City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 328-6703

Address: 916 E. Pike St. (Central)

Description: One of Seattle’s newest LGBT bars, the lounge-style Lobby has a decidedly French cafe feel to its black-and-white color scheme. The setting is both cosmopolitan and relaxed, with specialty cocktails and a small plates menu. Various events and shows are held in the two-level Lobby Bar.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 325-3112

Address: 1518 11th Ave. (Central)

Description: This Capitol Hill hangout is disproportionately filled with the pretty set, with a bartending crew that is generally very friendly and knowledgeable. It’s a place where just about anyone would feel at home, no matter the sexual orientation—one Yelp reviewer even says he brings his mother. A fun aspect to Purr is the karaoke on Mon and Tues nights, which draws a mixed crowd and provides surefire entertainment. There’s also a fairly extensive menu of Mexican-inspired dishes, if you come hungry.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 322-8828

Address: 619 E. Pine St. (Central)

Description: This three-level, hopping club is hard to classify—it’s a dance spot with DJs and hip-hop music; it’s also a drag show and has lots of male go-go dancers, with an amateur strip show on Thurs (appropriately called by its acronym, ASS). The decor is fun and eclectic, from photo booths to the fully decorated, upside-down Christmas tree hanging from the ceiling. One of the perennial favorites is the Lashes Cabaret show with Lady Chablis on Fri and Sat nights. R Place is doing something right, since it’s been here for 25 years.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 233-9873

Address: 1114 Howell St. (Central)

Description: This funky, inclusive, beloved Belltown nightclub has something different going on every night of the week. The sign at the entrance basically describes the clientele: “No minors, drunks, drugs, bigots, or loudmouths.” Although Re-Bar caters to its loyal gay clientele, the patrons are a real mix of gay and straight, couples and groups. Local celebrity DJs pump the dance beats, and campy shows like Hedwig and the Angry Inch or Dina Martina perform in the fringe theater environment. It’s even possible to see full frontal male nudity on occasion; truly, anything can happen at Re-Bar.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 324-9210

Address: 1021 E. Pike St. (Central)

Description: This is the most popular lesbian bar in Seattle, with a lot of events from karaoke and trivia nights to live bands and Fri wet T-shirt contests (possibly a reason for its popularity). Queer Spoken Word performances and numerous dance parties bring in a regular following. A full bar with good cocktails is offset by some very basic food that seems to come from a fairgrounds—corn dogs and tater tots. To be fair, the menu also includes pasta, pizza, burgers, tacos, and salads. One caveat is that people say, over and over, that the Wild Rose is not very welcoming to men, gay or straight.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 622-0209

Address: 207 First Ave. S. #1 (Central)

Description: Seattle’s oldest bar (since 1892!) still knows how to party. It shows its age and stubbornly sticks to a dive bar mentality, with sticky floors, bartenders with attitude, and truly frightening bathrooms. It’s also a lot of fun and still very, very popular. The prices are good, with cheap tap beer and shots, making it one of the few places where you can avoid paying $8–$15 per drink. The music tends toward hard rock and metal, ranging from local acts to hilarious cover bands seven nights a week, and the crowd is mixed and tends to be more mellow than you may expect. All in all, a place where most bar crawlers will feel comfortable, and a slice of Seattle history at that—Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains have all played here.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 329-9978

Address: 506 E. Pine St. (Central)

Description: The Cha Cha is a throwback, filled with retro kitsch and a sign on the door prohibiting attitude. Red light infuses the black velvet paintings that cover the walls, and it tends to draw the pierced punk and goth crowd. It was even written up in Rolling Stone magazine’s 2008 Hot List. But don’t think that it’s not about the music here—acts like the Melvins and Modest Mouse have played. Bimbo’s Cantina is upstairs if you get hungry, featuring burritos so huge you may need to work out to eat them. The cooks at Bimbo’s are mostly musicians who also play the Cha Cha. Check out the ginormous vending machine that spits out all kinds of crap like Yo! MTV Raps cards, and don’t forget to slide into the photo booth for a picture strip to tack up on the wall of shame.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 441-7416

