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A Greenlake Guide to Drinking With Your Kids in Tow

August 7, 2014 6:00am

Hilliards_brewing

Well…not WITH your kids. With your kids. Oh forget it, you’re already judging me.

My husband, 17-month-old daughter and I moved to Seattle earlier this year, and one of the things we looked forward to most was sampling all of the cool bars and restaurants in our new neighborhood. Then, we realized that it’s not as easy to roll into just any establishment with a little one: many bars and restaurants are 21 and over. So we’ve had to get a little…creative.

Family-Friendly Joints to Grab a Drink in the Greenlake Area

Coffee Shops That Serve Booze. Forza is a great local place to grab a juice box, a glass of wine and a beer. And if you time it just right on the weekend, you can miss the studying college kids scene and enjoy a bit of live music before bedtime.

Burger Joints that Serve Booze. I just got word that Teddy’s Bigger Burgers is now serving beer. Super excited to swing by and to snag some cheeseburgers, a couple Kona Longboard Lagers and a big basket of dinosaur-shaped chicken fingers for the peanut.

Breweries. Lots of breweries in the area are super kid-friendly. Fremont Brewing always has pretzels and sidewalk chalk on hand, many of the Ballard breweries like Hale’s Ales, Populuxe and Hilliard are all super casual, and I’ve already told you about Elysian’s epic truffle fries. Beyond this area, Red Tricycle has this great list of family-friendly breweries that I have bookmarked for reference.

Patios. Our little one has about a 22-minute max when it comes to highchairs, so spacious patios are always a safe bet so that the toddler has room to well, toddle after dinner. Last time we went to Naked City Brewery in Greenwood our little one did approximately 1,000 laps around the patio perimeter. We’re (pretty) sure we didn’t bother anyone.

Luckily, we’ve found a bunch of great places to explore the neighborhood and enjoy a cocktail or two, even when we have the peanut in tow. Our keys to victory: go early, have an exit strategy in case of a meltdown and snacks. LOTS of snacks.

Any other recommendations? Where should we dare to venture next?

Photo via Hilliard’s Facebook page.

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