16 Best Nightlife in Ballard, Seattle

Stoup is a great starting point for exploring Ballard's excellent craft-beer scene. A good-size tap room and patio area are family-friendly, and a rotating roster of food trucks feeds beer enthusiasts as they sip staples like the Citra IPA and Mosaic Pale Ale, as well as new and experimental brews.

The fruits of Yakima's hops and apple crops come to the westside at this sprawling joint facility. One of the state's best breweries brings its vertically integrated beers to the space shared with a creative-minded cidery. Together, they offer 32 drinks on tap, a rotating selection of food trucks, and plenty of seating of various sorts at the kid- and dog-friendly, indoor and gravel-lined outdoor space.

Part of the Sea Creatures mini-empire led by chef Renee Erickson, Barnacle is a narrow bar adjacent to the popular restaurant The Walrus and the Carpenter. It invariably collects people waiting for tables, but with a beautiful copper-topped bar, tiled walls, and plates of oysters, cured meats, and fish to go with the aperitivos, it’s a great place to drink and snack even if you aren’t planning to dine next door.

You might actually hear an Irish accent or two at this laid-back pub, along with live folk, roots, alt-country, bluegrass, and traditional Irish music. There's live music almost every night and great beer (including the obligatory Guinness on tap).

A true neighborhood spot, this small jazz club and restaurant is devoted to music education during the day and performances from local and touring acts in the evenings.

On a quiet street removed from bustling Ballard, Essex boasts craft cocktails, a handful of which are served on tap. The rotating cocktails often include house-made ingredients or are barrel aged, and all have something of a cocktail-nerd bent. A solid wine list and local beer selections are also available, as is a selection of wood-fired dishes that come out of the pizza oven at next-door sibling shop Delancey.

In the land of IPA enthusiasts, Fair Isle bravely brews an assortment of innovative saisons and farmhouse ales, often incorporating local ingredients such as rhubarb and elderberry. Fair Isle lends its kitchen to a wide variety of pop-ups serving everything from Turkish lamb roasts to Taiwanese soups. While the taproom is adults-only, the food is sold from a tent in front, allowing all-ages access (and plenty of nearby breweries will let you bring in food). On Fridays at 5 pm, one of the co-owners guides tours through the brewery that include a tasting of young ales.

From the owner of Linda's Tavern in Capitol Hill, King's Hardware has the same ironic rustic decor, great patio space, and cachet with hipsters. It also has great burgers. It gets packed on weekends—if you want the same scene with fewer crowds, go two doors down to Hattie's Hat, which was the reigning spot until King's showed up.

Blink and you'll miss it, and that would be a shame, because this tiny corner spot crafts some of the finest cocktails in town. Dimly lit and loud, Ocho fills up fast with a mixed crowd that flocks here for the drinks and top-notch Spanish tapas. Come summer, the sidewalk patio is an ideal spot for soaking up the sun and people-watching.

One of the pioneers of the current generation of Ballard breweries, Reuben's Brews' warehouse-like taproom and outdoor patios often burst at the seams with excited IPA drinkers. The barebones space offers 24 taps serving the brewery's offerings. Close to half the offerings are usually IPAs, like the World Beer Cup Gold Medal-winning Hazelicious IPA and the popular Crikey, but the rest run the gamut from wild farmhouse pale to the aptly named Robust Porter.

A short ride from the heart of Ballard's nightlife, Rupee offers an elegant, upscale experience. Inspired by the owners' travels in Sri Lanka and India, the drinks are spice heavy and employ tropical fruit without cloying sweetness. The food is also excellent. Rich colors and dark wood give the narrow space a transportive feel, but don't take too many people on the journey with you: there's no room for large groups, and waits can get long.

Sunset Tavern attracts just about everyone: punks, college students, postgrad nomads, neighborhood old-timers. They come for the ever-changing eclectic music acts, but there's also a bar in front, Betty's Room, where you can grab a drink before the show.

One of the last of the classic Ballard dives still standing: it used to be that fishermen started drinking here before the day dawned, though now it's just as likely to be hipsters drinking cold cans of Rainier beer and asking for pull tabs. While one side has kept the same servers with studied nonchalance bringing the drinks, a snazzy arcade now fills the other room.

A rotating selection of great beer, cider, and wine and a truly varied crowd are just part of the appeal of this popular bar. The rustic-modern interior includes a library-like seating area stocked with large trail maps and hundreds of travel books. The Noble Fir serves a few simple snacks, like cheese, charcuterie, fish, and vegan and vegetarian options, in case you feel like settling in and planning your next big adventure.

Pack your spellbook and leave your cynicism at home: this wizard-themed pub goes all in on magic and imagination. Grab a seat under a sea monster skeleton, order up an elixir or butterbee mead, and dig into tadpole in a hole, storm buffalo bourguignon, and a spitting fizzle nest for dessert. Reservations are recommended, especially for families, but the bar is reserved for walk-ins only.

Seattle's top spot for roots music and alt-country has a large, dimly lighted hall with all the right touches—tires as decor, exposed-brick walls, and a cheery staff. The sound system is outstanding.