Address: 2200 2nd Ave. (Central)

Description: The Crocodile was the epicenter of the grunge scene in the ’90s and is still one of the best places in Seattle to catch indie and alternative music acts. From Nirvana and Pearl Jam to R.E.M. and Yoko Ono, the Croc has seen some of the biggest acts in the world. The place closed abruptly at the end of 2007, but after reconstruction and renovations, has thankfully reopened with an upgraded stage and serious sound system.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 441-9729

Address: 2033 6th Ave. (Central)

Description: Jazz Alley downtown is reminiscent of a classic 1940s supper club—plush seating, dim lighting and candles, excellent music, and innovative cocktails and food. The menu features Northwest cuisine with a Greek/Mediterranean flair, and service is generally very good. Table reservations are usually for those having a full dinner, but there is also a bar where you can just have drinks and listen to the music. A wide variety of musical styles and artists are found here, from legendary jazz musicians such as New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band to world music and indie singer-songwriters.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 262-0482

Address: 109 Eastlake Ave. East (Central)

Description: This live rock venue tends toward hardcore, metal, experimental, and emo music, though occasionally you can find some more traditional and indie rock acts. The sound system is heavy-duty and state-of-the-art; your ears will come away blazing. The shows can sometimes get a little rough, as can the neighborhood, but the bar is fully staffed with security and it’s easy to see why.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 382-2171

Address: 1414 Alaskan Way (Central)

Description: Highway 99 is a lively blues and rockabilly club housed in a historic 1909 brick building on the waterfront. The ambience is a combination of southern juke joint and Chicago blues bar, with a high-quality roster of musical performers. The interior is a clashing hodgepodge of blue velvet benches salvaged from the Masonic temple, blues memorabilia, and a fantastic 34-foot bar that was made from antique doors. Strings of lights give it a backyard, down-home feel, and the kitchen serves barbecue and Louisiana-style dishes. Besides blues and rockabilly, other featured music styles include honky-tonk, zydeco, and roots.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 682-1414

Address: 1932 2nd Ave. (Central)

Description: Part of the Seattle Theatre Group, the Moore is a venerable institution in the city. Built in 1907, it’s the oldest remaining theater in Seattle. Through the years it has seen operas and symphonies, stage plays and musicals, vaudeville acts, singers, and musicians. Just a few of the legends who have graced its stage include Sarah Bernhardt, Anna Pavlova, the Barrymores, Gypsy Rose Lee, Bob Dylan, Joan Armatrading, and Pearl Jam. Today you can see the biggest music acts in all genres, comedians, Cirque du Soleil, speaking engagements, and much more. The Moore does not have its own parking lot; you’ll need to park in a garage or, better yet, take public transportation or a taxi.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 709-9442

Address: 925 E. Pike St. (Central)

Description: The official name of this legendary Seattle music venue is Neumos Crystal Ball and Reading Room, but everyone just calls it Neumos. It has seen performances by the Shins, Bloc Party, the Raconteurs, Muse, and Seattle’s own Band of Horses, to name just a few. Neumos features live music by national and local artists alike in several musical genres, including but not excluded to indie rock, hip-hop, punk rock, DJs, metal, singer-songwriters, country, and much more. There are three full-service bars and a nice mezzanine and balcony.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Address: 1426 1st Ave. (Central)

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (206) 789-3599

Address: 5213 Ballard Ave. NW (North)

Description: This Ballard staple of live music comes with full historic cred and has absolutely no attitude. It’s not quite a dive, but walks the edge with a completely laid-back, no-frills interior that includes hundreds of boots hanging from the ceiling. It’s relatively small, and virtually every spot in the house affords a terrific view of the stage. Music tends to be bluesy, Americana folk music with acts like Left Hand Smoke and the Dusty 45s. Note that while credit cards are accepted for advance ticket purchases and at the bar, on the day of the show only cash is accepted for entrance at the door. The crowd is a diverse mix of ages, and you can find anyone there from the techie to the tattooed. Square dancing and swing dancing are featured several times a month.