It’s an open secret: During happy hour, Seattle’s bars offer plenty
of affordable food to the city’s broke masses. Carefully follow this
intensive, day-by-day guide to the week’s best discounted bar fare, and
you’ll easily discover how to keep yourself fed and socialized without
busting the bank.
If you want a fancy meal on a Sunday, you have several
options. The cavernous Il Bistro (93 Pike St #A, 682-3049; happy
hour daily 5–6:30 pm, Sun–Thurs 10 pm–midnight,
Fri–Sat 11 pm–1 am), located in the Pike Place Market,
somehow manages to be simultaneously swanky and low-key. Head to the
lounge, which is graced with the loveliest vault windows you’ve ever
seen. If you can live with yourself, order the ground-veal lasagna
($3.95). During happy hour, the pasta dishes are portioned at
half-size, but your serving will be ample—a little larger than a
lady’s fist—and the lasagna is nice and hearty, while a
sprinkling of Italian flat-leaf parsley brings a pleasant freshness. If
veal gives you nightmares, get the four-cheese pizza ($8, with
mozzarella, fontina, provolone, and Parmesan). Also downtown, the Wild
Ginger’s expert kitchen staff prepares the happy-hour food specials of
the Triple Door (216 Union St, 838-4333; happy hour daily
4–6 pm, Sun–Thurs 10 pm–midnight), such as
salt-and-pepper squid ($3), stuffed calamari ($4), and Szechuan chicken
wings ($5). And in West Seattle, upscale-food discounts abound at
Shadowland (4458 California Ave SW, 420-3817; happy hour daily
4–6 pm and Mon–Thurs 10 pm–midnight), including a yummy Wagyu cheeseburger ($6) and well-loved mac ‘n’ cheese
($5).
Few things brighten a Monday like cheap oysters. If you
agree, head directly to Ama Ama (4752 California Ave SW,
937-1514; happy hour daily 4–6 pm and 10 pm–midnight), the
sleek yet unpretentious West Seattle favorite whose walls boast a
collection of sunburst clocks, a real zebra skin (to which the poor
animal’s filleted and flattened head remains attached), and a
taxidermied impala, which is creepily magnificent. If you’re really
hungry, order the chicken-fried oysters, which are panko-breaded and
served with wild-mushroom three-cheese mac and cheese ($8.75). This
dish is delicious but so rich that you won’t be able to finish it, not
even with the help of a friend. (When nine bucks buys enough grub to
stuff two people, attention must be paid.) Oysters on the half shell
are 75 cents each, so go nuts. Some are a little gritty, but they’re
all fresh and very fun to eat. As far as other oyster venues,
Belltown’s Flying Fish (2234 First Ave, 728-8595; happy hour
Mon–Fri 11 pm–midnight) will feature seasonal 25-cent
oysters (!) this September—although this difficult time slot will
challenge anyone whose schedule is inhibited by a standard
nine-to-five. In Ballard, the Jolly Roger Taproom (1514 NW Leary
Way, 782-6181) doesn’t have a traditional happy hour, but its everyday
prices are consistently low. The oyster sandwiches feature pan-fried
oysters, cabbage, and tartar sauce for a mere $2.75 each or three for
$6.95.
Today is Tuesday and you want sushi. Head to Capitol Hill’s
Liberty
(517 15th Ave E, 323-9898; happy hour daily
4–7 pm) for a variety of thrifty sushi delights, such as a $3
spicy tuna roll. (Fair warning: Liberty is a low-key and wildly popular
joint not particularly celebrated for its service, so try to get there
early, or be prepared for a bit of a wait amid the throng.) Also on the
thrifty-sushi beat is ‘Ohana (2207 First Ave, 956-9329;
happy-hour schedule varies, Tues is 5–7 pm and 9–11:30 pm),
a tiki bar and eatery in Belltown offering $3 California or salmon-skin
rolls alongside an assortment of reduced-price hand rolls. Beyond the
raw: Today brings “Taco Tuesday” deals to the Wild-rose (1021 E
Pike St, 324-9210), Seattle’s lone lesbian bar, where starting at 3:00
p.m., beef-and-black-bean tacos are $1 and chicken tacos are $2. If you
prefer West Seattle bikers to Capitol Hill sapphists, head to West
Seattle’s beloved dive the Alki Tavern (1321 Harbor Ave SW,
932-9970), where Tuesdays mean $1 Wimpy burgers after 5:00 p.m.
