Photo by Suzi Pratt, Gemini Connect Media
Founded in 2005, Seattle Eater’s coverage ranges from extensive city maps and travel dining guides marking all the best places to eat, punchy editorials exploring the cultural significance of what and how we eat, in-depth industry investigations, and light-hearted ruminations on food fads and cooking tips and tricks.
Their 2023 Eater Awards included a a new set of faces on Greenwood, Amy and Gomez of the Dark Room, which opened in the former Teachers Lounge space in January. Here is what editor Harry Cheadle had to say about why they are Seattle’s best new bar:
“There are a lot of cocktail bars in Seattle, but how many cocktail bars have the chops to concoct a drink that combines sake, three aperitifs (sesame-infused Suze, Cap Corse, Aperol), and celery bitters? And how many would call it Nigorni Weaver? Just one: Greenwood’s Dark Room, where co-owner Matthew Gomez lets his bartender imagination — and his puckish sense of humor — run wild. There’s a drink that comes garnished with a Polaroid of you drinking it and another that comes in a Spam container. But don’t mistake whimsy for a lack of seriousness. Dark Room is that rare cocktail bar where you can have a great dinner. The bar food from co-owner Amy Beaumier includes gems like incredible kimchi pimento cheese and a hot dog on a shokupan bun she makes herself. And both owners want to build Dark Room not just into a neighborhood institution but also a platform for other bartenders and chefs of color — and a truly superlative bar. “I would like for us to be at that level where people are coming from all over the United States or the world,” says Gomez. Dark Room may well get to that level.“
