The Sundown Tavern (also known as Sundown Saloon) at 820 NW 85th St. is changing its name to Sweet Lou’s. They’re having a grand opening to unveil their new name and new beer garden at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 26. They’ll have an outdoor pig roast and entertainment provided by several alternative country and rockabilly bands.
Formerly known as The Sundown Tavern, the former laundromat-turned-bar had been a Greenwood fixture for more than 60 years, at one time or another occupying three of the four corners of the intersection of 85th and Dibble. Jokingly referred to as “God’s Waiting Room” by its elderly regulars, the tavern had become somewhat rundown over the years, until its change in management a little over two years ago.
Since then, the management team of Lou Brauer and Carl Rogers have worked steadily to transform the venue into the kind of neighborhood bar for which they shared a love – safe, comfortable, welcoming, and above all else, fun. As part of that two-year transformation, a new bar and kitchen was constructed, and liquor, pull-tabs, and in-house smoked barbecue were added to the menu. Decorating the bar is a huge collection of assorted pictures of famous “Lous” throughout history, including Lou Gehrig, Lou Costello, and Lou Reed.
With more than 40 years of combined experience in the Seattle-area bar business, Brauer and Rogers first began crafting the idea of Sweet Lou’s six years ago at Mulleady’s Irish Pub in Magnolia, which Rogers owned and where Brauer served as general manager. On the 26th, the entrepreneurial pair will finally get to share their longtime vision – and their pulled pork – with the public.
