing against your companions.

Naturally, this is a pretty popular place to come if you are in the 12 to 15 age range, and you will certainly find a number of kids here on Monday night due to the price per game being so wonderful. It does seem a bit eccentric, for those used to playing pool or darts in a bar environment, to be sitting at a table with standard bar fare (including burger and beer) with four groups of 12 year olds also eating at nearby tables, and several groups of typical bar fly fare also eating in the same section.

However, such is the nature of Jillian's on Monday night, and I don't think anyone would want it any other way.

Dress Code: While most (but not all) places in Seattle are pretty much "anything and everything goes", and there isn't an official clothing policy on Jillian's web site, generally speaking they are on the lookout for clothing that may be identified as being part of gang promotion.

For Jillian's the exact wording on the sign out front prohibits the following:

+ No sunglasses
+ No excessively baggy clothing
+ No ripped, torn or soiled clothing
+ No headwear of any kind
+ No affiliated clothing
+ No shirtless vests or jackets
+ No athletic pants or shorts (e.g. velour, cotton or nylon)
+ No back packs or oversized bags
"This dress codes is strictly enforced after 9:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays"
"Jillian's reserves the right to enforce this Dress Code according to seasonality, promotions and late night format."

Other than that, it is generally a fairly informal place.

This place has it all. Good live music, great food, in a really interesting and enjoyable venue.

The food is delicious, as Triple Door is owned and run by the people who created Wild Ginger - one of the best places in Seattle to eat.
Excellent Happy Hour w/good snacks starts @ 4:30pm.

Always something different happening musically (check the web site calendar) in everything from jazz, blues, eclectic, pop, they seem to try everything, with some "name" artists occasionally sprinkled in.

They have a second, more casual room with jazz on Mondays called the "musicquarium."

It is all housed in a really interesting and restored building (Mann Building) in what was the old Embassy Theatre that is worth checking out.
I always hit the Triple Door website before going to Seattle, and even if the band is not my cup of tea, the food and drinks are really good.

Dress Code: Tasteful casual club / restaurant.

Now Seattle is supposed to be the home of grunge. The home of the live band scene on the Pacific.

So with this profile in mind I went out to find a great place to watch it in action. All within walking distance of the Pike Street Market. And in particular the hostel where I was staying.

What I found was this Crocodile Cafe which had 3 live bands for the night. Cost of entry was $10. And well although not perfect it was a night out in what was otherwise a dead area during a weeknight.

Dress Code: Anything.