The Not-so-Short Shortlist of Moz’s Top Seattle Restaurants, Bars, and Activities for MozCon 2013
I polled the whole MozPlex to curate a list of our favorite places to dine, swill coffee, imbibe boozy beverages, play games, bust a move, hit the water, and take in the view. There are over 130 Mozzers now, so the list is long. From locally grown, organic eats and family fun on Lake Union to bocce ball and craft beer, Seattle’s got a little something for everyone.
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Community Coordinator Megan drinks out of an ironic cup. |
Recognizable by their tight jeans and plaid coloring, these gentle creatures can generally be found grazing the hill east of downtown. They might be slow to accept you into the herd, but once you’re in, they’ll share their abundant resources with you.
People’s Choice: The Mozzers’ top spot (and terminus to many a Wednesday beer night) is the Unicorn and its basement bar, the Narwhal (1118 East Pike Street). A kaleidoscope of circus décor, deep fried eats, and loud music, these bars are where Capitol Hill layabouts and techies alike unite in pursuit of good times and reasonably priced beverages.
The Seattle Institution: Grab a cold beer, tuck into a plate of nachos, and soak up some sun on the back patio at Linda’s Tavern (707 East Pine Street). The original Seattle hipster bar, this place is best approached with a pack of pals to keep you company and help you drink beer or mimosas by the pitcher.
Break out the Chopsticks: Sleek, modern, and serene, Momiji (1522 12th Avenue) is where most Mozzers prefer to sup on sushi. You can’t beat happy hour in the front bar—cheap Sapporo, sake, and decadently crunchy deep-fried Seattle rolls—but the back dining room is truly beautiful. If fish doesn’t strike your fancy, roll down the hill a little bit to In The Bowl (1554 East Olive Way) for the tastiest vegetarian Thai on the Hill. The dining room: small. The menu: epic. The bathroom: magical (just trust me here). Their four-star spiciness level will scald even the most fireproof of tongues, and their noodles will transport you to a different plane of happiness.
Al Fresco: With hipster cred and a patio to rival Linda’s, Captain Black’s (129 Belmont Avenue East) is another crowd favorite here at Moz. After you’re done stuffing yourself with fried Beecher’s cheese curds, hush puppies, and tater tots, you can drink a little whiskey, then roll back down Capitol Hill to your hotel.
Sate the Sweet Tooth: While die-hard Seattle hipsters may head to a lesser-known creamery on Capitol Hill (that also happens to be the best dessert spot for beer lovers, so read on), Moz recommends you join the line at Molly Moon’s (917 East Pine Street) for scoops of Fair Trade chocolate, salted caramel, or balsamic strawberry ice cream. Snag a waffle cone and chill on the astroturf at Volunteer Park (1247 15th Avenue East), the coolest place to be on a hot, sunny day.
Take in the View: Sure, you could wait in line at the Space Needle or climb to the top of Mount Rainier. But the Smith Tower (506 2nd Avenue) in Pioneer Square has been providing Seattleites with breathtaking views since before skyscrapers were even cool.
Fun and Games: Roll a few blocks north of Moz on Second Avenue to hit three of our favorite post-work stops: Rabbit Hole (2222 2nd Avenue) for skee-ball, highbrow cocktails, and outrageously good pub grub; Shorty’s (2222 2nd Avenue) for cheap PBR, video games, and pinball; and Lava Lounge (2226 2nd Avenue) for whiskey, booths big enough for a whole crew, and many rounds of shuffleboard.
Bust a Move: If you’re heading in on Sunday, hit up the Re-Bar (1114 Howell Street) for their FLAMMABLE! dance night. “A gay bar, only for everybody,” the Re-Bar mixes the hippest of the hip and the funnest of the fun in a LGBTQ-friendly atmosphere with stiff drinks and a packed dance floor. Heads up: cash only!
Weekend Adventure: If you’re staying the prior weekend and have a car handy, hit up Georgetown, a South Seattle neighborhood with plenty of art galleries, dive bars, tasty restaurants, and a cool trailer park flea market (5805 Airport Way) on the weekends.
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Engineers Martin and Doug give a toast to good taste. |
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Do you love the finer things in life? We do, too. We want our food stuffed with other, more obscure food and glazed in priceless ingredients. We want chefs who minored in alchemy at culinary school. We want nothing less than sheer artistry. These are some of Moz’s top picks for exquisite eats paired with beautifully crafted cocktails and Washington’s best wines. So comb your hair, put on your fanciest pair of sneakers, and hit the spots on this list.
