Explore Belltown with Chris from Screwdriver bar
Meet Chris! Chris co-owns Screwdriver Bar in Belltown and has called Belltown home since 2003. As a long-time resident and business owner in the neighborhood, Chris has become well acquainted with the amazing small businesses around him. He's excited to shine a light on a few of his favorite spots that haven't already been mentioned in others' lists!
"Belltown is my absolute favorite neighborhood in Seattle; always has been and always will be. You cannot go wrong with any of these, and whatever you do, stay away from the 5 Point," he said.
THE LOCAL'S LIST is our weekly series where we tap locals to share their favorite spots, personal recs, and the kind of tips you usually only get from a friend.
Every Friday, new person, new subject, maybe a new friend?
Chris's Recs for Belltown:
"Just a bar in the greatest way possible. Sonya’s has been around forever and has always been there for me. So many nights (and days) have blurred together into a wonderful quilt of cozy memories. Killer staff, a non-pretentious ambiance, and a take-no-shit attitude. It irks me when bars get slotted into lanes; to me, a great bar is high and low, neither dive nor cocktail, but a beautiful blend of both. It’s gotta feel like home. A bar is something you can always count on, always there when you need it. If I drank, I’d be hammered at Sonya’s every day, and it’d be bitchin’."
"Joe Nix’s shrine to fun. Art, pinball, video games, karaoke, bands, pizza from Good Shape, and a wonderful staff. Hyper-creative, uber-fun, and just on the right side of feral. Joe Nix is Belltown, and Jup is a Belltown bar through and through."
"Forget Belltown; Lenox is one of the best restaurants in the city. Across from the Crocodile, Lenox is Cuban, Puerto Rican, Latin, NYC, whatever or however the hell you want to pigeonhole it; it’s flat-out delicious. Exceptional, adventurous, eclectic, comforting; it’s almost too amazing for Seattle. Get dressed up, hit some bars on 1st or 2nd, and settle in for a culinary experience like very few places offer. Peak Belltown."
"Wonderfully curated, with new things every day. Cramped and chaotic, you never know what you’ll find, but it’ll be priced fairly and be cool as shit. A hell of a neighbor, and toss all your fast fashion on 3rd and Pike."
"Duh. A home run every time and the gold standard for getting thrown out of your home and rebuilding fresh and new without being lame. It’s still got the spirit. All the groups involved that tore down 2nd Ave, thus ripping the soul out of Belltown years ago, deserve the swiftest and nastiest kick in the nuts."
"My two go-to stays for out-of-towners. And if they’re good enough for 'Mom Lindiana Jones,' they’re good enough for me. Just wonderful, consistent, stays right in the heart of the action. Hotel Croc is so much more than a hotel; it’s an extension of the Croc, with live music, DJs, art shows, a bar with an incredible staff, all working in unison for the greater good of bringing folks and the community together and having a killer time. Class from top to bottom."
"God bless you, Kimmie Spice, and all your bitches. A pillar of the community and on the Mount Rushmore of Belltown. Self-made and one of us through and through. A true leader and role model. Unfuckwithable. Obviously great food, but it’s beyond that. Hail the cult of Bitch."
Our upstairs neighbor and longtime friends started out doing pop-ups on our patio during COVID. They are a monolith, an unstoppable juggernaut that is the busiest spot in Belltown. Buffalo-style wings (double-fried, smaller, no ranch), blah blah blah… obviously it’s the food that’s the hook, but that’s not it for me. They are earnest, hardworking, decent gentlemen who are committed to the bit, have an absolute blast with whimsy, and are, above all, FUN. Remember fun? They have more than anyone (maybe save for Hotel Croc), and it’s that infectiousness that washes over you like being a kid hanging out with your best buddies on the last day of school. Part restaurant, part bar, part sports, part clubhouse, VW is the place that hits every time. Every day, they make a choice to have the most fun possible, and every day, they succeed. It's the kind of spot that is a ton of folks’ absolute fav place, and I bet there are dozens of Vindicktive tattoos adorning some flesh; a hallmark of a great spot."
Tiny, dark, warm, unpretentious Art Deco cocktail bar. My ax to grind with cocktail bars in general is the extreme emphasis on drinks and ingredients that sometimes something gets lost or forgotten… FUN. Drinking is fun, remember? So many places could benefit from dialing back the stern seriousness for a spot of fun and whimsy. Roquette hits for me by straddling that line and having a blast, but also being extremely cocktail-y. They toe the line perfectly, and huge bonus points: caviar, and it’s not a goddamn chain. Seattle has such a wonderful, innovative, passionate, futuristic cocktail scene that the fact that people are losing their shit over outside chains when the homegrown shit is a million times stronger drives me batty. One of our best; one of the country’s best."
"Our indie 150-cap music venue. Incredible sound, incredible staff, literal history in the bones, and all heart, soul, and passion. My favorite venue, my favorite place. Live music is the backbone of culture, and no place on earth can bring people together like a small venue with a ripping band. There is nothing better, and the unfortunate reality is that all the tiny kick-ass spots are in trouble without support for both bands and venues alike. I’d die for BYC, and I don’t think I’m alone."
If you've had Belltown on your list to explore next, here's your sign to get to it asap and see what you've been missing. And don't forget to check out Screwdriver Bar too!
More Local Picks
This guide is part of The Local's List — a series where we ask people who actually live here to share their favorite spots, routines, and opinions about the city. This is our first one, but there’s more coming.
What to be featured or Know someone who should be featured?
Email us at [email protected].
Written by Georgi Shillington on 9/2/26
