Seattle
You're flying out of Seattle Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Seattle Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Seattle's airports.
City centre · $$$
Artusi is the Capitol Hill Italian wine-and-aperitivo bar from the Spinasse team — a 200-bottle Italian list and a serious vermouth programme that's one of the
Capitol Hill · $$$
Bar Melusine draws a steady local crowd in Capitol Hill. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
City centre · $
Get featured across our city and category guides. Reach serious drinkers.
Belltown · $$$
Bathtub Gin & Co. draws a steady local crowd in Belltown. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Seattle proper at the end.
Plays for Seattle Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Seattle? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.