On Saturday, July 28th Flatstick Pub celebrates the opening of its third location. You will find the new pub in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood at the corner of Westlake Avenue and Mercer Street. Like its other pubs, the new digs offers a great selection of beers along with miniature golfing. This Saturday, the doors open at 11:00 A.M. (Truth be told, they are very quietly and softly open already, but the Grand Opening is this Saturday.)
Yes, it’s a Flatstick Pub, just like the Pioneer Square and Kirkland waterfront locations, but when you first walk into the re-imagined car dealership you might mistake it for an art gallery dedicated to the works of Ryan Henry Ward. I suppose you could say the same thing about the Pioneer Square location, where Henry’s creative and colorful murals seemingly adorn every available wall.
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“We’re thrilled with the mini golf course,” said Andy Largent, who introduced the Flatstick Pub concept with his brother Sam back in 2014 when they opened the original location in Kirkland. “Local artist, Ryan Henry Ward, created large sculptures of Sasquatch, a wizard, and an owl that are pretty rad.”
Ryan Henry Ward (Henry) is just one of the local artists that contributed to the new Flatstick Pub. Not just murals, but some very cool sculptures/statues, including a Sasquatch that must stand 11 feet tall and watches dutifully out the window at the bustling corner of Westlake and Mercer.
The owners are excited about their new, highly visible space. The Flatstick Pub is what you see from the street but, less-obviously, the building also houses the Allen Institute for Brain Science. Looking skyward from Mercer Street or Westlake Avenue, it doesn’t appear much different than the other glass towers in the neighborhood, but what sets this building apart is the historic, terracotta-clad facade that remains in tact, with huge showroom windows that once illuminated Ford automobiles. William O. McKay opened his Ford dealership at this location in 1923.
“Flatstick Pub has established itself as an entertaining, interactive and inviting pub for locals in the greater Seattle area, and we’re thrilled to welcome its third location to the South Lake Union neighborhood,” said Ada M. Healey, vice president of real estate at Vulcan Inc. “Flatstick Pub will surely add to the neighborhood’s energy and 18-hour appeal.”
Art, yes. History, yes. Still, Flatstick Pub is first and foremost all about beer and gaming. The space is huge, sprawling across 11,000 square feet. The front room offers plenty of seating options, as does the back room, where you’ll find the nine-hole miniature golf course.
Like the other locations, miniature golf is the focus of the gaming. It’s a modified version of putt-putt golf. Not so silly, but just as fun. Also, like the Pioneer Square location, the new Flatstick Pub features duffleboard, which is a tabletop version of miniature golf. A new game, Stick Putt, is like a mini-golf version of Skee-Ball.
A few things differentiate the SLU location from the other Flatstick Pubs. First up, this location welcomes kids (before 7:00 P.M.). Also, it is located at street level so passersby can see what’s going on inside. The Pioneer Square location is downstairs and the Kirkland location is below grade as well, though it isn’t in a basement. Perhaps the most notable difference is the kitchen. For the South Lake Union location, Flatstick Pub partnered with renowned Seattle restaurateur Ethan Stowell. The menu focuses on pizza, with a few other pub-type munchies, like onion rings and chicken wings.
As for the beer, as local beer lovers know, the crew at Flatstick Pub knows a thing or two about good beer and especially Washington-brewed beer, which is the focus at all three pubs. The new location offers seating for 250 indoors and 50 on a patio, plus 10 televisions, and a rotating selection of 36 local beers and ciders, as well as five wines, on tap. The main bar (the big bar) pours 32 beers, while the Back Nine Bar, which is located back near the mini-golf course, offers four.
Flatstick Pub SLU
609 Westlake Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 258-4989
Map
Kids yes (before 7:00 P.M.), but no dogs allowed at this location. Okay on the patio, but not inside.
Pro Tip: Contact them in advance and secure a tee-time. To be safe, do this days in advance.
Photos by Kendall Jones.
