This is the best bar I've ever been in. I don't actually drink, which may be the reason I often don't enjoy bars. They're loud, too dim, and too busy. This speakeasy, on the other hand, with perfectly lit, played beautiful jazz music at a quiet level, and only had a few patrons, which gave it an air of exclusivity. The limited number of patrons also allowed the bartenders to spend more time on making good drinks, and wonderful small talk. Speaking of the bartenders, they were wonderful. I won't name names; let's just say their names started with a "W" and an "A". They not only were truly except bartenders, but could speak at length about the history and habits of the prohibition. They made such excellent drinks that my sister (after her first drink) decided that "A" should call himself an 'alcoholigist', a mix of alchemist, alcohol, and mixologist. Both "A" and "W" we're truly worthy of the title. As I said, I don't drink alcohol. My drink of Choice is a good old fashioned Shirley Temple. It's been my drink since I was six, and I don't see a reason to change now. However, the Needle and Thread may have spoiled me for Shirley Temples for the rest of my life. My drink did have grenadine, but it was a handmade, house specialty Grenadine. It also contained a homemade simple syrup, mint, and, of course, sprite. It was one of the best drinks I've ever had. I also ended up having their bread pudding for dessert, it was amazing! It may be the best bread pudding I've ever had in my life. I will ABSOLUTELY be returning to the Needle and Thread, and I cannot wait until I get a chance to go back. read more

Needle and Thread - My "Shirley Temple". This maybe the best drink I've ever had. - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This is one of Seattle's hidden gems! This speak easy style bar has hand crafted drinks, that do take a few minutes to make BUT are well worth the wait!! They have no drink menu, you just describe to them what you like. These bartenders have serious cocktail making skills. The food is super tasty! My boyfriend and I need vegetarian options and they had quite a few. Great place to get a reservation for, for a birthday or guests from out of town! read more

I had booked reservations and needed to cancel hours beforehand due to an emergency. After calling, I was able to explain and they offered to forego the cancellation charge. This action should provide a good suggestion of what their service is like. Make the effort to stop by and you will not be disappointed. After having been to many speakeasies globally, I will make sure to add this to my list of future visits! read more

If I could give this sorry excuse of an establishment 0 stars, that would still be a show of generosity. The treatment my friend and I received was absolutely unacceptable. They do not accept provincially issued Canadian identification to enter their establishment. They want a passport, even though according to our valid and legitimate ID, we're well over 21. They claim that there is and try to invoke some non-existent, obnoxious liquor law that says they require a passport. There is no such law. It should not matter which country issues me permission to cross international borders to answer the question of whether or not I am of legal drinking age in the state in which I'm trying to purchase alcohol. As the night was going to include drinking in a city in which I don't live, I had no intentions of carrying my passport, because if I accidentally lose my purse - at least id still have my passport safely at the accommodation and even worst case scenario - I could still get home! I'm not going to risk a chance of losing my passport that I have no reason to carry with me just because some misinformed, power-tripping nobody starts making up nonexistent laws. EVEN IF I was carrying my passport, I would not show it to her because it's not required. Only an individual with some federal authority is authorized to make such passport demands (ie border security) and I will happily show them my passport because it's their job to ask and they have accountability to not do anything shady with my personal information. A passport contains different personal information than a drivers licence and I feel uncomfortable revealing to some random, unauthorized stranger what my passport number is and my city of birth just to answer the question of whether or not I am of legal drinking age. How am I supposed to know whether or not she's a psychopath trying to steal my identity just because she's sick of her own life. I will never go there ever. Needle and Thread is disgusting for their unreasonable demands. I intend to tell everyone I know of the poor treatment we received read more

The service here and the drinks were just spectacular! Backstory: I accidentally mixed up my reservation dates and came in on the Friday beforeeee my actual reservation. I felt real dumb lol. But! The manager and just the whole staff really were so kind and had us seated anyway without making me feel like a total dweeb. Our bartender, this cool, easy to talk guy, was super educated on all things alcohol. Me and my boyfriend just gave him like 3 things we liked and he made us these awesome super tasty unique cocktails, complete with a great speech on what it was :) We got the pork belly Mac and cheese which was also delicious. The place was super nice! Well worth the price if you're looking for something quiet but nice to do in Seattle. Thanks for a great night, y'all :) read more

