From the creators of Christmas Dive Bar comes the latest in the “pop-up bar” series: The Mystic Motel. Located at The Woods in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, The Mystic Motel is a transformative space that transports visitors to a Wes Anderson-esque 1970’s “theme park” of a dusty desert roadside motel. The Mystic Motel has a fantastic selection of themed cocktails and tasty bar food and is running from now through the end of summer.
After the incredible success of the Christmas Dive Bar pop-up, Joey Burgess and Murf Hall of Burgess/Hall (husbands, business partners and owners of many of Capitol Hill’s most recognized businesses) decided to go all-in on the pop-up bar experience as a new business model for The Woods (formerly Grim’s Provisions), which they’ve owned and operated since 2014.
“This latest pop-up is another export of something we love – the deserts surrounding Palm Springs, which we try to visit as often as we can. We riffed on photos we’d taken over the years of crazy things we’ve seen as we’ve explored down there, and we really wanted to bring something that was just absurd and completely unexpected to the hill,” says Burgess, in a press release.
At The Mystic Motel, guests are welcomed with Wild West-meets-disco vibes with elements like indoor campfires, faux cacti and a sparkly disco ball. The bar itself is cleverly disguised as a motel check-in desk. Colored lights evoke the painted murals of desert sunsets on the main floor and, in the mezzanine, guests will be transported into the Starlight Lounge, as constellations, nebulas and whole galaxies swirl overhead.
The Mystic Motel serves up an array of creative tiki drinks in fun drink vessels, with a Western theme of course. Favorites include the Cobra Margarita with mango-jalapeno tequila, chili liqueur, lime and pineapple juice and the Cowboy Coffee, which is a unique take on an espresso martini with butterscotch schnapps. The Mystic Motel also has a selection of seltzer, beer and wine.
Food offerings at The Mystic Motel stick with the Western motif and include cowboy caviar, Frito pie, sloppy joe sliders and spicy queso. All are delicious and all pair well with the refreshing cocktails.
The Mystic Motel pop-up bar is open Wednesday to Sunday, from 5 p.m. to close, all summer long. This is a 21-plus establishment. For more information, visit themysticmotel.com.
1512 11th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122