In Seattle for the 2015 Specialty Coffee Association of America Event? We’ve got you covered in a series of food, drink, and coffee guides assembled by Sprudge Seattle contributor Sara Billups. All of her recommendations are within walking distance (or a quick Uber) of the Washington State Convention Center. Many more excellent drinking spots can be found elsewhere in the city; see our Seattle Guide Archives at the bottom of this post for more recommendations. 

Food || Booze || Coffee

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Damn the Weather116 1st Avenue South — Seattle’s cocktail-bar-of-the-moment. An inventive menu (Squid ink omelettes! Foie gras and passion fruit jelly sandwiches!) is paired with an old timey drink list, starring agricultural punch and Old Fashioneds made with Dutch gin.

scaa drink guide seattle
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Canon 928 12th Avenue — Claiming to offer “the largest spirits collection in the Western Hemisphere, possibly the world,” Canon is not new, but it is the best place to drink alcohol in Seattle. There’s an insane whiskey list and perfectly executed cocktails. Always busy, so expect a wait or make a reservation online.

scaa drink guide seattle
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Rachel’s Ginger Beer1530 Post Alley — A famous neon coffee sign you’ve probably seen on travel shows about Seattle used to sit above a Seattle’s Best Coffee at Pike Place Market. It’s been replaced with a giant bottle of ginger beer from Seattle-based Rachel’s Ginger Beer. The stuff is on tap and for sale at most every farmers’ market in town; head to the source at Post Alley for a Moscow Mule, Dark and Stormy, or ice cream float.

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E. Smith Mercantile208 1st Avenue South — Seattle’s best known mixologist, Mr. Murray Stenson, just landed behind the bar at E. Smith, a space split into two halves. A mercantile in the front sells fancy room spray, succulents and apparel, while the back bar offers Stoked pour-overs and cold brew during the day and serves a simple menu and delicious cocktails in back in the evening.

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scaa drink guide seattle
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Le Caviste1919 7th Avenue — Need a suggestion for an impromptu date? Here’s one: French wine bar Le Caviste. The owner is chatty if you feel like talking, and knows his shit about wine, and the menu, including charcuterie and cheese plus a couple of plats du jour, which can be shared by two. Awwww.

scaa drink guide seattle
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Outer Planet Craft Brewing1812 12th Avenue #100 — A just-opened microbrewery on Capitol Hill that serves a few fresh beers made on-site, including a brown ale, a saison, and an IPA. Bartenders fill the pretzel bowls for free; if you’re hungry for more, carry in food from one of a million restaurants on the surrounding Capitol Hill streets.

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Casco Antiguo119 Occidental Avenue South — Enter Casco Antiguo’s cantina from a door in the alley behind the restaurant after the dining room closes. The new bar’s drink list unsurprisingly centers around tequila and mezcal and stays open late. If you’re looking for food and drink in the afternoon, happy hour starts at 3 and goes to 6 pm every day.

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Pennyroyal 2000 2nd Avenue — A just-opened hotel bar connected to restaurant Shaker & Spear, Pennyroyal is good for meetings or other semi-professional gatherings. Vintage glassware can be filled with boozy punch during daily “tea hour” from 3 to 4 pm, and there’s a seafood-centric bar menu.

scaa drink guide seattle
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Quality Athletics121 S King Street — If you’re into sports bars you might hate Josh Henderson’s Quality Athletics. It’s totally ironic and cute, with astroturf carpet and a wall of lockers as eye candy. But you’ll likely love it, too: there’s lots of screens, a big comfort food menu, cold beer, and a sno-cone machine.

scaa drink guide seattle
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Radiator Whiskey94 Pike Street — It can be frat-ish here depending on the night, but Radiator Whiskey serves strong drinks in a space above the main arcade at Pike Place Market with a great view. There’s a full, meaty menu—call ahead if you want to order the smoked half pig head served complete with fried ears, loin, and braised tongue.

Sara Billups is a Seattle-based food and drinks writer, and has written previously for Tasting Table, Seattle Weekly, and Eater Seattle. Read more Sara Billups on Sprudge.

Need more guidance? Our authoritative coffee guide from 2011 lists the classics, and our 2013 and 2014 Seattle guides have heaps more dining, liquor, and coffee recommendations. 

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