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Pioneer Square is changing. The area is still home to dance clubs that attract a very young crowd, many of whom come in from the suburbs. But with new offices opening, and new bars, restaurants, and coffee shops catering to after-work and sports crowds, Pioneer Square is a place worth visiting. As always, First Thursdays attracts a more varied crowd participating in the art walk. Galleries provide another focal point, and an additional reason to spend the evening here.
Despite the development, transients and drug use remain a part of the Pioneer Square scene, and it can feel unsafe at times. On weekends, disturbances from the hard-partying crowd make this a less-attractive neighborhood for some.
The best beer bar in Pioneer Square features 22 rotating taps of Northwest (including Boundary Bay, Chuckanut, and Anacortes) and California beers and a long list of bottles from the region. Its upscale pub menu features local and seasonal ingredients, including a delectable Dungeness crab cake BLT and Alaskan cod fish and chips. Collins is a perfect pre- or post-game spot, or simply for an evening of microbrews and seafood-centric pub fare.
The original idea was a clever one for a perennially drizzly city: indoor mini golf for grownups and a great local draft beer list. Flatstick Pub's fun-focused concept was such a hole-in-one that it's since expanded to six locations total around the region, including this underground Pioneer Square spot. Set in an industrial-cool space with brick walls, exposed ducts, and colorful artwork, Flatstick features a mini golf course that spells out "Seattle" and a 12-foot-tall Space Needle that lights up if you sink it on your first try. You can also try your hand at Stick Putt (think skee-ball meets putting) and Duffleboard, a Flatstick-invented tabletop golf game. If you work up an appetite while playing games, curb your hunger with snacks, salads, and brick oven pizzas.
The quirky murals at all Flatstick locations were painted by local artist Ryan Henry Ward. If you spend any time driving around Seattle, you're sure to see his art and prominent simple signature on a building or wall; he's the city's most prolific muralist, with works sometimes featuring Pacific Northwest subjects, including Sasquatch. Not everyone appreciates his widespread whimsy, but nobody can deny his art is a memorable part of the cityscape.
