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CHS Pics | Inside the den at Capitol Hill’s Diesel

(Images: Diesel)

“Are you big enough to run on Diesel?” The new bear bar has been open on 14th Ave for a week now but celebrated its grand opening Friday night. Below, you’ll find a selection of images of the new space and some of the fuzzy specimens who’ve visited.


When CHS talked to co-owner Mike Reis about his new project back in June, he told us he hoped Diesel would embody the spirit of Spags, the long time E Pike gay bar that became a “homebar” for bears in the 90s. Today, the Unicorn lives where Spags used to. “When Spags closed in summer 2000, we were just kind of lost,” Reis told CHS.

Diesel is located at 1413 14th Ave and is open 2-2 on weekdays and 11a-2a on Saturdays and Sundays. You can learn more at dieselseattle.com.

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BusBetch
BusBetch
12 years ago

nice finished look men.
see you soon for a beer!

Noodles Panini
Noodles Panini
12 years ago

Lovely to see a space for our hirsute friends and admirers!

Annoyed
Annoyed
12 years ago

I understand it’s supposed to be an industrial look, but it’s VERY dated. the layout is poor and frankly, the bartenders took so long to get a drink the lines stacked up to and out the front door. Add to the the antiquated credit card system, and you’ve got the makings for yet another failed business in that location.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
12 years ago

This was their grand opening weekend. Imagine– it might just take more than ONE WEEK for a business to get the kinks out? As for the layout– did you ever see the disaster this space was before? This layout is a huge improvement.

DreamgirlDown
DreamgirlDown
12 years ago

I stopped by with friends last week and had a great time! The staff was very friendly, the drinks were good, and everyone was enjoying themselves. I think the look and layout are great, and I’ll certainly be stopping by here on a regular basis. It’s a welcome change to see a new bar opening on this part of the hill after all the closings & movings of late.

Welcome Diesel!

walkman
walkman
12 years ago

Thanks Diesel for adding this friendly gay environment. I went there last week with a London friend in town visiting… we enjoyed some yummy chicken tenders from the friendly staff =)

justlittleoldme
12 years ago

But if their business practices continue to include the snarky habit of try to steal other bar’s employees by telling them “that they should come work for Diesel since they are going to steal all of their business anyways” well I’m taking my gay $$$ elsewhere.

caribouman
12 years ago

Can’t let that be the last word.

In the spirit of neighborliness: If you respond to this post,and we can figure out how to connect, I’ll buy you a burger and a beer at Diesel.

In the spirit of disclosure, my wife is the chef at Diesel- she feeds the bears – so I’m biased, and want to see them succeed. For that matter, I like to see small businesses do well in general.

In the spirit of “buy local”, my dollars have an awfully hard time discerning gay from straight. Good beer, good burgers, ’nuff said.

Anonymous
12 years ago

Those words were never said by Diesel, it’s management, or owners. These were incredible (literally) lies that were spun from an employee at a competitive bar who also runs a chump change, biased, on line gossip rag. A poor, unscrupulous attempt to undermine competition. Dubious at best. One visit to Diesel, and you can quickly see it’s owners and management have thier hearts in the right place and treat people with kindness & respect. The assertion that they attempted to “steel” employees from other bars is preposterous. In fact, bartenders were actually turned down positions from nearby bars, – because the owners wanted to avoid that very issue. So, sour grapes to a failed attempt at defamation and slander.