Best & Cool Bars in Renton

"Pike Place MarketLike the rest of the beguiling Post Alley eatery on which it sits, this most unlikely of all Seattle's rooftop decks is reached by going down a long staircase, though the now closed in-door dining room (where they used to host burlesque shows at night) and out onto the patio, which is both below street level and breathtakingly above what few streets remain between it and the waterfront, giving you the sense that you're safely hidden away, and sitting on top of the world, at the same time. Sign up here for our daily Seattle email and be the first to get all the food/drink/fun in town. Bradley Foster is a former Thrillist editor who pretends to be surprised when the burlesque starts every time he takes a date to The Pink Door."

"Since 1981, The Pink Door has been keeping diners on their toes. The seasonal and locally sourced dishes reflect both the flavors and philosophy of Italian cuisine: simple yet delectable. Accompanying entertainment is neither traditional nor tawdry, including music, tarot, and trapeze performances, but it is free of charge except on Saturday nights when The Pink Door presents “the longest-running cabaret and burlesque in the Pacific Northwest."

"After the one lap around, Pike Place isn’t somewhere we’d suggest you linger. Unless you’re getting dinner at The Pink Door. Behind an unmarked rose gold door is this place that’s part burlesque circus, part Italian trattoria."

"Welcome to spaghetti church, where pasta worshippers come to praise. Spindly wood chairs, lace curtains, and rustic ceiling beams bring a monastic brand of beauty, but the overall austerity signals that food is the focus here. Served with a beef ragù or a butter-sage sauce, *tajarin*‚ hand-cut egg pasta‚ gets star billing for good reason."

"Spinasse uses simple ingredients to create fine Italian dishes from the Piedmonte region of Northern Italy. Spinasse makes it a point to incorporate ingredients from artisans and farmers from the local region of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. The Tajarin al ragu was vote #4 for Top Italian Foods in America by The Food Network."

"Inside Spinasse’s charmingly rustic dining room, you’ll feel like you’ve left Seattle for an Italian trattoria. The roasted beet salad with cherries, radishes and marinated La Tur cheese is tangy and refreshing, while the hand-cut egg pastas are..."

"If the unpretentious décor throws you, trust that the long lines of customers in this small Ballard oyster bar are a sign that the Walrus and the Carpenter is a place that serves superb food. The atmosphere is fun and buzzing, and the large zinc bar and cute outdoor patio are perfect for slurping their excellent and large selection of cold oysters or for munching on small yet delightful plates of grilled sardines with walnuts, fried oysters with cilantro aioli, or black cod brandade while imbibing superb wines by the glass, craft beer, cider, and fancy cocktails. If you don’t feel like seafood, they have a few meat dishes – try the fried pirozhki with chorizo, spicy quince jam, and hardboiled egg or some of their interesting cheeses."

"There’s no shortage of restaurants of all stripes in Ballard, but highlights include The Walrus and The Carpenter, where you can enjoy fresh oysters and other local seafood, or The Noble Fir where you can enjoy customized charcuterie and an impressive lineup of beer. Seattle is a microbrew kind of city so if you don’t plan on getting a beer for dinner tonight, why not have a lunch beer?"

"Shuck some oysters while your braised beef shank warms in the oven; a take-home spread involves minimal prep, and comes with optional wine, bubbles, or cocktails."

"You can paddle your kayak or drive your boat straight to Westward’s dock and then relax in one of the Adirondack chairs lining the coast overlooking Lake Union and wait for the waiter to bring you a glass of wine while you try to decide whether to go for the salmon gravlax tartine or the wood-fired striped mullet. While Westward’s dining room is lovely, with large windows and tasteful nautical décor, their outdoor patio is so wonderful that it is usually packed – the view is that spectacular. There is an atmosphere of a celebration, with colorful umbrellas during the day and distant sparkling city lights at night."

"Seattle’s best view can be seen from the waterline: Lake Union in the foreground, that iconic skyline punctuated by a tiny Space Needle in the back. And set in the most-prime location, with a perfect patio, Westward has been steadily gaining accolades since it opened in 2013. While Chef Zoi Antonitsas’ inspired, award-winning Mediterranean cuisine is reason enough to go, the real draw is the outdoor space, complete with picnic tables, a fire pit ensconced in oyster shells and a dock to pull right up to from the lake."

