A new Death & Co. cocktail bar is coming to Seattle’s Pioneer Square

Death & Co., the cocktail bar chain that helped shape the cocktail renaissance movement in the 2000s — from the Oaxaca Old-Fashioned to its tattoo-and-suspenders aesthetic — has finally found a location for its Seattle bar. In a press release on Tuesday, June 25, Death & Co. announced that it plans to open next year in the RailSpur complex in Pioneer Square.

CEO David Kaplan, who opened the first Death & Co. in Manhattan in 2007, moved to Bellevue a few years ago and said he hoped to open a bar on Capitol Hill in 2023. But instead, Death & Co. is joining the restaurant and bar offerings of RailSpur, a three-building “microdistrict” that looks set to become a culinary destination next year, when Renee Erickson’s Sea Creatures brand will open a pizzeria, brewery and restaurant in the complex.

Both Capitol Hill and Pioneer Square have long been major nightlife and bar gathering places, so why did Kaplan choose the latter? According to a spokesperson, “It came down to the alley entrance, the sense of discovery/destination, the personality of the neighborhood, the square itself—it all fit together.” In other words, Kaplan was drawn to the vibe of Pioneer Square, which, with its historic brick buildings, feels older than the rest of Seattle—it’s where you would have found a speakeasy, back when there were real speakeasys. (One of them was called the “Bucket of Blood.”)

Now Seattle’s cocktail lovers will have to prepare for a wait of probably at least a year. The planned opening date is summer 2025.

“As a longtime admirer of Seattle’s cocktail scene – and a proud resident for the past three years – we couldn’t be more excited to introduce Death & Co to Pioneer Square,” Kaplan said in the press release. “This city’s incredible hospitality and love for exceptional food and drink runs deep, and we’re honored to join this already thriving community. We look forward to working with our immensely talented neighbors and welcoming guests next year.”