Il Bistro - Downtown

93A Pike Street
10:00pm - 1:00am Monday-Thursday
11:00pm - 1:00am Friday-Sunday

Holler: Without question, the best late night happy hour we've experienced in Seattle. Hidden next to Pike Place Market right next to Post Alley, this Italian trattoria has good beer and wine selections, outstanding food, and prices that feel like thievery. The romance quotient here is off the charts. We're talking candlelight, moody mid-tempo jazz-hop and a red rose at every table. If I were a dispossessed Italian baron trying to woo a Seattle girl on a budget, this is where I'd take her. As it stands, I'm attempting to woo a gorgeous Canadian owl.

Hoot: Jazz-hop? So now you're inventing music genres? I would call the music jazzy/conscious hip hip. Anywho, lets get back to the real deal... the amazing food. Sausage Crostini = good times. Seared Calamari = the business. Goat Cheese Ravioli = ring the bell 'cuz we have a winner! Holler, have I mentioned how handsome you look in candlelight? It really brings out the colour in your feathers.

Holler: Flattery will get you nowhere with me. I need to be wined and dined, I ain't no cheap trick! Speaking of wine, Il Bistro has a solid list of wine offerings (none of which are on special during the late happy hour) and one of my favorite local beers: Maritime Pacific's Nightwatch Ale. Smooth and roasty, just dark enough to be tasty. The beer isn't on the happy hour either, but it's worth having a pint. The highlight of the food selections for me has always been the Cozze e Vongole, clams and mussels steamed in a saffron broth. Intense. Plus, the staff is always friendly and attentive. Hoot even has a crush on the foxy bartender.

Hoot: Outting my crush, eh?! Ha. The thing that I love about this happy hour is that even though there aren't any drink specials (which I would usually frown upon) the food is delicious and so cheap... I'm leaving full, buzzed and with change in my pocket - booyah.

Happy Hour Tab Total: $22.35
Grilled Italian Sausage Crostini $2.95
Goat Cheese Ravioli $3.95
Seared Calimari $4.96
Maritime Pacific's Nightwatch Ale $5.25 x 2

Via Tribunali - Capitol Hill

913 E Pike Street
Late Night Happy Hours: 10:30pm — close

Holler: Via Tribunali looks legit. A pizzeria that feels like the inside of a catholic church, complete with glowing stained glass and monastic-looking light fixtures dangling overhead, and featuring a sizable wood-fired oven squatting at the far end of the bar. Wooden pews instead of booths. A priest instead of a bartender and a confession booth instead of a men's bathroom. Nah, I made that part up. But it would have been cool. They were playing a fine selection of old-school hip hop, however. Score.

Hoot: Its one of those places we’ve walked by a half dozen times and each time I say: “that place looks cool. We should check it out one night”. I really dug the vibe. It seemed like a good date kinda place with the type of candlelight-esque illumination that benefits even the most unfortunate looking peoples. Who doesn't want to look good on a date?

Holler: If it weren't for dim lighting and alcohol, I'd still be a virgin. The personal pizzas were less than impressive. They offer 3 varieties at $5 each. Maybe their full size offerings are better. There was one beer on special (Maritime Pacific's Old Seattle lager). Not my favorite beer, but not bad. However, we did order some tiramisu (although the dessert was not part of the happy hour) and it just about changed my life.

Hoot: With its one beer offering, slim pizza pickings and stingy toppings, it didn’t give me much to hoot about. Granted, the crust was yummy, the whiskey and ginger was nice'n'stiff and the tiramisu was so good it made me want to punch yo' mama.

Holler: ...don't punch my mama.

Hoot: Just make sure shes well away from my tiramisu and nobody gets a mouthful of feathers.

Happy Hour Tab Total: $23

Whiskey & Ginger $4

Marinara Pizza (pomodoro, oregano, garlic) $5

Salame Pizza (pomodoro, fresh mozzarella, salame) $5

Draft Beer $3

Tiramisu (not on Happy Hour Menu) $6

Elliott Bay Brewery Pub - West Seattle

4720 California Ave SW
Late Night Happy Hour: Everyday 9:00pm — Close

Hoot: Ahh... West Seattle, a new neck of the woods for us, eh?! One advantage of having to climb a giant hill to get into town from the the beach is that one works up quite a thirst by the top. Elliott Bay Brewery Pub wasn't much to look at but the "No Doubt Stout" neon sign called to you like a beacon of refreshment.

Holler: After the epic climb from Alki, that sign drew me like a shark to blood - fact. The only reason it stood out from all the other bars in that area is that the neon sign advertising stout reminded me of a similar sign in the window of the Six Arms Pub in Capitol Hill. The inside was typical of most pubs, with the notable exception of local art being displayed on the brick wall above the booths. The beer offerings however (brewed locally!) were anything but ordinary. The No Doubt Stout was buttermilk creamy with a fine bite, blacker than pitch, and one of the tastier local stouts that I've enjoyed. We were also on the hunt for a bit of dessert and Elliott Bay Brew Pub came through with Stout Cupcakes!

Hoot: I think you may have squealed like a little owlet when you eyeballed the Stout Cupcake on the happy hour menu for $1.50. Don't let that delicious, bountiful cream-cheese frosting fool you! The cake was as dry and denser than Osmium. I could have used another fancy beer to wash it down if I could have found someone that wanted to sell me one.

Holler: Agreed. The cupcake could have been a little more moist, but it was a beer flavored dessert! How can that be wrong? They also offer a stout float (yeah, ice cream in dark beer. Yum) and beer mixers (beer/cider and beer/lambic). It was strange that our server seemed eager to get us out the door. Maybe we smelled funny? I would have gladly ordered a round of what you were having (Big Al Porter), but she brought us the check without asking us if we wanted another round. Bummer. Overall, I thought the happy hour was a solid deal, especially with the interesting dessert offerings and the excellent beer, but I hope we luck out with a better server next time.
Happy Hour Tab Total $11.75
2 Stout Cupcakes $3
Pint Big Al Porter $5.25 (regular price)
Pint No Doubt Stout (Organic)
$3.50 (with $1 off for HH)

 

Introductions...

The Emerald City. Land of hobos, excessive moisture and the late night happy hour. No matter what day of the week it is, you can guarantee that somewhere a bar is offering discounted booze and food. And that's where you'll find us.

Because we're connoisseurs of the cheap meal? Maybe.

Because we're alcoholics? Probably.

But what better way to explore our newly adopted city than to hit the town and drink in our surroundings? Literally!

Hoot & Holler