3 Best Bars in Washington, USA

On a quiet street removed from bustling Ballard, Essex boasts craft cocktails, a handful of which are served on tap. The rotating cocktails often include house-made ingredients or are barrel aged, and all have something of a cocktail-nerd bent. A solid wine list and local beer selections are also available, as is a selection of wood-fired dishes that come out of the pizza oven at next-door sibling shop Delancey.

In the skeleton of a classic Chinese-American dive bar, chef Mark Fuller created his own spin on the genre. Under the low lights and a ceiling of red lanterns, bartenders serve tropical and frozen cocktails like pink guava palomas and passion fruit caipirinhas. There's Skee-ball, karaoke, and pinball, and a menu with twists on General Tso's chicken and honey pecan prawns.

Seattle's top spot for roots music and alt-country has a large, dimly lighted hall with all the right touches: tires as decor, exposed-brick walls, and a cheery staff. The sound system is outstanding.