The cocktails were great! Food is identical to downstairs in tavern law. The only thing that was a bit off was at the end of our first drink we were told, "there would not be enough time for a second cocktail in our reservation" so basically we had to pick up and leave. The speak easy vibe is more in the sense that the cocktails are crafted for you. There are better places in the surrounding areas especially Cap Hill to go and have a drink. read more

This place is super cute! I luckily have a friend who lives in Seattle and made reservations to take me here for my birthday. When you arrive you enter another bar and walk to a old school phone, dial a number and give them your info.. in return they buzz you in through the door. The bar/restaurant itself is very tiny but decorated in a chic way. We came for drinks but couldn't resist ordering the pork belly Mac and cheese which was delicious and a must!!!! In terms of the drinks, this was the first time I went to a bar that didn't have a drink menu and made you beverages based off the info you give them on yourself... each drink we had was delicious and super strong! I definitely recommend coming here for a fun/unique experience!! read more

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SPEAKEASY!! This was the coolest bar I have ever been to. You have to make reservations a week or more in advance, so make sure you do. It's so worth it. Tim was a great drink guru and server. My Pimm's Cup was perfect! The coffee at the end came in it's own French Press. The atmosphere is straight out of the Golden Era with piped in jazz, dim lighting, good conversation, candles (faux, but classy).. seriously, the best kept secret in Seattle. A hidden gem. read more

I've been to quite a few speakeasys (speakeasies? in what other context would easies be a word?) and Needle and Thread is a pretty great one.If you can, walk by Tavern Law kinda early and see if you can put your name in. Your time slot might be a bit later, but you should probably pregame at a nearby cheaper bar b/c while excellent and strong $16 cocktails are someone unsustainable for most wallets. I also kicked a table and spilled a bunch of water when I walked in (on accident) and they were still quite nice to me! read more

This place was very small and intimate, but not what I was expecting. There was very limited seating and you will definitely need reservations if you would like to come here. Nothing spectacular about this place, although the drinks are custom made to order. read more

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We finally came to check this place out. The bartenders were a fun duo. Knowing the ambiance surrounding this place, I was kind of assuming that cocktails were going to be pricey. Ya, $16 a drink. This won't be an frequent visit, but a Seattle stop to say you've tried out. This is one of the few bars I've been to where there's no menu and the bartender puts together a beverage that best fits your base alcohol and flavor you want. I asked for a gin based holiday flavored drink. There were hints of spices and basil in it. The second cocktail I had was a vodka based drink with a citrus and mint mixture. A chill intimate stop. read more

Absolutely Amazing! Writing this after our second night in a row. The experience of visiting Needle & Thread is unlike any other. Rachael and Jade were our bartenders. There is no menu so they ask you a series of questions about spirit choice, preferred sweetness, spice, herb, and savoriness level etc. And continue to formulate a unique drink to your tastes like you've never tasted before! Each cocktail is unique in itself and absolutely delicious. We were not disappointed in any of the 12 drinks we ordered over the 2 day period. The second day we were received with open arms, ecstatic for the drink combinations to be created. Next time we return to the PNW will absolutely be to return to Needle & Thread. Definitely a must try when visiting Seattle! read more

Really cool. I could only snag a reservation at 7:30 or 11:30 on a Saturday. 7:30 cut into our dinner plans so 11:30 was the ticket. We inintally popped over around 11 wanting to bide our time at Tavern Law. But my GOD was it crazy busy in there. We left ASAP and caught a quick drink elsewhere. At 11:30 we came back and I made my call to the upstairs bar. We were soon escorted up to the little hideaway. What an adorable place! It wasn't packed at all, with just 2 other couples in attendance. The waiter came over and took our drink requests. I wanted a refreshing drink with Creme de Violette and they did not disappoint. My companions also got drinks that exceeded their expectations. I'd definintely go back, hopefully with an earlier seating time. 11:30 was just a bit too late. But awesome first time experience :) read more

