Turn out on Aug 9 for WHAT’S GOOD: the annual Hillman City Block Party! Food, drink, kids’ activities, and lost of music including sets by Dave B, RUB, Gabriel Teodros, Tomo Nakayama, Jus Moni and more—plus DJ sets by Larry Mizell Jr, Riz Rollins, DJ Jewel and Sean Fuad.
The Block Party is a free, all-ages, annual festival hosted by the Hillman City Neighborhood Association.
Now a neighborhood institution, The Twilight Rainier is the south end sister of the longtime Central District haunt Twilight Exit, and sits where the Union Bar used to be. It’s Hillman City’s basic full-service watering hole: a full bar, comfy, a bit loud, and a solid pub menu.
5609 Rainier Ave
This impossibly cool, dimly lit space is a cozy and friendly neighborhood bar focusing mostly on wine, amaro and cheap bar snacks. The best amaro list in South Seattle.
5701 Rainier Ave
Black and Tan Hall is a local success story: a community-owned cultural venue, bar and restaurant. Local jazz, blues, soul, hip hop, folk and latin music performaces grace the stage as well as other events. Chef Tay’s kitchen and bar serve up hearty savory dishes with southern and Caribbean influences… and creative cocktails and mocktails.
5608 Rainier Ave.
This small, labor-of-love record store is open primarily by appointment, and showcases a curated, international selection of electronica, ambient, deep house, dub, techno and other rarified dancefloor and chillout genres. You get the sense that if they sell it, one of the staff has obviously fallen in love with it.
5701 Rainier Ave.
Habesha Cafe is many things–a comfortable Eritrean and Ethiopian restaurant and cafe, a shop selling spices, wine and selected dry goods, and at its heart, a bakery supplying fresh injera to East African restaurants and shops around Seattle. The cafe stays open through dinner with a takeout menu for nearby bar patrons.
5710 Rainier Ave S
South Seattle is full of good breweries, but Machine House is Hillman City’s most hyperlocal one. It’s also a comfortable, spacious taproom for chatting, playing games, reading, watching televised soccer games. Usually 8-10 beers on tap, mainly (though not exclusively) the English-style mild ales which are Machine House’s specialty. There’s no food, but you are welcome to order from Habesha’s pub-focused evening takeout menu.
5718 Rainier Ave.
The main neighborhood coffee joint, Onda Origins is a well-lit space provides the neighborhood with high-quality grower-sourced coffee, roasted onsite. Pastries come from Onda’s sister business Fresh Flours on Beacon Hill.
5600 Rainier Ave S.
Depends on who you talk to, but the airy, crisp falafel at Mawadda Cafe is likely among Seattle’s top three—and definitely the best in the South End. Also on the menu: shawarma, gyros, spanakopita, baba ganoush, foule, and moussaka among other Mediterranean dishes. Service is not always the fastest, but the wait is well worth it.
4433 S. Graham St.
Looking for a place to stay in the heart of Hillman City? This gorgeous, newly-removated garden apartment may be the sunny spot you’re looking for. Local folks: this is a great place to put up your out-of-town guests instead of having them camp out in your living room. A short walk from the central intersection of Orcas and Rainier.
Check availability: Garden Suite in Hillman City
A Puerto Rican food truck currently in residence at the corner of Rainier and Brandon, tucked behind the teriyaki place. Check their Instagram feed (linked below) for current information.
5416 Rainier Ave.
Need artwork or memorabilia matted or custom-framed? Need canvas stretched? Make an appointment at this locally-owned master framing shop or drop in to browse their extensive stock of frame materials.
5701 C Rainier Ave.
This stylish. family-owned restaurant lies at the corner of Rainier and Orcas and serves up a full menu of Tibs, Kitfo, Wot dishes and other Ethiopian egetable, meat and fish dishes. They also have a full bar and can provide a formal Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
5701 Rainier Ave.
A lively tap room and bottle shop with plenty of room for indoor and outdoor socializing. Kid-friendly and pet-friendly! as all the neighborhood folks who hang out here are well aware. There are a few pre-pack food items for sale, or you can pick up barbecue, or poke, or teriyaki at one of the restaurants within one block.
5303 Rainier Ave.
