Capitol Hill's essential mid-size club has survived three ownership eras, a developer's chequebook and every wave of Seattle nightlife since grunge. Chop Suey at 1325 East Madison Street occupies a 1937 retail building at 14th and Madison that was converted to a nightclub in 2001 and opened in spring 2002 - replacing the punk-leaning Breakroom - under original owners Linda Derschang, Wade Weigel and Jeff O'Felt, the trio behind Capitol Hill institutions like Linda's Tavern, the Baltic Room, the Cha Cha Lounge and the Ace Hotel. The Seattle Times called the redesign "swank rock": a bigger pagoda-styled stage, faux-Chinese lanterns, leopard-print corners and a concrete floor built for shows, with Sub Pop veteran Kerri Harrop booking a calendar that tilted indie rather than punk. The room became a proving ground for two decades of Seattle bills - indie rock, hip-hop, punk, electronic and DJ nights in roughly equal measure. Tokyo venue operator K's Dream bought the club in 2009, and when the business faltered and a developer circled the corner lot in 2014, locals Brianna Rettig, Erin Carnes and Brian Houck stepped in, refusing to let the lease die. Their takeover brought a major renovation and a March 2015 reopening: revamped stage, new PA, a proper green room, and The Den - a side lounge with its own second stage, pinball and a bar built from railroad tracks - followed by the Escondite kitchen serving burgers from 2016. The current setup runs a 400-to-500-capacity main room with a professional line-array PA and Midas console alongside The Den's smaller stage, with an in-house talent buyer booking touring and local acts, long-running dance nights like Candi Pop and Dance Yourself Clean, comedy and community events, plus private rentals. Lonely Planet's sketch still fits: a small dark space with high ceilings and a ramshackle faux-Chinese motif, booking as mixed as the dish it is named for. On a fast-changing hill where beloved venues regularly become apartment lobbies, Chop Suey's continued existence at 14th and Madison is its own achievement - the neighbourhood's stubborn, essential middle room.

Type: NightClub

Address: 1325 E Madison Street, Seattle, WA, United States, 98122

Website: https://www.chopsuey.com

Minimum Age: 21

Capacity: 500

Opening Date: 27/03/2002

Serves Food