Columbia City is our favorite neighborhood in Seattle. We love that so much of what we enjoy is within walking distance. There are so many great bars, breweries, restaurants and music venues to try out. We are also served by light rail as well as some really frequent buses so our car can sit in it’s parking spot for a long time. We are currently traveling most of the year so we are renting out our house often. This post sharing our favorite Columbia City places is mainly meant for our guests, but it might be helpful for locals as well.
Breweries:
Flying Lion is my favorite. Their Rye Stout is the best beer in town. Don’t miss their dark beerfest in December. No Tipping required- they include it in the price.
Machine House Brewing in Hillman City has great cask beer.
Fremont Brewing just opened up a location in our hood in summer 2024 and hasn’t really been popular yet although it is the 3rd largest brewery in Washington.
Bars:
Rookies is the best sports bar around and has some pretty good pub food, including a solid breakfast. Everyone is friendly, and is one of those places that you will see the same regulars often.
Lottie’s Lounge has a small food menu with tacos and makes some fun cocktails. They sometimes have karaoke or open mic nights, check their facebook page for events.
Columbia City Alehouse has great food and beer and usually have international soccer games on.
Twilight Rainier in Hillman City is the closest thing we have to a dive bar.
Hill City Tap House is also near Hillman City and they have a popular Trivia night on Tuesdays.
Nightclubs/Music: (Event Calendars are linked)
The Royal Room is our favorite. They get some great local and traveling bands to watch while you’re eating some Southern influenced food.
The Royal Esquire Club is technically a private African American club but they are open to all on many nights for musical acts. They have a soul food restaurant inside called the Comfort Zone.
The Columbia City Theatre changed ownership to a community based group a few years ago. They have a few shows but it usually isn’t booked.
Clockout Lounge is technically on Beacon Hill, but it is still close enough to walk home down the hill after a show. Inside the bar there is a pizza place that makes great pies!
The Black and Tan Hall is up the street in Hillman Village. It is named after the old African American jazz club on 12th and Jackson and is primarily featuring jazz and culturally diverse music and acts. The Rumba Notes Lounge has African food to go with afrobeat, reggae and hiphop acts.
Coffee Cafes
I would rather brew my own than hang out in a coffee shop but we have some fine places in our hood. Olympia Coffee, Empire Roasters and The Station are all great. You need to try out each place to find the vibe that works for you.
Ice Cream
Molly Moon’s isn’t cheap but it is the best in town.
Full Tilt is almost as good, a bit cheaper, and has pinball.
Restaurants: (I don’t eat at these often enough to review them. Check Google for REAL reviews)
La Medusa– Fantastic Sicilian food. It is very popular so you need to call for reservations.
Island Soul– Good Caribbean food and Soul food. Also a popular bar with rum drinks and some TV’s for watching sports.
Pagliaccci Pizza– Seattle chain that has better takeout pizza than Dominoes but not as good as eat-in places like Tutta Bella, BarDel Corso (on Beacon Hill, great food!) or Stevie’s pizza at Clockout lounge.
Tutta Bella– Pizza is fantastic but they also do great pasta. They have a few other locations in Seattle and always have good service and food.
Off Alley– Super small place that we haven’t tried yet. You need to get reservations. It is super popular and has gotten some great reviews and James Beard nominations.
Wabi Sabi Sushi– Every neighborhood need a good sushi place like this.
Marination– Hawaiian food with a huge outdoor patio. We eat here a lot when we have big groups.
Safari Njema– Interesting Kenya food but it takes a while for them to make it. Best to order and then go have beer next door at Flying Lion.
Spice Waala– Quality takeout Indian food. Not sure if this is still open.
Billiard Hoang– has fantastic Vietnamese food along with the pool tables
Kezira Restaurant- Heard great things about their Eritrean food but we haven’t tried it yet.
Bua 9 Thai Cuisine– Best Thai food in the neighborhood. We like to get it as takeout.
Maa Kiin– also is in the running for Best Thai food in the neighborhood. You probably need to try both
Taproot Coffee and Bar – Fancy Sandwiches with good juices, coffee and cocktails at night
Jackalope– Part of the Jack’s BBQ restaurants but this place is a bit different. They take Jack’s BBQ and use it for tacos and enchiladas for a great fusion taste.
Geraldine’s Counter– Super popular breakfast place that always has lines on weekends. Famous for their enormous French toast.
Lil Red Takeout– has popular BBQ on Rainier just North of Columbia City
Emma’s BBQ– is just South of Columbia City on Rainier and also gets good reviews
Hillman City has some popular restaurants we haven’t tried.
Archipeligo– has won awards for their fancy Filipino food. They have
tasting menus that are over $100 per person.
Delish Ethiopian– has been getting fantastic press for their Ethiopian food.
The Flour Box– has crazy lines until they sellout every day of their $6 fancy donuts
Sam Choy’s Poke- has been getting OK reviews.
Overall, you can see that we have more types of cuisine that many small cities just in our small neighborhood. It is really nice to have so much diverse good food be so walkable. Of course the city of Seattle has much more to offer if you are willing to get on the light rail. My other favorite neighborhoods for food are Beacon Hill, The ID (International District), Capital Hill and the U District. All of those have light rail stations. When we return to Seattle for the summer, we are always really excited to try out all the new places. Happy eating and drinking!!!
