Imagine you visit a restaurant, and the ambiance is inviting, the service is friendly and the food, well, it’s delicious. You don’t know if it could get any better — until you see the bathroom.
Seattle has no shortage of amazing bars and restaurants, and so many of those establishments have memorable bathrooms, think stepping inside a disco ball, “Golden Girls,” enchanted forest and tributes to music legends.
If you follow, read or watch Seattle Refined, you know our bread and butter is highlighting the incredible people and places of the Pacific Northwest. When you have done this job for six years, it would be impossible not to encounter a bathroom (or nine) that stands out.
That prompted digital producer Abby Luschei to launch Seattle’s Best Bathrooms, our series highlighting the area’s most unique bathrooms. We featured a business and bathroom on our social media accounts each week for two months, kicking off in August and concluding at the beginning of October.
But we didn’t want to just highlight cool bathrooms; we wanted to get the stories behind them, and that turned out to be the best part of this series.
Mr. B’s in Fremont and White Center
Come for the mead, stay for the vibes (including the bathrooms). Our very first feature of the series was Mr. B’s — and for good reason. They have two locations: the meadery in Fremont and the Mead Center in White Center.
Both have incredible bathrooms with very different vibes. Krista Eller is the artistic force behind both locations — from the murals to the bar and, of course, the bathrooms. The bathroom at Mr. B’s Meadery is whimsical and feels like you stepped into an enchanted forest, while the bathroom at the Mead Center is nautical and like you stumbled upon a shipwreck deep beneath the sea.
Christmas-themed bathrooms at Vindicktive Bar and Wings
Come for the wings, stay for Christmas in July (or just about any other day of the year). Our second feature of the series was at Vindicktive in Belltown, where you will find tasty wings, community and Christmas-themed bathrooms.
The bathrooms stem from an inside joke between the four owners — brothers Vinny and Dominick Minichiello and brothers Fletch and Mike Morgan — and are a nod to Mike and Fletch’s Queen Anne speakeasy days. Each bathroom at Vindicktive is decorated with Christmas signs, garland, Mistletoe, you name it.
And, of course, there is Christmas music playing.
READ MORE | Vindicktive Wings lands a permanent home in Belltown run by a team of brothers
Ruby red bathrooms with millennial nostalgia at Donna’s in Capitol Hill
At Donna’s, dinner and a show doesn’t require leaving the bathroom.
Our third feature of the series was Donna’s in Capitol Hill, known for its pastas and cocktails. The interior is bright, colorful and inviting. Tucked away in the back is the bathroom — black paint, red lights and shows/movies projected on the walls. Plus, a little secret hidden under the sink (please don’t take them).
Paradiso and Inferno bathrooms at Mezzanotte in Georgetown
These bathrooms are a dramatic contrast to the warm, inviting atmosphere you’ll find throughout the rest of the restaurant — and exactly what makes them so much fun.
Our fourth feature in the series was Mezzanotte in Georgetown, where you will find authentic Italian dishes, handmade pasta, an extensive wine list, craft cocktails and two very fun (but very opposite) bathrooms. One of them is like you walked inside a disco ball, while the other is moody and neon red. Both are fabulous, but there is just something about that disco ball bathroom after the sun sets.
Prince-themed bathrooms at Revelry Room in West Seattle
Did you know Seattle has a Prince-themed bathroom? This West Seattle spot is fit for music royalty. Our fifth feature in the series was Revelry Room, a Black-owned bar in West Seattle that pairs craft cocktails with great music, while spotlighting Black-owned distilleries, wineries and breweries.
And their love of music follows you all the way into the bathroom, where you’ll find a tribute to none other than Prince. Owner Derek Moon said Prince is one of his favorite artists of all time, and when designing the music-focused space, he knew they wanted to pay tribute to someone. For him, Prince brought exactly what a bar bathroom needed: a little elegance and a touch of class.
BONUS: Meet Caroline, the Seattleite who runs the Instagram account @bar.bathroom
You can’t talk about Seattle’s Best Bathrooms without talking to Caroline O’Brien.
We had to interrupt highlighting actual bathrooms to highlight a person who has spent years taking selfies in bar bathrooms. Meet Caroline, the Seattleite behind the account @bar_bathroom. Seattle Refined digital producer Abby Luschei met up with Caroline at The Doctor’s Office in Capitol Hill, one of her top bathrooms, to learn more about her account, love for bar bathrooms and three of her other favorites in the city.
Polka dot bathroom at The Doctor’s Office in Capitol Hill
This isn’t a normal trip to The Doctor’s Office.
Following our meeting with Caroline, we had to feature The Doctor’s Office in Capitol Hill, an intimate and popular cocktail bar with a pretty famous bathroom. Every aspect of this bar is intentional — from the cold wash cloths and champagne you receive upon being seated to the theatrical cocktail-making performances and, of course, the bathroom, where you’ll find Kusama-inspired polka dot art, a bidet and even an X-ray of the owner’s foot.
If you want to experience TDO yourself, we recommend booking an “appointment” before stopping by the very small space.
Bathrooms designed by husband and wife owners of Nick’s on Madison
“Blanche, this is the ladies’ room.”
Our seventh feature of the series was Nick’s on Madison, located on the east end of Arboretum Court, where Madison Park meets Madison Valley. Did you know Nick’s French Dip was named one of Seattle’s Best Hot Sandwiches by The Seattle Times?
Nick Yockey and Ryan Walsh are the husband-and-wife duo who run not only Nick’s on Madison but also the neighboring boutique, Emry. They are also the ones behind both unique bathrooms: one themed after Palm Springs (where the couple got married) and the other themed after everyone’s favorite comfort show, “The Golden Girls.”
READ MORE | Madison Park Power Couple: Meet the married owners of Nick’s on Madison and Emry Boutique
Prohibition-inspired bathrooms at Canon in Capitol Hill
This bar’s bottle collection extends all the way to the bathroom.
Our eighth feature of the series was Canon, the intimate Capitol Hill restaurant and cocktail bar known for its creative drinks and massive spirits collection (more than 4,000 labels and counting). One of the bathrooms at Canon was actually owner Jamie’s office for a bit when the bar first opened. Once he was able to give them a major glow-up, he designed it around his vision for the entire bar: what the space might look like if it had always been a bar, surviving Prohibition and evolving over the decades?
The bathrooms also solved another very Canon problem: they were running out of room for bottles. So the bathroom became another place to showcase them, part storage and part decor.
The wonderfully eclectic bathrooms at Bizzarro Italian Cafe
At this 40-year-old Seattle restaurant, one bathroom has a mystery to solve, while the other is filled with some seriously awkward family photos.
Our ninth and final feature of this series was Bizzarro Italian Cafe, the wonderfully eclectic Wallingford restaurant that’s been serving up pasta and plenty of personality since 1986 (40 years!!!).
Step inside one bathroom and you’ll hear a mysterious recording rattling off around 700 names, along with some very bizarre descriptions. Then there’s the bathroom covered in awkward family photos. Each bathroom is wonderfully weird, unexpected and packed with stories — just like Bizzarro.
READ MORE | Bizzarro Italian Café is eclectic, authentic, and going strong after nearly 40 years
Here in Seattle, even the bathrooms have a story to tell. Are we missing your favorite? Email hello@SeattleRefined.com to share.
Abby Luschei is Seattle Refined’s assistant editor and digital producer. She can be reached at aluschei@seattlerefined.com. Follow her on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Dining and Cooking