It’s Wednesday, and you’re ready for some straightforward New
American food. The Eastlake Bar & Grill (2947 Eastlake Ave
E, 957-7777; happy hour Mon–Fri
3–6 pm and 10
pm–midnight) brings affordable prices and little fanfare, with an
early-’90s-ish interior that’s all bleached wood and swirling floral
prints—it’s better to request the patio seating. Considering its
price, the grilled salmon burger ($4.75), prepared with Alaskan salmon
and topped with the usual condiments, is adequately tasty, and the
budget-friendly Southwestern quesadillas ($2.75) feature the standard
blend of black beans, corn, and cheddar jack cheese for an
uncomplicated treat. Best of all is the Eastlake’s daily special, which
on Wednesday means steak and fries for $5. For similar no-bull pub-grub
meals, head downtown to McCormick & Schmick’s (722 Fourth
Ave, 682-3900; happy hour Mon–Fri 3:30–6 pm, Sat–Sun
4–6 pm), a perpetually crowded franchise regarded for its
unusually large portions and cheap plates ($1.95 salmon cakes, $3.95
pork carnitas tacos, $4.95 shrimp skewers). If you’re into meat
and can handle an uppity scene and overpriced domestics, Ballard’s
Matador (2221 NW Market St, 297-2855; happy hour daily 4–6
pm and
10 pm–1 am) features discount appetizers (such as $5
blackened fish tacos and $4 Tex-Mex spring rolls) and $8 steak nachos
that are rumored to be excellent. Also in Ballard, the Tin Hat (512 NW 65th St, 782-2770) hosts an amazingly thrifty Wednesday-night
spaghetti dinner (6 pm–midnight), complete with meat sauce and
Texas toast for $3.95.
Everyone deserves Mexican food on Thursday, including your
broke ass. Head to The Saint Social Club (1416 E Olive Way,
323-9922; happy hour daily 5–6 pm), located in the tastefully
redecorated former home of the Wing Dome, where happy hour means
half-price deals on full-size entrées. The mole con pollo ($5) comes with fresh and tasty rice and beans and a
lime-juice-spritzed salad; the mole is as thick and black as chocolate
pudding, with a bitter edge that gives an unexpected kick. For other
nonconventional pub-food options, Capitol Hill’s Maharaja (720 E
Pike St, 320-0334; happy hour daily 4–9 pm) offers $1 Indian
appetizers (garlic naan, meat things) with a drink purchase. Ballard’s
La Isla (2320 NW Market St, 789-0516; happy hour daily 3–6
pm and 10 pm–midnight) offers half-price Puerto Rican appetizers,
including bacalaitos (cold fish fritters, $3.50).
On Friday, you want the best goddamned deal in town.
Unfortunately, it’s offered at Il Fornaio (600 Pine St #132,
264-0994; happy hour Mon–Fri 4:30–6:30 pm), which is an
impossibly huge, bilevel restaurant located in the Pacific Place
shopping center. Il Fornaio is a chain, which gives it a sterile feel,
and there will be no shortage of schmaltzy music and besuited
professionals in the mix. You won’t want to get drunk here. Still, the
appetizers are complimentary as long as you’re seated at the bar, and
there is no drink minimum. In fact, you don’t even have to buy a
beer—so if you’re a teetotaler and/or a merciless cheapskate, you
can just order a soda. The food is always elegant, and the selection
ranges daily from bruschetta to pizza to antipasto. Also on Fridays,
Ballard’s beloved dive bar and yacht club the Sloop Tavern (2830
NW Market St, 782-3330) hosts an intimidatingly underpriced
steak-dinner special starting at 5:00 p.m., when a cut of sirloin
topped with grilled onions and mushrooms, served with a side salad and
baked potato, is a mere $10. Meanwhile in Greenwood: Early
risers/all-night drinkers can avail themselves of Baranof (8549
Greenwood Ave N, 782-9260; happy hour daily
6 am–7 pm), home
to ridiculously inexpensive happy-hour breakfast-combination specials,
such as the two eggs, hash browns, toast, and coffee plate for $4
(Mon–Fri 7–9 am).
Thank God it’s Saturday, and Ballard’s Coppergate (6301 24th Ave NW, 706-3292; happy hour daily 5–7 pm) exists.
This deeply charming joint is known for its authentic Scandinavian
fare, and nearly everything tastes wonderful, from the gravlax (Swedish cured salmon, served with pumpernickel and dill mustard, $6)
to the blomkalsuppe (creamy cauliflower soup, drizzled with
lemon oil, $4). The kjottkaker plate (Swedish meatballs, $6) is
sublime, served with a potato puree and a savory lingonberry preserve.
Also bringing European cuisine to a neighborhood-bar setting, South
Lake Union’s Feierabend (422 Yale Ave N, 340-2528; happy hour
daily 3–6 pm) carries German fare, such as reibekuchen mit
apfelmus (potato pancakes topped with applesauce, $5).
Bon appetit, cheap eaters.
