Non-smoking Seattle restaurants

[SeAAttle]

After living in this wonderful, progressive city for two years, I am surprised how few restaurants are completely non-smoking. All seem to have non-smoking sections but some allow smoking at a bar which can be only a few feet away from your "non-smoking" table. One example is Flying Fish, where two chain smokers at the bar produced a blue cloud that pervaded the entire restaurant, on our last (and I do mean last) visit.

I hate second hand smoke and Ms.SeAAttle is very allergic to it, so we do everything we can to avoid it. As a result, we consider "entirely non-smoking" a high priority. A few that come to mind are 727 (even the bar!), Andaluca, Zoe, Assagio, Union Bay Cafe, ......

I am quite surprised that Seattle has not enacted a law similar to many other cities that requires restaurants to be non-smoking. It works elsewhere, including California, Austin, Vancouver, and even Chapel Hill, North Carolina (North Carolina! Where tobacco is considered a vegetable!). The argument that restaurants will lose business just does not hold up. In talking with restaurant managers/owners that decided to go all the way, I found that they received many more positive comments than negative ones.

Sorry for the rant and apologize if this is off-topic, but for some (many) of us, the topic is important.

Names of other restaurants that are totally non-smoking would be appreciated.

[tighe]

I'm also a big fan of smoke-free places. King County actually maintains a web page that lists (all?) smoke-free restaurants in the county: Smoke-free Restaurant Guide

[SeAAttle]

Thanks. A very useful site, although I wonder how current it is since it lists a few restaurants that are now closed. Unfortunately, many of our favorite spots are not on the list. We have occasionally called a (for us) new restaurant, asked if they are smoke-free, and when they say "no", declined to make a reservation because of it. But if we really like the place, we ask to be placed as far from smoking as possible. Not always successful.

On the King Co. site, I did notice one example of the issue I raised in the first post. McCormick and Schmicks on Lake Union may define themselves as non-smoking but when the downstairs bar is busy, the smoke drift to the restaurant on the second floor can be strong, especially on the south end of the room. The upstairs non-smoking bar is a nice touch, however. And the seared ahi is good.

[col klink]

I know that the Hale's brewery in Ballard is completely smoke free. I also know that the big smoker in the back is used about once a week to smoke all of their salmon, pork and turkey on their menu.

If you don't want to drink their beer there, you can take it with you in a keg or by the gallon. Yeah!

[SeAAttle]

As of January 1, Ray's is completely non-smoking, including the bar. Also, when they serve on the deck in the summer, it will also be non-smoking. Progress, I would say.

[MsRamsey]

Seattle progressive? That's rich.

How about fighting for decent public transportation so that our air quality IN GENERAL isn't so lousy? Have you noticed the nasty brown haze hanging over everything since Monday?

[mamster]

That was from smokers, MsR.

[MsRamsey]

That was from smokers, MsR.

No, that's from CARS.

[SeAAttle]

That was from smokers, MsR.

[SeAAttle]

Seattle progressive?  That's rich.

How about fighting for decent public transportation so that our air quality IN GENERAL isn't so lousy?  Have you noticed the nasty brown haze hanging over everything since Monday?

Seattle is by far the most progressive US city I have lived in (total of 6 covering most areas of the country) and probably the cleanest. But I agree, we need public transportation, and many other things.

OK, back to good food.