Help finding cool old lounges with retro decor in Seattle?

I've lived in the Seattle area my entire life, but I'm looking for help from other Seattlites who might have some ideas. I have an affinity for old lounges with charm. I seek out old lounges with funky 60s or 70s decor and actual warmth. A non-tiki example is Louie's Cuisine of China in Ballard - lots of wood, ceiling fans, and some very 70s decor - and great food, to boot. And a very cool fireplace. 13 Coins by the Sea-Tac Airport also has great bar decor. Sadly, the Seattle 13 Coins remodeled its lounge, though they did keep the huge stained glass sailing ship.

I love: Dark wood, 1970s style, dim lighting, coziness, and I especially love lounges with fireplaces - a fireplace draws me like a magnet. Places that look like they never got remodeled and never will.

Unfortunately, I've found only two other bars/lounges with cozy decor, and both have awful clientele - mostly old drunks, sad to say. Both are in Renton, and I don't go to them. They've even disconnected the gas on the fireplaces.

So... are there any fellow Seattle-area people here who know of any such places? Doesn't matter if the decor leans toward nautical, and I'm told a few old Chinese places (besides Louie's) have great lounges with fires. I was told one existed in Burien, but I can't find it. I've also been pointed to the International District (Chinatown) but there are countless old restaurants there, hard to tell which have lounges at all, much less cool ones.

woofmutt is the "go to guy" for cool Washington places. he told me about
Red Lotus Restaurant
714 Auburn Way N
Auburn, WA 98002
Phone: (253) 833-6233

i didnt hang out in the bar, but its the most awesome chinese restaurant ever. and i've been to quite a few!!

its new, but has a great vibe: Ama Ama in West Seattle.
also West 5

When it comes to swell old joints my main advice would be: Drink there while you can.

If you don't like the clientele at some cool bar get a group of your friends together and hit it some night. You'll at least get the experience before the place gets turned into condos. (If you don't have a group of friends maybe you belong at that bar after all.)

(I'd be interested in the couple of locations in Renton you like but hate.)

The Stranger is a good resource for finding old Seattle area places. They regularly profile bars and have a soft spot for the old real places.

It seems a lot of neat old restaurants either never had that cool of a bar to begin with or gutted it some time ago. Generally the remodels were either to bring in more natural light with windows, make room for dancing or karaoke, or just make more room period by getting rid of booths. The Red Lotus in Auburn really is one of the coolest Chinese restaurants in the greater Seattle area but their bar looks like a frat house basement.

Most of the bars I've checked out in Burien are either not worth a visit or are complete hell holes. The one bar I know of with a fireplace is the Keg. (It's a nice, though pricey, place to be on a sleety winter night.)

The coolest old joint I've found in Burien is Angelo's a classic style Italian restaurant. The dining room is windowless, not sure about the bar. The food is actually good.

The place I was told about in Burien was a Chinese restaurant with a funky fireplace in it. Aside from tiki and lounge decor, I have an affinity for 70s style, and this includes the Malm, Preway, Majestic and various eye-catching custom wood and gas fireplaces - I walk into a lounge with a fire, and I'm home. Leilani Lanes had a killer gas fire with a bed of lava rocks, sitting on a wood-framed smoked glass plate - it and its hammered copper hood hung on six chains above a lava rock waterfall lit by green floodlights. I was also told that the bar at Sun Ya in the International District has an old Malm corner fire, but I haven't been in yet. Louie's works not only because of the fire and the decor, but also because the food is excellent.

A lounge doesn't have to have stellar decor to attract me. That's a plus. If I see a fireplace and the lights are low, I'm in. If I can sit by the fire, I stay. If the decor is cool and/or the drinks are good, I come back regularly.

One of the places in Renton, I don't know the name, but I'll find out. It's below the Highlands - near Herfy's Burgers is a side street that runs between apartments and a fairly recent self-storage business. Past the storage place is the bar. Now, I'm not certain that all the clientele there is bad, but I've only been in with a friend who was taking his buddy there - his buddy and the buddy's drinking friends are all raging alcoholics, and they're violent drunks. The fact that this was one of their regular haunts made me steer clear. I did have a nice chat with the tender about fixing the gas fire, which has seats and a table around the bowl.

