What a terrific find this was! And I do mean “find”! There is no apparent entrance or street level signage for this retro lounge located above the round Starbucks at the corner of Denman and Davie. You have to take the long ramp up from well down Davie Street, or climb the stairs on Denman labeled Lucky Sushi to find a way in.
Once there, you’ll find it was worth your search. It seems like back in the early 60’s everything needed to be round: apartment buildings, revolving restaurants, and spaceneedles. And so, Bayside lounge is round. It turns out to be the ideal shape. The circular bar at the center is orbited by a ring of barstools, which in turn are surrounded by cocktail table planets, the whole thing is encased in a halo of banquettes. It’s incredibly efficient, and you instantly feel transported back to 2001 A Space Odyssey.
But a lounge is nothing without great cocktails, and Bayside has pages of them, both traditional and innovative, plus changing features. Everything we tried was deftly prepared with fresh, lively ingredients.
The food is also perfect for a lounge—really beyond expectations for a lounge. We started with the four cheese dip, which was good to the last dollop, especially with the seasoned naan bread.
The ceviche was also way beyond expectations, with tender chunks of fish in a bright acidic sauce littered with crisp, freshly slivered onions and peppers.
The hamburger was also excellent, with all my favorite ingredients (which is to say everything from bacon to tomato to onion straws) and served on a bun that was up to the task. Accompanying crinkle fries were hot and crisp.
The payoff is that Happy Hour is basically all day on weekdays (noon to 6pm, and a bit later on weekends) making the food and house wines an absolute bargain.
Highly recommended.
