The Zig Zag Café · 1501 Western Avenue · Seattle · 206-625-1146 · Open 5 PM to 2 AM every day
Reviews
FOOD
The High (End) Life
“Drinking in Seattle now means getting schooled, not drunk...
“Stenson is certainly a legend in Seattle, the bartender that all other bartenders in this city bow down to.”
STYLE: The Playboy.com A-List
America's Top 10 Bartenders
“Inspired by a vintage cocktail book from the 1950s, Zig Zag Cafe senior bartender Murray Stenson resurrected a classic cocktail known as the last word (made with gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice), tested it on some customers and realized he'd discovered a goldmine of a great drink. Mixologists from as far as New York and London subsequently added it to their cocktail lists—flattery, not theft, according to Stenson—and his career has continued to soar.”
Zig Zag In, Stagger Out
“Hey folks, meet Murray. Murray is a bartender in Seattle. Murray has the world's biggest well... and he knows how to use it...
“I'd been dwelling on the Blood and Sand and, though it wasn't on the menu, I blurted it out. Murray instantly offered me a twist on it that I'd never considered.
‘Scotch or whiskey? Want to try it with Bacardi 8?’
“With that he made me an outstanding rum-based Blood and Sand. Marc Nowak, founder of the great Seattle Martini Challenges and International Martini Challenges of the 90s, ordered a Mojito. Murray measured, muddled, poured and garnished. Then, with a julep flourish he dusted the top with confectioners sugar. Marc declared it the best Mojito he's ever tasted.”
2006 Best Of Citysearch
Seattle's Best Martini
“The Zig Zag win's Seattle Citysearch's ‘Seattle's Best Martini’ position for 2006 with both the Editors as well as the Audience!
10.0 Martini (First place!)
9.8 Bartenders
9.7 After-Work Bar
9.7 Exotic Drinks
9.3 Signature Drinks
Wine & Spirits: Cocktail Lounge Confidential
ZIG ZAG CAFE
“Just a fish toss away from Seattle's Pike Place Market, the candlelit Zig Zag Cafe is an equally distinguished institution that specializes in old-school and modern cocktails. What sets the bar apart from other establishments is the deep pool of talented bartenders. When owners Ben Dougherty and Kacy Fitch aren't behind the bar shaking up concoctions like the Aviation (gin, maraschino liqueur, and lemon juice), you'll likely find the inimitable Murray Stenson, arguably the city's best barkeep. Bring in a favorite cocktail recipe for Stenson to make or, better yet, ask him to invent a drink in your honor.”
Leaders of the American Cocktail Revolution
by Rob Willey
“Just like celebrity chefs, today's celebrity bartenders have passionate followers who admire their quest for the best ingredients and the newest ideas. Here, America's top five talents and some of their signature drinks...
“Ben Dougherty and partner Kacy Fitch pore over old cocktail guides in search of quirky forgotten recipes to serve at Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle-like this pleasantly bitter gin drink that calls for the unlikely pairing of Dubonnet, a sweet French aperitif, and Fernet Branca, a bitter Italian digestif.”
2005 Best Of Citysearch
The finely crafted cocktails are the draw at this classy downtown escape
The Zig Zag win's Seattle Citysearch's “Best Bartender” position for 2005, and gets over a 9.0 rating in nine other categories as well:
10.0 Bartenders (First place!)
9.9 Conversation Bar (Tie for first place)
9.9 Martini (Tie for first place)
9.8 Trendy Scene (Second place for bars and restaurants)
9.8 Neighborhood Bar (Tie for second place)
9.8 Bar Scene
9.7 After-Work Bar
9.6 First Date
9.4 Bar Food
9.2 Outdoor Bar
BEST COCKTAIL BAR
The ZigZag Cafe
“If you're looking for Red Bull and vodka, this hideaway below Pike Place Market on the hillclimb between Western and the waterfront isn't your place. The MO at ZigZag is drinks that have character, context, maybe even a bit of history. Finally—a place where an old-fashioned isn't sickly sweet, but offers the right blend of whiskey, bitters and a judicious dose of sugar. Get adventurous: Try a Vesper (vodka, gin and Lillet Blanc), as coined by James Bond in Casino Royale, or sip a Satan's Soulpatch, the bar's bourbon-based twist on Satan's Whiskers (gin with dry and sweet vermouth, orange juice, Grand Marnier and orange bitters), which dates back to the 1930's.