People’s Choice: Restaurant Zoe (1318 East Union) is part of the bustling restaurant scene around 12th and Union. Staffed by a kitchen full of vets from Canlis, Crush, and other Seattle standards, Zoe boasts an effortlessly cool atmosphere, and an approachable menu of artistic Pacific Northwest fare. Two blocks away, Cascina Spinasse (1535 14th Avenue) dishes up the most decadently delicious Northern Italian eats you can find outside of Piemonte—leg of rabbit, tajarin pasta glued together with butter and sage, precious lettuces dressed with Barolo vinegar and Ligurian olive oil. If you’re in the mood for slightly lighter fare, hit their side bar, Artusi (1531 14th Avenue), for ingenius cocktails (including a slushy machine full of rotating frozen craft cocktails that will most certainly change your life) and a compact menu of mind-blowingly good food.
The Seattle Institution: An overwhelming number of Mozzers cited one of prolific restaurateur Ethan Stowell’s restaurants as their personal favorites, so I’m going to just lump them all together. If you’re sticking downtown, go for vino, fluffy gnocchi alla romagna, and perfectly al dente pasta at Tavolata (2323 2nd Avenue). If we’ve already convinced you that Capitol Hill is the place to be, head to Rione XIII (401 15th Avenue East) for Roman-style pizza and pasta, Anchovies & Olives (1550 15th Avenue) for ice-cold oysters and beautifully prepared seafood, or Bar Cotto (1546 15th Avenue) for mouth-watering charcuterie, veggies, and thin, crispy pizzas. Feeling adventurous? The tasting menu at Staple & Fancy (4739 Ballard Avenue Northwest) in Ballard is also worth the extra trip.
Pro tip: Arrive in luxurious style with our friends from Uber—it’s either less expensive than or about the same price as taking a cab, depending on what kind of ride you fancy. MozCon attendees will also get hooked up with a little friends-of-friends discount!
Break out the Chopsticks: Round up at least two or three people to hit Monsoon (615 19th Avenue East) with you, because you will probably want to order every single thing on this exquisite Vietnamese-influenced menu. Especially the drunken chicken.
Al Fresco: What happens when two classically trained chefs fall in love, get married, and wed Korean cuisine with French technique and Northwest ingredients? Pure magic. One of the best meals of your life. Dumplings that will restore your faith in humanity. Hitch a ride to Fremont and try to snag a seat on the back deck at Revel (403 N 36th Street).
Sate the Sweet Tooth: What’s that overpowering cocoa-brownie smell wafting toward you on the deck at Revel? It’s Seattle’s premier chocolate factory, organic and Fair Trade Theo (3400 Phinney Avenue North). Take a tour, and bring home chocolatey souvenirs for your loved ones—or yourself. We won’t tell. If you take our other recommendations and end up on Capitol Hill for dinner, head to D’Ambrosio Gelato (1544 12th Avenue) for creamy, authentic Italian goodness from a certified Master Gelatiere.
Worth the Trip: Another Ballard stand-out, The Walrus and the Carpenter (4743 Ballard Avenue Northwest) shares a dining room window with the aforementioned Staple & Fancy. Go here for the freshest oysters, the most delectable menu, the most gorgeous kitchen, and the mustache-iest waitstaff north of the Shipping Canal.
Weekend Adventure: We highly recommend that you pay a visit to Woodinville for wine tasting. Much closer than the sun-drenched growing regions in Central Washington, Woodinville’s tasting rooms bring some of the best wines within quick driving distance of the big city. A few of Moz’s favorites: Mark Ryan (14475 Woodinville-Redmond Road, Woodinville, WA 98072), DeLille (14421 Woodinville-Redmond Road Northeast, Woodinville, WA 98072), Obelisco (19495 144th Avenue Northeast Woodinville, WA 98072), and Long Shadows (14450 Woodinville-Redmond Road, #105, Woodinville, WA 98072).
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Customer Acquisition Manager Justin enjoys a Paseo sandwich and the gorgeous view from Gasworks Park. |
If the Earl of Sandwich is your most cherished historical figure; if you daydream about what other letters you could add to your BLT; if you literally think there hasn’t been a better thing since sliced bread—this list is for you, my friend.
People’s Choice: The people have spoken, and they have chosen Paseo (4225 Fremont Avenue North and 6226 Seaview Avenue Northwest). These are, empirically, the best sandwiches in Seattle. They might be the best sandwiches anywhere, ever. Crispy baguette. Savory aioli. Tangy jalapeños. Grilled onions simmered in the same addictive sauce they use to marinate their meats. Crisp romaine lettuce. Cuban-style pork, chicken, tofu, or seafood. You might just decide to dump out your suitcase and refill it with Paseo sandwiches to take home. That might be a bad decision. Might.