The other Renton location... the name escapes me, but it's between 2nd and 3rd on Williams, middle of the block behind the new bank. It changed names recently, and though the tender denied it insistently, it seems to have had a nautical theme in the far past. The bar is three spaces: left, right and rear. There are separate doors into both left and right - I think they're supposed to be bar and restaurant, respectively, though both have a bar (which is down the center). The left side has pool tables etc. the back has dart boards and I think a DJ spot and band spot (though I've never seen either in there) and the right side has tables. The fireplace in the restaurant side has a big hood on the wall with two thick chains hanging down, which visibly used to be attached to the ceiling to give the impression of support - the fire is gas and is, or was, still used. The food here is cheap and passably good. I used to go here with friends, one of whom invoked the wrath of the tender by using the net-connected MP3 jukebox to download his kind of music - that is to say, hardcore rap. The tender got so upset that he began getting out his remote and shutting off the jukebox each time my friend pumped it full of cash, which sparked a few arguments.

Any other vintage bars or lounges with fireplaces, working or not, whether they be gems or dives or dumps? And where are you located, Woofmutt?

why limit it to seatle?

there used to be a place a couple doors down from the Moore Theater that was really cool, but it got trendy and probably went downhill thereafter. and the last time I was there was over 10 years ago. it might be gone altogether.

can't remember the name though. gee, that was helpful.

..sb

On 2008-06-03 09:46, TIKI DAVID wrote:
why limit it to seatle?

cuz it's Torch's thread, he can axe whatever he likes!

again: not sure if they have a fireplace..but Vito's is old school italian, ignore the yuppie reviews on Yelp ~ i've been there and i liked the atmosphere (it was a while ago, when they allowed smoking: so i'm SURE its nicer now).

i agree with Woof: visit now before its gone.. he's referring to Andy's Diner, i'm sure.

there used to be a place a couple doors down from the Moore Theater that was really cool, but it got trendy and probably went downhill thereafter... -Suffering Bastard in Maine-

That's the Nite Lite, it's still open, the hipsters have mostly moved on, it has a fire place, and it's one of my favorite bars in Seattle.

The Nite Lite used to be a restaurant on one side, lounge on the other. Separate doors. A few years back when the place suddenly became the hot spot for hipsters they remodeled the restaurant half into more bar space. The remodeled half looks like a college bar. The original lounge part is pretty much as it was. (I think the windows are new.) Most of the clientele seems like they've been hanging around there for decades.

The bar is glass topped and beneath it are all sorts of odds and ends souvenirs and pictures from events at the Nite Lite.

Drinks at the Nite Lite are basic bar drinks, stick to beer and wells and you'll be happy. They have food, though availability depends on the reliability of the cooking staff. The bar staff isn't "Hi! How yuh doin'!" but usually friendly if you're not a rowdy ass. There's rarely table service, order at the bar. I'm pretty sure the Nite Lite is cash only.

They have one of the better jukeboxes in town, well stocked, loud, and $5 gets you a lot of plays which gives you the chance to control the atmosphere. I usually turn it into a honky tonk. (My selections got a drunk thrown out one night when he roared "Who the hell played all this country music?" Sandy the bartender, a fan of old country, immediately grabbed his drink and said "OK, that's it, you're done.")

One of the Nite Lite's big claims to fame was its role as a 1960s San Francisco bar in the pretty good and somewhat unknown movie Dog Fight starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor. There is a model of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Nite Lite left over from the movie. (Most people have no idea why the model is there in a Seattle bar.)

The Nite Lite can get swamped just before shows at the nearby Moore theater. If you're there when a wave of people pour in just wait it out, they're usually gone in half an hour.

[This Message was repeatedly edited by: woofmutt because he hates typos, messed up code, and the wrong use of "it's".]

woofmutt

[ Edited by: woofmutt 2008-06-03 18:08 ]

[ Edited by: woofmutt 2008-06-04 00:08 ]

Anyone know if Andy's Diner or Vito's have good food? And by a couple of doors down from the Moore, I assume you mean the Starlite Room? I always did mean to go in there. Perhaps I should.

Andy's Diner had great food...One of the best burgers in Seattle. Their bar, made of two train cars set side by side, was a great place to spend an afternoon or an evening. Or an Afternoon followed by an evening.

But as an example of don't-wait-to-go-there, Andy's closed suddenly and unannounced the second weekend of January this year. I was there that Friday night of that weekend and there was no notice or comment from the staff. Had I know Andy's was leaving the station forever I woulda spent the whole day there. It's a real loss to Seattle and another example of how this city just gets duller and duller.

One of my best Andy's moments: Accidentally going there for dinner this past December the same night Lushy was having a CD release party for their fantastic Christmas album. Lushy played in one end of the bar car and it was like a scene from some 60s beatnik hipster flick.

