SEAGuide

The One-Two Punch Guide: Summer Edition

Where to eat and then drink outside in Seattle.
The One-Two Punch Guide: Summer Edition image

By now, you might be familiar with the One-Two Punch. It’s what we like to call any two-stop itinerary that has been expertly planned for maximum enjoyment. We’ve already given you our best one-two punch date nights, and now we’re back with another round.

What you’ll find here are two-step plans that are perfect for summer, whether you’re looking to just eat and drink or maybe get some activities going. Use these combinations for date nights, group hangs, entertaining out-of-town visitors - or for when you just need an excuse to get off the couch and do something with your weekend. Walking to your fridge doesn’t count on that one.

The Outdoor One-Two Punches

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Sitting out on the patio under string lights at Red Cow feels like going to a country barn wedding where steak frites are on the menu, without someone’s drunk uncle giving a self-deprecating toast nobody asked for about how love isn’t real, the end is nigh, and the only person who understands his inner turmoil is Marcel the MC. Also, Red Cow has blankets available if it gets chilly out.


Following Red Cow with drinks in the garden at Bottlehouse could convince just about anyone to fall in love with you. Or at least to agree to one more date before ghosting you forever. Bottlehouse is the best wine bar in the city, mostly because the patio situation here is ideal and the servers are experts who won’t shame you for not knowing whether Sancerre is produced from red or white grapes. If you’re in more of a cocktail mood, the frozen one on rotation is always excellent.


This spot is Permanently Closed.

Sometimes your brain is telling you to go somewhere nice for dinner, but your heart is telling you that it’s time for nachos. Sawyer is the best of both worlds. Their outdoor space will make you feel like you’re eating on the side of a dock, only instead of water below you, there are cyclists yelling “come on!” at cars that don’t yield. If you’re planning a birthday dinner or date night, book a table here and have at the upscale comfort food, like In-N-Out-inspired wagyu burgers and BBQ boar ribs. Your brain and heart will appreciate it.


After such a nice dinner, you shouldn’t head directly to a dive. Get more mileage in those fancy slacks and go to Percy’s, the cocktail spot to visit with your friends who really like plants. Sit at a back table among the greenery and order apothecary-themed cocktails that involve things like dill-infused tequila, lavender tinctures, and serrano honey. (For the record, those aren’t all in the same drink.)


The house beers at Standard Brewing range from classic blonde ales and stouts to more experimental types with things like guava and berries. Drink flights on the bamboo-covered patio under an umbrella with your friends while playing that game where nobody wants to admit they’re starving first.


Keep the party going at Reckless Noodle House. They have amazing Vietnamese food that you can eat on a very chill, plant-lined deck with colorful tables, hand shuffleboard, and good music. The menu has everything from Thai curry to pastrami coconut fried rice, but we also recommend literally anything involving their braised beef cheek. If you’re on a date, you could use that as a segue to a kiss on the cheek, but that might be trying too hard.


Bar Del Corso makes some of the best Neapolitan pizza in the city. So it’s a nice bonus that they also have a back patio. While we like this place for a date, it’s also perfect for gathering with a group of friends, laughing loudly, and ruining all of the dates around you. Just make sure you arrive at 5pm when the restaurant opens, since they don’t take reservations and we aren’t the only people who like this place. Order whatever you want, and by that we mean to say that you should order the fried rice balls, the pickled peppers and sausage pie, and an affogato to cool off.


The only thing better than sitting outside with a pint after eating pizza is sitting outside with a pint next to a fire pit after eating pizza. You can do this at Perihelion, where they have great homemade beer that pairs well with the smell of fresh campfire smoke. If you end up planning a Golden Gardens bonfire or some kind of Oregon Coast getaway by the time you’re done here, we wouldn’t be surprised.