Nice Buns: Lil Woody’s (1211 Pine Street) is just a few blocks up the hill from the Convention Center. Their burgers come piled with exotic ingredients and paired with hand-cut fries and milkshakes made from Molly Moon’s ice cream.
The Seattle Institution: Don’t let the divey décor and weird name fool you—The Honey Hole (703 East Pike Street) on Capitol Hill makes some seriously delicious sandwiches, served up with zero pretention and a side of the crispiest fries you will ever eat.
Sate the Sweet Tooth: In addition to their eponymous treats and sweet scoops, Cupcake Royale also boasts a freezer full of ice cream sammies in flavors like red velvet cake and burnt caramel with sea salt. There are a few locations, but we’re partial to the one across the street from Moz (108 Pine Street). You can admire our Post-it window murals from street level or pop in to say hi!
Fun and Games: Like a little nosh with your board or card games? Cafe Mox (5105 Leary Avenue Northwest) in Ballard is a sweet spot to grab a beer, eat a sandwich, and play some Settlers of Catan. Bonus: family-friendly!
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Director of Community Jen savors a steamy latte. |
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It’s no myth: Seattleites subsist on a steady diet of vitamin D pills, inky espresso, and velvety lattes. Here are some our favorite places to fuel up.
Downtown: Home to many a Moz 1:1 meeting, Fonté Café and Wine Bar (1321 1st Avenue) is a lovely place to grab perfectly brewed coffee and tame your inbox first thing in the morning. Is WFCS a thing where you live? We hope that it is.
Capitol Hill: Espresso Vivace is arguably the best coffee in Seattle. But we don’t like arguments, so you should probably roll up the hill to Vivace’s open-air sidewalk bar (321 Broadway Avenue East) or brick-and-mortar café (532 Broadway Avenue East) to find out for yourself.
Pioneer Square: If you find yourself in Seattle’s oldest neighborhood, head to art-filled Zeitgeist Coffee (171 South Jackson Street) before you embark on the Seattle Underground Tour (608 1st Avenue). Not your typical tour, this fun crawl through the buried former ground-level of Old Seattle is a Moz favorite. You’ll learn all about lusty prospectors and the women that fleeced them, Seattle’s original wooden plumbing pipes, and how old-timey architects beat the mud by building streets ten feet in the air.
Beyond: Lighthouse Roasters (400 North 43rd Street) in Fremont is off the beaten path, but roasts such perfect coffee, you won’t mind the hike through this residential neighborhood—a great stop on your way to Woodland Park Zoo (601 North 59th Street).
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Ruby Programmer Ben appreciates the subtle hoppy notes of an IPA. |
Here in Seattle, one does not simply crack open a cold one and call it a night. One sips from the cornucopia of locally brewed IPAs, pilsners, saisons, and stouts. One tours breweries to compare and contrast their offerings. In some cases, one even brings the kids.
Gotta Taste Them All: If you only make one dedicated beer stop, let it be at Brouwer’s Cafe (400 North 35th Street) in Fremont. With 64 beers on tap, over 300 bottles, and 60 scotches, even the most jaded, world-weary connoisseur will find something new to sip on.
Fun for the Whole Family: Think beer and babies don’t mix? Kid-friendly Fremont Brewing Company (3409 Woodland Park Ave North) will prove you wrong. Parents can kick back and have adult conversations while the little ones dig into never-ending bowls of pretzels and play with their contemporaries.
Sate the Sweet Tooth: The truly indie creamery on Capitol Hill, Bluebird (1205 East Pike Street) also brews some mighty fine beer. Home to the best vegan “ice cream” ever—a deceptively creamy horchata flavor—they also make beer floats with their stout. Frosty stout plus peanut butter ice cream equals mind, blown.
Fun and Games: Von Trapp’s (912 12th Avenue) cavernous biergarten on Capitol Hill is basically a playground for grown-ups. Go for the epic German and Belgian beer list, indulge in some tasty pretzels and brats, and stay for many rounds of bocce ball.
The Tastiest Kind of Tourism: Ballard is home to some of our favorite breweries, all located within walking distance of the neighborhood’s lively shopping and dining corridor. We recommend checking out Hilliard’s Beer (1550 Northwest 49th Street) and Peddler Brewing Company (1514 Northwest Leary Way). If you don’t mind mixing drinks with actual peddling, you can also hop aboard the Cycle Saloon (206-678-7211), a people-powered tour of Ballard’s breweries.
