Chapel, Seattle

Chapel -

The transformed mausoleum retained its gothic feel well after the last of the cadavers’ were recycled into worm food. The high ceilings are jarring and fill the bar with nervous energy. Waitstaff are slow, so I suggest avoiding Chapel if you’re hungry. Have a campari martini and try Mo’s original chocolate cake—you won’t be able to find it anywhere else. The music is usually techno and the vibe is hipster, but being an electro-loving hipster isn’t mandatory to hang here, so come in jeans and a polo shirt if that’s you. Gay or straight; it’s a very queer friendly place (well, the waitstaff can be a bit too queer friendly, asking out customers). But Chapel shouldn’t be mistaken for an exclusively gay bar. After all, it is in the Pike-Pine corridor, sharing a neighborhood with gay bars like R-Place, Manray, and Neighbors. If you’re looking for a semi-straight bar on Capitol Hill, Chapel is the perfect “haunt” for mixed crowds.