Deep Dive
Cocktail bar · Belltown
620 Lenora St, Seattle, WA 98121
Highlights
Sophisticated speakeasy with unique cocktails & upscale bar snacks
Sophisticated speakeasy with unique cocktails & upscale bar snacks
"This South Lake Union speakeasy has an entire page of its directory-style menu devoted to "above water" drinks, taking full advantage of non-alcoholic spirit brands like New London Light, Pathfinder, and Wilderton. The menu includes everything from a sbagliato-like spritz to a painkiller knockoff. Plus, you’ll still feel like you’re getting Deep Dive's signature fancy cocktail experience, considering all of the mocktails are $16 each." - aimee rizzo
"We’re all for grabbing a drink to celebrate a special occasion, and sometimes realizing it’ll actually take 14 (not 19) years to pay off your student loans calls for something more exciting than a pint at your local pub. Both situations call for Deep Dive, an ocean-themed bar from the same people behind Walrus & The Carpenter, which feels a like a classed-up, underwater Disney World. It isn’t the happiest place on earth, but it just might be the happiest place in Seattle. Like Disney World, Deep Dive is kind of a logistical hot mess. It’s located in a hard-to-find entrance inside the Amazon Spheres, they don’t take reservations, and you’ll have to wait at least an hour to get in. But you’ll be rewarded with an underwater grotto scene that makes Ariel’s treasure trove in The Little Mermaid look like amateur hour. Antique maritime oddities, taxidermied creatures, decaying books, and glowing orbs fill every nook surrounding the bar and tables. It’s highly-produced, but the suspension of disbelief is so strong that you’re happy to go along with it, kind of like how you never get pissed off that the animatronic robot jerking its arm around on the Pirates Of The Caribbean ride isn’t actually Johnny Depp. photo credit: Nate Watters The food and drinks here match the interior: showy but not tacky, special, and under-the-sea-themed. The small food menu of mostly-French, fancy bar bites is nice for any slightly celebratory occasion, or if you realized that nearly every plotline in Friends is sexist, and you need a little pick-me-up. One of our favorite snacks is the salmon rillettes that come with seeded crackers we wish grew on trees, and if you skip the caviar-topped hot dog, you’ve done this place wrong. For a main, get the black cod or the gnocchi with pesto and pecorino. The table next to us ordered a second plate of the latter after swallowing the first one whole. Even if you aren’t hungry, you should make it a point to come by for a few over-the-top drinks. Where else will the servers use tweezers to replace the lemon garnish on your aquavit cocktail if they decide the first one was too small? Probably not at the food court next to Splash Mountain. We do, however, really recommend trying a few of the food items. Because, just like at Disney World, you could grumble over a $5 water bottle, or you could slap on a Mickey Mouse hat and eat your weight in Dole Whip while spinning around in oversized teacups. We vote for the Dole Whip. Food Rundown Chips & Dip These are paper-thin potato chips that come with a creamy fennel-dill dip. It’s a subtle and delicious bite to snack on with a drink if you’re not super hungry. Salmon Rilettes The salmon is served with cucumbers, dill oil, and seeded crackers for dipping. The fish is fatty and fresh, and goes really well with the cocktails. Order it. Beef Carpaccio There’s a lot to love about thinly-sliced beef covered in olive oil, anchovy aioli, and pickled celery. Think of it as the best antipasto platter you’ll ever eat, because it is. Parisian Gnocchi The only downside to this plate of pesto-covered pasta dumplings is that you could literally eat the entire thing in three bites - or two if you have a really big mouth. But as long as you’re cool with paying $10 for a mere fleeting moment of beauty, we say go for it. Hot Dog When this hit the table, our server said, “I am just so excited for you. Are you not so excited to eat that? This is a special day.” Here’s the thing: $18 for a hot dog is and always will be outrageous in our book. But if you came here to cut back on your spending, you did something wrong. You’re here to eat the hazelnut-smoked, grass-fed, county ranch beef hot dog with whipped cream cheese, pickled red onion, jalapeño slices, and salmon caviar (yes, caviar) on a seeded bun. Generally-speaking, it’s just as good as the one you can get on a street corner for a third of the price, but not eating this thing whenever you’re at Deep Dive is a disservice to yourself. Black Cod If you’re trying to eat a full dinner here, this incredibly buttery piece of fish with creamy corn puree and tart pickled chanterelle mushrooms is your order." - Aimee Rizzo
"This underwater-themed cocktail bar from the same folks behind Walrus & The Carpenter is located underneath the multimillion-dollar rainforest attraction otherwise known as the Amazon Spheres. This tourist trap has fancy bar snacks like a $25 Seattle dog, and an extensive cocktail menu worth exploring. Want an Oaxacan Old Fashioned with green pepper tequila and chocolate-orange bitters? They’ve got it. Fernet with a cola-cinnamon reduction and balsamic vinegar? You’ve come to the right glass ball. The only catch is that walk-in wait times can take forever, so make a reservation in advance." - kayla sager riley, aimee rizzo
"No, your eyes don’t deceive you in the dim light of this fancy cocktail bar. The price is $25 for a hot dog. And it’s good…just not $25 good. Yes, there’s salmon roe dolloped generously on top and the quality of the well-toasted, everything-seasoned bun is high. But with pickled red onions crowding the toppings, you’re getting salt on salt on salt. it’s also a mess to eat, unless you tackle it with a knife and fork like Frasier Crane. A better way to spend the money is to buy double the dogs (and a bag of chips) from street vendors just blocks away." - gabe guarente, aimee rizzo
"Deep Dive is an underwater grotto-themed cocktail spot with bar snacks that will make you want to ditch your dinner restaurant plans and stay here all night. We know this, because we’ve done it several times. This place convinced us that eating a hazelnut-smoked, caviar-topped hot dog while sitting inside a classed-up version of Ariel’s treasure trove in The Little Mermaid while watching a server replace the lemon garnish on your aquavit cocktail is about as great as a bar experience gets. Deep Dive doesn’t take reservations and there’s usually a wait to get in, but when you find yourself ordering a second round of the gnocchi, you’ll be glad you stuck it out." - aimee rizzo
