Hillman City’s New Bar and Bottle Shop Welcomes the Whole Family

The combination of bar and bottle shop continues to be a popular model, and now Hillman City has its very own in Hill City Tap House and Bottle Shop, which opened at 5303 Rainier Ave S in June. The enterprise was born of co-owners Mathew and Lauren Hipp’s experience struggling to find kid-friendly watering holes. In response, they’ve added a play area just off the bar.

“Once we had our first child in 2014 we became much more aware of how difficult it was to find fun and inviting places to take children,” Hipp says. “We wanted to create a space where kids could play and be entertained, while adults can enjoy time with other adults, have the space to carry on conversations, enjoy some delicious beer, and truly be kid-friendly.”

Local and regional beers feature heavily in the 24-tap selection, with breweries like Counterbalance, Fremont, and soon-to-open Jellyfish well represented. “We work with local distributors and breweries to bring on the best of what they have to offer while trying to find some more unique selections that you won't see at every bar around the city,” says co-owner Mathew Hipp. “We do our best to listen to what people are asking for or about and find options to fit what we hear the most.”

Growler fills are available, one or two ciders are usually on draft, and there’s a mix of indoor and outdoor seating. Though the bar sells pre-packaged sandwiches and salads from Molly’s, patrons are allowed to bring in food, like barbecue from Emma’s next door or poke from Sam Choy’s across the street. Food trucks may enter the picture in the future.

Hill City is currently open Wednesday through Friday from 3 to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Hours may change as the owners continue to evaluate demand.