Best Classic Cocktail List - Good Food, Good Drink & Good Company
Award-Winning Cocktail List
Whiskey, Brandy, Tequila, Rum
Exceptional Hospitality
The Zig Zag Cafe is a classic cocktail bar & restaurant located on the Pike Street Hill Climb behind Seattle's Pike Place Market & on the way to the Seattle Aquarium.
We're open daily from 5pm-2am. Happy Hour is 5-7pm on weekdays. Our selection of whiskeys, brandies, tequila & rums is one of the best in the state. Our cocktail list won Best Classic Cocktail List at 2007's Tales of the Cocktail.
We offer 3 rotating taps of Maritime lagers & ales & a small selection of premium bottled beers. Our wine list includes reds & whites, fortified wines & some excellent champagne.
Behind the bar owners Ben Dougherty & Kacy Fitch & bartenders Murray Stenson & Erik Hakkinen serve up a wide variety of cocktails, from timeless classics to innovative newcomers.
The Zig Zag Cafe is an unpretentious place with an eclectic crowd whose common desire is good food, good drink, & good company.
In Short The atmosphere is upscale stylish without losing its welcoming air; fresh flowers decorate the bar, and candles provide much of the light. Famed drinks from this established watering hole are made with exotic liqueurs and fresh-squeezed juices. Bartenders chat easily with the crowd--mostly regulars from Pike Place Market, spiked with an occasional well-dressed couple. Share the sauteed calamari with a friend, or try the linguine aglio for a hearty meal.
This perfectly secluded lounge behind the Pike Place Market is worth the search when the thirst strikes. Pick out one of the booths and then seek out Zig Zag's great bartender, Murray Stenson. Try the classic martini made from Oregon's Aviation Gin!
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
(you must log in or
sign up to vote)
night-time hidden place that awaits to give its secret5
the zig-zag is hidden at pike's place market. one must walk through many stairs, but, it is worth the peak. the drinks and cocktails are absolutely delicious. there is even dom perignon on the menu. such a vast amount of drinks, how can one resist the night-time pleasures of this place. and the food is outstanding. even just a dish of grilled cheese sandwich is just so irresistable. i would have to say that the zig zag is my absolute favorite spot to be.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
(you must log in or
sign up to vote)
Latest reviews by Citysearch:
(read all 38 reviews
on Citysearch)
Great drinks, abhorrent attitude
By jncjansen
A group of eight of us went to Zig Zag tonight to meet an old friend. We'd all been there before, and liked their drinks and atmosphere. We sat in the back area, where they have banquette seats and half-round tables, and had to push a couple of tables together to accommodate all of us. We all ordered cocktails and several appetizers for the table to share. The waitress was fine, nothing great but not too bad. About 35 minutes in, we'd all ordered a second round of drinks, when a short, bald man in a Charlie Sheen bowling shirt comes out of the back with an air of importance and makes a beeline for our table. Without a word, he yanks one of the tables we're using back to its rightful place, sloshing a couple of fresh drinks all over it in the process. We all looked at each other, and someone said, "can we take a couple extra chairs from over there?" you know, so we could at least all crowd around the one table we had left. To which the man replied, "Nope, the fire department wouldn't like that". And left. The guy wasn't Murray the bartender, and he wasn't serving any tables, so I assume he was one of the owners. We were there for another 90 minutes, and no one ever came and sat at that other table - I'd guess the place was about half full. Our party's bill was about $200. In these times, I'm surprised that people who have chosen to be in the service industry - you know, when you offer a service to other people, who pay you for that service - insist on treating customers badly. It's a shame that this guy's attitude overshadowed an otherwise enjoyable evening - while I work about a block away and like their drinks and atmosphere, I probably won't be going back to ZigZag anytime soon. Who wants to spend $200 to be treated like that?
Pros: Excellent cocktails, cool bartender, fun location Cons: service, service, service
Posted 06/23/09
Best Cocktails in Seattle
By ajanmd
If you are a cocktail aficionado, or just like to expand your horizons in the world of booze, go hear. Its not as much fresh fruit as some of the up and comers, but its amazing drinks at a reasonable price. And service is incomparable.
Pros: Service, Drinks, Drinks Cons: parking
Posted 04/10/09
Best maritini in Seattle?
By SkySurfer
I usually go to Zig Zag to have exotic, hard to find and even harder to make cocktails. If you're a purist, have an interest in mixology, or like trying new drinks you can't have anywhere else, this is a great place to go to. Most bartenders in Seattle know who Murray is (bartender) and how amazing he is, although he only works weekdays.
Never really tried the food, although I've been told it was ok. The rest of the staff can be a little indifferent, in a faking to be friendly kind of way. The only thing I hate more than a snobbish place is a place that pretends to be nice, but clearly doesn't care. As an example, we once showed up 7 for a booth, and instead of accommodating by letting one of us sit in a chair that could clearly fit, basically told us we were out of luck.
Pros: Amazing bartender, exotic cocktails Cons: Can be expensive, can be crowded
Posted 03/26/09
No Go
By grambofood
OK Ill try tobe fair we never got past the front door . It was a friday night happy hour the place was packed a hostess met us at the door and asked how many their was we had 3 in our party . She went to look for a table and came back with some guy saying it would be awhile and did we know it was happy hour and that you had to be twenty one our daughter was with us and she was twenty one.I thought we could stand around the bar like everyone else was but they said all of those spots were taken,OK I know their are fire codes but I really thought we wern't welcome like we were not good enough for the place. I read about this place and had wanted to try it out for some time and yes I knew it was happy hour thats why I chose to come at that time ,you know its cheaper at that time hello!! I just think they are a little full of them selves to turn us away like they did.Oh well like you care what i have to say, Guess Ill never know how great the Zig Zag is............
Posted 02/20/09
Nice people! good service
By nelson0071
loved this place even busy people are nice. good drinks.
kinda hard to find the parking space but. cozy and warm.
we be back again