Brian C.
Yelp
A classic old-school dive, surviving at least in part by virtue of having no competition whatsoever in hyper-expensive, yuppified upper Queen Ann. What a fun find! And such a relief on a hot, muggy August afternoon; an oasis of cold beer and working-class sanity in a gentrified desert.
What's more, it's very clean and well-appointed. There are fun bits of memorabilia to peruse, pool tables and old video games, shuffleboard, bar-top video poker and a modern juke. The cave-like atmosphere makes it feel a little like the dinner-table blanket fort you made as a kid- a little hideaway, but with beer! Bingo on Tuesdays, trivia on Wednesdays, and happy hour 4-7 ($1 off most everything, $.50 off cans). Their t-shirts are cool!
Service is good too; efficient, smart, attentive, pleasant, prompt, and informative. So why the missing star? No food to speak of, except prefab pizza and bags of chips and nuts. If they made a decent sandwich here...heck, they may not be able to get rid of me!
But damn, I love that they're here, now, and I'm rooting for them to remain. Seattle needs to remember what it was, appreciate and enjoy its hard-edged, working-class heritage. If it doesn't, when this flavor-of-the-month boom passes by, it will have nothing culturally to fall back on.
Support this local, and your mom-and-pop joints all around town. They're what will remain when the fluff gets blown away. Highly recommended!