Needle and Thread - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Brody is such a great host!!! Great drinks. So much fun for a classy night out. Highly suggest! read more

Needle and Thread - Lounges Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Overview: Make a resy Biggest resy is for 7 Quality cocktails Their foie gras is legit Located INSIDE Tavern Law My favorite cocktail bar in Seattle Was working in Seattle for work and came here three times in one week and is now a go-to spot. NYC prices in Seattle, but worth every penny. I like what I like! read more

Excellent place for a date. I took my friend visiting from out of town and made reservations a week beforehand. When we arrived, we walked through the restaurant to the back, where a telephone hangs on a wall. Picked it up and it instantly started ringing. We had to wait a bit before we were let up, and there's no waiting area so you're kind of standing inside the middle of the restaurant. After 10 min we were led upstairs to the bar as our table still was not ready yet but that's fine. Needle and Thread is a tiny place, there are enough seats for 15 total I think. All small groups of 2-4. The bartenders make whatever drink you describe. No menus. All drinks are ~$20 but everyone gets a complimentary glass of champagne. The drinks are great, and I loved the intimate atmosphere. It was also funny to eavesdrop on the obvious tinder date next to us, guy trying so hard to impress girl by talking about his cute sister and loving mother... read more

Definitely recommend making reservations for this place before you go, as it's really popular. I came with a friend without a reservation and had to wait 1.5 hours to potentially be seated. The cool part is that this is located on top or another restaurant and bar. You actually have to go in and dial the Needle and Thread using the old style phone on the back wall. We enjoyed some drinks at the bar downstairs while waiting (pretty good cocktails as well). N&T doesn't have a menu. The bartender asks what sorts of drinks and ingredients you like or would like and concocts something based on what you say. All drinks are $16 a pop, and really, really good! It's also quiet on the inside so a good place to have a conversation. read more

To me the experience was way more fun than the actual drink. I'm not a huge drinker so I wish we came here for dinner instead of drinks. You have to make reservations to this bar and it's fun to go in the secret passageway. When you arrive, they seat you and served us some Spanish wine. The bartender comes over and asks your drink preferences (there is no drink last) and makes a drink based on that. I told my bartender slightly sweet, clear liquid, dislike licorice flavoring and allergic to lemon. I got a drink that tasted like a Christmas tree but I didn't love it. The process is super fun and the area is intimate and cute. I also ordered the bread pudding for dessert -- yum! read more

Well, call ahead!!! You MUST have a reservation, so this review is for the bar downstairs and lower in stars since you can only call between 3-5 and I tried twice with no luck. Bummer! Bar atmosphere was nice and the Brazilian bartender was fantastic (worthy of a 5 star review) but the assumed owner had his shirt half unbuttoned and walked around oddly half helping the other extremely busy staff members throughout the time we sat at the bar. Seems like a cool set up, but so tiny. Worth a trip, and if I ever make it back and can get in, I'll update this review! read more

