Steak Houses

U District / Eastlake

This area is populated by college kids, pretty obvious. My college years are long since behind me and generally is my patience for drinking with rambunctious kids. With that stated, if you are an early afternoon drinker, a happy hour drinker; these bars are very tolerable and generally have great prices. 

U District pages:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Home Grilling

Steak 101

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The Northlake Tavern and Pizza House

The  Zoo

2301 Eastlake Ave E

Seattle, WA 98102

206-329-3277

Wow, I thought I had been to The Zoo before, I was mistaken. This place looks awesome, I was there early, so tough to judge the complete vibe without many customers, but it had the air of a great bar. The bartender was the owner, what I nice guy. He sat and bullshit with me for 20 minutes. He has co-owned the place since the 70’s.  He is the guy you want serving you beer and advice from either side of the bar.  I can only imagine as more customers rolled in, the one on one would have petered out, but I enjoyed it while I could. He reminded me of Jeffery Lebowski, were he to have owned a bar.  Several pool tables, views of Lake Union out the back and thousands of pieces of memorabilia from the past 40 years make this place fascinating.  This is a top five dive bar for sure, but I will need to revisit to get a feel of the customer base and see the staff interacting with a crowd. It is heart warming to see such a down to earth establishment in the Eastlake neighborhood. TR

The Blue Moon

712 NE 45th

Seattle, WA 98105

206-675-9116

The Blue Moon is a Seattle icon. Some people describe the bar with affection and embrace its somewhat famous former customers; Dylan Thomas and Allen Ginsberg ( beats me.), others complain its blight on the neighborhood. It’s definitely a dive, that is for sure.

They have a full bar with 10 beers on tap. Oddly they only have one blue collar beer, Miller. Most of the patrons were quite scruffy, to be polite. The bar felt dirty. I am not sure what they might have served for food as the thought of eating there never crossed my mind. There is lots of memorabilia on the walls and carved into the tables, and about 50 years of cigarette film incrusted on everything. I would sooner sniff asbestos, than touch some of the posters on the ceiling.

The bartender was very nice and very attentive. It’s a must scratch off the Seattle dive list, but I can’t say it would be my hangout, even if I lived close by. TR SH

Gallway Arms

5257 University Ave NE

Seattle, WA 98105

206-5270404

What a pleasant find, a top 20 dive bar and unexpected. With Tom Waites music playing, great service and a cool customers; this place is a must visit. They had Hamms on draft for $2.00, and a nice selection of crap beer in cans, I opted for the Schmidt, I am in no rush to repeat that order. 

The place is dark, but you don’t have to see well to feel the history. Things are worn out, but not dirty. The bartender didnt have an inch of skin that wasn’t inked, but he showed no attitude, in fact was quite cool. There looked to be a UW professor there, studying or grading papers and drinking his Hamms...  The other customers were mainly mid twenties, but quietly muttering between themselves.

Full bar and a half dozen tap beers promise to help you escape your day. No significant bar entertainment or games, so go for the great dynamic here, go for the vibe and bring your pals, but please don’t wreck the place. TR SH 

Chicago Style Pizza

5301 Roosevelt Way NE

Seattle, WA 98105

206-524-0494

This use to be Piccolo's.... but now the sign outside says 'Chicago Style' and now they have a bar in the back!

So this is what you do when you've got a hankering for pizza and a beer.

Swing open the door, observe the old school wood paneling, the dark lights, acknowledge the magic nerds, then scoot around them. Walk up to the counter, order your pie or pick out a $2/buck slice!

I get a cheese, TR grabs a cheese and pep. We grab our plates and head towards the back. Pass through the cowboy saloon doors, and get spit out into a nifty little bar. There's a flat screen, a pinball machine, some high-top tables, and a 'U' shape bar.

Plop down at the end of the bar and choose your desire. There's no tap - but they've got 12oz cans of $2/buck cheap, and domestic or just cheap. I choose Tecate, TR grabs the PBR.

Clink plates, and we're ready to eat! Not bad... good chew on the crust, beer is cold, look around. They've also got decent wine selection, liquor.... aaaannnd the a Jagermeister Tap Machine! Did you hear me? The only thing more destructive than Jagermeister, is ICE COLD Jager! Get ready for your next Jagerbomb party here. I guess this would be your adult version of chuckecheese pizza party house. Sweet no? I liked it. So if you're in the hood, bar hoping or just hungry, try it out!  NT TR