Another big-name brewery lands in Ballard, and 4 other new bar openings in Seattle

Bale Breaker Brewing Co. and Yonder Cider tasting room

826 N.W. 49th St., Ballard, Seattle; bbycballard.com

This anticipated tasting room finally debuts in the trendy Ballard Beer District, with a 6,200-square-foot facility that includes a backyard with firepits. Expect outdoor movie showings in the future. Children and dogs are allowed here. Likely because of all the COVID-19 lockdown fatigue, the beer gardens in Ballard have been packed in recent months with long waiting lists. This new outdoor space should provide some relief. The 32 taps of ales and hard ciders showcase hops from Yakima and apples from Wenatchee. Bale Breaker also makes some of the best fresh hop ales in the region and should release some batches in the coming weeks. There’s even a still on premise for the owners to play with, so expect apple brandy, gin and whiskey in the future.

Station 18 Drinks & Eats

5425 Russell Ave. N.W., Ballard, Seattle; station18ballard.com

This Ballard bar sits in a historical landmark that once housed a fire station. In recent years, this space was home to the bar Hi-Life and then the restaurant Valentinetti’s, and it’s now back to being a bar under new owners Kate Barrett, from Kate’s Pub, and Erik Nilsen. The 148-seat space includes a patio where dogs are allowed. Children are welcome in the dining room until 9 p.m. The food is described by management as flavors of “a backyard barbecue,” with smoked and grilled meats including pork belly burnt ends, burgers, tacos and pizzas. There are 12 craft beers on tap along with two giant screens and five televisions to catch the games. The owners are delaying opening on Sundays until they can find more kitchen help.

The Victor Tavern

2121 Sixth Ave., Denny Triangle, Seattle; 206-649-4040, ethanstowellrestaurants.com/locations/victor-tavern

Ethan Stowell takes over Tom Douglas’ old Via6 restaurant space, across from the Amazon Spheres. His 2,500-square-foot bar and restaurant has a heated patio and two bars, including one in the mezzanine with pool tables, shuffleboards and other tabletop games. Children are allowed in the dining area. The 200-seat Victor Tavern, with 10 televisions to catch all the Seahawks, Kraken and college games, targets office workers and nearby apartment dwellers. Lots of smash burgers and sandwiches like the crab roll and French dip, and the daily happy hour runs from 4-6 p.m. with $8 cocktails and small plates such as beef tartare. Talented barman Erik Carlson, who composed the craft cocktail list here, now oversees the booze program for all of Stowell’s restaurants.

Snowy River Cocktail Co

2800 E. Madison St., Madison Park, Seattle; 206-402-5486 snowyrivercocktailbars.com

This Bellingham-based bar lands on the main drag of Madison Park, with plans to do $12 burger-and-beer night on Wednesdays along with hosting comedy improv and live music on other nights. The 30-cocktail lineup runs from a rum-watermelon mixed drink to a chocolate martini, with shared plates such as baked Brie and shrimp ceviche. The 83-seat bar also has a heated, covered patio that can hold 40 more during winter. Children are allowed in the dining area until 9 p.m. Snowy River Cocktail Co also doubles as a retail outlet, selling rim sugars and salts and other cocktail ingredients for your home bar.

Tony T’s Sports Lounge

1518 First Ave. S., Sodo, Seattle; 206- 557-7096, tonytssportslounge.com

This sports bar across from T-Mobile Park aims to be the pre-funk hangout for all the games. Located in the former Henry’s Tavern space, Tony T’s boasts 19 flat screens, and management plans to subscribe to all the premium sports packages so that sports fans can request any game. Tony T’s runs an extensive bar menu including staples such as burgers and wings with $6 margaritas during weekday happy hour (3-6 p.m.). Plans are in the works to add a beer garden. The sports bar has also been a hangout for the concertgoers from the nearby WAMU Theater and Showbox SoDo.