When you first walk into Stampede Cocktail Club, it feels like an old-timey parlor, but then you turn a corner and a T-Rex’s head juts out at you from floral wallpaper. Make sure you at least get a peek at that lovable eyesore before bringing your blueberry mule or passionfruit pineapple margarita to the picnic tables out on the front porch.


Eating a pizza topped with mac and cheese sounds like a recipe for a bad bellyache in the first place. Add 80-degree summer heat, which makes the fragile PNW feel like a sticky sauna, and it’s just a very great way to end up on a sofa an hour later with ice packs on your stomach. But the pies at Petoskey’s are thin, crispy, and light - even with cheesy noodles in the mix. Come here to eat Midwestern bar food like fried cheese curds and tater tot nachos on the lowkey deck, and be thankful that our version of humidity isn’t also Midwestern.


The outdoor area at Joule has a firepit, an open ceiling made from slabs of wood, and string lights - otherwise known as the ideal patio trifecta. It’d probably be nice to come here with your parents so that you can convince them that you do have an iron despite the fact that they scoured your apartment and couldn’t find it over delicious vegetables, spicy rice cakes, and braised octopus with bacon.


Pacific Inn is right across the street from Joule, and even though it’s a dive bar, the patio deck feels like it could be on the waterfront if you ignore the traffic whizzing by. It’s a nice space to relax with a beer or a surprisingly good margarita. If you skipped dessert at dinner, we endorse ordering a plate of fish and chips here as your grand finale.


You’re a grown adult, which means you probably shouldn’t have a giant hot pretzel as your dinner. Unless, of course, you want to, because you’re the architect of your own destiny. At Rhein Haus, we endorse eating enough German snacks to constitute a meal while you ruin friendships over bocce on the sunny patio. Chase it all down with a boot of beer (which is essentially like eating another giant hot pretzel). Or, take advantage of the strong rose slushies that only make an appearance outside during the summer months - like that one friend who’s afraid of the rain.


Now that your pretzel feast is over, it’s time to drink something that doesn’t involve wheat and yeast.You won’t find beer in boots at Canon, but you will find highly complex cocktails in ceramic bathtubs and various other creative vessels. We admit that there’s nothing quite like grabbing a barstool inside among the liquor bottle collection that makes Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory look like a discount candy shelf at a Rite Aid the day after Easter. But, when the weather is nice outside, it’s consider drinking your guava-passion fruit “No Collusion” drink out on the deck where you can actually see and admire the Putin Russian nesting doll it’s poured in.


Despite being on a busy stretch on Rainier Ave South where horns never stop honking, the patio at Hill City Tap House is a relaxing place to grab a few beers. There’s a nice variety, from hazy IPAs to framboise rose goses, and the big picnic tables should have room for everyone you’re with unless you’re rolling with a group of 20 (if so, well done). It’s also a great choice if you live nearby and don’t want to leave your dog(s) at home.


The line for a beer at Fremont Brewing is going to be longer than the snake in a game of Snake being played by someone who’s really good at Snake. But it’s worth waiting for the huge picnic tables and beer infused with things like lemon thyme and peppercorns. Even if this brewery were located across town, we’d still recommend you drink there before a dinner of any kind. But since you only have to stroll down the block to get to The Masonry, it’s perfectly convenient.


There are a couple of different ways to go about the patio at Tamari Bar. You could come here on a date and sit at the outdoor bar, snacking on bao, dumplings, and karaage. Or, you could grab a picnic table with some friends and do a few rounds of sushi and wagyu cooked on a sizzling hot rock. No matter what, you’ll want a whiskey highball, which is a delicious sparkling drink made from a machine that only 10 Japanese restaurants in the U.S. claim to have.


Sure, we could drink whiskey highballs at Tamari Bar all night and be perfectly content, but sometimes you just need a change of scenery. If that’s the case, Linda’s is a no-brainer. It feels like a party no matter what night you roll in, there’s plenty of outdoor seating, and they make spiked Mountain Dew slushies a thing that is surprisingly a cocktail you might even want two of.

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