Thank you for your patience while I finished up our two-part series on Seattle third places! Well, except for my sister that is…
If you need a reminder, last week I shared a list of 40+ places in North and Central Seattle that could be categorized as third places — aka places a person might frequent that are NOT their home or work and are also free or relatively inexpensive, community-oriented, and comfortable to hang out in.
This has been a chunky project that has taken a lot of time, but I’m proud to have created this as a resource that can grow as we locate more third places and see if they meet our criteria! So don’t be afraid to share your findings in the comments.
Next week we’ll be back to our usual programming with lots of gems + radar blips I’ve collected over the past few weeks. We’ll also see the return of Seattle Snapshots in coming letters with a few cool locals who have some excellent recs to share.
This post is long, but you’ll find our usual events round-up and ICYMI news at the end so don’t forget to keep scrolling or expand if it gets cut off in your email!
Seattle’s Third Places by Neighborhood
Interests Key: 🍻 = drinks | 🍽 = food | 🌲 = outdoors | ☕️ = cafe | 💻 = coworking | 📖 = reading | ✍️ = writing | 🎟 = events | ️⚽️ = sports | 🕹 = games | 🎵 = music | 💃 = dancing
South Seattle
Beacon Hill
The Station | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 💻 📖 ✍️ 🎟 | This is my third place! I come here multiple times a week to write, work, and read. Their mission is to be more than just a coffee house and you can feel that when you come in.
Beacon Food Forest | 🌲 🎟 | This is a great third place for anyone who wishes they had a garden or wants to spend time outside using their hands. The BFF hosts a monthly work party, has many volunteer opportunities throughout the week, and hosts regular community events.
Clock-out Lounge | 🍻 🍽 🎟 🎵 💃 | A music venue + neighborhood gathering spot that hosts a variety of musical acts, comedy shows, and dance parties. I don’t come here enough!
Mount Baker
Mount Baker Pickleball Courts | 🌲 🎟 | These are the courts I play at because they aren’t as busy as some of the northern courts and the crowd is usually friendly and not super competitive. It’s been pretty easy to play with strangers here! And it’s conveniently located by Mioposto which would be a great place to grab a drink or pizza with new friends.
Columbia City
Empire Roasters | 🍽 ☕️ 💻 📖 ✍️ 🎟 🎵 | A record store + coffeeshop that has three levels of varied seating (including a sweet little rooftop) and is always playing grade-A music. It’s a wonderful place to spend a few hours by yourself or with a friend.
Billiard Hoang | 🍻 🍽 🕹 | This Vietnamese sports bar is one of my favorite spots to grab a bánh mì ($7) and ambiently watch a game. It’s half pool hall, half restaurant, so you can watch the locals play billiards while you eat or get in there with them. I love the random undersea mural on the wall.
The Station | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 💻 📖 ✍️ 🎟 | This is the newest outpost of the Beacon Hill-based coffeeshop and it seems to have all the charm of the original while being in a bigger space. It’s also right next to the light rail station!
Seward Park
Third Place Books + Chuck’s Hop Shop | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 💻 📖 ✍️ 🎟 🕹 | This bookstore + brewery + cafe lives up to its name. A community meeting place, you can pick up a book to read over coffee or a beer, meet a friend for burgers, or attend an author talk.
West Seattle
Meeples | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 🎟 🕹 | A game store + cafe that hosts weekly board game nights and serves food + drinks. I’ve bought games here before but have yet to spend extended time or order food from the cafe, the vibe seemed welcoming and cozy though!
The Missing Piece | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 🎟 🕹 | Another game store + cafe that is located a little more south. They offer very affordable food + drinks, a variety of free-to-play games, and a robust event calendar (that includes crafting nights as well).
Lincoln Park | 🌲 | One of my favorite parks in the city. There are always friendly people walking the paths, visiting the Troll, or sitting on the driftwood and watching the ferries go by. I’d like to check out Colman Pool in the summer too!
Highland Park Corner Store | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 🎟 | A beloved neighborhood gathering spot that serves coffee, NZ-style ice cream, sandwiches, and beer, plus a rotating food truck every Thursday. They have both indoor + outdoor seating and host weekly community events like wine tasting and a run club.
C & P Coffee Company | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 💻 📖 ✍️ 🎟 🎵 | This is weird, but the first time I ever came to this cafe was as a kid for a memorial reception. It was a lovely space to gather then, and it still is now! The inside is cozy but there’s also lovely outdoor seating for a sunny day. They often have live music and other interesting events.
Easy Street Records | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 🎟 🎵 | Seattle is so lucky to have this record store + restaurant. It can get busy during brunch time on the weekends (very reasonably priced) but is a cool place to spend time browsing the record selection, grabbing a drink, or attending one of their album listening parties or live shows.
