SEATTLE — Driving past, the Waterwheel Lounge in Ballard would be easy to miss. Set away from the road and camouflaged by its unusual exterior, it's definitely a "blink and you'll miss it" kind of building. Inside, however, you'll find a welcoming retreat with karaoke, bingo, daily drink specials, arcade games and much more.
"It's an old-school dive bar," said Waterwheel regular Lara Hilgemann. "You feel like you're at a house party inside a basement."
Part of the Waterwheel's charm are its eclectic decorations. In the bar's early history, customers would bring bells to hang up inside. Additionally, a gong can be heard ringing multiple times throughout the day.
"We do karaoke five nights a week. We have the Pac Man machine, there's board games on the wall, we have a giant Jenga, giant Connect 4," Carole Nicholas, Waterwheel's general manager, said. "We have bingo on Tuesdays."
If the entertainment factor isn't incentive enough to visit the bar, the drink specials definitely are.
"4 to 7 every day is happy hour," said Nicholas. "We have $4 wells, $5 drafts, Bud Light and PBR are $2. Also, Wednesday night we have half off everything."
"It's the friendliest dive bar in Seattle," said Stan Sele, a regular.
The Waterwheel Lounge | 7034-15th Avenue NW, Ballard
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