Rob Roy

Rob Roy has been on 2nd Avenue in Belltown since 2009, and it did something early that shaped Seattle drinking: in 2009 it started ordering 300-pound blocks of ice, the first bar in Washington State to run an ice programme. Anu Apte owns it, and runs it with Chris Elford under their Canoe Ventures group, which also holds Navy Strength and Vinnie's Wine Shop nearby. The recognition is worth stating exactly, because it is often garbled: Rob Roy the bar was a James Beard finalist for Outstanding Bar in 2023, and Apte personally was a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service in both 2025 and 2026 — semifinalist in her case, not finalist or winner. Food is snacks only and cheerfully so: goldfish crackers $5, popcorn $6, old-fashioned beef jerky $9, and a $13 "Surf & Turf" that is the crackers and the jerky together. It is 21-and-over, and reservations are for large parties only — otherwise just walk in.

The non-alcoholic list is one of the deepest in Seattle and has a name that tells you the bar thought about it: Designated Drivers. Six drinks, $16 to $17, every one printed 0% ABV. Three are built like cocktails — Silver Rush downshifts a Gold Rush using Seedlip Spice 94 with verjus, lemon, Giffard jasmine and salted honey; Cornucopia is a Pimm's Cup rebuilt from Seedlip Notas de Agave, a house non-alcoholic Lucano amaro and Pathfinder, then clarified in coconut, which is real technique; Ace of Cups uses Three Spirits Livener with winter melon, Thai basil and ginseng. Bitburger Drive covers beer at $6. The other three deserve a note before you order. The Mood, Pick Me Up and Dream Maker are botanical elixirs rather than mocktails, built on things like lion's mane, yerba maté, damiana, guayusa and schisandra, and the menu sells them on effect — "blissful feeling", "euphoric feels", and in Dream Maker's case a limit of two per guest. No dosages are printed. None of that is alcohol or cannabis, and for most people they are simply interesting herbal drinks. But if you are avoiding anything mood-altering, order from the first three.