We were lucky enough to have friends who made reservations and brought us here. It was the most unique speakeasy experience I have had. Once they confirm your reservation, you climb the stairs to a stylish, dimly with a small bar. There are antique chairs and sofas with velvet cushions situated around delicate coffee tables. There is a menu with a list of bites to eat and a line that says "Drinks - $18" at the bottom. The drinks are the most unique and fun part. Instead of ordering, you get interviewed. They ask you what you like in a drink or perhaps what you are feeling for the evening. It was actually a lot harder than we thought it would be. The person who interviewed us was very helpful though and gave us some words and ideas for getting it out though. You can give examples of your favorite cocktails or give your spirits of choice. He told us you can give him specific flavors or mixers you prefer (ex: citrus, bubbles). He also suggested adjectives, which I found useful because I love to try new things and did not want to limit my options. For example, he suggested "warm" which he equated to flavors in winter drinks/toddies such as nutmeg or cinnamon. I also said fresh because I was hanging on to summer. We had quite a variety in our group. We had two that preferred the smokiness of scotch, my combo of summer into fall, and my friend's special request for super spicy. Our bartender took our descriptions and created his interpretations with his own artistic spin. As the bartender served each drink, he described the ingredients and how he thought they matched with our descriptions/requests. It was a lot of fun sampling everyone's unique creations and picking out the flavors and feelings. These creations do take some time to make, so grabbing a few quick ones is not something that will be happening here. Also, the down time forces you to chat. For us, we were all catching up, so not a problem. However, if you are looking to come here for a first date the probability for awkward may be a bit higher with so much down time. If you are with someone interesting or if you are just a great conversationalist, no worries then. The reservations made are for a space and for a time. If you want to hang out with your friends I would recommend making a reservation for more than an hour. We had just ordered our second round of drinks when we were told our hour was up. Lucky for us, one of the next reservations was not due in for a little bit, so we got an extra 20 minutes to finish up. An awesome experience all around. read more

Wow! I am super impressed! I was just visiting Seattle (originally from Philadelphia) but this has got to be the best "speakeasy" type cocktail bar I've been to (been to one other in Seattle and just about all of them in Philadelphia). The atmosphere and decor is certainly on par with what I would expect from a 1920s themed bar with vintage chairs, paintings, and chandeliers. Entry is by reservation only and you need to call a phone from inside Tavern Law. Nevermind the atmosphere though, the drinks are what blew me away. There is no menu and the bartender does not recommend you order any "classic" cocktails either. You tell the bartender what you like and he'll make a custom creation right there just for you. My date and I sat at the bar and we were able to watch the bartender, Cory, create all kinds of cocktails. I was seriously impressed with the creativity and presentation (e.g. drinks lit on fire, perfectly sliced thin pieces of cucumber, perfect sprig of fresh mint, nice frothy cocktails with bitters dropped on in a cool pattern). The garnishes were amazing and served at a higher standard than other bars (you have no idea how many times I've been served wilty mint at other bars, blegh). Many of the ingredients that went in the cocktail are also homemade (i.e. they make their own grenadine and tinctures). I've been to many cocktail bars that don't make their own mixtures and use some hokey flagship stuff and trust me the customized ingredients make night and day difference. The liquors that go in range from mid shelf to top shelf stuff, all depending on the required flavor. This review is getting into cocktail snob territory (if it hasn't already) but I will have to come back here and order something with special ice, for example, a blood and sand like cocktail, and see if they can get the texture right. I also wonder if they make their own ginger beer for a nice mule type of cocktail. So as far as I could tell the ingredients were top notch. but I was most impressed with how perfectly well balance the recipes were. Balance is the key to a good cocktail! These were strong drinks but the spirit and the mixers came together very well, not too stiff (although you can certainly ask for a more spirit forward cocktail) or sugar laden. We ordered 3 drinks, all very different styles. One was a bourbon stirred cocktail with chartreuse (and other herbal liquors) and vermouth. Second one was a gin cocktail with cucumber, lime juice, and herbal liquors I've never even heard of before. Third was a bourbon clover club like cocktail with egg whites and it had framboise in it! I'm super impressed that the bartender came up with all this on the fly. Each drink probably has 4-6 different ingredients, at least one of which is probably a housemade tincture or mixture, so don't even expect getting the same drink twice, attempt to name it, or try to recreate it at home. We tried asking for the recipe for one of the drinks 20 minutes later and bartender had already forgotten. Bottomline, Cory the bartender is incredibly talented and certainly knew his ingredients. It almost felt like he was making art. If I were you, I would request seating at the bar because you would get faster service and would be able to appreciate the art so much more while watching the bartender work. The only downside is, the drinks are priced at $16 a pop (I'm used to paying $12-$14 for cocktails)...super pricey but super worth it! I am moving to Seattle and this place will be my monthly hang out!! Ahh I'm in love. read more

