Tucked into the heart of Belltown, The 5 Point Café is the kind of place that has earned its reputation not by polishing its edges, but by embracing them. Since opening its doors in 1929, this notorious dive bar and diner has been called many things—“the best dive bar in the world,” “Seattle’s most iconic restaurant,” and, for some, simply home.
Owner David Meinert knows the legend well. In the 1990s, before he ever thought of running the place, he was working across the street for a band management company and would find himself at The 5 Point often. It was a favorite haunt of Seattle’s music scene—many of the bands that defined the city’s grunge era stopped in, partied hard, and, just as often, got themselves kicked out. His long-time girlfriend worked behind the counter, too, and when the café was on the verge of shutting down in 2009, fate intervened. The then-owner, who adored her, offered to sell the business. David, already familiar with its glory days, took the deal. “I bought it to revive it and keep it the same for as long as Seattle exists,” he says.
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