Zig Zag Cafe

Recommends

ajanmd

Joined 6 years ago

Best Cocktails in Seattle. 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.

Recommends

SkySurfer

Joined 4 years ago

Best maritini in Seattle?. 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.

Doesn't Recommend

grambofood

Joined 5 years ago

No Go. 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............

Recommends

nelson0071

Joined 4 years ago

Nice people! good service. 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

Recommends

csmk

Joined 6 years ago

Love the Zig Zag!. Zig Zag is a timeless, classic cocktail bar and by far, my favorite of it's class in Seattle. I love it's ambiance, it's stellar service and (of course) the cocktails. Delicious drinks guys!

Recommends

hghstnrds

Joined 5 years ago

Some choices are simple. In Seattle, some choices are simple. Like where to buy a hat or where to go for a drink. No one bothers to compete with Bernie Utz Hats. It would be futile. It has a history, integrity, and a niche. It?s like that with the Zig Zag Cafe on the Pike Street Hillclimb, behind Pike Place Market. There are hundreds of places where you could go for a drink. It all depends on what you expect. If you appreciate hospitality, integrity, and a passion for drink, then the universe sharpens to a point. Zig Zag is Colin Powell?s doctrine of overwhelming force (+ knowledge, skill & love) applied to booze. The atmosphere is authentically intoxicating. Drinkers are appreciated and treated according. It?s palpable.

Doesn't Recommend

qa_scenester

Joined 6 years ago

Merose atmosphere. Tried after hearing great things only to be disappointed by the "smugness" of the staff.

Ordered a Manhattan only to have them put other ingredients in it because "I'd like it".

Small bar top to actually watch the bartenders, no parking.....it was tough.

Recommends

eskercurve

Joined 5 years ago

great cocktails and a wonderful atmosphere. My wife and I had just started watching a japanese animated series called Bartender and it actually got us interested in cocktails (dorky, I know, but that's how we roll). We wanted to find a place that had wonderful drinks made by a man who knew what he was doing. Doing a search on google found Drinkboy, which is an excellent site run by a man who knows his drinks. So my wife and I went out on a limb and went here.

The location is somewhat hard to find. The bar is located on the second terrace of the Pike Hill climb, which is about half a block south of Pike st., and then you have to find the staircase doing down to Alakan way, and then you have to remember to look beyond the mexican restaurant. We both missed it on our first try.

But boy were we rewarded for our searching! We came in on a Sunday afternoon about 30 min after it opened and at the time the bartender is conversational, and wanted to learn who we were. He seemed genuinely interested in us and made us an excellent Hemingway Daiquiri, a nostalgic Manhattan, then we tried the menu. We had the foccacia, which was superb, if American-ized. I ordered a Black Velvet, made with champaign, which is VERY difficult to do, but he executed it flawlessly. When I said I first had it in Japan, he asked how often I went there. He then brought back a Violet based liquer which isn't exported!

The man is a genius. He even made a couple free drinks for us! We will definitely make this a weekly regular thing.

Recommends

billycar

Joined 5 years ago

Cocktail wizard. Murray is a wizard behind the bar. This is my top recommendation for delicious, sophisticated cocktails and just a great place to go to unwind and for conversation. It's tucked away in the hillclimb of the Pike Pace Market and it makes you feel like you're part of a private club since not everyone is in the "know" because it's off the beaten path.

They have the biggest Whiskey and Brandy selection that I've found since I moved to Seattle. The menu is simple with sandwiches, salads and light snacks but they are really tasty.

Recommends

katyl8y

Joined 6 years ago

"Murray is God.". I love to bring my friends here when I'm showing off how great the nightlife can be in Seattle. As my friend put it, "Murray is God." He's a great bartender, makes any drink you can think of (contrary to the review by tummyphat...you can order any coctail you want, it doesn't have to be on the list to be made), and he's a great conversationalist. Some days, I just walk in and tell him my mood, and he will make the best drink to fit it.

The food is so good! Try the calamari. And make sure to at least go once during Happy Hour. This way you can get a large assortment of the appetizers. My favorite drink is the Moquito. Everthing is made from fresh ingredients, and the drink turns out to be the best thing you've ever tasted and the most beautiful drink you've ever seen! Nothing compares! (Just keep in mind that you may never be able to drink a Moquito anywhere else.)

Check out their web site!