Frolik happy hour: downtown's easiest rooftop

Frolik sits on the fifth floor of the Motif hotel, and nobody talks about it. Too low for a skyline view, too central to feel like a find — which is exactly how it keeps the one thing every other rooftop downtown has lost: open seats. I walked past it on 5th Ave for two years before I finally went up. Now it’s my standing answer to “where can we go right now?” I’ve walked in at 5pm on a Friday and sat down by a fire pit without a wait. More than once. I’m still not over it.

The happy hour

Weekdays, 3 to 6: eight-dollar cocktails, six-dollar beers, and a snack menu that’s better than it needs to be. I’ve held it up against every other rooftop downtown and it isn’t close — this is the best value in the city core.

Manage expectations

The view is a city canyon. You’re looking into office windows, not at mountains. The first time, that disappointed me for about four minutes — which is how long it took for the drinks to arrive and the fire pit to do its thing. I come for the pits, the prices, and the fact that I never have to plan.

Best time to go: weekday happy hour, 3–6pm.

Photo courtesy of Frolik Kitchen + Patio, Hilton Motif Seattle.