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The Old 5th Avenue Tavern
8507 5th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115
aka: “the 5th”, the “taco stand”
The 5th is my Favorite Dive Bar in all of Seattle. Its located in Maple Leaf, between Northgate and Greenlake. Maple Leaf is an interesting socioeconomic transition area between Yuppie Greenlake and the more blue collar Northgate area. Its just about the right demographic for my tastes.
“The 5th” has been around as long as I have been in Seattle, with the same owner as long as I can recall. In fact, I don’t recall much of anything ever changing at the 5th, which is why I like it.
I flounder through the 5th two times a week if I am lucky, so I am hardly the regular that most of the characters are. My favorite night would be “Taco Tuesday”. Now there are lots of Taco Tuesdays around Seattle, but the 50 cent tacos are exactly what my Mom made for me when I was a kid. There is a $10.00 skillet behind the bar and a toaster oven that warms the shells. Somehow these tacos taste so damn good. Not “Chef Ramsey” good, not “Taco Truck” authentic, but a they will have you reaching into your pocket hoping for more quarters.
The beer selection is good, with a 10 tap beers which include working man beers; PBR, Miller, a Bud Light. (They are always cheap, but especially so at Happy Hour and after 9pm.) They have a full bar, pull tabs, 5 TVs and one rarely used pool table. The have a nut dispenser that uses a light bulb as its warmer, but somehow it works so well.
The bartenders are a polite, courteous and attentive. The regulars can be seen there night after night and are tolerant of outsiders that have manners.
This is a not to be missed Seattle Dive. This is an establishment where people from all walks of life rub elbows and go to unwind for the day. by TR
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The Reservoir Tavern
8509 Roosevelt Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115
206-526-9737
a.k.a.- the Rez
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The Rez is a classic neighborhood dive. At 2:30, there are six boozers camped at the bar. You get the distinct feeling they got here at 12pm, when the bar opened. Also get the feeling they will be here for quite a while longer.
They serve good, but not great chicken wings, really good fries and good burgers. There are a couple of pool tables, a shuffle board, a pinball machine and video golf. In the summer, the back yard is adorned with picnic tables and you can enjoy your beer in the sun.
Prices are very reasonable with $2.75 cocktails during Happy Hour.
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Bartenders are friendly and keep the bar serviced well. They are gracious when they deliver the drinks or food to the table showing a sincere interest in your satisfaction.
The Rez is only 5 blocks from the best Seattle Dive, the 5th Ave Tavern. Knock them both off your list during the same outing.
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Kangaroo and Kiwi
7305 Aurora Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
206-297-0507
This is not a dive bar, but rather a pub, not a huge difference, but there is a difference. The name says it all. We were here around 4pm and we were the only “American” speaking customers. I assume they were Australian accents, but who knows, it was cute. Football (soccer) seems to be perpetually on the TV. Great international beer and bar service that was personable and interested. Worth a look, especially when you consider that Duck Island Ale House is right next door.
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9 Million In Unmarked Bills
3507 Fremont Pl
Seattle, WA 98103
206-632-0880
What happened to the Triangle? I liked the Triangle; this place, not so much. Sat at the bar, service was good, food was ok, but this place is trying to be something it is not. The walls ooze dive bar, you can feel it in its bones, but they have turned this place into a soulless gentrified terd. Even the name is a mess. it’s a sentence, not a name....
They have held over the “PRESCRIPTIONS” neon sign from the Triangle Bar of old, but its cleverness is lost.
If you are a young she-she type, maybe this place is for you. But sadly this place represents what happened to Fremont, its now a Costco supplied, gentrified, soulless, mess. Not a dive. TR GC
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The Dubliner
3517 Freemont Ave. N
Seattle, WA 98103
206-548-1508
Fremont, the word makes my skin crawl, as does Belltown. They have lost their soul, been completely gentrified... Well, almost.
I thought by default I was going to hate every bar in Fremont based on its now soulless reputation. The Dubliner saved me. I rolled in around 4pm and found myself in the middle of a 5 hour Happy Hour. Sweet.
The Bartender was quick and polite. He passed me a $3.50 Guinness and that sealed the deal, the $2.00 PBR ratcheted my colleagues opinion up a notch. They had a Pool table, a pinball game and a handful of TVs for those not self entertained.
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The food was pretty basic, but the $5.00 humus plate was good by dive bar standards. (it wasn’t very good by most other standards.)
The bartender Donna must be pretty hot based on the love letters written on the bathroom wall, too bad she will never see them.
The next time your she-she friends want to meet up in Fremont, be sure to make this your meeting place so you can tie one on and endure the rest of the gentrified evening.
If for no other reason, this is a top 20 dive bar based on its ability to retain its soul amidst all of the gentrification in this Seattle neighborhood. TR SH
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