This place is absolutely amazing. Do come here no matter what! So you need reservations for sure! They might tell you can wait and if they have a table they will seat you, but do not bother with that option. I had reservations, but came 30 mins sooner because dinner got done earlier than expected. I ended up waiting that entire 30 mins. My reservations were for 1130 pm. So even at that time they were pretty busy. The place is also very small, so it cannot seat that many people. 4-6 people at the bar and maybe 10-15 people at the tables. So you can imagine that waiting for a table as a walk-in might not be that fun. Anyhow, so there is no drink menu per say. They ask you what kind of drinks you like and they do their thing. Absolutely amazing. I loved the drinks they made. It was super good. In fact we all enjoyed our drinks. Great place, great ambiance and great drinks. Definitely come here! read more

I love the ambiance of the needle and thread. AND I have been waiting for 45 minutes Thursday night of the coronavirus outbreak and just watched 3 parties go up. Its NOT that busy and our waitress just said that they had my name wrong. I am OVER the pretention of an f*g Thursday night when there are 10 people in the bar. The needle n thread said they didn't even have my name down. This is some BULLSHIT. read more

Minus the fact that the waitress is either the biggest airhead ever or she was on something the night we went, this place is pretty f'ing AWESOME. She brought us a box to take home food that she never brought to the table. What? It was so stupid that we had to laugh about it. Been to a lot of speakeasies in my time and this is now one of my all time favorites. Will definitely be back over and over and over again. read more

This place is so cute and cozy! The bartenders make your drinks depending on the flavors you like so the surprise element makes it more fun. My friends and I all had pretty different taste preferences and all of our drinks came in fun, different sized glasses. I think the cocktails are all $16 so it is definitely on the pricier side but it's worth going for a special occasion. If you want a small bite to go along with your cocktail definitely order the cheddar and corn cracklins because those were really good. (I believe reservations are only open the week of so plan accordingly) read more

I was sooo excited to try this place with my girlfriend for her birthday. It is a very cool venue but aside from walking in through the vault and getting a couple of pretty nice seats this place was a stinker. Unfriendly staff at the front and at the bar really started things off on a bad foot. Once we sat down we listed some cocktails that we liked to the server. He went away for a bit to get our custom drinks and a few minutes later he dropped off a couple of drinks that were literally undrinkable. He never came by again to ask how the drinks were and didn't stop to check on us once despite walking by our table numerous times (which had two nearly full drinks sitting on it for about an hour). We took our check early and had to drop a staggering $50 for two of the worst drinks I've ever tasted. Luckily there were great margaritas down the street at Poquito's to save the night. read more

My boyfriend and I love speakeasy style bars and this place reminded us a lot of Portland's Whiskey Library. We were very excited to find a similar spot in Seattle since we're new to the area. However, IT WAS HIGHLY DISAPPOINTING. The service was terrible. Let me start by saying that we received our mediocre cocktail and our bartender never checked on us to see if we liked it. We finished our drinks and had empty glasses sitting on the table for 30 minutes. An hour later, the bartender checked on us and we ordered a second one to give them a second chance, but they did not get better. Not to mention we ordered the popcorn chicken appetizer that came with a very small amount of ranch. And guess what, our server never checked on us so that we could request extra sauce. Surprise surprise! Overall, the experience was very disappointing. I would've liked to give this place 5 stars but the horrible service didn't allow for that. Sadly my boyfriend and I will not come back. Two hours for two cocktails just isn't worth it. If you're going to charge $15+ for a cocktail, you better make sure service is up to par. That is all. read more

We heard about this place while visiting a bar near Pikes Place. We made the reservations and arrived on time, then it was upstairs for a couple of cocktails. The bartender was great in his selections, though at the steep price we had one and were done. It's a cool experience, so if you have the time and are in Capital Hill, make the reservation and enjoy a libation. :-) read more