There used to be a second Andy's Diner, years ago... I'm also a sign nut, and I sincerely hope the Museum of History & Industry (owners of the Dog House sign, Washington Natural Gas flame and Rainier Brewery 'R') get it and restore it.

Speaking of bars with cool signs, anyone know anything about Soft Sam's? It was a Renton bar out near the Paccar plant that closed decades ago. It had a neon signshowing a guy repeatedly doffing his hat. I used to watch thev sign on my bus ride to school in the early 80s, but I know no more. I've also seen photos of a lounge that had the sort of exterior that would imply a 13 Coins-like interior, located in Renton on the site (on Rainier, by Fred Meyer) that now holds Blockbuster Video and Torero's - called Harvey's. I don't remember it, and neither does anyone else I've met, but I did see a photo of the exterior.

Anyone interested in old businesses should check local libraries for old phone books. The restaurant section of yellow pages are loaded with great ads which often give information you'd not be able to get anywhere else. ("Mile Long Salad Bar Every Sunday!")

Restaurant review sections in old papers (generally stored on some other medium)are also a great resource.

I also love 13 Coins near the airport! Here's some pics I took when visiting a couple of years ago:

Thanks for the info on Louie's. I will try to check it out next time I'm up that way.

Yes, the Seattle 13 Coins has undergone way too much remodeling, but this one across from the airport is still wonderful. Go at night when it's dark in there. Food's better at the airport location, too. Anyway, 13 Coins serves an extensive menu of what would have been considered hearty, gourmet food back in the early 70s, including seafood, great pasta, steak and lobster, escargots, sweetbreads, etc. and they do this 24/7, 365. The first photo shows the exhibition kitchen with its row of swivel Captain's chairs on the left (the place to sit to see the chefs in action) and the high, cozy, private booths on the right. Next shot down is the lobby with cool ceiling lights and a huge display of Beam decanters. Third photo is a booth with its brass chain light fixture, and last shot is the carved wood mural in the lobby - the nearby Doubletree Hotel (formerly the Red Lion) which has a lot of Native American-inspired architecture that looks remarkably Polynesian, has two more of these awesome carved-and-painted murals. Wish I knew more about them.

This is probably my favorite restaurant in Seattle, period. I can go there any day at any time, even between midnight and 5 AM when everything but Denny's is closed, and get anything on the menu. And the chefs really show off, they enjoy making big fiery spectacles and are often quite friendly, if rather busy. Ask to get a seat at the bar as close to the stove as possible, and you'll have a blast. No "tiki" cocktails here that I know of, but they pour well and have tasty stuff - even that Remy Martin Louis XIV(?) Cognac that's around $130 per measure. I'm not into Cognac, but I hear it's good stuff.

And I don't mind notes on funky lounges in other cities in this thread... They may help others find some swank in their cities, and next time I pass through any noted ones, I'kll check out these locations. But I'm mainly looking for ones in the Seattle area, which includes Renton, Kent, Auburn, Tacoma, Fife, etc. Anyone been to the Poodle Dog in Fife? Anything notable there?

"I'm told a few old Chinese places (besides Louie's) have great lounges with fires. I was told one existed in Burien, but I can't find it."

I went to The Hobnobber in Burien today. It's an old tavern, the real deal that only serves beer and wine. I'd guess it was built (or last remodeled) in the mid 60s-early 70s. It's well cluttered with cheap beer signs and inflatable beer promo crap but it's obvious it was once a nice tavern. There's floor to ceiling, curved front, lava rock fireplace in one corner which is now blocked by a dart game.

Most interesting was the original decor still on the walls (photographed with my phone):

There are two of these king chess pieces by the pool tables. The other one is looking the opposite direction.

In the main area there are two musical instrument pieces. The other instrument is different from this. (Both their tops are covered by really exciting inflated Budweiser Nascars.)

Closer look. The original orange paint is still there under decades of smoke and dust.

"Anyone been to the Poodle Dog in Fife?"

Yes.

"Anything notable there?"

No.

This of off topic, but we're in the Magical Land of Bilge where no comment is off topic...

I was at Cabela's today and saw a lamp that you might like TorchGuy. This is a phone pic of the base, the shade had elk or bears on it, or was Realtree™ or somethin' typically Cabela's...

To achieve your elusive Shangri-Lounge just add some mini-furniture, tiny beer glasses, and hire Mountain Ranger Barbie™ to wait tables!