With its smoky front bar, dim back dining room and Rocky Mountain mural, this looks and feels like a truck-stop diner. But on Ballard Avenue, home of avant-garde art galleries and noisy nightclubs, the Hat offers late-night dining to both grizzled local fishermen and 20-something swingers. Quieter than the bar, the dining room offers banquette booths. The food is far better than typical pub grub and the kitchen turns out some creative specialties-try the Guinness Meatloaf smothered in Guinness gravy. Brunch is also recommended.
• Hours: 3p-2a M-F, 8a-2a Sa-Su