As COVID cases increase in the region, the list of food and beverage destinations in Seattle requiring proof of vaccination for their customers is growing day by day. In early July, just after most restaurant capacity limits were lifted, only a few places instituted vaccination verification requirements as an added precaution. But as of July 30, that number had risen to around 60 – and it has now climbed to 100 in the Seattle area, with more and more being added.
In King County, 81 percent of residents 16 years of age or older have completed their vaccine series. However, the prevalence of the highly contagious delta variant has pushed COVID cases on the rise statewide in recent weeks, with hospitalizations also increasing – the vast majority of these are among unvaccinated people. In response, Gov. Jay Inslee recommended that most people wear masks when visiting indoor public places, whether or not they are fully vaccinated. But, to date, there have been no new legally binding mandates, leaving individual companies to decide for themselves which health policies to adopt.
Even before the last peak in COVID cases, restaurants such as Addo in Ballard and Archipelago in Hillman City were among the first to require proof of vaccination for indoor dining. Then, as the delta variant spread, several bars had to temporarily close due to COVID cases or exposures among staff. There is now a large contingent of sites in Seattle that have more stringent requirements in place, whether it’s vaccination verification or proof of a recent negative COVID test. “Myself and my employees are at the greatest risk when interacting with hundreds of guests every night,” says Michael Malone, owner of Some Random Bar in Belltown. “We understand that the vaccine is not 100 percent effective. But we collectively agree that this policy helps us stay safe.
Along the way, there appears to be a politically motivated backlash from anti-vaccines seeking to punish bars and restaurants for these measures. leaving one star reviews on Yelp and Google. But it seems that most of these reviews have already been reported and deleted, and several restaurateurs say most customers appreciated the new, stricter policies. “There have been so many kind and encouraging comments that it’s easy not to leave [the negative reviews] bothers us, ”says Kate Opatz, co-owner of La Dive, a popular natural wine bar and bottle shop on Capitol Hill.
“People feel more comfortable entering space,” adds Steven Severin of Life and Mars and Neumos. “We’ve had so many people saying positive things, and these people live here and support us. These are the people we focus on.
Troll hassles aside, the process will still require some tweaking. Not all places instituting vaccine requirements put them in place immediately, but seek to roll out the policies as soon as possible. And it is likely that more restaurants and bars will follow closely in the coming weeks, if the situation with the Delta variant worsens. “No COVID action is like flipping a switch,” says Eli Dahlin of Light Sleeper of Chophouse Row, who will begin his proof of vaccination policy on August 3. “To do this in a meaningful way, we need to clearly define our policy, prepare the public, train our staff, think about how this will affect our service, and prepare answers to any pitfalls.”
Below is a list of restaurants and bars that have either instituted proof of vaccination for entry or indicated a pending policy, based on official social media announcements, email confirmations and a participatory list called Seattle Safe Night Out of several restaurant industry vets, linked and obtained with permission. Most of the places below will accept a cell phone photo of the vaccination cards as verification (rather than the card itself), as long as the photo is accompanied by valid ID. Those marked with an asterisk
accept proof of negative COVID test within 48 or 72 hours as an alternative.
If you see others instituting similar vaccine requirements or notice changes in policies, tip us. We will update the list as and when announcements are made.
BALLARD
Addo
Ballard station public house
Delancey
Hazelnut bar
Albatros Hotel
Kangaroo & Kiwi
King’s hardware
Lucky Envelope Infusion
Ocho
Taverne des Pins
Tractor Tavern *
Watson’s counter
BEACON HILL
Breezy City Pizza
Clock room
Homer
Musang * (currently on short summer break)
BELLTOWN
Black cat
Cloudburst Infusion
Navy Force
Rob Roy
Rocket
Screwdriver bar
Shorty’s
A random bar
Trade Wind Tavern
Vinnie’s Wine Shop
HILL CAPITOLE / FIRST HILL
Bait shop
Barboza *
Grand Mario’s Pizza *
Cannon
CC
Comet Tavern
Corvus & Cie
Glo’s Cafe
Interior passage
Karachi Cowboys
Diving *
Freedom
Life on Mars
A light sleeper
Linda’s Tavern
Lost lake *
Cooking pot
Montana *
Nacho Borracho *
Neumos *
Oddfellows
Omega Ouzeri *
Pony
Pine box
Queer / Bar
Revolver
Rhinoceros Room
Rumba
Saint Jean
Sol liqueur
Speckled & Drake
Still alcohol
Sugar hill
Taku
Tavern Law *
Headlines
Doctor’s office *
The Roanoké *
Fugue *
Woods
Unicorn / Narwhal
union
Vios Café & Market *
by Vito
Wild rose
CENTRAL DISTRICT
Sea urchin
Capercaillie
Twilight exit
COLUMBIA CITY / HILLMAN CITY
Archipelago
Outside the lane
Twilight over Rainier
DENNY TRIANGLE / DOWNTOWN
Can Can Cabaret
Kremwerk
The wine merchant
Wood room
Zig Zag Cafe
ESTLAKE / CASCADE
LoFi *
Victory Room
FRÉMONT
Salon Nectar *
Schilling cider house
Stampede Cocktail Club
Talarico’s / Ballroom
The Barrel Thief
GEORGETOWN
Ciudad
Mezzanotte
GREEN LAKE
Latona Pub
GREENWOOD / PHINNEY RIDGE
Oliver’s twist
INTERBAIE
Champagne dinner
LAKE CITY
Infernal brewery
LAURELHURST
Burke-Gilman Brewery
NORTH DOOR
Watershed pub *
PLACE DES PIONNIERS
Bad bishop *
To hell with the weather
The Meyer
Stomach *
RAVENNA
Ravenna Brewery
LITTORAL
North City Bistro and Wine Shop
THEN DO
Supernova
SOUTH PARK
Left Bank
DISTRICT U
Kraken Bar and Lounge
WALLINGFORD
Changes
Octopus bar
WEST SEATTLE
Cafe Alouette
The Good Society Brewery and Pub *
WHITE CENTER
Future Primitive Brewery
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