One night long ago, a longshoreman and a cocktail waitress had sex in one of the burgundy-colored vinyl booths at Vito’s. They never saw each other again; the story comes from the fruit of their union, who returned four decades later with all her friends to celebrate her 40th birthday. In between, in June of 1984, Kim Ricketts of local Book Events fame had her water break in the women’s room (she was probably at Vito’s for a drink, back in the day when a massively pregnant lady could enjoy an alcoholic beverage in public without shame). Local promoter/DJ Kerri Harrop remembers a night at Vito’s in the early ’90s, drinking after-hours with a couple of retired cops. In 1999, performance artist/Stranger Genius/oddball Korby Sears saw both Dan Aykroyd and Snoop Dogg at Vito’s—they were sharing a booth and having a grand ol’ time.

Everybody who’s been in Seattle for a good length of time and hasn’t been living under a rock has a story about Vito’s. I surprised my mother at dinner one night by asking to go to Vito’s Vagabond Room, having fallen for the vintage signage. I was 6 years old. When I finally got inside, it was every bit as great as I knew it would be: old-school Italiano glory, tattered around the edges, smoked mirrors and lots of actual smoke. The place opened in 1953 and was home away from home to mobsters and mayors and priests. Doctors from the nearby Pill Hill hospitals got smashed after shifts. A lot of money and other stuff exchanged hands in the Vagabond Room, during card games and otherwise.

After Vito sold it, Vito’s staggered on, but in 2008, there was a drive-by shooting outside, followed by a fatal shooting inside. In 2009, it closed.

This year, Greg Lundgren—owner of bar/gallery the Hideout, producer of contemporary art projects via Vital 5—decided it was time to revive Vito’s. At the dim, packed, hot reopening last week, the room looked like it had just stepped out of the rose-colored collective memory. You’d never guess that the floors, upholstery, twinkly light fixtures, almost everything, including the bar—the place had fallen into a wrecklike disrepair—is new. (Of note: the mural on the west wall; the name change of the Vagabond to the Cougar Room, with a large stuffed wildcat named Barbara added.) The ivories of the grand piano will be tickled by, among others, Ruby Bishop, a local jazz legend who walked in one day during the renovation and, in no uncertain terms, requested a regular gig. Steve Wells, beloved from his Re-bar days, is your host. Michael Bruno, formerly of longtime Capitol Hill favorite Tango, is in the kitchen cooking classic Italian, including Vito’s Famous Cannelloni. The ace bar staff, looking dapper, awaits to mix you a perfect martini. Welcome home. recommended

9 replies on “Bar Exam”

  1. Went last night — I know it just opened, but the service was awful, especially for being near empty. Also, they overcooked my wife’s pasta and wouldn’t remove it from the check. Pasta mush + crap service = no tip

  4. I don’t get it why there is any argument. The place is gorgeous, true enough to it’s original form to bring lots of old folks back for dinner, and the food, drinks and service are better than the vast majority of Seattle bars and restaurants. Add the coolest private dining room in town and awesome entertainment … what is there to hate on?

  5. I’ve been twice now–drinks have been extraordinary (badass barman Justin has moved down the hill from the Hideout), food has been mixed to great (flavorful if overset polenta, truly fantastic meatballs and marinara). And set aside any fears that this is an ersatz hipster spot: 5 days in and I saw two different dressy septuagenarian couples, two guys in suits cooking up something downtown-ishly sinister, and a hipster couple on the food side; and a collection of barflies, folks waiting on the 60, and an afterwork party of likely Virginia Mason-types on the drink… In short, a perfectly representative slice of First Hill. I’ll be back. Maybe in about 30…

  6. I was really hoping they would return to the original layout, and wall off the bar from the dining room. The once clubby and clandestine feel of the lounge was ruined when it came down, and the bar became the focal point of the room.

    Alas, it was not to be. They did a nice job with the place, the bar staff is superb, and it sure was lovely to see Steve Wells. Bonus points for keeping the photo collages and old timey restroom signage.

    But, damn. That mural is appalling. The late, great Al Black must be spinning in his grave.

  7. Vito’s was great because the energy of 50+ years of debauchery, great drinks, great prices, great staff and knowing you were sharing space with history. It made even the cockroaches worth it! I appreciate the folks that remodel and keep alive our historic places but it still breaks my heart that we let them go in the first place. Vito’s was seriously one of the best places to remember what made Seattle, before all the youth of CH started to believe it was theirs. I hope our booth, the cooks, the creepy basement room and the ‘great to have sex against’ back room lady are still there.

  8. i loved Vitos when I first moved to Seattle and was sad to witness it’s slow demise. Imagine my happiness when two great local guys decided to restore/renew it rather than making it a cheesy Italian/mob themed establishment. Yay! But the food so far has been extremely miss & almost miss. The plating is off, the presentation is subpar & the wait staff while sincere are bar staff not food servers. Yes, there is a difference. Go for the drinks .. avoid the food for a while. I think it will get better, but the owners have bars not restaurants so it might take awhile … Just ask Linda.

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