Multiple spots in Pike Place Market claim to be at least a little bit haunted—the Alibi Room, for example, has a ghost named Frank—but Kells, located in Post Alley, is like, ghost-tourism haunted. The whole building used to be a mortuary during a time of great local pestilence, and Kells is in the basement of that mortuary, which, according to a member of the family that owns it, used to be the embalming room. (It’s also a beautiful Beaux Arts-style building designed by renowned local architect John Graham, but does that really hold a candle to piles of anonymous diphtheria victims?)
It’s hard to talk about this place without mentioning the ghosts, but in a world that runs green with Saint Patrick’s Day beer, this Irish pub is the real deal. It’s run by a family from Belfast (the patriarch, who opened the bar in 1983, eventually returned to Ireland). The menu is full of corned beef, soda bread, pasties (the food, not the accessory, unless you get really creative), and sausage rolls, and describes a hot dog as a “potato farl wrapped banger.” Their produce is sourced from the family farm in Oregon. It’s worth visiting, even if ghosts aren’t your thing.
Open 11:30 am to midnight on Monday and Tuesday, 11:30 am to 2 am Wednesday through Saturday, and 11:30 am to 1 am on Sunday—unless there are soccer reasons to be open earlier.
A Local’s Guide to Pike Place Market After Dark 🌝
Daytimes are what Pike Place Market is known for. But in the evening, a whole other market comes alive, one with drinks, dancing, and general revelry.
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