Celebrate the 21st Amendment! (Part 2)

In honor of this Saturday’s anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, we continue the discussion of the oldest bars in the Seattle area. This post again focuses on some of the lesser known historic bars of the area.

The Cabin - Est. 1933 - Shoreline

The Cabin is in a now suburban neighborhood where you’d never stumble upon it if you weren’t seeking it explicitly or lived next door. But it was a working port with a few summer homes when the structure was built in 1927, and when, in 1933 it received one of the first five or six post-prohibition liquor licenses in the state of Washington, and became what is now the oldest continually running business in Shoreline.

The Cabin has better than average tavern food, a good selection of beers and standard drinks, and a very nice patio area where you can see the sound. But what gives the place it’s essential character is the undulating floor and bar as the place has unevenly settled over the years after being moved on (and apparently left on) logs. The unique slant — which may make one feel wobbly even before your first drink — makes The Cabin well worth a drive to Richmond Beach.

This photo shows the odd flexure in the bar, following the bending angles of the floor of The Cabin Tavern.

The Cabin Tavern - 19322 Richmond Beach Dr NW., Shoreline, WA

The Caroline Tavern - Est. 1933 - Lake City

Lake City’s Caroline Tavern is another three-quarters-of-a-century-old bar that is virtually hiding in a suburban neighborhood (on 15th Ave NE across from the Jackson Park golf course). The Caroline not only feels like a home, it very much looks like an ordinary home from the outside. They also snagged one of the earliest liquor licenses after Prohibition and has been serving ever since. Among those served is said to be the great Will Rogers, in 1935.

Photograph posted in the Caroline Tavern in Lake City

Southern exterior of the Caroline Tavern, Lake City

The Caroline Tavern - 13702 15th Avenue Northeast, Seattle, WA

Old 5th Avenue Tavern - Est. 1933? - Maple Leaf

I could not find any real age information on the 5th Ave., but it is definitely one of Seattle’s oldest bars, and James, the bartender, was quite confident it dated back to very near the end of Prohibition. In any case, it’s worth a trip for the company and conversation, and for the trippy mural around the pool table in the back room.