At Il Bistro, hidden under Pike Place Market, the old-fashioned-ness is marvelous—the ceilings are low, the arches are original, the bar is marble, and the roses are red. The bar at Il Bistro is famous, and rightfully so; it’s a bartenders’ bar—witness the 30-plus kinds of Scotch lined up tantalizingly all along it. The lighting at the bar is perfect—not too bright, not too dim, bathing everyone in a 62-percent-more-attractive pinky-gold. The rest of Il Bistro is also low-lit and romantic, but the Italian food is only passable (and notably pricey). It’s the bar that’s great.

Make reservations for Il Bistro here.