"In summer it’s pure Hamptons, as you tie your boat to the North Lake Union dock and slurp beautifully shucked oysters at an Adirondack chair on the tiny beach."

"Dedicated to making veganism accessible and delectable to everyone, the Plum Bistro incorporates the forward-thinking ideals of the new generations in every dish with the end goal of introducing people a plant-based lifestyle. From the juicy and mouthwatering buffalo portobello burger to flatbread pizzas like the Veggie Monster, the Plum Bistro serves up innovative vegan cuisine with stylish and colorful flair. They also offer vegan takes on bistro classics like ravioli, theirs being filled with sweet peas, while taking the streets by storm through the very first vegan food truck in Seattle."

"Sure, this Pike/Pine eatery serves up some stylish and innovative vegan dishes ranging from flatbread pizza to a handful of burgers (like the buffalo portobello) as well as a varied array of entries (black truffle gnocchi), but it doesn't stop there. They launched Seattle's first vegan food truck, a cookbook, and they cater."

"Another wholly vegan establishment, Plum Bistro is a favorite in the Pike/Pine Corridor. Stop by for date night, when a meal might consist of farro-and-mustard-green salad; pomegra..."

"For a great burger and fries, look to Dick’s Drive-In. For sit-down, there’s a Melting Pot on the perimeter of Seattle Center. Or if you just aren’t ready to leave the Space Needle, you can even dine at the top of the Needle at SkyCity."

"The Washington Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is a 230-acre park full of interesting gardens and rare plant species. The arboretum is co-managed by Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Arboretum Foundation, as well as the University of Washington. The Arboretum is free (as it is a city park) and offers a small visitors center with restrooms, miles of trails, classes, tours, events, and venue rental."

"The University of Washington Botanic Gardens and the City of Seattle work together to maintain these magnificent 230 acres on the shores of Lake Washington. You can visit free of charge every day from dawn to dusk. Established in 1934, the Washington Park Arboretum has a top-notch winter garden, as well as world-class collections of maples, oaks and camellias."

"This wild and lovely park stretching from Madison Valley up to Union Bay offers a wide variety of gardens, a wetlands nature trail and 200 acres of mature forest threaded by paths. More than 5500 plant species... Top ChoiceMuseum in Queen Anne & Lake Union"

"Army Corps of Engineers, the busiest set of locks in the United States allows water traffic to travel between the tidal waters Puget Sound and the Lake Washington Ship Canal. This waterway passes through Seattle’s inland freshwater lakes, via Lake Washington, Portage Bay, Lake Union and Salmon Bay, where it meets Puget Sound. The locks have permanently changed Seattle, lowering the water level on Lake Washington and Lake Union by 2.7 metres, giving rise to many miles of new land on the lakefronts."

"From here head over to see the Ballard Locks as the boats make their way through the locks. This was one of my favorite parts of visiting Seattle, it is such an interesting invention. A bonus is that the park and area around it are beautiful. If you are lucky, you may get to see a seal playing around in and around the locks."

"Learn about the annual phenomenon of salmon spawning at Seattle’s Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, known locally as the Ballard Locks, where three types of Pacific salmon pass through the fish ladder during the summer months on the way upriver to their spawning grounds.More"

"The Volunteer Park Conservatory is a botanical garden with a multi-room display of cacti, tropical plants, orchids, and other species. Its mission is to advocate and encourage preservation, public participation, and education with respect to the Volunteer Park Conservatory and its plant collection. Friends of the Conservatory (FOC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, plays an integral part in stewarding visitors, providing outreach and education though docent-led tours, plant sales, special events, and interpretative classes for adults and school children, as well as an "Urban Safari" summer camp for grade school youth."

"The best of the monuments in Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park is a stunning conservatory modelled on London’s Crystal Palace and completed in 1912. This wrought iron and glass wonder is composed of 3,426 glass panels and houses the park’s collections of bromeliads, ferns, palms, cactuses/succulents and seasonal plants. The heat and humidity varies from area to area and is computer controlled, rising to 27°C in the cactus house."

"Modeled after the “Crystal Palace” of London, the Volunteer Park Conservatory is a stunning example of man-made architecture. Glass walls are fitted into steel and iron frames. Victorian-style decorations give an ornate flair to everything from the windows and trellises to the doorknobs and flowerpots."