Central Tavern

Probably the only cool ""Dive Bar"" in downtown Kirkland. And I mean that in a really good way. It's relaxed, laid-back, and unpretentious. If you're looking for an actual bar, and not the 21-year-old-ONLY crowd... this is the place for you. It's great. Music nights can be fun if you're looking for some great loud blues or rock n' roll and you don't have to worry about getting up early. But I'd also suggest heading there in the afternoon when the cute brunette bartender is working. She's not only fantastic to anyone who walks in the door, but she's also great eye candy for us guys who just want to sit at the bar and enjoy a simple beer after work..... as well as the view. Pros: Good drinks, great staff, great location more

Dropped in here for a beer. Three piece combo of baby-boomers played reasonable Floyd and Free (I think the drummer was my dentist).\r \r Decent amount of community tables and ample bar. There is no pretense here - interesting crowd. Pros: Local music, decent brews, no pretense Cons: Not much more

The Central is a Great Place! The music on Wednesdays and Sundays draws a wonderful cross section of people from bikers to computer nerds. There is a laidback feeling that gets busted everytime the hairdresser next door comes over. Her fake smile and phony 'I love my neighborhood bar' attitude is destroyed when you realize she activly fought the bar getting a hard liquor license, offered the landlord extra money to kick out the Central so she could get the space and has her friends call in noise complaints that forced the Central to make all sorts of extra efforts to satisfy the local gestapo.\r \r SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL HOLE-IN-THE-WALL (but be careful of bleached blonds bearing gifts Pros: a wonderful thumbs up Cons: the neighbor more

Not stuffy and fun to hang. Great music mostly blues on Wednesday and Sunday nights. more

Back in the ""Moss Bay Days"" of Kirklands past, bikers pretty much had their run of the town. Now with the post-dotcom booms and sky-rising housing costs, Kirkland has become the ""Carmel"" of Western Washingon. The Central in Kirkland is a throw-back to days long past. A biker-friendly hole-in-the-wall where patrons can still kick back a few whiskeys and share stories of the road. Although they haven't got much by the way of meals, practically everyone in Kirkland will deliver there, and the friendly people who work there are truly top-notch, creating a great evironment for everyone. Pros: biker friendly, great drinks, awesome staff Cons: hard to find parking more