Arrived at Tavern Law excited to try out this speak easy. I'm a big fan of cocktail bars and the speakeasy bar scene and had high hopes! Alas... After calling in and getting on the wait list (it'll be 30 minutes, they said) myself and my partner waited at the parent bar for two hours. We called back in after 30 then each 15 minutes, only to find that the seats we were apparently waiting for were still occupied. Ok...? But we waited and watched several other couples go up; it seems to be an entirely "whoever calls first right after someone leaves" system... No wait list observer. Can't they just call us when a table is ready? It's not complicated and I've seen a particular hot dog stand do it in NYC. At this point I'm genuinely miffed and want to hurl an egg at their little upstairs bar nest! I'm leaving grumpy and annoyed at all the people calling on that silly phone, including at myself. read more

Made a reservation for Friday at 6:45 to come during our trip to Seattle since my husband loves places with speakeasy vibes. Located inside Tavern Law through a bank vault door. We arrived 15 minutes early and were told our table wasn't ready but to wait downstairs at the bar and have a drink. Walked around outside for 15 minutes and went back in at 6:45. The woman told us she'd be right down to let us in through the vault door. We waited for 15 minutes, standing in front of everyone eating at the regular restaurant (strange and awkward). Another waitress even came up to us to ask what we were doing. She said to wait a couple minutes and call back up to the speakeasy. Called again at 7:00. She told us we could come up once we paid our tab at the bar.... we never ordered anything at the bar. We were let up a few minutes later. This part of the experience was by far the worst and nearly made me want to leave. Luckily, the bartender in the speakeasy was very friendly and made our drinks based on preference. They were both delicious! We also ordered the cheddar and corn cracklins with serrano fondue.... AMAZING!! They were so addicting, unique, and had great flavor. One of the best foods I tasted during our entire trip. For 2 drinks and 1 appetizer, our bill was around $50 (including a 20% automatic tip). Would probably try this place again just because my husband loved the atmosphere, and the appetizer was so worth it. read more

You've missed Seattle if you don't visit. Bespoke cocktails at their best. Amazing! Don't forget downstairs tavern after your time slot expires. A solid follow up. read more

Expect: Small place but a pretty cool/unique experience! You can only make reservations 1 week in advanced. They ask you questions about what drinks you enjoy and flavors and the bartenders will create something for you! For $16. So keep that in mind, not to cheap. But my drink was awesome! Service: 3 Cleanliness: 4 Quality of food: 4 Quality of drinks: 5 Tip: n/a read more

This little speakeasy was great! We lucked out and they were able to seat us pretty quickly without a reservation. It's small and it is overpriced. That being said, excellent drinks and good food. Everyone there was super-friendly. If you can't get in, you could probably just hang out downstairs and be just as happy. read more

Cocktails can be good if you get the right person. They're gonna charge you 20% gratuity on top of an $18 cocktail regardless. Real sticklers about reminding you every 15 mins that you've only reserved an hour read more

The atmosphere here is awesome, but difficult to get a reservation. Also, the staff is very picky about the exact time you can enter, but likely because he venue is so small. We had a 9PM reservation and showed up at 8:57 and were told to wait until another party left. Would typically be fine, but since you wait to enter in the middle of the dining area of another bar/restaurant it was fairly awkward to stand next to others who were trying to enjoy their dinner/drinks. Once upstairs it is a cool experience where it is dimly lit and decorated with older furniture. You simply choose flavors and tastes that you're in the mood for and the bartender will make a drink accordingly. A little pricey at $16 for these "surprise " drinks, but a great occasional date night location. read more

Rude staff, no menu (which I love) but bar tender couldn't care less if you actually like the drink. Bar manager is also super rude - made me feel like an inconvenience rather than a customer. read more

Unparalleled. Not reason to spoil a secret spot. Worth the wait to go discover! read more

