Heading to Seattle soon for a conference and in search of "cool" bars (downtown or short cab ride from downtown) to meet folks for drinks. Will be having dinner at Dahlia's so don't want to go there. Have seen lists that include Alibi Room, Capitol Club, Oliver's, Vessel, and W Bar. Any comments on those? Any other suggestions? thanks!!

Barolo is a cool place, close to the Dahlia and with a great happy hour.

I like Oliver's very much but I'd hardly call it "cool". It's more a classic hotel lobby bar. Stands out by not being particularly 'hip'.

Capitol Club is not downtown, rather up on lower Capitol Hill. It's fine but not worth the extra trip for your situation I don't think.

Alibi Room is good, also the bar/lounge at Il Bistro italian restaurant in the Market.

Wann's on 2nd has a good happy hour. It's a Japanese place, www.wann-izakaya.com

Black Bottle on 1st www.blackbottleseattle.com is very current and extremly popular

I'll ask around when I get to the office today & post some more suggestions (I work downtown Seattle, in the Belltown area).

Here's a couple more:
www.spurseattle.com
www.seesoundlounge.com
both are on Blanchard between 1st & 2nd

One to miss... don't go to Brasa on 3rd it's not getting very good comments lately.

Into what kind of crowd do you hope to bump?

Thanks, suze! Happytrailstoyou: It's for pre-dinner drinks so I was thinkign more in terms of atmosphere/mood/decor than crowd.

Oliver's is a classy place--convenient to Dahlia Lounge. It is off the lobby of a classic Seattle hotel,and a few years ago it was voted as the place with the best martini. This is where I would go.

For cutting edge sheik: Vessel, near the 5th Avenue Theater, is the place.

Barolo has the most popular downtown happy hour, but you won't get a seat there--it is crowded.

The bars at W of the new Four Seasons are classy in an up-scale corporate way.

For casual with a group we like the happy hour at Palomino. It is lively and the pricing is good in case some in the group are strapped for cash.

You're very welcome. I love bar questions

Black Bottle also is too noisy & crowded for your purposes, now that I think about it.

Don't get me wrong, actually I adore Oliver's (have been going there since the 80's) but it's more "classic" than "cool". Upside is it's quiet enough you can talk to each other (not true lots of places these days) and elegant in an understated way. AND close to Dahlia.

You can see a photo of it here:
www.mayflowerpark.com (click on Oliver's Lounge)

Another gem of a restaurant/bar is in the Warwick hotel, on the same block as Dahlia Lounge
www.margauxseattle.com (click on photos)

Black Bottle, Queen City Grill, Brasa, Barolo, Kell's in Post Alley, Boka in Hotel 1000, W, I love the The Met bar, Paragon in Queen Anne. Several on 2nd Ave but not sure what you're into. There's a cool wine bar there.

I agree with pretty much everything mentioned on this thread so far. But they're kind of "all over the map", not knowing your ages, preference for old-school, cutting-edge, funky, elegant, etc. etc.

Zig Zag is known for having the best cocktails in town and is in kind of a neat location on the Pike Place Market hillclimb. (If you are really a cocktail afficiando go to Zig Zag and put yourself in the bartender's hands). The Pink Door has a wonderful rooftop deck so if it's nice that would be a lovely spot (if you can get a table outside). I love BOKA for happy hour--great apps--though their signature cocktails are only discounted on Wednesdays. Spur is very good. I haven't been to Vessel since the bartender change but it's worth reading up on. I find Oliver's stuffy rather than cool but that's a matter of personal taste.

Who knew I was a trendy/classy bar-finder. We LOVED Oliver's during our visit. Good location, very good drinks, friendly servers. Mayflower Park Hotel was a real gem.

Maybe I got the Vibe from Suze!