Owners Ben Dougherty and Kacy Fitch pooled their years of bar experience and their common passion for real-deal, high quality cocktails to create this haven for folks who have strong convictions about what they drinks and why. The menu of cocktail-friendly fare (check out the new happy-hour buffet for $4 a plate) includes daily flatbread (crisp pizzalike bread with rotating toppings), sautéed calamari, Thai spinach salad with cashew dressing, a ‘martini’ steak sandwich (juniper seasons the meat, topped with vermouth-pickled onions) and penne with merguez.”
PORTRAITS
Murray Stenson
Tending to trends and troubles
by Rebecca Teagarden
“In the 28 years he's been setting them up at the bar, Murray Stenson's served cocktails in 60 or so of our local drinking emporiums. He was the longtime tender at Il Bistro, and now conjures cocktails at Zig Zag Cafe on the Pike Place Market Hillclimb. Most importantly, when you ask around about Stenson, universally you hear, ‘Oh, yeah, everybody knows Murray!’”
MUSIC
Zig Zag Cafe: Club Pick
“Once inside the cozy, dimly lit space, relax and order a drink from the Zig Zag's increasingly reputable bar, which has been known to slake the thirst of in-the-know downtowners with a zap of a martini.”
CURRENTS
How Seattle Drinks
by Cynthia Nims
“...legendary Seattle bartender, Murray Stenson, holds court with his fiercely loyal regulars. While well-versed in the most contemporary drinks, at Zig Zag they won't blink twice if you ask for such old-time tipplers as the Aviation, the Stinger, or the Godfather. Seattle's enjoying a rediscovery of such classic cocktails that had all but slipped completely from the radar.”
THE HOSTILE HOLIDAYS
Holiday Desperation Dinner
by Charles Mudede
“Four chefs and one bartender attempt to make an upscale holiday meal—hors d'oeuvres, side dish, main dish, dessert, holiday cocktail—entirely out of items purchased in convenience stores.”
Wine & Spirits
A Sweet Segue in Seattle
by Gary Regan
“...The Chas Cocktail was created by [Murray] Stenson for one of his regular customers who loves bourbon, but refuses to drink the same cocktail twice during the course of an evening...”
FOOD REVIEW
The Zig-Zag: Juice Joint
Single malts and sexy spirits reign at downtown's best lounge.
“From the steps outside, the warm glow illuminating the Zig-Zag's windows and the soft chatter of diners and drinkers on the patio welcomes, and walking through its double doors is a sweet relief.”
DINING GUIDE
Sexy Spirits: ZIG ZAG CAFÉ
“This is what happens when the bartenders own the place: It's a drinker's paradise, a low-key, no-frills hideaway tucked under Western Avenue on the Pike Street Hillclimb... Sure, the Mediterranean-influenced menu is trendy, but with a Salumi alum heading up the kitchen, specialties like the roasted chicken risotto or the grilled anchovy sandwich can transcend trendiness.”
Note: The segment on the Zig Zag appears near the bottom of the page.
CHOW
Zig Zag Cafe: Night and the City
“There is a specific, foolproof way to enjoy Zig Zag, and that is to drink up, my friends. The drink menu here is amazing—extensive, confident, undeniably classy.”
Seattle Bars
The Zig Zag Cafe
“The cocktail culture in Seattle is definitely going through some exciting changes, and the Zig Zag Cafe is the place in Seattle to experience the best that this city has to offer.”
Restaurant Review
The food is fantastic, but the finely crafted cocktails rule at this classy downtown escape
“The variety of quality spirits and the list of creative drink recipes is exceptional—few Seattle bars put as much emphasis on the craft of bartending.”
Restaurant Review
Bar none, the Zig Zag has dining potential
“People who work in restaurants generally don't hang where the food isn't good. Chef Jennifer McIlvaine avoids bar-food clichés on her brief menu in favor of more sophisticated comfort food, and the 25-year-old Philadelphia native executes much of it with aplomb.”
At the Zig Zag Café, we've been lucky enough to receive excellent reviews ever since we opened. Here is a selection from the past few years. Click on the title to see the original article.