Solely in Seattle is crab the proper pregame meal. Kraken followers, get crackin’!
We tried to ask Buoy the most effective place to get a meal earlier than a Kraken hockey recreation and he simply tossed us a uncooked fish, so we needed to dive into the deep ourselves. Fortunately, Decrease Queen Anne has a breadth of bars, from the overtly sports-minded Buckley’s to the traditional graffiti-adorned Streamline Tavern, plus some sleeper hit eating places. Our picks for the place to cease earlier than heading to Local weather Pledge Area embrace large patios, nice pizza, and even group-friendly beer corridor tables.
Tyger Tyger
Within the Venn diagram of area proximity and fulfilling meals and drinks, it’s robust to beat this Sichuan-ish hangout throughout the road from Seattle Heart on Republican Road. Dumplings, rice muffins with bacon, Chongqing hen, and crab curry fried rice are indisputably value a visit even with no ticket to a recreation. Then throw within the cocktail record and a bar filled with native beer and well-chosen wine. Come early to seize seats within the eating room, on the bar, or among the many handful of outside tables.
The Masonry
Lengthy earlier than Seattle had a hockey group, this pizzeria on Roy Road supplied the perfect before-game repair: wood-fired pizza, crusts effervescent and topped with good seasonal combos (summer season squash and pesto; prosciutto and onion), plus beer. Nice beer. Proprietor Matt Storm even co-authors a brewery challenge, Quick Trend, with restricted releases accessible on the Masonry. Storm’s a vegetarian turned vegan, which suggests plant-based hockey followers eat uncommonly effectively right here.
Face off with a cool dozen (or two) earlier than face-off at Taylor Shellfish.
Taylor Shellfish
Nothing says prefunk like geoduck chowder. However in all seriousness, there’s one thing delightfully Northwest about sprucing off some bivalves earlier than rooting for a group that takes its identify from a cephalopod. On the oyster firm’s bar throughout from Seattle Heart, a dozen completely shucked Kumamotos counts as recreation day meals. Particularly with an Aperol spritz or adeptly paired native pilsner. Taylor additionally presents up cold and warm shellfish-centered snacks, like smoked oyster dip, prawn cocktail, and spicy baked mussels. (The bar doesn’t take reservations, however does have some tables exterior.)
Mammoth
This vaguely paleolithic-themed sandwich store has its roots within the house owners’ earlier restaurant, Bitterroot BBQ, so smoked meat dishes are the star right here, just like the Taurus (braised brisket with cherry peppers and pepperjack cheese) and Predator (smoked hen thigh with bacon and Swiss cheese). Extra surprisingly, they virtually all are available in vegetarian variations (tofu or jackfruit), too. Greater than a dozen faucets spill out native brews and slushies (with or with out booze) on the handful of indoor seats and plenty of extra tables on the fountain patio dealing with Mercer.
Citizen Campfire
In case your rowdiest mates took over a patio furnishings showroom, the ensuing setup would possibly look one thing like Suzana Olmos’s out of doors bar, a 15-minute stroll from Local weather Pledge Area. A community of shelters, Adirondack chairs, hearth tables, umbrellas, heaters, paper lanterns, and string lights fill this walled-in lot, a secret backyard watered by boozy slushies. An outside bar dispenses drinks, sandwiches, nachos, and “Korexican” fare. The area accommodates larger, unwieldy teams significantly effectively, although is adults-only after 4pm.
Queen Anne Beerhall
A low-slung beer corridor barely faraway from Uptown’s different bars presents a ton of room and nicer-than-average bar meals with German overtones. Right here, a pretzel generally is a bread bowl for clam chowder, the underside layer of a charcuterie board, a candy dessert, or the primary occasion with mustard and home cheese sauce. A pregame beer or two will take the sting off that uphill stroll to Local weather Pledge Area.
Uptown Hophouse
As simple sports activities bars go, this one pours 24 beers on faucet (some native; all nice) and retains its meals menu centered on what’s vital: large DIY nachos, exhausting shell tacos, and chili canines on brioche buns. The bar has simply the correct amount of TVs, however can also be ludicrously near the world entrance.
A robust Moto pizza will gas you on the trek uphill to Local weather Pledge and thru any occasion.
Moto Pizza
Descending into Moto’s underground Belltown digs looks like coming into a pizza wizard’s arcade, with vibrant pink murals, a rainbow chandelier, and a sofa formed just like the again of a retro automotive. The pizza matches the whimsy, with its thick, tacky, Detroit-style crust and deep bench of toppings, together with the Filipino flavors of the Beef Adobo and the Northwest-inspired Clam Chowdah. Vegan pizza, salads, and canned cocktails spherical out the choices, and the soft-serve ice cream makes nice firm for the stroll as much as the world.
Rochambeau
Rochambeau’s fascinating and continuously altering menu of unique cocktails reads like a liquor supply truck crashed right into a produce stand: scratch-made snap pea syrup, house-infused roasted corn tequila, and contemporary purple bell pepper juice. The meals follows swimsuit, with a number of vegetable-driven small plates and a rotating Crispy Spanish Rice—so-called as a result of it’s not technically a paella (one million pedants shed a tear of happiness). Twenty uncomfortable low-back metallic stools on the L-shaped bar are the one seating choice, however at the very least you gained’t be late for the puck drop, since no person desires to linger in these.
