Where to have a good time in Seattle

Hotel Max’s picks for Seattle’s best eats, sips and sounds

From late-night dumplings and East Lake dive bars to vinyl shops and award-worthy eats, scoop Hotel Max’s picks for making the most of your time in Seattle.

EAT

Starting just off the lobby, grab a taste of James Beard Award-winning Chef Jason Wilson’s woodfired menu at Miller’s Guild, beloved for its dry-aged beef and barrel aged cocktails. Sharing a love for darn good meats, Mean Sandwich stacks up truly mean sandwiches at their over-the-counter neighborhood sandwich shop in Ballard, earning praise from Bon Appetite, Seattle Met, The Seattle Times and neighborhood regulars.

It’s true that no Seattle visit is complete without a noodle fix. We recommend Reckless Noodle House not just for the name, but for its chill vibe, Asian fusion fare, crispy duck rolls, Sichuan noodle dish and grin-inducing wall lined with (purportedly) a thousand shark-jaw bones. For dumplings (and late-night food cravings), Pel’Meni Dumpling Tzar is open until 2:30 a.m. and prides itself on keeping alive the Russian Siberian tradition of keeping meat fresh through long, harsh winters with your choice of hot beef or potato dumplings, staving off hunger and hangovers, daily.

DRINK

For beer nerds, we recommend bellying-up to the bar at No Anchor, a world class, James Beard Award-nominated beer bar in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood known for their unique beers sourced from around the world. Don’t let the Beard nomination shoo you away – this bar maintains its welcoming, beer loving nature, despite enjoying its fair share of the limelight.

On days when you just need a good dive, head to Linda’s Tavern. She’s been around for 25 years, never fails to make it on local lists for Seattle’s most essential dive bars and is rumored to be the last place Kurt Cobain was seen alive.

Another dive we’d rather not do without is the Eastlake Zoo Tavern. With one of the city’s only Snooker tables, this dive is a cash-only play pen with old-school bar games and a food menu consisting only of peanuts with a dusty, shell-strewn floor to prove it.

DO

With loving partners in Sub Pop Records, we’d be remiss not to mention Seattle’s thriving music scene. Keep an eye on the music lineup at The Showbox and Tractor Tavern, which has brought Americana vibes and alternative, old-time, folk and bluegrass music to Seattle’s historic Ballard neighborhood for over 20 years.

If you’re staying on The Sub Pop Floor, you might feel inclined to pick up a record of your own to thrown on the Crosley in that room of yours. Porchlight Coffee & Records marries two of Seattle’s longtime loves, selling a limited selection of vinyl alongside a good cup of coffee. For a larger record selection, visit Everyday Music in Capitol Hill (and make a stop at Elliott Bay Book Co. across the street) or swing by Sonic Boom Records where Sub Pop Records’ Fleet Foxes proudly left their first album on consignment.