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Born World of Beers, Capitol Hill’s 500 East to close

Often when Capitol Hill restaurants and bars are put up for lease when still occupied by an active (but struggling) tenant, agents will provide vague locations and fuzzed-out glamor shots of a generic interior to help protect the innocent but short-lived.

So the writing was pretty much on the wall last month when a listing for a “PRIME CORNER Built-out Sports Bar for Lease” on E Pine didn’t bother to try to mask the reality. 500 East is a goner.

Tuesday, the bar born “World of Beers” at the corner of Pine and Summit announced it plans to close later this month:

It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that on March 20th 500EAST will be closing it’s doors for the final time. We have had such a great time over the last couple of years with all of you. Let us make the next two weeks as big as possible!

You can read the rest of the goodbye note here.

A decade ago, this stretch of E Pine was a definitive part of Pike/Pine nightlife with a warren of bars — Kincora, Manray, Bimbo’s, Cha Cha — huddled together on the block. By 2013, the lots had been leveled, one-time Capitol Hill arch enemy developer Murray Franklyn had constructed a six-story, mixed-use apartment building, and national chain World of Beers had moved in.

It didn’t last. In 2014, business partners behind the bar sloughed off the chain connections and 500 East was born.

That didn’t last either.

Thanks to Dave for the tip.

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f
f
8 years ago

They may have cast off the corporate shackles but they still had a soulless corporate vibe and a brogrammer/woo-girl clientele. I never felt comfortable the few times I tried going in there. I hope whoever takes the space over is able to completely transform it.

iluvcaphill
iluvcaphill
8 years ago
Reply to  f

Wow, that’s the opposite experience I had. I never went to World of Beers but went to 500 a few times and it was almost exclusively gay clientele. Food was actually really good and reasonable. I would have gone more often but can’t really stand being in the Pike/Pine area any more so stay North of Denny these days. Wish we had more options on the North end.

ERF
ERF
8 years ago

I’m sorry they never had a working business model, but I’m happy the after 10pm work-night karaoke will be ending.

Dan
Dan
7 years ago
Reply to  ERF

Yes! I only hope the devil I don’t know isn’t better than the one I did.

Robert
Robert
8 years ago

Not a big surprise. I was actually rooting for this place, and went there several times, but the service was invariably awful. The bartenders and servers were surly and knew nothing about the beers they were serving, and were pissed off if you asked them about it. The table layout was terrible. Karaoke night didn’t help matters. Compared to the cheerful Pine Box and Capitol Cider, it was a “World” of difference. Buh-bye!

Ryan on Summit
Ryan on Summit
8 years ago

Super Mario Bros is a sly wink.

Dan
Dan
8 years ago

This is what happens when you replace one of the best blocks in the neighborhood with an ugly luxury apt building. Shocker, no one wants to go there. Not to mention that “500 East” appears to be trying to reference the history of the block, but aside from it being a bar, it fails to capture that spirit or culture. The corner space in particular that it occupies is awkward. It says “a social house” on the sign, but the outside looks incredibly uninviting for trying to accomplish that. So yeah, makes sense that it’s closing.

Collin
Collin
8 years ago

All I can say is Manray was always packed and a much better addition to the neighBROhood…nostalgia.

Lilah
Lilah
8 years ago

Bring back Manray!

Chris
Chris
8 years ago

I would love to see another gay bar return to that area of the hill!