I told my friends on Facebook I was going. I checked in on Foursquare when I arrived. I tweeted about it for all the Twiterverse to see. I sent out an email invitation to a colleague to have him join us. (Yeah, archaic I know.) I then texted him the directions and instruction on how to get in. I Instagramed an image from the inside. I had to, the picture was tits. Really, it had boobs. I likey. And now I'm writing a Yelp review about it. Technically this makes me a very bad speakeasy patron, right? Kind of defeats the entire purpose of a secret bar hidden behind a vault door that requires advanced reservations and some insider knowledge in order to gain access. I don't think speakeasies could exist in today's instant message, over sharing, complete saturation of communal information cesspool. There are no more secrets. Well not until it gets posted online. Luckily, social media didn't exist back in the days of prohibition. Although I guess texting and Twitter are modern day telegrams. (Stop). Except back then they were used for important messages. (Stop). Except today's important messages consist of updates on our latest bowel movements, to let everyone know that we can't believe Monday is here again (downer) and that hooray Friday is finally here (TGIF!!!). (Stop) No really, please Stop! Without divulging too many more secrets, I will say that I had two amazing cocktails mixed specifically for my tastes and thoroughly enjoyed the French Quarter ambiance, the narrow staircase lined with old time nudie pictures and the overall sense of being someplace you really shouldn't be. Someplace not everybody knows about. Well until now. Stop. read more

The environment is definitely real cute here. However, coming from NYC where cocktails are top notch, I'd have to say I wasn't super impressed with the actual cocktails offered by Needle and Thread. read more

I want to leave this place a review, but I have mixed emotions on how many stars to give it. I could see this being a 5-star cocktail bar for those cocktail connaisseurs who spend their days and nights dreaming about the perfect alcoholic concoction. For the rest of us plebians, this place is going to make you tired before you've had the first sip of your cocktail. You either have to call ahead from your cell phone or call from Tavern Law downstairs to secure a reservation, or both as we had to do. Once you've crossed that hurdle, you have to then wait for said reservation. When it's finally time to head upstairs, expect to walk up the steep steps to your grandmother's parlor or what I imagine a fancy brothel may have looked like back in the 20s (were brothels around then?). Either way, you've crossed the final frontier and made it. YESSSS! But wait. Now you have to order a drink. Ordering a drink here is akin to explaining the meaning of life. The waitress will ask you a series of 10 to 20 questions which all sound vaguely philosophical like "are you looking for your cocktail to be spirit-forward?" and "what emotions does your favorite cocktail evoke?", and a bunch of other questions. I giggled internally as my drinking mates answered these questions with a straight face as though it were totally normal to think about a cocktail FOR SO LONG. There were five of us, and it took over 10 minutes for the waitress to get our order. My boyfriend, bless his heart, is one such cocktail aficionado who was in ecstasy at all the back and forth. Never one to make anything easy (one of the reasons he's so lovable, really), he told the waitress that he wanted a cocktail that is seasonally appropriate and reminiscent of Seattle. Of course this precipitated a game of twenty questions and the bartender treated this as a challenge and prepared two separate cocktails for him - one to evoke the feelings of Seattle in summer, and one in winter. And then the bartender came out, and talked for quite some time about how he addressed my boyfriend's drink challenge and what inspired him, and what his influences are, and what not. Really, this was the longest story I've ever heard about alcohol that did not end with someone puking. By the time the waitress got to me and my friend for our drink order, we both stumbled through our order with such descriptive hints as "umm, well, I like Moscow Mules, I guess?" and "I like those cocktails you get on the beach that come with a paper umbrella". Clearly, Needle & Thread is not meant for the likes of the two of us. That said, my boy loved his drink and sampled the cocktails of those around the table and enjoyed those too. Where Needle & Thread soars is attention to detail, and where they fall short is in basic bar management. If there's 5 people waiting for drinks, don't attend to one and leave the others waiting. In the end, that's why I docked them a point. My boyfriend was served both of his cocktails before the rest of us got ours. In summary, that was my long winded way of saying: If I ever had a desire to "work" for a cocktail (in every sense of the word), I'd come back to Needle & Thread. For now, I think I'll stick to ordering off the daily specials menu. read more