Elliott Bay Brewing | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ | A restaurant + pub that has such a cozy, community vibe. I came here with my sister for a quick beer tasting and we ended up befriending our server and staying for hours. The HH was great too!
Till Dawn | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 🎟 🕹 | One of the first third places I identified in West Seattle, this is an intimate cafe + game bar that serves some of my favorite snacks (Umami Kushi) and kombucha (Shen Zen Tea). I loved playing Mario Kart at the gaming station on a rainy day, but they also have arcade games you can play too.
Skylark Cafe & Club | 🍻 🍽 🎟 🎵 | A music venue + restaurant that hosts up-and-coming artists and has a great covered patio area. This location is on a time limit due to the incoming light rail station, so go visit and support while you can!
The Good Society | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 📖 🎟 | I’ve walked past this brewery many times while on my way to the yarn shop next door (which sometimes hosts stitch groups at the brewery) and it always looks inviting. They host weekly events like trivia, music bingo, and run clubs.
Silent Book Club | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 📖 🎟 | This third place isn’t defined by one location as several local businesses (many on this list!) host readers every month. I’ve participated at Otter on the Rocks which was a perfect venue, but I’m looking forward to trying out others!
The Spot | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 📖 🎟 🎵 | A self-described “community hangout” that also serves a great breakfast (plus waffles all day). I love their outdoor patio on a nice day and look forward to checking out the live music they host from Thursday to Saturday.
White Center
Beer Star | 🍻 🍽 ☕️ 💻 📖 🎟 | A very large taproom + bottle shop with indoor and outdoor seating and food options onsite. Looks like a great place to meet friends or grab a tasting flight.
South Gate Roller Rink | 🍻 🍽 🎟 ⚽️ 🎵 💃 🕹 | This third place might take a little skill and bravery, but they have public skate sessions every night of the week that include live bands, rotating DJs, and skate classes (needed 4 me). Even if you don’t want to skate, there’s a bar, arcade games, karaoke, and live comedy on Monday nights.
📆 This weekend’s events
Dinosaur Improv | Friday, 5/31 | U District | $34
Plant-Powered Pop-Up | Friday, 5/31 | Ballard | Free
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Unlimited Love Tour | Friday, 5/31 | The Gorge | $78.25+
Anida Yoeu Ali: The Red Chador | Saturday, 6/1 | Various locations | Free
Beacon Hill Festival | Saturday, 6/1 | Beacon Hill | Free
Seattle Pride in the Park | Saturday, 6/1 | Capitol Hill | Free
UW Plant Sale | Saturday, 6/1 | U District | Free
White Center Pride Street Festival | Saturday, 6/1 | Capitol Hill | Free
Jokes at the Junction: Pride Show! | Saturday, 6/1 | West Seattle | $12.75
The Bush School Block Party | Saturday, 6/1 | Madison Valley | Free
Dino Fest | Sunday, 6/2 | U District | Free
Multi-day:
The Joke Parade at Club Comedy | 5/31 - 6/1 | Capitol Hill | $20
University Village Sidewalk Sale | 5/31 - 6/2 | U District | Free
Free Yoga at Columbia City Yoga | 5/31 - 6/2 | Columbia City | Free
Sour Fest 2024 | 5/31 - 6/2 | Capitol Hill | Free
Coppélia | 5/31 - 6/2 | Uptown | $30-210
Bite of Greece | 5/31 - 6/2 | Capitol Hill | Free
Glazer’s Photofest | 5/31 - 6/2 | SLU | Free
HONK! Fest West | 5/31 - 6/2 | Various locations | Free
GUNKED! | 5/31 - 6/15 | Capitol Hill | $5-37 sliding scale
Jinkx Monsoon & Major Scales: Together Again, Again! | 5/31 - 6/23 | Uptown | $50-180
Bacon Eggs & Kegs | 6/1 - 6/2 | SODO | $45
What’s next:
8/31 - 9/1 | The music lineup for Bumbershoot is finally here!!! And it’s looking fab. Grab your tickets now before they go up on 6/21 (a 2-day pass is just $125!).
🚨 ICYMI
Japanese retail chain Daiso is opening in West Seattle (there’s already one in the ID). Brouwer’s Cafe in Fremont is closing.
reported that Little Market on Portage Bay closed (😭). Styrofoam is banned in Seattle starting tomorrow.🧰️ Seattle Toolkit
A few of my favorite resources to stay tuned in to what’s happening around the city:
Everout - Events & things to do
SEAToday - Daily Seattle newsletter
The Nudge Seattle - Text-based event planner
The Intentionalist - Discover + support local small businesses