Kells Is the Jewel of Post Alley

Ireland's population weighs in at just over 4 million, but worldwide, more than 25 million people claim to have Irish blood running through their veins, and those in possession of even a drop—no matter how small!—use it as a passport to guilt-free enjoyment of the drink(s). The ubiquity of Irish pubs in the world make it nearly as easy to wash away (or at least drown) your sins as popping into confession, and Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub is one of Seattle's most authentic. The Post Alley hideout boasts a single-malt scotch list that stretches on and on (weighing in as the largest in the city), packed with Glen-this and More-that, perfectly poured Guinness, and a full menu of Old Country standards: Irish stew (famine-free, heavy on the potatoes), a few varieties of pasties (small meat-filled pies), and dense and chewy Irish soda bread (they even sell the mix). While it can be irritatingly packed elbow to elbow with out-of-towners, frat boys, and old men on weekends, most nights the combination of savory smells, the din of conversation, clinking glasses, and the backdrop of live traditional Irish folk music transforms the Emerald City into the Emerald Isle.