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Help Desk Administrator Dave and Customer Success Strategist Renea sip martinis at The Zig Zag. |
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Can you blind-smell the difference between Scrappy’s and Regan’s orange bitters? Does seeing a bottle of Pappy van Winkle on a shelf make you absurdly happy? Do you get sad when people say they don’t like gin? Cheers! These bars are for you.
The Seattle Institution: The Zig Zag Café (1501 Western Avenue #202) was one of the pioneering bars in the American craft cocktail movement. Nestled alongside the Pike Street Hill Climb between Pike Place Market and the waterfront, this dimly lit cocktail joint is the go-to spot for booze aficionados in Seattle. Their house cocktail list is inventive and extensive, their selection is carefully curated, and the ‘tenders are some of the best in the biz.
The New Darling: Looking to try something rare and extraordinary? The Captain’s List of spirits at Canon (928 12th Avenue) is so extensive that you need to scan a QR code to download it to your phone (which makes our nerd-hearts fill with glee). Beyond the floor-to-ceiling walls of precious booze, Canon wins us over with the little touches: stainless steel straws, slate coasters, cucumber-infused water, and copper mint julep cups.
The Hidden Gem: Tucked away in an alley between First and Second Avenues, Bathtub Gin & Co. (between Bell & Blanchard in “Gin Alley”) staffs bartenders who are gifted with a sixth sense: Tell them what kind of spirit you like and what kind of mood you’re in, and they’ll make you something mind-blowing. If you can snag a seat at the upstairs bar, do it. If not, settle in on a leather couch in the library room downstairs.
The Grand Tour: Touring the city’s distilleries is a fun way to sip local spirits and see Seattle while you’re at it. If you don’t have time for a full tour, head up to Sun Liquor Distillery (514 East Pike Street) and Oola Distillery (1314 East Union Street) on Capitol Hill. If you’ve got a bit more time, we recommend taking Local Craft Tours’ (206-455-3740) chauffeured trip around town. You’ll leave from downtown, then hit three or four distilleries (including some of our very favorites, Sound Spirits and Letterpress Distilling) to sample the wares.
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Social Community Manager Erica hits the high seas. |
Are you coming to see the sights, absorb some art, and explore the area? After you’re finished eating and drinking like a local, here are the the museums, vistas, and activities we love to share with out-of-town guests.
Hit the Water: Looking for the best views of downtown? Get on a boat. Taking the West Seattle Water Taxi (Pier 50, 801 Alaskan Way) or the Bainbridge Island Ferry (Pier 52, 801 Alaskan Way) will give you glittering city views, and you can explore the walking paths, restaurants, and more on the opposite shores. If you’ve got a little more free time, Moz recommends renting kayaks from Moss Bay (1001 Fairview Avenue North, #1900) or canoes from the University of Washington Waterfront Activities Center (3701 Montlake Boulevard Northeast). Don’t forget to pack your flippy-floppies.
Drop the Mic: Seattle’s karaoke scene runs the gamut from modern and glitzy to gloriously divey. Our top picks are Rock Box (1603 Nagle Place) for their communal main room and swanky private rooms and Bush Garden (614 Maynard Avenue South) for their cheap drinks, campy backdrop videos, and awesome emcees.
Do the Tourist Thing: There’s nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car monorail. The Seattle Monorail (in Westlake Center at 5th Avenue and Pine Street) is just a quick walk from the Convention Center. A relic of bygone times, this old beauty will deposit you directly at the Seattle Center (305 Harrison Street), where you can play around at the Pacific Science Center (200 2nd Avenue North) and check out some celebrated Northwest art glass at Chihuly Garden and Glass (305 Harrison Street). You can also go up in the Space Needle, if you reeeeeeally want to.
Get Your Culture Fix: Modern art and gorgeous views go hand in hand at the SAM Olympic Sculpture Park (2901 Western Avenue). Stroll the length of the waterfront to visit this picturesque outdoor museum, grab a bench, watch the sun sink behind the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound, and reflect upon what an awesome time you had at MozCon.
I hope this exhaustive list has gotten you pumped for MozCon! (With this many recommendations to try, you can even start planning your MozCon 2014 and 2015 agendas.) Haven’t secured your ticket yet? Get on it!
Hope to see you in Seattle in July. Feel free to reach out in the comments with any questions, or if you’d like any custom recommendations!
